Youth Advocacy
Advocating for young people in the face of far right Christian nationalists willing to do anything to force their religion on others. Suddenly, we are all “accidental” politicians.
Youth Advocacy
Year 3, Week 10 (200 total reports)
28.02.2023-05.03.2024
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Advocating for young people in the face of far right Christian nationalists willing to do anything to force their religion on others. Suddenly, we are all “accidental” politicians.
Special Adolescent Care Link of the Week
01.03.2024
American Psychological Association takes a stand against bans on gender-affirming care for minors
Gender affirming care is not castration—as far right religious conservatives are trying to get their base to believe. It delays the onset of sexual maturity while the individual (and usually a doctor and parents) determine what gender is most “affirming” for the individual. This is a landmark endorsement by the most reputable psychological organization in the world. Let us listen to reason here, not to the far right religious opinions of a small group of hateful evangelicals and their political minions. The lives of young people is literally at stake and that has been proven. Banning gender affirming care is psychologically damaging to tens of thousands of young people (estimated 42,000). This is not a decision for either politicians or right wing religious fanatics to force down the throats (or onto the bodies) of others. “Why,” some might ask, “are we seeing an increasing number of young people question their gender?” Perhaps it is because—in most States—it is not seen as a threat. In those rational States, gender development is seen as a healthy aspect of human development. When I was young, it was thought to be morally wrong to be left-handed. Being left-handed, I remember having my arm tied to my chair by backward nuns in Catholic institutions. Thank God, we are past that. Perhaps we will get past this hurdle too, if we can stop these right-wing zealots from spreading their spiteful hate and fear.
Best Links of The Week
05.03.2024
The Alabama Embryo Opinion Is Part of a Larger Plan
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/03/alabama-embryo-parker-new-apos/677642/
A very small minority of far right evangelicals is trying to force their religious views on the rest of America. This group doesn’t care what other people believe, they are willing to force people to do what they want and they will support any politician who will do their bidding—even if that politician is a fraudulent rapist. As always, The Atlantic probes deeply into this issue of IVF and looks at the underlying right wing religious agenda which it promotes.
04.03.2024
The 'accidental' politicians: Meet three women risking everything to fight for democracy
This article made me realize how many of us—but especially women and diverse groups—are being forced to become “accidental” politicians. Most of us do not face the possibility of incarceration or death that some of the women in this article experience, yet, it is the height of privilege to only care about the issues that affect ourselves directly. With the prevalence of a small, hard core, religious minority attempting to take over world politics, every one of us is now an “accidental” politician. Over 52 countries face the loss of democracy this year. Standing by idly, is immoral and will be a historic blunder. I’ve heard it said (and I agree), “If you wonder what you would have done when Hitler came to power, look at what you are doing now.”
03.03.2024
A History of Human Resilience Can Brace Us for Impending Global Changes
This is such a refreshing article and so hopeful. We need it—not so we can relax our endeavors—but so we can solidify our resilience in the face of horrific miscalculation.
02.03.2024
‘Thank you for 26 years of utter happiness’ Yulia Navalnaya’s farewell message to her husband — Meduza
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2024/03/01/thank-you-for-26-years-of-utter-happiness
If this eulogy does not tear at your heart, nothing will. The death of Alexandr Navalny is a grotesque example of what happens when a world dictator (Putin) has no checks and balances. The Prime Minister of Australia (Anthony Albanese) tells us that Putin made Trump “weak in the knees” like an adoring school boy. This is the same immunity that Trump would like to afforded. What the Far Right doesn’t realize is that if Trump wins his Presidential immunity case, that immunity would start with Joe Biden, not Donald Trump.
01.03.2024
Trump and his allies have made over 250 anti-democratic threats — and counting
Make no mistake, the upcoming election isn’t just about choice between Presidential candidates, it’s a choice between democracy and tyranny. Trump himself (and Project 2025) have boldly stated their nefarious purposes and we should take them at their word.
29.02.2024
52 countries saw "severe" declines in freedom last year, report finds
https://www.axios.com/2024/02/29/freedom-house-rankings-democracy-decline
Here is an extreme warning sign that all of us need to heed. This is why all of us are becoming “accidental” politicians.
28.02.2024
Poll: Most Americans cool to Christian nationalism as its influence grows
https://www.axios.com/2024/02/28/poll-christian-nationalism-americans-reject
What Christians don’t seem to understand is that nothing is driving people away from Christianity more than Christians themselves. They are becoming the next Taliban, whether they see it or not. A small group of fanatical, conservative Christians want to turn the US into a “Christian Nation.” And don’t mind using force and sabotage—even violence—to get their way. One need look no further than Donald Trump on his campaign trail this week to see how far his backers are willing to go to support someone who will further their agenda. Not only is Trump facing 91 felony charges (and nearly half a billion in debt) but he is losing his mental capacity. Increasingly, his “handlers” are trying to keep him from taking the stage and posting on Truth Social because the man is simply increasingly incoherent.
This Week’s Links
05.03.2024
The Alabama Embryo Opinion Is Part of a Larger Plan
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/03/alabama-embryo-parker-new-apos/677642/
The Supreme Court Is Not Up to the Challenge
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/03/trump-v-anderson-unanimous-decision/677635/
Mitch McConnell did more to destroy democracy than Donald Trump
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2024/03/mitch-mcconnell-did-more-to-destroy-democracy-than-donald-trump/
Judge blocks Texas’s “cruel attempt” to force LGBTQ+ group to out trans families
Maddening New Poll: Voters Are Unaware of Trump “Dictator” Threats
https://newrepublic.com/article/179548/poll-voters-trump-dictator-threats
Trump supporters target black voters with faked AI images
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68440150
“I Don’t Like Prayer/Blessed Language Directed At Me”: Woman Shuts Down Religious Email At Work
https://www.boredpanda.com/atheist-coworker-prayers/
A Moment of Deep Sorrow on the U.S.-Mexican Border | Nieman Reports
https://niemanreports.org/articles/a-moment-of-deep-sorrow-on-the-u-s-mexican-border/
Right-wing group won't condemn Uganda's 'kill the gays' law, enraging queer Democrats
https://www.advocate.com/politics/right-group-wont-condemn-uganda
A Self-Absorbed America Means Disorder for the World
https://www.cfr.org/article/self-absorbed-america-means-disorder-world
Places across the U.S. are testing no-strings cash as part of the social safety net
https://www.npr.org/2024/03/05/1233440910/cash-aid-guaranteed-basic-income-social-safety-net-poverty
11 Subtle Signs of Narcissism That Are Easy to Miss, According to Psychologists
https://parade.com/living/subtle-signs-of-narcissism-according-to-psychologists
04.03.2024
The 'accidental' politicians: Meet three women risking everything to fight for democracy
Latest Trump Speeches Highlight Same Cognitive Fears That Republicans Express About Biden
https://newsone.com/5052384/trump-speeches-cognitive-fears/
Why do millions of Americans believe the 2020 presidential election was ‘stolen’ from Donald Trump?
Faith and conspiracy: Study shows religiosity is related to belief in COVID-19 conspiracies
Residents of these 10 states are the most stressed out in America—New York and California didn't make the list
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/03/top-10-states-with-the-most-stressed-out-people-in-america.html
03.03.2024
A History of Human Resilience Can Brace Us for Impending Global Changes
Column: We can’t count on the courts to hold Trump accountable before November. It’s up to us
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-03-03/supreme-court-donald-trump-jack-smith
How to Tackle Truth Decay
https://apple.news/AjWPT_iDpRJimA3Hlbw0HQg
Florida is swamped by disease outbreaks as quackery replaces science
https://apple.news/Acp40st4eSnC06J2ilmqu7Q
Texas Newspaper Issues Warning About Secession
https://www.newsweek.com/texas-newspaper-warns-about-secession-pledge-1875324
A warped version of the Bible killed Nex Benedict
https://www.salon.com/2024/03/03/a-warped-version-of-the-bible-nex-benedict/
Where Did Evangelicals Go Wrong?
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/03/evangelical-support-republican-trump/677610/
Parents underestimate the importance of guided play in education
https://www.psypost.org/parents-underestimate-the-importance-of-guided-play-in-education/
A Psychologist’s Guide To Silencing Your ‘Inner Saboteur’
The science of how to stop saying yes to everything
https://apple.news/AQxo-QDvrT1iUrAXulI0WFQ
02.03.2024
‘Thank you for 26 years of utter happiness’ Yulia Navalnaya’s farewell message to her husband — Meduza
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2024/03/01/thank-you-for-26-years-of-utter-happiness
‘It feels like it’s Russia’s funeral’ Reflections, goodbyes, and eyewitness accounts as Alexey Navalny is laid to rest — Meduza
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2024/03/01/it-feels-like-it-s-russia-s-funeral
Navalny’s legacy and the future of Russian opposition
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/navalnys-legacy-and-the-future-of-russian-opposition
As Tucker bends to Putin, the truth about 'borders,' liberation and history: Ari Melber x Marley
Democracy’s Dark Winter
https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2024/03/democracys-dark-winter/677624/
Anand Giridharadas: America is a country built of the world, from the world, from every part of the world
60 Years After the Civil Rights Act, Equal Opportunity Is Under Attack
https://capitalbnews.org/report-state-of-black-america/
Red-Blooded Republicans
https://progressive.org/latest/red-blooded-republicans-fiore-20240301/
Nobody Wants to Look Stupid: Resources for Teaching About Executive Functions (Opinion)
Child Adversity’s Impact on Cognition and Mental Health
https://neurosciencenews.com/child-adversity-cognition-mental-health-25689/
A helpful chart to explain the difference between support and 'toxic positivity'
How Neurodivergence Can Be a Superpower
https://www.inc.com/tracy-dennis-tiwary/how-neurodivergence-can-be-a-superpower.html
01.03.2024
Trump and his allies have made over 250 anti-democratic threats — and counting
American Psychological Association takes a stand against bans on gender-affirming care for minors
Report: Florida last in public education
During Alexei Navalny’s funeral, I’ll be remembering Medgar Evers
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/-alexei-navalny-funeral-medgar-evers-rcna141262
Highlights from the transcript of Hunter Biden’s closed-door interview with House Republicans
https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/29/politics/takeaways-hunter-biden-transcript/
Opinion: Russia's Republicans
https://www.kyivpost.com/opinion/28861
GOP's post-Roe peril spreads like wildfire
https://www.axios.com/2024/03/01/republicans-reproductive-rights-2024-election
Arizona Republicans Advance Bill Allowing Property Owners to Kill Migrants
Texas Poised to Lose Billions in Investment if Donald Trump Elected
https://www.newsweek.com/texas-will-lose-billions-investment-donald-trump-elected-2024-1874806
Trans children could be taken from their parents if this shocking new law passes
https://www.thepinknews.com/2024/02/29/trans-children-kentucky/
Managing Expectations With Neurodivergent Children
29.02.2024
52 countries saw "severe" declines in freedom last year, report finds
https://www.axios.com/2024/02/29/freedom-house-rankings-democracy-decline
‘Putin must answer for what he’s done’ Alexey Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, addresses the E.U. Parliament — Meduza
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2024/02/28/putin-must-answer-for-what-he-s-done
The ‘Caudillo Syndrome’ is spreading around the world as economic disillusionment pushes voters to bet on populist strongmen
Supreme Court hands Trump a huge win before it even hears his case
https://www.axios.com/2024/02/29/trump-wins-delay-immunity-case-supreme-court
'Republicans in robes': Supreme Court critics see politics behind action on Trump immunity case
Pax Economica: The forgotten history of the free-trade movement
https://bigthink.com/the-past/free-trade-economics/
A Thousand Little Moments: The Insidious Loss of Women’s Freedom to Christian Nationalism
https://msmagazine.com/2024/02/28/women-choice-freedom-republicans-religion-ivf-fertility/
The Republican assault on sexual freedom is underway
Enabling Trump, distorting the Supreme Court define McConnell legacy as he exits leadership
Coalition of 20 Groups Press Lawmakers to Reject Florida Teacher Training Bill
States offer services for disabled kids, then make their families wait 10 years for them
How To Disarm A Narcissist With The ‘Gray Rock’ Method
28.02.2024
Poll: Most Americans cool to Christian nationalism as its influence grows
https://www.axios.com/2024/02/28/poll-christian-nationalism-americans-reject
Gavin Newsom slams GOP for giving rapists more rights than families who want IVF
Florida's response to a measles outbreak endangers children, experts say
Over 40 of Nex Benedict's Classmates Walked Out to Protest the School's Bullying Policies
Black Writers Share Their Favorite Books to Honor Black History Month
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/black-writers-share-favorite-books-to-honor-black-history-month
Youth Advocacy
Advocating for young people in the face of narcissists and theocrats threatening global democracy.
Youth Advocacy
Year 3, Week 09 (199 total reports)
21.02.2023-27.02.2024
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Advocating for young people in the face of narcissists and theocrats threatening global democracy.
NEW: Special Adolescent Care Link of the Week
The Art of Calm Conversations With Reactive Adult Children
Many of us have heard the flight attendant say, “If you’re sitting by a child—or someone acting like one—put your own mask on first.” This is a similar proposition, but for adult communications. If you are with an adult (or older teen) that simply refuses to communicate like an adult, this article will help you share thoughts without being overcome by emotions.
Best Links of The Week
27.02.2024
Putin, Trump, Netanyahu: When Pure Narcissism Triggers Global Catastrophe
https://worldcrunch.com/world-affairs/putin-trump-netanyahu-narcissist
Putin, Trump, Netanyahu, are but three of the narcissists asserting their damaging, self-aggrandizing, manifestations of leadership today. But they did not come to power in a vacuum. We must face the demons within ourselves that either seek easy answers to the chaos these people promote or the self-centeredness within us that is attracted to their coercive power. The question of why these people wield so much sway over the world is an internal question with which we all must grapple.
26.02.2024
Teachers are tired of the culture wars — and many support LGBTQ+ curricula, Pew survey finds
https://www.advocate.com/news/teachers-lgbtq-race-education-legislation
Most practical people would agree that teaching is a difficult job with the potential for high intrinsic rewards. But remarkable people with years of training for these positions are being driven from the field by culture wars—ideologies only tied to education in ways that restrict the promotion of knowledge; knowledge about history, knowledge about race, and knowledge about sexuality. As the far right seeks to undermine education across the US (see article in 25.02.2024), there is a growing discontent among educators. The far right would like to set the agenda taught in the classroom, but just like in other areas where they want to sow chaos and Christian, White Nationalism, they have no plan—or desire—to lead beyond policy-making. You’ll find them making grand statements in front of their peers, then disappearing when it comes time to implement (or fund) their lunacy.
25.02.2024
Alabama Halts IVF as State Supreme Court Ruling Sparks Fear and Confusion
One of the worst States, when it comes to the treatment of children, wants to expand its definition of children. In this decision, made upon religious grounds by a self-proclaimed Christian, zealot, judge, those seeking assistance procuring in vitro fertilization will now have to flee to other States—and women everywhere must face the continuing dilemma that in a White Christian Theocracy, women’s rights are being undermined.
24.02.2024
Societies that treat women badly are poorer and less stable
This is a landmark study that only makes common sense. As the Far Right seeks to outdo Sharia Law in their fear-mongering policies, we all lose stability, all of us are having our rights undermined. Our one recourse is to vote these White Christian Radicals out of office on all levels of government. Please remember this in ROE-vember!
23.02.2024
‘20 Days in Mariupol’ can win an Oscar. Will it make the world care about Russian war crimes in Ukraine?
https://kyivindependent.com/20-days-in-mariupol-oscar-nomination/
The Far Right, under the tutelage of their idol, Donald Trump (love-stricken and under the tutelage of Vladimir Putin) has completely lost its rudder and drifts in whatever direction the global despot commands. They have completely given up their own minds and wills. Perhaps documentaries such as this one about the horrors of Mariupol, can remind us of just what an unchecked tyrant is capable of doing—as if Alexei Navalny wasn’t enough! Please share this documentary link with others and help the world reawaken to the Hitler-esque world that Putin seeks to advance.
22.02.2024
We endorse Joe Biden for President of the United States in the Democratic Primary (Opinion)
From deep in the heart of the Lone Star State comes this critical endorsement of Joe Biden. The opinion had to be well-researched and deeply crafted to be able to pass muster in Greg Abbott’s backyard. Please read and share with others who might not understand that the 2024 election is a choice between Biden and autocracy. Biden is NOT the perfect candidate, but he is the only candidate that can win at this time against a Trump-Dictatorship.
21.02.2024
Sam Alito Launches Broadside Against Marriage Equality in Homophobic Juror Case
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/02/sam-alito-marriage-equality-homophobic-juror-scotus.html
SCOTUS is dominated by Trump-Appointed sycophants and white Christian Nationalists who do not have the Constitution, Democracy, or Women’s Rights at heart. The dismantling of Roe vs. Wade was but a “shot across the bow” of where this radical body wants to take the country. Alito, who who laid out the methodical strategy undermining Roe v. Wade is not done—and won’t be—until the US has become his version of “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
This Week’s Links
27.02.2024
Putin, Trump, Netanyahu: When Pure Narcissism Triggers Global Catastrophe
https://worldcrunch.com/world-affairs/putin-trump-netanyahu-narcissist
The Right’s Long Game to End Public Education
Jared Polis has a simple message for making America inclusive for everyone: Go vote
The Alabama IVF Ruling Weaponizes Faith to Harm Families
https://msmagazine.com/2024/02/26/alabama-ivf-fertility-religion-supreme-court-republicans-faith/
Nazis at CPAC is a frog-in-boiling-water moment for the right
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/nazis-cpac-2024-response-rcna140521
Nex Benedict honored by friends at vigil: 'He made everything easier'
https://www.advocate.com/news/nex-benedict-transgender-vigil-friends
What's life like for Russia's political prisoners? Isolation, poor food and arbitrary punishment
Texas Gov. gives curt 6-word reply to proposed U.N. investigation of state’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws
30 Documentaries To Watch During Black History Month
https://wealthofgeeks.com/black-history-month-documentaries/
Knowing how to talk to your kid about feelings isn’t always easy - try these 7 child-therapist-approved ways to get them talking
https://www.goodto.com/family/how-to-talk-to-your-kid-about-feelings
Why You Should Stop Complaining Today, Backed by Neuroscience
https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/why-you-should-stop-complaining-today-backed-by-neuroscience.html
26.02.2024
Teachers are tired of the culture wars — and many support LGBTQ+ curricula, Pew survey finds
https://www.advocate.com/news/teachers-lgbtq-race-education-legislation
Opinion | What Is Christian Nationalism, Exactly?
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/25/opinion/christian-nationalism.html
Pollution Crisis in Mexico Shows Limits of Plastic Bag Bans in Global Capitalism
The Art of Calm Conversations With Reactive Adult Children
7 Ways To Teach Kids To Be Grateful, According To Experts
https://www.yourtango.com/family/how-teach-kids-to-be-grateful-experts
25.02.2024
Alabama Halts IVF as State Supreme Court Ruling Sparks Fear and Confusion
Okla. lawmaker describes LGBTQ people as ‘filth’
https://www.washingtonblade.com/2024/02/24/okla-lawmaker-describes-lgbtq-people-as-filth/
Thousands Sign Christian Petition Rebuking Mike Johnson
https://www.newsweek.com/thousands-sign-christian-petition-rebuking-mike-johnson-1873076
Chief enforcer of US gun laws fears Americans may become numb to violence with each mass shooting
Shaping Empathy: Adult Brains Can Learn Compassion
https://neurosciencenews.com/empathy-learning-psychology-25657/
From the very beginning, Black women have fought for American democracy
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/fannie-lou-hamer-civil-rights-black-women-rcna139777
24.02.2024
Societies that treat women badly are poorer and less stable
Brooks and Capehart on U.S. aid for Ukraine wavering on partisan battle lines
Alexei Navalny’s Last Laugh
https://apple.news/AoULcSzWGRZiz1p_RXh9gAg
Oklahoma banned trans students from bathrooms. Now a bullied student is dead after a fight
https://apple.news/A1i18FQO5SVKgoiI2O4jeew
Alabama’s Assault on IVF Is Even Worse Than It Sounds
https://apple.news/AyfWz7xRmTJeTkq1cYqwkvQ
The Number-One Reason Conflicts Do Not Resolve
Why People Get Emotionally Triggered
The Return of the John Birch Society
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/02/john-birch-society-cpac-conservatism/677542/
23.02.2024
‘20 Days in Mariupol’ can win an Oscar. Will it make the world care about Russian war crimes in Ukraine?
https://kyivindependent.com/20-days-in-mariupol-oscar-nomination/
World leaders tell Biden they fear for their own democracies if Trump wins
Trump Has Finally Remade Republicans Into Putin’s Playthings
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/donald-trump-republicans-vladimir-putin-puppets.html
Alabama justice who ruled embryos are people says American law should be rooted in the Bible
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/alabama-justice-embryos-biblical-seven-mountains-rcna139969
Justice Who Ruled That Embryos Are ‘Children’ Appeared On QAnon Conspiracist's Show
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tom-parker-alabama-ivf-embryo_n_65d7ea34e4b0cc1f2f7b3e26
The Evolution of Oppression: America's Penal System in the Shadow of Historical Slavery
How Curious Are You?
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-personal-renaissance/202402/how-curious-are-you
Psychologists have discovered a surprisingly simple technique to reduce political polarization
Harriet Tubman and the Most Important, Understudied Battle of the Civil War
https://newrepublic.com/article/178157/harriet-tubman-important-understudied-battle-civil-war
22.02.2024
We endorse Joe Biden for President of the United States in the Democratic Primary (Opinion)
‘20 Days in Mariupol’ can win an Oscar. Will it make the world care about Russian war crimes in Ukraine?
https://kyivindependent.com/20-days-in-mariupol-oscar-nomination/
IVF in red states under threat as Alabama Supreme Court says embryos are children
Mike Johnson and His Delusions of Religious Grandeur are Making People Very Nervous
Opinion: I watched a Trump rally so you don’t have to. But you need to know what he’s saying
Trump reality check: 'Compare yourself to Putin, not Navalny' former Watergate prosecutor says
https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/watch/trump-doubles-down-on-alexei-navalny-comparison-204680261990
We’re Running a Risky Cognitive Experiment on Our Own Kids
“Heed Their Rising Voices”: Annotated
https://daily.jstor.org/heed-their-rising-voices-annotated/
Four Ways to Quit Complaining
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/02/complaining-grievance-stoicism-happiness/677521/
The Vagus Nerve: Everything Everywhere All at Once
https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/health/a46699843/vagus-nerve-what-to-know/
Accepting Discomfort Could Help You Thrive
https://apple.news/AlvnF-hsFRb2P1z5rpMlMgA
The Complexity of Behavioral Change
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/keeping-it-real/202402/the-complexity-of-behavioral-change
West Virginia GOP wants to jail librarians who provide “obscene” books to minors
Illinois governor's proposed $53B budget includes funds for migrants, quantum computing and schools
https://apnews.com/article/budget-illinois-pritzker-migrants-9a407d280f1861fd666f9ecc2ca39eca
Preschoolers inside a dementia care home have changed the lives of elderly residents for the better
The Psychology of Replacing Religion with Spirituality
21.02.2024
Sam Alito Launches Broadside Against Marriage Equality in Homophobic Juror Case
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/02/sam-alito-marriage-equality-homophobic-juror-scotus.html
Nonbinary Teen Nex Benedict Dies After Being Attacked By Peers in a School Bathroom
https://www.them.us/story/nex-benedict-nonbinary-teen-oklahoma-died-attacked-at-school
There’s no need for conspiracy theories to explain Trump’s shameful Navalny statement
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/navalny-trump-russia-putin-pelosi-rcna139613
Texas has spent over $148 million busing migrants to other parts of the country
Youth Advocacy
Advocating for young people in the face of authoritarian voices undermining democracy and silencing voices of freedom around the world.
Youth Advocacy
Year 3, Week 08 (198 total reports)
14.02.2023-20.02.2024
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Advocating for young people in the face of authoritarian voices undermining democracy and silencing voices of freedom around the world.
Best Links of The Week
20.02.2024
Solzhenitsyn’s Warning
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was one of the first dissident voices from Russia that warned the US about the repression of citizens in the Soviet Union. Like Alexei Navalny, Solzhenitsyn was tormented by Russia’s KGB leaders (only that one of those people now happens to be the President of Russia). Solzhenitsyn’s warning to the west about capitulating to Russia (and then, the Soviet Union) are as pertinent today as they were when he was alive. Take time to reflect on them for a historical perspective on the corruption of those that rule that region today and their long term goals—not just for regional domination—but undermining the freedom of the world.
19.02.2024
The GOP Has Crossed an Ominous Threshold on Foreign Policy
Even Nikki Haley has said that “Trump gets ‘weak in the knees’ over Putin.” The Russian assassin’s grasp over ‘Authoritarianophiles’ like Trump and Tucker Carlson and their subsequent sway over doting lackeys like Mike Johnson and the rest of the GOP is undermining democracy and freedom all over the world. Ever since Trump came to office, the GOP has become a tool of his deviant form of totalitarianism. The consequences include the undermining of Ukraine and NATO, the murder of Navalny, and the encouragement of dictatorships all over the world. Their words cause not only the destruction of freedom, but death.
18.02.2024
Alexei Navalny Is With Us Forever Now
https://time.com/6696240/alexei-navalny-death-russia-essay/
Navalny is perhaps the bravest man we have seen since the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gandhi. Of course, Putin had to silence him.
17.02.2024
Putin must be held accountable - Yulia Navalnaya
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68320466
Yulia Navalnaya shows as much bravery as her husband, will it be long before Putin has to reckon with her too? Putin could not have blatantly acted the way he did without the compliance and adoration of Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson. Carlson said that “Every leader kills people, some kill more than others.” Within a week, Navalny was dead. Just as disgraceful is Citizen Trump who is currently comparing himself to Alexei Navalny. Nothing could be further from the truth. Trump has been rated the worst president in the history of the United States. He is a rapist, a traitor, and hoarder of his own country’s secrets. He has betrayed the constitution to which he took an oath to defend and has duped his followers into paying his exorbitant legal fees for everything from rape to fraud. The only thing more far-fetched than Trump being Navalny-like is Mike Johnson declaring himself to be personally selected by God to be the new Moses. These people are seriously deranged—and hold positions of high leadership in the United States government. Indeed, it is a precarious time and our chance to resoundingly defeat them will come at the polls in November. Please register to vote if you haven’t, and make your vote count this year, no matter what you face at the ballot station.
16.02.2024
The Relationship Between Critical Thinking and Critical Theory
In an age of deep-fake AI and terrorist attacks on voter information from entities like Russian, China, Iran, and the GOP, teaching critical thinking is one of the most—if not THE most—critical skill in education today. Please read this article for how you can apply it in your own work with young people or your own life. We are easily duped—especially when we want to justify our beliefs and today’s deepfakes are hard to spot—even for the discerning mind.
15.02.2024
The growing peril of national conservatism
https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/02/15/the-growing-peril-of-national-conservatism
National Conservatism is not just a US movement. Far right groups around the world are using similar tools of fear and xenophobia to push authoritarian goals in nation’s around the world and states throughout the US. In light of the chaos they are trying to spread by lying about diverse populations and immigrants, they are attempting to control a narrative that proves they are essential. It is a tell-tale sign that they run almost exclusively based upon platforms of chaos and fear.
14.02.2024
First look: Film dives into threats of Christian nationalism
https://www.axios.com/2024/02/14/god-country-film-christian-nationalism-racism
Please put this documentary at the top of your “watch and share” list. Christian Nationalism (which is also White Christian Nationalism) is a very dangerous movement attempting to take away freedoms people have fought decades to gain. Freedoms for the LGBTQI+ community, for non-Anglo people, for women, for non-Christians. In the US, you have the right to be Christian, but you do not have the right to force other people to adapt your religious beliefs.
This Week’s Links
20.02.2024
Solzhenitsyn’s Warning
'So grotesque': Joe slams Trump for comparing himself to Navalny
Opinion: US Republicans Lose Avdiivka
https://www.kyivpost.com/opinion/28323
'You're Such A Dick': Jon Stewart Tells Tucker Carlson How He 'Really, Truly' Feels
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jon-stewart-tucker-carlson-russia_n_65d4295ae4b0f7fbe7b3cf9e
Trump ranked dead last as worst president ever in U.S. history
https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/watch/trump-ranked-worst-president-in-u-s-history-204519493623
The first Black 'Peanuts' character finally gets his origin story in animated special
Statistics That Tell the Story of Family Estrangement
Massachusetts school officials ask for governor to send the National Guard to help with unruly high school
19.02.2024
The GOP Has Crossed an Ominous Threshold on Foreign Policy
Trump compares himself to Navalny, Liz Cheney slams the former president
Disinformation threatens global elections: How to fight back
https://phys.org/news/2024-02-disinformation-threatens-global-elections.html
Schools Are Taking Too Long to Craft AI Policy. Why That's a Problem
Need an AI Policy for Your Schools? This District Used ChatGPT to Craft One
Report highlights anti-immigrant bigotry among Border Patrol agents
Murders of The Civil Rights Era You Must Never Forget
https://www.theroot.com/black-history-month-the-most-grisley-murders-of-the-ci-1851266130
Hermann Hesse on Discovering the Soul Beneath the Self and the Key to Finding Peace
https://www.themarginalian.org/2024/02/18/hesse-soul/
Top 5 Fastest Growing Leadership Skills To Learn In 2024, Per Research
18.02.2024
Alexei Navalny Is With Us Forever Now
https://time.com/6696240/alexei-navalny-death-russia-essay/
Over 400 detained in Russia as country mourns the death of Alexei Navalny, Putin's fiercest foe
https://apnews.com/article/russia-alexei-navalny-death-prison-putin-d0121f49840ee1cd6fbf94f6d7249e1b
To Democratize Finance, We Must Take the Banks Away From the Bankers
https://truthout.org/articles/to-democratize-finance-we-must-take-the-banks-away-from-the-bankers/
Russia investigates Duolingo for spreading “traumatizing” LGBTQ+ content
In wake of mass shootings, some parents hesitate bringing their kids to big events
https://www.npr.org/2024/02/17/1231866948/kansas-city-mass-shooting-parents-children-events
Why some travelers are skipping the US: 'You guys are not afraid of this?'
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/2024/02/18/travel-to-us-down-gun-violence-fears/72608745007/
'The ABCs of Book Banning' underscores school children being affected by book banning efforts
Who Do You Want to Be?
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/self-made/202402/who-do-you-want-to-be
17.02.2024
Putin must be held accountable - Yulia Navalnaya
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68320466
Navalny's legacy: His ceaseless crusade against Putin and corruption
https://www.npr.org/2024/02/16/1231980139/alexei-navalny-who-was-he
Tucker Carlson Days Ago on Navalny and Assassinations: 'Leadership Requires Killing People'
The Power of Hate and Its Consequences
'Performing hope' – how a campaign to spur climate action offers an antidote to apathy
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2024/02/performing-hope-nature-and-climate-crisis/
This map shows you where same-sex marriage is legal around the world – and there’s a long way to go
11 Inspiring Places Around the U.S. to Learn More About Black History
https://www.veranda.com/travel/g46822423/black-history-month-trip-ideas/
Trans Adults Are the Next Target in the GOP’s War on Gender-Affirming Health Care
https://www.them.us/story/trans-adults-next-target-gop-war-on-gender-affirming-health-care
The Real Difference Between Trump and Biden
https://apple.news/AN8aEocgtSa-gZ_vDjFp5Fw
Donald Trump’s ‘Fraudulent Ways’ Cost Him $355 Million
https://apple.news/AUYgdWMjSSpusfcx_TLR0Zw
The Billionaire Bully Who Wants to Turn Texas Into a Christian Theocracy
Texas ban on university diversity efforts provides a glimpse of the future across GOP-led states
https://apnews.com/article/texas-university-diversity-ban-dei-46e4b6193abe27b6abbdffcd1945cf38
Democrats question House speaker's invitation of 'radical Christian nationalist' preacher
https://apple.news/A1euHf0DCSkWKcCltg8G4Tg
Universal Basic Income Has Been Tried Over and Over Again. It Works Every Time.
https://gizmodo.com/universal-basic-income-has-been-tried-over-and-over-aga-1851255547
16.02.2024
The Relationship Between Critical Thinking and Critical Theory
Gun violence has claimed the lives of almost 5,000 people so far in 2024
https://abcnews.go.com/US/gun-violence-claimed-lives-5000-people-2024/story?id=107262776
How US gun culture stacks up with the world
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/11/26/world/us-gun-culture-world-comparison-intl-cmd/
Trump tells NRA members 'no one will lay a finger on your firearms' if he returns to the White House
Scoop: N.Y. governor wants to criminalize deceptive AI
https://www.axios.com/2024/02/15/hochul-ai-criminalize-deceptive-ny
‘Massive benefit’: Immigration surge set to boost U.S. economy by $7 trillion
Alexei Navalny, vocal critic of Vladimir Putin and Russian government, dies in prison
15.02.2024
The growing peril of national conservatism
https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/02/15/the-growing-peril-of-national-conservatism
She Was Denied an Abortion After Roe Fell. This Is a Year in Her Family’s Life.
https://projects.propublica.org/the-year-after-a-denied-abortion/
Republicans have delivered a shameful week of wins for Putin
Livid Kansas City congressman rips thoughts-and-prayers Congress for doing 'nothing at all' on guns
Stagnant state funding leaves Texas public schools reeling
Limerence, Love, and Neurodivergent Women
Report: Threats to Federal Judges Have More Than Doubled Since 2020
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/02/federal-judges-prosecutors-trump-threats-double-2020/
Cultivating the Ability to Relate After Relational Trauma
What a Teacher's Letters Reveal About Robert Smalls, Who Stole a Confederate Ship to Secure His Freedom From Slavery
14.02.2024
First look: Film dives into threats of Christian nationalism
https://www.axios.com/2024/02/14/god-country-film-christian-nationalism-racism
Michael Steele: Dictators don't make life better for you; pick up a history book and read it
Biden’s Hidden Economic Success
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/02/biden-keeping-big-economic-promise/677444/
20 Donald Trump Business Ventures That Failed Miserably | Wealth of Geeks
https://wealthofgeeks.com/trump-ventures/
In January, Fox News’ highest rated evening programs spread white nationalist rhetoric in nearly half of their immigration segments
AI Is Disrupting Professions That Require College Degrees. How Should Higher Ed Respond? - EdSurge News
Youth Advocacy
Advocating for young people in the face of the GOP’s dystopian plans to undermine the rights of women.
Youth Advocacy
Year 3, Week 07 (197 total reports)
07.02.2023-13.02.2024
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Advocating for young people in the face of the GOP’s dystopian plans to undermine the rights of women.
Best Links of The Week
13.02.2024
Billion-dollar ad campaign fueled by anti-LGBTQ+ forces returns to Super Bowl to promote Jesus
Don’t be fooled by these ads about Jesus’ love for all, a quick look behind the scenes reveal they are bankrolled to the tune of a billion dollars over three years by some of the most conservative LGBTQI+ attack goons, like Hobby Lobby’s billionaire owner, David Green. “Jesus gets us…” but would he really partner with hateful billionaires to promote his causes during the Super Bowl?
12.02.2024
Why Incompetent People Think They’re Competent: The Dunning-Kruger Effect, Explained
There is a false floor to our education system that makes us believe that the goal of education is to accumulate knowledge. For the brightest people in the world, the goal of education was to accumulate curiosity. In truth, we only become wise when we realize how little we know and how much there is to learn. The greatest professors do not teach from the front of the class, they teach from the middle of the class, empowering teams for students to inquire and learn themselves. Their hallmark is that instead of answering questions, they encourage more of them.
11.02.2024
The happiest kids in the world have social safety nets
https://www.mother.ly/parenting/social-safety-net/
Children who are hungry or afraid cannot learn, perhaps they can retain data for tests, but that is not learning, that’s reciting. To learn, a child needs a full stomach, a safe space, and an encouraging adult who understands and co-regulates the intense emotions that come with intellectual and physical growth in every mammal.
10.02.2024
LeVar Burton gives cheeky 'Reading Rainbow' segment for banned books
https://www.upworthy.com/levar-burton-gives-cheeky-reading-rainbow-segment-for-banned-books
This is a good read or watch the live version on the link enclosed with the article. I loved watching “Reading Rainbow” with my children and LeVar Burton’s relevance has only become sharpened by attacks on his race and sexuality. Banning a book like Charlotte’s Web because it has a talking pig, discounts that fact that the Bible had talking donkeys, snakes, and other oddities like a whale that ate a human without digesting him.
09.02.2024
Project 2025: The Right’s Dystopian Plan to Dismantle Civil Rights and What It Means for Women
https://msmagazine.com/2024/02/08/project-2025-conservative-right-wing-trump-woke/
If you haven’t read Project 2025 and seen what the MAGA plan is for immigrants, LGBTQI+ people, and women, this should be at the top of your list. The GOP’s attack on woman—in particular intelligent women—is undeniable. If you are a woman and vote for Trump, you are voting for your daughter or granddaughter to be chattel for the far right.
08.02.2024
5 MLK speeches you should know. Spoiler: 'I Have a Dream' isn't on the list
https://www.npr.org/2024/02/07/1228320048/black-history-mlk-speeches-martin-luther-king
Here, mid-stream into Black History month, it is critical to reflect on some of the greatest minds in Black History. For sure, MLK is only a starter for that list, but his speeches reach far beyond civil rights including thoughts on war, capitalism, and other ills of our society.
07.02.2024
The Untold History of the Last Slave Ship to Land on U.S. Soil
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/untold-history-last-slave-ship-land-u-s-soil-bookbite/47830/
This is an important read to understand the history that the Far Right is trying so hard to erase. It is a compelling and inspirational read as well as a tragic one. It highlights the strength of the human spirit in the face of terrible cruelty. Certainly a theme that finds pertinence today.
This Week’s Links
13.02.2024
Billion-dollar ad campaign fueled by anti-LGBTQ+ forces returns to Super Bowl to promote Jesus
House GOP has attacked LGBTQ+ people hundreds of times in just the past year
The U.S. Trans Survey proves the inaccuracy of this right-wing talking point
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trans-survey-gender-affirming-care-rcna138452
A Climate Reckoning Is Coming for the Next President
The Rise of AI in Education: Educators' Perspectives and Strategies for Human-Centric Adoption
https://www.cryptopolitan.com/ai-in-education-educators-perspectives/
More than 2 million people dropped from Medicaid in Texas
https://www.axios.com/2024/02/13/medicaid-enrollment-texas
4 Barriers to Student Success that Educators Need to Be Talking About
12.02.2024
Why Incompetent People Think They’re Competent: The Dunning-Kruger Effect, Explained
Taming the Unruly Voice Within
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/theyre-not-coming/202402/taming-the-unruly-voice-within
Authoritarian Parenting: Its Impact, Causes, and Indications
11.02.2024
The happiest kids in the world have social safety nets
https://www.mother.ly/parenting/social-safety-net/
How (and Why) Power Corrupts People
Anger, sadness, boredom, anxiety—emotions that feel bad can be useful
“Stop Trying to Fix It” and What to Do Instead
10.02.2024
LeVar Burton gives cheeky 'Reading Rainbow' segment for banned books
https://www.upworthy.com/levar-burton-gives-cheeky-reading-rainbow-segment-for-banned-books
True African-American Stories for Black History Month: The Best Films
https://wealthofgeeks.com/true-african-american-stories/
11 Famous Black Inventors Who Changed Your Life
https://www.biography.com/inventors/g46697619/famous-black-inventors
"Nothing About Ukraine Without Ukraine" — The New Geopolitics Since Russia's Invasion
https://worldcrunch.com/focus/ukraine-geopolitics-support
Hysteria over Biden’s age is a distraction from Trump’s authoritarianism
https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/reidout-blog/biden-age-memory-trump-authoritarianism-rcna138144
5 Principles for Raising Good Humans
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/5-principles-raising-good-humans-bookbite/47932/
How to Get Better at ‘Slow Parenting’ (and Why You Should)
https://lifehacker.com/family/how-to-get-better-at-slow-parenting
The 5 Pitfalls of Enabling Adult Children
09.02.2024
Project 2025: The Right’s Dystopian Plan to Dismantle Civil Rights and What It Means for Women
https://msmagazine.com/2024/02/08/project-2025-conservative-right-wing-trump-woke/
Black Historical Fiction to Read in Your Book Club
https://bookriot.com/black-historical-fiction-to-read-in-your-book-club/
Trump’s ‘Knock on the Door’
The border crisis is helping to mainstream a dangerous conspiracy theory
Groundbreaking Research From Yale and Berkeley Finds That the Good Life Isn't About Happiness. It's About This Essential Emotion
Here's a ‘really simple’ way to change people’s minds, says Wharton persuasion expert: It makes people 30% likelier to say yes
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/08/simple-way-to-change-someones-mind-wharton-persuasion-expert.html
National Center for Transgender Equality releases trans survey
Bullying as the Brain's Response to Anger and Fear
8 expert tips for teaching kids emotional intelligence this Children's Mental Health Week (and #4 sounds like so much fun)
https://www.goodto.com/wellbeing/how-to-teach-kids-emotional-intelligence
Could Artificial Intelligence Replace Psychologists?
08.02.2024
5 MLK speeches you should know. Spoiler: 'I Have a Dream' isn't on the list
https://www.npr.org/2024/02/07/1228320048/black-history-mlk-speeches-martin-luther-king
Warn Voters About the Radicalism Beyond Trump
https://newrepublic.com/article/178442/republicans-rewrite-constitution-radicalism-beyond-trump
Welcome Back to the Chaos of the Trump Era
Congress' epic implosion
https://www.axios.com/2024/02/07/senate-border-deal-mayorkas-impeachment
The reason Vladimir Putin sat down with Tucker Carlson is obvious — and important
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/tucker-carlson-vladimir-putin-interview-rcna137713
Baruch Spinoza and the Art of Thinking in Dangerous Times
https://apple.news/A9jkaA_LjQ7WmR_uHP3CiBg
The future is artificial intelligence. Are students ready?
https://www.k12dive.com/news/future-is-ai-are-students-ready/706731/
How to Tame the 'Wanting Mind'
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/turning-straw-into-gold/202402/how-to-tame-the-wanting-mind
A Parent's Discipline May Affect How Kids Internalize Rules
07.02.2024
The Untold History of the Last Slave Ship to Land on U.S. Soil
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/untold-history-last-slave-ship-land-u-s-soil-bookbite/47830/
AI-generated Biden calls came through shady telecom and Texan front ‘Life Corporation’
Three reasons why so many migrants want to cross from Mexico to US
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68208637
10 False Lessons Childhood Emotional Neglect Teaches You
A New Way to See Problems as Fixable, not Insurmountable
Is Montessori education all it’s cracked up to be? What science says
Tucker Carlson confirms he’s interviewing Vladimir Putin
https://www.politico.eu/article/tucker-carlson-vladimir-putin-interview-confirm/
‘Playing Into Putin’s Hands’– War in Ukraine Update for Feb. 7
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/27706
Trump’s Lawyers Need a New Box of Crayons. The System Is Gearing Up.
The ‘none of these candidates’ option wins Nevada GOP primary, a symbolic rejection of Nikki Haley
Republicans’ Plot to Impeach DHS Secretary Mayorkas Flops
https://www.motherjones.com/mojo-wire/2024/02/alejandro-mayorkas-dhs-secretary-house-impeachment/
Youth Advocacy
Advocating for young people in the face of quislings in politics and the “news” media.
Youth Advocacy
Year 3, Week 06 (196 total reports)
31.12.2023-06.02.2024
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Advocating for young people in the face of quislings in politics and the “news” media.
https://www.communitiesoftrust-jerrygoebel.com/youthadvocacy
Best Links of The Week
06.02.2024
Opinion: Tucker Carlson and Modern-day Quislings
https://www.kyivpost.com/opinion/27659
A quisling is someone who collaborates with an enemy force while it is occupying their own country. It is named after Vidkun Quisling, the former Minister of Defense in Norway. Quisling was a Nazi collaborator who had responsibilities for overseeing the government of his country. A quisling can also be known as a quirk, both words are used more frequently in Europe than the United States. That usage should change with the profusion of quislings like Tucker Carlson and Mike Johnson. Carlson, happily on his path to becoming a patsy and spokesperson for Vladimir Putin, just left Canada after meeting with the ultra-conservative Premiere of Alberta, Danielle Smith. Is it any wonder that a week after those meetings she would come out with hateful legislation attacking LGBTQI+ people in her own province?
05.02.2024
How the Far Right Took Over a Pennsylvania School Board—And How Parents Took It Back
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/far-right-pennsylvania-school-board
The actions of parents in this school district could become a road map for taking back the direction of school boards across the US (and soon Canada) in order to keep them from banning books and promoting a revisionist history that would make students into the least informed, most ignorant, misinformed, children in the world.
04.02.2024
'We're terrified': Hundreds rally in support of Alberta trans community, opposition to coming government gender policies
Once again, we should point to Tucker Carlson for visiting Alberta and spewing hatred that will cause the deaths of young people legitimately exploring their personal identity during their adolescence.
03.02.2024
Rep. Jim Clyburn frames election as choice between 'loud noise' and 'quiet diplomacy'
Rep. Jim Clyburn knows a great deal about racism and ‘loud noise.’ Having been a leader of the civil rights movement since the 1960’s. Clyburn, who served as majority whip from 2007 to 2018, knows the people who lead with their actions and the people who confounded with their words. Clyburn was pivotal in saving the campaign of Joe Biden when it was on the ropes during his primary run. Many people believe that it was his “quiet diplomacy” that garnered the black vote for the Biden campaign which put Biden back at the top of the democratic primary pack.
02.02.2024
What is Christian nationalism and why it raises concerns about threats to democracy
PBS is my favorite news channel because of its unbiased reporting and lack of corporate influence. Unlike Fox, it offer news, not opinions, on current world events. This article, by stellar reporters, Laura Barrón-Lopez and Sam Lane, is a wonderful example of their insightful reporting. If, you were unsure of how much Christian Nationalism is trying to take over American politics, this article will help guide your opinion. Thank you, PBS.
01.02.2024
We’re hurting, Elmo: Why so many of us just cried on a Muppet’s shoulder
Who would have thought that such a simple tweet by a Sesame Street character would have made this much of an impact? It truly shows how much American is hurting and seeking respite from the politics of division today.
31.01.2024
It’s time we draft a longer list of “unalienable rights”
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2024/01/its-time-we-draft-a-longer-list-of-unalienable-rights/
This article made me think and expand my viewpoint on the rights of so many being forgotten and undermined today. Take a look at the author’s longer list of unalienable rights and see what compels you to act.
This Week’s Links
06.02.2024
Opinion: Tucker Carlson and Modern-day Quislings
https://www.kyivpost.com/opinion/27659
The Art of No Deal
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/02/republicans-congress-immigration-deal/677357/
How one state is tackling homelessness by turning hotels, motels into shelters
https://apple.news/A_AWYOMyGRZSHbtwFWnnhDA
The Great Paradox of Borderline Personality Disorder
05.02.2024
How the Far Right Took Over a Pennsylvania School Board—And How Parents Took It Back
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/far-right-pennsylvania-school-board
Russian Media Hypes Tucker Carlson Visit: 'Americans Are in Shock'
https://www.newsweek.com/russian-media-hypes-tucker-carlson-visit-americans-are-shock-1866743
Learning How To Say No: Setting Boundaries is Self-Care
https://www.hercampus.com/school/cu-boulder/learning-how-to-say-no-setting-boundaries-is-self-care/
04.02.2024
'We're terrified': Hundreds rally in support of Alberta trans community, opposition to coming government gender policies
The Year Ahead: Education
https://apple.news/A9k6pT-1rTniVXv7irdNDfQ
03.02.2024
Rep. Jim Clyburn frames election as choice between 'loud noise' and 'quiet diplomacy'
Why Trump's Persecution Narrative Resonates With Christian Supporters : Consider This from NPR
https://www.npr.org/2024/02/02/1198910302/consider-this-from-npr-draft-02-02-2024
Groundbreaking map shows which US states are the least safe for LGBTQ+ people
https://www.thepinknews.com/2024/02/02/lgbtq-safe-states/
The Real Reasons You Feel Triggered by Your Child’s Behavior
02.02.2024
What is Christian nationalism and why it raises concerns about threats to democracy
The Black history that isn't taught: Historians share lesser known moments in US racial history
What It’s Like to Celebrate Black History in a State Where It’s Banned
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/02/florida-desantis-black-history-month/
Gay lawmaker demands to know extent of U.S. Christian group's ties to Uganda's deadly antigay law
https://www.advocate.com/politics/fellowship-foundation-uganda-antigay-law
Erase Damaging Family Trauma and Reprogram Your Brain
Teachers, Try This: Gamify Instruction to Reduce Math Anxiety and Improve Test Scores
Be mine! (Sort of): Situationships are on the rise
https://www.axios.com/2024/02/02/dating-culture-valentines-day-gen-z-situationships
01.02.2024
We’re hurting, Elmo: Why so many of us just cried on a Muppet’s shoulder
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella warns that hackers could cause breakdown in world order, calls for digital Geneva Convention
https://www.techspot.com/news/101709-microsoft-ceo-satya-nadella-warns-hackers-could-cause.html
Ukraine Needs American Weapons, Not More GOP Drama
8 Tech Skills Every Student Should Have, According to Educators
These are the climate grannies. They’ll do whatever it takes to protect their grandchildren.
https://19thnews.org/2024/01/climate-grandmothers-environmental-activism/
The Cure for Loneliness Is Solitude
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/passion/202401/the-cure-for-loneliness-is-solitude
Why conservatives are melting down over Taylor Swift
https://www.vox.com/culture/2024/1/31/24057448/taylor-swift-conservatives-maga
Video shows Indiana lawmaker showing holstered gun to students who were advocating for gun control
How to Have Impossible Conversations Summary of Key Ideas and Review | Peter Boghossian and James A. Lindsay - Blinkist
https://www.blinkist.com/en/books/how-to-have-impossible-conversations-en
Autistic Boys and Men Camouflage, Too
Alberta to require parental consent for name, pronoun changes at school
31.01.2024
It’s time we draft a longer list of “unalienable rights”
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2024/01/its-time-we-draft-a-longer-list-of-unalienable-rights/
The Neuroscience of Negotiation
A State Supreme Court Just Issued the Most Devastating Rebuke of Dobbs Yet
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/01/pennsylvania-supreme-court-dobbs-sam-alito-abortion.html
Resentful Love: The Burden of Adult Children of Neglect
Youth Advocacy
Advocating for young people in the face of the GOP’s desire to campaign instead of lead.
Youth Advocacy
Year 3, Week 05 (195 total reports)
24.12.2023-30.01.2024
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Advocating for young people in the face of the GOP’s desire to campaign instead of lead.
https://www.communitiesoftrust-jerrygoebel.com/youthadvocacy
Best Links of The Week
30.01.2024
Here’s how right-wing media are attacking America’s education system
Young adults and people with education are leery of the right-wing. The GOP and Republicans recognize that—if they are to have a future—they need to alter the education system from the early years through university. Their playbook is not new and dates back to authoritarian regimes throughout history. If you change what people learn you can change what people think. As Winston Churchill said, “History is written by the victors.” Let us hope that this far right, authoritarian, movement is not around long enough to pass on their version of history to another generation. One needs not listen any further than Republican candidate, Nikki-Haley to hear how conservative politicians are trying to rewrite history to appease their voters. Saying that slavery was NOT a cause of the Civil War and that racism was never a part of US History.
29.01.2024
Texas could face fines over dysfunctional foster care system
Texas, which leads the US in being unable to supervise its own State, reveals another glaring flaw in the treatment of its own teenagers. Preferring to lock young people up in hotels and treat them like prisoners, it is driving young people into sex trafficking and criminal behavior just to escape the system. When will the people of this State insist that it’s Governor start governing instead of grandstanding?
28.01.2024
Ayman: Hungry children are left to pay the price for GOP partisan games
All over the US, Republican Governors are rejecting school lunch funding for impoverished children, because, as Don Young from Alaska said, “There is no free lunch…” Children without proper nutrition do not learn, it’s that simple. But, perhaps that is what the right wing radicals like Young truly want. If young people learn, they won’t elect cruel people like him. Greg Abbott is the George Wallace of our day. Using racism to generate hatred and continue his grip on power. Like Wallace, he is attempting to force a showdown with the Federal government purely for political ad personal gain.
27.01.2024
The U.S. Should Apologize to Gay People
https://apple.news/Aj68BsBguRfiQNddOIVuMyg
This article chronicles the US Government’s historicattack on homosexuality and how it has become the current conservative evangelical’s pet topic to generate hate and division.
26.01.2024
The Party of Malice
https://apple.news/AMXsvy_qBTmKuHQz-c6NNFQ
Here is my favorite article in truth-telling this week. It echos the article above, revealing the truth behind the right wing’s principles; “If you don’t have any policies to unite people, use hate to foment chaos and dissent.”
25.01.2024
Diversity initiatives are the epitome of patriotism. The GOP’s disdain for them is pure racism.
The premise of this article is that the preamble of our constitution and specifically the second paragraph of the Constitution is written specifically to celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), therefore, celebrating diversity is the most “American” act we can endeavor to pursue.
24.01.2024
My Students Can’t Meet Academic Standards Because the School Model No Longer Fits Them - EdSurge News
This article invites us to look deeper at the reason some young people will never succeed at school. The question we must commit to honestly ask is, “What if it’s not the student that is failing, but what if the system is failing the student?”
This Week’s Links
30.01.2024
Here’s how right-wing media are attacking America’s education system
What a Jim Crow-era asylum can teach us about mental health today
https://www.npr.org/2024/01/29/1227498861/antonia-hylton-madness-crownsville-hospital
The fight between Texas and the Feds over immigration enforcement intensifies
State Outlines Guidance for Different Levels of AI Use in Classrooms
29.01.2024
Texas could face fines over dysfunctional foster care system
Teen birth rate in Texas increases for the first time in 15 years
https://scrippsnews.com/stories/teen-birth-rate-in-texas-increases-for-the-first-time-in-15-years/
Deepfakes: How to empower youth to fight the threat of misinformation and disinformation
Homeland Security Blasts GOP's 'Evidence Free' Impeachment Articles Against DHS Chief
Non-religious Americans seek community
https://www.npr.org/2024/01/28/1227487416/non-religious-americans-seek-community
28.01.2024
Ayman: Hungry children are left to pay the price for GOP partisan games
“This is a do-nothing Republican Congress”: Dem Leader Jeffries slams Republicans for pedaling chaos
South Dakota Lawmakers Vote Down Free School Lunches Bill
A Human Behavioural Crisis Threatens Humanity
The Supreme Court Shouldn’t Punt on This One
27.01.2024
The U.S. Should Apologize to Gay People
https://apple.news/Aj68BsBguRfiQNddOIVuMyg
David Wengrow: A new understanding of human history and the roots of inequality
What’s really bothering American teens
https://apple.news/A_zRKQjYWQCWbXv4-c42bTw
An Insider’s Perspective on Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukraine War
Unpacking Emotional Baggage: Adverse Childhood Experiences
Protest Convoy Headed to Southern Border Is Calling Itself an ‘Army of God’
5 simple strategies for changing anyone’s mind
https://www.fastcompany.com/91017005/5-simple-strategies-for-changing-anyones-mind
Iowa promised $75 million for school safety. Two shootings later, the money is largely unspent
https://apnews.com/article/perry-iowa-school-shooting-safety-6f2e8a3bcb78c86ce835ce1618d2c184
Behind the Walls of a Jim Crow Asylum
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/behind-walls-jim-crow-asylum-bookbite/47677/
26.01.2024
The Party of Malice
https://apple.news/AMXsvy_qBTmKuHQz-c6NNFQ
New data shows nearly a third of Gen Zers identify as LGBTQ
Let's Talk About Hope
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hopeful-and-happier/202401/lets-talk-about-hope
Donald Trump vs. American History
https://apple.news/AtVWmvsmvQhuG3NCUKFiHbQ
Trump Demands Total Presidential Immunity -- Even for Acts That 'Cross the Line'
https://apple.news/AeFP2E5v1RTehFIMs90-WTA
Homophobia causes 'crisis of morale' in Montana school system
https://www.advocate.com/news/montana-school-anti-lgbtq-environment
25.01.2024
Diversity initiatives are the epitome of patriotism. The GOP’s disdain for them is pure racism.
Raped, pregnant and in an abortion ban state? Researchers gauge how often it happens
Pew: Over a quarter of U.S. adults don't identify with a religion
https://www.axios.com/2024/01/24/religious-affiliation-protestant-catholic-agnostic
The Plan to Incapacitate the Federal Government
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/01/chevron-supreme-court-case/677220/
Why Evangelicals Went All In on Trump, Again
https://time.com/6588138/evangelicals-support-donald-trump-2024/
24.01.2024
My Students Can’t Meet Academic Standards Because the School Model No Longer Fits Them - EdSurge News
Memory and Trauma: We Are More than What We Remember
AI in the classroom: Why some teachers are embracing it
Youth Advocacy
Advocating for young people in the face of Greedflation and Authoritarianism.
Youth Advocacy
Year 3, Week 04 (194 total reports)
17.12.2023-23.01.2024
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Advocating for young people in the face of Greedflation and Authoritarianism.
https://www.communitiesoftrust-jerrygoebel.com/youthadvocacy
Best Links of The Week
23.01.2024
Greedflation Accounts for 53 Cents of Every Dollar of Inflation in Past 6 Months
Who has the most to gain by making sure the GOP retains its stranglehold on the US economy and continues to give tax breaks to billionaires and corporations? The answer to that question can be found in this study of Greedflation. Greedflation, not Inflation, is the reason prices on household goods remain so high in spite of a booming economy. Please take time to read this article and examine the CEO’s and corporations that are “robbing the poor to give to the rich.”
22.01.2024
‘It’s embarrassing’: Republicans worry they have no achievements to run on in 2024
There’s only one reason that Republicans are worried they have no achievements to run on in 2024, that is because they actually HAVE NO achievements to run on… Instead of using their majority to lead, they have used their power to divide and create chaos. The GOP has spent more of its time looking for reasons to impeach, despoil, and even attack their own leadership than they have governing. The US Government is being held hostage by a belligerent vocal minority willing to do anything (or in the current example, stand in the way of anything) to get its way.
21.01.2024
A Divided Congress Is About to Let Poor Families Fall Off a Hunger Cliff
https://newrepublic.com/article/178263/wic-congress-funding-chidren-nutrition
While the Republican House spends its time deciding who it will impeach next or whether to elect another new speaker and Republican Governors decide not to feed children over the summer, congress is also willing to let poor families in the US starve. Historically, this is the most do-nothing congress ever assembled. Worried more about pelvic issues than governing, it has done nothing to improve the lives of the middle class and the impoverished in its own country. Their behavior borders on negligence and our best remedy is to vote this party out of office.
20.01.2024
“I Am Because We Are”: Introducing Ubuntu Philosophy
https://www.thecollector.com/ubuntu-philosophy-introduction/
The difference between Western and African philosophy is articulated in this moving article on the Ubuntu Philosophy. It was at the heart of such leaders of Social Justice as Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu.
19.01.2024
Biden is Launching the American Climate Corps, a New Era for Eco-Action
Not since the formation of the Peace Corps has a forward-thinking president considered providing other-than-military options for young people to be involved in global service. Many Young Adults have a strong desire to serve and an equally strong desire to be meaningfully involved in climate change.
18.01.2024
‘How Migration Really Works’ brings calm rigor to a heated issue
Greg Abbott declared this week that he would shoot immigrants but he would be charged with murder. Abbott’s inability to lead his State creatively is a reflection of the racist hate and fear underpinnings of the Republican party at this time. Abbott’s policies have caused deaths, what they haven’t done is lead his State or other Americans into truly understanding the real issues behind migration worldwide. Until we understand those issues, we will not be able to offer any real solutions to this global epidemic. People will always seek better opportunities for their families and children—every American (unless you’re Native American)—has done the same thing by immigrating to this country, borders will not stop this basic human need.
17.01.2024
Lincoln Project’s ‘God Made A Dictator’ Is A MUST Watch Ad
https://politizoom.com/lincoln-projects-god-made-a-dictator-is-a-must-watch-ad/
This is the most watched advertisement the Lincoln Project has released and it is in response to Trump declaring that he is “The Chosen One.” Thank you to this group of mostly former Republicans who don’t want to see our Country become an authoritarian, evangelical, dictatorship.
This Week’s Links
23.01.2024
Greedflation Accounts for 53 Cents of Every Dollar of Inflation in Past 6 Months
The power of storytelling in education
https://www.smartbrief.com/original/the-power-of-storytelling-in-education
Music Producer Steve Albini, Director Godfrey Reggio & Actor Fred Armisen Explain Why Creating Is Crucial to Human Existence
Meme-ifying 2024: how some young organizers are working to get their peers engaged
https://www.npr.org/2024/01/22/1226038691/memes-tik-tok-2024-democrats-republicans-social-media
How Do We Get Out of This Mess? Try Mission-Driven Capitalism
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/get-mess-try-mission-driven-capitalism-bookbite/47615/
22.01.2024
‘It’s embarrassing’: Republicans worry they have no achievements to run on in 2024
School shootings in the US: Fast facts
http://www.cnn.com/us/school-shootings-fast-facts-dg/
Study Finds Less Loneliness Among Those With A Sense Of Purpose
Teaching Big Questions to Little Kids
When Your Child Blames You for Their Mental Health Issues
AI isn't the problem — it's the solution
https://www.ted.com/talks/andrew_ng_ai_isn_t_the_problem_it_s_the_solution
Sam Altman Says ChatGPT Is Good for Education: Here Are 4 Lessons From My Student
21.01.2024
A Divided Congress Is About to Let Poor Families Fall Off a Hunger Cliff
https://newrepublic.com/article/178263/wic-congress-funding-chidren-nutrition
There are 3 ways to challenge a statement. The one you pick says a lot about your character
https://www.fastcompany.com/91013059/ways-to-challenge-a-statement-your-character
“Wrong Side of History”: NYC Mayor Eric Adams Vetoes Ban on Solitary Confinement
Updating Freud's Psychology
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/theory-of-knowledge/202401/updating-freuds-psychology
20.01.2024
“I Am Because We Are”: Introducing Ubuntu Philosophy
https://www.thecollector.com/ubuntu-philosophy-introduction/
Decoding morality across cultures: Insights from a mega-study of Moral Foundations Theory
E. Jean Carroll is doing what no one else has the guts to do
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-e-jean-carroll-trial-sexual-assault-rcna134594
19.01.2024
Biden is Launching the American Climate Corps, a New Era for Eco-Action
The Overlooked Payoff to Suffering Is Compassion
Kids of color get worse health care across the board in the U.S., research finds
18.01.2024
‘How Migration Really Works’ brings calm rigor to a heated issue
The richest 1 per cent own 43 per cent of global assets, Oxfam study says
Davos 2024: 6 innovative ideas on reskilling, upskilling and building a future-ready workforce
Homophobia causes 'crisis of morale' in Montana school system
https://www.advocate.com/news/montana-school-anti-lgbtq-environment
Psychologist shares a 5-step plan to come up with great ideas: It's a 'game-changer' in any workplace
17.01.2024
Lincoln Project’s ‘God Made A Dictator’ Is A MUST Watch Ad
https://politizoom.com/lincoln-projects-god-made-a-dictator-is-a-must-watch-ad/
Tough New Immigration Rules Risk Empowering the Cartels
https://www.cfr.org/blog/tough-new-immigration-rules-risk-empowering-cartels
Are People Aware of Automatic Attitudes?
This is the one skill we all need in the age of AI
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2024/01/this-is-the-one-skill-everybody-needs-in-the-age-of-ai/
How to Change Someone's Mind, According to Neuroscience
The Happiest, Most Successful Kids All Have This Rarely Discussed Skill, Research Shows. Here Are 3 Ways Parents Can Teach It
Youth Advocacy
Advocating for young people as the GOP undermines the health of children and the rights of women and minorities.
Youth Advocacy
Year 3, Week 03 (193 total reports)
10.12.2023-16.01.2024
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Advocating for young people as the GOP undermines the health of children and the rights of women and minorities.
https://www.communitiesoftrust-jerrygoebel.com/youthadvocacy
Best Links of The Week
16.01.2024
Einstein’s 7 rules for a better life
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/einstein-rules-better-life/
We tend to think of Einstein as someone who gave us insights into how the physical universe worked. Many think he was high on the Aspergers Spectrum and, although a physics and mathematical genius, perhaps a bit inept in social settings. I had the opportunity of meeting someone at Princeton University who worked closely with Einstein and learned many things about the man one might not read in books or magazines. This article, from “Big Think,” also points out he had some key insights into living a life of well-being and happiness. I would suggest reviewing his notes for insights into your own life. Perhaps you, like me, are stymied about the interconnectedness of the universe, still there’s a lot that this genius can teach us about the interconnectedness of other aspects of our lives.
15.01.2024
So far it's a grand decade for billionaires, says new report. As for the masses ...
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2024/01/14/1224507582/davos-oxfam-rich-poor-inequality
Some people shy away from taxing billionaires—just in case they become one. This is a fallacy purported by the very people who hoard gross amounts of possessions. The vast majority of billionaires were not “self-made,” but born into privilege. Donald Trump is a grand example of this, Forbes says that he inherited around $40 million dollars, lost it all, claimed he was a self-made billionaire, before it was revealed that his billions were largely debt and overinflated assets. Tax these people…
14.01.2024
Here’s What Right-Wing Power Brokers Want Trump to Do in His Second Term
https://www.thedailybeast.com/right-wing-power-brokers-plan-for-trumps-second-term
It’s not hard to miss what a second term for Trump would look like as his power brokers have written it out in black and white. The “Dictator-On-Day-One” would continue his attack on diversity and women’s rights as would revenge politics and, of course, wiping out his own crimes and prosecutions.
13.01.2024
These Republican governors chose to let some kids go hungry this summer
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/summer-ebt-wic-funding-free-school-lunches-rcna133252
These Republican Governors are perfect examples of putting politics ahead of children’s lives. The party that professes they are “Pro-Life” is really nothing more than “Pro-Birth.” After birth, children and women are on their own.
12.01.2024
'God & Country' explores rise of Christian nationalism in America
Perhaps the number one disease in US politics today is Christian Nationalism. Trump won the primary in Iowa largely due to Evangelical support. How can anyone who reads the Gospel possibly support a man who is so obviously egomaniacal and misogynistic? Last week, found Trump declaring he was sent by God to save the United States and, in the same breath, hoping the economy would collapse under Joe Biden so he would not get the blame.
11.01.2024
Four More Years of Unchecked Misogyny
https://apple.news/AEqSoi4PNRvS9MMFTF4E5yg
This article states clearly one of the gravest concerns about a second Trump term, if you’re a woman, a minority, or LGBTQ+, voting for Trump is like selling away your own rights.
10.01.2024
Florida school district removes dictionaries from libraries, citing law championed by DeSantis
https://popular.info/p/florida-school-district-removes-dictionaries
Similar to the article above about Governor’s voting against children’s food programs, this article points to how outlandish the far right has become in it’s quest to control people’s minds.
This Week’s Links
16.01.2024
Einstein’s 7 rules for a better life
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/einstein-rules-better-life/
LGBTQ+ Iowans feel threatened by Republican candidates' stances
https://www.advocate.com/politics/iowa-caucus-lgbtq-fears-republicans
5 Ways to Connect With Your Friend Experiencing Depression
15.01.2024
So far it's a grand decade for billionaires, says new report. As for the masses ...
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2024/01/14/1224507582/davos-oxfam-rich-poor-inequality
World’s five richest men double their fortunes as poorest 60 percent lose money, Oxfam says
‘We are becoming numb’: The disturbing reality of three migrants drowning at Texas border
You Should Go to a Trump Rally
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/01/trump-rally-iowa-2024-election/677119/
Dr. Clarence Jones: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would call Donald Trump a 'moral fraud'
We Fact Checked Everything Trump Has Said About Climate Change Since 2021
https://heatmap.news/politics/trump-fact-check-climate-change-wind-solar-electric-vehicles-energy
From Kindergarten To College, Girls Are Outperforming Boys
Neurodiversity Is an Identity, Not a Disorder
Fox Hasn’t Molded Conservative Thought. It’s The Other Way Around
https://politizoom.com/fox-hasnt-molded-conservative-thought-its-the-other-way-around/
14.01.2024
Here’s What Right-Wing Power Brokers Want Trump to Do in His Second Term
https://www.thedailybeast.com/right-wing-power-brokers-plan-for-trumps-second-term
How Historical Trauma Lives in Us All
Opinion | The eerie new Trump ad pushing the boundaries of Christian theology
https://apple.news/A6Ga-lkACQleLsADnaMFpXw
Woman, 2 children die crossing Rio Grande as Border Patrol says it was prevented from intervening
How to navigate an era of disruption, disinformation, and division
13.01.2024
These Republican governors chose to let some kids go hungry this summer
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/summer-ebt-wic-funding-free-school-lunches-rcna133252
Evangelical leaders lose influence as followers find new savior in Trump
Gender dysphoria diagnoses are steadily increasing. Here's what that means
https://www.advocate.com/news/gender-dysphoria-diagnoses-increase
GOP lawmakers are trying to force all therapists to practice conversion therapy on trans people
Sarah Huckabee Sanders keeps upping the ante on her cruelty
https://www.queerty.com/sarah-huckabee-sanders-keeps-upping-the-ante-on-her-cruelty-20240112
Marjorie Taylor Greene Reveals She's 'Truly Interested' in Being Donald Trump's Secretary of Homeland Security
https://okmagazine.com/p/marjorie-taylor-greene-interested-donald-trump-secretary-homeland-security/
Technology's Original Sin is the Theft of Attention
Trump Foil Adam Schiff Would Expand Supreme Court, Abolish Electoral College to ‘Protect Democracy’: Report
Biden Crackdown Hauls In $520 Million In Back Taxes From The Ultrawealthy
Trump Must Return Millions He Got From Foreign Governments, Democrats Say
https://newrepublic.com/post/178052/raskin-demands-trump-return-millions-paid-foreign-governments
12.01.2024
'God & Country' explores rise of Christian nationalism in America
House Republican game-plan: Impeach everyone
https://www.axios.com/2024/01/11/house-republicans-impeach-biden-mayorkas-garland
GOP lawmaker told Uganda to “stand firm” on its “Kill the Gays” bill
American Universities Are Post-truth
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/01/claudine-gay-harvard-scandal/677096/
January 6 Is Exactly What the Fourteenth Amendment Was Talking About
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/01/january-6-14th-amendment/677098/
Scholars Aren’t Studying the Questions Education Leaders Care About Most (Opinion)
Harvard's 85-year study reveals the one thing that's the key to happiness and it's pretty simple
https://scoop.upworthy.com/harvards-85-year-study-reveals-the-number-one-key-to-happiness
How Autistic Individuals Adapt to a Neurotypical World
Five Ways to Help Children with Challenging Behaviours
https://www.todaysparent.com/kids/how-to-help-children-with-challenging-behaviour/
11.01.2024
Four More Years of Unchecked Misogyny
https://apple.news/AEqSoi4PNRvS9MMFTF4E5yg
Bertrand Russell & Buckminster Fuller on Why We Should Work Less, and Live and Learn More
Nikki Haley’s refusal to acknowledge America’s racism is exactly why schools need to teach about it
Trump Rally Prayers Have Gotten Dark: ‘Demonic Forces At Play’
https://themessenger.com/politics/trump-rally-prayers-have-gotten-dark-demonic-forces-at-play
Trump is 'proud' about taking away abortion rights. Republicans will keep losing because of it.
Florida Republicans Want to Destroy Restrictions on Teenage Labor
The Proud Boys are collapsing: Surprise! Legal consequences do hurt authoritarian movements
10.01.2024
Florida school district removes dictionaries from libraries, citing law championed by DeSantis
https://popular.info/p/florida-school-district-removes-dictionaries
Trump’s Lawyer Walked Into a Trap
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/01/trump-immunity-hearing-2020-election/677072/
Biden Blasts Trump After He Wishes For A Stock Market Collapse
People share the 18 things that are a 'subtle sign' someone is really smart
https://www.upworthy.com/people-share-the-things-that-are-a-subtle-sign-someone-is-really-smart-rp4
AI will unleash the next level of human potential. Here's how it happens - and when
Youth Advocacy
Advocating for young people in a growing climate of systemic fear and totalitarianism.
Youth Advocacy
Year 3, Week 02 (192 total reports)
03.12.2023-09.01.2024
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Advocating for young people in a growing climate of systemic fear and totalitarianism.
https://www.communitiesoftrust-jerrygoebel.com/youthadvocacy
Best Links of The Week
09.01.2024
Is Dopamine Running Your Life—or Ruining It?
Dopamine is a powerful chemical popularly associated with helping us experience pleasure. Of course, such a powerful molecule will have both positive and negative impacts on our lives. Teens release dopamine when they take risks and twice the amount of dopamine when that risk is taken in front of peers. We also release dopamine when we constantly scroll or see “likes” add up in our social media. Such dopamine “squirts” can be found at the root of many addictive behaviors that risk becoming imbedded into our daily habits. It is important to monitor our own dopamine fixations and to teach young people to do similarly. Healthy releases of dopamine might include laughter, exercise, bonding relationships, engaging conversations, acts of kindness, listening to uplifting music, hearing heroic stories, and experiencing nature. We’re not going to fight the body’s need to release dopamine (in fact, the inability to release dopamine is often linked to depression), so we should, instead, teach ourselves and our young people how to secrete this fundamental hormone in a way that leads to wellness and mental health. As this article indicates, dopamine can either positively run our lives (motivate us) or ruin our lives. How is it impacting your life?
08.01.2024
Why 2024 is shaping up to be the most crucial election year in world history
Purveyors of fear around the world are using their myriad platforms to increase authoritarianism. Elections around the world this year will make multiple decisions about what kind of world we will live in; a world where people have a right to decide who will lead them and what values they choose in their representation or succumbing to power-hungry dictators like Vladimir Putin and his minion, Donald Trump. In the United States, the constitution has built many safeguards into democracy, but not enough to withstand a second attack by Donald Trump and his lackeys in the GOP that fawn all over his every petulant whim and whine. The best way to insure democracy is to vote. That is true for four billion people around the world this year, not just the US.
07.01.2024
Why Some Kids Don't Want to Return to School After a Break
Last week there was a wonderful article about designing schools—not for those who succeed at education—but for those who are failing at it. Lessons learned from such an exercise, could well be used to address the question about why so many young people do not want to return to school, either after COVID, or following any extended break. I’ve been in many schools designed for challenged students where the schools were the safest places in their lives. They were places of learning, yes, but also places of community and well-being. It is not impossible to design such sanctuaries, but they do demand a re-prioritization of learning as a by-product of relationship, rather than the opposite. Of course, we want children to learn in schools, but the deep, curiosity-based, learning needed in the current and upcoming century will only be found if children feel accepted and safe: emotionally and physically. How can these principles be further applied in our Group Homes and Correctional facilities, anyplace where adults are tasked with the maturation of young people?
06.01.2024
Advice From a Therapist on Breaking Free From Intergenerational Trauma
There is no doubt that Intergenerational and Epigenetic Trauma are real. This article points out that the same factors linked to those responses to childhood adversity can also instill the seeds of Intergenerational and Epigenetic Resilience. The primary requirement is adult awareness and training. Resilience is NOT the denial of painful memories, it is the embracing and seeking of deeper responses to the pain of a personal or collective past.
05.01.2024
The Morality Tale of Settler Colonialism
Take some time to dig into the meaning of the phrase, “Settler Colonialism.” How many of the wounds of our present can be found in the seeds of this past? This week, a leading GOP candidate omitted the term “slavery” from a list of causes of the Civil War. It is not that she is stupid and poorly educated, it is that she is conniving and appealing to a base that affirms and supports racism. Supporting Donald Trump and the direction of the GOP doesn’t make you a racist, but it does mean that you will blindly look away while others push a racist, misogynist agenda.
04.01.2024
Use Curiosity to Supercharge Any Resolution
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/use-curiosity-supercharge-resolution-bookbite/47326/
Einstein said, “"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” Also, “Curiosity is the lust of the mind. Curiosity is the one thing invincible in Nature,” and finally, “Curiosity is more important than knowledge.” In your own life, how can you make curiosity more important to you than believing you know the answers to life’s most complicated questions? How can you model the “VALUE of curiosity” to the people you lead or the youth you are assisting? What is the one thing you could do today to challenge any “answers” you have adopted in your life?
03.01.2024
25 Things That AI Will Never Be Able To Do
https://wealthofgeeks.com/things-ai-will-never-do/
In our examination of the structures we build to assist in our children’s growth and well-being, how can we make sure that the 25 values listed in this article are at the forefront? What will make them “AI-Proof” and able to excel when many around them are seeking to diminish creativity and instead enforce compliance?
This Week’s Links
09.01.2024
Is Dopamine Running Your Life—or Ruining It?
Students rally at the Iowa Capitol days after Perry school shooting
The 9 Simple Principles in Physicist Carl Sagan's 'Baloney Detection Kit' Will Make You BS Proof
5 Steps to Not Be a Victim of Your Upbringing or Culture
An Open Border Could Benefit Us All. Instead, Both Parties Want to Build a Wall.
Navigating the Future - Dynamic Trends in Education for 2024 | Cryptopolitan
https://www.cryptopolitan.com/dynamic-trends-in-education-for-2024/
The NRA Under Siege
08.01.2024
Why 2024 is shaping up to be the most crucial election year in world history
A Surprising Way to Stop Bullying
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/a-surprising-way-to-stop-bullying/
Skipping School: America’s Hidden Education Crisis
https://www.propublica.org/article/school-absenteeism-truancy-education-students
Iowa's Christian conservatives follow their faith when voting, and some say it leads them to Trump
https://apnews.com/article/iowa-evangelical-voters-trump-2024-22f81caeaec48f5206709d0c67df4be5
1 in 3 people are lonely. Will AI help, or make things worse?
https://theconversation.com/1-in-3-people-are-lonely-will-ai-help-or-make-things-worse-217924
Unveiling the Secrets of Intelligence and Giftedness
Virginia college students are running a thrift store for transgender and nonbinary people
https://www.advocate.com/news/transgender-nonbinary-thrift-fashion-virginia
Biden wants Mexican help to stop the migrant surge. Here's what Mexico wants in return.
The Impact of Servant Leadership in the Workplace
Supermarket Giant Drops Pepsi and Lay’s Over Price Increases
https://apple.news/A0RrOB_k9TJSFdrvSmer-4A
5 Things for Parents to Know About Youth and Technology
07.01.2024
Why Some Kids Don't Want to Return to School After a Break
Trump just promised an authoritarian ‘task force’ to impose Christian ideology
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-2024-christian-right-truth-social-rcna132082
If MAGA Could Just See This the Trump Cult Would Be Gone Overnight
https://politizoom.com/if-maga-could-just-see-this-the-trump-cult-would-be-gone-overnight/
How Trump Taught America to Tolerate Brazen Corruption
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/01/trump-taught-america-tolerate-corruption/677040/
Trump’s Veiled Threats To SCOTUS Do Not Go Unnoticed
https://politizoom.com/trumps-veiled-threats-to-scotus-do-not-go-unnoticed/
06.01.2024
Advice From a Therapist on Breaking Free From Intergenerational Trauma
Here Are the 7 Most Heinous Things Wayne LaPierre Said As NRA Leader
https://newrepublic.com/post/177904/heinous-things-wayne-lapierre-said-nra-leader
Trump Said 'We Have to Get Over It' About School Shooting in Perry, Iowa, in January 2024?
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-perry-school-shooting/
Nearly 300,000 lives could be saved in the next decade if states followed California’s example on gun laws, study says
https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/05/us/everytown-study-us-gun-safety-rankings-2023/
The Next Big Idea Club’s March 2024 Must-Read Books
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/next-big-idea-clubs-march-2024-must-read-books/47375/
School Shootings by State
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/states-with-the-most-school-shootings
Gandhi in South Africa: The Formation of the World-Famous Pacifist
https://www.thecollector.com/gandhi-south-africa/
Creating Sticky Goals to Embrace Success
05.01.2024
The Morality Tale of Settler Colonialism
The GOP Completes Its Surrender
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/01/gop-complete-surrender-trump/677029/
You thought 2023 was a big year for AI? Buckle up.
https://www.vox.com/technology/2024/1/4/24023025/ai-predictions-2024-election
The Ultrawealthy Are Sitting On $8.5 Trillion In Untaxed 2022 Profits: Report
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/billionaires-tax-biden_n_65971f6ce4b0912833af6d32
Grief: What Is Normal and What Is Prolonged Grief Disorder
U.S. reliability on global stage imperiled as GOP plays politics with Ukraine aid
Who’s Afraid of Calling Donald Trump an Insurrectionist?
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/01/donald-trump-insurrection/677028/
How Walking Fosters Creativity: Stanford Researchers Confirm What Philosophers & Writers Have Always Known
Illinois Judge Closes Juvenile Detention Center After “Facility in Crisis” Fails to Meet New State Standards
04.01.2024
Use Curiosity to Supercharge Any Resolution
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/use-curiosity-supercharge-resolution-bookbite/47326/
Mayorkas: Texas governor’s migrant busing is a ‘failure of governance’
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/03/mayorkas-texas-governors-migrant-busing-00133605
The Real Harvard Scandal
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/01/claudine-gay-harvard-plagiarism/677007/
Some overlooked good news from 2023: Six countries knock out 'neglected' diseases
The Problem With Control
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/unpacking-anxiety/202401/the-problem-with-control
03.01.2024
25 Things That AI Will Never Be Able To Do
https://wealthofgeeks.com/things-ai-will-never-do/
New York Closed Psych Beds for Youth in Crisis. Now, Foster Care Programs and Host Towns Are Being Pushed to the Limit.
https://www.propublica.org/article/pleasantville-cottage-campus-new-york
1949 To 2024? Why The Geneva Conventions May Not Survive Gaza And Ukraine
https://worldcrunch.com/world-affairs/humanitarian-laws-rules-of-war
“A concerning finding”: New study on fake news detection uncovers a disturbing trend
A librarian was fired after refusing to ban books. She fought back
Schools don't want kids on cellphones. Is banning them the solution?
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2024/01/02/should-schools-ban-cellphones/72012262007/
How to Stop Our Triggers From Affecting Our Relationships
Why Therapy Should Be Subversive
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-do-you-know/202401/why-therapy-should-be-subversive
9 Motivating Books That Will Supercharge Your 2024
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/9-motivating-books-will-supercharge-2024/47306/
24 things we think will happen in 2024
The Polls Prove It: Many Republicans Love Fascism
https://newrepublic.com/article/177796/polls-republicans-trump-maga-fascism
How Emotional Neglect Can Cause Lifelong Lonely Feelings
It's Time to Start Taking the 14th Amendment Very Seriously
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a46269061/14-amendment-sections-2-and-3/
Youth Advocacy
Advocating for young people in the face of economic models that are unviable.
Youth Advocacy
Year 3, Week 52 (190 total reports)
27.12.2023-02.01.2024
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Advocating for young people in the face of economic models that are unviable.
https://www.communitiesoftrust-jerrygoebel.com/youthadvocacy
Best Links of The Week
This marks three years since I began posting this weekly blog. Originally, the purpose of the blog was to assist the Ministry of Social Services in Saskatchewan in informing foster parents and group home staff on helping young people in the midst of COVID. Over time, my focus began assisting those who worked with alienated youth in systems such as education, corrections, social services and ministry. As I became increasingly alarmed by the growth of global authoritarianism—and the impact that it would have on the disenfranchised—the emphasis has slowly shifted to awareness raising. I will continue to write about the issues I see most impactful on the mental healthy and well-being of young people throughout this year, hoping that it is helpful to those interested in advocating for young people—and particularly—disenfranchised young people. Happy New Year, thank you for reading, and I hope it is a meaningful year for you.
02.01.2024
What the legal system owes America in the era of Donald Trump
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-speedy-trial-2024-supreme-court-judges-rcna131646
It would not matter the situation, Donald Trump coalesces his base by making himself look like a victim. This article puts the issue in true context with the American legal system as a victim of Donald Trump and his GOP supporters.
01.01.2024
Economist explains why the current economy is unviable for the average American, sparking debate
It wouldn’t matter what administration was in charge, the reality is that the current economy and its measurements do NOT quanitfy what is most important to humanity. In fact, the better an economy is doing—by current measurements—the more damage it is causing to the climate and society. This is a result of an economy that is built on the accumulation of wealth, primarily through the use of fossil fuels and weapons development. We need new measurements to see how an economy is serving the disenfranchised, providing health care to all, and improving infrastructure (including communications) for ALL of its citizens. I frequently ask the question regarding inequity in our world, “Who profits from this injustice?” As you read this article, you will see those who control those purse strings and those who would have the most to lose by creating an economy that focuses on sustaining human life and well being.
31.12.2023
We Must Reckon With the Most Dangerous System of Extinction Humans Ever Created
This article picks up and deepens the lessons in the article above. I encourage you to take the time to read both for a deeper understanding of who profits from an economy that exacerbates the very qualities that undermine humanity.
30.12.2023
The Psychology Behind What Makes Authoritarianism Appealing
While Donald Trump trolls for pity, the GOP continues to throw smokescreens of fear and prejudice at the American people. Why? Because they have no contributive agenda to offer the American people. It is their fear-mongering that makes Authoritarianism so appealing to so many. The more chaos they sow, the more some people want a “strong leader” to take over their lives. But, don’t be fooled. The GOP is creating these issues, they are exacerbating fears that are largely unsubstantiated and usually irrelevant. This is evident in the horrible job they have done overseeing the GOP-controlled House with the fewest bills introduced by any Congress in US history. Rather than focus on issues that matter to the American people—and indeed, to the world—they have focused on undermining their own leadership and trying to impeach Joe Biden with no evidence to support their procedures. They are convinced that increasing your fears will enhance their chances of taking control and staying in control—permanently. This 2024 election is not about voting Democrat or Republican, it is about a vote for democracy or authoritarianism.
29.12.2023
What Would Schools Look Like If They Were Run By Those Who Didn’t Do Well At School?
Whether you are an educator or community developer, please pay attention to this article. If I were giving a workshop in a school (or school district) tomorrow, this is the article I would send out before I arrived. Then, I would use a white board and sticky notes to have people brainstorm on what a school district would look like if it were designed to help the marginalized. As this article points out, most districts design policies focusing on helping students who already do well in their system to continue succeeding, but this leaves the majority of students out and completely undermines those students who are NOT doing well. What ideas would you have to change policies that would assist those students?
28.12.2023
A school replaced detention with meditation. The results are stunning.
https://www.upworthy.com/this-school-replaced-detention-with-meditation-the-results-are-stunning-rp3
If you remember from last week’s blog, one school division in Texas placed an 11-year-old in solitary confinement for disciplinary action. Building on the information in the above article, examine what happens to students (and educators) who meditation is used instead of detention. What happens when we help each other grow mindfulness instead of anger? This could be applied in any organization that works with young people (and immature adults).
27.12.2023
Want to Solve the Border Crisis? Legalize Immigration.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/want-to-solve-the-border-crisis-legalize-immigration
I LOVED THIS ARTICLE!!! It examines the basic premise of, “What if the problem on the US border is not a lack of laws, but the wrong laws to begin with?” Congress seems intent on expanding existing laws that are NOT working—and even exacerbating the problems. This article helps examine why those current laws are fundamentally flawed and what could be done instead. Remember what Einstein told us? “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”
This Week’s Links
02.01.2024
What the legal system owes America in the era of Donald Trump
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-speedy-trial-2024-supreme-court-judges-rcna131646
Doctors say voting is critical to improving U.S. health care system
The Most Effective Way to Reduce Hate Crimes
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/01/hate-crimes-criminals-bias-prosecute/676271/
Psychologists Were Wrong About the Science of Self Control
Limpieza de Sangre: Blood Purity in Spain and Mexico
https://www.thecollector.com/limpieza-de-sangre-spain-mexico/
The History of Social Welfare Programs (& Current Debates)
https://www.thecollector.com/history-social-welfare-programs/
01.01.2024
Economist explains why the current economy is unviable for the average American, sparking debate
What Would Schools Look Like If They Were Run By Those Who Didn’t Do Well At School?
10 States That Passed the Worst Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws in 2023
https://www.advocate.com/law/worst-anti-lgbtq-laws-2023
Why some people don't trust science—and how to change their minds
https://phys.org/news/2023-12-people-dont-scienceand-minds.html
Quebec City looks to Finland’s successful approach to ending homelessness
To tackle poverty, more states will offer bigger child tax credits in 2024
https://www.npr.org/2024/01/01/1220874994/child-tax-credit-bigger-states-2024-poverty
Strategies to Help Children Build Resilience
31.12.2023
We Must Reckon With the Most Dangerous System of Extinction Humans Ever Created
What a Collapse Could Look Like
https://apple.news/AXQl2-4dGSGW7o-L0XCVfFw
How Corporate America’s Obsession With Creativity Wrecked the World and Brought Us Elon Musk
https://newrepublic.com/article/177762/corporate-america-creativity-elon-musk
8 classes that should be required for all students before they hit adulthood
https://www.upworthy.com/8-classes-that-should-be-required-for-all-students-but-arent-rp5
More Young Men Are Giving Up On College
https://wealthofgeeks.com/more-young-men-giving-up-college/
30.12.2023
The Psychology Behind What Makes Authoritarianism Appealing
A Psychologist Explains The Power Of A ‘Quiet Ego’ For A Happy Life
It sure looks like phones are making students dumber
https://apple.news/AFm6TFd8BSnqPSPsARoQh4A
GOP Congressman tells Uganda leaders to “stand firm” in support of LGBTQ death penalty
29.12.2023
What Would Schools Look Like If They Were Run By Those Who Didn’t Do Well At School?
Reno Is Beating the Odds in Solving Homelessness
https://apple.news/AQkKgRplPSUCmEe9JY9TJNQ
The Most-Read ProPublica Stories of 2023
https://www.propublica.org/article/propublica-most-read-stories-2023
2024 elections are ripe targets for foes of democracy
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/29/1220087754/2024-elections-targets-foes-democracy-disinformation
40 Nonfiction Books to Look Out for in 2024
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/40-nonfiction-books-look-2024/47229/
How the Brain Stores Traumatic Memories
28.12.2023
A school replaced detention with meditation. The results are stunning.
https://www.upworthy.com/this-school-replaced-detention-with-meditation-the-results-are-stunning-rp3
2 bitter wars with a long history and no solution in sight
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/29/1219717852/2-bitter-wars-with-a-long-history-and-no-solution-in-sight
Spanking predicts lower cognitive skills in children, study finds
How to Choose Safe People in 2024
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/healing-from-within/202301/how-to-choose-safe-people-in-2024
Understanding and Practicing Gratitude
This researcher asked kids what's wrong with U.S. schools. Here are their ideas.
https://www.upworthy.com/school-education-and-tes-rp3
Homelessness rose sharply in 2023. Congress must act in 2024.
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/congress-housing-report-emergency-2024-rcna130529
Why Inclusive Leadership Needs To Be Top Learning Priority For 2024
27.12.2023
Want to Solve the Border Crisis? Legalize Immigration.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/want-to-solve-the-border-crisis-legalize-immigration
The curious joy of being wrong – intellectual humility means being open to new information and willing to change your mind
Larry Ferlazzo's 9 Education Predictions for 2024 (Opinion)
10 Things Software Developers Should Learn about Learning
How to Find the Courage to Get Out of Your Own Way
The Cognitive Revolution: Unlocking the Secrets of the Mind
What You Don’t Know About Grief and Loss
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/soul-console/202312/what-you-dont-know-about-grief-and-loss
The 23 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/23-best-nonfiction-books-2023/47213/
Lincoln Project Distills 2023 Down To 1:20, Take A Sedative Before Viewing
https://politizoom.com/lincoln-project-distills-2023-down-to-120-take-a-sedative-before-viewing/
GOP Lawmakers in 3 States Seek to Dubiously Deem Biden an Insurrectionist
As social media guardrails fade and AI deepfakes go mainstream, experts warn of impact on elections
Elon Musk Is The New Republic’s 2023 Scoundrel of the Year
https://newrepublic.com/article/177695/elon-musk-scoundrel-year-2023-new-republic
Court sees through Ron DeSantis’ lies behind his law banning medical care for trans youth
GOP Biggest Loser of 2023 Moms for Liberty has us asking: How many sex tapes are there?
Youth Advocacy
Advocating for young people in the face of politics and religion driven by fear (the Leviathon).
Youth Advocacy
Year 3, Week 51 (189 total reports)
20.12.2023-26.12.2023
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Advocating for young people in the face of politics and religion driven by fear (the Leviathon).
https://www.communitiesoftrust-jerrygoebel.com/youthadvocacy
Best Links of The Week
26.12.2023
Is Fear Driving Contemporary Politics? Hobbes’ Leviathan Revisited
https://www.thecollector.com/thomas-hobbes-leviathan-fear-politics/
This reflection on the theories of Thomas Hobbes is worth recounting as his theories of a Leviathan feasting on fear is certainly being displayed in right-wing politics and religions around the world. To be an authoritarian, is to constantly find ways to make people so afraid that they concede their democratic (and even human) rights and give them away to a central power (Leviathan) that will take over their decisions. The popularity of authoritarian governments (and authoritarian wannabes) in our world today certainly points to the success of those pseudo-leaders who solidly manifest their ideologies in fear.
25.12.2023
Life Lessons From Eavesdropping on the Taliban
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/life-lessons-eavesdropping-taliban-bookbite/47139/
This book review intrigued me greatly from a former Naval intelligence officer turned physician. His primary insights into how the Taliban developed and established itself certainly has familiar links to the current Christian Nationalistic leaders trying to imbed themselves into US politics, education, and religion. This book offers a great insight into the playbook of religious authoritarianism.
24.12.2023
10 Victories the Working Class Won in 2023
https://truthout.org/articles/10-victories-the-working-class-won-in-2023/
The last three years have held out huge wins for the poor and working class. This January 1st, 22 States will raise their minimum wage for workers moving employees closer to a living wage. If you are not in a State that is raising their minimum wage (or at least considering it) you are in a State controlled by Republicans. There are true examples across the economy of what happens when government serves its tax payers as opposed to its wealthy. Hopefully, this will serve as a framework for what government in service to the people can offer.
23.12.2023
The Colorado Ruling Changed My Mind
https://apple.news/ALLVcOYYuTc6vquXIOseY-A
Like many political scholars today, I am of two minds when I reflect on the Colorado Ruling regarding Trump and Article 14, Section 3 of the US Constitution. I would love to see Trump and his GOP lackeys trounced at the polls, but I also want to see guardrails on who can run for office after being engaged in an insurrection.
22.12.2023
Texas Threw an 11 Year-Old Kid In Solitary
Texas is becoming synonymous with the abuse of human rights, this is but another example of how political bullies (in this case, in a school district) can undermine the human rights of the powerless. Whether it’s about women, immigrants, or children, this State is crawling back into the dark ages.
21.12.2023
Want to Raise Children Who Become Successful Leaders? Try Neil deGrasse Tyson's 'Rule of Chaos'
There is a movement afoot in many school districts to ban whatever might make children and teens feel uncomfortable in schools. Of course, the truth is that it is an attempt to ban whatever makes ideological parents feel uncomfortable whether it’s about women’s rights, civil rights, or sexual development. DeGrasse-Tyson makes a great point that children don’t grow from comfort—none of us do—we grow from attempting to resolve chaos. Dealing with our nation’s colonialist, misogynistic, racist history is part and parcel of what will help us NOT repeat those mistakes. Hiding those truths is an attempt to intentionally repeat them. We need to ask ourselves, who is it that wants to repeat this history and what will they profit by doing so?
20.12.2023
Finding Redemption in the World’s Most Heavily Incarcerated Nation
Having served and consulted for decades in the system of the most heavily incarcerated nation, makes me very sensitive and alert to articles like this. Thomas Merton would tell us that our greatest transgression today lies in “what is done in our name.” People can get away with horrendous actions in corrections (or in education as in the Texas case above), only because of a lack of involvement in those systems. Sadly, it becomes increasingly difficult to NOT be involved in those systems when they begin to affect and touch all of our families in some way. Sardonically, I believe the only hope for fairer treatment in our penal system will be the arrest and incarceration of more politicians who have broken laws and need to pay fair consequences. The more time they spend in prisons, the more changes we will see in these institutions.
This Week’s Links
26.12.2023
Is Fear Driving Contemporary Politics? Hobbes’ Leviathan Revisited
https://www.thecollector.com/thomas-hobbes-leviathan-fear-politics/
22 States To Raise Minimum Wage On New Year's Day
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/minimum-wage-increase-new-years-day_n_65845315e4b04da9842608dd
COMIC: The year of student loans
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/26/1215836894/student-loan-repayment-debt-relief-fresh-start
Iowa Gov. Puts Coal In Kid’s Christmas Stockings
https://politizoom.com/iowa-gov-puts-coal-in-kids-christmas-stockings/
Mike Johnson declared 2023’s “most disturbing” Christian nationalist
Grandparents for Truth Takes on Book Bans and Censorship in Schools
https://truthout.org/articles/grandparents-for-truth-takes-on-book-bans-and-censorship-in-schools/
‘Latinitas’ teaching coding and engineering to close gaps in tech industry
Activists Link U.S. Nonprofit to Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws Across Africa
https://www.advocate.com/news/family-watch-international-uganda-homophobia
The Holidays and the Epidemic of Loneliness
https://www.advocate.com/voices/loneliness-holidays-christmas-lgbtq
25.12.2023
Life Lessons From Eavesdropping on the Taliban
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/life-lessons-eavesdropping-taliban-bookbite/47139/
How to Find Hope and Happiness Amidst Uncertainty
24.12.2023
10 Victories the Working Class Won in 2023
https://truthout.org/articles/10-victories-the-working-class-won-in-2023/
Kentucky's 'Don't Say Gay' Law Brings Misery to LGBTQ+ Students
https://www.advocate.com/news/kentucky-dont-say-gay-bill
LGBTQ+ Population in the U.S. Grows by Over 2 Million
https://www.advocate.com/news/lgbtq-people-america
LGBTQ+ groups band together to challenge school district over Don’t Say Gay policies
A Texas county plans to give low-income residents in the Houston area $500 a month as part of a universal basic income plan
Iowa won't participate in US food assistance program for kids this summer
https://apnews.com/article/iowa-summer-ebt-food-assistance-0e878c5c0fc9dd0dd55622cb22a82561
Most Read Articles of 2023
https://behavioralscientist.org/most-read-articles-of-2023/
11 Phrases That Signal a Person's Lonely, According to Psychologists
https://parade.com/living/phrases-that-signal-a-persons-lonely-according-to-psychologists
23.12.2023
The Colorado Ruling Changed My Mind
https://apple.news/ALLVcOYYuTc6vquXIOseY-A
Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis caps of 2023 with his most embarrassing loss yet
Republican Group Sounds The Alarm On 'Wannabe Dictator' Trump In Scathing Ad
The 10 most read Future Perfect stories of 2023
Understanding Our Stress Response System
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/deep-dives/202312/understanding-our-stress-response-system
5 strategic mindsets of exceptional leaders
https://www.fastcompany.com/90996386/strategic-mindsets-of-exceptional-leaders
22.12.2023
Texas Threw an 11 Year-Old Kid In Solitary
The Strange History—and Even Stranger Future—of Digital Deception
The Marriage Plot
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/12/political-gender-divide-marriage/676906/
How a Group of Grandparents Is Mobilizing to Push Back Against Moms for Liberty
https://www.advocate.com/politics/grandparents-for-truth
House GOP concludes embarrassing 2023, taking almost as many votes for Speaker than bills passed
AI is transforming how science is done. Science education must reflect this change.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adm9788
Unintegrated Trauma: How to Improve Communication by Understanding Stress Responses
https://www.entrepreneur.com/leadership/how-to-improve-communication-by-understanding-stress/466461
5 Gratitude Practices to Try With Your Family Over the Holidays
https://www.mindful.org/5-gratitude-practices-to-try-with-your-family-over-the-holidays/
21.12.2023
Want to Raise Children Who Become Successful Leaders? Try Neil deGrasse Tyson's 'Rule of Chaos'
Empower Teens: Reframe Emotions and Embrace Life
It only takes 195 milliseconds for impulse to get ahead of intention. Try these ’emotional agility’ tools to retrain your brain’s response
The Biggest AI Trends in 2024
https://weandthecolor.com/the-biggest-ai-trends-in-2024/182739
7 Ways to Stop Jumping to Catastrophic Conclusions
We sued to keep Trump off the Colorado ballot. Here’s what our critics get wrong.
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-colorado-supreme-court-crew-lawsuit-rcna130730
Our Vision of the Future City is Trapped in Old Thinking
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/vision-future-city-trapped-old-thinking-bookbite/47037/
20.12.2023
Finding Redemption in the World’s Most Heavily Incarcerated Nation
Texas’ new border law will hurt children and taxpayers, experts say
https://www.semafor.com/article/12/19/2023/texas-migrant-sb4-law-impact-children-taxpayers
Mike Johnson Is the Christian Nationalist We Should Have Seen Coming
https://newrepublic.com/article/177474/mike-johnson-christian-nationalist-seen-coming
(Un)comfortably Numb: 5 Ways to Alleviate Emotional Numbing
We Need Control of Our Cognitive Gaze Now More Than Ever
The Hypocrisy Underlying the Campus-Speech Controversy
Youth Advocacy
Advocating for young people in the face of global, dehumanizing, political tirades.
Youth Advocacy
Year 3, Week 50 (188 total reports)
06.12.2023-12.12.2023
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Advocating for young people in the face of global, dehumanizing, political tirades.
https://www.communitiesoftrust-jerrygoebel.com/youthadvocacy
Best Links of The Week
19.12.2023
This Is Still Fascism—Only Worse
https://newrepublic.com/article/177649/trump-immigrants-speech-fascism
For people who hate pronouns and like to declare they are against being “woke,” the GOP really loves two pronouns: Them and Us. In order to reject an entire class of people, you must first separate them and then demean them. Once you dehumanize people, you can then attack them and begin to justify beliefs such as fascism. The language IS really important, no matter what many conservatives, like Lindsay Graham, are trying to say. When Trump quotes Hitler, multiple times, he is indicating that he is willing to do to “them” what Hitler did to “them” (Jewish people at the time). Already, Trump is talking about sending troops to the US border to create “detention camps” for immigrants. We should take him at his word and not try to diminish or minimize the language he is using. Dehumanization is at the root of fascism and racism.
18.12.2023
The Right Is Passing Bills That Ban the Teaching of Empathy and Care in Schools
The very skills that education specialists tell us our children will need in an AI-Guided world where anything that CAN be done by a robot WILL be done by a robot are the skills that The Right is attacking. EQ is the skill that separates leaders from the flock and will only become MORE essential in competing on a global scale. It’s apparent that The Right doesn’t want thinking adults, it wants robots that will vote for whatever they say.
17.12.2023
It’s Not Just the Killing. Why Must Israel Dehumanize Palestinians?
https://newrepublic.com/article/177526/israel-defense-forces-dehumanize-palestinians
It’s not just the GOP that is attempting to dehumanize people in order to justify injustice, Putin has been doing the same thing with Ukrainians and used his dehumanizing tactics to kidnap children. Colonialists have used this language all over the world, throughout history, to justify genocide. Language is important and it is crucial we raise a generation that recognizes the terminology of dehumanization, racism, and fascism when they hear it.
16.12.2023
The Teaching Profession in 2023 (in Charts)
https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/the-teaching-profession-in-2023-in-charts/2023/12
Teaching was going through difficult times pre-COVID, post-COVID has shown us that this honorable profession is experiencing a major crisis. These charts are a good start to help us examine where the gaps are in hiring and retaining excellent educators for our children.
15.12.2023
Conservatives have built a vast network of junk science organizations to oppose trans equality
Rather than concentrate on leadership and the needs of the country, Conservatives have been focusing on fake news and conspiracies, developing an extensive network of fake (junk) science to support their gibberish. Don’t be fooled, dig deeper into their numbers—especially regarding issues related to voting, diversity, immigration, and the LGBTQ+ community. A false, narrative is leading to ruinous policies, an eroding judicial system, and fear-mongering that welcomes an influx of authoritarian men and women in all branches of government; local, state, and federal.
14.12.2023
What Is The Critical Pedagogy Movement?
https://www.thecollector.com/critical-pedagogy-movement/
This article looks at the history of the rational and science-based pedagogy which could form the structure of an educational system in which children could thrive in a rapidly developing and sometimes chaotic world. As you examine this history of these pedagogies, you are not going to find names like Moms for Liberty or Liberty University. Read this article, if only to tap into the giants of education that have left their mark among healthy education systems worldwide. We desperately need their guidance to compare to the undermining, pseudo-educational policies being fronted by such pretentious imposters as Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis.
13.12.2023
A Blueprint for a Better Future Based on Cultural Evolution
Michael Muthukrishna, brings us a thought-provoking book that opens new pathways into a future that is inclusive and filled with exciting possibilities. It was definitely a review I needed to read at this time, and I think you will appreciate it as well. His “Theory of Everyone” is just the kind of practical optimism that provides a basis for confronting the Us/Them diatribes of the Far Right. If you want to feel hopeful at the end of a read, scroll through this article and seek out the book.
This Week’s Links
19.12.2023
This Is Still Fascism—Only Worse
https://newrepublic.com/article/177649/trump-immigrants-speech-fascism
Liz Cheney Tells Fox News Viewers Why They Should Not Vote For Donald Trump: “This Isn’t About Policy … It’s About The Republic. It’s About The Constitution”
https://deadline.com/2023/12/liz-cheney-donald-trump-fox-news-1235672046/
Abby Phillip Stunned By GOP Lawmaker's Defense Of Trump's Vile Claim
New study finds Christian nationalists to be more complex than media portrayals
https://religionnews.com/2023/12/18/new-study-paints-complicated-picture-of-christian-nationalists/
Book Bans Are Harming LGBTQ People, Advocates Say. This Online Library Is Fighting Back.
https://www.advocate.com/books/queer-liberation-library
Education and Artificial Intelligence: Navigating the Path to Transformation - EdSurge News
Disadvantaged children's struggles at school have 'little to do' with character, attitude or a lack of 'growth mindset'
https://phys.org/news/2023-12-disadvantaged-children-struggles-school-character.html
The Mind's Four Doors of Perception
18.12.2023
The Right Is Passing Bills That Ban the Teaching of Empathy and Care in Schools
This Machine Kills Fascists: 10 times music fought the regime
https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/10-times-music-fought-the-regime/
21 People With Difficult Childhoods Share Something They Do Now That Is A Direct Result Of Their Trauma
https://www.yourtango.com/self/people-share-adult-behaviors-direct-result-childhood-trauma
The Healing Power of Storytelling
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/un-numb/202312/the-healing-power-of-storytelling
Conservatives move to keep abortion off the 2024 ballot
Texas Becomes an Abortion Dystopia
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/12/kate-cox-abortion-texas-dobbs/676373/
17.12.2023
It’s Not Just the Killing. Why Must Israel Dehumanize Palestinians?
https://newrepublic.com/article/177526/israel-defense-forces-dehumanize-palestinians
Bored
https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2023/12/poem-margaret-atwood-bored/676387/
Texas Companies Say Republicans Are Ruining Their Business
https://www.newsweek.com/texas-companies-abortion-law-republicans-bumble-1853051
US Woman Criminally Charged After Miscarriage
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-woman-criminally-charged-after-miscarriage-/7401364.html
The Youth Who Won Climate Lawsuit in Montana are Setting a Precedent
Billionaire Megayachts are Now Emitting More CO2 Than Some Small Countries
"Smishing" Is The Latest Way Scammers Are Trying To Get Your Info. Here's How To Protect Yourself
https://www.buzzfeed.com/monicatorres2/smishing-phone-scam
16.12.2023
The Teaching Profession in 2023 (in Charts)
https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/the-teaching-profession-in-2023-in-charts/2023/12
Homelessness in the U.S. hit a record high last year as pandemic aid ran out
https://www.npr.org/homelessness-affordable-housing-crisis-rent-assistance
Pete Buttigieg: Mike Johnson Should Focus on His Job and Less on Taking Away LGBTQ+ Rights
https://www.advocate.com/news/pete-buttigieg-university-of-richmond
Gen Z Is the Most-Queer Generation. They Also Want to Be Labeled the Least
https://www.advocate.com/news/gen-z-identity-labels-queer
15.12.2023
Conservatives have built a vast network of junk science organizations to oppose trans equality
Pregnant Texans Continue to Be Pulled Over in Carpool Lane After Abortion Ruling: ‘I Have Two Heartbeats in the Car’
https://themessenger.com/news/pregnant-texans-pulled-over-carpool-lane-abortion-ruling
Reality of women and pregnancy complications leaves GOP flummoxed
Why Trump Won’t Win
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/12/trump-2024-win-why-unlikely/676354/
Making fossil fuel companies accountable for their products’ emissions would support the clean energy transition
Students and Educators in Idaho Show Us What It’s Like When a State Fails to Fund School Repairs
https://www.propublica.org/article/idaho-students-educators-show-us-effects-of-underfunded-schools
14.12.2023
What Is The Critical Pedagogy Movement?
https://www.thecollector.com/critical-pedagogy-movement/
Middle school students call out Moms for Liberty for their homophobia with amazing letters
The Lifelong Journey of Personal Development
Knoxville’s Juvenile Detention Center Says Hundreds of Seclusions Were “Voluntary.” Some Kids Don’t See It That Way.
13.12.2023
A Blueprint for a Better Future Based on Cultural Evolution
How Republicans convinced themselves America was meant to be a "Christian nation"
Texas Republicans drove Kate Cox out of her own state. What her abortion story means for America
Her mother doesn't get why she's depressed. So she explains the best way she knows how.
What to Say (and What Not to Say) to a Grieving Person
Idaho Keeps Some Psychiatric Patients in Prison, Ignoring Decades of Warnings About the Practice
How do you end a conversation with someone who won't stop talking? 19 people share their tricks.
https://www.upworthy.com/how-do-you-stop-a-conversation-with-someone-who-wont-stop-talking-rp6
28-year-old in Norway who gets 5 weeks of vacation: Here, 'your wellbeing is more important than work'
Youth Advocacy
Advocating for young people in the face of the US’s slow-walk towards a Christian Right-Wing Nationalist Theocracy.
Youth Advocacy
Year 3, Week 50 (188 total reports)
06.12.2023-12.12.2023
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Advocating for young people in the face of the US’s slow-walk towards a Christian Right-Wing Nationalist Theocracy.
https://www.communitiesoftrust-jerrygoebel.com/youthadvocacy
Best Links of The Week
12.12.2023
Freedom of speech that starts with listening
The GOP is in an all-out war with education and the recent attacks on University Presidents featuring Senator Sinema reveal their tactics; “Whatever you do, don’t listen and block any nuanced discussion about a topic.” To their detriment, the University President’s came “lawyered up,” naively expecting an open discourse about hate speech. They couldn’t have been more wrong with a congress that, as George Bush once said to Joe Biden, “Joe, I don’t do nuance.”
11.12.2023
“People Have to Wake Up”: From the Front Lines of Idaho’s School Board Battles Against the Far Right
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/idahos-school-board-battles-against-far-right
As Christian Nationalist Right-Wing GOP supporters attempt their total takeover of education, some community groups are shouting out their warning cries; “Do we want children to learn only what a radical fringe government wants them to learn?” School boards and election boards have become a front line for a battle over true history versus revisionist history and actual voting versus rigged elections. Candidates put forth by Moms for Liberty were trounced during the last election, but they are redoubling efforts, even in the face of hypocritical duplicity at their highest level (Bridget Ziegler, co-founder of the organization).
10.12.2023
Want to see what Republicans want for abortion rights nationally? Look at Texas.
Despite having nearly been impeached on 16 counts of corruption and bribery, the Attorney General of Texas, still wants his state to make decisions over a mother’s right to life in his recent abortion ruling. Ken Paxton’s decision to block a court ruling allowing a woman facing sterility or even death if she carries her already dead fetus to term put this state into an unscrupulous classification of stealing women’s rights over their own bodies.
09.12.2023
4 Theocracies That Exist in the World Today
https://www.thecollector.com/theocracies-exist-world-today/
Four theocracies exist in the world today and none of them are stellar examples of healthy governing. It is important to read behind the scenes to understand what the White Right Conservative wing of the GOP is pushing the US towards and how dangerous that will be for US citizens and the world.
08.12.2023
What Will Happen to the American Psyche If Trump Is Reelected?
Chaotocracy, a government feeding on chaos, that’s what Trump brought us in his last term and continues to pursue—even though he has no legitimate authority. Trump’s name should be synonymous with misogynistic and narcissistic chaos. Whatever foul statement or action will increase the attention he is receiving and whatever benefits him personally.
07.12.2023
Mike Johnson Compares Himself to Moses at Christian Nationalist Gala
This is an example of a person who had no recognition suddenly given a position of authority that sends his ego soaring and his inner bully revealed. Johnson’s voluminous ego has him declaring that God has told him to be the “next Moses.” It’s amazing that he even recognizes God as a higher being, except to the extent he can use that belief to support his own conspiracies.
06.12.2023
Speaker Mike Johnson draws scrutiny for ties to far right Christian movements
If Johnson had his way, Gay people would be arrested, children exploring their own sexuality would be removed from their homes, and a Christian Theocracy (overseen by Trump) would trash the constitution and rule the US.
This Week’s Links
12.12.2023
Freedom of speech that starts with listening
The real reason three university presidents embarrassed themselves before Congress
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/penn-harvard-mit-president-congress-stefanik-rcna129064
18 California children are suing the EPA over climate change
4 Approaches to Healing From Family Estrangement
Khan Academy’s founder says AI ‘coaches’ will soon submit essays to teachers instead of students
https://fortune.com/2023/12/11/khan-academy-ai-bots-coach-cheating-guardrails-essays-brainstorm-ai/
New Study Gives an Important Update on Bipolar Disorder
The Top 23 Leadership Books of 2023
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/top-23-leadership-books-2023/46876/
11.12.2023
“People Have to Wake Up”: From the Front Lines of Idaho’s School Board Battles Against the Far Right
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/idahos-school-board-battles-against-far-right
GOP Senator Introduces Bill That Throws LGBTQ+ Foster Children Under the Bus
https://www.advocate.com/law/lgbtq-foster-children-banks-bill
Editorial: Want to protect children? Don't sign this trans-bashing petition:
https://apple.news/AkdGk0CcjT9OtYLzT7lUutQ
What Does the Working Class Really Want?
10.12.2023
Want to see what Republicans want for abortion rights nationally? Look at Texas.
Why some people do not want to heal from deep grief
The most popular TED Talks of 2023 | TED Talks
https://www.ted.com/playlists/839/the_most_popular_ted_talks_of_2023
09.12.2023
4 Theocracies That Exist in the World Today
https://www.thecollector.com/theocracies-exist-world-today/
The Top 50 Science Books of 2023
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/top-50-science-books-2023/46782/
How ancient civilisations dealt with trauma
Federal judge prohibits separating migrant families at the border
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/08/1218336878/immigration-family-separation-judge-settlement-border
Captivating Commencements: 15 Podcasts That Immediately Engage Your Intellect
https://wealthofgeeks.com/podcasts-immediately-engage-intellect/
Transphobic Republican Debate Condemned as 'Failure of Leadership and of Journalism' by GLAAD
https://www.advocate.com/politics/glaad-denounces-republican-transphobia
Republicans Are on the Verge of Delivering Putin a Big Christmas Gift
08.12.2023
What Will Happen to the American Psyche If Trump Is Reelected?
There’s no distinction between faith and politics on the right any more
Texas’s Attorney General Has a Ghoulish New Abortion Stance
https://newrepublic.com/post/177398/texass-attorney-general-ghoulish-new-abortion-stance
Rep. Jim Banks introduces bill to place trans foster kids into abusive homes
Florida is showing red states how to dismantle higher education
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/desantis-florida-universities-aaup-report-rcna128563
The Hidden Inventions that Changed Your Life
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/hidden-inventions-changed-life-bookbite/46859/
Top 10 Inspiring John Wesley Quotes to Guide Your Spiritual Journey
https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/inspiring-john-wesley-quotes-guide-spiritual-journey
Sacred meaning in motion: How spiritual body movements affect our emotions, according to recent study
US touts new era of collaboration with Native American tribes to manage public lands and water
Mary Wollstonecraft
https://www.worldhistory.org/Mary_Wollstonecraft/
Breakthrough Interface Enables AI ChatGPT Access Using Thoughts
07.12.2023
Mike Johnson Compares Himself to Moses at Christian Nationalist Gala
Trump on a possible second term: ‘I’d be a dictator on day one’
Tim Alberta discusses his new book exploring American evangelicals and political extremism
Leonard Leo Tied to 69 Percent of Right Wing Amicus Briefs in Major SCOTUS Cases
Fourth Republican Debate Serves Up Most Transphobia So Far
https://www.advocate.com/politics/reppublican-debate-transphobia
Congressman debuts bill to cover school costs of defending books with LGBTQ+ content
Watch AOC Defend Transgender Americans in Heated Congressional Hearing
https://www.advocate.com/politics/aoc-defends-transgender-americans
School board member sworn in on pile of banned books to troll Moms for Liberty
https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/12/07/moms-for-liberty-banned-books/
The Top 23 Happiness Books of 2023
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/top-23-happiness-books-2023/46763/
Small Problems, Big Feelings
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/playful-parenting/202312/small-problems-big-feelings
Childhood Stress Linked to Adult Depression
https://neurosciencenews.com/childhood-stress-adult-depression-25323/
A woman hurled food at a Chipotle worker. A judge sentenced the attacker to work in a fast-food restaurant
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chipotle-bowl-assault-sentence-rosemary-hayne-emily-russell-fast-food/
06.12.2023
Speaker Mike Johnson draws scrutiny for ties to far right Christian movements
How the Next Wave of Tech Can Help Humanity Flourish
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/next-wave-tech-can-help-humanity-flourish-bookbite/46752/
Donald Trump vs. American History
Education should look to the way artists are embracing AI, instead of turning its back on the technology
Did You Mess Up? Use This Astronaut's "30-Second Rule" to Feel Better and Refocus
https://www.entrepreneur.com/living/did-you-mess-up-use-this-astronauts-30-second-rule-to/464146
OPINION: We need more problem solvers and critical thinkers for an increasingly complex world
The Pursuit of More: Seneca’s Wisdom for a Richer Life
https://thetaoist.online/the-pursuit-of-more-senecas-wisdom-for-a-richer-life-44672549b3f9
Youth Advocacy
Advocating for young people despite the historic and epigenetic trauma of environmental, political, and religious colonialism.
Youth Advocacy
Year 3, Week 49 (187 total reports)
29.11.2023-05.12c.2023
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Advocating for young people despite the historic and epigenetic trauma of environmental, political, and religious colonialism.
Best Links of The Week
05.12.2023
What Trump’s Second Term Could Look Like
https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2023/12/trump-reelection-2024-second-term/676237/
The Atlantic is one of my favorite magazines, it also abides by a rule of fair reporting believing that a healthy democracy needs at least two healthy political parties. The warning that it is issuing is that one party is not running to support a democracy, but instead to destroy it. This is a very strong stance for a very reputable, seasoned, award-winning, magazine historically committed to journalistic integrity (founded in 1857).
04.12.2023
A Warning
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/01/warning-second-trump-term/676117/
This week, The Atlantic is dedicating its entire issue to warning about a Trump Presidency. This is a drastic change in The Atlantic’s editorial policy and it comes only because (as indicated above) the current GOP fixation on Donald Trump is not about party politics but about ending democracy. If you’ve ever considered subscribing to the Atlantic (and I am a subscriber), now is the time, and this is the issue.
03.12.2023
Parents and Teachers Agree: Kids Need Strong Public Schools — Not Culture Wars
The vast majority of Americans want their children to have an authentic education unmarred by political or religious bias and have turned out in droves at local elections to nominate School Boards that represent them. However, a small minority of Americans want their personal, evangelical, beliefs to dominate curriculum. This minority is using the courts to force their viewpoint. One article below indicates that the Florida AG submitted an amicus brief this week arguing that the role of education is to teach the beliefs of the government.
02.12.2023
The Hidden Systems All Around Us
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/hidden-systems-around-us-bookbite/46670/
This book review really captivated me, my mind is still turning over the implications of its basic premise that “Energy = Agency.” If you follow that thought process through to its natural conclusion, you will come to the same result as this author. The best measurement of a society’s health is its infrastructure, not its GDP.
01.12.2023
The Bogus Historians Who Teach Evangelicals They Live in a Theocracy
Leaders of the Christian Nationalist movement crave to promote their opinions rather than examine factual history. Leaders of this movement have been unabashedly creating their own revisionist saga to justify their racist viewpoints in their attempts to block everything from immigration to school curricula. But, how sound are their historic foundations? Evidence points out that fundamental leaders of this extremist movement—and, in particular, David Barton—had historic views so flawed that even his publisher, Thomas Nelson, recalled his books.
30.11.2023
Top 10 Diogenes Quotes to Challenge Your Perspective on Life
https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/diogenes-quotes-challenge-perspective-life
Diogenes has long been one of my favorite philosophers. His thoughts founded the Cynic School of Philosophy in what is modern-day Turkey and his thought-provoking, challenging, and at times humorous ideas are just as applicable today as they were during his life in 300 BCE.
29.11.2023
Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò is building a theory of justice for a warming world
If you read through the featured article from December 3rd, this week, this commentary by Professor Táíwò will make more sense to you. It digs into how our infrastructure has created the climate crisis we are currently experiencing and offers possible strategies for preventing the colonialist policies of the past from dictating racially biased choices in the future.
This Week’s Links
05.12.2023
What Trump’s Second Term Could Look Like
https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2023/12/trump-reelection-2024-second-term/676237/
What’s Really Going On With the GOP’s Current School Obsession
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/12/desantis-florida-schools-gop-obsession.html
Legalizing gay marriage has caused a dramatic drop in LGBT suicide rates
FL AG’s Legal Brief Claims Libraries Should Only Convey “Government’s Message”
‘Plain historical falsehoods’: How amicus briefs bolstered Supreme Court conservatives
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/12/03/supreme-court-amicus-briefs-leonard-leo-00127497
In Uvalde, Students Followed Active Shooter Protocol. The Cops Did Not.
https://www.propublica.org/article/uvalde-officer-student-trainings-mass-shootings
Does the body really “keep the score” of trauma?
https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/body-keeps-score-trauma/
Handcuffed and sent to the ER – for misbehavior: Schools are sending more kids to the hospital
04.12.2023
A Warning
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/01/warning-second-trump-term/676117/
“This Is the Final Compromise”: Donald Trump and the Implosion of the American Evangelical Movement
Narratives and Resilience
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-words/202312/narratives-and-resilience
Defense Secretary Says Israel Risks ‘Strategic Defeat’ If Civilian Lives Not Protected
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lloyd-austin-gaza-civilian-lives-israel_n_656d3576e4b028b0f3d07cd7
Study Reveals Professions Most Likely to Be Replaced by AI
https://www.mensjournal.com/news/study-jobs-most-likely-replaced-ai-chatbots-uk-dept-for-education
Brazil proposes $250 billion “Tropical Forests Forever” fund for rainforests
What Are the Pillars of AI Ethics?
https://ambcrypto.com/blog/what-are-the-pillars-of-ai-ethics/
03.12.2023
Parents and Teachers Agree: Kids Need Strong Public Schools — Not Culture Wars
How a Recent Voting Rights Act Ruling Is a ‘Devastating Blow’ to Black Voters In Several States Ahead of the 2024 Presidential Election
'Moms for Liberty' launch their conservative crusade against American schools
Florida's Republican chair has denied a woman's rape allegation in a case roiling state politics
Trans-led counselling fights to save lives and provide ‘chosen family’ amid anti-LGBTQ+ hate
https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/12/03/trans-counselling-mental-health-lgbtq-non-binary-tact/
Police raid gay clubs across Moscow after anti-LGBTQ Supreme Court ruling
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/moscow-gay-bars-raid-lgbtq-supreme-court-ruling-1.7047488
Conservatives use anti-trans hearing to promote conversion therapy over gender-affirming care
25 Things That AI Will Never Be Able To Do
https://wealthofgeeks.com/25-things-that-ai-will-never-be-able-to-do/
The Mandela Effect: How Do Collective False Memories Work?
11 Phrases To Use Instead of Automatically Giving Advice, According to Psychologists
https://parade.com/living/phrases-to-use-instead-of-giving-advice-according-to-psychologists
02.12.2023
The Hidden Systems All Around Us
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/hidden-systems-around-us-bookbite/46670/
James Carville: This is a bigger threat to the US than Al Qaeda
Warren Throckmorton takes on David Barton and 'Christian nationalists' revisionist history'
The lesser-known history of the Monroe doctrine
https://www.salon.com/2023/12/02/the-lesser-known-history-of-the-monroe-doctrine/
The first results from the world’s biggest basic income experiment
Liz Cheney is back and unloading on the current leaders of her ancestral GOP
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/02/1216333620/liz-cheney-book-republicans
Nobel Prize-winning economist who said ChatGPT would result in a four-day workweek says the past 12 months have only further convinced him he’s right
01.12.2023
The Bogus Historians Who Teach Evangelicals They Live in a Theocracy
Merriam-Webster's 2023 Word of the Year Is 'Authentic'
https://apple.news/A03uzfiURQn-8nYNqI3Cxug
The violence is Trump's goal
https://www.salon.com/2023/12/01/the-violence-is-goal/
Watch the DeSantis vs. Newsom debate in 3 minutes
https://flipboard.com/video/politico/074cb3cf0a
How Gun Violence Archive Became Best Source for US Shooting Stats
3 companies you didn’t know were Christian-based, and one you probably did
30.11.2023
Top 10 Diogenes Quotes to Challenge Your Perspective on Life
https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/diogenes-quotes-challenge-perspective-life
Embrace Authenticity and Live Your True Self
The Supreme Court Has Figured Out How to Gut a Bunch of Crucial Federal Laws at Once
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/11/supreme-court-gut-federal-laws-sec.html
Hundreds of Florida Students Staged a Walkout to Support the Rights of Trans Athletes
https://www.them.us/story/florida-students-staged-huge-walkout-support-the-rights-of-trans-athletes
5 Psychologist-Backed Phrases That Make Things Better When Life Feels Hard
https://www.yourtango.com/self/phrases-that-make-things-better-when-life-feels-hard
Top 10 Kurt Vonnegut Quotes That Will Make You Question Everything
https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/kurt-vonnegut-quotes-question-everything
29.11.2023
Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò is building a theory of justice for a warming world
Democracy Is in Peril, Just Not the Way We Thought
https://newrepublic.com/article/176821/democracy-peril-just-not-way-thought
Opinion | The 3 Fantasies That Keep Congress Dysfunctional
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/11/29/pearlstein-congress-fantasy-00128949
Top 10 Aristotle Quotes to Inspire and Enlighten Your Mind
https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/aristotle-quotes-inspire-enlighten-mind
Youth Advocacy
Advocating for young people as politicians and judges seek blatant control and abandon all pretense of leading democratically.
Youth Advocacy
Year 3, Week 48 (186 total reports)
21.11.2023-28.11.2023
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Advocating for young people as politicians and judges seek blatant control and abandon all pretense of leading democratically.
Best Links of The Week
28.11.2023
Middle schoolers tell Moms for Liberty to ‘stop bullying’ LGBTQ+ youth: ‘Gay is slay’
https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/11/28/middle-schoolers-moms-for-liberty/
These young people have learned a lot about bullying and are able to recognize it—even when it is done by adults. I applaud their insights and efforts and commend them for speaking truth to power.
27.11.2023
The Case That Could Destroy the Government
If you haven’t been watching the slow motion take over of democracy globally, this case stands out as another warning sign. In this case, seeking to undermine the SEC, the Supreme Court will give a head start to what Trump, the GOP, and Project 2025, have slated as amongst their top targets, the ability to prevent the wealthiest of the wealthy from taking over the courts and government. I do not believe I am being alarmist given the direction laid forth by the Supreme Court and it’s dismantling of decades of precedence in Roe v. Wade, Gerrymandering and now this case. If you haven’t been hearing alarm bells for the demise of democracy in the United States, I hope you will read this article. Voting is the primary tool to stop this takeover, which is already in progress.
26.11.2023
Seamus Heaney Was Too Nice
https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2023/11/the-letters-of-seamus-heaney-poetry/676107/
The first paragraph in this article grabbed me. Poet, Seamus Heaney, asks, “What is the opposite of poetry?” His response, “Noise…” Not just the sounds we hear audibly, but the constant cacophony inside of our head. To be creative, enjoy poetry—or to write it—we must silence that discordance and seek out opportunities to hear the silence.
25.11.2023
Why America Abandoned the Greatest Economy in History
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/11/new-deal-us-economy-american-dream/676051/
In a word, Reaganomics, when America was duped into thinking there was such a thing as Paul Harvey’s Trickle Down Theory. A democratic economy thrives only when the middle class is given economic preference and dies when tax cuts and fiscal policies favor the wealthiest. If you doubt this, go to factcheck.org and look up the article on “Trump’s Final Numbers.” No president has done worse damage to the economy or justice system including Herbert Hoover.
24.11.2023
A Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist on How to Revive the American Dream
The American Dream can be summed up in one sentence, “My children will do better than I did.” Pulitzer-Prize winning author, David Leonhardt, tells us that dream is seriously endangered for the majority of the American people and being replaced by a sense of hopelessness about our economic future. But there is a way to revive it and a way to help our children thrive. Take the three to four minutes necessary to read this summary and perhaps order the book, it is well worth remembering that—as congress can’t keep create a budget more than a few weeks at a time—our primary aim should NOT be the world we live in, but the world we pass on.
23.11.2023
The Decision That Could End Voting Rights
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/11/voting-rights-act-section-2-court/676060/
As I stated above, this is a time for warning bells. Far Right, conservative, evangelical Christians are attempting a coup of our democracy—even before the 2024 election. The primary hope of the United States is to resoundingly vote these authoritarians out of office. They are not interested in leading, they are interested in controlling.
22.11.2023
Talk of “Border Crisis” Is Misleading. The Real Crisis Is US-Imposed Poverty.
It is not unusual for the adolescent mind to attack their parent when they feel a deeper anger they are unable to express. This tactic is similar in the Immigration policies of far right politicians. They attack the results of the problem instead of the cause. This article does a good job of examining the causes of our “Border Crisis” and how the US has played a part (and is playing a part) in creating the global poverty that drives mass migration.
This Week’s Links
28.11.2023
Middle schoolers tell Moms for Liberty to ‘stop bullying’ LGBTQ+ youth: ‘Gay is slay’
https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/11/28/middle-schoolers-moms-for-liberty/
Childhood Stability Fosters Risk-Taking and Exploration - Neuroscience News
https://neurosciencenews.com/neurodevelopment-stability-exploration-25267/
How parents can help their kids feel seen
https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/62762/how-parents-can-help-their-kids-feel-seen
6 Small Habits Of Exceptionally Calm People
https://www.yourtango.com/self/small-habits-exceptionally-calm-people
27.11.2023
The Case That Could Destroy the Government
The Supreme Court case seeking to shut down wealth taxes before they even exist
https://www.vox.com/scotus/2023/11/27/23970859/supreme-court-wealth-tax-moore-united-states
Police warning parents about new iPhone feature
https://www.newsnationnow.com/business/tech/iphone-safety-warning-privacy/
How American Classrooms Are Being Censored in 2023: Report
https://www.advocate.com/news/educational-gag-orders-surge-nationwide
A 12-Question Test for Childhood Family Trauma
Alone Together: An Illustrated Celebration of the Art of Shared Solitude
https://www.themarginalian.org/2023/11/26/bear-is-never-alone/
14 Habits Or Behaviors That Can Indicate Someone Is Actually Very Insecure
https://www.buzzfeed.com/fabianabuontempo/things-insecure-people-do
How gratitude rewires your brain
https://www.ted.com/talks/christina_costa_how_gratitude_rewires_your_brain?rss=172BB350-0207
26.11.2023
Seamus Heaney Was Too Nice
https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2023/11/the-letters-of-seamus-heaney-poetry/676107/
Americans think the American dream is dying
https://www.axios.com/2023/11/25/american-dream-poll-wealth-inequality
25.11.2023
Why America Abandoned the Greatest Economy in History
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/11/new-deal-us-economy-american-dream/676051/
A new documentary shows the impact of book bans in Florida public schools on the kids
4 Things That Happen to Your Child’s Brain When You Play with Them, According to Science
https://www.purewow.com/family/childs-brain-when-you-play
The rise of fascism in the US and Canada
https://rabble.ca/politics/canadian-politics/the-rise-of-fascism-in-the-us-and-canada/
24.11.2023
A Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist on How to Revive the American Dream
Rediscovering Yourself After Experiencing Trauma
10 jobs and professions that pay very well and don't require a degree
23.11.2023
The Decision That Could End Voting Rights
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/11/voting-rights-act-section-2-court/676060/
Mike Johnson Said He Wanted to Revisit Supreme Court Decision That Legalized Gay Sex
https://www.advocate.com/politics/mike-johnson-gay-sex-scotus
How the body keeps the score of trauma
https://bigthink.com/series/legends/van-der-kolk-trauma-physiology/
Top 10 Jean Jacques Rousseau Quotes to Ignite Your Revolutionary Spirit
https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/jean-jacques-rousseau-quotes-ignite-revolutionary-spirit
10 Thought-Provoking Immanuel Kant Quotes to Expand Your Mind
https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/immanuel-kant-quotes-expand-mind
Top 10 Marc Aurel Quotes to Inspire Inner Strength and Wisdom
https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/marc-aurel-quotes-inspire-inner-strength
Virginia School Board Rejects $10k It Gets Better Grant Supporting LGBTQ+ Students
https://www.advocate.com/news/lynchburg-schools-reject-lgbtq-grant
10 Thought-Provoking Immanuel Kant Quotes to Expand Your Mind
https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/immanuel-kant-quotes-expand-mind
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear tells Jen Psaki that trans kids “children of God”
22.11.2023
Talk of “Border Crisis” Is Misleading. The Real Crisis Is US-Imposed Poverty.
Why George Santos' lies are even worse than the usual political lies – a moral philosopher explains
The Red State Brain Drain Isn’t Coming. It’s Happening Right Now.
https://newrepublic.com/article/176854/republican-red-states-brain-drain
10 Powerful WEB Du Bois Quotes on Race, Equality, and Justice
https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/powerful-web-du-bois-quotes-race-equality-justice
California students will soon be taught how to spot fake news
https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/media-literacy-classes-california-tiktok-rcna126210
'Relentlessly report what the facts are': Experts on combatting disinformation
Psychologist explains why everyone feels exhausted right now and it makes so much sense
Bilingual Brains Show Enhanced Attentional Control
https://neurosciencenews.com/bilingual-attentional-control-25238/
World's richest 1% emitting enough carbon to cause heat-related deaths for 1.3 million people, report finds
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/worlds-richest-carbon-emissions-climate-change-report/
Youth Advocacy
Advocating for young people when political leaders seem incapable of rational thought and are intent on MISleading (DISleading) others.
Youth Advocacy
Year 3, Week 47 (185 total reports)
15.11.2023-20.11.2023
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Advocating for young people when political leaders seem incapable of rational thought and are intent on MISleading (DISleading) others.
Best Links of The Week
21.11.2023
Disinformation campaigns are undermining democracy. Here's how we can fight back
The difference between misinformation and disinformation is the intentionality of the creator to deceive his/her audience. This is a critical distinction as we enter the age of AI. There are many unethical, pathological egotists seeking to purposely dis-inform the public to reach their ends. We could say they don’t “MISlead” people, they “DISlead” people. Both misinformation and disinformation can be damaging and checking your sources should be part of our everyday, responsible consumption of the news that we share. It is also as critical a skill for raising adolescents as the ability to manage your own emotions.
20.11.2023
The Psychology of Kindness
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psychology-yesterday/202311/the-psychology-of-kindness
There’s always someone who would benefit from your kindness and what a great way to start each day by asking; “Who needs my kindness today?” One of the most important reasons to teach kindness to children is that it redefines who they(we) are. We are born naturally kind and learn to lose that instinct with age. No doubt watching how adult Republican politicians are treating each other these days affects that. When you think about what our children might learn from watching the GOP’s political leaders, it’s okay to challenge people to fights in the highest offices of the US, it’s okay to mock the disabled, it’s okay to attack the diverse, the list continues—and grows—constantly. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, and their circus ringleader, Donald Trump, all are examples of how adults look when they are incapable of thinking with their frontal lobe.
19.11.2023
This amazing teen activist won’t stop fighting for equal rights for students
When adults seem unable to lead in a rational and kind manner, we are fortunate that there are courageous young people who step forward to be an example in that gap. This story is inspirational and worth reading. Virginia is one of many states determined to cause damage and increase the suicide rate among vulnerable teens. With few adults stepping forward to advocate for those teens, I am thankful to see young people, like 15-year-old, Keely Meadows, filling that gap. The “model policies” passed into law by Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the Virginia Department of Education, show their ignorance in understanding their primary task as educators and leaders. Rather than listen to students, Virginia has decided to increase the presence of police at School Board meetings using scare tactics to intimidate those who might speak out against their policies and dishonesty.
18.11.2023
How Anger Keeps Us From Thinking Clearly and What You Can Do
The power of anger to cripple our rational thinking and empathy seems so obvious that I would normally not find it worth sharing. However, as I watch political leaders act irrationally and without any obvious rational thought, I can’t help but think this is a critical subject to bring back to the fore. Deeper still, what is it that voters see in these people that are unable to act like adults? Why are we choosing representatives who would be more suited to a cage match than a Senate hearing? What sense of futility and anger is driving the voting public? Why are we picking leaders known for their bombastic behavior and pugnacity rather than their reason and compassion? Who does it benefit to see political leaders only able to create chaos and unable to govern and who does it benefit to have people grow a vehement distrust in democratic institutions?
17.11.2023
Are men too emotional to lead?
This week, we mark the passing of another remarkable woman leader, that of Rosalynn Carter. How sad to lose leaders like her and still be saddled with pathological liars like Donald Trump. Throughout history, the gender question of leadership has been the complete opposite of this statement of emotionality, that women would be too emotional to lead. But, watching the aggressive adolescent behavior of male politicians lately, makes this question critical, timely, and relevant.
16.11.2023
A Life Without Nature Is a Lonely One
https://apple.news/AyaRRXImcS8e7WfKq_uoifA
The further we are from nature, the lonelier we become. In a time of an epidemic of loneliness, what is it we can do to make sure our children are connected to nature (and kindness) on a daily basis? If you are connected to children in any manner (and truly we all are), find ways to get them out into nature, and go with them.
15.11.2023
The day Congress went back to fourth grade
https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/15/politics/congress-immaturity-analysis/
I hesitate to print this article, because it gives fourth graders a bad name. But many leaders in the US Congress seem unable to use their cognitive skills to lead.
This Week’s Links
21.11.2023
Disinformation campaigns are undermining democracy. Here's how we can fight back
Americans don’t trust politicians on trans issues. They trust doctors & parents
The Untapped Power of Loneliness
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/untapped-power-loneliness-bookbite/46444/
One Simple Trick to Think Outside the Box
Improve Your Conversations By Focusing on Curiosity, Not Performance
https://lifehacker.com/health/make-better-small-talk
20.11.2023
The Psychology of Kindness
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psychology-yesterday/202311/the-psychology-of-kindness
The Life Hack That Einstein, Edison and Dalí All Had in Common
https://www.insidehook.com/mental-health/hypnagogic-state-life-hack
Psychopathic adolescents: Study highlights the role of social dominance in aggressive and antisocial conduct
19.11.2023
This amazing teen activist won’t stop fighting for equal rights for students
Texas pushes some textbook publishers to remove material on fossil fuels
https://www.npr.org/2023/11/18/1213999288/texas-textbook-publishers-fossil-fuels
Emotionally Intelligent People Use a Brilliant 6-Word Phrase to Stop Thinking They're Not Good Enough and Move on
https://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/emotional-intelligence-not-good-enough-how-to-move-on.html
18.11.2023
How Anger Keeps Us From Thinking Clearly and What You Can Do
Not Just a Feeling: The Physical Consequences of Loneliness
Why Reading Is Important for Children’s Brain Development
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_reading_is_important_children_brain_development
The Next Big Idea Club’s February 2024 Must-Read Books
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/next-big-idea-clubs-february-2024-must-read-books/46393/
7 men who sacrificed the environment for wealth and power
17.11.2023
Are men too emotional to lead?
It’s now basically illegal to be gay in this Tennessee town
https://www.intomore.com/impact/its-now-basically-illegal-to-be-gay-in-this-tennessee-town/
Parenting coach explains how to communicate with anxious child using the concept of trust
8 Phrases To Replace Saying 'It's OK' When It's Really Not OK, According to Psychologists
https://parade.com/living/phrases-to-replace-saying-its-ok-according-to-psychologists
How to Change Your Mind
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/math-and-the-real-world/202311/how-to-change-your-mind
16.11.2023
A Life Without Nature Is a Lonely One
https://apple.news/AyaRRXImcS8e7WfKq_uoifA
Luis von Ahn: How to make learning as addictive as social media
https://www.ted.com/talks/luis_von_ahn_how_to_make_learning_as_addictive_as_social_media/transcript
Stoic Wisdom for Living a Life Full of Meaning
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/stoic-wisdom-living-life-full-meaning/46327/
Trans people are magic. They should inspire us all to live more authentically.
How To Ask Better Questions
https://www.inc.com/david-finkel/how-to-ask-better-questions.html
Are You’re A Conversational Narcissist? Here’s How To Tell
https://www.fatherly.com/life/are-you-a-conversational-narcissist
The Most Powerful Response You Can Choose In A Difficult Situation, According To Experts
The Common Behavior That's The Biggest Predictor Of Divorce
https://www.yourtango.com/heartbreak/biggest-predictor-of-divorce
15.11.2023
The day Congress went back to fourth grade
https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/15/politics/congress-immaturity-analysis/
Can little actions bring big joy? Researchers find 'micro-acts' can boost well-being
https://apple.news/Am-a83S80TH23Rv8FnwXB1A
The Next Big Idea Club’s Season 22 Finalists
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/next-big-idea-clubs-season-22-finalists/46299/
High school students volunteer to honor late homeless veterans with extraordinary gesture of respect
A High-Performance Psychologist Reveals the Biggest Obstacle to Achieving Mastery
Majority of Americans Say Stress Is Destroying Their Ability To Enjoy Life
https://wealthofgeeks.com/americans-say-stress-is-destroying-life/
A Psychologist Explains Why The ‘Anti-Grindset’ Movement Could Save Us All
Texas Republicans target climate science in textbooks ahead of education board vote
Iconic cellist Yo-Yo Ma worked with drag queen & trans singer on a new song to give hope
Autistic people experience loneliness far more acutely than neurotypical people – new research
Youth Advocacy
Advocating for young people as we sleepwalk towards authoritarianism and experience generalized event trauma.
Youth Advocacy
Year 3, Week 46 (184 total reports)
13.11.2023-01.21.2023
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Advocating for young people as we sleepwalk towards authoritarianism and experience generalized event trauma.
Best Links of The Week
14.11.2023
"We are sleepwalking towards authoritarianism," says scholar who studies democracy
The pressure must be getting to Donald Trump, his rhetoric continues to amp up as he and his chosen (search for “Project 2025”) seek to continue their march toward an authoritarian takeover of the US Government. One commentator suggested, “this is not about the presidency to Donald Trump, this is about power-grabbing.” Trump is not concerned about the institution and the constitutional path to the Presidency, he is only concerned about taking power and inflicting revenge on those he is now calling, “Vermin.” Trump threatens to arrest, prosecute, or put in mental institutions (read concentration camps) those who have offended him in even the slightest manner. It’s becoming clearer by the week; the upcoming election is a bilateral option, choose to vote for Biden or choose to lose the ability to vote.
13.11.2023
The 50 Very Different States of American Public Education
https://www.the74million.org/article/the-50-very-different-states-of-american-public-education/
There are many key indicators of healthy education. This article covers most of them and provides you with an opportunity to measure the health of your own State. Clearly, one key indicator is NOT book-burning. The widespread losses of Moms-for-Liberty candidates at the polls last week indicate that people are ready to get back to education in schools, not religious or political indoctrination.
12.11.2023
The neural impact of “generalized trauma event witnessing”: How violent news affects our mental health
Our collective psyche is being pummeled—as is the subconscious of our children. No matter how much we think we can shield them from images on television and social media today, it is not possible. Perhaps that should not be the goal, the holy grail should be to deal with the tragedies we are witnessing around the world together with rational conversation. “Use your words,” becomes increasingly important in a world where adults-in-power have so obviously failed at using theirs.
11.11.2023
4 Unimaginable Ways AI Will Change Your Life Within the Next 5 Years, according to Bill Gates
Like many of us, Bill Gates has some character flaws. Yet, I still remain impressed with his keen insights into world health and technology. There were some conspicuous applications of AI in this article I had not considered. This is not something that will affect our children (and their children) but it will affect us in the coming decade. This is the man who did so much to create and market the software so many use today and it is interesting to hear a chorus of experts announcing that, “software is dead.”
10.11.2023
Dr. Ruth Westheimer, sex therapist and talk show host, appointed New York's 1st ambassador to loneliness
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/dr-ruth-westheimer-appointed-new-york-ambassador-to-loneliness/
When I worked with Social Services in the Canadian Province of Saskatchewan, I suggested we should start a provincial response to loneliness. It is interesting to see the State of New York is taking this seriously and appointing such a well-known ambassador; the renowned therapist, “Dr. Ruth.” Loneliness eclipses age, gender and income. As social media has increased our distance (rather than reduced it), it is imperative we seek widespread responses to this social epidemic and the many ramifications it has on our daily choices and behavior, including making us more prone to cultish leaders and authoritarians.
09.11.2023
The State of America’s Mental Health
https://apple.news/AAmmlrpY2Q9G9tcdbbLEcDA
I loved the opening sentence of this article by Milan Polk and Marty Munson, they describe the U.S. of A, as The United States of Anxiety. How insightful… Read the article and I’m sure you will agree. I would suggest that the most important act we can take to lower the anxiety—in our own lives—and the lives of those around us, is kindness. Simple acts of courtesy, especially the healing act of listening.
This Week’s Links
14.11.2023
"We are sleepwalking towards authoritarianism," says scholar who studies democracy
Trump’s ramped-up rhetoric raises new concerns about violence and authoritarianism
Childhood Stress Has A Greater Genetic Impact Than Brain Injury
https://neurosciencenews.com/child-stress-genetics-brain-25203/
Internet use predicts heightened anxiety symptoms in adolescent girls, but not boys
Trump Isn’t Merely Unhinged
https://apple.news/AiMPGnJebQqmN61qM-xv7-g
Pronouns are the essence of self-definition & we stand unwavering in our right to claim them
Four Qualities of Mentally Strong People
Fear of Failure Holding You Back?
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/breathe-mama-breathe/202311/fear-of-failure-holding-you-back
As a History Professor, This Is How I Use AI in Class
https://hyperallergic.com/855980/as-a-history-professor-this-is-how-i-use-ai-in-class/
13.11.2023
The 50 Very Different States of American Public Education
https://www.the74million.org/article/the-50-very-different-states-of-american-public-education/
At what age do adolescents and teenagers begin to think like adults?
https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/adolescence-adult-brain-executive-function/
Scientists Reveal a Simple Hack to Make Your Life Feel More Meaningful
https://www.sciencealert.com/becoming-a-real-hero-can-make-your-life-more-meaningful
A Brief History of Evolutionary Psychology
7 Phrases To Ask for Support, According to a Therapist
https://parade.com/living/phrases-to-ask-for-support-according-to-a-therapist
Mississippi Jailed More Than 800 People Awaiting Psychiatric Treatment in a Year. Just One Jail Meets State Standards.
A Moms for Liberty pep talk after big election losses to 'filthy liberal book-huggers'
12.11.2023
The neural impact of “generalized trauma event witnessing”: How violent news affects our mental health
Aristotle’s Model of Communication: 3 Key Elements of Persuasion
https://www.thecollector.com/aristotle-model-communication/
Apprentice Nation: How the "Earn and Learn" Alternative to Higher Education Will Create a Stronger and Fairer America
This school board made news for banning books. Voters flipped it to majority Democrat
https://www.npr.org/2023/11/11/1212185489/election-pennsylvania-school-board
11.11.2023
4 Unimaginable Ways AI Will Change Your Life Within the Next 5 Years, according to Bill Gates
Your brain is a prediction machine. Here’s what to know to have it shape reality
This Counter-Intuitive Self-Growth Tactic Works Everytime
10.11.2023
Dr. Ruth Westheimer, sex therapist and talk show host, appointed New York's 1st ambassador to loneliness
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/dr-ruth-westheimer-appointed-new-york-ambassador-to-loneliness/
Teacher explains why grades don't define students in a brilliant speech in class: 'Do not stress'
Talking to Black Kids About Israel and Palestine Brings up Issues Closer to Home
https://www.parents.com/israel-palestine-war-is-familiar-to-black-families-8400135
Parents’ election plea: Could schools get back to teaching?
Voters drub Moms for Liberty ‘parental rights’ candidates at the ballot
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/11/10/voters-reject-moms-for-liberty/
Wharton psychologist on how to reach your potential: People ‘really underestimate the slow learners, the late bloomers’
The Griefs of Childish Adults
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/stuck/202311/the-griefs-of-childish-adults
Is capitalism dead? Economics professor thinks it is, and he knows who killed it
https://phys.org/news/2023-11-capitalism-dead-economics-professor.html
09.11.2023
The State of America’s Mental Health
https://apple.news/AAmmlrpY2Q9G9tcdbbLEcDA
Where Are All the Missing Students?
https://apple.news/AVL_MmVzfTZqS1_vrzDNHzg
Four questions to make leading and learning more effective
https://corp.smartbrief.com/original/2023/11/right-questions-for-effective-leading
Big Bets: How Large-Scale Change Really Happens
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/big-bets-large-scale-change-really-happens-bookbite/46205/
A Psychologist’s Take on Escaping From Plato’s Cave
25 Immature Habits You Can Still Outgrow According to Therapists
https://wealthofgeeks.com/25-immature-habits-you-can-still-outgrow-according-to-therapists/
People share the 18 things that are a 'subtle sign' someone is really smart
https://www.upworthy.com/people-share-the-things-that-are-a-subtle-sign-someone-is-really-smart-rp3
She snapped at a man on the street asking for money. His response moved her to tears
08.11.2023
Lack of Nuanced Thinking Disastrous for Education
Is Phubbing Ruining Your Relationships? Here’s What You Need To Know About the Connection-Killing Phone Habit
https://www.wellandgood.com/what-is-phubbing/
Which Way Is North: A Creative Compass for Makers, Marketers, and Mystics
6 forces that cause us to self-sabotage constructive feedback — and how to overcome them
https://bigthink.com/business/6-forces-that-cause-us-to-self-sabotage-constructive-feedback/
Opinion: It's World War III
https://www.kyivpost.com/opinion/23770
How to Skillfully Handle Your Regrets in Life
Three Processes for Healing Shame and Trauma
Autism advocate Temple Grandin explains why we need education tailored for autistic minds
Youth Advocacy
Advocating for young people in a time of conservative religious intolerance.
Youth Advocacy
Year 3, Week 45 (183 total reports)
07.11.2023-01.12.2023
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Advocating for young people in a time of conservative religious intolerance.
Best Links of The Week
07.11.2023
Discovering the Depths: Top 10 Dostoevsky Quotes to Inspire and Challenge Your Thinking
https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/discovering-depths-dostoevsky-quotes-inspire-thinking
If you’re like me, you have enjoyed Dostoevsky without actually being an expert. Hemingway, Freud, and Einstein counted Dostoevsky as one of the world’s greatest minds. The author/philosopher had a lot of applicable insights into living under a Russian Oligarchy. He was an expert in authoritarianism and thriving under repressive regimes, even sentenced to prison by Count Orlov and Tsar Nicolas I. No doubt Dostoevsky would be a target of modern-day Putin. Given the deadly, clandestine, influence the dictator has over global politics. This malevolent puppet master revitalizes the relevance of Dostoevsky’s literary works.
06.11.2023
Pete Buttigieg Had A Moving Response To House Speaker Mike Johnson’s LGBTQIA+ Views: ‘Maybe We’ll Just Have Him Over’
https://uproxx.com/viral/pete-buttigieg-responds-mike-johnson-lgbtqia-views/
While Christian imposters like current House Speaker Mike Johnson, purport to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, it takes a true leader like Pete Buttigieg to show actual compassion in the face of spiteful prejudgment. Read the Transportation Secretary’s response to the pendantries of Speaker of The House (for the moment).
05.11.2023
Twitter thread details how the world might be if everyone had universal basic income
UBI (Universal Basic Income) isn’t something that will probably happen soon (though initial experiments with the concept have proven very efficacious). This article explains the concept in some depth and why it may prove to be the healthiest alternative to a world where the vast majority of people labor and pay taxes to support the grossly wealthy, tax-avoiding, minority.
04.11.2023
They Tried to Expose Louisiana Judges Who Had Systematically Ignored Prisoners' Petitions. No One Listened.
Human Rights abuses abound in US prisons, especially in States like Louisiana. This deep-dive into racist practices that abound in the Louisiana system is a cry for awareness and call for action. Almost every inmate will one day be back in our community and the way we treat people in our prisons will dictate the qualities they will bring back to our neighborhoods.
03.11.2023
Economics in America: An Immigrant Economist Explores the Land of Inequality
I found this to be an interesting dive into the pedagogical history of economics; especially from the outsider viewpoint of an immigrant to the United States University system. He discusses the biases he discovered, the hurdles he had to overcome, even though he was male, anglo, and from a European nation. One can hardly imagine the impediments for a non-anglo or female scholar.
02.11.2023
The death rate for babies in America rose for the first time in 20 years
https://apple.news/A-RKeRsBhSDCE8iHV2zq5Jw
The US, which loves to pride itself on many things, ranks 54th out of 195 nations in Infant Mortality. Worse still, that mortality rate is now rising—for the first time in 20 years! No single cause can be identified, but no doubt policies designed to diminish the care of women and infants, such as cutting WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infant, Children) exacerbate this issue. So too, the backward leaps in women rights under the conservative, GOP-appointed, Supreme Court. How much more damage will women and infant health suffer under the conservative tutelage of the likes of Mike Johnson who has stated, “Every American woman has a duty to birth at least one able-bodied worker." Welcome, America, to the GOP’s version of The Handmaid’s Tale.
01.11.2023
Future-proofing Education: The Imperative to Prepare Students for an AI-Driven Job Market
A group of articles piqued my interest this week. My experience in education leads me to believe that the last application of technology in that profession is actually focused on childhood development—and only if it doesn’t cause a lot of changes to the profession. Admittedly, that is a cynical view, backed by years of personal observation and experience. Another article in this week’s links talked about the tyranny of incrementalism and how it can actually deceive us into believing that we’re making progress when actually—over the long term—we are falling behind. This article, “On The Brink of Utopia,” discusses how we need leaps in technology, not baby-steps if we’re going to survive the cataclysmic issues our world faces today.
This Week’s Links
07.11.2023
Discovering the Depths: Top 10 Dostoevsky Quotes to Inspire and Challenge Your Thinking
https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/discovering-depths-dostoevsky-quotes-inspire-thinking
This activist built himself a website to track global LGBTQ+ laws. Now the UN uses it too.
US representative who bought war stocks violated STOCK Act 150 times
https://finbold.com/us-representative-who-bought-war-stocks-violated-stock-act-150-times/
Diane Francis: Russia is the true global menace
https://financialpost.com/diane-francis/russia-true-global-menace
06.11.2023
Pete Buttigieg Had A Moving Response To House Speaker Mike Johnson’s LGBTQIA+ Views: ‘Maybe We’ll Just Have Him Over’
https://uproxx.com/viral/pete-buttigieg-responds-mike-johnson-lgbtqia-views/
10 Powerful Meditations Quotes by Marcus Aurelius to Find Inner Peace
https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/powerful-meditations-quotes-marcus-aurelius-find-inner-peace
How Black And Brown Parents Pioneered Demanding Rights To Have A Say In Their Kids’ Education
https://newsone.com/4785143/black-parents-school-curriculum-history/
How to Become More Curious (And Why You Should)
https://lifehacker.com/how-to-become-more-curious-and-why-you-should-1850992666
05.11.2023
Twitter thread details how the world might be if everyone had universal basic income
School board elections are latest battleground for polarized national politics
Use This Approach to Handle Difficult Conversations at Work
https://www.inc.com/devin-gage/use-this-approach-to-handle-difficult-conversations-at-work.html
04.11.2023
They Tried to Expose Louisiana Judges Who Had Systematically Ignored Prisoners' Petitions. No One Listened.
Black Women Are the Next Targets of Right-Wing Legal Activist
https://www.thedailybeast.com/black-women-are-the-next-targets-of-right-wing-legal-activist
Pete Buttigieg Has Beautiful Response To Mike Johnson’s Homophobic ‘Chaos’ View
https://apple.news/AzHu8ULKtTXi4unNaXsu3yw
Experts Weigh in on the Realities of Gender-Affirming Care and the Dangers of Disinformation
https://www.advocate.com/news/rachel-levine-jesse-ehrenfeld-pflag
What to know about the rise in U.S. mass shootings
https://apple.news/AbY-IWBV2ROCvBEpq2e3kBQ
On the Brink of Utopia: Reinventing Innovation to Solve the World's Largest Problems
How to Become Smarter and Wiser: 16 Strategies to Boost Your Brainpower
https://www.rd.com/article/how-to-be-smart/
Rightwing group Prager U spends $1 million to “take over” Twitter/X with a transphobic film
Don’t Equate Anti-Zionism With Anti-Semitism
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/11/anti-zionism-not-anti-semitism/675888/
Mehdi Hasan Slams GOP Double Standards With Hypothetical On Mike Johnson
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mehdi-hasan-mike-johnson-muslim_n_6544fdace4b06bc01e23f303
Scientists reach a "pessimistic" conclusion after studying political bias in memory
03.11.2023
Economics in America: An Immigrant Economist Explores the Land of Inequality
Freedom Under Fire
https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/freedom_under_fire/index.html
Your Brain Is Incredibly Creative and Adaptable
02.11.2023
The death rate for babies in America rose for the first time in 20 years
https://apple.news/A-RKeRsBhSDCE8iHV2zq5Jw
Think Strategy, Not Tactics
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/11/strategy-not-tactics-israel-hamas-war/675863/
New research identifies a psychological bridge between dark personality traits and lack of forgiveness
The Brain-Body Connection in Emotions
Adam Grant Says You're Probably Terrible at Asking for Advice
01.11.2023
Future-proofing Education: The Imperative to Prepare Students for an AI-Driven Job Market
7 New Reads That Are Rewriting History Textbooks
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/7-new-reads-rewriting-history-textbooks/45845/
Healing Anxiety Stemming From the Fear of Rejection
Cognitive Maturity: 18 is the Threshold of Cognitive Adulthood
https://neurosciencenews.com/cognitive-maturity-neurodevelopment-25131/
3 Characteristics Of The Smartest, Most Competent People (That You Can Master, Too)
https://www.yourtango.com/self/characteristics-of-the-smartest-people
Youth Advocacy
Advocating for young people in a time of global atrocities and conscientious stupidity.
Youth Advocacy
Year 3, Week 44 (182 total reports)
31.10.2023-19.10.2023
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Advocating for young people in a time of global atrocities and conscientious stupidity.
Best Links of The Week
31.10.2023
Navigating The Future: 10 Global Trends That Will Define 2024
The only way to navigate the future is to learn from the past. It would seem this is self-evident and yet, there are solidifying minority groups of people who are intent on either hiding the past or rewriting it. I can think of only two reasons why a group of people would want to pursue this erroneous and dangerous ideology; 1. to hide complicity and/or to repeat the atrocities.
30.10.2023
Ignorance: A Philosophical Study
https://ndpr.nd.edu/reviews/ignorance-a-philosophical-study/
The epistemology of ignorance is often called Agnotology. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” Conscientious stupidity means that you are making a decision to live in error or to believe untruths or misinformation. It is important we understand the difference between being ignorant and choosing ignorance.
29.10.2023
The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/identity-trap-story-ideas-power-time-bookbite/45829/
Nothing is more powerful than the stories we concoct about ourselves and the myths we concoct about our society. Yascha Mounk, offers a guideline on how we can get trapped inside our own stories and myths and the dangers therein.
28.10.2023
The Cost of War Will Be Counted in Children’s Lives
https://apple.news/AHJz2szZBQ3izYOXT9edLeQ
By any reckoning, the lives of thousands of children have been lost in Gaza since October 7. This Atlantic article puts the figure at 480 child casualties A DAY! According to the Gun Violence Archive, the number of children (0-11) that have been killed from gun violence in the US during 2023 is 248 and the number of injuries is 555. Of course, none of this describes the lifelong emotional damage done to children during this timespan. It also does not include the number of children that have lost a family member, supportive adult, or personal friend. This type of trauma is multigenerational and epigenetic, in other words, it will affect our societies for generations and even impact the genes we pass on to generations yet unborn. Each death is a thread and every thread is connected to the heart and soul of who we are collectively as human beings. Numbers cannot possibly represent the cost. Despite the ignorance of politicians like House Speaker (for-the-moment), Mike Johnson, this violence is NOT our “heart” and we shouldn’t begin to acquiesce and accept these atrocities as representative of who we’ve become as a species.
27.10.2023
‘How Much Blood Is Your Fun Worth?’
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/10/lewiston-maine-mass-shooting-guns/675790/
This article, written by a former resident of Maine, near where the October 25 shooting in Lewiston occurred, asks what cost we are willing to pay in order for gun enthusiasts to have a weapon developed with the sole purpose of being used in war. The NRA and the congress people they have bought would like you to think this is a canary-in-the-coal-mine issue, but it is not. It is an issue about human lives and lethal play toys.
26.10.2023
Georgia's lieutenant governor wants to pay teachers $10,000 a year to carry guns at school
Who, but the NRA, and their bought-and-paid-for flunkeys would believe that the presence of additional weapons would lead to a reduction in deaths? There is no research to support this investment, just as there is no research behind a half-a-dozen other cockamamy schemes the gun lobbies are trying to push on America to keep their weapons and bullets on the market. All evidence shows: it’s about the guns.
25.10.2023
More Americans say they support political violence ahead of the 2024 election
The violent rhetoric of Donald Trump and his minions is having a deadly impact on the psyche of our democracy. The numbers in this study are not just disconcerting, they are a cry for admonishment of all those who are sowing the seeds that violence is an acceptable alternative to choosing the losing side. Imagine a little league team that is encouraged to use their bats on the opposing team because they lost a game. The numbers of Trump followers supporting violence is staggering. Putin and other global authoritarians couldn’t be more pleased with what the Koch Brothers, the Murdochs, and their carnie, Donald Trump, has done to democracy in the United States.
This Week’s Links
31.10.2023
Navigating The Future: 10 Global Trends That Will Define 2024
Florida teen defies 'Don’t Say Gay' law and teaches class about Stonewall uprising
What Is ‘Servant Leadership,’ Exactly? HR and DEI Experts Share What It Looks Like in the Workplace
https://parade.com/living/servant-leadership
4 Phrases Every Creative Person Uses
30.10.2023
Ignorance: A Philosophical Study
https://ndpr.nd.edu/reviews/ignorance-a-philosophical-study/
Gun control advocates press gridlocked Congress after mass shooting in Maine
How AI Can Tackle 5 Global Challenges
https://www.worth.com/how-ai-can-tackle-5-global-challenges/
Ready or Not, AI is Here: How K-12 Schools Should Respond
https://www.edweek.org/events/webinar/ready-or-not-ai-is-here-how-k-12-schools-should-respond
White House drops an AI regulation bombshell — 10 mandates that'll shake up the industry
https://mashable.com/article/white-house-drops-ai-regulation-bombshell
Google Bard asked Bill Nye how AI can help avoid the end of the world. Here's what 'The Science Guy' said
Prisons are banning thousands of books
https://www.axios.com/2023/10/29/prisons-books-banned-report-censorship
Next Generation of Students Might Be Ignorant of U.S. Racial History
https://www.thedailybeast.com/next-generation-of-students-might-be-ignorant-of-us-racial-history
Youth with conduct problems may have diminished activity in brain areas linked to empathy and social learning
Boys keep failing to do as well graduating high school as girls, baffling experts: ‘It’s not a structural racism issue’
https://fortune.com/2023/10/29/why-do-boys-fail-to-graduate-high-school-like-girls/
29.10.2023
The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/identity-trap-story-ideas-power-time-bookbite/45829/
One Good Thing: How to change your life in 6 minutes a day
https://www.stylist.co.uk/health/mental-health/one-good-thing-write-six-minutes-a-day/835301
On being a man: Andrew Tate and Donald Trump are the worst possible examples
28.10.2023
The Cost of War Will Be Counted in Children’s Lives
https://apple.news/AHJz2szZBQ3izYOXT9edLeQ
Israel's Western philosophy can't beat Hamas ideology - opinion
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-770390
Louisiana's 'In God We Trust' law tests limits of religion in public schools
Breaking Free of Grudges
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/complicated-love/202310/breaking-free-of-grudges
Use the 'Method of Loci' to Remember Anything
https://lifehacker.com/loci-method-remember-anything-on-a-test-1850963999
White House hits Johnson over claiming gun violence was a matter of the ‘heart’
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/27/white-house-johnson-gun-violence-00124001
27.10.2023
‘How Much Blood Is Your Fun Worth?’
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/10/lewiston-maine-mass-shooting-guns/675790/
The Neuroscience of Storytelling
https://www.inc.com/carmine-gallo/the-neuroscience-of-storytelling.html
Why the green, circular economy is key to beating the triple planetary crisis
Daily Practices to Unlock The Power of Now
https://thetaoist.online/daily-practices-to-unlock-the-power-of-now-c52f572a375c
Meet the evangelical activist who’s had a 'profound influence' on Speaker Mike Johnson
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/evangelical-activist-influence-speaker-mike-johnson-rcna122313
Who Is Rep. Virginia Foxx, the Antigay, Trump-Loving, Mike Johnson Supporter?
https://www.advocate.com/politics/virginia-foxx-anti-lgbtq-record
Vermont’s Largest School District Unanimously Codifies Trans Rights for Students
Footage Reveals How the Koch Network Plans to Gut Federal Agencies
https://newrepublic.com/post/176466/footage-reveals-koch-network-plans-gut-federal-agencies
26.10.2023
Georgia's lieutenant governor wants to pay teachers $10,000 a year to carry guns at school
Unleashing Your Sixth Sense: The Power of Neuroception
Why You Should Hug Your Kid For At Least 20 Seconds
https://www.fatherly.com/parenting/20-second-hug-kids
Ron DeSantis compares elementary school teachers to Hamas terrorists
Time to treat the climate and nature crisis as one indivisible global health emergency, says widely published editorial
https://phys.org/news/2023-10-climate-nature-crisis-indivisible-global.html
What to say instead of ‘I’m sorry’
https://www.fastcompany.com/90972667/what-to-say-instead-of-im-sorry
As a Psychologist With ADHD, Here Are 6 Things That Get On Our Nerves
https://www.verywellmind.com/things-that-bug-adhders-8358226
Being humble about what you know is just one part of what makes you a good thinker
The One Thing You Need To Stop Doing If You Actually Want To Be Happy
https://www.yourtango.com/self/thing-you-need-stop-doing-want-be-happy
Unlocking the "D Factor": A New Measure for General Distractibility in ADHD - Neuroscience News
https://neurosciencenews.com/d-factor-adhd-24994/
How to Focus: 9 Science-Backed Ways to Block Out the Noise and Improve Your Concentration
https://www.rd.com/article/how-to-focus/
25.10.2023
More Americans say they support political violence ahead of the 2024 election
The Trade Trap: How to Stop Doing Business with Dictators
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/trade-trap-stop-business-dictators-bookbite/45760/
Biden’s Numbers, October 2023 Update
https://www.factcheck.org/2023/10/bidens-numbers-october-2023-update/
Mental health expert weighs in on anxiety and explains how it is strongly linked to addiction
Youth Advocacy
Advocating for young people and increasing their mental well-being in a time of racial meritocracy.
Youth Advocacy
Year 3, Week 43 (181 total reports)
18.10.2023-24.17.2023
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Advocating for young people and increasing their mental well-being in a time of racial meritocracy.
Best Links of The Week
24.10.2023
18 Phrases To Use With Your Adult Kids That Will Transform Your Relationship, According to Psychologists
https://parade.com/living/phrases-to-use-with-your-adult-children-according-to-psychologists
If you have adolescent children or young adults with whom you work—or even in your personal relationships with other adults—this is a great list of questions to review and remember. This list is a keeper! Print it out and post it on a wall somewhere for easy review.
23.10.2023
Khan Academy: An AI Revolution In Education Or Threat To Human Skills?
The Khan Academy is one of my favorite educational resources and I can’t wait to dive deeper into Kahnmigo. This is their new mentoring AI program for students all over the world—and like all of Kahn’s phenomenal programming—it’s donation-based. The article goes on to review a TED Talk by Kahn Academy founder, Sal Kahn, with the esteemed futurist Adam Grant. In the interview, Kahn explores what is uniquely human and cannot be replaced by AI; the ability to critically appraise and judge. These are the two features we should be emphasizing in our schools, group homes, and personal lives. Invest some time today in exploring Kahnmigo, the children in your care and YOU will be thankful you did.
22.10.2023
Global Risks Report 2023
https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-risks-report-2023/digest/
The World Economic Forum released their annual review of Global Risks that looks at the next two years and the next decade. Being WOKE is not one of the global risks, in fact, being WOKE is one of the major solutions to the problems that we will be facing. As we need a world that is more critically informed and aware, all the skills of empathy, critical thinking and compassion will become ever-more important. Education and parents—anyone who works with children—needs to take heed and prioritize the growth of these skills in all their interactions.
21.10.2023
Wealth Supremacy: How the Extractive Economy and the Biased Rules of Capitalism Drive Today’s Crises
Our world is broke, that seems like an aphorism, but it is critical to analyze who profits from the brokenness of the world. Who profits from this Meritocracy, who profits most from rampant, unchecked capitalism, who wins when entire segments of the population work full-time and still live below the poverty level of their respective countries?
20.10.2023
The Myth That Made Us How False Beliefs about Racism and Meritocracy Broke Our Economy (and How to Fix It)
I love articles like this that take me on a deeper dive into the fundamental societal issues we are facing. Author Jeff Fuhrer, in his book, ”The Myth That Made Us: How False Beliefs about Racism and Meritocracy Broke Our Economy (and How to Fix It),” asks us to analyze systemic racism and meritocracy and how it underscores false inhumane beliefs that undermine human rights. Recognizing the four key insights he highlights will help us to rethink our decisions about politics, social issues, and education. This is well-worth the read and review.
19.10.2023
Denver Gave People $1,000 a Month, Led to Reduced Homelessness and Increased Full-Time Employment
https://mymodernmet.com/denver-basic-incom-project-1000-month/
One of the fallacies about homelessness is that people who live on the streets (and I was on for eight years of my life) do not know how to handle money. This has also been a false belief that has blocked the concept of Guaranteed UBI (Universal Basic Income—see the article below about Canada’s research into this economic policy). Even a quick, open-minded read of these articles will lead to a retrenchment of most of the policies we are promoting in Social Services today. Similar programs have been tried in other states and also found effective.
18.10.2023
Jean-Paul Sartre's Bad Faith: The Danger of Denying Freedom
Here is another deep-dive article for your week about Jean-Paul Sartre’s philosophy on “Bad Faith” (French, mauvaise foi). This examination is extremely timely as we watch the circus show at the GOP-controlled House of Representatives enter it’s third week of egomaniacal chaos.
This Week’s Links
24.10.2023
18 Phrases To Use With Your Adult Kids That Will Transform Your Relationship, According to Psychologists
https://parade.com/living/phrases-to-use-with-your-adult-children-according-to-psychologists
US abortion rates rise post-Roe amid deep divide in state-by-state access
https://apple.news/AlHSqa55FQ62D9t6WY-bdLQ
Where are the cities of tomorrow? New report shows which cities will win and lose in the global economy
https://www.fastcompany.com/90971321/cities-of-tomorrow-new-report-global-economy
If You Relate To These 7 Problems, You're Probably Gifted
https://www.yourtango.com/self/if-you-relate-problems-youre-probably-gifted
“Anyone Else Angry?” The Link Between Trauma and Anger
The climate crisis has a price — and it's $391 million a day
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/24/the-climate-crisis-has-a-price-and-its-391-million-a-day.html
Fast Forward: 5 Power Principles to Create the Life You Want in Just One Year
Nearly 1 in 4 people worldwide feel lonely, according to new survey
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/24/health/lonely-adults-gallup-poll-wellness/
23.10.2023
Khan Academy: An AI Revolution In Education Or Threat To Human Skills?
Forget Basic AI Tools, Digital Clones Will Be The Next Big Workforce Disruptor
While You Were Out: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence
The Hard Truth About Immigration
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/10/us-immigration-policy-1965-act/675724/
Insecurity Is a Feature, Not a Bug, of Capitalism. But It Can Spark Resistance.
5 TED Talks that will make you smarter and more persuasive: 'Conventional wisdom' for winning arguments is 'wrong'
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/22/ted-talks-to-make-you-smarter-more-persuasive.html
The Wonderful Karma of Black Women Saving American Democracy
https://msmagazine.com/2023/10/22/fani-willis-black-women-democracy/
More than the law: Why Trump's trials trigger him so much
https://www.salon.com/2023/10/23/more-than-the-law-why-trials-trigger-him-so-much/
Incorporating nature into education can build skills and improve mental health
22.10.2023
Global Risks Report 2023
https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-risks-report-2023/digest/
An Absurd Approach to Find More Meaning in Life
https://thetaoist.online/an-absurd-approach-to-find-more-meaning-in-life-f66b6ec764b5
Flee North: A Forgotten Hero and the Fight for Freedom in Slavery’s Borderland
House Republicans defend book bans in subcommittee hearing
10 Deep, Soul-Searching Questions To Figure Out Who You Really Are
https://www.yourtango.com/self/deep-soul-searching-questions-find-out-who-you-really-are
ACLU Wins Settlement on Behalf of Migrant Families Separated During Trump Era
Enough is enough: It’s well past time to fully democratize the U.S. electoral system
21.10.2023
Wealth Supremacy: How the Extractive Economy and the Biased Rules of Capitalism Drive Today’s Crises
The Inflection Point
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/10/biden-reagan-foreign-policy-ukraine-israel/675711/
What is a war crime, and who gets held accountable? Here's what you need to know
How a weekly breakfast at grandma's helped students heal from the grief of losing a classmate
Stop struggling with small talk by using the simple 'FORD method'
https://www.upworthy.com/how-to-make-small-talk-ford-method
Choosing Ignorance: 40% Shun Consequence Knowledge for Selfish Gains - Neuroscience News
https://neurosciencenews.com/ignorance-selfish-altruism-24974/
The Art of the Pivot — 6 Steps to Reengineer Yourself for a Career Change
https://www.entrepreneur.com/living/how-to-reengineer-yourself-for-a-career-change/463297
Brain activity reveals differences in moral judgments between liberals and conservatives
https://studyfinds.org/morals-liberals-conservatives/
20.10.2023
The Myth That Made Us How False Beliefs about Racism and Meritocracy Broke Our Economy (and How to Fix It)
Canada is considering a guaranteed universal basic income program. Here’s what that means
Pioneering L.A. program seeks to find and help homeless people with mental illness
A school replaced detention with meditation. The results are stunning.
https://www.upworthy.com/this-school-replaced-detention-with-meditation-the-results-are-stunning-rp2
"We Were So Hard On Him:" 7 Moms On What They Wish They'd Known Sooner About ADHD
https://www.romper.com/parenting/parents-learn-about-adhd-diagnosis-process
Proven Ways To Help Kids With ADHD Succeed In School
https://www.yourtango.com/family/proven-ways-help-teens-adhd-succeed-school
Collectively, we spend only 45 minutes daily on the activities that produce the most pollution
The House Mess Is What GOP Voters Wanted
https://apple.news/AH_zk9Aj5Rm-twmplkKq_pQ
19.10.2023
Denver Gave People $1,000 a Month, Led to Reduced Homelessness and Increased Full-Time Employment
https://mymodernmet.com/denver-basic-incom-project-1000-month/
Black Success, White Backlash
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/11/black-career-success-race-backlash/675437/
Mindfulness approaches show potential in retraining addiction-related brain dysfunction
How AI will shape our children’s future
What Is IQ, and How Well Does It Predict Success?
https://www.rd.com/article/what-is-iq/
A Perfect Argument for Remote Work: Considerable Research Shows Noise Significantly Impacts Productivity and Cognitive Ability
18.10.2023
Jean-Paul Sartre's Bad Faith: The Danger of Denying Freedom
Native American Concept of Land Ownership
https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2296/native-american-concept-of-land-ownership/
What Is a Trauma Bond?
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-hope-circuit/202310/what-is-a-trauma-bond
7 skills to teach your daughter by age 13
https://mashable.com/article/things-to-teach-your-daughter
Why I was forced to move my family out of Florida
https://xtramagazine.com/power/politics/forced-to-move-family-from-florida-258165
Meet Jason Arday, the Cambridge Professor Who Didn’t Learn to Talk Until Age 11, or to Read Until Age 18