#17 Weekend reads – hope one week, madness the next

It was to be expected. A week highlighting a parallel universe in the United States, and of course, I’m talking about the Republican National Convention. I couldn’t watch it. That frenzied way of speaking and complete repositioning of reality from what is plainly right in front of our faces… well it all just felt a bit mad.

But people believe it, so many people believe it. Insert hand-smacking-own-face emoji…. This widely shared image summed the week up for me.

As most of my family are in and around Melbourne, I’ve been keeping an eye on things over there. The QAnon conspiracy believing crowd seem to have a massive voice, but if you look at the stats my sister, Phillipa, shared this week, you’ll realize they are not the majority. I wish the media would stop giving them so much real estate!!

But it is another reason that I ask everyone who is good, kind and decent, to raise your voice. Speak up for what you believe in. Share your truth. Don’t leave the social media platforms to be dominated by this small demographic. They have an outsized presence on social media, because too many of us are holding back.

If we want to change the global tone of the conversation from ugliness to hope, that is how we do it. We show up, stand up, speak up. It’s the only way we can get our world reunited and hopefully, we can build together out the other side of this crisis.

Charity

Have you made any donations this week? Helping out where you can? Please consider these two worthy organizations. The UN Refugee Program and World Food Program. In fact, donate to the World Food Program through this unique link. It’s the charity being supported for the Asia Professional Speakers Convention 2020. Check out Convention to. It’s going to be amazing.

Friends content

Ace your Annual Performance Review – if you have a performance review coming up, definitely recommend this article, by my friend Andrew Bryant. Great insights and tips.

Looking for a new podcast? I can definitely recommend Kerrie Phipp’s podcast Connect with Confidence. Kerrie has an ability to really draw amazing conversations out of people. I loved doing mine with her.

Congrats to Stephanie and Jan on their wedding!! Looking forward to the celebrations in person – Life During Covid: I Planned A Sustainable Wedding At Home In 3 Weeks

Oh and I published 8 tips for managing email communication better = mini-rant because things are just out of control in email land. Totally out of control.

Content to read

And here’s the content I’ve been reading this last week. Scan the headlines, read the ones that jump out at you, read or watch them all. Knowledge is power, and global knowledge is even more powerful.

Climate Crisis / 6^th Mass Extinction

Global warming may kill more than all infectious diseases combined tks Mark Mulkerin

Climate change: ‘Unprecedented’ ice loss as Greenland breaks record

Thailand’s turtle hatchlings finally have the beach to themselves tks Karen Prager

Dying mother dolphin struggles to save baby in Mauritius lagoon after oil spill

For The First Time in Years, Earth Overshoot Day Has Been Pushed to a Later Date Tks Joanne Flinn

How to decarbonize America — and create 25 million jobs Tks Denise Chai

Earth has lost 28 trillion tonnes of ice in less than 30 years

Australia fires: Similar or worse disasters ‘will happen again’

Covid-19 ecotourism collapse could spell disaster in the Masai Mara

U.S. Flood Strategy Shifts to ‘Unavoidable’ Relocation of Entire Neighborhoods tks Denise Chai

Climate crisis: business, farming and environment leaders unite to warn Australia ‘woefully unprepared’

10 highlights of Joe Biden’s ambitious Climate Plan

Northern California wildfire now 2nd-largest ever as total blazes scorch nearly 1M acres

Hurricane Laura: storm to bring ‘unsurvivable surge’ of destruction to US Gulf coast

Aerial footage shows massive flooding in Hurricane Laura aftermath

COVID19

Russia, Expecting Plaudits for Vaccine, Is Miffed by Its Cool Reception

F.D.A. ‘Grossly Misrepresented’ Blood Plasma Data, Scientists Say

Sweden records 51,400 deaths in first half of 2020 — highest such tally in 150 years

Man who believed virus was hoax loses wife to Covid-19

The RNC’s big Covid-19 lie, refuted in one chart tks Denise Chai

Thailand floats plan to welcome back international tourists in October

Coronavirus: Bali closed to foreign tourists until end of 2020

Australia international travel ban: Where does this end? tks Eli Davies

Fauci says he was in surgery when task force discussed CDC testing guidelines tks Denise Chai

Sweden records highest death tally in 150 years in first half of 2020

India coronavirus: Covid strikes remote Greater Andamanese tribe

Global Politics

What if Facebook Is the Real ‘Silent Majority’? tks Patrice Robinet

Eric Trump: Americans Shouldn’t Be Handed Things, They Must Work For It

Trump criticizes California’s handling of wildfires, says ‘they don’t listen to us’

Kellyanne Conway leaving White House to focus on family

RNC 2020: Trump warns Republican convention of ‘rigged election’

Boris Johnson moves to seize control of schools agenda after exams chaos

Trump campaign fundraiser Kimberly Guilfoyle on the case for Donald Trump – just weird!!

New Zealanders Share Pics Of What A ‘Hellhole’ Their Country Is As A Response To Trump And His Supporters

US TV host Tomi Lahren’s praise of Trump backfires in Hindi

Biden vs Trump: who is leading the 2020 US election polls?

I’m Billy Graham’s granddaughter. Evangelical support for Donald Trump insults his legacy. tks Mark Mulkerin

“If i can unseat him, that would be incredible”: political strategist Ashley Etienne may be biden’s deadliest weapon against trump

The Republican Party in Congress could become even more male

Kellyanne Conway resigns as senior White House adviser

Melania, Tiffany and Eric Take the RNC Stage | The Daily Social Distancing Show

Business and technology

The CEO moment: Leadership for a new era tks Damien Corbet

After blockbuster quarter, Salesforce lays off nearly 1,000 employees

Why Talented People Don’t Use Their Strengths

New York Times’ digital revenue tops print for first time in ‘watershed moment,’ CEO says

EMMA ALBERICI. There’s no case for a corporate tax cut when one in five of Australia’s top companies don’t pay it. tks Phillipa Edwards

Jerry Seinfeld: So You Think New York Is ‘Dead’

Business partner of Falwells says affair with evangelical power couple spanned seven years tks Barry Graubart

AUTONOMY: The Dawn of a New Era for Industry

Jeff Bezos Becomes The First Person Ever Worth $200 Billion tks Domenica Decrea

Yearning for more privacy and space while working from home, some young S’poreans turn to rental market

Reliable, Affordable Energy for the World tks Francine Varner

Social issues (#BlackLivesMatter) and humanity

Jacob Blake’s father says son’s paralyzed from waist down after police shooting in Kenosha

Texas QAnon Supporter Used Car to Attack Strangers She Believed Were ‘Paedophiles

QAnon groups have millions of members on Facebook, documents show

Facebook CEO admits ‘operational mistake’ in failure to remove Kenosha militia page

When Alzheimer’s Disease came for my husband, I was left like a widow who cannot mourn tks Kathryn Fraser

Kenosha shooting: Protests erupt after US police shoot black man

America’s black upper class and Black Lives Matter

Why It Seems Like Bullies Are Everywhere—and How to Stop Them

Melinda Gates talking about COVID-19, U.S. leadership and women’s empowerment.

Jacob Blake: Police officer in Kenosha shooting named

How Chaos in Kenosha Is Already Swaying Some Voters in Wisconsin

Africa declared free of wild polio in ‘milestone’

Facebook chose not to act on militia complaints before Kenosha shooting

As the wealthy move in, homeless people are pushed out

Mets, Marlins walk off field in social injustice protest tks Barry Graubart

Top Victoria Police officer slams Melbourne anti-lockdown Stage 4 protesters

Passion, humour, history

One Tasmanian’s 54-year obsession to catalogue all of the world’s edible plants to end malnutrition tks Adrienne Kane

Survival Of The Nicest? A Theory Of Our Origins Says Cooperation-Not Competition-Is Instinctive tks Graham Harvey

Let me know which one jumped out at you?

Cheers

Andrea

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I believe it’s time for all of us to embrace our voice and embrace the future. We do this by working and living ‘out loud’ with meaning, intention, integrity and by being true to ourselves. If you own your voice, you will own your future.