It is through story that embrace the great breadth of memory, that we can distinguish what is true, and that we may glimpse at least occasionally, how to live without despair in the midst of the horror that dogs and unhinges us. - Barry Lopez

The only keeper of your happiness is you. Stop giving people the power to control your smile, your worth and your attitude. - Mandy Hale
Turkey to renew extradition requests with Finland, Sweden after NATO deal
Turkish media hails Erdogan's 'victory' deal to lift NATO veto
NATO formally invites Sweden and Finland to join alliance after Turkey lifts objectionsn
NATO formally invites Finland and Sweden to become members, moving closer ending their historic neutrality and defying Putin
Turkey lifts objection to NATO candidacies of Sweden and Finland as alliance leaders gather in Madrid
Sweden's Kurds fear they may pay price for NATO bid as Turkey fumes
Finland, Sweden flag some progress in NATO talks with Turkey
Sweden, seeking to win over Turkey, says it won't be haven for terrorists
Go-slow Turkey unlikely to reach Nordics deal at NATO meet - sources
Erdogan to meet with leaders of Sweden, Finland before NATO summit
Finland, Sweden Set for Top-Level Talks on NATO With Turkey
Why Turkey's Erdogan is blocking NATO membership for Finland and Sweden
Finland's and Sweden's pursuit of NATO membership is the exact opposite of what Putin wanted for Russian neighbors
NATO leader says ‘no way to say’ when Sweden, Finland will join
Turkey Says Position on NATO Won’t Change in Blow to June Summit
Former Kurdish rebel has key role in Sweden's NATO bid
Finnish Leader Calls Out Turkey for Dragging Out NATO Talks
U.S. and Sweden conduct military drills on Baltic Sea island
NATO chief Stoltenberg says Turkey's security concerns are legitimate
NATO chief says Sweden has taken "important steps" to meet Turkey's demands
Sweden seeks constructive progress with Turkey over NATO bid
Finland plans to build barriers on its border with Russia
Swedish government survives no-confidence vote with help of former Kurdish fighter
Turkey demands 'concrete steps' to back Nordics' NATO bids
Turkey observed positive approach to lifting arms embargo from Finland, Sweden -Erdogan spokesman
Russia has cut off its natural gas exports to Finland in a symbolic move
Two versions of history collide as Finland and Sweden seek to join NATO
France's Macron: wants quick EU opinion on Moldova request for membership
Finland says Russia suspending natural gas supplies
THE PUTIN SHOW
Turkey blocks an early NATO effort to fast-track Sweden’s and Finland’s applications.
'Grave mistake': Russia issues warning as Sweden, Finland move toward NATO
How Turkey spoiled NATO's historic moment with Finland, Sweden
Biden backs Sweden and Finland's NATO membership application
Turkey lays out demands as Finland, Sweden seek NATO membership
Finland, Sweden inch closer to seeking NATO membership
Finland and Sweden announce they want to join NATO, marking a big blow to Putin
The Law Society’s decision also went against Cheung’s “legitimate expectation” that the solicitors group should act according to its public law duty, Cheung wrote in the application.
Hong Kong court denies bail for man accused of publishing seditious posts on Instagram
Hong Kong court denies bail to man charged over seditious online messages and possession of weapons
Hong Kong court sentences man to 43 months in prison over protest against anti-mask law
Hong Kong 25: Gov’t advisor and ‘democrat at heart’ Ronny Tong says political reform still possible
Outgoing Hong Kong education chief says he created teaching environment that nurtured patriotism
Hong Kong 25: Gov’t denies more journalists access to July 1 celebrations, as press group expresses ‘utmost regret’
Ex-leader of Tiananmen vigil group denied access to further details of case 2 weeks ahead of national security trial
Hong Kong court upholds woman’s conviction for 2019 protest, calling initial ruling ‘irrefutable’
‘They haven’t gone away’: 3 years on, Hong Kong’s pro-democracy ‘yellow economy’ has paled, but support remains
Hong Kong’s John Lee asks court to ‘relieve’ penalties for failing to comply with election regulations
Hong Kong not becoming ‘police state’, says city’s top cop, as former officer set to take helm
EXCLUSIVE: Some foreign English teachers employed by gov’t must swear allegiance to Hong Kong or risk their job
3 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists have honours revoked by gov’t
Hong Kong investigative news platform Factwire disbands – 4th outlet to shutter in under a year
Hong Kong democrat Ted Hui found guilty of contempt of court for fleeing to Denmark
Love is misinterpreted as an emotion, in reality, it is a state of consciousness, a way of being in the world, a way of seeing oneself and others. - David R. Hawkins

A bodhisattva doesn't have to be perfet. Anyone who is aware of what is happening and hwo tries to wake up other people is a bodhisattva, We are all bodhisattvas, doing our best. - Thich Nhat Hanh
“Everyone thinks of changing the world,
But no one thinks of changing himself.” - Leo Tolstoy

“Yesterday I was clever so I wanted to change the world, today I am Wise so I am changing Myself.” - Rumi

Teacher, what does it mean to work on yourself?
It is to stop waiting for the others to change. - unknown
HKFP Lens: Hong Kong awash with celebratory banners, flags ahead of 25th Handover anniversary
Xi Jinping arrives in Hong Kong for July 1 celebrations, makes first visit to city since 2017
Hong Kong 25: Barricades appear at housing estate as celebratory flags removed following vandalism
Chinese leader Xi arrives in Hong Kong for 25th anniversary of handover
Hong Kong 25: A promise kept or betrayal? Hong Kong 25 years on from handover
Hong Kong’s mystery guest sparks some bizarre behaviour as Handover anniversary nears
Hong Kong 25th anniversary set to be protest-free, after nat. security police call in activist group volunteers
In Pictures: Hong Kong taxi union marks 25th Handover anniversary with flags and slogans in Central display
Hong Kong 25: National security police search homes of activist group members ahead of July 1 anniversary
In Pictures: Hong Kong police to set up security zones for Xi Jinping’s planned visit on July 1, drones banned
HKFP Lens: Hong Kong awash with celebratory banners, flags ahead of 25th Handover anniversary
Hong Kong burnishes China ties as luster as global hub fades
China's Xi to visit Hong Kong for handover anniversary
Hong Kong’s Lam ‘relieved’ from burden of leadership, says gov’t made ‘no mistake’ over 2019 extradition bill
Hong Kong’s status has been undermined by Covid curbs, leader Carrie Lam says
‘I am not ashamed’: Hong Kong’s Lam defends record as lawmakers heap praise on departing leader
What one person calls a psychotic break, another calls a break for inner freedom. Sometimes people ‘leave reality' because there is an older, truer reality that wants to come through to be healed. They can only push it down for so long, before it pushes up against them, demanding to be seen and resolved. What one person calls reality, another calls a well-mannered lie. Sometimes the most ‘well-adjusted’ person, is the one with the most skeletons in their closet. Sometimes the one with ‘mental illness’ is the one with the courage to be revealed. Their healing may take years- it can’t happen overnight because the material didn’t accumulate overnight- but it may be the bravest journey of all. As we work together to humanize this shaming world, may we seek to understand and support those who are struggling with ‘mental illness’. They may well be the only ones who can show us how to integrate old realities with new ones. They may be the most honest ones among us. They may well be our trail-blazers for a more authentic life. - Jeff Brown

Warren..

The things we want are transformative, and we don't know or only think we know what is on the other side of that transformation.. never to get lost is not to live. - Rebecca Solnit

Be honest, frank and fearless and get some grasp of the real values of life. Read some good, heavry, serious books just for discipline. Take yourself in hand and master yourself. - W.E.B. Du Bois

We can change. People
To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all that the coward fears, to be led by a fool is to be led by the opportunists who control the fact. - Octavia Butler
Colors are not possessions, they are the intimate revelatons of an energy field, light waves with mathematically precise lengths.. deep, resonant mysteries with boundless subjectivity.. our loves, when we pay attention to light, compel use to empathy with color. - Ellen Meloy
We need to imagaine caring for one another in ways that haveb't existed in mainstream spaces before. - Liz Sohyeon Kleinrock

Make your life a masterpiece; imgaine no limitations on what you can be, have or do. - Brian Tracy

A human being becomes human not through the casual convergence of certain blological conditions, but through an act of will and love on the part of other people. - Italo calvino

Love quiets fear. And a sweet and powerful positive obsession blunts pain, diverts rage, and engages each of us in the greatest, the most intense of our chosen struggles. - Octavia Butler

These are the times in life - when nothing happens, but in quietness the soul expands. - Rockwell Kent

“I honor your choices” goes a long, long way...

It's important to meet people where they are, not where we want them to be. There is a tendency, in many, to recharacterize people's experiences without being asked. You tell them you are feeling bad, they tell you all the reasons you should feel good. You tell them you are challenged by your circumstances, they tell you the way you can make things easier. You tell them that you have a plan to do something, they offer up another plan for you. Theere is a place for these offerings, particularly when requested, but often times they just make things worse. In face, we are more likely to arrive at the next best place on our journeys when someone actually attunes to where we are, without making any effort to improve upon or re-frame it. We don't need to be saved, we need to be seen. That's the healing, right there, I hear yuou, I see you , I honor your choices... goes a long, long way. - Jeff Brown, Hearticulations
Listen to the wind, it talks.
Listen to the silence, it speaks.
Listen to your heart, it knows. - Native American Proverb
"If terrible things have happened to you, you are to have grown wiser. If the worst possible events have befallen you, you should be the wisest of the lot, but instead of going wise, most people become wounded. In a state of conscious response, it is possible to use any life situation, however ugly, as an opportunity for growth. But if you habitually think, I am the way I am because of someone else, you're using life situations merely as an opportunity for self-destruction or stagnation... The most horrific things in life, can be a source of nourishment if you accept, I am responsible for the way I am now. It is possible to transform the greatest adversity into a stepping stone for personal growth. If you take 100% responsibility for the way you are now, a brighter tomorrow is possible. But if you take no responsibility for the present, if you blame your parents, your friend, your husband, your girlfriend, your colleagues for the way you are, you have forsaken your future even before it comes." - Sadhguru

"If terrible things have happened to you, you may or may not have grown wiser. It really depends on how horrifying the trauma was, and whether there is any wisdom to grok from your experiences. Sometimes there is, sometimes there isn't. Sometimes it is all you can do to manage your life and heal from the trauma. By shaming those who do not extract 'wisdom' from their experience, we actually re-traumatize them. Because it is not always possible to extract 'wisdom'. Wisdom is the spiritual patriarchy's obsession, because they hide from their unresolved wounds in their quest for 'knowledge'. They hide from their own victimhood, by denying that victimhood exists. And the consequence of this message is actually re-traumatizing. Because what separates a conscious culture from an unconscious one, is the capacity to own the truth of our suffering. Putting it away, re-framing and shunning it, only serve to solidify the conditions that foster it. The wound always gets the last laugh, until we have the courage to integrate it." - Jeff Brown

Sunday, June 26, 2022

So many people get judged when they refuse to put their pain away. They get judged for showing it, for speaking it, for insisting on sharing their memories of abuse with those they know. I am not talking about those who overwhelm strangers with their stuff- I am talking about legitimate sharings with those they are connected with in daily life, including those who abused them. All too often, they are fed one repressive message or another: “Don't look back,” “What's done is done,” “Don't be a victim,” “Your feelings are an illusion,” “Be strong.” What is ironic about this is that those who insist on embodying and expressing their feelings are actually the brave ones- unwilling and unable to live a false life. Their stuff is breaking through their defenses because they are tired of carrying the weight of buried truths. They want a healthier and more authentic life. Those who seek to shame their revealing are actually less courageous- turning to repressive mantras in an effort to bypass their own unresolved feelings and memories. If they can shut others down, they can remain shut down themselves. But shut down doesn't take us anywhere good. If we don't deal with our stuff, it deals with us. - Jeff Brown
Biden signs gun safety bill into law
Senate passes gun control bill and sends it to the House
What’s in the Senate’s new gun control bill
The Senate gun bill would close the 'boyfriend loophole.' Here's what that means
Senators reach final bipartisan agreement on a gun safety bill
A small, growing group of survivors advises school leaders after mass shootings
The Emerging Deal On Gun Violence: Is It Enough?
McConnell says he'll support a gun reform bill if it matches the proposed framework
Joe Biden on Issuing Gun Control Executive Order: ‘I Don’t Want to Emulate Trump’s Abuse of the Constitution’
House passes gun control bill after Buffalo, Uvalde attacks
Senate gun law negotiators working toward a deal by the end of the week
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defends Biden keeping distance from gun talks
As Lawmakers Debate Gun Control, What Policies Could Actually Help?
Political realities have stopped legislative action after school shootings
‘Have a blessed day,’ the chatbot on the NRA website told me
In Britain, it took just one school shooting to pass major gun control
What some gun owners are saying in the wake of America's latest mass shooting
Canada's government moves to make selling or importing handguns illegal
The Uvalde shooting conspiracies show how far-right misinformation is evolving
The NRA says its Houston convention will 'reflect on' the Uvalde school shooting
Experts say we can prevent school shootings. Here's what the research says
The U.S. is uniquely terrible at protecting children from gun violence
Schools around the U.S. increase security after the Uvalde shooting
Biden sees chance of 'rational' Republican approach on guns
The NRA’s ‘Shadow Convention’ Reveals the Group’s True Purpose
78 Long Minutes
Uvalde Police Said They Did Not Immediately Breach The Classroom The Shooter Was In Because They Thought The Children Were Dea
What we know about the victims of the Uvalde school shooting
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he was 'misled' about the Uvalde shooting police response
Caught in a storm of criticism and internal strife, the NRA meets in Houston
Research shows policies that may help prevent mass shootings — and some that don't
Opinion | Why Republicans are choosing the NRA over murdered children
A brief history of the NRA
Trump Blasted 'Stupid' Georgia Cowards For Not Tossing Vote For Him, Says Filmmaker
Jan. 6 hearings use TV tricks to great effect even as critics call them show biz
'Stop the Steal' organizer Ali Alexander appears before federal grand jury
Former DOJ officials detail threatening to resign en masse in meeting with Trump
Republican lawmakers asked the White House for pardons before and after Jan. 6
DOJ officials pushed back on Trump's baseless election fraud claims
Schiff to Dig Into ‘Intimate Role' of Mark Meadows to Pressure State Officials
Shaye Moss staffed an election office in Georgia. Then she was targeted by Trump
A British filmmaker gave Congress unreleased footage of Trump and his family
C’mon, Trumpers, how much longer will you fall for the con? Oh, that long . . . | Opinion
Fox News Analyst: Republicans Will Secretly Be 'Glad' If Jan. 6 Panel Damages Trump
Jan. 6 hearings again raise questions for Justice Dept. over whether to charge Trump
Fired Fox News politics editor: Trump's ire at election night call led to 'panic'
The Jan. 6 committee has postponed its Wednesday hearing and will next meet Thursday
Jan. 6 panel says Trump fleeced his base and 5 other takeaways from the 2nd hearing
The attorney general and federal prosecutors are watching all of the Jan. 6 hearings
Barr calls Trump's fraud claims 'detached from reality' in Jan. 6 panel testimony
Jan. 6 committee says it has ample evidence to indict Trump
Who is Chris Stirewalt, the former Fox News editor set to testify before Jan. 6 panel
Schiff: GOP lawmakers seeking pardons was compelling ‘consciousness of guilt’
Jan. 6 panel: Trump campaign used 'big lie' to raise millions from supporters
'Intoxicated' Rudy Giuliani wanted Trump to declare victory on election night, campaign staff says
Team Putin in a Panic Over Jan. 6 Hearings ‘Lynching Trump’
Capitol attack pardon revelations could spell doom for Trump and allies
Voices: Trump was terrified of the January 6 hearings. Tonight proved he was justified
Trump Slams Ivanka and Denies Saying Pence ‘Deserves’ to Hang in Truth Social Meltdown
Ginni Thomas emailed dozens of Arizona lawmakers urging them to overturn Biden's 2020 win: Report

Saturday, June 25, 2022

'A revolutionary ruling – and not just for abortion’: A Supreme Court scholar explains the impact of Dobbs
Florida emerges as key battleground in state-by-state abortion fight
Planned Parenthood of Utah sues to block abortion ban after Supreme Court ruling
Red states like Idaho are the ones that should be infuriated with abortion ruling
The abortion case is named after Thomas Dobbs, who says he has nothing to do with it
The Supreme Court's majority and dissent opinions on Dobbs reveal a massive schism
As Roe falls, criminal defense lawyers sound the alarm about mass incarceration
The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. What's next? Your health questions answered
View reactions to the Roe v. Wade decision across the U.S.
Following Roe's reversal, Biden calls it 'a sad day' for the court and the U.S.
Maria Shriver calls out 'girl dads' in abortion rights fight: 'This is your revolution, too'
'A woman will have to bear her rapist's child': The liberal SCOTUS justices' blunt dissent to opinion overturning Roe
What to know about birth control as Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade
What will happen now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned
Where abortion stands in your state: A state-by-state breakdown of abortion laws
Reactions to the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade
Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, sends abortion back to the states
Ohio health agency staffer fired for mention of abortion pill in newsletter
Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, sends abortion back to the states
Q&A: If Abortion Is Illegal, What Happens Next?
Meet The Man Who Helped Build The Court That May Overturn Roe