Reading books, apart from enriching our vocabulary, our general culture and speech, transports us to other worlds and even takes us away from the real world in which we live for a little while. To read is so important, valuable and enjoyable that those who don’t I can only say that they don’t know what they are missing.
Reading, unlike watching TV, develops our imagination, makes us think, reason, have a logical and coherent thought. In general, the benefits of reading books are so many that I recommend you grab a book right now and start this magical process.
As I already mentioned reading books gives us a lot and the benefits are really quite. In the following lines, I will consider the most important of them.
• Knowledge and Information: Books are a rich source of knowledge and information. They cover a wide range of topics and subjects, allowing readers to learn about different cultures, historical events, scientific concepts, personal development, and much more. Reading expands your understanding of the world and provides lifelong learning opportunities.
• Mental stimulation: Reading is a mentally stimulating activity that engages your brain. It improves cognitive abilities such as critical thinking, analysis and problem solving. Improves vocabulary, language skills and improves memory and concentration. Regular reading can help keep your mind sharp and active.
• Emotional and mental well-being: Books can have a positive impact on emotional and mental well-being. Reading can be a form of escapism, providing a break from everyday stress and worries. It can transport you to different worlds, evoke emotions and offer a sense of relaxation and inner peace. Reading can also provide inspiration, motivation and personal growth, helping you gain new perspectives and insights into life.
• Vocabulary and language skills: Regular reading exposes you to a wide range of words, phrases and sentence structures, which expands your vocabulary and improves your language skills. It helps you develop a better understanding of grammar, sentence construction and writing styles. This in turn improves your communication skills both verbally and in writing.
• Empathy and understanding: Reading fiction, in particular, helps develop empathy and understanding for others. Through stories and characters, readers can gain insight into different perspectives, cultures, and experiences. It promotes empathy, compassion and the ability to relate to others in real life.
• Stress reduction and relaxation: Engaging with a good book can be an excellent way to relax and reduce stress. It provides an escape from everyday pressures and offers a form of entertainment and relaxation. Reading before bed can also help improve sleep quality.
• Enhanced creativity: Reading can stimulate creativity and imagination. When you read, you visualize scenes, characters, and settings in your mind, creating a unique mental experience. It can inspire and fuel your own creative endeavors, whether it’s writing, art, or problem solving in a variety of fields.
• Cultural and social understanding: Books expose readers to different cultures, traditions and perspectives, promoting a better understanding and appreciation of diversity. They can promote tolerance, inclusion and a sense of global citizenship.
• Example for your children: when you read books, your children have a wonderful example and who knows, one day they may fall in love with reading themselves.
All in all, reading books provides a really wide range of benefits that contribute to personal growth, knowledge acquisition, mental well-being and intellectual development. It is a wholesome and enriching activity that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.
How does reading books stimulate our mind?
Reading books stimulates the brain in several ways, involving different cognitive processes and neural networks. Here’s how reading stimulates our minds:
• Mental Visualization: When you read a book, especially fiction, your brain creates mental images of the scenes, characters, and settings described in the text. This visualization process activates the visual cortex and enhances your imagination and creativity.
• Language processing: Reading involves decoding and understanding written language. Your brain processes words, sentence structures, and grammar, which improves language processing skills and increases your ability to understand and use language effectively.
• Cognitive engagement: Reading requires active mental engagement. As you read, you interpret and analyze the information presented in the text, make connections with your prior knowledge, and form mental representations of the content. This cognitive processing stimulates critical thinking, problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Memory and recall: Reading books challenges your memory as you recall details about characters, plot lines and events. Your brain makes associations and connections between the different elements of the story, strengthening memory and recall abilities. Recalling information from previous parts of the book also improves your working memory capacity.
• Focus and concentration: Reading books requires constant attention and concentration. It requires you to focus on the text, follow the narrative, and maintain engagement for extended periods. Regular reading can improve your ability to concentrate and sustain attention in other areas of life as well.
• Empathy and theory of mind: Reading fiction, especially stories that delve into the inner lives of characters, can improve empathy and theory of mind—the ability to understand and infer the thoughts, emotions, and intentions of others. By immersing yourself in different perspectives and experiences, you develop a deeper understanding of human behavior and emotions.
• Neuroplasticity and brain connectivity: Engaging in reading exercises the brain and promotes neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to reorganize and form new neural connections. It strengthens existing neural pathways and creates new ones, improving overall brain connectivity and cognitive flexibility.
• Emotional and sensory activation: Reading can elicit emotional responses and engage the sensory areas of the brain. The descriptions of smells, sounds and emotions in books can activate the corresponding areas of the brain, making the reading experience more vivid and immersive.
By stimulating these cognitive processes and neural networks, reading books improves brain function, enhances cognitive abilities, and contributes to lifelong learning and mental well-being. The more you read and challenge your brain with varied content, the more you reap the cognitive benefits of reading.
Illustrative Photo by Aline Viana Prado: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-a-book-2465877/
They urged lawmakers to adopt the draft bill, which compels private creditors to participate in international debt relief efforts on similar terms as public lenders.
New York State is home to New York City, the financial capital of the world.
Some 60 per cent of developing country debt is held by private creditors, and New York law governs 52 per cent of this global debt, according to the experts.
“If taxpayers contribute to public debt relief, private creditors should be obliged to participate on the same terms,” they said. “Debt relief must be effective and fair for all, and its costs must be shared by private creditors as well.”
The proposed legislation means distressed low and middle-income countries would be able to protect the economic, social and cultural rights of their citizens instead of paying “unsustainable” debt loads.
Shift budget priorities
In 2021, these nations spent an average of 27.5 per cent of their budgets on interest and debt payments, or more than the amount spent on education, health and social protection combined.
“This bill is a golden opportunity that will allow countries in debt distress to shift their budgetary priorities and, by providing for better living conditions, reduce the risks for investors in these countries and create better opportunities,” they said.
The experts stressed that the COVID-19 pandemic, the energy crisis, rising food prices and inflation, have led to an increase in unsustainable debt for many countries, with a particular impact on developing nations.
“Many poor people can barely afford food and minimum dietary needs for health. It is precisely in times of crisis that States must be able to ensure social protection and food security for all people in their country,” they added.
They underscored that “everyone has an interest in countries being able to invest in social protection, healthcare, housing, education and food security, instead of devoting more and more of their limited budgets to debt repayments.”
About UN experts
Special Rapporteurs and Independent Experts receive their mandates from the UN Human Rights Council, which is based in Geneva.
They serve in their individual capacity and are independent of any Government or organization.
They are not UN staff and do not receive payment for their work.
Tom Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, insisted that current conditions there were “anything but conducive” for the return of Rohingya refugees.
He stressed that the very generals who had launched “genocidal” attacks against the Rohingya, causing hundreds of thousands to flee the country, were now in power and “attacking civilian populations while denying the Rohingya citizenship and other basic rights”.
According to Mr. Andrews’ statement, Bangladesh officials have been planning to send back to Myanmar, potentially very soon, an initial group of 1,140 Rohingya refugees, using a combination of threats and financial rewards.
Confined to ‘designated area’
The returnees would reportedly pass through “transit” centres in Rakhine state before being resettled in a “designated area of 15 newly constructed villages” which they will “not be allowed to leave freely”.
“The return of Rohingya refugees under these conditions would likely violate Bangladesh’s obligations under international law and expose Rohingya to gross human rights violations and, potentially, future atrocity crimes,” Mr. Andrews said.
In March, Bangladesh authorities facilitated two visits by Myanmar junta authorities to the Bangladesh camps, said the UN rights office OHCHR.
According to reports, at least some of the refugees were coerced into participating in so-called ‘verification’ interviews with junta officials. Bangladesh and the military regime’s officials also coordinated a ‘go see’ visit to Rakhine State for some Rohingya refugees.
Bangladeshi officials said the refugees had expressed “general satisfaction” with the arrangements being made for their return, but these assurances were contradicted by reports that those who participated in the trip had unequivocally rejected the repatriation plans, OHCHR said.
“I implore Bangladesh to immediately suspend the repatriation pilot programme,” Mr. Andrews said.
Stand with Rohingya
“I also urge the international community to stand with Rohingya refugees in both word and deed”, he added.
“This must include reversing the failure to provide a humane level of support for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh who are unable to pursue livelihoods, continue to face hunger and malnutrition, and whose children have very limited educational opportunities”.
They are mandated to monitor and report on specific thematic issues or country situations. They are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work.
Denise Brown, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, offered reassurance to Dmytro Kuleba that UN agencies and other humanitarian partners have been delivering water, food and cash to those displaced or suffering the impact of the dam breach, and collapse of the crucial hydroelectric plant in the southeast region near the city of Kherson.
“Plans are now being made, also in partnership with oblast authorities, to reach the wider flood affected areas as soon as possible, once the military deems it safe, given the risks as fast moving water shifts mines and unexploded ordinance to areas previously assures as cleared”, said a press release from her office.
The meeting came off the back of widely reported and critical comments directed towards the UN and other major humanitarian organisations operating in Ukraine, by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, who said the initial relief effort had been insufficient.
“The UN is committed to reaching all Ukrainians in need, on both sides of the riverbank”, said the UN Ukraine release, referring to the Dnipro River which serves as the frontline between Russian occupiers on the left bank, and Ukrainian Government held territory opposite.
Repeated requests for aid access
The UN has “repeatedly requested access and safety guarantees”, especially from Russian commanders currently in control of the areas which are reportedly suffering the worst impact of the flooding.
“We have not received that access, nor the necessary safety guarantees for humanitarian staff and the people they would help there”, the statement continued.
In a tweet issued on Thursday, UN aid coordination office in Ukraine, OCHA, highlighted that food for 18,000 people had been supplied by the UN and partners; more than 100,000 bottles of water, cash for 5,000 people in need; thousands of hygiene kits, including special supplies for older persons; and mobile health and psychosocial support.
Ukraine.” title=”Stranded people are being evacuated from neighbourhoods due to the massive flooding caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in southern Ukraine.” loading=”lazy” width=”1170″ height=”530″/>
Stranded people are being evacuated from neighbourhoods due to the massive flooding caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in southern Ukraine.
Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant concerns remain: IAEA
Europe’s largest nuclear plant at Zaporizhzhya, located relatively close to the destroyed dam site and the vast reservoir which is now emptying into the river, relies on water from there for its cooling system.
The UN atomic energy agency, IAEA, said there was still cause for concern that the water level for its reserves could fall to such a level, that it could no longer be pumped to the site to keep reactors cool.
“As the full extent of the dam’s damage remains unknown, it is not possible to predict if and when this might happen. If the current drop rate were to continue, however, the 12.7 metre level could be reached within the next two days”, said IAEA in a statement.
Building reserves
Preparing for such a possibility, the agency said it was “continuously replenishing its water reserves – including the large cooling pond next to the plant as well as its smaller sprinkler cooling ponds and the adjacent channels – by fully utilizing the water of the Kakhovka reservoir while this still remains possible.”
“It is essential that the integrity of both the ZNPP cooling pond and of the ZTPP discharge channel is maintained. This is critical so the plant has sufficient water to provide essential cooling to the site for the months ahead,” Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.
He plans to travel to the plant next week to assess the situation there following the damage to the dam and to monitor compliance with the five basic principles for protecting the ZNPP that he presented to the United Nations Security Council on 30 May.
He also pledged to strengthen the IAEA’s presence at the site, which is currently Russian occupied, but locally staffed, replacing the current team with a larger group travelling with him across the frontline.
UNICEF is providing humanitarian aid to passengers arriving in Mykolaiv on the first evacuation train from Kherson, Ukraine.
Since last summer, the Buenos Aires Yoga School (BAYS) has been pilloried by Argentinian media outlets which have published over 370 news and articles vilifying the school for allegedly trafficking in people for sexual exploitation.
The reality of a big show staged by a prosecutor on the basis of false testimonies from a former disgruntled member of the BAYS is now emerging from serious investigation recently carried out on the spot by foreign scholars. One of them, Massimo Introvigne, the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), an international network of scholars studying new religious movements, has just published a thirty-page report about the BAYS saga.
Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF), a Brussels-based NGO in the heart of the European Union district, which defends press freedom but is also known to debunk biased and fake news, has also started its investigation from a human rights perspective.
On 12 August 2022, in the evening, about sixty people in their sixties were attending a quiet philosophy class in a coffee shop located on the ground-floor of a ten-floor building in the State of Israel Avenue, in a middle-class district of Buenos Aires when suddenly all hell broke loose.
Fully armed SWAT team police broke the door of the meeting place and by force entered the building which was the seat of the yoga school, 25 private apartments and professional offices of a number of its members. They went up to all the premises and without knocking or ringing the bells, they violently opened all the doors by force, seriously damaging them. Some residents running after them tried to give them the keys so that they could enter without destroying the entryways but their offer was ignored.
The purpose was obvious: the police wanted to film every part of the operation that was ‘useful’ to justify the crackdown ordered by the prosecutor of PROTEX, a state agency dealing with human trafficking, labor and sex exploitation of persons.
corridor of the yoga school apartment made a mess by police.
For six-seven hours, they searched all the premises, putting everything upside down. When the police left, almost all residents complained that money, jewels and other items such as cameras and printers were missing but were not mentioned in the search records. As the victims of the raid were never interviewed by the media, the various excesses committed by the police were not publicly reported.
Outside, reporters were taking pictures of the handcuffed people dragged one by one out of the building. It can be assumed that the prosecutor’s office had leaked some information to a few journalists about the raid some time before taking place.
A one-sided video with a statement of the prosecutor carefully staged was quickly leaked and uploaded on YouTube.
Similar needlessly violent raids were carried out in about 50 places around the capital city during all the night.
The media in Argentina labelled the yoga school BAYS “la secta del horror” or “the horror cult” that had allegedly been operating an international prostitution ring for 30 years. In fact, in 1993, the stepfather of a female BAYS member lodged a complaint against Juan Percowicz, the founder of the yoga school, and other people managing the school. He was accusing them of operating a prostitution ring to finance the BAYS but what the media failed to check and to say is that all the defendants had been declared not guilty of all the charges in 2000.
In 2021, war was once more waged against the BAYS and its leadership with the same sort of complaint and accusations as 30 years ago although they had already been judged and declared unfounded.
Accused, arrested and detained
All in all, arrest warrants were issued against 19 persons, 12 men and 7 women. They were all imprisoned and submitted to a very harsh jail regime.
Twelve persons spent 85 days in prison from 12 August to 4 November 2022. In two cases, the Court of Appeals revoked the indictment for being unfounded.
Three others were detained during the same period of time but under two different regimes. After about 20 days behind bars, they were placed under home detention. Among them, Juan Percowicz (84) spent 18 days in prison sharing a cell with nine other prisoners, and 67 days in home detention.
Four defendants were released after 28 days of detention.
On 4 November 2022, the Court of Appeal freed all the remaining defendants from jail. In the meantime, their businesses had either been closed by the authorities or cannot function any more because of the negative media publicity. Almost all of them are now jobless.
Two judges of the Appeal Court still believed there was evidence justifying going on with the case against 17 defendants. Another judge wrote in partial dissent that the court should also have considered whether the case should not have been simply dismissed.
Argentina does not criminalize prostitution but it criminalizes the behavior of those who economically benefit from the sexual activity of another person.
A new tougher law, adopted in 2012 under international and domestic pressures, has provisions about victims of human trafficking which are questionable and questioned by legal experts with regards to the norms of international conventions. For example, Law 26.842 puts in the category of victims prostitutes working in prostitution rings, although they deny their condition of victims, but are qualified as such, against their will, by PROTEX.
That controversial law along with its implementation was criticized by assistant prosecutor Marisa S. Tarantino in a book she published in 2021 under the title“Ni víctimas ni criminales: trabajadores sexuales. Una crítica feminista a las políticas contra la trata de personas y la prostitución”/ Neither victims nor criminals: sex workers. A feminist critique of anti-trafficking and anti-prostitution policies. (Buenos Aires: Fondo de Cultura Económica de Argentina).
About the case of nine BAYS female members
In the BAYS case, nine female members of the yoga school lodged a complaint against two prosecutors of PROTEX for abusing their power and naming them victims of sexual exploitation by the BAYS, which they strongly deny.
During his investigation in Argentina in March 2023, Massimo Introvigne, the aforementioned founder and managing director of CESNUR, met some of them and wrote in his report “The alleged ‘victims’ or ‘possible victims’ I met or interviewed showed no signs of having been exploited.”
Moreover, it would be ridiculous to consider this group of women as a gang of prostitutes exploited by the BAYS when you see their profile:
a 66-year-old social psychologist and professional singer;
a 62-year-old visual arts teacher and painter;
a 57-year-old actress, member of the 1997 world champion stage magic team;
a 57-year-old elementary school teacher and philosophical business coach;
a 50-year-old woman who was already considered a “victim” and was subjected to an expert opinion in the previous case, which proved that she was neither a victim nor exploited;
a 45-year-old management graduate;
a 43-year-old real estate agent;
a 41-year-old digital marketing professional;
a 35-year-old real estate agent, macromedia designer, and web designer.
If there are no prostitutes, there is no case and no sexual exploitation. If it was discovered that one or more BAYS members happened to trade sex for money, it would still be necessary to prove that it was based on coercion by BAYS leaders, which the judges recognized there was not in BAYS.
The whole issue looks like a fabricated case targeting the BAYS and the judicial system should easily establish justice but will it?
According to PROTEX records, 98% of the female victims supposedly rescued by them claim not to be victims. Many of them can therefore be considered fabricated cases and there is a reason for this: Special Prosecutor’s office gets a bigger budget and more power as it prosecutes more people.
The complaint of the nine ladies has been turned down by a court of first instance and an appeal court will soon examine it. Let us wait and see.
In a world where not all about religion is known and religious diversity is becoming increasingly prevalent, it’s important to teach children the importance of respecting all of them (and there are some good books for it). By doing so, we can promote understanding and tolerance, and help children develop a sense of empathy and compassion towards those who may have different beliefs than their own. In this article, we’ll explore the impact of teaching children respect for all religions.
Why teaching children about religious diversity is important.
Teaching children all about religion and religious diversity is important because it promotes respect and understanding for all faiths. It helps children develop empathy and compassion towards those who may have different beliefs than their own. It also helps to break down stereotypes and prejudices that can lead to discrimination and intolerance. By teaching children about different religions, we can create a more inclusive and accepting society where everyone feels valued and respected.
How to introduce religious diversity to children.
Introducing religious diversity to children can be done in a variety of ways. One way is to read books that feature characters from different religions or cultures. Another way is to attend cultural events or festivals that celebrate different religions. It’s important to approach the topic in a respectful and age-appropriate manner and to encourage children to ask questions and share their own experiences and beliefs. By creating a safe and open environment for discussion, children can learn to appreciate and respect the diversity of religious beliefs and practices.
I run into a quite simple yet complete book (there are others) that covers the subject quite well, and it is titled “All About Religion“, by the publishing house DK (which by the way would be good that translates it and publishes it in other languages). It answers questions such as Where did the first religion originate and what was its name? What exactly is atheism? Why do some individuals don turbans? This book provides answers to these and many other questions about religion for children who pose difficult questions.
In my view “All About Religion” is an ideal introduction to the world’s major religions, including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Scientology, Jainism, Buddhism and more, and features a foreword by Aled Jones, a well-known radio and television personality. The book traces the history of various religions and faiths throughout the globe and simplifies difficult topics into digestible sections.
From the earliest beliefs to contemporary religious movements and spirituality, All About Religion presents the facts objectively. A child can learn about various religious texts, get familiarised with places of worship, and discover why adherents of some religions consume certain foods and don particular attire. In fact, this small book of 96 pages promotes understanding, tolerance, and respect for persons of all faiths.
I must say that, while aimed at children, this work would do good also to many experts in the fields of Freedom of Religion or Belief, and mass media, who don’t necessarily apply their expertise when it comes to movements that have been vilified by people in governments or media.
The benefits of teaching children about religious diversity.
Teaching children about religious diversity has numerous benefits. It promotes respect and understanding for all faiths, reduces prejudice and discrimination, and encourages empathy and compassion. It also helps children develop critical thinking skills and a broader perspective on the world. By learning about different religions, children can gain a better understanding of their own beliefs and values, as well as those of others. This can lead to greater tolerance and acceptance, and ultimately, a more peaceful and harmonious society.
Addressing potential challenges and misconceptions.
While teaching children about religious diversity is important, it can also present some challenges and misconceptions. Some parents and educators may worry about offending or confusing children with different beliefs, while others may fear that teaching about other religions will undermine their own faith. It’s important to address these concerns and provide clear and accurate information about different religions in a respectful and age-appropriate manner. By doing so, we can help children develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for the diversity of beliefs and cultures in our world.
Encouraging open-mindedness and empathy in children.
Teaching children about religious diversity can have a profound impact on their development of open-mindedness and empathy. By exposing children to different beliefs and cultures, they can learn to appreciate and respect the differences in others. This can lead to a greater sense of empathy and understanding, which can help to reduce prejudice and discrimination. Additionally, teaching children about religious diversity can help to promote critical thinking skills and encourage them to ask questions and seek out information about different beliefs and cultures. Overall, teaching children about religious diversity is an important step in promoting a more tolerant and inclusive society.
Reducing waste or recovering its value by extending product lifespans or recycling are key parts of Europe’s efforts to create a circular economy which contributes to the European Green Deal’s sustainability goals. However, according to the European Environment Agency’s assessment, published today, many EU Member States are at risk of not meeting at least one of the main recycling targets for municipal waste and packaging waste by 2025. A second briefing highlights successful strategies used by those Member States that have achieved high recycling rates.
The EEAbriefing on assessing progress towards EU waste recycling targets shows that 9 Member States — Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Slovenia — are currently on track to meet the main recycling targets for municipal waste and packaging waste for 2025 while 18 are at risk of missing one or more of them. The briefing summarises the main findings of 27 more detailed country profiles.
The EEA analysis informs the European Commission’s early warning report on the performances of EU countries in waste management. The report aims to improve the implementation of EU waste laws and assist Member States at risk of missing targets. It identifies the main implementation gaps and their underlying root causes and suggests priority actions to improve performance and facilitate exchange of good practices amongst Member States.
55% recycling and preparing for reuse of municipal waste;
65% recycling of total packaging waste;
and material-specific packaging waste recycling targets (75% for paper and cardboard, 70% for glass, 70% for ferrous metals, 50% for aluminium, 50% for plastic and 25% for wood).
The briefing shows that those Member States with highest recycling rates — Germany, Austria, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Luxembourg — all have implemented well-designed landfill taxes, or landfill bans, make bio-waste collection convenient for many residents, and effectively use economic incentives to encourage citizens to sort their waste.
The briefing also notes that to improve overall recycling rates, collecting bio-waste separately also plays a key role as it is constitutes the largest fraction (37%) of all municipal waste.
The EEA analysis highlights that improving recycling rates requires a coherent combination of several well-designed and consistently implemented measures, such as landfill taxes and convenient, separate collection systems accompanied with good information to citizens.
The European Parliament released today its Spring 2023 Eurobarometer survey showing citizens’ strong support for democracy and a high awareness of the upcoming European elections.
One year ahead of the next European elections, public interest in these elections has measurably increased. A clear majority of citizens (56%) are interested in the next European elections, 6 points higher compared to 2018, one year before the last European elections.
Around two thirds of respondents (67%) say they would be likely to vote if the European elections were held next week. A similar question was included in the EP Eurobarometer survey in April 2018, when 58% said they were likely to do so, indicating that citizens are currently more inclined to vote in the 2024 European elections than they were at a similar point in time before the 2019 elections.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, commenting on the results of the survey, said: “Elections matter. Voting is your chance to stand up for the issues important to you. I call on everyone and particularly our young people to go to vote and shape the European Union you want to live in.”
With elections being a cornerstone of every democracy, European citizens consider democracy the most important value for the European Parliament to defend: 37% of respondents see the defence of democracy as a priority, followed by the protection of human rights in the EU and worldwide (28%) as well as freedom of speech and thought (27%).
54% of respondents are satisfied with the way democracy works in the EU. Looking at various elements of democracy in the EU, citizens are most satisfied with free and fair elections (70%), freedom of speech (70%) and the respect for fundamental rights (66%), while being less satisfied with the fight against disinformation and corruption.
Four years into the European Parliament’s current legislative term, citizens acknowledge the EU’s leading role on tackling the consecutive crises that have marked this period. A vast majority of EU citizens is aware of the impact the EU has on their daily lives: Around seven in ten (71%) share this opinion, including close to a fifth (18%) for whom the EU’s actions ‘very much’ have an impact. The role of the European Parliament is recognised as well – 62% recall having recently heard about the EP.
The EU’s support for Ukraine stands out as the accomplishment citizens are by far most satisfied with: 69% are satisfied with these actions. Satisfaction is highest in the Netherlands (90%), Sweden (87%), Finland (87%) and Ireland (87%). Respondents in Slovakia (45%) and Greece (48%) have the lowest satisfaction rates. Satisfaction with EU action is also relatively high in the areas of protecting democratic rights and the respect for the rule of law (64%) as well as foreign policy (54%).
The past years’ multiple crises are clearly visible when looking at the state of the economy and the financial situation of citizens. Half of respondents (50%) see a decline in their standard of living and expect this to carry on over the next year. Another 29% have not yet experienced such a reduction but expect it to happen over the next year. This also increases expectations for concrete solutions: Close to two thirds (65%) are not satisfied with the measures taken by their own country to tackle the cost of living crisis, and 57% are not satisfied with what the EU has done to alleviate the situation.
In line with this, citizens want the European Parliament to put the fight against poverty and social exclusion first (38%). This priority is followed by public health (33%), action against climate change (31%) and support to the economy and the creation of new jobs (31%).
The European Parliament’s Spring 2023 Eurobarometer survey was carried out by Kantar between 2 and 26 March in all 27 EU Member States. The survey was conducted face-to-face, with video interviews (CAVI) used additionally in Czechia, Denmark, Finland and Malta. 26 376 interviews were conducted in total. EU results were weighted according to the size of the population in each country.
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY, June 8, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — On the occasion of Children’s Day, the Scientology volunteer ministers distributed balloons around the church to children and grownups. Those volunteering had a very emotional day by creating smiles all around them since after all, Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard once wrote: “When children become unimportant to a society, that society has forfeited its future.”, and therefore, every opportunity or every excuse to promote the importance of children, is a good time to grant them the importance they deserve.
In Hungary, Children’s Day is a special occasion for every “gyerek” (child), a holiday set aside just for them. The importance of Children’s Day in Hungary can’t be overstated, as this is a time for parents and the general population to acknowledge children’s rights and make them feel loved.
However, not every child today has the opportunity to be surprised with a present, even if they deserve it as much as every other child because, after all, it is their Day. In the current economic situation, some too many families are burdened financially, and it is more difficult for them to afford a helium balloon, a very sought item by children on that day. Because of that, Scientology volunteers in Budapest decided to provoke smiles in children and went around the neighbourhood with colourful helium balloons to give to all children passing by, ensuring that no one is left behind without at least a balloon and a proper Children’s Day feeling.
During the distribution, there was a grandparent who also asked for it for her grandson. Another anecdote is the one of a car that stops at a red traffic light. The lady jumped out of the car and ran to the volunteer, she had her three children in the car, and the volunteers saved her day because the three kids ended up having their balloons and were very grateful. “It is of course not the material value of the balloon what counts, but the priceless value of the smiles of these kids”, said Palma, one of the volunteers.
Children’s Day History
In 1857, Reverend Dr Charles Leonard of Massachusetts preached a special sermon for and about children, which is regarded as the unofficial beginning of Children’s Day. Several years later, in 1920, Turkey was the first nation to officially recognize Children’s Day as a national holiday. Nearly a decade later, Mustafa Atatürk (then-President of the Republic of Turkey) formally established this holiday.
In 1950, this celebration began to extend to other nations, and today, approximately fifty nations observe Children’s Day in some way or another, most often in May, and Hungary celebrates it on the last Sunday of the month. During this time period, Children’s Day primarily served as a means to ensure that children were treated with respect and in accordance with their rights. The general health and well-being of minors was also emphasized.
A brief note about Scientology in Hungary
There are already epic tales about Scientology in Hungary, a nation that has cherished its myths and histories for centuries. In the final days of the 1980s and at the beginning of the 1990s, totalitarian, atheistic Communism retreated from Eastern Europe, a significant portion of Asia, and Russia. Long starved for spirituality, Hungarians, like all those who had suffered under Soviet commissars, pursued truth and religion with haste. In 1988, a single copy of Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health by L. Ron Hubbard pierced the iron curtain, and a movement was founded.
In 2016, some 25 years after the first Scientology flag was planted in Budapest, an Ideal Church of Scientology opened in the historic city of Budapest. “Hungarian Scientologists stay always attentive to help on any needs citizens have in their country and abroad which makes the epic tales of Hungarian freedom fighters, have living examples today in 21st century Magyar land, with people doing drug prevention, human rights education, rescue operation in disasters, providing food where needed, and why not, giving people a reason to smile even if just with a rose or a balloon” said Ivan Arjona, Scientology representative to the European institutions and the UN.
Drugs // “It is better and more useful to meet a problem in time than to seek a remedy after the damage is done” explains a Latin saying of the mid-13th Century. According to the Council of the European Union (Review August 2022):
Drugs are a complex social and health phenomenon that affects millions of people in the EU. Illicit drugs can have tremendous negative consequences, not only for the people who use the drugs but also for their families and communities. The use of drugs generates enormous costs for and harm to public health and safety, the environment and labour productivcity. It also poses security threats linked to violence, crime and corruption.
Curiously, the history of drugs is linked to the existence of life on Earth, which appeared some 3.5 billion years ago, first aquatic and then on the surface. In parallel with the development of life, a fundamental problem arises: how to survive and be part of the food chain while ensuring the survival of the species.
Living organisms have therefore developed means of defence: the constitutive ones such as claws, horns, spines, etc. and the so-called inducible ones which are at the origin of the synthesis of toxic substances in the form of secondary metabolites not necessary for the life of the organism but necessary for its survival against predators. And the human being is one of these formidable predators! So there is a close relationship between survival and existing toxins or drugs.
At the origin of the times, human health was in the world of spirits, magical practices and beliefs. Traditional healing systems are back to prehistoric times and the curing traditions already included the use of psychoactive plants. In Europe, it was in Ancient Greece, in the 5th century BC, that Hippocrates laid the foundations of rational medicine and medical ethics. His oath was taken up at the world level by the World Medical Association, created in 1947, then in the Geneva Declaration of 1948 (revised in 2020) and also by pharmacists/apothecaries and dentists.
A distinction must be made between drugs and medications. The main difference lies in the purpose of use or consumption:
-The medicine has a dosage, a curative purpose, a precise and repetitive action. But the medicine is not always without toxicity. Paracelsus (1493-1541) a Swiss doctor, philosopher and theologian even said:
“Everything is poison and nothing is without poison; the dose alone makes a thing not a poison”.
-A drug is any substance, natural or synthetic, which has a modifying effect on the state of consciousness, mental activity and behavior, likely to cause addiction. Some medicines could correspond to this definition but the drug is consumed without a medical prescription and its current use does not have a curative goal. It could be to experience new or pleasant sensations, to escape from reality, anxiety, relationship problems, past traumas, by conformity or rebellion, to be efficient or withstand pressure. But, whatever the reasons and patterns, drug use is not without risk with uncontrolled consequences…
Drugs and Humanity
The history of drugs also merges with the history of humanity as for:
a) the Hemp (cannabis) that was known in Asia since the Neolithic, around 9000 BC. The seeds were used in Egypt for their anti-inflammatory properties, and in China for their nutritive richness and in 2737 BC hemp is included in the Treaty of the medical herbs of the emperor Shen Nong; the hemp canes appear in Europe imported by the Romans and with the various invasions coming from Asia. It was also the “sacred herb” of the shamans’ rituals and part of the medical practices of the monks of the 12th century.
b) the Coca leaves, from the plant Erythroxylum coca, were used since 3000 years BC in the Andes. For the Incas, this plant had been created by the Sun God to quench thirst, cut hunger and make you forget the fatigue. It was also used during religious ceremonies as in Peru and Bolivia. The West discovered the coca use and properties in the 16th century with the Spanish “conquistadores” of Pizarro (1531), missionaries and settlers. Coca leaves were then used to enslave and send the Indians to work in the silver, gold, copper and tin mines. In 1860, German chemist Albert Niemann isolated the active anesthetic substance in the coca leaves. In 1863, Corsican chemist Angelo Mariani launched the famous French tonic wine “Vin Mariani” made with Bordeaux wine and coca leaf extracts. Meanwhile, in 1886, John Stith Pemberton (1831-1888), a pharmacist from Atlanta (USA), wounded at war and using cocaine, inspired by Mariani wine produced a stimulating drink made from coca, kola nuts and soda. Then the businessman Asa Griggs Candler (1851-1929) bought the formula and in 1892 created The Coca-Cola Company. In 1902 caffeine replaced cocaine in Coca-cola.
Cocaine is a powerful stimulant of the central nervous system. After the “high” wears off (15-30 min), the person may feel anxious, depressed, with an intense need to use cocaine again. Cocaine is one of the most difficult drugs to withdraw from.
It was in the 1960s, popularized by music and the media, that drugs became symbols of youthful rebellion, social upheaval and began to invade all aspects of society. In many ways, this was the pharmaceutical decade of the century with a plethora of new substances -and drugs- available.
Drugs classified
If we make a foray into the world of drugs, we can classify them according to their effects, such as:
Dissociatives: Nitrous oxide (N2O, the laughing gas) is used as an anesthetic and analgesic in surgery and dentistry.And currently used for whipped cream siphons. It is very appreciated by young people during parties for the euphoric effect but it can cause severe neurological, hematological and cardiac disorders. It destroys vitamin B12. It also includes the Ketamine, PCP (angel dust), GBL (a sedative) and GHB (a solvent), etc.
Delusional and entactogenic (desire for contact, empathy): Scopolamine, Atropine, etc.
Stimulants: amphetamines, crystal meth, methamphetamine (WWII Pervitine), etc.
Pharmaceutical stimulants: Adrafinil, Modafinil, Bupropion, etc.
Psychedelic stimulants (hallucinogens): LSD, MDMA (ecstasy), Psilocybin, Bufotenin (alkaloid secreted by the skin of the toad that amateurs lick) and Ibogaine (from the Central African Iboga plant) are both from the family of tryptamines deriving from neurotransmitter serotonin.
Should also be mentioned The New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) which imitate traditional psychoactive substances -cannabis, cathinone (from the khat leaves), opium, cocaine, LSD or MDMA (amphetamine). But, they are more powerful and more addictive. More than 900 synthetic drugs have already been identified in Europe, uncontrolled, and illicit but sold on the Internet, and classified. (more in EMCD Drug profiles).
Examples of NPS:
1) Synthetic cannabinoids, are found in the: Spice, Yucatan, etc. as JWH-18 & 250, HU-210, CP 47 & 497, etc., having affinity for the CB1 receptors.
2) Synthetic derivatives of cathinone (an alkaloid extracted from the khat leaf, sympathicomimetic): 3-MMC (3-methylmethcathinone) and the 4-MMC (Mephedrone) which creates euphoria, blue-knee syndrome, risk of heart attack, etc.
MDPV (methylenedioxypyrovalerone), from “bath-salts”.
Overdose leads to hyperthermia, coronary heart disease, arrhythmia, episodes of psychosis and violent behavior.
3) A synthetic psychoactive opioid product: fentanyl, 100 times more powerful than morphine and more addictive, with unpredictable effects. It is considered the most lethal drug by overdose.
4) Krokodil, a Russian “flesh-eating” drug. Based on desomorphine synthesized in Germany in 1922 from morphine/codeine, a powerful sedative and analgesic that has since been abandoned. Solvents, gasoline, HCl, etc. are added to produce the drug with irreversible necrosis.
2022 European report on drugs
The European Drug Report 2022 of the EMCDDA (European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction), noted that Europe had 83.4 million people aged 15-64 using drugs, 29% of the population. This represents:
22.2 million for cannabis, the most consumed drug (7% of Europeans), of which 16 million were aged 15 to 34;
3.5 million for cocaine, including 2.2 million aged 15-34;
Ecstasy or MDMA concerns 2.6 million people;
2 million for amphetamines, mostly aged 15-34;
1 million for heroin and other opioids, with 514,000 receiving substitution treatments.
The biggest cannabis smokers are young people in the Czech Republic with 23% of aged 15-34, followed by France (22%) and Italy (21%). The Netherlands and Belgium with 110 tons of cocaine seized in the port of Antwerp in 2021, are currently the drug hubs in Europe.
EMCDDA reports that in 25 European countries, 80,000 people are in treatment for cannabis use, representing 45% of all drug treatment entrants in 2020.
The increased availability of a wider variety of illicit drugs including NPS has led to different poly-drug use practices which complicate the clinical picture. The number of illicit drug overdose deaths in the EU is estimated to be in 2019 a minimum of 5,150 and 5,800 including Norway and Turkey. The age group most affected is 35-39 with double the number of deaths of the general average.
*In the State of Washington (USA), a study of 2021 shows that deaths by suicide increased by 17.9% among 15-24-year-olds after the legalization of cannabis.
To protect the physical and moral health of humanity and based on the Conventions of 1925 and 1931, three international Conventions on Drug Control of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) were signed. These are the 1961, 1971 and 1988 Conventions against the illicit traffic of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
Children, drugs and decriminalisation
In 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child was also ratified. Its Article 33, too often forgotten by governments, stipulates that:
States Parties shall take all appropriate measures, including legislative, administrative, social and educational measures, to protect children from the illicit use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances as defined in the relevant international treaties.
In Europe, several countries have decriminalized cannabis use. This is particularly the case in Spain, Portugal, Italy and the Netherlands, where consumers are not liable to fines or imprisonment if for personal use.
Only Malta has fully legalized the recreational use of cannabis following a law passed in December 2021 that allows not only consumption but also cultivation.
In Germany, the Minister of Health intends to follow this pattern and legalize the recreational use of cannabis by 2024. His purpose by decriminalising cannabis is to ensure better protection for children and young people and also to provide better health protection!
France considers that the decriminalization/legalization results are still not conclusive and that the legalization of cannabis has led to a trivialization of the product, without reducing drug trafficking, and without preventing dealers from continuing to sell other illicit products.
In the Czech Republic, the Report 2022 on Illicit Drugs mentioned that
“the topics of political, professional and public discussions included cannabis used for both medical and non-medical purposes, the inadequacy of penalties for cannabis-related offences and the use of psychedelics for treatment of mental disorders and for self-development” .
In Hungary cannabis is illegal but a“ personal quantity“ (1 gram) is tolerated.
The above justifies the successive EU Drugs Strategies as 2021-2025 of the Council of the European Union aimed ” to protect and improve the well-being of society and of the individual, to protect and promote public health, to offer a high level of security and well-being for the general public and to increase health literacy” and in its point 5: Prevent drug use and raise awareness of the adverse effects of drugs.
Drugs, celebrities and education
Since the 1960-70ies, starting with the Beat Generation, and then with celebrities (many having subsequently faced an unexpected tragic destiny), young people with a lack of factual data and information on the drug subject, became easy and vulnerable targets. Currently, the youth are exposed to drugs earlier than ever due to the easy availability of drugs, the aggressive promotions in the media and on the Internet, and due to the constant innovations in the digital illicit drug market.
It is crystal clear when talking with youth and even with parents that they are eager to know more about the drug’s harmful effects to be able to have facts to make the right decision and for the parents to dialogue efficiently with their children. So, facing the drug problem, the master word is Education! Indeed:
Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance wrote the philosopher Will Durant (1885-1981). This is the best prevention and basic action to oppose the pressure and lobbying of the drug industry.
The single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs said the humanist L. Ron Hubbard (1911-1986). In Europe, cannabis (marijuana) is with alcohol the most used drugs by 15,5% of the 15-34 years old. And cannabis appears to be the entrance gate into the destructive universe of drugs.
This is why the actions of the Foundation for a Drug-Free Europe and its hundred of Say No To Drugs associations and groups of volunteers across Europe, aware that every year drugs destroy thousands of lives and hopes, are actively contributing through The Truth About Drugs campaign, to preventively educate the youth and the public at large with factual data on the harming effects of drug use.
