violence is a STATE of mind: and ...? | |||
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My source: Financial Times. 9 September, 2026, p.1.
'I think my favourite story to work on has been the 434 dinosaurs that are in the tapestry. So much has changed about what we know about dinosaurs and all because the study of fossils and dinosaurs has grown up alongside geological survey for mining and petroleum drilling. Studies say dinosaurs were much more colourful than originally imagined and many were feathered, and in fact birds are their distant relatives. Only 50 years ago we were taught that oil was made from decomposed dinosaurs and plants. Today research suggests oil formed from aquatic algae, called diatoms. Much more than half of all life on earth died in a mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous period. The most agreed upon theory, based on research, suggests the cause was when an asteroid collided with the earth and triggered volcanic eruptions, that disrupted weather patterns, growing seasons and ecosystems. This one-two punch killed off the majority of Earth’s flora and fauna, including the dinosaurs, all of which were unable to adapt to the changes in climate.' |
The Black Gold Tapestry | ||
My source: Sandra Sawatzky, Oil in a Material World, Resurgence & Ecologist, Nov/Dec 2022, Issue 335, pp.52-55.
See also: https://www.theblackgoldtapestry.com/
Previously: 'Canada' : 'environment' : 'activism'
Call for Papers
How important has socialism been to adult education? For most of history, adult education – structured learning, involving organised study and usually teaching – was restricted largely to social and religious elites. During the nineteenth century, however, as the industrial revolution tore apart the bonds of ‘traditional’ economies and societies, propelled migrants to towns and foreign lands, and demanded mastery of new skills, new popular democratic movements arose – most profoundly, the socialist movement.
In Britain, prior to the Elementary Education Act 1870, few working-class people had any formal education; even after that opportunities were limited. In response, a diverse range of non-statutory voluntary adult education organisations emerged. These included the Mutual Improvement Societies, the Young Adult Schools, the Education Settlements, the Mechanics’ Institutes, the Working Men’s College, University Extension, Co-operative Education, the Workers’ Educational Association (WEA), and Independent Working Class Education and the Labour College Movement. Some were deeply linked with socialism – others more tenuously, if at all – but together they made adult education in literacy, technical skills and knowledge, the liberals arts and politics accessible to many adults.
Through the twentieth century, at least until the neo-liberal era, the influence of socialist ideas and movements on adult education was deep. In the 21st century, however, the forces of global capitalism have systematically sought to marginalise socialist (and democratic) thought. As jobs, and much work that rewards the human spirit, are threatened by the advance of Artificial Intelligence, adult education is more and more expected to meet the objectives of “the economy” and the labour market. Wider educational purpose is ignored.
How have we come to this? The marginalisation of socialist perspectives is by no means confined to adult education. Yet so central was adult education to the emergence and growth of socialism – and the reverse is also true – as to pose essential and urgent questions. In what ways did adult education contribute to the development of socialism? Why did socialist perspectives play so central a role in the practice of adult education – and did they enrich or constrain it? What can we learn from examining the part that socialism, and socialists, played in adult education’s rich history?
We aim to revisit the topic of adult education and socialism in Britain in the 21st century through a special issue of the journal Socialist History. It seeks to revive the field of study, and to explore the idea to meet the diverse needs of a multi-cultural society more – rather than less – adult education is needed – and that the adult education needed should be broad rather than narrowly job-related. This is especially relevant to consider in connection with the new Lifelong Learning Entitlement which has the potential to transform how post-18 students fund and approach their studies throughout the course of their lifetimes.
What new research perspectives can academics – and scholar-practitioners and activists – from all disciplines bring to the history of adult education, and to the understanding of socialist approaches to improving economic, social and cultural welfare?
We invite submission of abstracts of approx. 300 words. They may explore any aspect of the interlinked history of adult education and socialism. We welcome contributions relating not only to Britain, but to Europe (western, central and eastern) and other locations around the world. Topics may include (but are not limited to):
Please email abstracts with your affiliation, a short biography and contact information to:
john.holford AT nottingham.ac.uk and p.kumbhat AT staff.newman.ac.uk.
The deadline for submission of abstracts is Friday 30th October 2026.
We hope to convene a symposium on this theme on Wednesday 7th April 2027 at Birmingham Newman University, where contributors can discuss their draft papers and ideas. The symposium will provide an opportunity to share work in progress, receive feedback, and develop papers to be considered for publication in the Socialist History special issue in autumn 2027. The April symposium will be an in-person event, although authors based outside the UK will have the option of presenting remotely via Microsoft Teams.
My source: Bob Foster, Admin: https://www.raymondwilliamsfoundation.org.uk/
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Du Sautoy, M. (2024). Blueprints: How mathematics shapes creativity. Glasgow: 4th Estate.
https://www.4thestate.co.uk/products/blueprints-how-mathematics-shapes-creativity-marcus-du-sautoy-9780008685034/
Book covers c/o Waterstones (Du Sautoy) and Verso Books.
My source https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/philosophy/philos-l/ (Beggs et al.) and various.
Previously: 'creativity' : 'socialism' : 'politics'
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... they will miss out on the life-affirming experience of the playing field. |
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... as they prepare to make their way in the [un-] level playing field. |
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We are saddened to share that Dr. Gilberto Cárdenas, a member of Self Help Graphics & Art’s board since 1980 and most recently a part of SHG’s Council of Governors, passed away on July 26, 2026 in Austin, Texas. As one of the earliest supporters of Self Help Graphics, his role in advancing the art of Chicanx and Latinx artists has transformed the art world and our own organization. He was not only an arts and cultural guardian, but also an internationally recognized scholar and leader in sociology, advocacy, and education, exemplified by his foundational role in establishing Latino Studies in universities across the United States. |
Continued ...
My source: Self Help Graphics & Art, 1300 East 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, United States
Scary ! France's most famous weather presenter @EvelyneDheliat presented a landmark prediction in 2014 on TF1 of what French weather could be like in a 2050 heatwave
— Alex Taylor (@AlexTaylorNews) June 23, 2026
Here she runs the tape back on her 2014 self and compares it with 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲'𝐬 actual figures👇
My English s/t pic.twitter.com/x8A50C2jNs
P.S. There isn't a domain called 'bin' but there is plenty of waste.
There isn't one called denial, or ignorance either, but you will find them in abundance too.
Rest assured (if you still can!) that each domain carries its own truth.
Ashton-in-Makerfield has been in the news of late. With Andy Burnham MP championing the communities of the north; local issues, socio-economic gaps, needs and everyday lived experience up North.
But Makerfield holds much more as a veritable rabbit-hole supporting lifelong learning, character development, reflective practice and critical thought:
* - a political constituency.
Previously: 'map'
Lewis | Russell |
Norris |
Previously: 'sport'
See also: https://www.formula1.com/
This exhibition presents a collaboration between Obafemi-Awolowo University, 108 students from all across Nigeria, and the families of the Chibok girls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014.
Inspired by the iconic terracotta heads of Ife, it was initiated by artists Prune Nourry and Ade Bantu and seeks to raise awareness on the plight of the missing girls, and to highlight the diversity of Nigerian culture. . . .
On Thursday I visited MAACAL - Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden, an art gallery I first read about in FTWeekend Life&Arts, not long after first visiting Marrakech in 2023.
The main exhibit presents itself straight away after entering:
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| Statues Also Breathe, exhibition view, Art Twenty One, Lagos, Nigeria ©Dohdohndawa Photography/DDD Studios |
As a white man from NW England, there was a moment when I realised: I was on the same continent where this had happened and is ongoing. Searching Youtube reveals other related videos concerning the exhibitions. It's strange watching them again as a check on their availability. A short video of an event to launch three new installations earlier this year is worth watching. Unfortunately, my phone failed until I got back to Marrakech, so I've no photos. I've three works in mind though.
I walked there, and back after trying to sort a taxi with a lovely couple from Germany and their son. Some taxis are limited to carry three persons. This is what arrived. The sun, even behind clouds that day, and flights taking off from the airport helped my sense of direction. The girls, seeking an education, did not have these means of navigation.
The garden at MAACAL was small but lovely. I hope to return one day, and well before then . . .
This International Women's Day, we're amplifying the work of women philosophers.
Our Women Reading Deleuze virtual issue pulls out articles from the Deleuze and Guattari Studies journal, chapters from the Deleuze Connections series and blog posts from our Deleuze Centenary celebrations, all written by women.
20 articles, chapters and blog essays by women
Philos-L "The Liverpool List" is run by the Department of Philosophy, University of Liverpool https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/philosophy/philos-l/ Messages to the list are archived at http://listserv.liv.ac.uk/archives/philos-l.html. Recent posts can also be read in a Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/PhilosL/ Follow the list on Twitter @PhilosL. Follow the Department of Philosophy @LiverpoolPhilos
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| 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 ...
In London currently, 20th - 23rd I was on my way to Bankside Gallery and walking by Temple Place, #2 to be precise, on a board outside I read:'The Weight of Being: Vulnerability, Resilience and Mental Health in Art'
Taking in the mental health and illness of artists, gender, domesticity, industrial and political struggle, COVID, and Gaza I spent and enjoyed a two hour detour. The building is also amazing. The exhibition is on until 19 April 2026, closed on Monday's and today 21st February. Before I share some text from their website, the interior of the building was a 'virtual' experience, but without the technology. Helpfully, the exhibition is spread across several rooms.
'Curated by Angela Thomas, this new exhibition explores artistic expression and mental health. Through depictions of deeply personal and collective experiences, it examines the powerful ways in which artists capture vulnerability, resilience, and their search for solace.
Including the work of a diverse range of twentieth century and contemporary artists and their varying perspectives, The Weight of Being showcases how artists have captured the psychological and emotional impact of societal pressures, resilience in the face of adversity, and existential uncertainty.
Alongside dozens of artworks drawn from galleries and collections across the UK, the portraits, landscapes, and figurative studies of the lesser-known artist John Wilson McCracken (1936–1982) are woven throughout. Denied the opportunity to return to the Slade School of Art following a period of hospitalisation for mental health reasons, McCracken spent much of his career in Hartlepool, producing work that reflects a profound sensitivity to the emotional and social pressures of his time. Shaped by personal and collective struggles, his art offers a deeply human perspective on the exhibition’s themes, revealing how external forces imprint themselves on the mind, body, and creative spirit.' Continued . . .
The building as a whole - Two Temple Place is owned and run by a registered charity, the Bulldog Trust.
I will definitely (hopefully!) visit again, on the way or returning from the South Bank of the Thames. The video below presents key aspects of the building's amazing interior and history:
Cognitive flaws, or psychological adaptations? 'Van der Lugt: "reality confound" ... Optimists believe they have more control over what happens than they actually do.' Dunning-Kruger Effect: people tend to overestimate their own expertise. Baumeister: "The negativity effect" Norem: "defensive pessimism" | Optimism and Pessimism are independent scales. 'Age also makes a difference, for the simple reason that life and its potential future vary accordingly.' 'Designated Cassandra'^ Rotation of role. 'When your prospects are bleak, a gloomy outlook is realism, not pessimism.' |
'... how optimistic we feel depends not just on us, but on our life circumstances. Think about how race, class and social inequality have real impacts on life chances.' |
'In western culture, optimism is valorised more than pessimism.' 'To suggest that people struggling in an unequal system should simply adopt a more positive attitude is to turn social and economic problems into psychological ones.' |
^With apologies.
Source: J. Baggini, A. Macaro. In defence of pessimism. Or. why optimism is not quite a prerequisite for achieving a valued goal. FT Weekend Magazine, 1131: June 28, 2025, pp.18-20.
https://www.julianbaggini.com/in-defence-of-pessimism/
Books noted in the above article:
Sharot, T. (2011). The optimism bias: A tour of the irrationally positive brain. Pantheon/Random House.
Tierney, J., & Baumeister, R.F. (2019). The power of bad: How the negativity effect rules us — and how we can rule it. New York: Penguin.
Van der Lugt, M. (2025). Hopeful Pessimism. Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.17707125
See also:
Baumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., Finkenauer, C., & Vohs, K. D. (2001). Bad is stronger than good. Review of General Psychology, 5(4), 323–370. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.5.4.323
The Age of | |
Uncertainty |
'Over a relaxed weekend, a distinguished international gathering at John Kenneth Galbraith's Vermont farm offer their views on the themes outlined in the series and on other major anxieties facing the modern world.'
BBC iPlayer
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002l708/the-age-of-uncertainty-series-1-13-13-weekend-in-vermont
AI .. Pope Leo XIV - 'Distributional justice' Pope Leo XIII "Rerum Novarum" 1891?^ *Ethics - see below. | Baby bond schemes - Globally? "We're in this together, remember" |
UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME UNIVERSAL BASIC CAPITAL PREDISTRIBUTION not REDISTRIBUTION ^History: Impact of the industrial revolution | .. ECONOMY Diminishing value of labour Global wealth inequality US: top 10% own 93% of all equities Europe: .. nearly 60% of all wealth. Bottom 50% owns just 5% |
See also: 'economics' : 'poverty' : 'AI' : 'inequality' : 'universal'
The canalization of a river
The grafting of a fruit tree
The education of a person
The reconstruction of a state.
These are all instances of a fruitful critique
And they are also
Instances of art.
—Bertolt Brecht, “On the Critical Attitude”
'The education of a person' | 'The canalization of a river The grafting of a fruit tree' |
'These are all instances of a fruitful critique | 'The reconstruction of a state.' |
My source:
Politics of Health Group Mail List Messages
Visit PoHG on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/282761111845400
Follow us on Twitter: @pohguk
You can subscribe to / unsubscribe from the PoHG mail list here: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/POHG
And SDOH list - https://listserv.yorku.ca/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=sdoh&A=1
See also: 'drama' : 'empathy' : 'poetry' : 'change' : 'art'
Dear Colleagues,
We hope this correspondence finds you well.
The volume is structurally organised around three distinct, yet interconnected, thematic axes, each seeking to contribute to a deeper engagement with the marine sphere:
We sincerely hope that you find the contributions within this volume to be a compelling and theoretically relevant read that stimulates further research and critical reflection within the discipline.
Where is the Sea in International Relations?
Francisco Eduardo Lemos de Matos; Flávia Guerra Cavalcanti
Abstract | Full text
Table of Contents: https://www.scielo.br/j/cint/i/2025.v47n2/
Includes - Addressing 'Maritime Aphasia' in International Relations
Bruno Sowden-Carvalho; Marcelo M. Valença
Between Nuclear Tests and Rising Sea Levels
Beatriz Rodrigues Bessa Mattos
Carl Schmitt on the Move: Spatial Politics and the (political) Sacrifice of the Sea
Francisco Eduardo Lemos de Matos
Thinking Ontological (In)Security with Water: The Place of the Ocean in Boat Migration
Flávia Guerra Cavalcanti
What is the Place of Mar de Timor in Timorese Geopolitics, Culture and Education?
Silvia Garcia Nogueira; Betina Lopes; Ângelo Ferreira; Samuel de Souza Freitas
Fluid Boundaries: Reassessing Maritime Spaces and Nomadic Waves in International Relations Theory
Henrique Campos de Oliveira
The Third Bank of the Sea: Maritime Traces of Constitutive Outside(r)s and International Ontopolitical Lines
Roberto Vilchez Yamato; Gustavo Alvim de Góes
Ocean Governance, Maritime Security, and International Relations
Daniele Dionisio da Silva; Gilberto Carvalho Oliveira
Sailing on Waves beyond National Sovereign Land Borders: On the Crossroads between International Ocean Relations and the Blue Economy
Thauan Santos
Regards,
chico
Francisco Eduardo Lemos de Matos
Doutor em Relações Internacionais pelo IRI/PUC-RIO.
Pesquisador de Pós-Doutorado em Relações Internacionais no IRI/PUC-RIO pela FAPERJ.
Rede IPS Brasil - https://www.ipsbrasil.com/
Lattes: https://lattes.cnpq.br/9338374067089166
Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4214-5382
My source: DOINGIPS list - https://www.doingips.org/
On W2tQ this year, and possibly in a previous paper, or conference presentation, I've stated that the nursing process is basically a problem solving algorithm. Nothing profound there of course.
'The key contrast between the two models is this. The rational model views policy formulation as emerging from a systematic search for the most efficient means of achieving defined goals. By contrast, the incremental model sees policy as emerging from a compromise between actors who have goals which are ill-defined or even contradictory. Where the rational model seeks the best policy in theory, an incremental framework seeks out a practical policy acceptable to all the interests involved.' p.380.
Nursing process Case formulation | Nursing process |
Nursing process Case formulation | Policy formulation |
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| Brian E. Hodges - c/o Brian's family. |
Born in Liverpool, NW England, UK.
Community Mental Health Nurse NHS, Part-time Lecturer,
Researcher Nursing & Technology Enhanced Learning
Registered Nurse - Mental Health & General
Community Psychiatric Nursing (Cert.) MMU
PG Cert. Ed.
BA(Joint Hons.) Computing and Philosophy - BIHE - Bolton
PG(Dip.) Collaboration on Psychosocial Education [COPE] Univ. Man.
MRES. e-Research and Technology Enhanced Learning, Lancaster Univ.
Live and work in NW England - seeking a global perspective.
The views expressed on W2tQ are entirely my own, unless stated otherwise.
Comments are disabled.
If you would like to get in touch please e-mail me at
h2cmng AT yahoo.co.uk
orcid.org/0000-0002-0192-8965
