Pasta News Network - New Zealand

The boy Jonas told someone in pre-school that he was a girl. The pre-school swung into ideological action.

They invited parents to come in and celebrate this new girl. The pre-school stopped calling him Jonas and began referring to him as Rosa. All of this was done without his mom’s permission. In fact, it was done without her knowledge. She went to the school and discovered that the new name Rosa was on everything belonging to her boy, including his cubby. Let this sink in. This happened in pre-school.

The mom went to a therapist who said, as these modern-day witchdoctors are wont to do, “you have to learn to accept this.”

Censure and three unhappy endings. Certainly a very "inclusive" ideology.

One of the main problems with thinking the woke have honourable intentions and laudable goals is not that they really have malicious intentions and wish to cause misery – though there is a pretty good case to be made for that view, which I’ll return to below. Nor is it that the woke’s relentlessly sanctimonious attitude and their uncompromising and often brutal behaviour greatly outweigh any supposedly good intentions, to the extent that they aren’t worth mentioning. The problem is more fundamental than that.

It is clear from what the woke say and do that they are in the grip of a powerful ideology. They are therefore not truly free agents calmly and voluntarily making a series of rational decisions which they believe are in the interests of all, or even in the interests of some. Quite the opposite. They are effectively slaves to the ideology, and are ultimately acting in their own interests, to meet the demands made of them by the grand meta-narrative that has possessed them.

People inherently want to do good things, but there is such a thing as taking it too serious and too far.

Worth reading in full.

Tokyo, Japan – When Eriko Sairyo, a 30-year-old professional who lives in Shizuoka, Japan, saw that American pop singer Gwen Stefani was being accused of “cultural appropriation” in Western media, she couldn’t understand the controversy.

“I personally think that it’s pretty cool that people want to incorporate Japanese styles into their fashion,” Sairyo, who works in the medical devices industry, told Al Jazeera.

“I don’t have any issues when, for example, foreigners wear kimono and walk around Kyoto for sightseeing. I actually love it that people love our culture.”

In an interview with Allure magazine published last week, Stefani, 53, sparked outrage across English-language media and social media with remarks expressing the deep sense of connection she feels with Japanese culture.

When virtue signalling hits a brick wall. Never change Japan.

From 2021:

“Get woke, go broke”, is a conservative meme about the cost of political correctness that has it the wrong way around. Brands don’t go broke because they get woke, they go woke because they’re going broke, and don’t know how to stop the slow but steady collapse of their business.

The big brands that go woke infuriate conservatives because, like Coke, Gillette, or Nike, they have a storied name that seems entwined with America and the success of capitalism. But it’s those old, familiar brands that go woke because their products and business models are dated. Virtue signaling is their way of adapting to a changing market without really innovating. Behind every big woke brand is a company slowly going broke and with no clue what to do about it.

Just slap a rainbow on, she'll be right mate.

The report begins by detailing how a Calgary teacher told a Grade 6 class that their classmate had come out as transgender, but that they “mustn’t let slip their classmate’s new gender identity to her parents,” who did not know the student had begun identifying this way. In short, one mother told Blackwell, “Kids were being taught to lie parents”—11-year-old kids. This scenario, however, is actually now standard practice in the public school system, Blackwell noted:

But in some ways the instruction flowed naturally from what has become a common policy throughout Canada. Boards of education, education ministries and even the Public Health Agency of Canada are urging schools to both automatically honour a transitioning student’s request to change their name and pronouns — and to keep that information from parents if requested.

Cultural Marxism is going to ruin many young lives at this rate.

The New Yorker has published a disturbing article by Emma Green (’The Case For Wearing Masks Forever’) on the political activists in America demanding we lockdown forever in the name of racial justice. They sound like textbook left-wing loons, but we know from bitter experience that these post-Christian, quasi-religious cults have a nasty habit of infecting state bureaucracies, particularly in public health – and that already appears to be happening with respect to this cult.

What emerged was the People’s C.D.C.: a ragtag coalition of academics, doctors, activists, and artists who believe that the Government has left them to fend for themselves against COVID-19. As governments, schools, and businesses have scaled back their covid precautions, the members of the People’s C.D.C. have made it their mission to distribute information about the pandemic – what they see as real information, as opposed to what’s circulated by the actual C.D.C.

The opposite end of what happens when the system is not being forth right with factual information. What makes this a "disaster in the making" is letting feelings win over facts.

The issue was brought to a head after angry importers took their cases to court - most of which agreed, and ordered customs to allow the sex-dolls into the country to be used in private spaces, on the basis that they do not undermine human dignity.

On Monday the Korean Customs Service issued a statement that it will now allow life-size adult sex dolls into the country under a revised guideline based on the recent court rulings and opinions from relevant government agencies, including the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.

Queue the usual suspects that will complain and try to reverse this.

A video that Libs of TikTok posted that now has more than five million views shows just how far we have gone. It depicts a “trans woman” supposedly suffering period pain after taking hormone replacement therapy.

Now, as Libs points out, a man doesn’t have a uterus and only biological women can menstruate. So a man might have a bad reaction to hormones but he isn’t having a “period” because he can’t have the regular discharge of blood from the uterus and resulting pain without a uterus. That’s biology and something that shouldn’t need to be explained to any adult. Yet, it appears it must because we’re now living in an alternate reality where such claims are acceptable and not just performance art. Some of the same people who yelled, “Believe the science!” over COVID are now in complete denial about the reality of biology.

Poverty stricken Canadians are going to food banks not just for help in feeding themselves and their families, but also to ask about government assisted suicide as a potential solution to their struggles. Canada's cost of living crisis is growing (as is America's crisis), with inflation ongoing and spiking interest rates crushing lower and middle class workers with increased debt burdens. The average monthly food costs for a family of four in Ottawa is around $1000 and the average monthly rent is $2000.

Canada's euthanasia laws are becoming alluring to those people that cannot afford rising expenses and see no other way out.

Between Jacinda and Trudeau, I suppose in this context we should consider ourselves fortunate.

This is because Cavill is, himself, a rabid geek and an unabashed one at that.

It’s this geeky quality that led Cavill to pursue various roles that should have made studios a lot of money. All they had to do was listen to Cavill. However, that’s not what they did. They ignored him, and now things are crumbling around them.

Netflix’s “The Witcher,” in particular, is one lesson that studios could learn a hard lesson from because it represents studios ignoring the geeks on a singular level. Cavill is a man who pushed for Netflix to take on “The Witcher” and he even succeeded in landing the role as the series protagonist “Geralt of Rivia.”

Israeli tech firms and financial institutions are joining an effort started by Israel Discount Bank to clearly voice their opposition to discrimination amid growing concern that the incoming coalition government will enact changes to allow the use of discriminatory practices.

Israel Discount Bank on Sunday announced that its board of directors accepted a recommendation by the bank’s management to update its credit policy to reflect that the lender will not grant credit to any business or organization that acts in a discriminatory manner or discriminates against customers on the basis of religion, race, gender, or sexual orientation.

“We found it appropriate to amend the bank’s credit policy, so that what is already obvious will now become official,” said Israel Discount Bank chairman Shaul Kobrinsky. “According to the policy, Discount Bank will not grant credit to businesses or entities that discriminate against customers in the State of Israel.”

Authorities in the little town of Dedham Massachusetts went into damage control this week after abandoning the town’s decades-long tradition of displaying a Christmas tree in the local library.

Gobsmacked by the news, branch supervisor, Lisa Desmond said, “I found out today that my beautiful library will not have its Christmas tree this year. Zero explanation. When I asked, I was told, ‘People were made uncomfortable last year looking at it.'”

She added: “[It] should be okay to be inspired by other cultures because if we’re not allowed then that’s dividing people, right?”

Allure magazine said Stefani’s representative reached out the day after the interview indicating reporter Jesa Marie Calaorhad misunderstood what Stefani was trying to convey. The magazine said it offered Stefani a chance to clarify but the pop star didn’t provide a statement or participate in a follow-up interview.

Allure reporter Jesa Marie Calaor wrote in the article: “I don’t believe Stefani was trying to be malicious or hurtful in making these statements. But words don’t have to be hostile in their intent in order to potentially cause harm, and my colleague and I walked away from that half hour unsettled.”

"It doesn't matter if you have the beard on the outside, as long as you got the beard on the inside." - Action Hank

Children struggling with obesity should be evaluated and treated early and aggressively, including with medications for kids as young as 12 and surgery for those as young as 13, according to new guidelines released Monday.

For the first time, the group’s guidance sets ages at which kids and teens should be offered medical treatments such as drugs and surgery — in addition to intensive diet, exercise and other behavior and lifestyle interventions, said Eneli, director of the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

While obesity is not a "clear cut" problem, for the majority of people it is a problem they can literally run from. Drugs should really be a last resort...

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has reportedly banned the flying of Palestinian flags in public places, claiming they “encourage terrorism.”

“It is inconceivable that lawbreakers will wave terror flags, incite and encourage terrorism,” Ben-Gvir said on Sunday night in a statement cited by the Jerusalem Post. “I have issued instructions for the removal of the flags, which support terrorism, from the public space and to stop incitement against the state of Israel.”

The West: This is fine.

Also the West: China forcing Apple and Google to remove the flag of Taiwan to from emoji keyboards is an outrage.

The key objectives of the plan are prevention by tackling gender inequality, victim blaming, and addressing societal attitudes that encourage violence; early intervention by expanding support services to individuals and families experiencing forms of violence; and response, which is ensuring front-line services are equipped with education to support victim-survivors and practical resources such as secure crisis accommodation and long term housing.

Despite endorsing the National Plan, on the last parliamentary sitting day before Christmas, Queensland Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman, Minister for Women, Prevention of Family Violence and Justice, introduced the Births Deaths and Marriages Bill 2022, which, if passed, will amend state laws to permit individuals to legally change their sex without any form of medical evidence.

Two things:

• It is going to give a whole new meaning to "sex tourism".
• Easier to acquiesce to "the mob" then tackle what is a growing societal / mental health problem.

An Ecuadorian man has legally changed his gender in a bid to win custody of his children from a legal system that he says “punishes” fathers. Transgender activists responded with outrage.

Rene Salinas Ramos officially became a woman on December 30, he told La Voz del Tomebamba, an Ecuadorian newspaper. Salinas Ramos, who hasn’t seen his two daughters in five months and claims that they live in an abusive environment with their mother, said that the decision to become a woman was born out of frustration with the court system.

“Being a father in this country, Ecuador, is punished and seen only as a provider,” he said. “Now that I am a woman, I can be a mother and I am on an equal footing to fight for the parental authority of my daughters.”

Based Padre

Victorian activists are insisting that Christians should be banned from renting public spaces for worship services because their views on homosexuality are at odds with local council diversity and inclusion commitments.

The argument goes like this:

The City of Stonnington in Melbourne’s south east has signed up to an LGBTQ+ inclusion plan.

Their decision to sign the Local Government Rainbow Pledge a couple of years ago was promoted with great fanfare all over social media.

The councillors – elected to ensure bins are emptied and potholes are fixed – promised to fly the rainbow flag, create an LGBTQ+ advisory committee, create an LGBTQ+ action plan, and participate in the annual LBGTQ+ Midsumma festival.

So far, so wonderfully inclusive.

Two things:

• You cannot reason with an ideology.
• Melbourne.

Ichikawa, now 40, said she realizes there is no privacy in prison, but with the new law, “there is no dignity either,” as some transfers are and will be full-bodied males, sharing what was once single-sex space.

The law allows an inmate who identifies as transgender, non-binary, or intersex to be housed, at their choice, with either male or female prisoners. By all accounts, it was written to help the transgender community feel more comfortable if incarcerated.

“This has got to be a nationwide, even a global movement to erase women,” Ichikawa said.

Nothing good can come from this.

The U.S. Department of State is advertising and partially funding a $1.5 million grant opportunity to support pro-“LGBTQI+” activism around the world.

“The Global Equality Fund” for “LGBTQI+ Programs” will be administered by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, which hopes to “empower local movements” and “promote full social inclusion.”

The grant opportunity, which was announced on December 29th, 2022, will provide between $750,000 and $1,500,000 to organizations that support the “LGBTQI+” agenda.

Being part of an ideology is a booming business nowadays, as was suggested in recent history.

"If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion." - L. Ron Hubbard

Kyrgyzstan has prohibited singing along pre-recorded tracks at public cultural events, the country’s Ministry of Culture press service told journalists. The ban entered into force on January 1.

The order was signed by Minister of Culture, Information and Sport Altynbek Maksutov on Friday, Kyrgyz media outlets reported. The document prohibits lip-synching at state cultural events in theaters, cinema halls, museums, clubs, libraries, and sports venues. This ban also applies to mass public events.

“Singers must sing live during cultural events,” the ministry’s press service said.

"Culture starts with honesty. Let's not deceive viewers and listeners.”

Under Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Women, and the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Shannon Fentiman’s new bill, a person will no longer be required to undergo sexual reassignment surgery to formally register a change of sex.

This means that men who ‘identify as women’ can change their legal sex with little more than some paper and a few strokes of a pen.

The implications for women and girls cannot be understated.

Such legislation (also known as a Self-ID law) will effectively allow men to self-identify into female-only activities, spaces, and services, including sports, prisons, bathrooms, and refuges.

Will also add, such legislation will also cause problems for statistics, medical treatments and other matters that are the exclusive domain of cisgender women.

After having read the article, I would be inclined to say "Yes." to the question posed in the headline.

Great closing statement.

We made small talk over text, and I mentioned I was a late-bloomer lesbian (a woman who doesn't come out till later in life, usually after long-term relationships with men), then she asked me a question …

"So, how many women have you been with, then?"

Having written openly about my sex life for many years, I'm not averse to sharing intimate details about myself. Part of the reason I'm so candid in my work is because I'm an advocate for smashing the shame surrounding typically taboo topics.

However, this is one question I generally steer clear of.

An honest take, fair points are raised, ticks all the inclusivity and language boxes, but ultimately reads like an essay to justify not wanting to answer a basic relationship question.

The progressive mind is a labyrinth that loops back on itself.

Sweden’s new treatment guidelines for youth with “gender dysphoria,” which came out last week, say that the first line of treatment should be psychosocial support rather than giving kids dangerous drugs to stop puberty or mutilating their bodies.

“Psychosocial support that helps the young person live with the body’s pubertal development without medication needs to be the first option when choosing care measures,” the new guidelines read.

I am sure lawsuits from de-transitioning individuals, who felt deceived about their treatment process, may also have played a part in this decision.

Surgery should always be an avenue of last resort.

"You May Live to See Man-Made Horrors Beyond Your Comprehension" - Nikola Tesla