Raising the alarm on authoritarian rule c/o Life&Arts FT

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I can think for myself!  Yes.   But, are you allowed to think?	EVERYBODY         TO KENMURE STREET^
My Undesirable Friends: Part 1	Mr Nobody against Putin

^It's a bit more 'local' - I think!

 

My source: Nicolas Rapold, Raising the alarm on authoritarian rule. Life&Arts, FTWeekend, 28-29 March 2026, p.12.

Previously: 'power' : 'politics' : 'authoritarian'

Theatres of War and Healing

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Theater of War Productions presents community-specific, theater-based projects that address pressing public health and social issues.	Wounded Ukrainian veterans find healing on stage c/o Reuters

Previously: 'theatre' : 'war' : 'public (mental) health' 

'Loud' noises and silences - Martin Luther King

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... We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. ... We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is adamant to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the words, "Too late." There is an invisible book of life that faithfully records our vigilance or our neglect. Omar Khayyam is right: "The moving finger writes, and having writ moves on."     -DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, J.,     Beyond Vietnam - A Time to Break Silence

My source: https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkatimetobreaksilence.htm

Be careful - the laws you wish for ...

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	LETHAL AUTONOMOUS  WEAPON SYSTEMS
	laws

Reminder: The FT View, Iran and the rising perils of AI in warfare, FTWeekend, 14-15 March, 2026, p.10.

John Gerrard's "Western Flag" 2017

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http://westernflag.johngerrard.net

John Gerrard - Western Flag (Spindletop, Texas), 2017

My source: Twitter

A definition of the 'Psycho-Political'

Clearing books, magazines and journals (to make space for a few new acquisitions) on a trip to Hay-on-Wye, I bought a secondhand copy of:

Weizsacker, Carl Friedrich von. (1980). The Unity of Nature.

I noticed chapters on the definition of health and illness, and information.

Models of Health and Illness, Good and Evil, Truth and Falseness

Chapter  Jun 2014 
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03671-7
In book: Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker: Major Texts in Philosophy (pp.74-89)

Abstract

This essay is the core of our reflections on cybernetics. It is the only essay in this Part that tries to describe concretely what cybernetics can achieve. Written in the fall of 1967 but unpublished until now, it was inspired by a lecture on “Peacelessness as Mental Illness” delivered in Bethel in 1967 (published in Der ungesicherte Friede; Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1969). On that occasion the question arose whether it is medically justifiable, or merely metaphoric, to call the inability to maintain peace an illness. As far as I can see, contemporary medicine lacks a sufficiently clear concept of illness to decide this question. Since I had no desire to merely skirt the issue, I was faced with the task of outlining a scientifically justifiable definition of illness. The result is presented in Sect. 6.2 of this essay; its social application is very briefly sketched in Sect. 6.4.

(My emphasis)

Unfortunately, I cannot find a copy of the lecture. In my softback copy the title is "Lack of Peace as Psychic Illness".

We don't tend to think of mental illness in the collective, but history provides many examples within and extended across communities - 'mass psychogenic illness'. More recently there is a literature on the mental health, competency of global leaders, also known as 'hubris syndrome' previously. Even the history of Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker is controversial, his World War II record and knowledge of nuclear physics.

We have a veritable storm across all the domains of Hodges' model (including the spiritual) that point to the model's ongoing  relevance, consider:

• climate crisis;
• pollution (air, water ...)
• geopolitics;
• disruption of the international rules-based order;
• the status and reputation of global organisations (were they ever 'international'?);
• the record of current global political leadership;
• the need to protect Political titles (not just Professional titles, Dr, Nurse, ...)?;
• the rise of artificial intelligence.

Link: 
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/300477492_Models_of_Health_and_Illness_Good_and_Evil_Truth_and_Falseness?

c/o RollingStone UK - "U2 surprise-drop politically charged ‘Days of Ash’ EP with six new songs"

The collection delves into ICE, Israel, the West Bank, Ukraine, Iran — and features a guest vocal by Ed Sheeran

U2 (RollingStone UK - Picture: Anton Corbijn) 

By Andy Greene

'U2 have emerged from a long hiatus with a surprise six-song EP, Days of Ash, available now, in which they address political flashpoints around the world, including ICE raids in the US, the Iranian uprisings, the war in Ukraine, and Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

The six songs — ‘American Obituary’, ‘The Tears of Things’, ‘Song of the Future’, ‘Wildpeace’, ‘One Life at a Time’ and ‘Yours Eternally’ (featuring Ed Sheeran and Taras Topolia) — are all on streaming platforms. They’ve also created lyric videos for each one.' 

Continued ...

Previously: conflict : war : hope : peace

Webinar [18th] Maternal Mortality and the impact of health system stability

Dear IBP Network Colleagues,

Please see the webinar happening this week!

Maternal deaths are increasingly concentrated in humanitarian and fragile settings. This webinar will present key findings, aligned with the latest maternal mortality ratio data published in 2025.

🌍 Speakers from HRP and WHO will discuss trends, data gaps and implications for policy and programmes, with country case studies from Myanmar, Haiti, Papua New Guinea and Ukraine, as well as perspectives from UNFPA.

🧭 The session will explore how health system stability can help protect maternal health amid conflict, fragility and crisis.

The session will be in English with French interpretation

Register Here:
https://bit.ly/4kAKloC

 

My source: 

Nandita Thatte, DrPH

Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health

World Health Organization

Geneva, Switzerland

Email: thatten AT who.int

ibpnetwork.org

NEW YEAR: Ongoing support for the 17 SDGs UN

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security & peace	security & peace
security & peace

See also:
Jones P, Wirnitzer K. Hodges’ model: the Sustainable Development Goals and public health – universal health coverage demands a universal framework. BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health 2022;5: doi:10.1136/bmjnph-2021-000254 
https://nutrition.bmj.com/content/5/2/358

 

Source: https://x.com/UNDP/status/2006591346522599746?s=20

See also: 'SDGs' : 'security' : 'poverty' : 'nutrition' : 'water'

'The Bells of Nagasaki' by Takashi Nagai

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	nuclear
'The Bells of Nagasaki' by Takashi Nagai	power

Takashi Nagai, William Johnston (Translator), Richard Lloyd Parry (Introducer). The Bells of Nagasaki. London: Penguin.

https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/469083/the-bells-of-nagasaki-by-nagai-takashi/9781529952605

My source:
Olivia Ward-Jackson. What one man saw in the ruins of Nagasaki, Review, The Daily Telegraph. 26 July 2025. pp.6-7.

See also:

UN Peace Bell

Jones, P. (1994) An Enthusiast's View of CAL. (Problems in production of CAL - Simulation effects of Nuclear Weapons - conversion of GWBASIC to BBC BASIC from BYTE - with original author's permission - J Fanchi). IT in Nursing. 6,2.

🗣️Solving or Resolving Palestinian Human Rights Issues: Relationship "Normalization" | Mohamed ‘Arafa

🗣️ Solving or Resolving Palestinian Human Rights Issues: Relationship "Normalization" | Mohamed ‘Arafa

This session will be the first in the series of conferences “Jurisprudential Dialogues on Human Rights”, which is designed to promote exchanges on topical issues involving human rights and the role of the courts of justice.

 

The aim of this session is to reflect on the violations of the human rights of the Palestinian people — an enduring state of affairs that transcends political or religious lines of judgement. Over the decades, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been marking the international landscape, sparking divisions, human misery, and far-reaching geopolitical consequences.

 

This session will be led by Professor Mohamed ‘Arafa, Professor of Law at the University of Alexandria and Adjunct Professor of Law & the Clarke Initiative Visiting Scholar at Cornell Law School. Joining in will be Professor Rita Ribeiro, from the Institute of Social Sciences at the University of Minho, and Zaina Awartani, PhD researcher at the School of Law of the University of Minho and the School of Researchers of the Research Centre for Justice and Governance (JusGov). The event will be chaired by Sergio Ruiz Díaz Arce, Doctoral Integrated Researcher at JusGov.

 

💻 Zoom room: https://videoconf-colibri.zoom.us/j/95090845748

📍June 13th, 2025 | 4.00 p.m. Online

Scientific Commission

Sergio Ruiz Díaz Arce

Joaquim Freitas da Rocha

Robert Junqueira

 

Organisation

JusGov (JusLab – DH)

School of Law of the University of Minho

 

Support

FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology

Yours respectfully,

Robert Junqueira Executive Coordinator | Research and Scientific Careers Bureau Research Centre for Justice and Governance School of Law of the University of Minho Gualtar Campus 4710-057 Braga - Portugal   T: (+351) 253 60 18 75 E: martinsjunqueira AT direito.uminho.pt

Globally - seeking the ink of scholars

The Ink of the Scholars:
Reflections on Philosophy in Africa

Since the late 1980s, in trying to understand Hodges' model, especially its political dimensions beyond nurses as advocates, the mental health act, choice and self-determination. To be followed by consent, then informed consent, mental capacity, human rights, equality, protected characteristics, safeguarding, equity, social in-justice; I've then questioned my assumed neutrality of the model. 

Allied to this is the fact that Hodges' model is one of many models and frameworks, largely created in the developed world. What alternative viewpointsof nursing, care and philosophies are there? Do these challenge Hodges' model? Or, can Hodges' model also encompass them, in a complementary manner?

Serendipity, or ADHD, seems to follow me around. In addition determined to extract value from my purchase and reading of the weekend FT, I learned of potential key read:

Prempeh, C. THE AESTHETE. Koyo Kouoh, The curator of 2026 Venice Biennale talks whisky sours, working from bed and being the "high priestess of the okra church". HTSI, FTWeekend, 3 May 2025,pp.21-22.

'THE BEST BOOK I'VE READ IN THE PAST YEAR is a book on African philosophers, The Ink of the Scholars: Reflections on Philosophy in Africa, by Souleymane Bachir Diagne, one of our most brilliant thinkers. He challenges the idea that there isn't a philosophical framework to African societies. There are ideas around Africans being the great architects of hospitality and Diagne reflects on what the African approach to humanity is. What does it mean to be careful, mindful and caring? It's not just about welcoming people to your home or feeding them. Hospitality is carrying people, making people feel comfortable in your environment - it's intellectual and emotional. Everyone should read Diagne, full stop.' p.21. 

 

Shocked: I have just read of Koyo Kouoh's passing - RIP. 

Souleymane Bachir Diagne, & Jonathan Adjemian. (2016, May 23). The Ink of the Scholars: Reflections on Philosophy in Africa. CODESRIA Books Publication System. CODESRIA
https://publication.codesria.org/index.php/pub/catalog/book/40

See also: 'hospitality'

c/o Picasso - 'Massacre in Korea' (1951)

Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth.

                                 - Pablo Picasso

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HUMANISTIC - mind

body - MECHANISTIC "The 'beat' goes on"!?

'Massacre in Korea' (1951)

My source:

Vivienne Chow, How Picasso became a prize for Asia's new collectors, Collecting, FTWeekend. 22-23 March 2025, p.3.

See also: 

https://www.mplus.org.hk/en/exhibitions/ (15 March - 13 July 2025)

Image: https://www.pablopicasso.org/

https://www.pablopicasso.org/massacre-in-korea.jsp

When a bomb goes off, ...^

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	.. whatever's     around .. "WHEN A BOMB GOES OFF, .. gets      weaponised"
	donate.redcross.org.uk msf.org.uk ideals.org.uk map.org.uk uk-med.org

Rosanna Dodds, Operation Gaza, HTSI, FTWeekend, December 9th, 2024. p.37-38.

Victoria Rose, Plastic Surgeon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzZjmG791Dk

^anywhere ...

'Little Shrew' (Snowflake)

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Chappell, P. Heathcliff, it's me again: more new music from Kate Bush on the horizon, The Times, October 26th 2024, pp.18-19.

Simplifying universal health coverage to achieve political action

'The narrative on universal health coverage should be centred around four core elements: universality, equity, adequate financing, and preparedness in public health emergencies, write Katri Bertram and Justin Koonin'.

Bertram K, Koonin J. Simplifying the universal health coverage narrative can help to achieve political action BMJ 2024; 387 :q2441 doi:10.1136/bmj.q2441

A RESPONSE^* 

Can this be true? Why, this is absolutely marvellous! I?

Yes! Me. 

I do count! I'm seen, heard and included in the health care system and can have a voice in the service's development (1.). 

Not only that, but everyone in my - our community - has access - too (2.) ...

client - person - individual - self - patient - citizen

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couple - family - group - community - village/town - city

1. UNIVERSALITY	4. PREPAREDNESS
2. EQUITY	3. ADEQUATE FINANCING

... Now that health and social care are properly funded, they've finally done it! They've taken the key step to include education. This is crucial, critical to preventing poor health. Whenever possible we want people to self-care. The mother of all us has always whispered of the safety net. Now she shouts and rages. We all must listen to the stories of old.  Children should be brought up to be health and media... literate and recognise for them as an individual, the merit, the joy of health and well-being.

At last - the power's-that-be are addressing policy. Not just policy on paper, but implementing it, to assure the quality and cost of food, baby-formula, the air and water (3.).

What does this mean?^ It means health budgets can be better managed. Being prepared does not mean we reach immediately for the technical solution, write the prescription (for antibiotics). No. Being prepared means wising-up too. Together, we are ready to face each other, and right across the world: S-N and E-W. Now we can look to the future, climate change and Gaia: as ONE (4-5).

^O’Connell T, Rasanathan K, Chopra M. What does universal health coverage mean? Lancet 2014;383:277-9. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60955-1 pmid:23953765

(Cited by Bertram & Koonin)

5. Spiritual.

^*A response, that is both too simple and too complex. Discuss.

“Violência, Memória, Redes” :: "Violence, Memory, Networks” - Monthly online seminar March 2025

Caros colegas,

A partir de Março de 2025 realizar-se-á, mensalmente, um seminário online sobre a tríade “Violência, Memória, Redes”.

Este é organizado pela nossa equipa de um dos grupos de investigação interdisciplinar do CEIS20, um centro ligado à Universidade de Coimbra (Portugal) dedicado a temas de memória, entre outros tópicos multidisciplinares. Esta nova série de seminários dará continuidade ao sucesso do anterior trabalho sobre “Memória, Trauma e Narrativas sobre Si” (2021-22).

Desta forma, pedimos que seja divulgada pelos vossos canais a Call for Papers com a data limite em Janeiro de 2025.

Toda a informação adicional pode ser encontrada na página do seminário (https://www.uc.pt/fluc/seminarvmn/) e no anexo. Os pedidos de esclarecimento devem ser endereçados para: vmn AT uc.pt.

Disponíveis para qualquer esclarecimento adicional.

Cumprimentos,

A Comissão científica:

Edmundo Balsemão Pires (CEIS20/UC)
Joana Ricarte (CEIS20/UC)
Cláudio Carvalho (UCP/FFCS / IF/UP)
Giovanni Zanotti (CEIS20/UC)

-------------------

Dear colleagues, 

From March 2025 onwards, an online seminar will be held monthly on the triad “Violence, Memory, Networks”. 

This is organized by our team from one of the interdisciplinary research groups at CEIS20, a center linked to the University of Coimbra (Portugal) dedicated to memory themes, among other multidisciplinary topics. This new series of seminars will continue the success of the previous work on “Memory, Trauma and Narratives about the Self” (2021-22). 

Therefore, we ask that the Call for Papers be published through your channels with a deadline of January 2025. 

All additional information can be found on the seminar page (https://www.uc.pt/fluc/seminarvmn/) and in the annex. Requests for clarification should be addressed to: vmn AT uc.pt. Available for any additional clarification. 

Compliments, ...

My source: IEF

ROBOTPOLITICS

26 – 27 September, 2024 
UNIVERSIDADE ABERTA LISBON, PORTUGAL

The program includes:

• The house is on fire, but this is fine: the incoming tsunami of disinformation 
• Encrypted subjectivity in digital space 
• You are (not) your avatar: personhood, personal identity and legal issues in mind uploading 
• On Techno Dharma: Neurofeedback-assisted meditation as an enhanced technology of the self 
• Mapped in real time: Affective technologies and the post-human subjectivity 
• Does social bots rely on beliefs to communicate the science: An implication for misinformation. 
• The Paradox of Information Abundance: Homogenization of Political Thought in the World of Social Media 
• The main problems of Robotpolitics. Hints for their resolutions 
• « Smart city » / Intelligent Citizen 
• Smart Cities and Sustainability: Malthusian Sexual Robots 
• Sex-Bots: Friend or Foe to Human Relationships? 
• Towards Digital Platonism 
• Autonomous weapons systems in armed conflicts: ethical and legal implications 

See also - The Jena Declaration: https://thejenadeclaration.org 

Previously on W2tQ robots

"No argument, we should teach critical thinking" by Julian Richer

Spring and summer reading includes Our Housing Disaster. Julian Richer's weekly column in the Sunday Times is very interesting; business yes, but socially oriented and positive in the values conveyed.

I'm 100 pages into The Systems View of Life, posts to follow, but before getting to OHD, I noticed another of Richer's columns:

#36 "No argument, we should teach critical thinking"

Sunday 14th July 2024

"... all the successful bosses I’ve ever worked with encourage an open flow of communications in all directions (internally — up, down, across — and with the outside world, too) with no taboos. They try to surround themselves with good people who can see the world independently, draw their own conclusions and have the confidence to express their ideas."

"It’s very difficult to craft a culture of critical thinking and open debate in a business unless it’s been taught at school, as our parents tend to be more stuck in their ways. Unfortunately, schools spend so much time on teaching and testing reading, and particularly writing, that they don’t have enough time to teach thinking and speaking. These require practice, too. And they are also very important life and business skills."

 

The discussion on Parallel Histories reminds me of philosophical talk, virtue-seeking is not enough. It needs to applied practically, if it is to make a difference.

 

"An added benefit is that kids who have learnt calm and reasoned debate will use this knowledge to help them in their adult life. Certainly, those going on to join the business world will be very pleased to have received these negotiating and people skills, both essential."

Hodges' model provides a structure for reflection, reflective practice, and critical thinking and inevitably light-weight can be carried as lifelong learning resource and tool.

Policy Dialogue - Water, Conflict and Peace in the Middle East: online

Dear colleagues,

I am delighted to invite you to the next Policy Dialogues from the JHU-UPF Public Policy Center:

Water, Conflict and Peace in the Middle East

Thursday 25th April, 6pm CEST

Online via Zoom (registration required)

Language: English

The Middle East is a region of both severe water problems, and acute political instability. But what is the relationship between these two things? This Policy Dialogue will provide an opportunity to reflect on this question and its implications. It will overview the region’s water problems, and consider how these problems are – or are not – contributing to conflict. It will also examine, conversely, how war and violence are affecting patterns of water resource degradation and water insecurities, and will reflect on opportunities for water-related peace-building, including on how water for peace initiatives might best be pursued.

We are delighted to invite Natasha Carmi (Water Peace Programme Manager at the Geneva Water Hub) and Jan Selby (Professor of International Politics and Climate Change at the University of Leeds, UK) to share their expertise during this session.

We invite you to join us and explore the complexities of this extremely important issue. You can register here. Please also share this invitation within your networks.

Best regards,
Aeve

Aeve Ribbons
she/her

Educational Projects Manager of JHU-UPF Public Policy Center (UPF-BSM)
Managing Editor of the International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Health Services (IJSDOHS)

My working days are Monday-Thursday / Mis días laborables son de lunes a jueves.

Website: http://www.upf.edu/jhu-ppc/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/pubpolcenter

My source:

Politics of Health Group Mail List Messages

Visit the PoHG website for lots of interesting links and publications: http://www.pohg.org.uk/

Visit PoHG on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/282761111845400

Follow us on Twitter: @pohguk