June 18, 2019

HAPPY Tuesday. Buddhist Zen Cartoons To Make You LAUGH! I Just Laughed So Hard, I Cried! Enjoy :D

 

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 2:22 AM 0 comments

June 17, 2019

My Storyboard Spiritual Visual Interpretation Of What This Full Moon In Sagittarius On Monday, June 17th Is Ushering In For Us. ๐Ÿ’–

The pictures and gifs that I share sum up my interpretation of the current astrological message.

UPDATE 6/18/19 at 2:19am: I want to emphasize the last picture gif showing Bambi filled with wonder emulating the grasshopper. It's not just a cute little cartoon gif. It sums up all the other picture gifs. For more clarity, please read the spiritual meaning below:

[source: Light Force Network]

Symbology: The grasshopper is associated with astral travel. They have the ability to leap through time and into space where the true mysteries of life exist. People with this medicine have the wisdom necessary to overcome obstacles efficiently and are able to jump into successful ventures without preparation or planning. When the grasshopper appears to us we are being asked to take a leap of faith and jump forward into a specific area of life without fear. Usually that specific area is one that we have avoided and is often connected to change on a larger scale. This can represent a change in location, relationships, career or just in the way we perceive ourselves.

Grasshoppers can only jump forward....not backward, or sideways. So, when grasshopper shows up he could be reaffirming to you that you are taking the right steps to move forward in your current situation. Or it could be that he is telling you to go ahead and move forward, getting past what is hindering you. This is why grasshopper is the symbol of good luck all over the world. Grasshopper's ability to connect and understand sound vibrations is why he is also a symbol of your inner voice. He could be telling you to trust yours.

[source: Spirit Animal Totems]

In this case grasshopper symbolism is asking you to take a leap of faith. Similar to the black horse, you must go ahead and do it without knowing the outcome. Usually, this is something that you have avoided doing and is part of a large-scale change in direction. This shift can be an adjustment in a relationship, advance in a career or a transition within yourself. Grasshopper symbolism also means that you have the wisdom that you need to get past any obstacles in an efficient manner. For the most part, all possible outcomes will be positive.

[source: Hep6 Shamanism]

The grasshopper may be inherently an earth creature, it is also heavily attuned to the wind. Hence, it is both grounded and free, striking a balance between humility and daydreaming, between having its feet on the ground and having its head in the clouds.

In this sense, the grasshopper exhorts us to dream, and to not be afraid to consider flights of fancy. What we may consider impossible and out of reach may be right before our eyes in a moment. And just as the grasshopper leaps and hops into each opportunity, it encourages us to stretch our bones and search for the truth in our dreams.

When the grasshopper appears as your spirit animal, it is pushing us to start considering the “great unknown” that is facing our lives. There may be a question that we are evading, or an opening in our lives that we are not even looking at because we don’t know what lies beyond.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 11:53 PM 0 comments

Full Moon in Sagittarius Is On Monday June 17th. Galactic Center Activation! by Tania Gabrielle.


Full Moon in Sagittarius
Galactic Center Activation!
written by Tania Gabrielle
contact her at www.TaniaGabrielle.com

What an incredibly wonderful full moon forecast we are blessed with in June, as the brilliant Sagittarius Full Moon on June 17 takes place on a powerful point in the heavens – pointing directly at Galactic Center!

Galactic Center resides at the center of our Milky Way Galaxy so this full moon is unleashing some powerful magic…

(Even if you’re not a Sagittarius, this forecast still applies to you!)
  • Sagittarius represents our Quest for Truth.
  • Optimism and faith are enhanced.
  • You have greater peace of mind.
  • Your positive expectations convert into positive outcomes.
  • The solutions you seek catapult you into success.
Plenty of planetary transits magnify the positive impact! They include:
  • Moon conjunct Jupiter (ruler of Sagittarius)
  • Moon and Sun square Neptune
  • Mercury trine Neptune
  • Mars trine Neptune
Plus two additional transits have an especially big positive impact – both involve Neptune and trigger the number 18, doubling up June’s 18 Universal Month number:
  • Jupiter squares Neptune at 18°
  • Saturn sextiles Neptune at 18°
It’s ALL coming together right before the exciting Summer Solstice on June 21… SO much to share, including many tips and takeaways!

Love and Blessings,
Tania Gabrielle

PS. FREE Masterclass: Discover Your Divine Blueprint: How to read any person's birth code in the STARS and NUMBERS!

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 6:06 PM 0 comments

Full Moon In Sagittarius On Monday June 17th by Lena Stevens and Patricia Liles at PowerPath.

I added the pictures above to the message below. The pictures and gifs that I share sum up my interpretation of the current astrological message
Intro written by Lena Stevens at www.thepowerpath.com
Body written by Patricia Liles. Contact her at PATLILES@aol.com

Full Moon is Monday, June 17 at 2:30AM Mountain Daylight Time (MDT).

Take this day and focus forward on what your larger more expansive dreams may be. Optimism and a higher vibration is key to working with the energies available at this moon time. Creative thinking about how to restructure, reinvent, re-appropriate, recycle and adapt should be part of your focus during this time. Don’t look back unless in gratitude. Look forward, up and beyond limitations and get inspired with what could be instead of fretting about what isn’t.

This is a community rich time to be with others on the same page and the same vibration. Pick and choose carefully as you don’t want to put energy into relationships that only bring you down. It may be time to clean house. Above all else be positive around the opportunities you can create for yourself in the future.

Blessings,
Lena

ASTROLOGICAL NOTES:

Please note that the Astrological Notes cover the whole moon cycle from New Moon on June 3 until July 1. Full moon info is contained within, below.

Written by Patricia Liles – patliles@aol.com

Gemini New Moon 12ยบ
Monday, June 3
4:01 AM Mountain Daylight Time/ (10:01 AM GMT)

Sagittarius Full Moon 26ยบ
Monday, June 17
2:30 AM Mountain Daylight Time/ (8:30 AM GMT)

Is your mental energy all lively and flooding you with thoughts and possibilities? Well, rightly so. Entering the Gemini New Moon cycle is a spotlight on mental stimulation, learning, communication and connection. Our lives seem to move along on express mode as so many channels are open and we weave a complex life of many threads. Our connections and exchanges become ever more technologically airwave based. Gemini is our champion in being in the moment, using our cleverness and wit in the social realms, and satisfying our unending curiosity about the world.

Gemini is an air sign, and air likes to keep moving, stimulating our mental bodies and providing perspective and perceiving which way ‘the wind is blowing’. The Gemini/Sagittarius cycle is a mutable cycle teaching us about adaptability, making changes, learning new moves to keep up with the times.

Gemini rules not only the hands and shoulders, but also the nervous system. When the nervous system gets over amped, we experience anxiety and restless mental energy. We’re learning to cope with way more stimulation than ever before and our bodies feel both excited and exhausted by it as our horizons expand to a global, planetary level.

Traveling with the Sun and Moon in Gemini is Mercury, Gemini’s ruler and ruler of the chart. Mercury is extra powerful and the mental emphasis is truly magnified. Jupiter in Sagittarius, The Great Expander, compounds the pile up by opposing Mercury. Jupiter brings to our awareness methods to channel and use this overflowing cup of mental elixir that fuels our thinking, speaking, writing, and zipping around place to place and take it to a higher frequency. What we think and say and how we engage others carries our medicine out into the world.

Time to do some mental housekeeping.

Vesta positively influences Mercury with an exact sextile. Vesta says listen to your self, go within, find your peace and guidance from the sanctuary of the inner temple. Gather that communication and act from there. Use all your skill to keep your thoughts, and particularly your words, positive and avoid the anxiety and overwhelm from what we are all witnessing in the outer dramas being played out at the collective level. Gemini is a personal planet. What you can do to ward off unwanted influences is cultivate mindfulness. Bring clarity to how you interact with your world.

Jupiter continues to inch closer to the exact square to Neptune as it did in our last New Moon cycle. June 16 at Full Moon is the second of three exact squares spanning most of 2019. (Jan, June, Sept). This pass may hold the biggest teachings and we will have a third opportunity to apply what we gain in this cycle.

What I wrote at last Full Moon still holds true:
We are nearing the second of three squares of Jupiter in Sagittarius and Neptune in Pisces, both in their own signs making them extraordinarily strong. These two planets stretch us beyond the shores of the rational mind, open the quantum fields, and teach us to be master creators of our own reality. These are the two planets buoying us up and teaching us to have faith in the outcome as we watch the cracking and crumbling of that which no longer serves. Next Full Moon will bring them into exactitude.
The backbone of both the New and Full Moon charts continues to be what is playing out along the North and South Node axis. Pluto, our force for transformation and seeker of secrets is strongly aligned with Saturn, creator of deep structure and stability. With these two strong and determined planets being pulled into the vortex of the South Node, we are experiencing what it means to live through unprecedented times of transition. Incredible amounts of fear and need for control are being released. South Node is our portal to releasing the past, and Pluto and Saturn go after the most deeply entrenched patterns of lifetimes that we hold in the inner cores of our chakras. Pluto is our teacher in that we transform through death, letting go, loss, surrender and out of the ashes comes rebirth, growth, power. Now is the time to ask your allies for help! We especially feel this influence whenever the Moon aspects these planets and the South Node. FYI: Opposition aspect June 5&6, square June 12, conjunction June 18&19, square June 26.

Mars in Cancer will further trigger and oppose Pluto, Saturn, South Node (22ยบ, 18ยบ, 17ยบ Capricorn) just before and after the Full Moon June 14-18. A classic time of irritability, ego conflicts and power struggles. The North Node, our point of growth, is in Cancer until May 2020. It has been relatively quiet this spring while the South Node facilitated its deep letting go, but now Mars and Mercury conjunct are moving through Cancer at Full Moon and as we near the Solstice June 21. Mars and Mercury are illuminating the way forward as we reveal the shadow side of patriarchal institutions and belief systems that our culture is built upon. Evolution of the patriarchy will come through the nurturing and support of the vulnerable and disenfranchised in our society, through connecting to Mother Earth and ancestral ways, and taking back our food and healing systems from corporate exploitation. Mars as Sacred Warrior is learning to champion the feminine and look to the good of all.

Full Moon on Monday, June 17th in Sagittarius is graced with Jupiter, its ruler, near by with the potential for optimism and faith in what’s on the horizon. Full Moon will illuminate what lies ahead and over the horizon. Sagittarius is an intuitive and lucky sign, broad minded, generous, warm and welcoming to all, and a deep lover of freedom. Sag represents the higher side of mind, where Gemini gathers information and delivers the message in a neutral way, Sag is philosophical, academically inclined, and a keeper of religion and law. Jupiter can spot a good opportunity and make it deliver.

Jupiter as ruler of the Sag Full Moon chart doesn’t have much in the way of allies though or positive aspects which leads me to speculate that some of the more challenging, stressful qualities of the Jovial One may come to the fore.

This may be a case of using our tools and awareness ‘to right the ship’ and keep the expanded energy that a Full Moon brings on the right track. Jupiter may have difficulty with using faulty logic for self-justification of its choices and behaviors. Watch where extravagance, over spending and over socializing show up. Over indulgence may have something to teach us through our bodies.

The exact Jupiter-Neptune square discussed above is exact on Full Moon.

The month closes with the high cycle of Solstice – either the longest day or the longest night depending on your hemisphere. The Sun is at its farther point North.

Neptune moving ever so slowly in Pisces, also in its own sign, turns retrograde on Solstice.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 5:36 PM 0 comments

June 16, 2019

Intermission Song In the Midst Of All The Chaos Happening Around The World...❤


I know this is somewhat random. This song came to me in the spirit while I was in the kitchen cooking today. It came playing in my spirit over and over again until I started singing it aloud, and it made my heart smile. So I needed to share this song with you so that you can smile too. Consider this a lovely intermission song in the midst of all of the chaos happening around the world and in our lives. Sending you lots of love and I'm giving you a great big hug...❤

"Louise"
by Maurice Chevalier, 1929

Wonderful! Oh, it's wonderful
To be in love with you.
Beautiful! You're so beautiful,
You haunt me all day through.

Every little breeze seems to whisper "Louise."
Birds in the trees seem to twitter "Louise."
Each little rose
Tells me it knows I love you, love you.

Every little beat that I feel in my heart,
Seems to repeat, What I felt from the start,
Each little sigh
Tells me that I adore you, Louise.

Just to see and hear you
Brings joy I never knew.
But to be so near you,
Thrills me through and through.

Anyone can see why I wanted your kiss,
It had to be,
But the wonder is this:
Can it be true,
Someone like you Could love me, Louise?

Innocent! You're so innocent
And gentle as a dove.
Heaven sent! You were heaven sent,
An angel from above.

Every little breeze seems to whisper "Louise."
Birds in the trees seem to twitter "Louise."
Each little rose
Tells me it knows I love you, love you.

Every little beat that I feel in my heart,
Seems to repeat, What I felt from the start,
Each little sigh
Tells me that I adore you, Louise.

Often when I'm gloomy
And in my lonely room.
Thoughts of you come to me,
Like a sweet perfume.

Anyone can see why I wanted your kiss,
It had to be,
But the wonder is this:
Can it be true,
Someone like you Could love me, Louise?

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 12:39 PM 0 comments

Happy Fathers Day... ❤

Wishing all you dad's out there a very special Father's Day! May your day be filled with lots of love, smiles, hugs and laughter. :) ♥

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 12:15 PM 0 comments

I Love You Abba... ❤

The poem above is for my Heavenly Father. Thank you for loving me unconditionally, for never giving up on me and for always believing in me. ♥ I love you Abba! ♥

Beautiful love letter from God to all of us. God is God all by Himself. Jesus Christ (Yahshua haMashiach) is the living breathing WORD of God that God made flesh to walk among us, and the Holy Spirit is the breath of God. Christians are not Polytheists as Islam falsely claims. God, His WORD, and His breath ARE ALL ONE. Can you separate you from your word and from your breath? Think about it. God doesn't need a religious group or organization to make Him so. God almighty is above all and sovereign. God is Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent. God is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. God is INFINITE and ETERNAL. ♥

 I've typed a transcript for you below from the Love Letter From God video above:

My Child,

You may not know me, but I know everything about you. Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up. Psalm 139:2

I am familiar with all your ways. Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. Matthew 10:29-31

For you were made in my image. Genesis 1:27

In me you live and move and have your being. Acts 17:28

For you are my offspring. Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived. Jeremiah 1:4-5

I chose you when I planned creation. Ephesians 1:11-12

You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. Psalm 139:15-16

I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. Acts 17:26

You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14

I knit you together in your mother's womb. Psalm 139:13

And brought you forth on the day you were born. Psalm 71:6

I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me. John 8:41-44

I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love. 1 John 4:16

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. 1 John 3:1

Simply because you are my child and I am your Father. 1 John 3:1

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. Matthew 7:11

For I am the perfect father. Matthew 5:48

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand. James 1:17

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs. Matthew 6:31-33

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. Jeremiah 29:11

Because I love you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3

My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. Psalm 139:17-18

And I rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

I will never stop doing good to you. Jeremiah 32:40

For you are my treasured possession. Exodus 19:5

I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul. Jeremiah 32:41

And I want to show you great and marvelous things. Jeremiah 33:3

If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me. Deuteronomy 4:29

Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

For it is I who gave you those desires. Philippians 2:13

I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. Ephesians 3:20

For I am your greatest encourager. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. Psalm 34:18

As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart. Isaiah 40:11

One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. Revelation 21:3-4

And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. Revelation 21:3-4

I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus. John 17:23

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. John 17:26

He is the exact representation of my being. Hebrews 1:3

He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you. Romans 8:31

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you. 1 John 4:10

I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love. Romans 8:31-32

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me. 1 John 2:23

And nothing will ever separate you from my love again. Romans 8:38-39

Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen. Luke 15:7

I have always been Father, and will always be Father. Ephesians 3:14-15

My question is…Will you be my child? John 1:12-13

I am waiting for you. Luke 15:11-32

Love, Your Dad.
Almighty God

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 12:14 PM 0 comments

June 15, 2019

NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand Announced That It Will Withdraw All Of Its Kiwi Troops From Iraq By Next June 2020 Following The Defeat Of The Islamic State Militant Group.

Iraqi News, Iraq
written by Mohammed Ebraheem
Monday June 10, 2019

WELLINGTON – New Zealand announced on Monday that it would withdraw all of its troops from Iraq by next June following the defeat of the Islamic State militant group.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the number of New Zealand troops will be reduced to 75 by July and then to 45 by January before all the troops all withdrawn, FOX News reported.

Ardern also announced New Zealand will reduce the number of defense force personnel it has posted in Afghanistan from 13 to 11.

The South Pacific nation has a small contingent of 95 so-called noncombat personnel deployed at the Taji Military Complex northwest of Baghdad, where they are tasked with training Iraqi security forces.

The training mission is a joint operation with Australia, which has about 300 troops stationed at Taji. Australia has not made any announcement about its long-term plans at the base.

New Zealand Herald
written by Jason Walls
Monday June 10, 2019

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed that Cabinet has decided to end New Zealand Defence Force troop deployment in Iraq in June next year.

The deployment in Camp Taji will scale down to 75 troops from July and to 45 troops in January before the mission ends in June.

Up to 95 Kiwi troops have been stationed at Camp Taji since February 2015, training Iraqi Security Forces as part of the Building Partner Capacity mission.

"When it comes to Iraq, it's time to go." Ardern said.

Ardern said more than 44,000 ISF personnel have been trained at Taji since New Zealand was deployed as part of the multinational Defeat-Isis Coalition.

"Four years ago New Zealand made a commitment to the Iraqi Government and to the Coalition to train the ISF at Taji and lift their capability to defeat and prevent the resurgence of Isis," Ardern said.

"Over the next 12 months, New Zealand will be able to wind down and conclude that commitment."

But New Zealand will however increase its stabilisation funding to Iraq to about $3 million a year for the next three years - from $2.4m in 2018-19 - to help communities recover and rebuild after the conflict with Isis.

The money will come from within MFat's overseas aid and development fund, and will contribute to what has been estimated to be a US$87 billion rebuild of Iraq.

Ardern said she had spoken to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morison who had reacted positively to the news.

Ardern said when she came into Government, she had to honour the commitment that had been made to the Iraqi Government.

Defence Minister Ron Mark said he was proud that New Zealand can take a leading role in female leadership in the region.

He said the Government has decided what is best for New Zealanders.

Mark said the training mission is nearing an end and "now it's about mentoring and training the trainers".

He said the Government had conducted a carefully planned exit strategy.

Ardern said she was proud of the work Kiwi servicemen and women do overseas – "they serve us incredibly well".

She would not comment on whether or not it was the right decision to send Kiwi troops in the first place.

Asked if Australia was also pulling out of Iraq, Ardern said it was not for her to announce Australia's long-term commitment to Iraq.

In the 2019 Budget, just under $60 million was allocated to operations contributing to New Zealand's security, stability and interests.

This is described as: "The employment of New Zealand's Armed Forces overseas at the Government's direction."

But just over $26 million was allocated to the same Budget line in the 2019/20 financial year.

The mandate for the joint training mission with Australia, based at Taji camp, was meant to expire in November last year.

But two months before, the Government announced it would extend its deployment in Iraq - until June this year.

"The Government has weighed a number of factors, including carefully considering the risks to our servicemen and women based on advice from the New Zealand Defence Force," Ardern said at the time.

Nato this year asked New Zealand to join its new training mission in Iraq.

At a joint press conference at the time, Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Nato had launched a new training mission in Iraq: "We will of course welcome contributions from New Zealand to that training mission."

But Ardern said she did not give him any commitment and would need to discuss the idea with Cabinet colleagues, but noted that NZ troops were already in Iraq.

When in Opposition, Labour was against sending troops to Iraq and wanted to bring them home.

"Labour's position is clear: we should not send troops to Iraq," then Labour leader Andrew Little said in early 2015.

Where NZ troops are stationed:

Iraq: 121 personnel

Egypt: 28 personnel

Afghanistan: 13 personnel

South Korea: Six personnel

Lebanon: Eight personnel

South Sudan: Four personnel

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 5:43 PM 0 comments

ENGLAND: 2 Lesbians Assaulted By 5 Muslims In London Bus Attack. British Police Report Hate Crimes Against LGBTQ Rose 27% To 11,638 In One Year. 2,308 Attacks On LGBTQ In London In 2018.

BBC News, England
written by Staff
Friday June 7, 2019

Two women say they were subjected to a homophobic attack and left covered in blood after refusing to kiss on a bus.

Melania Geymonat, 28, said the attack on her and partner Chris happened on the top deck of a London night bus as they were travelling to Camden Town.

A group of young men began harassing them when they discovered the women were a couple, asking them to kiss while making sexual gestures.

Four male teenagers aged between 15 and 18 have been arrested.

They are being questioned on suspicion of robbery and aggravated grievous bodily harm.

Speaking about the attack, which happened in the early hours of 30 May, Ms Geymonat told BBC Radio 4's World at One she had previously experienced "a lot of verbal violence".

But she said she had never before been physically attacked because of her sexuality.

Ms Geymonat said: "They surrounded us and started saying really aggressive stuff, things about sexual positions, lesbians and claiming we could kiss so they could watch us.

"To ease the situation I tried to make some jokes, like Chris, wasn't understanding because she didn't speak English.

"She even acted as if she was sick... but they started throwing coins. The next thing I know Chris is in the middle of the bus and they are punching her.

"So I immediately went there by impulse and tried to pull her out of there and they started punching me. I was really bleeding."

Asked whether the attack left her less willing to hold hands in public, Chris, said: "I am not scared about being visibly queer. If anything, you should do it more."

But she added: "I was and still am angry. It was scary, but this is not a novel situation."

Det Supt Andy Cox described the attack as "disgusting".

Earlier, police said they were "following up" on CCTV footage of the assault.

Ms Geymonat added that the gang of at least four men might have broken her nose during the ordeal, and stole a phone and bag from them before fleeing.

Both women were taken to hospital for treatment to facial injuries, but have now been discharged.

Ms Geymonat said one of the men spoke Spanish and the others had British accents.

Bus operator Metroline said there was CCTV footage of the attack and it was co-operating with police.

Prime Minister Theresa May said: "This was a sickening attack and my thoughts are with the couple affected.

"Nobody should ever have to hide who they are or who they love and we must work together to eradicate unacceptable violence towards the LGBT community."

Laura Russell, director of campaigns, policy and research at equal rights charity Stonewall, said the attack also showed "how much we still have to do for LGBT equality".

She said: "Government research found that more than two thirds of LGBT people said they had avoided holding hands with a same-sex partner for fear of a negative reaction from others.

"This attack is a reminder of why."
London Mayor has a lot of nerve to act as if he gives a damn considering crime has skyrocketed under his watch because of his very own Muslim community. (emphasis mine)
London mayor Sadiq Khan described the attack as disgusting and misogynistic, while Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the assault was "absolutely shocking".

'Sobering reality check'
By Ben Hunte, BBC LGBT correspondent

This attack is a shocking reminder that even in one of the world's most accepting and celebrated cities, there is still work to be done to protect LGBT people from harm.

Figures from 2018 from the Met Police showed that attacks on London's LGBT community have almost doubled since 2014.

Last summer the government launched an LGBT action plan to improve the lives of LGBT people in the UK. Their research found more than two thirds of LGBT people said they had avoided holding hands with a same-sex partner for fear of a negative reaction from others.

As Ms Geymonat mentioned in her Facebook post, the start of June has seen the beginning of LGBT Pride month - a celebration recognised internationally since 1970.

With one of the biggest celebrations due to take place in the capital in just under a month, this is a sobering reality check of why Pride is still needed in 2019.

Siwan Hayward, director of compliance, policing and on-street services at Transport for London, described the assault as "sickening" and "utterly unacceptable", adding that "homophobic behaviour and abuse is a hate crime and won't be tolerated on our network".

Police are appealing for witnesses for the attack which happened at about 02:30 BST on a N31 bus in West Hampstead.

There were 2,308 homophobic hate crimes across London in 2018, compared with 2014 when 1,488 were recorded, according to the Met Police's crime dashboard.

Det Sgt Anthony Forsyth said there had been a "steady increase in the reporting of all hate crime", which was partly due to the "growing willingness of victims to report crime and the improved awareness by police".
BBC Source: Metropolitan Police
Reuters News
written by Rachel Savage
Monday June 10, 2019

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Violent attacks on two LGBT+ couples have focused attention on a rise in homophobic hate crime in Britain amid a heated debate over whether schools should teach children about same-sex relationships.

Lucy Jane Parkinson reported being knocked over by a stone thrown from a moving car while kissing her girlfriend Rebecca Bantavala in the southern city of Southampton where they were performing an LGBT+ play.

The attack on Saturday came less than two weeks after two women were punched and robbed on a London bus in what police called a “disgusting” homophobic assault. One of the victims said the attackers had tried to force them to kiss each other.

Photos of the two women with bloody faces went viral and sparked widespread condemnation on social media.

The number of hate crimes recorded by British police against lesbian, gay and bisexual people rose 27% to 11,638 in the year to March 2018, according to the most recent official data.

Parkinson said such attacks happened “all the time” and this only made news headlines because the couple were in theater.

“It needs to stop because there’s nothing wrong with us,” Parkinson told the Thomson Reuters Foundation on Monday, adding the attackers needed education not punishment.

“We want to talk to them,” Parkinson said. “What we need to do is re-educate and open up a dialogue and a conversation. That’s when we’ll make a difference.”

Police said the incident was under investigation, but no arrests or charges had been made.

Five boys and men aged 15-18 have been arrested over the attack on the bus, London police said in a statement.

The age of those arrested for the London attack showed the need for LGBT-inclusive education, said Linda Riley, the publisher of Diva, a magazine for “women who love women”, who also gives talks in schools about diversity.

๐Ÿ‘‡ IN OTHER RELATED NEWS ๐Ÿ‘‡

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 5:22 PM 0 comments

SWEDEN: It’s Time For Sweden To Admit Explosions Are A National Emergency. Some 50 Explosions By Islamist Were Reported In The First Three Months Of 2019 Alone.

Quillette News
written by Paulina Neuding, Quillette’s European editor
Tuesday June 11, 2019

The bomb exploded shortly after 9 a.m. Friday in a blast that ripped through two apartment buildings and could be heard for miles. Twenty-five people suffered cuts and bruises and 250 apartments were damaged. A nearby kindergarten was evacuated. Hospitals jumped into disaster mode. Photos from the scene show rows of demolished balconies and shattered windows. It was ”absolutely incredible” that no one was severely injured, a police spokesperson said.

It is the kind of news we usually associate with war zones, but this bombing took place in Linkรถping, a peaceful university town in southern Sweden. Remarkably, it was not the only explosion in the country that day; another, seemingly unrelated, blast was reported in a parking lot in the city of Gothenburg earlier in the morning. Three explosions have been reported in Malmรถ since Tuesday morning. As of this writing, no arrests have been made.

Sweden has experienced a sharp rise in explosions in recent years, predominantly related to conflicts between warring criminal gangs. The use of explosives in the Nordic country is now at a level that is unique in the world for a state not at war, according to police. In response, the government issued a first-ever ”amnesty for explosives” in the fall of 2018, allowing people in possession of such weapons to hand them over to police with immunity. But this didn’t stem the tide: some 50 explosions were reported in the first three months of 2019 alone—an average of more than one every other day and an increase over the same period in 2018, a year that saw a record number of more than three blasts per week.

While explosives have become a weapon of choice among the country’s gangs, the effects of such violence are hardly confined to criminals. In the past four years, fatalities include a 63-year-old man who unknowingly picked up a hand grenade lying in the street; an 8-year-old boy who was asleep when a hand grenade was thrown into the apartment where he was staying; and a 4-year-old girl killed in a car bombing.
2011- Dec 5, 2018. Source: Swedish Public Service TV
There has been a corresponding marked escalation in gang-related shootings, which increasingly take place in broad daylight. Sweden had 45 deadly shootings in what police refer to as ”criminal environments” last year, which is an increase by a factor of 10 in one generation. In contrast, neighbouring Norway has less than three. Deadly shootings per capita in Sweden are now considerably higher than the European average. And systematic witness intimidation, paired with a code of silence in the country’s socio-economically weak immigrant areas, has made this type of crime difficult for the Swedish legal system to tackle.
The foreign-born gangs they speak of are Muslim gangs or Islamic sharia patrol gangs used to terrorize ALL non-Muslims as a way of IMPOSING Islamic sharia law. (emphasis mine)
The rise in gang violence and other types of crime—including sexual offenses and a wave of robberies against children—has had far-reaching implications for Swedish society. In a country which boasts ”the world’s first feminist government,” a third of young women now report feeling unsafe going out at night. A recent survey in the country’s three largest cities showed that safety is now the main priority for Swedes who are looking to buy homes. Crime emerged as a top priority among voters ahead of the election to the European Parliament in May.

According to the prevailing ideology of the Swedish political establishment, this wave of violence, which is baffling to many European neighbours, should not be happening. A longstanding cornerstone of the country’s political conversation dictates that crime must be understood in socio-economic terms, and that welfare provisions are a cure-all against violence and social unrest. Yet Sweden is one of Europe’s most generous welfare states.

Instead of seeking refuge in ideological wishful thinking, the Swedish government should focus on reforming a criminal justice system that was built for a more peaceful society. To name but one issue: young criminals receive remarkably soft sentences. For example, a 16-year-old convicted of an execution-style killing at a Stockholm pizza restaurant in 2018 was sentenced to three years in institutional care for young people. The country also has one of the smallest police forces per capita in the EU.

Before any specific issues can be addressed the Swedish government must acknowledge the severity of the matter. In the past few years, the rise in violent crime in Sweden has attracted growing attention from international media. How has the Swedish government responded? By launching an elaborate PR campaign for foreign audiences that plays down the challenges—especially those in the country’s immigrant areas. Nothing will change if the government continues to respond to the reality in the streets with cynical rhetorical spin.
National Review
written by Douglas Murray
Wednesday June 12, 2019

Readers may recall a kerfuffle in February 2017, which now seems like the long, distant past. It revolved around President Trump riffing on the question of migration in front of a rally of his supporters:
You look at what’s happening in Germany, you look at what’s happening last night in Sweden. Sweden, who would believe this. Sweden. They took in large numbers. They’re having problems like they never thought possible.
As it happens, nothing had particularly happened the night before in Sweden itself. Rather, the president appeared to be referring to a segment he had seen on Fox News the previous evening, in which a journalist reported on the social and criminal problems that Sweden had been having as a result of the unchecked migration that peaked in 2015.

But such is the tenor of the times that the dominant response to the President’s statement was to ridicule it, especially by highlighting what a nirvana Sweden allegedly is. In other words, much of the political and media class in America and around the world decided to take part in covering up the problems which sudden non-European migration had brought to Sweden. In their desire to lampoon Trump they ended up colluding in a falsehood.

Just how false can once again be seen from the most recent work from Paulina Neuding, one of the most indispensable journalists not just in Europe but anywhere else. In recent years Neuding has, among other things, been keeping a tally of “explosions” in Sweden. Not metaphorical ones, but actual ones. So strangely self-censoring is the Swedish press that when explosives are used (including grenade attacks, among other hitherto un-Swedish activities) they are either ignored or reported merely as “explosions.” Some of these do turn out to be accidents, but a great many do not, and the unwillingness of most of the media (local and international) to look into these events is one of those things that I predict historians will look back at and just whistle.
The foreign-born gangs they speak of are Muslim gangs or Islamic sharia patrol gangs used to terrorize ALL non-Muslims as a way of IMPOSING Islamic sharia law. (emphasis mine)
As Neuding reports, in just 24 hours, there were three explosions in the city of Malmo, in southern Sweden. This included a bomb which ripped through two apartment buildings on Friday evening. The scale of this assault (which is mostly the result of violence between foreign-born gangs) is such that Neuding says that it is time for Swedes to admit that they have a national emergency on their hands.
They won’t, of course. Because there is almost no political or media desire to face up to or even report these problems because they fear that to do so would give ammunition to political parties which have long warned about such problems. It would also open up a debate over whether the migration and asylum policies which Sweden has enacted in this past generation are remotely wise or sustainable. Anyhow — one for the history books, most likely. But an interesting reminder that after the titters have died down, events do grind remorselessly on.
Deutsche Welle (DW) News, Germany
written by Staff, AP, and Reuters
Monday June 10, 2019

Swedish police say officers had no choice but to shoot and injure a man who was acting threateningly at Malmo central station. The man has been taken to the hospital and the train station has been evacuated.

Swedish police said on Monday that officers shot and injured a man at the central station in the southern city of Malmo.

The man was exhibiting "threatening behavior" and officers had no choice but to shoot him, police were quoted by the TT news agency as saying.

Malmo station evacuated
  • Police did not give details about the purported threats.
  • The man was the only person injured in the incident and has been taken to the hospital.
  • The station has been evacuated and train services have been halted.
  • A bomb squad has been deployed to the station.
More police

Malmo police said it was increasing its presence at public areas across the city after the incident.

"This presence will remain in place until police know more about the incident at the central station," police said.

Recent attacks: Sweden has seen multiple attacks in public places in recent years. Two people were killed and four were injured in June 2018 outside an internet cafe in Malmo when a man opened fire on the group from his car.

Sweden also saw a wave of arson attacks in August of last year in Gothenburg, which, like Malmo, is located near the Swedish-Danish border.


PragerU published on Apr 20, 2017: How Is Muslim Immigration to Sweden Working Out? We've read and watched the news of Muslim immigration overwhelming Sweden. But how bad is it really? See this firsthand account from documentary filmmaker Ami Horowitz, who shows why increased Muslim immigration is leading to a spike in rapes and other violent crime.

********
Politico
written by Paulina Neuding, Editor-in-chief of the online magazine Kvartal
April 16, 2018

Shootings have become so common that they don’t make top headlines anymore.

STOCKHOLM — Sweden may be known for its popular music, IKEA and a generous welfare state. It is also increasingly associated with a rising number of Islamic State recruits, bombings and hand grenade attacks.

In a period of two weeks earlier this year, five explosions took place in the country. It’s not unusual these days — Swedes have grown accustomed to headlines of violent crime, witness intimidation and gangland executions. In a country long renowned for its safety, voters cite “law and order” as the most important issue ahead of the general election in September.

The topic of crime is sensitive, however, and debate about the issue in the consensus-oriented Scandinavian society is restricted by taboos.

To understand crime in Sweden, it’s important to note that Sweden has benefited from the West’s broad decline in deadly violence, particularly when it comes to spontaneous violence and alcohol-related killings. The overall drop in homicides has been, however, far smaller in Sweden than in neighboring countries.

Gang-related gun murders, now mainly a phenomenon among men with immigrant backgrounds in the country’s parallel societies, increased from 4 per year in the early 1990s to around 40 last year. Because of this, Sweden has gone from being a low-crime country to having homicide rates significantly above the Western European average. Social unrest, with car torchings, attacks on first responders and even riots, is a recurring phenomenon.

Shootings in the country have become so common that they don’t make top headlines anymore, unless they are spectacular or lead to fatalities. News of attacks are quickly replaced with headlines about sports events and celebrities, as readers have become desensitized to the violence. A generation ago, bombings against the police and riots were extremely rare events. Today, reading about such incidents is considered part of daily life.

The rising levels of violence have not gone unnoticed by Sweden’s Scandinavian neighbors. Norwegians commonly use the phrase “Swedish conditions” to describe crime and social unrest. The view from Denmark was made clear when former President of NATO and Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in an interview on Swedish TV: “I often use Sweden as a deterring example.”

In response, the Swedish government has launched an international campaign for “the image of Sweden” playing down the rise in crime, both in its media strategy and through tax-funded PR campaigns. During a visit to the White House in March, Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefan Lรถfven admitted that his country has problems with crime and specifically shootings, but denied the existence of no-go zones. Sweden’s education minister, Gustav Fridolin, traveled to Hungary last week with the same message.

But the reality is different for those on the ground: The head of the paramedics’ union Ambulansfรถrbundet, Gordon Grattidge, and his predecessor Henrik Johansson recently told me in an interview that some neighborhoods are definitely no-go for ambulance drivers — at least without police protection.

Swedes are not prone to grandiose manifestations of national pride, but the notion of a “Swedish Model” — that the country has much to teach the world — is a vital part of the national self image.

Since crime is intimately linked to the country’s failure to integrate its immigrants, the rise in violence is a sensitive subject. When the Swedish government and opposition refer to the country as a “humanitarian superpower” because it opened its doors to more immigrants per capita during the migrant crisis than any other EU country, they mean it. This has resulted in some impressive contortions.

In March, Labor Market Minister Ylva Johansson appeared on the BBC, where she claimed that the number of reported rapes and sexual harassment cases “is going down and going down and going down.” In fact, the opposite is true, which Johansson later admitted in an apology.

Similarly, in an op-ed for the Washington Post, former Prime Minister Carl Bildt described the country’s immigration policy as a success story. He did not elaborate on violent crime. After repeated attacks against Jewish institutions in December — including the firebombing of a synagogue in Gothenburg — Bildt took to the same paper to claim that anti-Semitism is not a major problem in Sweden.

“Historically, in Sweden it was the Catholics that were seen as the dangerous threat that had to be fought and restricted,” Bildt claimed, seemingly unaware that the laws he cited also applied to Jews. Intermarriage was illegal and hostility was based on ideas of Jews as racially inferior. Bildt’s attempt to relativize current anti-Semitism with odd and inaccurate historical arguments reflects how nervously Swedish elites react to negative headlines about their country.

Another spectacular example is an official government website on “Facts about migration, integration and crime in Sweden,” which alleges to debunk myths about the country. One “false claim” listed by the government is that “Not long ago, Sweden saw its first Islamic terrorist attack.”

This is surprising, since the Uzbek jihadist Rakhmat Akilov has pleaded guilty to the truck ramming that killed five people in Stockholm last April and swore allegiance to the Islamic State prior to the attack. Akilov, who is currently standing trial, has proudly repeated his support for ISIS and stated that his motive was to kill Swedish citizens. He also had documented contacts with international jihadis.

The government’s excuse for denying the Islamic terrorist attack in Sweden is that no Islamic group has officially claimed responsibility. Given the importance these days of fighting fake news, the Swedish government’s tampering with politically inconvenient facts looks particularly irresponsible.

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