Hit by a surge of heroin abuse during the 1980s, Portugal’s government first reacted with repression that, as everywhere else on the planet, did little to stanch rising drug abuse, crime, and infection. Gradually, a network of medical professionals across the country adopted harm-reduction measures that would provide a striking record of proven success. After two decades of this ad hoc trial, in 2001 Portugal decriminalized the possession of all illegal drugs, replacing incarceration with counseling and producing a sustained drop in HIV and hepatitis infections.
Tag: Change
Our only hope is to stop exploiting the earth—and its people.
via To Those Who Think We Can Reform Our Way Out of the Climate Crisis | The Nation
Under Australia’s two party preferred political system we see alternate parties denigrated by the left and right to keep them suppressed. Two party preferred, not three party preferred is the war cry. We see alternate political parties denigrating the left and right to try to carve their way into a position of political power. From where I stand, political parties are not working for democracy, they are working for themselves and once again, the financial elite. So, it’s time to change the system.
What choices do we have? Where do we turn to establish a democracy for the people by the people? If it’s not political parties, what is it? I think now is the time for a monumental social experiment. We are definitely in the mood and we are well on the way so, let’s keep pushing and flood the parliament with independents. Give independents the balance of power in both houses of parliament and we are in with a chance of knocking off elitist rule and establishing our democratic birth right.
via Feeding the Monster – » The Australian Independent Media Network
Cultural leadership not about replicating the past
But cultural leadership is not just replicating the past — it is about trying to imagine and create something new.
And it’s the scale of what we are missing as a consequence that is so breathtaking.
Yes, it’s the talent, experience, sensibilities and the insights of half the population. It’s also the creation of characters and narratives that fail to resonate with half the audience.
And above all, it’s the chance to turn that map of our identity into something where we can all see something of ourselves, to capture more of the texture and variety of who we are as a people, and how that is changing and being enhanced constantly.
For me, the changes brought about by the advancement of science and technology have been astonishing. As a progressive, I crave change that is worthy and is advantageous for the betterment of society and the world that we inhabit.
I believe that our lives should be subject to constant reflection, otherwise the way forward is locked into the constraints of today’s thoughts.
You cannot change what happens. Particularly when you have no control over it. What you do have control over is the way in which you respond.
Absence of climate and energy policy has left Australia lagging dangerously behind, missing out on investment and facing major electricity disruptions.
Capitalism by its very definition is exploitative. It relies on winners and losers.
Source: The Cancer of Capitalism – » The Australian Independent Media Network
For Vietnam, surrounded by the ever-constant threat of Chinese paternalism, the American war now seems like a historical anomaly.
Absolutely: Men must be part of the solution that ends the violence and discrimination for which their gender is responsible.
Source: Can a privileged white male like me talk about equality and diversity?
Successive weak governments, fearful of change, have failed Australia. Turnbull aims to set a new course by embracing change at home and overseas.
Since the founding of the United States, generations have been inculcated with the belief that capitalism is the only acceptable method of economic organization. Isn’t it time for a radical change of thinking?
Source: Time to imagine: From ‘Disaster Capitalism’ to a system of our own — RT Op-Edge
A monster lives among the Arabs. Its sole purpose is to terrify people from love and sex. No one has seen it, but we’ve all heard it. The monster whispers at t
Source: Love, sex and the burden of shame on the Arab woman: changing the narrative – Your Middle East
Cuba has been shielded by urban development for more than 50 years, largely as a result of a trade embargo imposed by the US.
Most of the capital Havana was built in the first half of the 20th century, and the city’s unspoiled, historic urban character – often described as being frozen in time – is not only beloved by the Cuban people but also closely interlinked with the nation’s identity.
| When you talk to people, … and you ask them, Why are you visiting Havana? The common answer is, I want to see it now. … I want to see the real Havana. … So they share the fear that Havana could be gone and all this magic could be gone. |
But now, Cuba finds itself in uncharted territory.
Al Jazeera’s Nick Clark travels to Havana as the country prepares to normalise relations with the US, encountering a mix of optimism, nervousness and concern about what the impact will be.
He speaks to Miguel Coyula, an urban architect, who is consumed by the question of whether his Havana will survive. Can it handle the potential onslaught of tourists and investments that are lining up? And should everyone who wants to come to Cuba be allowed to?
Coyula discusses the crossroads that Cuba finds itself at – will the country’s rich culture, which includes a tradition of ballet and opera, and its urban identity become something unrecognisable, or will it be preserved through improvement?
He talks about how the embargo acted as an unexpected filter for the kind of tourists who visited over the last five decades and takes us through the streets of Havana to point out how small investments have already started changing the face of the city.
Picture this: Why image is everything for our politicians.
From The Age : Stephanie Peatling,
” Prime Minister Tony Abbott has appointed a new personal photographer:”
News Corp photographer .
