The UK’s royal welcome for Trump is a travesty — bestowing grandeur on a felon who is directly complicit in the genocide of Palestinians, through his relentless supply of weapons, funds, aid, and intelligence to Israel.
The contrast between a £15 million (AUD$30m) royal banquet and the stark reality of poverty — 14 million in the UK and 41 million in the US- highlights a profound inequality. In the UK in 2022/23, 14.5 million people, including 4.3 million children, were affected by poverty and one in ten could not afford food. In the US, 37.9 million people were living below the poverty line in 2022, although some estimates put this figure even higher. Such lavish spending on a single event can feel like a slap in the face for those barely making ends meet, especially when public money or influence is involved. On the other hand, royal events are often justified on the grounds of tradition or boosting the economy through tourism, but the optics are tough when millions of people can’t afford basic amenities. What is your opinion - symbolic excess or cultural necessity?
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In 2024, about 5,000 Americans formally renounced their U.S. citizenship.Surveys suggest that roughly 25–26% of Americans say they want to move abroad because of Trump’s policies. But even among those who want to leave, far fewer are making concrete or viable plans to do so. One estimate suggests perhaps 1% to 2% of U.S. citizens are actively making serious plans to leave. That might translate to 3 million to 6 million people—if you we the U.S. citizenry is around 330 million.
I have travelled the USA extensively on eight visits. Not any more. Foreign arrivals are down 8.2% compared to projections for 2025. Spending by foreign visitors is expected to fall by around 7% in 2025 — a drop of 12.5 billion dollars. The US appears to be the only major country (out of 184 analysed) where spending by foreign visitors is expected to decline.
My last post on Facebook for a while
Dear Readers
I've been with Facebook since the beginning, and now I'm stepping back for a while — heartbroken, but undeterred in my endeavour to do everything in my power to make this world a kinder more inclusive place.
It saddens me to the core to see how many of my dear friends openly support Charlie Kirk’s far-right, ultra-conservative rhetoric, which I find deeply dangerous, repugnant and divisive. It runs counter to everything I've tried to cultivate here: Safety, kindness, inclusiveness and unity.
His words as a leader of an estimated 40 million on social media of this distasteful worldview, create division, hatred, discord and diminish our shared humanity.
This is just a small sample of Kirk's direct quotes that I find offensive:
"No, Israel is not starving Gazans."
"There is no famine in Gaza; it's pure visual warfare."
"Zero people from Gaza should be allowed to come to America. Period."
"Empathy is a harmful idea... It leads to weakness."
"A good wife doesn’t question her husband’s decisions; she supports them."
"Women who refuse to submit in marriage are rebelling against God’s natural order."
"Ladies, if you want a strong marriage, stop trying to be equal. Let your husband lead."
"The Bible says wives should be keepers at home, not chasing promotions."
"Marriage is about a woman submitting to her husband’s leadership, not competing with him."
"Reject feminism. Submit to your husband, Taylor (Swift). You’re not in charge."
"Young ladies need to be able to submit to a godly man." ... 'just go and pray about it.'
"Having children is more important than having a good career."
"Democrat women want to die alone without children."
"Women who delay marriage for careers end up bitter and alone. That’s not God’s plan."
"If I see a Black pilot, I’m gonna be like, ‘Boy, I hope he’s qualified.’"
"Black women do not have the brain processing power to be taken seriously."
"When you declare war on Israel, expect a firestorm in reaction."
"Gay couples are not happy just having marriage. Instead, they now want to corrupt your children."
Ed: Numerous Studies Show 70% - 81% of sex with minors are by 79% heterosexual/bisexual
"If you’re a WNBA, pot-smoking, Black lesbian, do you get treated better than a United States marine?
"The transgender movement [aims] to turn human beings into machines."
"We need a Nuremberg-style trial for every gender-affirming clinic."
"Trans people are a throbbing middle finger to God... an abomination."
"America doesn’t need more people from India."
"The 2020 election was rigged... a vast Democratic conspiracy."
"The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a mistake... Martin Luther King Jr. was awful."
"Abortion is worse than the Holocaust... We allow the massacre of a million and a half babies a year."
"Islam is the sword the left is using to slit the throat of Europe."
"If the Republicans had lost [2024], I don't know if civilisation would have continued as we grew up... This was an existential election."
"We need public executions for fentanyl traffickers."
"We need to deport every illegal immigrant, no exceptions, to save America’s identity."
"America must be a Christian nation again, or it will fall."
"If we don’t start fighting fire with fire, the left will destroy us. We need warriors, not wimps."
Such ideas are completely at odds with the values of compassion, empathy, justice and inclusivity that guide my heart and soul.
For now, I want to take a break from Facebook, where admiration and celebration for Kirk's voice and message is showered with praise and leaves little room for the caring, harmony and understanding that I do my best to encourage. My disappointment stems not only from the overflowing support for his divisiveness, but in truth from the lack of interest or commentary on what I write in my effort to make real connections and positive change.
I invite you to unfriend me if you are not interested in my perspective.
Please also see the comments from readers and my responses below.
By withdrawing, I'm by no means giving up. Quite the opposite. I continue to write on my blog, Instagram and TwitterX and spend most of my day researching and writing my book on death, grief and the afterlife, which I hope will help people thoroughly prepare for an informed and peaceful journey at the end of life and beyond.
To my dear friends who share my worldview - stay strong and determined on your journey through this very difficult, but very dynamic and life-changing time.
Cedar Rivers
Turning from division and hatred is not retreat;
it is a declaration that love, truth, and compassion
will always be the ground on which you stand.
https://www.clarityforlife.training/blog
.
I've been with Facebook since the beginning, and now I'm stepping back for a while — heartbroken, but undeterred in my endeavour to do everything in my power to make this world a kinder more inclusive place.
It saddens me to the core to see how many of my dear friends openly support Charlie Kirk’s far-right, ultra-conservative rhetoric, which I find deeply dangerous, repugnant and divisive. It runs counter to everything I've tried to cultivate here: Safety, kindness, inclusiveness and unity.
His words as a leader of an estimated 40 million on social media of this distasteful worldview, create division, hatred, discord and diminish our shared humanity.
This is just a small sample of Kirk's direct quotes that I find offensive:
"No, Israel is not starving Gazans."
"There is no famine in Gaza; it's pure visual warfare."
"Zero people from Gaza should be allowed to come to America. Period."
"Empathy is a harmful idea... It leads to weakness."
"A good wife doesn’t question her husband’s decisions; she supports them."
"Women who refuse to submit in marriage are rebelling against God’s natural order."
"Ladies, if you want a strong marriage, stop trying to be equal. Let your husband lead."
"The Bible says wives should be keepers at home, not chasing promotions."
"Marriage is about a woman submitting to her husband’s leadership, not competing with him."
"Reject feminism. Submit to your husband, Taylor (Swift). You’re not in charge."
"Young ladies need to be able to submit to a godly man." ... 'just go and pray about it.'
"Having children is more important than having a good career."
"Democrat women want to die alone without children."
"Women who delay marriage for careers end up bitter and alone. That’s not God’s plan."
"If I see a Black pilot, I’m gonna be like, ‘Boy, I hope he’s qualified.’"
"Black women do not have the brain processing power to be taken seriously."
"When you declare war on Israel, expect a firestorm in reaction."
"Gay couples are not happy just having marriage. Instead, they now want to corrupt your children."
Ed: Numerous Studies Show 70% - 81% of sex with minors are by 79% heterosexual/bisexual
"If you’re a WNBA, pot-smoking, Black lesbian, do you get treated better than a United States marine?
"The transgender movement [aims] to turn human beings into machines."
"We need a Nuremberg-style trial for every gender-affirming clinic."
"Trans people are a throbbing middle finger to God... an abomination."
"America doesn’t need more people from India."
"The 2020 election was rigged... a vast Democratic conspiracy."
"The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a mistake... Martin Luther King Jr. was awful."
"Abortion is worse than the Holocaust... We allow the massacre of a million and a half babies a year."
"Islam is the sword the left is using to slit the throat of Europe."
"If the Republicans had lost [2024], I don't know if civilisation would have continued as we grew up... This was an existential election."
"We need public executions for fentanyl traffickers."
"We need to deport every illegal immigrant, no exceptions, to save America’s identity."
"America must be a Christian nation again, or it will fall."
"If we don’t start fighting fire with fire, the left will destroy us. We need warriors, not wimps."
Such ideas are completely at odds with the values of compassion, empathy, justice and inclusivity that guide my heart and soul.
For now, I want to take a break from Facebook, where admiration and celebration for Kirk's voice and message is showered with praise and leaves little room for the caring, harmony and understanding that I do my best to encourage. My disappointment stems not only from the overflowing support for his divisiveness, but in truth from the lack of interest or commentary on what I write in my effort to make real connections and positive change.
I invite you to unfriend me if you are not interested in my perspective.
Please also see the comments from readers and my responses below.
By withdrawing, I'm by no means giving up. Quite the opposite. I continue to write on my blog, Instagram and TwitterX and spend most of my day researching and writing my book on death, grief and the afterlife, which I hope will help people thoroughly prepare for an informed and peaceful journey at the end of life and beyond.
To my dear friends who share my worldview - stay strong and determined on your journey through this very difficult, but very dynamic and life-changing time.
Cedar Rivers
Turning from division and hatred is not retreat;
it is a declaration that love, truth, and compassion
will always be the ground on which you stand.
https://www.clarityforlife.training/blog
.
