Former Gay Conversion Therapist Says Practice Does Not Work | 60 Minutes Australia

Sep 16, 2019 • John Smid knows better than most the devastating effects Gay Conversion Therapy can cause. For 22 years he helped run Love In Action, one of the largest Christian gay conversion institutions in the US. But in all his time working for the institution, he says he never once saw a person 'converted' to be straight – and that he spent over two decades not just deceiving LGBT church members but also himself.

Homophobie : l'Assemblée nationale vote à l'unanimité un nouveau délit contre les «thérapies de conversion» : Le texte prévoit une infraction spécifique contre les soi-disant «thérapeutes» ou religieux qui prétendent «guérir» les homosexuels, un délit puni de deux ans d'emprisonnement et 30.000 euros d'amende. »

Les «thérapies de conversion» pour homosexuels, entre mythe et réalité : DÉCRYPTAGE - Une proposition de loi veut interdire les pratiques ou discours visant à «guérir» l'homosexualité. Mais des associations s'inquiètent des contours encore très flous donnés à cette notion, qui risquerait d'attenter à la liberté de conscience. »

Plus de 300 dignitaires religieux appellent à interdire les «thérapies de conversion» »

Loi sur les thérapies de conversion : psychiatres et juristes s'inquiètent pour les enfants en questionnement de genre : Deux collectifs de psychiatres et juristes alertent sur le danger d'inclure «l'identité de genre» dans la loi visant à interdire les «thérapies de conversion» pour homosexuels : celle-ci pourrait empêcher la prise en charge des enfants souffrant de dysphorie de genre. »

I’ve Had No Feedback Yet

Despite receiving lots of visitors to this blog, and despite requesting feedback, I have received not even one single email from anyone with any opinion or suggestions for improvement. I am surprised and disappointed.

Because I have had no feedback, I have no idea which features you like and which features you dislike. Consequently, I am working completely in the dark: I have absolutely no idea whether I am on the right track, or not.

When I changed the name and focus of this blog, I hoped to build a community. Building a community relies on some interaction. Without interaction, I am merely blogging according to my own whim and fancy. That was not my intention.

I find this a little demoralising. I am also demoralised by the fact that my page views are not growing in spite of all my hard work. I once requested that you spread the word for me. Clearly, this hasn’t helped.

Thus far I have never tried to monetise this blog; so, I get nothing from it except the satisfaction of pleasing my visitors (and seeing my page views go up). Without any feedback at all, I cannot know whether I am pleasing you, especially when the page views don’t rise accordingly.

At one point, I reached approximately 68,500 page views a month. Today, I am down to 46,200+ this month.

I have reasons to be suspicious of this page view count. I am not convinced that it is not being tampered with. Why? Because it doesn’t tally with the stats I get from a French company which also monitors my statistics. Their stats are consistently good and vary little, indicating that nothing has changed. Google’s, by contrast, go up and down like a yo-yo, sometimes the page view count can drop 1,500 views in a space of less than half an hour! Then, the following day, it climbs back up again only to be cropped again late that night. They talk of algorithms; it seems more like the human hand to me!

Make no mistake, my page views are still very good by comparison with other blogs, research tells me. However, I want this blog to grow and grow, not go up and down like a yo-yo.

So I ask you again, please be so kind as to write me an email with your thoughts and suggestions. It doesn’t have to be long. But your ideas would be very helpful to me. I don’t think that this is asking too much of you.

You can write to me in English, German, or French; in whichever language suits you best. But a little feedback would be very welcome and extremely helpful.

As always, my email address is markalexander.librabunda@gmail.com

I shall look forward to receiving your viewpoints and suggestions. – Mark

My original FEEDBACK request is here.

Daniil Trifonov – Chopin: Fantaisie-Impromptu In C-Sharp Minor, Op. 66

Vanilla crème anglaise by Pierre-Dominique Cécillon for Larousse Cuisine

Crème anglaise à la vanille

Access to the Tory Party Is Being Bought by a New Class of Tycoon Funders

THE GUARDIAN: In light of revelations in the Pandora papers, we need to be asking what are they getting in return?

Boris Johnson appointed Ben Elliot as Tory co-chair. This appointment changed the structure of the British Tory party.’ Photograph: David M Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Din Tai Fung
One big theme has dominated Tory party conference at Manchester this week: levelling up. Boris Johnson, we are being told, is on a mission to rescue British working people who have been forgotten and left behind in today’s UK.

According to this powerful narrative Keir Starmer’s Labour party is a manifestation of a “woke” metropolitan elite utterly alien to the “red wall” voters who flocked to the Tories at the last election.

The Pandora papers revelations undermine that Tory story. Yes, there are struggling people who have been forgotten by the system. Yes it’s a worthy cause to give them a much bigger say in public life. But no, the Tories don’t generally represent such people.

Johnson’s Conservative party essentially belongs to the super-rich. The billionaires. Those with privileged access to the prime minister and the chancellor of the exchequer. To the large and in many cases insalubrious cast of men and women with walk-on appearances in the Pandora papers scandal.

This class of Conservatives does not seem to see the British state – as Tories have historically claimed to do – as something to which you dedicate a life of service. They seem to see it rather differently: as something to be plundered and used for self-enrichment. » | Peter Oborne | Tuesday, October 5, 2021

France Threatens to Cut UK and Jersey Energy Supply in Fishing Row

THE GUARDIAN: French government pushing EU to take stronger stance in dispute over access to Channel waters

The EU could hit Britain and Jersey’s energy supply over the UK’s failure to provide sufficient fishing licences to French fishers, France’s EU affairs minister has said.

Clément Beaune, who is a close ally of the French president, Emmanuel Macron, said action would be decided on within days and discussions were already in motion.

France has been pushing the EU to take a stronger stance against the UK over its concerns that Boris Johnson’s government is acting in breach of its obligations over fishing access to Channel waters.

Last week a third of French boats applying to fish in Jersey’s waters were turned down by the island’s government. The previous week the UK government provided only 12 of 47 French vessels with permits for its coastal waters. The UK and Jersey authorities have said the vessels that had been turned down had failed to provide evidence of operating in the relevant waters. » | Daniel Boffey in Brussels | Tuesday, October 5, 2021

The End of a ‘Gilded Age’: China Is Bringing Business to Heel

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Executives sit in jail, tech companies are being reined in and the biggest developer is teetering. It’s the beginning of a new era for China’s economy.

Xi Jinping in Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Thursday. In Mr. Xi’s China, success in business no longer guarantees safety. | Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters
Chinese tech companies are reeling from regulation. Nervous creditors are hoping for a bailout for China’s largest developer. Growing numbers of executives are going to jail. An entire industry is shutting down.

For China’s leader, Xi Jinping, it’s all part of the plan.

Under Mr. Xi, China is reshaping how business works and limiting executives’ power. Long in coming, but rapid in execution, the policies are driven by a desire for state control and self-reliance as well as concerns about debt, inequality and influence by foreign countries, including the United States.

Emboldened by swelling nationalism and his success with Covid-19, Mr. Xi is remaking China’s business world in his own image. Above all else, that means control. Where once executives had a green light to grow at any cost, officials now want to dictate which industries boom, which ones bust and how it happens. And the changes offer a glimpse of Mr. Xi’s vision for managing the economy, ahead of a political meeting expected to solidify his plans for an unprecedented third term in charge.

The goal is to fix structural problems, like excess debt and inequality, and generate more balanced growth. Taken together, the measures mark the end of a Gilded Age for private business that made China into a manufacturing powerhouse and a nexus of innovation. Economists warn that authoritarian governments have a shaky record with this type of transformation, though they acknowledge that few have brought such resources and planning to the effort. » | Paul Mozur | Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Pandora Papers: Massive Leak Exposes How Elite Shield Their Wealth & Avoid Taxes in Colonial Legacy

Oct 5, 2021 • The Pandora Papers, described as “the world’s largest-ever journalistic collaboration,” have revealed the secret financial dealings of the world’s richest and most powerful people. “We’ve uncovered a system that benefits a few at the expense of the many,” says Ben Hallman, senior editor at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, who details some of the project’s main revelations so far. We also speak with Vanessa Ogle, professor of history at the University of California at Berkeley and an expert on tax havens, who says the growth of tax havens like the Bahamas and Switzerland is directly linked to wealth extraction from the developing world. “The seed money for the expansion of these tax havens comes out of the colonial world,” she explains.

Missbrauch in der katholischen Kirche: Bis zu 330 000 Opfer in Frankreich

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Seit den 1950er Jahren sind in der katholischen Kirche in Frankreich 216 000 Kinder und Jugendliche Opfer von sexuellem Missbrauch geworden – dazu kommen weitere Zehntausende Opfer in von der Kirche betriebenen Einrichtungen. » | Diesntag, 5. Oktober 2021

Full interview: Boris Johnson on Brexit, Immigration and UK Labour Shortages

Oct 5, 2021 • Political Editor Gary Gibbon talks to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and asks him about his words during the 2016 Brexit referendum, immigration and labour shortages currently affecting the UK.

This is BoJo at his best! Lying, fudging, obfuscating and talking nonsense.

The other day, BoJo was talking about a low-wage economy; now he's talking about a high-wage economy! It’s time he made up his mind. That man is out of his depth.

Let’s get one thing straight: This supply chain problem, with a shortage of petrol at the pumps and bare shelves in supermarkets is largely being caused by Brexit. The problems of poor quality fruit and vegetables, price inflation and a shortage of care workers are also being caused by Brexit, not the pandemic!

I have said it before and I’ll say it again: This man does NOT understand even basic economics. – © Mark

Emmanuel Macron a reçu Antony Blinken, première rencontre avec un responsable américain depuis la crise des sous-marins

La rencontre entre les deux hommes politiques n'était pas prévue. Antony Blinken devait uniquement rencontrer Emmanuel Bonne, le conseiller diplomatique du Président. POOL / REUTERS
LE FIGARO : L'Élysée a annoncé dans un communiqué que «beaucoup de travail» restait à faire «pour identifier les décisions concrètes» sur les enjeux communs de la France et des États-Unis.

Emmanuel Macron a reçu mardi 5 octobre le chef de la diplomatie américaine, Antony Blinken, en tête-à-tête à Paris pour sa première rencontre avec un dirigeant des États-Unis depuis le début de la crise des sous-marins. Une discussion qui doit «contribuer à restaurer la confiance entre la France et les États-Unis».

Le secrétaire d'État, à l'agenda duquel ne figurait qu'un entretien avec Emmanuel Bonne, le conseiller diplomatique d'Emmanuel Macron, «a ensuite été longuement reçu en tête-à-tête par le président de la République», précise l'Élysée dans un communiqué. Il y a un «commun accord que nous avons une opportunité à présent d'approfondir et renforcer la coordination» entre les deux pays alliés, notamment «sur les enjeux d'intérêt commun, qu'il s'agisse de la coopération UE-OTAN, du Sahel, ou de l'espace Indo-Pacifique». » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | mardi 5 octobre 2021

À LIRE AUSSI :

Sous-marins : du «contrat du siècle» à la crise de confiance »

Die Homophobie ist wieder auf dem Vormarsch (2016)

Die Homophobie ist wieder auf dem Vormarsch, wir sprechen mit dem Journalisten Jan Feddersen, eines seiner Schwerpunktthemen ist die Homosexualität.

Unfreie Fahrt

TEMPOLIMIT IN DEUTSCHLAND
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Kommt mit der neuen Regierung ein starres Tempolimit auf Deutschlands Autobahnen? Wenn sich eine Ampel-Koalition für Tempo 130 ausspricht, geht wieder ein Stück Freiheit verloren.

In den Koalitionsverhandlungen streiten die Parteien um viele wichtige Themen, ein starres Tempolimit auf den Autobahnen gehört eher nicht dazu. Es lässt sich zwar mit einem Federstrich einführen, wir hoffen aber, dass sich wenigstens die Freien Demokraten nicht von den Scheinargumenten düpieren lassen, die angeblich dafür sprechen.

Deren erstes: Alle anderen haben es schon. Das ist das schwächste, weil sich daraus nichts ableiten lässt. Wenn alle Staaten sich bis über die Ohren verschulden, wird das dadurch richtig? » | Ein Kommentar von Lukas Weber | Dienstag, 5. Oktober 2021

The Guardian View on Rishi Sunak’s Speech: Levelling Down

THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: The chancellor’s praise for the economic policies of previous Conservative governments augurs badly for struggling families

Screenshot taken from the accompanying video.
One of the lessons that leading Brexiters learned from the 2016 referendum was that brazen opportunism can pay off handsomely. A Eurosceptic movement born in the more arcane reaches of the Conservative right, committed to deregulated, laissez-faire economics, achieved its goal by channelling a desire in Labour’s heartlands for more, not less, protection from the global economy.

This week, as the Conservative party conference meets in Manchester, the same audacity is on display again. As the army moves in to deliver urgent fuel supplies, food and labour shortages grow and an unprecedented, wasteful cull of more than 100,000 pigs looms. Boris Johnson and his ministers have hailed the chaos as necessary disruption on the way to a “high skills, high wage” economy. The worse things get, the better they will become, it is claimed, as business is forced to adapt to a long-term absence of migrant labour and up its game on pay and conditions. The abject handling of a foreseeable crisis, exacerbated by Brexit, is thus rationalised post-hoc as the royal road to “levelling up”. » | Editorial | Monday, October 4, 2021

Sunak is either a liar or a fool. – © Mark

FOLGEN DES BREXITS: Warum die irische Insel zusammenwächstDer Brexit sollte Nordirland fest ans Vereinigte Königreich koppeln, so hatten Unionisten sich das vorgestellt. Tatsächlich geschieht gerade das Gegenteil – notgedrungen. Bei Marks & Spencer im Zentrum von Belfast gibt es kein Toilettenpapier mehr. Dosensuppen und Kartoffelchips sind auch ausverkauft bis auf eine Sorte. Chinesische oder indische Fertiggerichte in der Kühlabteilung? Fehlanzeige. Bei Obst und Gemüse klaffen ebenfalls Lücken. Am Regal für Heidelbeeren hängt ein Schild: „Wir sind stolz darauf, britische Farmer zu unterstützen.“ Das Problem ist nur: Britische Farmer schaffen es nicht mehr, ihre Ware zu den Kunden in Nordirland zu bringen. Hier und da mag das mit fehlendem Benzin zusammenhängen, der großen Plage im Vereinigten Königreich. Doch sind die leeren Regale für Nordiren kein neues Phänomen. Es gibt sie schon seit Anfang des Jahres, seit das Königreich mit voller Wirkung die Europäische Union verlassen hat.»

The Guardian View on Tax Havens: Bring Them to Heel

THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: The Pandora papers prove that secrecy jurisdictions and their super-rich clients are still running rings around the rest of us

‘The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, was wrong to say that the prominent role of the City of London in this system is not a “source of shame”.’ Photograph: Getty
Five years after the Panama papers exposed the vast scale of offshore banking and business services via the activities of the wealth management specialist Mossack Fonseca, hundreds of billions of pounds are still being secreted away in tax havens. The leak of almost 12m documents, known as the Pandora papers, reveals that 35 current or former heads of state are among the customers of secrecy jurisdictions where huge sums of money are hidden in order to avoid tax and transparency. King Abdullah II of Jordan, Czech prime minister Andrej Babiš and Azerbaijan’s ruling Aliyev family are among those with serious questions to answer, along with more than 100 billionaires and rich individuals from all over the world.

Beyond any specific acts of venality, as outrageous as these are, looms a system whose existence is a global disgrace. As a matter of course, and in spite of their immense personal advantages, the ultra-rich are ripping off everyone else. They do this by refusing to pay their share towards the services and resources (health, education, energy, water and governance) on which everyone depends. And they are facilitated and encouraged in this by an industry whose purpose is to shield their wealth and conceal what they are up to. » | Editorial | Monday, October 4, 2021

Pandora Papers: A Money Bomb With Political Ripples: Revelations from nearly 12 million leaked confidential financial records have thrown light on the concealed wealth of powerful public figures around the world. How do they hide their money, and why is this information important? »

Taiwan President Warns of ‘Catastrophic Consequences’ If Island Falls to China

THE GUARDIAN: Tsai Ing-wen says Taiwan will ‘do whatever it takes to defend itself’ against an increasingly assertive Beijing

Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen said if the island “were to fall, the consequences would be catastrophic for regional peace” Photograph: Ann Wang/Reuters
THE GUARDIAN: Tsai Ing-wen says Taiwan will ‘do whatever it takes to defend itself’ against an increasingly assertive Beijing

Taiwan is committed to defending its democracy against an increasingly aggressive China, the island’s president has vowed, warning of “catastrophic consequences” for the region should it fall.

The comments from Tsai Ing-wen, in an essay published on Tuesday, came amid record-breaking incursions by Chinese warplanes into its air defence zone. On Tuesday Taiwan’s premier, Su Tseng-chang, said the “over the top” activity violated regional peace, and Taiwan needed to be on alert.

China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has sent nearly 150 planes into Taiwan’s air defence identification (ADIZ) zone in the first four days of October, in what mainland figures and media have labeled a demonstration of strength but which world governments condemned as an act of intimidation and aggression.

Writing for Foreign Affairs magazine, Tsai stressed Taiwan’s desire for peace but said “if its democracy and way of life are threatened, Taiwan will do whatever it takes to defend itself”.

However she also urged other nations to “understand the value of working with Taiwan”, against the broader threat posed by Beijing. “And they should remember that if Taiwan were to fall, the consequences would be catastrophic for regional peace and the democratic alliance system.” » | Helen Davidson in Taipei | Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Taiwan and China: line that Biden must tread is finer than ever: Analysis: the fallout from a conflict triggered by miscalculation or accident could be catastrophic »

Former California Cop Who Sued over Antigay Abuse Wins $2.2 Million

ADVOCATE: Jay Brome said he was subjected to homophobic harassment throughout his 20 years with the California Highway Patrol.

Former California Highway Patrol officer Jay Brome has received a settlement of $2.2 million in a lawsuit he brought against the CHP, saying his coworkers made his life on the job miserable because he’s gay.

Brome was a CHP officer from 1996 until 2015, when he took medical leave due to the stress of the homophobia he encountered. It began when he was in the police academy and continued throughout his CHP career.

“There was bullying or name-calling — ‘fag,’ ‘gay,’’’ Brome told The Sacramento Bee in 2018. “I had an instructor that told me … to take my skirt off and start acting like a man.”

At one point at the academy, according to his lawsuit, a fellow cadet aimed a training gun at his head and said, “I know you’re gay, tell me you’re gay or I’ll pull the trigger.” » | Trudy Ring | Monday, October 4, 2021

More Satisfaction

Photograph : Adobe Stock

Juste un baiser satisfaisant

Just a satisfying kiss / Nur ein befriedigender Kuß
Many thanks to El Chulo Dominicano and Pinterest for this photo.

"Pandora Papers" enthüllen geheime Geschäfte von Politikern und Promis | DW Nachrichten

Oct 4, 2021 • Die Enthüllungen bestätigen die schlimmsten Vorurteile gegen Politiker: Dass sich einige von ihnen nämlich lieber selbst bereichern als Korruption und Steuerflucht zu bekämpfen. Interne Daten von verschiedenen Finanzdienstleistern - genannt "Pandora Papers" - enttarnen mehr als 330 Politiker und hochrangige Beamte aus 91 Ländern, darunter Staats und Regierungschefs. Für Tschechiens Ministerpräsident Babis kommen die Enthüllungen zur Unzeit - er will diese Woche wiedergewählt werden.

Die DW spricht mit dem Journalisten Nils Naber, der an den Recherchen beteiligt war.