#33 Weekend reads – and we start the festive season wind down

For those who celebrate, I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone else, as there is much in the calendar at this time of year. But it’s not a typical year as we all know.

We are all facing a challenging one – in many different ways. Some will struggle because they can’t be with families (I will miss my sister and her family this year), and for many many more it is going to be a real struggle to even have enough food to eat – not just on the 25^th of December, but until this economic downturn is over.

We all know it’s been a really tough year for far too many people, and 2021 is predicted to be worse economically, so we’re in it for the long-haul. Please, if you can, be generous with local and international charities (see below) and send money where it will make a difference.

Read Pandemic Saps 81 Million Jobs in Asia-Pacific in 2020, ILO Says – people are really in trouble right now!

I finished up my official work this week. The amount of work I’ve closed hasn’t been crazy this year, but equally, I didn’t put too much pressure on myself in that regards either. I just felt it was more important to focus on what I could do to help others, and so many do need help. Here’s hoping 2021 sees a swift recovery, because the trickle down of that recovery matters to millions forced into poverty this year.

On another note, every year, I encourage my professional community to use the holidays to think and reflect, and to take care of their social presence. With jobs lost and fear of losing employment at an all-time high, I once again encourage everyone to spend time thinking about how you define yourself professionally on social media.

My book 18 Steps to an All-Star LinkedIn Profile was launched at the start of the pandemic, but I also have started uploading short videos to a YouTube Playlist called Second Nature Social – simple, easy steps to get started and get going.

It’s a great time of the year to do this work. Get stuck in.

Charity

As mentioned above, if you can spare some money, please donate where it makes sense to you, or to the UN Refugee Program and World Food Program. There is also PowerOf which is worth checking out. Another organization I adore is Kiva.org. If you can’t support financially, your time and social sharing of worthy charities on social media is valuable too. I had a few friends adopt bees (Project Honey Bees – Adopt a Bee) after sharing it last week.

Humans are not the only ones to suffer at this time, animals are too. If you are an animal lover, could you donate to the Soi Dog Foundation? So many abandoned animals in need right now.

Friends content

My friends are a bit quiet at the moment, but two+ blogs I’ve posted that are potentially good focus areas when you have time to think:

Social leadership for beginners – this is the basics for helping professionals get started! If you have a redundant LinkedIn profile, or very little professional participation, it’s for you

Don’t miss this time for reflection – I also laid out some questions to ask. We can’t miss this chance to reflect. Before we know it, we’ll be back to the crazy world we left behind, and it’s important to ask – do I/we actually want that?

Why purpose, intention and love must be at the center of influence today – and an article I published earlier. If you want to succeed socially, it’s all about meaningful and intentional participation! I hope these three blogs help. There’s always more where these came from

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

Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestlé Are Worst Plastic Polluters of 2020, Have Made ‘Zero Progress,’ New Report Finds

Paris Misaligned?

Global warming is faster than evolution

‘Not enough’ climate ambition shown by leaders

Court Says No to Drilling for Oil in the Arctic, a Huge Win for Polar Bears

Australia storms: Byron Bay’s Main Beach ‘all but disappeared’

China’s Xi targets steeper cut in carbon intensity by 2030

The World Needs Biden to Lead on Climate Reporting

Biden picks top North Carolina environmental official to run EPA

Water futures set to join likes of gold and oil and trade on Wall Street for first time ever

COVID19

How can we avoid another virus outbreak?

As U.S. Deaths Surpass 300,000, Obituaries Force Reckoning with Covid

Gates Says Next 4-6 Months Could Be ‘Worst Of Pandemic’ As Vaccine Shipments Roll Out

The year 2020: A time when everything changed

We looked inside Britain’s pandemic spending, and found waste, negligence and cronyism.

Carol Sutton: Steel Magnolias actress dies from Covid-19

Coronavirus: Germany to go into lockdown over Christmas

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine approved by Singapore, first shipment expected by end-December tks Priscilla Joseph

How the Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Works

New Covid strain: How worried should we be?

Tom Cruise Tears Into ‘Mission: Impossible 7’ Crew for Not Following COVID-19 Safety Protocols

‘We Want Them All Infected’: HHS Distances Itself From Trump Appointee Who Repeatedly Pushed For ‘Herd Immunity’

Emmanuel Macron: Positive test prompts European leaders to self-isolate

California, Grapples With a Worsening Toll

Beaches closed as Sydney Covid cluster grows to 28 cases and premier berates public over masks

Teachers have been on the frontline every day during Covid. So why scapegoat them?

Global Politics

Right-Wing Embrace Of Conspiracy Is ‘Mass Radicalization,’ Experts Warn tks David Lim

In 2020 Disinformation Broke US

AOC Called Out Marco Rubio’s Hypocrisy For Getting Upset That A Biden Staffer Called Republicans ‘F*ckers’

Biden Picks Deb Haaland to Lead Interior Department

Brexit: No-deal navy threat ‘irresponsible’, says Tobias Ellwood

Alex Jones Vows Biden ‘Will Be Removed One Way Or Another’ At Pro-Trump Rally

Electoral College Vote Officially Affirms Biden’s Victory

On Fox News, Stephen Miller Says ‘An Alternate Set Of Electors’ Will Certify Trump As Winner

The Birther Myth Stuck Around For Years. The Election Fraud Myth Might Too. Tks David Lim

Inside the Right-Wing Media Bubble, Where the Myth of a Trump Win Lives On

Trump’s Axis of Assholes Just Completed Its Hostile Takeover of the Republican Party

McConnell for the first time recognizes Biden as President-elect

Putin And Bolsonaro Congratulate Biden On His Victory Over Trump tks Frank Roberts

More Hacking Attacks Found as Officials Warn of ‘Grave Risk’ to U.S. Government

White House Aides Talked Trump Down From Demanding $2,000 Stimulus Checks, Says Report

Business and Technology

Pandemic Saps 81 Million Jobs in Asia-Pacific in 2020, ILO Says

CNN and MSNBC Fret Over Post-Trump Future

Election tech vendor Smartmatic demands retractions from right-wing media over misinformation

Fed: Brighter forecast but challenging months still ahead

BOI proposes new smart visa rules to lure foreign talent, digital nomads

2020 Dividends: A Year in Review

Social issues (#BlackLivesMatter) and humanity

Jill Biden: Backlash after WSJ op-ed calls future first lady ‘kiddo’

Australia on high alert after bikie boss’ public assassination as police hunt for sniper

Church Pastor on Trump Supporters Burning BLM Sign: “It Was Reminiscent of Cross Burnings”

Woman ‘crushed’ by Japan town vote after alleged sex assault by mayor

How to talk to conspiracy theorists—and still be kind

A Wall Street Journal op-ed about Jill Biden pairs virulent sexism with academic elitism

Trust in professionals and the global trustworthiness monitor

Magistrate critical of ‘troubling’ and ‘outdated’ questions from Craig McLachlan’s lawyer to female complainants tks Domenica DeCrea

Sacklers Face Furious Questions in Rare Testimony on Opioid Epidemic

Passion, humour, history

The Shot’s 2020 Awards: The Clusterfuckys tks Phillipa Edwards

Atlantic City to auction off chance to blow up Trump’s former casino

John le Carré: Espionage writer dies aged 89

Harrison Ford returns as Indiana Jones for fifth and final episode

Cocaine ‘ghost boat’ washes up in Marshall Islands

Alaska Safety Dance tks Gina Giachetti

Let me know if anything jumped out at you?

Cheers

Andrea

18 Steps to An All-Star LinkedIn Profile

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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 own your future.