iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

"How the war in Sudan is teaching society to govern without the state" by Eglal Hamid Abdulgadir. wagingnonviolence.org/2026/09/suda...

"They learned from those they trusted. They learned how to distribute scarce resources. They learned how to negotiate with armed actors without becoming armed themselves. They learned how to make collective decisions without formal authority. They learned how to teach someone else before they disappeared."

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Breathed in the moors this weekend.

Moorland path through purple heather & billberries, reservoir to the left, moors beyond.

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Joint statement from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada and Norway on the E1 West Bank Settlement Plan. www.gov.uk/government/n...

The Israeli Government’s decision to publish construction tenders for the E1 settlement project is unacceptable. The international community has long opposed this settlement expansion, and has voiced their grave concerns privately and publicly. The E1 settlement will undermine the prospect of the two-state solution by driving a wedge through the West Bank and harming the territorial contiguity of the Palestinian Territories.

International law is clear that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal. This is the position of the international community reaffirmed by the United Nations Security Council.

At a time of grave instability in the West Bank with unprecedented levels of violence by settlers against civilians, and serious restrictions on the Palestinian economy, this decision is even more concerning.

We urge the Government of Israel to retract these plans immediately and end its expansion of settlements in the West Bank. Not only will they take us further from peace, but they further undermine Israel’s international standing.

Businesses should not consider bidding for construction tenders. They should be aware of legal and reputational consequences including the risk of involving themselves in serious breaches of international law.

We reiterate our commitment to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution. We will continue to act in its interest.

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

"Terrorism should be defined narrowly..." Report of the Independent Commission on UK Counter-Terrorism Law, Policy and Practice (Nov 2025). binghamcentre.biicl.org/documents/22...

Narrowing the Definition of Terrorism

"The statutory definition of terrorism forms the foundation of all UK counter-terrorism law, including terrorism-related offences. Evidence presented to the Commission highlighted that its broad scope extends beyond acts of violence or serious threat, creating uncertainty and overreach in its application. A definition that relies heavily on executive
discretion risks inconsistency, perceptions of unfairness, and the treatment of legitimate protest as terrorism.

To ensure clarity and proportionality while maintaining operational effectiveness, the Commission recommends a more focused statutory definition. Terrorism should be defined narrowly as acts intended to coerce, compel, or subvert government or an international governmental organisation, and the threshold for property damage should apply only to conduct causing serious risk to life, national security, or public safety, or involving arson, explosives, or firearms
(Recommendations 8, 9 and 10)."

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Reserves of strength through the beauty.

"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter."

Rachel Carson, Silent Spring (1962)

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

For the zillioneth time I wonder how it feels to be Franny Armstrong watching our age of stupid unfold.

Poster of film. Film title says, "Pete Postlethwaite, The Age of Stupid, (L'Âge de la Stupidité)". Image is of a man looking serious with thick smoke coming out of his head. Behind the man is scorched land and high rise buildings smouldering.

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

No rain for weeks but harebells still flowering above a field where four hares hang out. #CalderValley #Yorkshire #WildflowerHour

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

A very succinct & important point (made on another platform) from peace scholar Paul Rogers.

"Trump, Andy Burnham and risk of war crimes in Iran:

A substantial US assault on Iranian civil infrastructure is well-nigh certain to involve committing war crimes. Such an air assault would require the continued use of two air bases in the UK, RAF Fairford for deploying B-1B and B-52 heavy bombers and RAF Lakenheath for deploying air-to-air refuelling planes. One of Andy Burnham’s first decisions in Downing Street will be whether to allow this."

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Hardcastle Crags has become the UK's first Woodland of Sanctuary with @cityofsanctuaryuk.bsky.social. What a beautiful thing. 🧡

Stepping stones across a woodland river to a little stone cottage.

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

"Why, I have been a butterfly, a lord Of flowers, garlands, love-knots, silly posies, Groves, meadows, melodies, and arbour roses;" (Keats) #NationalMeadowsDay

Orange tip butterfly on cuckoo flowers in a grassy wet meadow.

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

Loving the hollyhocks at the Pavilion Gardens in Brighton.

Soft pink hollyhocks with Brighton Pavilion in the background.

Soft yellow hollyhocks with Brighton Pavilion in the background peeking through trees.

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

Sending love & solidarity to all feeling less safe, less secure, less included.

Rainbow over a Calder Valley hillside (known as Scout Rock).

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

And (in case useful) trams are €20 for 7 days unlimited use for non residents. You can get about within the city, access the coast + see the flamingos & storks at Méjean - Maison de la Nature via Lattes.

Storks in nest with tops of chick's just showing.

Six flamingos paddling in wetlands.l, more in the distance.

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

Just been to beautiful, friendly #Montpellier where trams are free for residents. Free public transport. Clean, safe, easy to use. Sometimes mini utopias are not so utopian.

Inside of a shiny, clean tram with red & green interior, looking from the back towards the front.

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

That was not a relaxing start to the morning, so here's a foxglove coming into flower.

Bright pink flowered foxglove surrounded by green grass & bushes, under bright blue skies.

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Bugle (Ajuga) in the grounds of the Ammerdown Centre, a place offering hospitality, peace, & reconciliation in Somerset. #WildflowerHour

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

"Wallflower, wallflower | Won’t you dance with me?" Happy 85th Bob Dylan. #WildflowerShow #WildflowerHour

Cow parsley one side of a drystone wall, a sunny meadow of buttercups the other.

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

Calder Valley vetch, clover, & cow parsley. Had no idea these were of the #carrotsandpeas family, nice to learn with #wildflowerhour.

Top left vetch, top right clover, bottom left cow parsley & billberries (hills & moors is in the distance), bottom right cow parsley.

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

Spent yesterday evening gazing at four brown hares on a hillside lined with cow parsley & billberries.

Cow parsley, billberry bushes in the foreground. Green hills and moors in the background.

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

I'd recommend looking at Lederach's three gifts (clarity | curiosity | perseverance) in his free "Pocket Guide for Facing Down a Civil War". www.johnpaullederach.com/2024/07/pock...

"After decades of working in and listening to those working in contexts of violence and polarisation, Lederach offers three gifts...

The gift of clarity: When facing tensions of deep difference, share your best understanding of your views and proposals without judgement or retreat.
The gift of curiosity: Interact with others' experiences and ideas rather than reacting quickly or judging, particularly when you feel confronted.
The gift of perseverance: Find ways to stay in touch. Keep circling back. After all, humananizing always needs a human touch."

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

"How lovly now are lanes and balks For toils and lovers sunday walks The daisey and the buttercup For which the laughing childern stoop A hundred times throughout the day." John Clare Meadow buttercups for #ButtercupChallenge #WildflowerHour

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Thinking about mutuality this May Day.

"But it is not love and not even sympathy upon which Society is based in mankind. It is the conscience — be it only at the stage of an instinct — of human solidarity. It is the unconscious recognition of the force that is borrowed by each person from the practice of mutual aid; of the close dependency of every one’s happiness upon the happiness of all; and of the sense of justice, or equity, which brings the individual to consider the rights of every other individual as equal to his own."
Pyotr Kropotkin, Mutual Aid: A Factor in Evolution (Annotated)

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Deeply shocked to learn of the unexpected death of Bana Gora. Co-founder of the Muslim Women's Council with the late, dear Nuzhat Ali. As Ishtiaq Ahmed reflects, "She was always visionary, often controversial, but above all, driven by a determination to create lasting change."

Woman (Bana Gora) standing next to a banner that says, "Muslim Women's Council".

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

Orange-tip butterfly on cuckooflowers at the local wetlands (Brearley Fields, Calder Valley). #WildflowerHour

Orange tip butterfly on cluster of pale pink, delicate flowers.

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Good words & the Pope appears to be a Dylan fan too. www.france24.com/en/africa/20...

Quote that says, "The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild," he added.

"They turn a blind eye to ‌the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere ⁠to be found."

Subheading says, "A world turned upside down."

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Hmm... www.icrc.org/en/community...

"Fake and abusive website pages and scams using the ICRC’s identity or emblem may be reported through available channels, and legal action may be taken as needed. As a reminder, the misuse of the Red Cross, Red Crescent, or Red Crystal emblems are prohibited by law and may result in legal action and sanctions."

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Just heard the latest awful after a day in the hills where the birds make so much more sense. Thinking of everyone feeling the news. Thinking of those doing what they can to prevent the US President carry out genocidal threats against the Iranian people.

Moorland path surrounding a reservoir, deep blue sky above.

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

Leighton Moss cowslips after a day of watching marsh harriers, grebes, a little gull, and otters playing catch with an eel. #WildflowerHour #CowslipChallenge

Close up of yellow flowers (cowslips), some in bloom, some in bud.

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

The bumblebee queens have been feasting on this flowering currant that pushed up through the pavement cracks over by the factory fence. #WildflowerHour

Vibrant pink tubular blooms on a bush with green leaves. Bright blue skies above & a blurred fence in the background.

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

Took to the hills & met many a toad.

Very still blue water in a reservoir surrounded by moorland.

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

"This is not a war for security." Fred Otu-Larbi interviewed by Damien Gayle in The Guardian (Sat 21 March 2026).

"This is not a war for security. It's a war for the political economy of fossil fuels - and the people paying the price are Iranian civilians and working-class communities around the world."

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

"...a war of choice, rather than necessity." www.forceswatch.net/comment/a-wa...

"The UK has flown its fighter jets over a number of Persian Gulf states, shooting down a number of drones. However, through granting permission to the US to use British bases to launch airstrikes, the UK is potentially aiding or assisting an aggressor in the commission of an unlawful act of aggression. Haque outlines that strikes against missile facilities in Iran are ‘an important component of the composite act of aggression’, elaborating that the threat of Iranian strikes would be ended by ceasing the US-Israeli ongoing aggression which represents a war of choice, rather than necessity."

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

Drawing Hope. www.quaker.org.uk/news-and-eve...

“Drawing Hope exposes the absurdity of the dehumanisation embedded in the divisions we inherit and invites us to learn from the courage of the young, whose imagination keeps humanity from mutual destruction and whose hope awakens our critical agency to grow peace."

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

Last week I looked at the "Drawing Hope" exhibition where children drew & shared something of their lives & dreams with one another to counter division.

Five colourful portraits of young people hung on a wall, some showing hobbies such as martial arts.

12 colourful portraits of young people hung on a wall.

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

Here's a friend I look after from time to time. Hope tomorrow is a better day.

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

Magnolia moment from last week.

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

Funnily enough, I was off to share thoughts on navigating conflict. Including Lederach's suggested gift offering of "clarity". So I got a chance to practice this beforehand.

"The gift of clarity. When facing tensions of deep difference, share your best understanding of your views and proposals without judgement or retreat."

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

"If I came over in a boat it would have been free & they'd have given me a house." Laughed a wealthy dual national British Canadian bloke in London cafe today. Then he spotted my t-shirt.

Person in a t-shirt. T-shirt has an orange life ring with the words, "The UK sells arms, that fuel the conflicts, that create refugees, who the UK turns away." The text is accompanied by images of guns, an arms trader, someone pointing a gun, & an adult & child running away. Below the life ring are the words, "This is not a migrant crisis".

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

In light of recent news, reminding myself about @takebackpower.bsky.social. takebackpower.net/about-us/

"Take Back Power is a nonviolent civil resistance group in the UK. We aim to put the 99% in charge through citizen’s assemblies. We are ordinary people from all walks of life who believe that in order to fix Britain, taxing the rich is an essential first step, and we want ordinary people to decide how."

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

Really sad news. I waited until something was shared publicly, this is all I've seen so far...

With great sadness we share the news that Simon Fisher has passed away -

Simon has made a great many contributions to the theory and practice of peace around the world: He was a great champion and founder of the Applied Conflict Transformation Studies (ACTS) Ma and PhD programs, and deeply committed to making accessible opportunities for people from conflict affected communities to have opportunities to study, reflect, and learn from one another. During his tenure as a CPCS Board member, Simon’s wisdom, steady guidance, commitment, and practice solutions helped CPCS to develop its core approaches and values. Simon has been a teacher and mentor to so many peace practitioners across Asia - and the world - and his teachings are a legacy that will continue.

Please join us in honoring his memory by sharing a story or message of condolences to his family as they celebrate his life.

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

Liberty van (camioneta de la libertad in Spanish) volunteers are providing practical, legal, & spiritual support & solidarity in the US (LA, Chicago, Charlotte & Minneapolis). www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Liberty Van volunteers drive around to locations such as Home Depots, swap meets, grocery stores and neighborhoods that have been impacted by ICE. Clergy members have prayed with people, while immigration attorneys share helpful “know your rights” information with day laborers and other immigrants they meet. Van staffers offer people water and snacks and connect with local organizers so they know they are there to help.

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Lisa Cumming @lisacumin.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

Stomped up the road & into the woods. A buzzard calling overhead, goldfinches in the trees. Gazed at a pair of nonchalant roe deer.

Drystone wall beside a road alongside green fields & sunlit hills beyond. Blue skies & white clouds above.

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