Hi Reader,
Healing can be dirty work, but if you are not willing to do it for yourself, then it likely won't be done. Even the healing power of time is only fully materialized in your life when you cooperate with the process.
Get Your Mind Right
My upcoming book "Get Your Mind Right" is now available for pre-order! you can learn more about the book here. I am excited to share this project with you and I know you will enjoy it. If you would like an advanced reader's copy to review, fill out this survey! The more reviews this book gets the better it's likely to do when it releases in November. The better this book does the better experience we can offer here at Life with Ken. if you are interested I encourage you to continue to contribute to something great.
Review Get Your Mind Right.
Justice Dixon Art Gallery
Justice Dixon, who did the frontispiece for "Get Your Mind Right," is having his art featured on the Life with Ken website in an art gallery. Visit our website to see some of his fantastic work! He is also available for commission projects as well. Click here to see the art gallery.
What I am Interested in This Week:
It May be a Little Too Sweet for Personal Taste
On September 16, 2023, Chioma Okoli, a Nigerian woman, was accosted and arrested by Nigerian police outside of her home church after being accused of violating Nigeria's cybercrime laws. Nigeria has strict cybersecurity laws of which the Economic Community of West African States Court (ECOWAS) ordered them to amend in 2022. The issue is Nigeria keeps their laws vague allowing them to be up for interpretation, and usually in a way that benefits the state. the way in which Okoli violated Nigeria's laws was by saying that a tomato puree that she was reviewing for her website was sweeter than what she was used to. She didn't like the taste of a product. As a point of reference, taste can be subjective. The company whose puree it was had the police arrest and charge her with blackmail, extortion, and running a crime syndicate. Okoli's trial starts this week. She could face up to 3 years of jail time, and has already suffered a miscarriage from the stress of these events. At least 25 journalist have been impacted by Nigeria's cybercrime laws. Click here to read an article on this story.
European Shake-up
The European Union had parliament elections last week and the results are in. The EU is made up of 27 member states. Each member state has several political parities, not just two major ones like the United States. Those several political parties band together on the national stage to advance their collective agenda as a whole, across the European Union. EU citizens vote for EU parliament members every five years, and this year the European People's Party is the majority. EPP won 13 seats in the EU parliament cementing their majority by a total of 189 seats. EPP is a major conservative party in European Union politics. The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats party (S&D) came in second place in the parliament vote with 135 seats, losing four. S&D also happens to be the party that Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance Party of France is part of. This is noteworthy because immediately after the results of the EU parliament election, Macron, President of France, called for a snap election in the French parliament.
The election is set for June 30th with second round votes happening July 7th. This is all happening before the Summer Olympics being hosted in Paris this year. Macron will remain president for the duration of what is his final term (through 2027), but the political play of this decision, while shocking, appears to be to align with the will of the people and to give the conservatives an opportunity to put their money where their mouth is. Essentially people around the world are dissatisfied with high inflation, rampant immigration, unfettered spending, and the associate things that appear to be earmarking this era of "democrat" majority rule. Because of this conservative moments are gaining popularity, but can they gain power? France has a history of political dynamism and leading the way in this arena, and in this moment they continue to demonstrate that leadership. The new EU parliament will vote on the President European Commission sometime this summer. Click here to read an article on this story.
Honorable Mentions
Harvard is withholding the degrees of students who participated in Gaza protests on campus.
WWDC2024 is today. Apple is expected to speak on AI and its integration with apple products. There is no expectation for any new products to be announced. Apple recently reviled their new iPad Pro M4.
Follow Ken on X for his take on these stories and more.
Word of Encouragement
This week I want to encourage you to be authentic. Who you are isn't shameful. You may experience shame, but you are a masterpiece. You are one of a kind with great things to contribute to this world. Express yourself wholesomely and freely.
Have a unique week!
Thank you for reading, please consider reviewing Get Your Mind Right, and as always feel free to reach out by responding to this email directly, or here.