Are you a newsflash nightingale?

There are some of those people who reach for their smartphones as soon as they wake up to see if someone has sent them a message and to see what their news apps have to say for news.

Do you turn to your news apps as soon as you wake up, or do you prefer a leisurely read of the papers over Sunday brunch?

Or are you someone who still wishes to peruse the paper newspaper over breakfast?

Do you feel overwhelmed by news in the digital age, or do you relish the chance to sample a variety of news and features throughout the day?

So much is happening in this world that we cannot follow it all closely. But it is almost impossible to go through all the news sources to get a clear picture of the main issues that should concern us. It is also not possible to have our own news aggregator, though such online platform or software device that collects news stories and other information as that information is published and would organise that information for us in a specific manner, would be very practical.

Gathering news from all over the world is not a cheap business. It would also become too costly to have subscriptions to a multitude of daily and weekly newspapers and magazines.

But do you know, that for those who are curious about what is happening in the world, we provide a news platform so that everyone can freely get an overview of the day’s events. We try to present  some views from all sorts of ‘political’ directions and from different newspapers to give a broad aspect of information that can be compared with the different ideas. The editor in charge of this blog and of Some View on the World, Marcus Ampe, is convinced that one should be able to juxtapose several opinions, thus creating a dialogue but also allowing everyone to form their own opinion.

With Some view on the World, a variety of news reports are presented, with some reports perhaps being reported a little later, because we feel it is necessary to be able to check them for truth each time, so that no false reporting would be sent further into the world through our fault. So do not expect to find regular “Breaking News”, because such news can not always be directly verified. We also do not look to social media to stay up with breaking news, and have a critical and suspicious eye for such social media. You will be able to notice on Some View on the World, that it calls on a whole team of reporters to uncover news events and present them to you.
Furthermore, we will not shy away from putting forward our personal views on certain events. Here we then admit that this will be from a Christian point of view, which we also inform our readers about. Regularly, therefore, we will make room to approach or address some spiritual aspects more deeply.
The difference with our other spiritual or religious websites, like our Ecclesial website, is that on Some View on the World, we are rather more responsive to current events and will further provide responses to church articles that are out there at the time published on other channels and brought forward by other denominations, a.o. shedding light on people their religious life.

We further admit that for news coverage, a choice is made from what touched us during the course of the day as we recorded talking points, watched news broadcasts on television, had conversations, and so on.

We may be of the old breed and therefore not followers of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or Picodash as they are also very time-consuming, this is while we are convinced that instead of engaging with social media, we can use our time more usefully. Because our time is very limited – provided, we experience every day that we lack time.

Instead of continuing to publish on the slow opening Blogspot, “Our World” has been transferred (at the end of 2021) to WordPress so that a person now can easily access the website through Firefox, Google Chrome and Internet Explorer or Edge, hoping that now a faster loading site shall attract more visitors because no one wants a page that takes more than 30 seconds loading.

Whatever your style of gathering news, we hope we can charm you into signing up to follow our news blog Some view on the World.

°°°

To be honest, we are convinced that our work can still be a useful contribution to getting people thinking here and there.

If you also appreciate what we are doing here and on our other websites, it shall always be appreciated by us when you would not mind letting others know about our existence.

Furthermore, you can also always indicate your appreciation of texts and mark them with the “Like” button.

Gossip is free and anyone can create it. There is no talent required other than to have no respect for facts and truth. Quality content is usually more costly because it takes time and expertise to create. A lot of time and energy is invested in publishing our articles here and on our other websites. Both time and expertise however cost money.

To cover our costs, you can also help us move forward. Indeed, financial contributions are also always welcome.
Deposits can be made to the Belgian bank account, for example, BE37 9730 6618 2528, BIC ARSPBE 22

 

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Preceding

1. Do you still look out for your morning or evening paper
2. Lots of news demanding attention
3. Mountains of information, disinformation and breaking away
4. The Age of Disinformation
5. Mass Media’s Deception Causing Division
6. Do Governments and Nations Lie?
7. Seasonal Writing
8. Holiday season and BBC being questioned
9. Holiday time reading time
10. Consequences of our digital environment
11. Facts: Why they matter and how to check them
12. Readers, likes and comments
13. What 2022 brought to us and looking forward to 2023
14. Invitation to the news platform that brings a view of the world

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Additional reading

1. Study Guide: Definition of Journalism
2. Why social media presence matters in journalism
3. The Ever-Evolving Industry of Journalism: its Quest to Survive in a Digital World
4. Traditional News Turns into The Journalism We Know Now
5. The news that travels the fastest and the farthest
6. What do we know about the future of journalism?
7. Mississippi journalists discuss the evolution of daily newspapers
8. Joseph Pulitzer’s Retirement Speech & The Traits of Journalism
9. Newspapers: Dying or Changing
10. Journal for and from bothered citizens
11. Eyes on pages and messages on social media
12. Presenting views from different sources
13. 2022 towards its end
14. Entering the last month of the year 2022
15. Thoughts tinged with triviality
16. To protect our democratic system #1 Danger of fake and malicious social media accounts
17. Gossip and fake news, opposite fact checking and facts presenting
18. Texts, writers, accesibility and willingness
19. Changing screens

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Related

1. Four reasons game dynamics are vital for networked journalism
2. Toward A Free and Accurate Media
3. The economics of news – a critique
4. Google for Media Day: Using the internet for news gathering and storytelling
5. University Newsgathering
6. Networking and newsgathering: Breaking stories via social media.
7. BBC News Moves to Broadcasting House After Dramatic Over Spend
8. Why Twitter is essential for Journalists
9. “Why Journalism?”
10. Newsgathering: The Inside Story
11. Print Publishing: Yesterday’s News?
12. Finding myself with Immersion Journalism
13. Making the News: Behind the Scenes
14. Network News Anchors: Please quit commenting on stories…
15. Press Coverage of DOJ Lacks in Analysis and Objectivity
16. Online newsgathering, Illuminati, Media and Truth
17. Why (basically) unlimited Twitter lists are amazing
18. Free press? The problem with the DOJ’s ‘new’ rules
19. LUTV Reporter Log VI
20. News Gathering.
21. Why amateur corporate newsletters generally fail
22. Mobile Newsgathering and News Consumption
23. Journalism and Politics
24. The Journalist as a Hunter-Gatherer
25. Patch me in
26. 10 News Outlets to Test Drones for Journalism – Bloomberg
27. Journo tips: Newsgathering
28. Winning the Internet
29. The three most effective things to tweet
30. Where News Comes From
31. Supporting Writers & Readers on Giving Tuesday
32. Use your Eyes!
33. When spurious ‘hacking’ claims chill journalism
34. Story Sources
35. The Case for DailyMe
36. Twitter is a taxi (and newspapers are Metro Transit)
37. All About the Buzz
38. New Newsrooms
39. There have been some very interesting initiatives to bring news events in the picture and to inform the public in a serious way > Hash Internship > Back in 2014, two driving factors led to us creating Hash – firstly, Twitter’s lack of a logged-out experience left a vast amount of awesome content inaccessible to a large audience. Secondly, the online news industry had long been an overwhelming and frustrating place – we wanted to create something that would let people catch up on important events quickly. Hash was our answer: aggregating tweets about the day’s most topical stories in a simple, visual way.
40. Follow The Leaders: Mozilla, New York Times And Washington Post Collaborate

Young Christian pastors achieving superstar status through the magic of social media

Now, thanks to the wonders of social media,
many young Christian pastors are achieving superstar status through the magic of Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and the like.
Many of them are using their influence to spread (what they call)  the ‘good news’ of the Gospel
— or at least their particular spin on it.

The Age of Disinformation

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Preceding

Do Governments and Nations Lie?

Facts: Why they matter and how to check them

Consequences of our digital environment

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Additional reading

1. A busy 2017 #3 Fake, gossip and real news
2. To protect our democratic system #1 Danger of fake and malicious social media accounts
3. Here is the truth or the lie
4. Defeating populism in the EU by education of the young people
5. 2019 was #3 a Year of much deceit in the News World
6. Manipulated content on social media
7. Hollowness of democracy
8. Undermining security and democracy via the Internet
9. Safeguarding freedom of expression
10. Gossip and fake news, opposite fact checking and facts presenting
11. Conspiracy theories in plenty-fold
12. Media Literacy

Ava Henseler's blog

In our day and age, information can be accessed from any place or any time. The ability to look up the answers to our greatest questions, see news from around the world, and connect with friends and family from wherever has bestowed on our lives with the gift of connectedness and knowledge. But, it is not always a blessing. The internet can be filled with hate and misinformation. In a jaunting post from The Atlantic, “The Grim Conclusions of the Largest-Ever Study of Fake News”, it was found that in the last 10 years, fake news stories reached and impacted more users on Twitter than true ones. As alarming as this study is, I am not very surprised by the result. From a young age, I have always been taught to question everything I may see online. From fake news stories on instagram to major news sources with…

View original post 301 more words

Nederlandse jongeren willen verandering

Vandaag mogen ongeveer 13 miljoen Nederlanders naar de stembus.  Bouwkundestudente Myrthe Viveen (19) heeft er ‘super veel zin in’ om haar eerste biljet in de stembus te steken.

Bij vrienden en leeftijdsgenoten ziet Viveen veelal sympathie voor GroenLinks en ChristenUnie, maar Forum voor Democratie is zeker geen uitzondering.

‘Middenpartijen hebben de macht al en jongeren willen verandering’,

analyseert ze.

‘Dan ga je voor een uitgesproken partij. Forum-stemmers zie ik niet als vijanden. Mensen zijn meer dan wat ze stemmen. Uiteindelijk willen we allemaal wat het beste is voor Nederland, alleen kunnen de wegen daar naartoe nogal uiteenlopen. Op Instagram ga ik regelmatig de discussie aan met Forum-stemmers. Dan horen we elkaars kant van het verhaal en dat vind ik hartstikke goed. Dat houdt mij scherp, want mijn mening is niet altijd de juiste.’

> Lees verder:

Stemmen voor klimaat en gelijkheid. ‘Jongeren willen verandering. Dan ga je voor een uitgesproken partij’

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Voorgaande

Stemronde in coronatijd voor Nederlanders

2020 a year of having more idols but also more personal problems

The Spring of 2020 brought something new to the world which made everyone and everything coming to a standstill but brought also many to having psychological problems. At first, it seemed incredible to hear certain churches calling for their members to come to church, even when the governments asked people to avoid contact with many. Some pastors dared to go so far as telling people that if they would become infected with Corona that would be because they had not enough faith. Such saying we can only call “criminal”. Several Christian groups, mainly in Holland wanted people to believe that as faithful people would come to the service they would not be harmed because they would do what God expected from them.

Lots of people got in problem with their mind, having become pulled away from their social contacts by the lockdown. Depression, bipolar episodes, and anxiety attacks were hindermost in the running.

Because depression isn’t often discussed in churches, a great deal of misunderstanding has popped up in this year when there were so many more people with a lot of psychological problems, who could not be helped by medical staff.

We want people to believe that the first step is realising what this disorder isn’t:

“It’s not a character defect, a spiritual disorder or an emotional dysfunction. And chief of all, it’s not a choice.”

Also we want Christians to be aware that it is not, like some Trinitarian preachers wanted their flock to believe

a penalty from God.

When you do not feel well in your skin it is not that God would be punishing you because you would have done something wrong or that you would not have enough faith in Him.

We also must be aware that just because someone seems “happy,” that doesn’t mean they’re healthy or that they really would be happy. Look at the very popular Flemish influencer. Social media seemed to take more people in its ban this year. The advertising flow is drying up, so professional users of social media tell more about their concerns and they seemed for many to provide some good information. After the death of that 21 year old boy more than ever, several influencers came to understand their role in the youthgroups and to realise that good mental health is important.

This way NokNok wants to teach young people that it is normal to not always feel perfect. Staff member Eline De Decker:

“Nobody walks on clouds every day. Sometimes you get up and immediately feel that it is going to be a terrible day. Sometimes you doubt yourself or feel insecure. Or are you stressed or disappointed with friends or family. That is normal.
And that’s all okay. ”

NokNok wants to convey that message clearly and shows young people between the ages of 12 and 16 what they can do to gain more self-confidence, have less stress and go through life as positivo.

Instagram has been around for ten years, and what the app has perhaps achieved best during that period is creating the illusion that users can “work independently” via the platform. Certainly influencers, people who live off sponsored photos on their Instagram profile, are an example of this bogus self-employment.
They live off Instagram, but much more for Instagram – they tweak their entire lives to create the best photos and videos. And once their Instagram goes down, they have nothing to fall back on.

With the rise of social media, the phenomenon of fanship has changed drastically. About ten or twenty years ago, an idol was someone you idolized by hanging posters on the wall, playing CDs, maybe watching movies or TV shows. The relationship fan-
Idol was pretty one-sided: the fan was occasionally thrown a treat – a new song, a TV appearance, a message about a wedding in a gossip magazine – and he or she had to settle for that.

But with digitization, the relationship between fans and idols has turned inside out,
British sociology professor Ellis Cashmore writes in his book Kardashian Kulture, in which he examines how celebrity culture has changed in the 21st century. No longer are fans from outside looking at the world in which their idol lives – they are right in the thick of it.

Certain churches used those idols also in church and wanted to attire people to their meetings by using a lot of music and disco settings. In 2020 we saw a continuation of the pulpits shrinking and even disappearing while bands and lighting have grown. But faith does not come from music, dynamic experiences, or supposed encounters with God. Faith is birthed through the proclamation of God’s Word (Rom 10:17).

Our assurance is threatened.
Whilst certain churches kept calling their flock to the church building, others tried to bring entertaining video presentations. All that attention or focussing on those idols and entertainement made many youngsters feeling even more alone, when there was no such church meeting any more. If we associate God’s presence with a particular experience or emotion, you can ask what happens when we no longer feel it.

We search for churches whose praise band, orchestra, or pipe organ produce in us the feelings we are chasing. But the reality of God in our lives depends on the mediation of Christ not on subjective experiences.

Musicians are given priestly status.
When music is seen as a means to encounter God, worship leaders and musicians are vested with a priestly role. They become the ones who bring us into the presence of God rather than Jesus Christ who alone has already fulfilled that role. Understandably, when a worship leader or band doesn’t help me experience God they have failed and must be replaced. On the other hand, when we believe that they have successfully moved us into God’s presence they will attain in our minds a status that is far too high for their own good.

Division is increased.
If we identify a feeling as an encounter with God, and only a particular kind of music produces that feeling, then we will insist that same music be played regularly in our church or gatherings. As long as everyone else shares our taste then there is no problem. But if others depend upon a different kind of music to produce the feeling that is important to them then division is cultivated. And because we routinely classify particular feelings as encounters with God our demands for what produce those feelings become very rigid. This is why so many churches succumb to offering multiple styles of worship services. By doing so, they unwittingly sanction division and self-centeredness among the people of God.

Scripture is full of exhortations to God’s people to sing and make music to Him. Our God has been gracious to give us this means to worship Him. But it is important to understand that music in our worship is for two specific purposes: to honour God and to edify our fellow believers. Unfortunately, many Christians tend to grant music a sacramental power which Scripture never bestows upon it.

Intense relationship
Those churches who by the years focused more on the show element of their services brought their members now in a situation where the lockdown is felt more as a restriction and limitation. Some even came to find that they could not serve God any more or did not give Him the full worship they had to offer Him. The fact they felt they could not serve their God any more made them feeling very bad. Instead of making them to understand they also could worship God in their own house in their own small bubble, some churches gave them even more a feeling of guilt by keeping to tell them they should not stop coming to the church building.

Against the lonely feeling they said what’s needed was the gathering and coming to feast again for God. But what is really needed is a loving community where people are encouraged to speak up and get help. And that speaking can be done by internet meetings and help can be giving by phone calls as well as by sending material by land mail.

People should know that when fear comes into their heart, they themselves can call to God. They not only should trust on the entertaining sessions of their church.

God Loves You

The fundamental message of the Gospel is that God loves you.
Do you understand?
God loves you. No matter who you are, no matter what you’ve done or where you’ve been, God will always love you. Dr. Kenneth Hutcherson describes it like this,

“No matter what kind of situation you may find yourself facing, don’t be afraid, because God will always be with you and have your best interests in mind since He loves you.  Whenever feelings of fear creep into your life, turn to God for the help you need to overcome them and successfully navigate your circumstances.  Whenever you sense God calling you to do something that requires taking a risk, move forward without fear because God will empower you to do whatever He calls you to do.”

It’s Alright to Feel Sad

No one likes to feel sad. We frequently try to avoid feelings of pain, or bury them under the weight of our daily routines. But sorrow cannot and should not be ignored. Accepting our sorrow doesn’t mean we’re weak, or a failure, it means we’re human. Just look what Ethan McCarthy of Christianity Today had to say,

“Our faith is predicated on sadness. As we grow in Christ’s service, we begin to recognize ourselves in Christ’s sad gaze in the icons. The sadness of Jesus exemplifies the sadness of Christians everywhere, and through it the whole world is redeemed. For the sadness of Jesus is not an ultimate sadness: the Bible also promises the end of sadness, and the wiping away of all tears: ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted’ (Matt. 5:4).”

After bad times better times

2020 may not have been an ideal year, but we should know there have been lots more worse years in the past. When looking at those horrible years of illnesses, pains, horrible situations and wars, we should see that we did not have it as bad as some want us to believe.

Hope is a frail thing, but it’s hard to kill. If you’ve found yourself struggling in the valleys of life, please don’t give up. Surround yourself with friends who will comfort you and mourn with you. If you’re suffering from depression, have courage and make an appointment with a doctor. Above all, remember that God loves you, and that will never change.

2020 has been a year where a lot more people had psychological difficulties. The helplines got a lot more calls. Lots of people were struggling with depression.  More than 1 in 5 youngsters this year had difficulties with the isolation brought unto them. Christians should see signs and then should come to help.

Every suicide is a tragic end to a life that’s precious to God. If you’re willing, God can empower you to help save the lives of people he loves from ending their lives before they’ve completed the lifetimes he intends for them. Here’s how you can help prevent suicide by reaching out to struggling people you know:

Recognize warning signs.

The American Association of Suicidology says that people who are at risk of committing suicide often display warning signs such as: communicating a desire to kill themselves, looking for ways to kill themselves (like seeking access to guns or medications), expressing a lack of purpose or hope in life, demonstrating dramatic mood changes, behaving in significantly anxious or angry ways, sleeping too much or not sleeping enough, feeling trapped in a challenging situation, taking reckless risks, abusing alcohol or drugs, and withdrawing from relationships with family and friends.

Listen well and offer unconditional love, like God does.

Pay attention to the troubling thoughts and feelings that people share with you. Listen carefully to what they express, and ask them questions to clarify and seek more information. If suicidal people know that you’re genuinely interested in them and that they can trust you not to judge them, gossip about them, or avoid them when they tell you something disturbing, they’ll likely open up to you. Ask God to help you love suicidal people unconditionally – like He does – and that will give them hope they desperately need while struggling with embarrassment and shame.

Pray specifically.

Let people know that they can count on you to pray for them about every specific issue they’ve shared with you. Ask God to bring them the help and healing they need, and pray in Jesus’ name against any form of evil that may be attacking them spiritually.

Give people a fresh perspective on themselves and their problems.

Suicidal people often become so preoccupied with their own failures and the problems in their lives that they blow them out of proportion. When that happens, they feel overwhelmed and can’t see how they can ever find solutions to their problems or find relief from their suffering. Mistakenly thinking that there’s no hope for them to experience better lives, they then may choose to simply end their lives. If someone tells you that she hates herself or feels like a burden on others, you can encourage her by pointing out specific ways she has enriched your life. When someone you know is distraught about a problem that seems insurmountable, you can gently and respectfully point out other aspects of her life that are positive to help her gain a better perspective. Refrain from giving unsolicited advice, which can seem judgmental to someone who is struggling. But remind your friend that there’s plenty of good in her, and in her life, despite the bad aspects that trouble her. You can also point out that every problem – no matter how severe – is temporary, but suicide is permanent. Encourage suicidal people to give themselves time to see how their problems can resolve in unexpected ways, rather than prematurely ending their lives.

Strong churches don’t “fix” depression.

Even large churches may not have the framework currently in place to deal with mental disorders. So, what’s needed?

“Healing comes from a prayerful, loving community that seeks to truly understand major depressive disorder and related conditions, and one that develops a positive response.”

Depression can feel like a huge weight that keeps pulling a Christian down again and again. Breaking free from the clutches of this disorder may seem impossible, but Margaret Ashmore (of the Association of Biblical Counselors) says that one of the most important things a sufferer can do is “the next thing”:

“So ‘doing the next thing’ might mean getting right with someone you’ve wronged, making restitution on outstanding payments, putting away once for all that website or magazine which feeds a monstrous, lustful appetite, taking back a purchase of self indulgence whose only outcome was more debt – you will have your own list. I certainly have mine. But be assured, this principle alone can take you from a shrugging Atlas with the weight of the world on your shoulders to that of renewed vigor and reviving refreshment….”

“The choices we make to obey despite our feelings or to give in to the downward pull of a fallen world filled with fallen people – mean everything.”

If you suffer from anxiety of depression, you’re not alone.

The one true source of freedom: Jesus.

People who kill themselves are trying to break free from their pain. But suicide just makes people dead, not free, and it actually causes more pain by spreading grief around to deceased people’s loved ones. Tell struggling people you know that while suicide can’t make them free, Jesus Christ can. Jesus is the way to God. He is the mediator between God and man, and having been here on earth as a man of flesh and blood, he very well knows the pains man can have to face.

No matter how difficult, certain things may look for us, when we pray to God we may find solutions to get over those difficult situations.

 

(With parts of articles by a.o. Todd Pruitt, John UpChurch, Ryan Duncan, Whitney Hopler of Crosswalk.com)

 

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2. #52 The pain of a world changed for ever
3. Distress
4. Level Up your Street Style Quotient
5. Distress Signals: Special Servicers Are Keeping Busy as 2020 Draws to a Close
6. Verse Of The Day – Psalm 18:6
7. Help me
8. Shame: Let me reflect some on this epic emotion
9. A quarter of all young Americans seriously consider suicide!
10. Jesus Set Me Free
11. Does “Time Heals All Wounds”?
12. God’s plan > My plans
13. Reflecting on a Decade
14. Encounter To Faith: Part I
15. Encounter To Faith: Part II
16. Then Jesus Danced for Me!
17. The Encounter with God
18. Encounters with God: Job 35 – Psalms 25
19. Refined By Fire~Blessed Assurance
20. The LORD, Sarah and Abraham: A study in Encounter.
21. God is immeasurable
22. Ultimate Happiness
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Mens of Consumens: Wat is tegenwoordig nog sociaal?

Wie kan er de verantwoordelijkheid dragen voor het asociaal gedrag van velen van vandaag? Is de hele samenleving daar verantwoordelijk voor, waarbij men nu de weerslag vindt van de kinderjuffen en leerkrachten die de laatste twintig jaar geen opmerkingen meer mochten maken naar de kinderen of hen niet meer mochten berispen als die kinderen iets fout deden?

Summer Daze

As a a twenty-something living in Metro-Detroit the Communication major/Broadcasting minor from Oakland University and a pretty big PR nerd, Briana Carlesimo from Bri Car, who enjoys travelling, taking/making lots of videos, listening to any and all types of music, and all social media, let us dream away on the sun-rays of Summer and on the sweet smell of cut grass.

When summertime and warm weather approach she wants to look at a few ways to spice up summer outfits and on Pinterest shows that she loves fashion. {Fashion Friday — The Classic Button Up}

She also seems to be in love with Instagram‘s Rocksbox willing to spend $19 a month to receive a little box filled with 3 pieces of so called ‘designer jewelry’ for what we would call fantasy jewels. Fact is some handy guys may have the customer to they could be worth somewhere around $200.

We wonder what really happens when a person has used or kept  them for several weeks/months if they really would send you a new box for not more money! {Fashion-Friday Rocksbox} (Perhaps she tells us about her experiences)

She does not know if it is because it’s summer or what, her feeling like some really great music has been coming out lately. {Music Monday Summer-vibes}

For sure she shall have to go into a ‘hot Summer” having to see all the troubles going on in both camps of the Republicans and Democrats or Left vs. Right or “I’m right, you’re wrong”. Though she loves when people are passionate about what they believe – that’s great – but if their passion takes them to the point of blindness to anybody else’s opinion other than theirr own, that’s where she has a problem. {Freedom}

She thinks

The point of having political parties in the United States was to give different people the opportunity to speak out and join others with the same beliefs. It’s quite an amazing opportunity to give to citizens – the right and freedom to choose what to say without any penalty for it. We were given a chance to join like-minded people, but it is not a death sentence to be all-or-nothing within a certain party.

So why, then, are we arguing with other people who have different opinions than us? Why are we getting into physical fights just because somebody else wants to speak or hold a rally or give their thoughts to a larger audience? Why does nobody know the meaning of “peaceful protest” anymore? We have some of the bravest men and women fighting every day to help us keep our freedom, and meanwhile, we’re back home fighting each other and taking that freedom away. {Freedom}

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This summertime also find some moments to put all that political debate away and enjoy the way your skin feels in the morning when that first ray of sunshine lands across your arm and the warmth of the world engulfs your entire being.

The idea that the summer time is a time for happiness and adventures and explorations all because the bright sky and the colorful land blend together into a painting unlike any other season.

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Preceding articles

Library of Love

How the Story Ends

2016 Summer holiday

Holiday time reading time

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Bri Car

There’s something so incredible about these hot, summer days.

Being able to feel the heat and the sun radiating off of the objects around you.

Or the way your skin feels in the morning when that first ray of sunshine lands across your arm and the warmth of the world engulfs your entire being.

How sweetly the smell of freshly cut grass and the sound of birds chirping come together to create a feeling that every day presents a new opportunity to shine as brightly as the sun does.

The idea that the summer time is a time for happiness and adventures and explorations all because the bright sky and the colorful land blend together into a painting unlike any other season.

Or the appreciation of knowing these days may be rough but that they’re the worst of the best, and even then, we still know we’d rather be breathing in these moments…

View original post 55 more words

The Culture of Excesses- Losing Humanity

Our society has put its eyes on material things and some like to find a good excuse to receive some more. The heathen festival at the end of the year, having received its misleading name Christmas, is full of pagan symbols and the majority of people who celebrate it with the excuse as the remembrance of the birth of Christ, which was in 4BCE, October 17, do not really have many remembrance elements for this Messiah, who gave his life for mankind.

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To remember

many things which I do not want

people just cannot get enough of what they have + want more > current culture of Consumerism = people know price of everything but value of nothing

‘citizens’ = equal partners in downward spiral of humanity

first citizens on earth + then consumers in traditional concept of market driven society.

race to own multiple profiles on various networking sites = most senseless thing that people of our generation especially youth are attracted to do

a person’s stature = judged by number of followers or friends s/he has on networking site

media both print + electronic = trashed ethical principle of ‘informing’ people of what’s happening around => become producer of news which has to be fed to consumers in typical market terminology

media = competing with ordinary citizens to get most likes + shares on social media => information at the heart of good governance = ignored

media has turned into retailers selling products in the guise of news through common people who are acting as sales and marketing agents

culture of excesses and consumerism = current culture of seeking materialistic pleasures or satisfaction<= tendency to attribute happiness to external materialistic sources

wild chase of things we do not want but yet seek created emptiness in our souls => to fill such emptiness = if we buy something new, maybe we will feel good = cognitive process based on a hollow logic = creates a cycle

feeling sad > purchase > repress our need to feel complete temporarily => not sustainable => coped up with another purchase

new purchase brings temporary satisfaction = makes us believe that what we need a constant dose of newer stuff in order to feel happy => begin journey of seeking happiness from external sources.

forgotten > key to happiness lies within ourselves

not even connected to ourselves  > understanding of self has degraded to superficial concepts such as looks, outwards personality

animalistic concepts of existence of God or supernatural power + focus on finding a divine connection which can flush out the negativity from our minds and instil only positive thoughts => connection can only be established with nature or higher self

first of all humans + then customers or consumers or whatever terminology one wants to ascribe to us = meant to act as cohesive unit since humanity demands us to live for each other = as long as we are secure within ourselves + this security provides us with confidence to be useful to others.

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Preceding articles

Learning that stuff is just stuff

Material wealth, Submission and Heaven on earth

Material gain to honour God

How to Find the Meaning of Life and Reach a State of Peace

Stop and Think

One can buy a lot in the supermarket, but not hope

Looking for the consummation of presents

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Further reading

1. Psychic Weather Week of December 14, 2015
2. What You Need to Know
3. Daily Devotional: “Half-Baked Prayers”

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MohnishBagree's Blog

How many things are there which I do not want, was once said by Socrates. But it seems that people just cannot get enough of what they have and want more. As the current culture of Consumerism perfectly justifies what Oscar Wilde mentioned, today people know the price of everything but the value of nothing. It would be wrong to blame the producers alone for the consumerist culture that we are leaving in. The ‘citizens’ are equal partners in this downward spiral of humanity. Why is it a downward spiral will be unfolded subsequently but for now let us focus on what has this consumerist tendency been doing and how. In addition to this, it is important to understand that we are first citizens on earth and then consumers in traditional concept of market driven society.

When will the charm of a new phone end? When will we be satisfied…

View original post 1,347 more words

Het gevaar om niets te doen tegen de oorzaak en de kwaal

Al veel te lang hebben bepaalde groepen zich stil gehouden. Aan één kant de politici aan de ander kant de geloofsgroepen die zich volgeling van de profeet Mohammed noemen. Die Mohammedanen hebben stilzwijgend toegezien hoe bepaalde groepen in het Midden Oosten en in Afrika hun godsdienst in een kwaad daglicht stelden.

Adam Benjamin schrijft de Nederlandse regering hierover aan op in een Open brief aan het Kabinet en leidinggevend Nederland.

Hij kaart terecht het stilzwijgen van de regering aan omtrent vroegere aanslagen in de eigen contreien tegen Moslims en vraagt zich af waar  minister Ascher was om keiharde actie tegen discriminatie en uitsluiting op de arbeidsmarkt aan te kondigen?

Eveneens stelt hij vragen bij discriminatie en racial profiling bij de politie waar minister der Steur stil bleef of waar minister Hennis het leger en de marechaussee niet aanpakte.

Ook mogen wij de Nederlandse, Belgische en Franse regering niet vergeten die het nalieten om zich te roeren met de ongelijkheden die plaatsvonden in het Midden Oosten.

Waar was minister Koenders om keiharde actie tegen het racistische apartheidsregime in Israël aan te kondigen?

Alsook kan men vragen stellen bij de houding van onze regeringen bij een niet op gang gerakende afbouw van actieve oorlogsvoering.

Waar was minister Blok om keiharde actie tegen ghettovorming en afzondering aan te kondigen?

stelt Adam Benjamin. Tevens ons herinnerend dat zulk een gettovorming zich in meerdere Nederlandse, Belgische en Franse steden zich heeft voorgedaan doordat die mensen van vreemde origine geweigerd werden door de autochtone bevolking. Zelfs de kinderen van de allochtonen bleven aanschouwd worden als vreemdelingen, namelijk als Marokanen of Turken. Juist door die ontwijking van die mensen kon radicalisering in die groepen zich voordoen. Want zij konden zich nergens thuis voelen en nu was ar e een organisatie gekomen die hen wilde erkennen voor wat zij waren en zich bereid stelde om hen op te nemen als gelijke broeders en zusters.

Terecht mag dan ook de vraag gesteld worden waar Hans de Boer was om keiharde actie tegen de uitsluiting van Nederlanders uit minderheidsgroeperingen aan te kondigen?

U was allen stil. Niet slechts een minuut. Meer dan een week inmiddels.

Na de aanslagen in Parijs (ik sla die van Beiroet een dag eerder gemakshalve even over) is er behoorlijk wat discussie ontstaan. Roomblanke Nederlanders riepen op facebook op om moslims te vermoorden en twitter liep over van Wilders citerende bezorgdeburgers, die hun Korankennis uit Fitna gebruiken om te bewijzen dat iedere moslim een terrorist is. Discussie was niet altijd voldoende een uitlaatklep, getuige de vele foto’s op Facebook en Instagram van doodsverwensingen aan het adres van moslims die op lokale muren waren gekalkt door minder kunstzinnige landgenoten. Andere vormen van vernieling naar aanleiding van de aanslagen waren bekladding of verbranding van diverse moskeeën. {Open brief aan het Kabinet en leidinggevend Nederland}

Natuurlijk konden na de aanslagen van Parijs in januari en nu midden november de ministers, staatssecretarissen, directeuren en managers, zich niet meer stil houden alhoewel zij toch nog steeds onvoldoende krachtdadig optraden tegen diegenen die onze maatschappij trachten te destabiliseren door alle Moslims over één kam te scheren

Burgemeesters van Amsterdam (Job Cohen links) en Rotterdam (Ahmed Aboutaleb rechts). (Foto credit: Wikipedia)

Toegegeven, premier Rutte liet in enkele interviews wel horen dat het oorlog is, dat deze aanslag een aanslag op onze democratie en onze wijze van leven was, maar dat werd al snel overschreeuwd door Ahmed Aboutaleb die om in gesprek te kunnen blijven met Leefbaar Rotterdam steeds rechtsere taal begint uit te slaan. Veel verder dan veroordelen van het gebeurde en betuigen van medeleven en organiseren van minuten stilte bent u allen niet gekomen. Dat is triest! Ons land, onze samenleving, geleid door personen die zwijgen als Wilders op Twitter zijn gelijk opeist, om sluiting van de grenzen roept en en passent vluchtelingen, moslims en terroristen over dezelfde kam scheert. {Open brief aan het Kabinet en leidinggevend Nederland}

Men zou verwacht hebben dat na de radicaal islamitische aanslagen in Parijs de Europese Unie de strijd tegen het terrorisme werkelijk zou opvoeren, zoals ze beloofd hadden. Maar al snel na de storm kwam weer de stilte en werd nogmaals de soep niet zo gegeten als ze heet was.

De strengere controles aan Europese grenzen om terroristen te onderscheppen bleken met de recente aanvallen precies een maat voor niets geweest te zijn. Er werd de schijn gegeven radicalisering van moslims te willen tegen te houden en te kunnen verminderen. Wel zag men dat men meer angst begon in te boezemen voor diegenen die wensten terug te keren van het Syrisch oorlogsgeweld.

Aan de wantoestanden van de vluchtelingen en aan het stopzetten van de reden om te gaan vluchten werd omzeggens niets gedaan. Het wapentransport, de mensenhandel (illegalen) en drugs en waardegoederen konden lekker gezellig bepaalde groepen veel geld opbrengen terwijl dezen niets inzaten met de penibele omstandigheden waarin bepaalde mensen geraakten of zelfs het leven gaven.

De EU buitengrenzen zo lek als een mandje gaf duidelijk te kennen dat er hier met visnetten werd gevist met enorme grote gaten en dat de mafiabazen niet te veel zorgen moesten maken hun goed renderend zaakje te moeten verliezen. Al de wapenfabrieken in Europa konden er ook op rekenen dat zij verder hun goederen konden leveren aan partijen die tegenover elkaar stonden. “Zo lang zij elkaar daar maar uitmoorden” moeten ze hier maar denken, kan het geen kwaad.

Alsmaar liet men een grote groep anderen bang maken voor een ‘Groot Gevaar’ dat op Europa zou afkomen. Vroeger kon men het Communistische gevaar voorschotelen, daarna het Gele Gevaar, maar nu had men nog iets beters gevonden in het Moslim Gevaar. Ook al is een heel part van de bevolking helemaal niet meer gelovig wil men ze met die angst voor een overheersend geloof toch nog bang maken.

Dat jihad eigenlijk iets sacraal is en niet bepaald een grijpbaar geweld omvat maar gaat over spirituele inspanningen voor de Allerhoogste, Allah, de Elohim Hashem Jehovah, worden zoals men de mensen bang maakte in de jaren 60 van vorige eeuw voor die Jehovah wordt nu die Allah Zijn volk als gevaar aanzien.

De slechte co-notatie die er gekomen is, is een gevolg van fundamentalistische groeperingen die zich eerst tegen Joden verzetten maar dan algemeen te keer gingen tegen diegenen die zij ongelovig beschouwen. Die fundamentalisten hebben het zelfs zo ver gedreven dat zij de wereld willen doen geloven dat zij als verkozenen van Allah, het recht en de plicht hebben om een Islamitische Staat te vormen.

De heimatlozen van hier kunnen in het aanbod van een eigen staat wel iets zien en zijn zo een makkelijke prooi voor ‘het goede doel’.

Een Rotterdammer in Calabrië schrijft:

Jonge gelovigen, en zeker jong bekeerde gelovigen of hen die het geloof van hun ouders herontdekken, lopen vrij eenvoudig het risico om te radicaliseren. Mijn oude geschiedenisleraar zei het al: bekeerlingen zijn altijd vurig. De priesteropleidingen van de katholieke kerk kennen het fenomeen en weten hoe ze ermee om moeten gaan omdat ze de religieuze manier van denken door en door kennen. Hulp aan radicaliserende gelovigen moet dan ook in de eerste plaats uit de geloofsgemeenschap komen. {Islamofobie is contraproduktief}

Zij die steeds verwijten krijgen dat zij niet deugen en dat zij moeten oprotten, worden als wilde beesten in een hoek geduwd en dan staat men verwonderd te kijken als deze agressief uit die hoek komen. Velen van hen worden in het geboorteland van hun ouders als vreemdelingen aanzien, maar hier ook. Hier zijn zij geboren en zouden hun eigen land moeten kunnen vinden. Maar dat wordt hen niet gegund. En nu is er die groep die alsmaar groter en sterker lijkt te worden die hen een land van melk en honing wil aanbieden waar mensen volgens de juiste waarden en normen zouden leven.

Van de politici krijgen die jongeren die op zoek zijn naar hun eigenheid en erkenning nauwelijks iets te horen, zodat bij hen het beeld kan ontstaan dat heel de natie tegen hen is.

Net als die juf op de basisschool die hem ingeprent heeft dat het toch niets met hem wordt. Net als die mentor op de middelbare school die hem heeft ingeprent dat zijn soort niet deugt. Net als Wilders die zegt dat voor hem een uitkering of de misdaad de enige vooruitzichten zijn. Alom aanwezige koude uitsluiting. Men moet Mohammed niet. {Open brief aan het Kabinet en leidinggevend Nederland}

Ondertussen blijvend media maar al te graag de Moslims in een slecht dag licht stellen en focussen zich ook op die jongeren die als een last voor onze samenleving onze voorsteden onveilig zouden maken. De negatieve spiraal raast maar door.

Dagelijks horen we het NOS journaal melden wat (zelfbenoemde) moslims nu weer hebben uitgevreten. Horen we RTL nieuws vragen hoe te voorkomen is dat terroristen in de vluchtelingenstroom Europa binnenkomen. Dagelijks horen we nieuwe generalisaties over moslims, terroristen, moordenaars en vluchtelingen. En u allen, u bent stil. Martin Luther King zei ooit:
’uiteindelijk zullen wij niet de woorden van onze vijanden herinneren, maar de stilte van onze vrienden.’
En uw stilte is oorverdovend. {Open brief aan het Kabinet en leidinggevend Nederland}

Zal men pas iets gaan doen als het kalf half verdronken is?

Adam Benjamin besluit

Wanneer gaat u nu eens iets doen? Of gaan we gewoon door met oorlogshandelingen, privacy inperkingen, ondersteuning van fascistische apartheid in het Midden Oosten en wegkijken bij discriminatie en onrecht? Er is werk aan de winkel! Deze periode zal waarschijnlijk als de 3e wereldoorlog in de geschiedenisboeken verschijnen. Het is van u afhankelijk hoe lang deze periode gaat duren!

Hopelijk vindt u het niet erg dat ik deze brief niet met mijn eigen naam onderteken. Ik wil mijn mailbox en mijn gemoedsrust de bedreigingen en scheldkannonades besparen. Vrijheid van meningsuiting is in Nederland gedevalueerd tot een grondrecht dat alleen aan de witte man is voorbehouden en helaas blijkt fatsoen tegelijk met Pim Fortuin vermoord te zijn… {Open brief aan het Kabinet en leidinggevend Nederland}

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Voorgaand

Waarom doen we niets aan de oorzaak?

Echte vooruitgang laat niemand achter

Dit kan gewoon echt niet meer

Fatsoensnormen Online

Onder­scheid maken – een repliek op Ayaan Hirsi Ali

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Lees ook

1. Motie over Godsdienstvrijheid
2. Noodzaak om geweld tegen moslims ook in kaart te brengen
3. Pakistaanse schoolhandboeken voeden op tot Discriminatie
4. Nieuwkomers, nieuwelingen, immigranten, allochtonen en import

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Verder aanvullend om te lezen

1. Brussel ‘belooft’ de buitengrenzen beter te controleren… En ze willen ‘registreren’ (alweer datzelfde woord).
2. Islamofobie is contraproduktief
3. Valt de radicalisering van Israël nog te stoppen?
4. Presentatie “Extremisme in het Midden Oosten”
5. Islam eng of niet?
6. Leugens (FB column voorjaar 2015)
7. VS en EU graven eigen graf
8. Irak en ISIS: houdt Obama stand?
9. Er komen weer banen bij en ik weet waar !

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Who’s to blame?

Veel mensen denken dat zij op hun eigen kunnen leven. Maar indien wij ze op een onbewoond eiland zouden zetten zonder enige vorm van contact met de buitenwereld zouden zij zeer vlug ander kraaien.

Studies bewijzen dat sociale media niet de vriendschappen bevorderen, maar eerder meer eenzaamheid veroorzaken en zelfs sommige mensen kan doen verstrikken in hun isolatie en hun veel te hoge verwachtingen van hun zelf door het verkeerde beeld dat zij hebben opgevangen door de ‘valse’ voorstellingen op Facebook e.a. door hun zogenaamde ‘vrienden’.

Velen willen ook niet dat anderen terechtwijzen of een commentaar geven die negatief kan geïnterpreteerd worden ook al is het ene opbouwende kritiek en willen anderen helpen.

Wij moeten terug groeien naar een wereld waar er zoals het vroeger was, een duidelijk verschil is tussen een kameraad, (klas of werk) makker, kennis, vriend, intieme vriend of vriendin, waarbij eenieder elkaar respecteert voor hoe de persoon in werkelijkheid is.

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Te herinneren:

• individualisering van de samenleving
• oorzaak individualisering > feit dat mensen zich vooral op hun eigen leven richten > welvaart
• kunnen onszelf redden
• kunnen in welvaart leven zonder hulp van anderen
• andere behoeften
• meer richten op zelfontplooiing.
• Lekker je eigen ding doen; een talent benutten, studeren, jezelf ontwikkelen.
• Facebook en Instagram
• Je bezighouden … met de ander alleen wanneer je er zelf zin in hebt

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Vindt aanvullend:

1. Leeg en alleen
2. Welke eenzaamheid is meer eenzaam dan wantrouwen?
3. Waarom sterren zoeken?
4. Vader tegenhanger van de moeder
5. Bepaal de aandrijving
6. God is positief

Pudú & Feather

Je hoort waarschijnlijk al vaak genoeg over de individualisering van de samenleving. Toch wil ik in deze post nog een keer dit onderwerp behandelen. (Ik zal de cliché’s proberen te vermijden.)

Who’s to blame?
Wat is de oorzaak van de individualisering; het feit dat mensen zich voorql op hun eigen leven richten?
Allereerst speelt welvaart hier een grote rol in. We kunnen onszelf redden. Niet alleen de mannen, maar ook de vrouwen kunnen in welvaart leven zonder hulp van anderen (*applausje voor emancipatie*).
Welvaart zorgt ervoor dat je andere behoeften krijgt. Eten en drinken heb je toch al, dus kun je je meer richten op zelfontplooiing. Lekker je eigen ding doen; een talent benutten, studeren, jezelf ontwikkelen.
Ook social media wordt vaak genoemd als een oorzaak van individualisering. Mensen zoeken elkaar weer op; oude vrienden, verre familieleden en al die anderen die je toevoegt op Facebook en Instagram. Je legt contact…

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