Category Archives: News to use

Useful news for all to advance knowledge of the world and how it works

Sharpshot Nature .Com 02891-tod-010004 Crab-apple Blossom

Crab-apple Blossom
Crab-apple Blossom

2024-05-03 02891-tod-010004 Crab-apple Blossom

NIKON D7100 – ƒ/6.3 1/640 105mm ISO200 – Inver Grove Heights, MN

Source: Sharpshot Nature .Com 02891-tod-010004 Crab-apple Blossom

Forgiveness…by Mágica Mistura – Mágica Mistura

Forgiving is moving forward. It’s not forgetting the offense as if nothing had happened, but it’s being aware that no one is perfect. That we are all on the path of evolution. It’s about forgiving yourself, before directing that feeling towards those who hurt you. It’s giving yourself the chance to start over, clearing your aura of resentment. Because this way, you will actually be benefiting yourself.

✨️Mágica Mistura

Source: Forgiveness…by Mágica Mistura – Mágica Mistura

Saudi women’s rights activist sentenced to 11 years in jail, rights groups say – Stigmatis

Manahel al-Otaibi, a 25-year-old activist, is pictured in Riyadh in September 2019.
Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images

Manahel al-Otaibi, a 29-year-old fitness instructor and women’s rights activist, was sentenced during a “secret hearing” before the kingdom’s Specialized Criminal Court on January 9, 2024, Amnesty International and the London-based Saudi rights organization ALQST said in a joint statement Tuesday.

However, the decision to imprison al-Otaibi only surfaced weeks later, after the Saudi government replied to a request by United Nations Special Rapporteurs for information about the case, the watchdogs say.

Al-Otaibi “stands accused of terrorist offences and was arrested in accordance with the law under a legally valid warrant,” Saudi Arabia’s mission to Geneva said in a letter in January, in response to the UN request.

Amnesty and ALQST allege Al-Otaibi’s charges are related “solely to her choice of clothing and expression of her views online, including calling on social media for an end to Saudi Arabia’s male guardianship system, publishing videos of herself wearing ‘indecent clothes,’ and ‘going to the shops without wearing an abaya’.”

Her sister, Fawzia al-Otaibi, faces similar charges but was able to flee Saudi Arabia after she was summoned for questioning in 2022, they said.

Saudi Arabia’s authorities “must immediately and unconditionally” release Manahel al-Otaibi, as the decision to imprison her “directly contradicts the authorities’ narrative of reform and women’s empowerment,” Amnesty and ALQST said.

“Manahel’s conviction and 11-year sentence is an appalling and cruel injustice,” said Bissan Fakih, Amnesty International’s Campaigner on Saudi Arabia. “With this sentence the Saudi authorities have exposed the hollowness of their much-touted women’s rights reforms in recent years and demonstrated their chilling commitment to silencing peaceful dissent.”

Following her arrest, al-Otaibi was subjected “to physical and psychological abuse” in the Malaz Prison in Riyadh, the groups said. She told her family in April that she was being held in solitary confinement and had a broken leg as a result of physical abuse, Amnesty and ALQST said. CNN is unable to independently verify these claims…

Source: Saudi women’s rights activist sentenced to 11 years in jail, rights groups say – Stigmatis

Nature’s threads: creating clothes from the ground up – Stigmatis News

Mushrooms are an environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic fibres in the textile industry

Researchers are using the web-like structure of the mushroom’s root system – the mycelium – as an alternative to synthetic fibres for clothing and other products such as car seats.

Mogu, located 50 kilometres northwest of Milan, is managing a research initiative that received EU funding to develop nonwoven fabrics made of mycelium fibres for the textile industry.

Called MY-FI, the project runs for four years through October 2024 and brings together companies, research institutes, industry organisations and academic institutions from across Europe.

MY-FI highlights how the EU is pushing for more sustainable production and consumption in the textile and apparel industry, which employs around 1.3 million people in Europe and has annual turnover of €167 billion.

While getting most of its textiles from abroad, the EU produces them in countries including France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Italy accounts for more than 40% of EU apparel production.

Source: Nature’s threads: creating clothes from the ground up – Stigmatis News

Your New Adventure Awaits Anywhere at Any Time, Starting Now! | From Behind the Pen

Image Credit: Lifeisnurul

“Adventure is the bridge between dreams and reality. When we walk across that bridge, we can explore the unknown and uncover hidden wonders. With every step, we move closer to our ambitions, passions, and goals. Adventure gives us the courage to take risks and make bold decisions – decisions that help shape our destiny.” – Unknown

You don’t have to look far to find the inspiration to start a new adventure. All too often, we are glued indoors when there is a whole new world waiting for us to explore if we want to. You don’t need to always save a lot of money to find a meaningful adventure, you can step outside your door and discover new insights about the world right under your nose free of charge. Just get out there! Grab some binoculars, a camera, and a notebook to write about the new experiences you can be a part of that won’t cost you a dime.

Keep your thirst for adventure quenched and hydrated with curiosity!

Source: Your New Adventure Awaits Anywhere at Any Time, Starting Now! | From Behind the Pen

Indigenous communities along Argentina’s Río Chubut mobilize to conserve waterway – Stigmatis News

  • A caravan of Indigenous Mapuche activists recently concluded an 847-km (526-mi) trek down Argentina’s Chubut River, meeting with communities along the way to raise awareness of the issues they face along the shared waterway.
  • From each trawün, or gathering, they determined that Indigenous access to land and water is diminishing, that large-scale projects on their lands are going ahead without their prior informed consent, and that Mapuche communities need a unified stance toward state decisions.
  • Huge swaths of land along the river have been bought up by private interests, including foreign millionaires, cutting off access for the Mapuche to the Chubut that they consider not just a physical resource but a spiritual entity.
  • The Mapuche are also concerned about policy changes under Argentina’s new libertarian administration, which has already kicked off a massive deregulation spree and could lift a ban on open-pit mining in the region. 

Source: Indigenous communities along Argentina’s Río Chubut mobilize to conserve waterway – Stigmatis News