Not A Good Time For LGBT Activists

Times have changed a lot that gays and lesbians no longer have to hide in the dark (or in the closet) anymore. Most of them are now free to express their gender choices and even cross-dress if they are confident enough. Those who are in relationships with one another even get to get married for real because some US states and countries now allow that to happen. Best of all, it is legal too. Indeed, the LGBT community is doing better now than they did before but underneath, problems still exist.

Even though their lives are better now, there are still challenges that the LGBT community continues to face until now. LGBT activists speak up on behalf of the gay community to voice out their sentiments and ensure that the people in authority know about it and they can include such changes in the policies they make. While gays and lesbians live better now, some are still discriminated and had to endure some sort of violence (verbal or physical) now and then.

In the United States and many other parts of the world, this is a worrisome time for LGBT activists, as the pace of civil rights victories has grown uneven and reports of anti-LGBT violence and persecution surface relentlessly.

In the past two months, there have been large-scale detentions of gay men in Nigeria and Bangladesh, and chilling accounts of roundups and torture of scores of gays in Chechnya.

In Indonesia, a major police raid on a gay sauna was followed two days later by the public caning of two gay men.

More than 70 countries continue to criminalize gays’ sexual activity.

(Via: http://www.wisconsingazette.com/news/in-us-and-abroad-a-worrisome-time-for-lgbt-activists/article_f99fec84-4b75-11e7-b26c-e7267f168ad3.html)

In some places in the US, serial killings of gays have flooded the news not long ago that it became a cause of alarm for the entire LGBT community. In far away places of Bangladesh and Nigeria, gay men are also being detained. Other similar cases are happening in various places all over the world that the LGBT community is calling for everyone to unite in the face of extreme and violent oppression and make their voices heard.

But this year, the meeting leading up to the parade was not to finalize organizational touches. Instead, many members of the LGBT community bombarded Capital Pride organizers with their concerns about corporate sponsorship, police participation, the lack of diverse leadership, and fundamental questions of whether this year’s Pride should be a celebration or a demonstration. For more than two hours, attendees pushed for significant changes, outnumbering those who wanted Pride to remain the same celebration it’s been in recent years.

In various ways, the meeting in DC was a microcosm of concerns that have become more prominent in planning Pride celebrations in the era of President Donald Trump, from New York to Los Angeles. Cities all over the country began having June parades in 1970, on the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall riots, in which patrons of a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn spontaneously rose up against police harassment in an event generally considered to be the beginning of the LGBT liberation movement. Over the years, the events became lively festivals and parades celebrating LGBT identity, with increasing corporate sponsorship and police participation.

(Via: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/06/politics-lgbt-pride-resistance-trump-1/)

Gay pride is no longer just a celebration but more of an opportunity to protest. It’s more than just being out and proud but fighting for their inherent human rights that the rest of humanity enjoys. However, like everything else, this is easier said than done especially if you live in America. With a president like Donald Trump, you can’t expect to live a normal life as a member of the LGBT community. He isn’t the type of person to support such causes and it is easy to see how disconnected he is from the gay community as a whole.

In reality, these issues fail in comparison to the threats of war and terrorism that we all now face. However, it does not mean that they don’t have any bearing at all because we are still talking about people’s lives even if many people consider them queer. Nobody should be above anyone for we are all created equal. Of we only keep this in mind, there won’t be any problem achieving world peace at all for everyone regardless of their gender identity.

The article Not A Good Time For LGBT Activists See more on: The Keating Economics Website

source https://www.keatingeconomics.com/not-a-good-time-for-lgbt-activists/

Threats Of War Trigger Planning For Asian Disaster Recovery

We safely and comfortably live in our own little bubble until disaster strikes. By then, all our daily routine is put to a halt. The thoughts of school, work, and other life pursuits become insignificant. Whether in your home life or in businesses, it is always imperative to set up a business disaster recovery plan of sorts. You can’t just afford to be careless especially that many nations are at war and even Asia is not spared. The threat of an impending nuclear war remains because North Korea continues to hold its ground and resists being intimidated by many Western nations. And that is not the only issue we have that involves war or conflicts between Asian nations.

Making such preparations is even more important if you own a business, big or small. Ensuring data is backed up, and servers can be recovered is key. There is a lot at stake and you can’t afford to lose a business you have grown from scratch. And considering that we use technology in almost all of the things we do, a disaster business plan similar to what many progressive Western countries have should also be considered by many Asian entrepreneurs because it is better to be safe than sorry, after all.

Megacities, defined as urban areas exceeding 10 million inhabitants, accumulate impressive physical, human and intellectual resources. Experts argue that over time megacities will contribute higher income and living standards for their citizens by increasing economies of scale and reducing production costs.

Independent studies document that today’s 29 megacities are the decisive factor in the world economy. In fact, global gross domestic product (GDP) is much more dependent on the largest megacities than it is on the world’s 200 sovereign nations. In addition to contributing to a significant chunk of their national GDPs, megacities also play important roles as global hubs for finance and commerce.

For Asia, the megacity phenomenon has special importance. This is underlined by a number of facts:

• 16 of today’s 29 megacities are Asia-based
• The world’s three most populous megacities are Tokyo (38 million), Delhi (26 million) and Shanghai (24 million)
• Gigacities—those with more than 50 million people—are expected to emerge in the region in future

For now, megacities have become the cornerstone for development and prosperity. However, their rapid growth also brings a broad range of challenges, which need to be given special considerations.

(Via: http://www.brinknews.com/asia/megacities-in-asia-responding-to-risks-securing-prosperity/)

Moreover, the threat of natural calamities continues to be a constant threat to both individuals and businesses each year aside from armed conflict and terrorist activities. Add to that the dangers of global warming and climate change that has made these natural disasters worse and leave irreparable damage at times aside from claiming countless lives can make you lose your business in a snap.

With cities and communities across the world facing bigger challenges than ever before, emerging digital services are giving governments the tools to address many common problems.

Delivering the keynote at the event today, John Giusti, chief regulatory officer at GSMA (pictured), said: “Rapid urbanisation is putting strain on cities’ infrastructure, pollution, natural disasters, and humanitarian crises need to be better monitored and managed, and a growing population will require access to essential services.”

The digitisation of services and the rise of the IoT – the creation of networks of intelligently connected devices and interoperable services – allows citizens to seamlessly interact with different aspects of their life all over digital channels, he explained.

For a glimpse the impact a digital future will have, he gave a number of examples in Asia Pacific. Local governments in China are using IoT to monitor public buses and use the data collected to deliver more effective and efficient transportation.

(Via: https://www.mobileworldlive.com/asia/asia-news/gsma-outlines-key-steps-to-digital-future/)

You wouldn’t want to start from scratch in the aftermath of a disaster or a nonsense war. Businesses need capital in order to work and you likely spent a great deal of your time, effort, and money in starting your business only to see it ravaged by calamities both natural and man-made because you didn’t have the foresight to prepare for it when you still had the time. While coming up with such a plan isn’t a walk in the park, it should not be ignored either or risk suffering big business losses you’ll be regretting for years.

Computers are now the lifeline of businesses because most transactions have gone digital. The first thing that often suffers when computers are damaged is the hard drive, which happens to be where all your precious data is stored. https://sites.google.com/site/datarecoverychanel/ can help you come up with a disaster recovery plan, so you no longer have to go through the hassles of data recovery, which is the common issue faced by business owners in disaster-prone areas and war-torn nations. Always remember that disaster planning should be a part of your business’s operation procedures and not as a mere afterthought. That’s how you transform a small business into a mighty empire.

The following post Threats Of War Trigger Planning For Asian Disaster Recovery See more on: Keating Economics Blog

source https://www.keatingeconomics.com/threats-of-war-trigger-planning-for-asian-disaster-recovery/

Health Issues Affecting Children

Children are a vulnerable group. They rely on their parents and guardians for support. But their health and well-being suffer as more parents struggle to juggle work, home, and other responsibilities. As a result, kids are left to amuse themselves with their gadgets or watch television to pass time. Most kids also have to deal with the issues they face daily on their own since their parents are often not around to guide them or listen to their stories.

We may take it for granted but neglecting children and not giving them the attention they need can make them more prone to different health issues. Both parent often works to provide for the family, so younger kids are usually left at daycare while older kids are free to do what they want, even engage in vices. Over time, it can lead to health and safety problems or even poor performance at school, worst, mental issues for those who have a hard time coping.

But an Ofsted follow up visit just three months ago said “children and young people are still not consistently receiving good enough services” and a Norfolk MP says he will present the new boss of the department with a dossier of concerns.

Meanwhile, we were also concerned that such a vital department, which clearly needs stability, is now on its fifth head in recent years. We sincerely hope Matt Dunkley, the newly appointed director, can give Norfolk children’s services the direction it needs to improve, and quickly.

(Via: http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/education/norfolk_s_children_s_services_you_can_t_fix_a_problem_if_you_don_t_admit_it_exists_1_4925126)

Moreover, child abuse issues are also on the rise, which is starting to alarm many. Cases of child abuse leave these children scarred for life.

“Every year, thousands of children in Oregon are abused or neglected. Some we know about because we read their tragic stories in our newspapers — and I know I can speak for all Oregonians when I say that any child who suffers abuse or neglect is one child too many,” Kulongoski said that year.

“As part of our collective responsibility to protect Oregon’s children, the state must strengthen our state child protective and youth authority services so that Oregonians have confidence that the children and youth who come into contact with those systems will be safe,” he said.

(Via: http://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/5126903-151/report-child-welfare-agency-struggled-to-fix-problems)

Although rarely talked about, it is perhaps time to talk about children’s mental health because it is a growing threat to the community as suicide rates also keep on growing. Even people in authority who are supposed to offer help and support fail to do that. Hence, children take solace in their loneliness and feel even more depressed and suicidal.

Grace, 16, has been bullied for the past nine years, has moved schools twice, struggled with suicidal thoughts and taken medication for anxiety and depression.

At one point, she says, "there was no-one to turn to in the school and I felt so low I didn't want to go on".

According to research for BBC School Report, half of teenagers with mental wellbeing issues try to cope alone.

And a third said they were not confident enough to speak to a teacher.

At her lowest point, Grace made a "suicide video", which she posted on YouTube.

"I'd get beaten up every week," she says.

"Teachers wouldn't do anything. I even heard the teachers talking about me behind my back."

(Via: http://www.bbc.com/news/education-39267193)

Children all over the world, not just in the United States, experience bullying, harassment, and other forms of abuse that wreaks havoc with their mental health. Parents should step up and establish a warm and open relationship with their children right from the start so their kids grow up to be responsible, confident, and happy children who can take care of themselves in the outside world, even on their own.

Health Issues Affecting Children was originally seen on https://www.keatingeconomics.com/

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