Saturday 3 March 2018

Post No. 1,134 – Gnwmythr’s News Ed. No. 204


For the sake of my health, until I retire or change to an easier day job , I have cut back these posts.
Information and Summary/Analysis:
Note: I am NOT a journalist, and make NO claims to objectivity or freedom from bias. Furthermore, I do not hold copyright to any of the articles I link to, nor do I claim authorship, except for those links to material I have written for this and my related blogs, and my commentary in these posts. (I try to make sure quotes are shown using quotation marks.)
The purpose of posting these news links is not only to inform; it is also to
   stimulate a connection to:
    - nonBPM units that need to be cleared, and
    - BPM units that need to be strengthened,
   so that you can do the clearing / strengthening that is required.
That only works if you don’t let yourself be overwhelmed by this, so take it in small chunks if you need to, but remember to actively clear and heal! … including yourself.
As part of that, note that there are key uncooperatives to be cleared (rescued): you should ONLY address those that are within your ability – if you get a sense (e.g., through meditation) or are told by your BPM Guides/Higher Self to back off, do so, and content yourself with clearing the smaller nonBPM units within your capability – which will weaken those uncooperatives. More importantly, there are many people doing this sort of work, and others are quite likely to be able to clear the uncooperatives concerned.
That is also one of the many reasons it is OK to take a break or cut back this work if you need – in fact, doing so will help you deal with the next point, which is …
… the energies we use and manifest in our daily lives contribute to the larger soup of energies that influence world events, so it pays to address those as well, to the extent that one can, or to at least stop oneself projecting them into the psychic soup.
The reminders / explanations about Sunday’s meditation-clearing are here;   see also here,   here,   here,   (here and also here and here are interesting),   here, here,   here,   and   this post reminds us to be patient and persistent, like a “speeding oak”.
There are some notes at the end of this post about other options for those who do not like this way of working.
Finally, one of the biggest concerns I have about spirituality in the world now is that the concept of agape type love has been perverted into both a quest for emotional warm fuzzies, and an excuse to avoid doing the hard work of improving oneself and all that one does. On that, it may help to consider the simplification that one cannot love perfectly until one has learned how to perfect. (And one of the concerns I have about those resisting change is that they are so shallow / superficial /stupid that they thing their actions have ONLY the meaning of their [limited] conscious intention … ) See also here and here.
The themes that come to mind for my work this week, after I review all this news, are:
(a)   based on my interpretation of information here and here with Uranus in Aries contributing to fresh and possibly radical starts (until some date in the Year 2018), and Pluto in Capricorn contributing to a transformation of power and business (and careers) (until some date in the Year 2024), conditions are ripe for a change for the better in world politics;
(b)   there is an enormous need to clear nonBPM energy – the thought forms, unattached energy and scars of the collective unconscious created by millennia of violence, including spirit rescue, and healing the warped views, seemingly “inherent” biases, and other damage created. Also, remember:   -   (1) the counter to fear is genuine  EQ and clear thinking, expressed through calm, de-escalating speech,   -   (2) where problems exist, advocating for BPM responses, and being as BPM as one can be, are constructive solutions,   -   (3) peace is powerful, but it is a process requiring patient, persistent and nuanced nurturing, and a blend of conventional spiritual work, clearing nonBPM units, and physical world activism;
(c)   viewing the overall emotional state of the world from an elemental point of view, this week we need:
           on all levels, more
BPM Air;
(d)   I’ve selected the following rune for this week’s work, which is:
(e)   dealing with the 45th President of the USA requires:
           1. eroding
(i.e., slow, patient and persistent clearing of the little bits one can SAFELY cope with – remember, you are but one of many) the nonBPM influences feeding his arrogance and mind-set, and strengthening the USA’s CEO’s BPM Guides and giving them whatever BPM help they need to present a BPM alternative to promote a change of heart,
           2. lifting the nonBPM influences from the shoulders of the USA’s CEO’s marginal supporters, allowing them to “come to their senses”,
which may result in them feeling bewilderment/shame, and simultaneously strengthening the BPM influences around them (e.g., their BPM Guides) to counter them backsliding,
           3. physical world activism
(especially education) – e.g.,
this. As well as doing what one can there, help those who are doing this work (e.g., sending them “positive vibes”) and look for nonBPM blockages that can be cleared (e.g., setting up a BPM vortex above meetings to draw away external nonBPM influences/energies/units, so that the audience can listen as they are, without any obsession/possession);
(f)   the major events this week are:   -   as attraction to violence continues to be inadequately addressed, the risks of mass atrocities in Syria, South Sudan and Nigeria, and ongoing violent conflicts and crises in Syria, Afghanistan, Mexico, Iraq, Burma, Somalia, South Sudan, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Libya, Sudan (Darfur and South Kordofan), Yemen, Egypt (Sinai), Kurdistan, the Philippines, Ethiopia, Mali, DR Congo, Burundi, Kashmir, Baluchistan (Pakistan and Iran), India (Maoist and other insurgencies), the Maghreb (Africa), Ukraine, and elsewhere;   -   refugee and humanitarian crises;   -   the political madness of regimes with authoritarian leaders;   -   and   callous abuses of power;
(g)   as all actions taken in pursuance of social status are evil, may we exercise our human characteristics of reason, self discipline and improvement to overcome that flaw, and the viciousness and destructiveness that go with it;
(h)   may the social filter bubbles around all nonBPM people lead to hubris and all the associated flaws, weaknesses, lack of attention and other mistakes;
(i)   may all people who are scarred into callousness be given the healing they need in order to resume feeling;
and as is for the Highest Spiritual Good – which is part of being BPM – on all levels and in all ways. Always remember (see here): Do you fight to change things, or to punish? See also here, here, here, here, here, and my comments about “authentic presence” in this post.
News and other matters from this past week follows:
   news items are presented in the following sections (there is overlap, and items may appear more than once):
    - Permanent and Thematically Arranged News,
    - Location Based News,
    - (from a range of) Other Sites;
   opportunities/good news are shown in green;
   comments are shown in purple; and
   WARNING: some of these links may contain triggers around issues such as violence, sexual assault, discrimination, etc.
Permanent Issues and Thematically Arranged News:
  • Permanent issue: may all actual and potential BPM Leaders be kept BPM safe, including keeping them undetectable to the nonBPM and keeping all their Significant Others inviolable against being used for indirect  psychic attack, and may they have all the BPM resources (including an assured income, given the power that nonBPM forces have in the structures of the material world), opportunities and assistance (including so-called “good luck”) for them to be BPM effective at influencing the world’s direction, development and unfoldment, all as is for the Highest Spiritual Good;
  • Permanent issue: may all humans recognise, irrespective of the appearance of difference, the essential shared humanness of other people, the inherent resilience, the dynamic power, the strength of BPM collaboration, and the opportunities of having a diverse, inclusive and welcoming population, and may all people choose fairness, when such decisions are before them;
  • Permanent issue: may all actual and potential BPM Violence Interrupters (and Interrupters of hate / fear / anger) of be kept BPM safe, and may they have all the BPM opportunities and assistance (so-called “good luck”) for them to be BPM effective at containing and stopping – along the lines of the Cure Violence model - the spread of violence (and hate / fear / anger), all as is for the Highest Spiritual Good;
  • Permanent issue: may all humans choose to live modestly – to forgo outdoing others, or trying to have more than they need - for the sake of an easier, more manageable life, if they cannot do it for the sake of the planet;
  • Permanent issue: may all humans be in better communication with the better parts of their nature – especially those who need that more than other, better people;
  • Matters warranting particular attention:
       this week on reversing the deliberate, well-funded, long-term strategy (from about the 70s) to make self-interest seem normal and a commitment to fairness (such as former US President Franklin D Roosevelt’s Four  Freedoms) an aberration:   the entirety of this blog and all other spiritual work and physical activism I and many others do;   half a century after an assessment of the Detroit, USA riots in 1967 found that segregated housing, subpar public schools and aggressive policing – in short, institutional and systemic racism – caused the riots and were “moving toward two societies, one black, one white—separate and unequal”, s new study (“ Healing Our Divided Society: Investing in America Fifty Years After the Kerner Report”) has found the inequality gap was widened, court decisions had weakened oversight and undermined reform, and poverty is such a problem that it threatens the USA’s democracy;
       on the Rohingya crisis this week:
       -   youth are being assisted with their peacebuilding efforts in burma;   in an extremely concerning move, burma is massing its military on the Bangladeshi border near a Rohingya refugee camp, leading to a diplomatic protest;   several thousand refugees who were in an in-between area have fled to Bangladesh after talks of repatriating them, and fears it could be forcible;   the imminent monsoon;
       on the North Korean and general nuclear tensions this week:
       -   the USA has stated that any dialogue with North Korea must have nuclear disarmament as the end goal;   North Korea did not walk away when the subject of nuclear weapons arose in talks with South Korea – which said “it is necessary … [to] talk to the United States to solve this in a peaceful manner”;
       on the fallout from the USA’s recognition of (all?) Jerusalem as Israel’s capital:
       -   US citizens in Israel have been warned to “keep a low profile”;
       on the latest mass murder at a US school using a gun:
       -   the graphic experience of one doctor who treated victims;   more than a dozen prominent businesses have ended discount and loyalty schemes for NRA members, leading to a conservative backlash involving a threat against a proposed tax break for one company;   “when injustice leads to death, protest is an appropriate way to mourn”;   the governor of a backwards US state has called for an increase in the age people can get guns;   the impact of the students’ protests;   as expected, the US gun association isn’t backing any ban on guns – nor are conservative US politicians (with one very notable exception);   many teachers want their state pension funds to sell their stakes in gun-makers, and change may result;   a gun supporter has suggested the small number of untrained Jews could have effectively defended themselves against a ferocious and effective army by having guns … ;   racist propaganda;
       on the emerging sexual abuse/misconduct crisis in the aid industry:
       -   one aid agency had 21 cases of sexual misconduct last year;   the sex abuse scandal in aid has been found to extend to Syria;   almost half of aid agencies refuse to disclose information about the extent of this problem;   a call for better screening;
       on other matters requiring particular attention:
       -   in the world’s biggest grave robbery, dozens of sunken warships in south-east Asia have been plundered;
       -   the bias of older men against young professional women;
       -   the problem of “digital minoritisation” because of the preponderance of English online has put as many as 21 European languages at risk of “digital extinction”;
       -   a US judge who was disparaged by the 45th US President has disagreed with the challenge that the government had improperly waived environmental laws, noting that his decision “cannot and does not consider whether the underlying decisions to construct the border barriers are politically wise or prudent”, and “As fellow Indiana native Chief Justice Roberts observed in addressing a case surrounded by political disagreement: 'Court[s] are vested with the authority to interpret the law; we possess neither the expertise nor the prerogative to make policy judgments. Those decisions are entrusted to our Nation's elected leaders, who can be thrown out of office if the people disagree with them. It is not our job to protect the people from the consequences of their political choices.';
       -   an article (which I posted  last week) stating that there was no compelling evidence that giving the country’s biggest companies a tax cut meant that money was passed on to workers in the form of higher wages (which is self-evident to anyone who was worked more than a decade or so) was edited over a period of several days after pressure from Australia’s neoliberal government, and despite the lack of errors , and the ABC has subsequently failed to support or express confidence in the journalist (which sounds like interference and scapegoating to me … );
       -   the challenges of managing the rumours etc posted by conspiracy nuts;
       -   activists – including a former debt collector –in the USA are raising money to retire debt that is especially a burden on poor and working-class families;
       this week’s atrocity alert at R2P lists Syria, South Sudan and Nigeria;
  • With regard to democracy (which can be measured [as can goodness], and requires  protection of minorities and the vulnerable – and remember Gandhi’s question about whether one is fighting to change things, or to punish, and note this list of 198 methods of nonviolent action), freedom, governance (e.g., here, here, here and here, and see also here) and ethics:
    Note: I have a section specifically for the 45th US President below
       analyses this week include:
       -   an analysis of the meeting between the leaders of Australia and the USA is upbeat, but fails to mention that both are backward politicians pushing regressive policies: the two getting along doesn’t make the world a better place, it just reinforces xenophobia, hate and neoliberalism;   scientific research suggests dislike of body odour means one is more likely to have right wing views (authoritarian attitudes “may be partly rooted in biological urge to avoid catching diseases from unfamiliar people”, but “even though disgust is a very primitive emotion that is definitely rooted in our biological survival, it can still be altered”) (whilst this suggests my working in wastewater treatment is therefore no surprise, I have conservative colleagues and one of the most caring and inclusive people I know is also extraordinarily sensitive to unpleasant smells, so remember that this is referring to overall trends);   a warning that “Australia and New Zealand's influence in the Pacific is waning as China flexes its muscles”;   an argument for a living wage;   “super is simply the wrong tool to provide material support for the retirement of low-income earners”;
       of concern this week:
       -   a reminder that Brexit is putting at risk the peace agreement in Northern Ireland;   former officials in a US state have been charged with corruption and illegally burying barrels of hazardous waste;   claims the use of innuendo is changing in Australian politics (I’m not convinced: I think it has been bad at times on a two to three decade cycle – but it is bad, at present);   in what appears to be denial of the obvious, Australia’s welfare agency claims, despite missing 33 million calls (up half a million) and 330,000 on hold more than half an hour and 167,000 for more than an hour, understaffing is not a problem … ;   an examination has found that Australia's stalled wages were not only caused by neoliberal governments (“Within the political class there is low-level moral panic about low wages growth … the irony is that those lamenting this situation are simply witnessing the ultimate outcomes of policies they have long advocated”): Labor ending the centralised wage fixing system in the 1980s and 90s (“Going from complete centralised wage fixing all the way back to firm-level bargaining was really a recipe for very poor outcomes”) and union errors also contributed (also includes an opinion that long term trends on profit and wages growth a reasonable, but “if wages don’t start to go up as underemployment falls, then we will truly know that all the old rules are broken”);   Australia’s tight-fisted (and heartless) neoliberal government will save $1.2 billion by denying 110,000 immigrant children some benefits for three years;
       -   other concerning events have occurred or are developing in: Italy, Italy, Indonesia;
       in the grey/mixed [good and bad aspects] or neutral area this week:
       -   after the USA announced steel and aluminium tariffs, other nations announced “countermeasures” and retaliation;
       -   other events in the grey or neutral area have occurred or are developing in: Thailand;
       good news this week includes:
       -   New Zealand’s conservative opposition party has elected its first ever Maori leader and a Maori deputy;   New Zealand has revived the position of Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control;   signs ethics are being tightened in Australia;   Australia’s banking royal commission has rejected a bank request to keep oversold insurance evidence secret;   a call for politics and community to re-engage;
       and democracy/governance/political matters in my home nation this week:
       -   Australia’s country hicks party has replaced its hypocritical and homophobic leader – whose possible ethical breaches are no longer being investigated … - with a (possibly reformed … ) homophobic leader;   a poll shows Australian voters are more troubled by a potential misuse of entitlements or an improper exercise of ministerial authority than they are about the sexual relationship between the former hypocritical and homophobic leader and his then staffer;   a conservative newspaper chose to reveal the woman who made a confidential, in-party complaint against a notorious conservative politician … (Why? What was the motive – pique? Looking after the bro?);   frustration over misleading data has led to an investigation of compliance with water law in one Australian state;   apparent bias – and stupidity – in provision of the NBN (as someone who shares a house with someone running an online [website development] company, the assumptions used are staggeringly incompetent);   better (FASTER, cheaper) alternatives may make the NBN even more meaningless than it currently is;   Australia has ordered a recall of more than two million cars fitted with a model of airbag which has caused deaths worldwide, and in Australia, as the voluntary recall process hasn’t worked;   an environmentalist said the leader of Australia’s Labor Party signalled harder opposition to a controversial coalmine, but the decision was deferred until after the election (a case of have cake and eat it too?), and then scrapped over sovereign risk … - see also here;   as part of implementing 186 recommendations in full and giving in-principle support for 33 more, a minimum price will be set for alcohol in the Northern Territory, with a price set to address the problem of cheap wine without affecting most beer prices;   “a lawyer who spent more than 30 years at the Immigration Department says there has been an exodus of senior staff from the newly formed Home Affairs organisation, and that there are deep problems within Australian Border Force as its Commissioner remains under investigation”;   a former Prime Minister helped a Chinese billionaire “agent of a foreign country” to donate to the neoliberal Party, despite ASIO warnings;   the Tasmanian neoliberal party is out of touch with both conservationists and forestry industry in Tasmania;   questions over whether a water buy back was overpriced after the company booked a $52 million gain on the sale;
  • With regard to the 45th President (who is dangerous – see here on actions for US residents [and the useful principles]) of the Unexceptional States of America (which has some … “unique” characteristics that don’t exist elsewhere in the world) generally this week (I avoid using the 45th US President’s name for psychic reasons – I may use either “the USA’s CEO” or “Voldemort II” as an alias; also, the US Vice-President needs to be worked on – and typically takes about three times as much effort to clear of negativity):
       -   US security officials have not been directed to disrupt Russian efforts to meddle in US elections, letting Russia conclude there was “little price to pay” for such actions;   the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 US election has revealed a secretly financed pro-Russian lobbying effort that employed former senior European politicians and for which a former aide to the 45th US President worked for in 2012 and 2013;   the special counsel investigating possible collusion “has dropped nearly two dozen criminal fraud charges against a key witness who has agreed to cooperate”;   US intelligence knew that seven state websites or voter registration systems were compromised by Russia prior to the 2016 election — but told no-one … ;
  • With regard to violent extremism (VE) (aka, terrorism) (ALL people advocating hate or discrimination in response to violent extremism are actively doing the work of violent extremists. This will be countered, in part, by “Cure Violence”, real and perceived disempowerment and acknowledging the variety in what provides genuine, BPM fulfilment as a counter to fanaticism as a source of meaning. I don’t name groups to reduce their publicity):
       -   violent extremist attacks/acts have occurred this week in Yemen, burma, Mali, Burkina Faso, Somalia, and, according to this Wikipedia page, there have been 2 attacks in Iraq and 2 attacks in Afghanistan, (out of a total of 34);   and actions (Note: there are many others that don’t reach the media I read) have occurred this week against violent extremists in: Australia, Afghanistan, India;   another mass kidnapping of schoolgirls in Nigeria;
       -   the situation and risks in Bangladesh;
  • With regard to refugees (noting the New York Declaration) and people seeking asylum:
       -   Australia’s spy boss has claimed processing refugee visas was not “slowed down” … it was “just“given a lower priority” … oh, and the then-Immigration Minister was given “strategies to avoid having to give hundreds of visas” … but natural justice was allegedly not denied … ;   Australia bought a $50,000 industrial steam cleaner to combat mould in its Nauru gulag that was too dangerous to use;   a US Supreme Court decisions means refugees / asylum seekers and immigrants could continue to be detained indefinitely;   the “Tamil asylum seeker forcibly deported from Australia last week is … facing ongoing harassment and intimidation from security forces”;   in Australia's first week on human rights council, a scathing report by the UN’s special rapporteur on torture has blamed refugees’ plight on states basing policies on “deterrence, criminalisation and discrimination”;
  • With regard to other human (and other) rights and discrimination (incidentally, I consider it vital to identify people who are bigots, as they clearly have flaws of observation and thinking – shown by the fact that NOT all people choose to discriminate unless they have been educated otherwise [and there’s this]):
       on HOMOPHOBIA/TRANSPHOBIA (including heteronormativity and cisgender-normativity) this week (and noting that trans kids are the same as cis kids of the trans kids’ true gender):
       -   a gay Mardi Gras is being organised to drag a small country town into the late 20th century for the sake of LGBTIQ kids;   the experience and trauma of those who have fled so-called “gay conversion” in Africa, some helped by the group “Ex-Muslims of North America”;   a rainbow “pride hijab”;
       on white supremacist and other forms of RACISM and Indigenous matters generally this week:
       -   a US sports team are trying to identify a fan who – inaccurately racially taunted a player;   the fifth annual Hollywood diversity report (“Five Years of Progress and Missed Opportunities”) found that increasingly diverse audience prefers diverse film and television content;   “if equality can happen for marriage, it can happen for Indigenous people”;   decolonising thinking;   racial profiling;
       -   other white supremacy / racism problems have also occurred in: UK;
       on TRAFFICKING, and CHILDREN’s and associated human rights this week:
       -   a legal loophole will be closed to allow survivors of sexual assault to sue churches in my home state;   police alerted welfare services 16 times over 18 months of concerns about a toddler who was sexually assaulted recently (is this an understaffing issue that came from budget cuts?);   a US airline employee saved two teenage girls from being exploited by [a social media] sex trafficker who promised the girls modelling jobs”;   relatives of a two year who was sexually assaulted have said they failed the child;   Australia has moved to stop trafficking in overseas orphanages;
       -   also on child abuse, particularly neochristian and other institutional, this week: India (attempt to change laws), Ghana (good news);
       -   also on slavery / human trafficking this week: Kuwait, Brazil, south east Asia, India (good news), USA (good news), UK (good news), Scotland (good news), USA (good news);
       on SEXISM this week (keeping in mind the overblown influence given to testosterone):
       -   a conservative newspaper chose to reveal the woman who made a confidential, in-party complaint against a notorious conservative politician … (Why? What was the motive – pique?);   the problem of sexual assault of men (which fails to mention such assaults can be and are also committed by women);   a social media (sorry) article on reducing sexual harassment;   an interview with New Zealand’s female Prime Minister by an Australian TV channel known for its male patriarchy has been widely criticised as creepy and inappropriate;   staggering bigotry shown against a man who, after marriage, took his wife’s surname;   obstacles to “religious divorce” are trapping women in domestic violence;   following a sexual assault, one woman has decided to get off the US and Australian dating merry-go-round (noting the great fallacy of the American hippie movement: that free love is about free love, not about men being able to get laid more), and rebuild her own sexuality and relationship to desire;   one in six Australian women have experienced physical or sexual violence from a current or former partner (including me, from two former partners);   another law suit over harassment – from a “bro culture” - at a major tech company;   the difference between sexual assault and harassment;   “why are Indigenous boys' academies better funded than girls' programs?”;   a music festival has refused to bar a musician who killed his girlfriend;
       -   on sexual harassment/misconduct this week: here, here, here, here;
       -   other sexism matters have also occurred in: India (good news), Egypt, CAR;
       on RELIGIOUS rights this week:
       -   religious rights / Islamophobia matters have also occurred in: UK, Germany;
       on WORKERS’, PRIVACY, AGED, AND OTHER forms of human (and other – e.g., ANIMAL) rights this week:
       -   threats have been made against a family with an autistic teenager;   nine environmental defenders  have been killed so far in 2018 while protecting their community’s land or natural resources;   experiments with mirrors have shown that manta rays may pass the self-awareness test, and scientists note the large gap between people’s perception of fish intelligence and the scientific reality, and what all this could mean;   more anti-union activity in the USA;
       -   other workers’, privacy, differently abled, animal, and other forms of human or other rights matters have also occurred in: Egypt, Qatar/UK;
       -   opportunities to take action here;
  • With regard to peace and/or spirituality generally (including revolutionary love, survival after death, and good religion), development (in an “end poverty/thirst/hunger” sense – and being mindful of “intimate activism”) and the occasional nice story (and to get people to constructively remedy: fear of being single / asexual / off-grid or a rebel / innovator / non-conformist / true to yourself, belief in management  fads and fashions, distracting themself aka filling their time, and accept extraterrestrial UFOs):
       a new network for peacebuilders;   the Peace Boat initiative;   an interesting article about the wide range of people who are called by The Morrígan;
       other events concerning peace, spirituality and development have occurred or are developing in: South America, DR Congo, New Zealand (good news);
  • With regard to natural and other catastrophes:
       -   an earthquake and aftershocks in isolated areas of PNG, killing at least 30 people and leading to a state of emergency;   tornadoes have killed at least five people in the USA;   the USA has delayed and reduced a disaster relief loan to its Imperial possession, Puerto Rica;   the European cold snap is causing problems, including fatalities;
  • With regard to overcrowding and “modern” lifestyle issues (such as conflict  minerals, environmental harm and child labour in smart phone , FOMO [which can be overcome] and addiction or unthinking pro-technology bias, second thoughts, social media making people miserable or envious, work and lifestyles causing depression, being duped by modern mantras and  management  fads, “failing” at being well or failing to consider life options, AI ethics, corporate misuse of mindfulness as a distraction from working conditions, embedded emissions, plane pollution, bigger, flashier homes/cars– which means actively abusing the environment and society’s cohesion and contributing to financialisation, the need for agroforestry, the accursed “new is always good” groupthink of the computer world, abuse of workers by insisting on busy-ness, raising Prince Boofheads):
       on climate change and other environmental matters this week:
       -   a propose marina is threatening a declining colony of little penguins;   waste-to-energy may become more widespread in my home state;   a rally has shown that “mainstream” people, not only “radical, latte-sipping greenies”, want to save a wilderness region;   Right whales may be extinct in the North Atlantic ocean by 2040 – largely because of entanglement in stronger crab and lobster fishing lines;   rising temperatures and overfishing around the Antarctic could see king penguin populations pushed to the brink of extinction by the end of the century;   an alarming heatwave – as much as 35°C higher than average - in the winter Arctic is forcing scientists to reconsider their forecasts of climate change;   as Australia’s biodiversity declines to the extent it is called an extinction crisis, a call to measure the effectiveness – rather than simply watching the flow of dollars – of our threatened species projects;   nine environmental defenders  have been killed so far in 2018 while protecting their community’s land or natural resources;   human faeces dumped in a glacier isn’t breaking down (no kidding, Einstein) so climbers have to take it home;   hunters breaking the law may cause the closure of their supervising body;   Australia’s waste recycling crisis;   vertical farming in converted shipping containers;
       -   other environmental matters have occurred in: India, USA, Brazil, a clothing company (good news), Costa Rica, India, Iran;
       on technology and science matters this week:
       -   surfin' fer science;   an anonymous messaging app which was supposedly about “honest feedback” has been removed from on line stores after accusations that it has been facilitating bullying;   social media is connecting people with illnesses;   in something that seems obvious in hindsight, night vision goggles will extend firefighting;
       -   other technology and science matters have occurred in: Germany, the Netherlands, Ghana (good news);
       on economic and financial matters this week:
       -   low wage growth – less than inflation -remains a problem affecting all levels of employment;   a social media (sorry) article on the seriousness that cybercrime should be viewed with;   as US milk prices continue to decline, concerns about dairy farmer suicides have increased – which has not been helped a staggeringly … “clumsy” attempt to “help”;   a team of economists has found that conception rates begin to drop before economic downturns … and could use this to predict recessions;   jobs are harder to get for the young and those returning to the workforce;   as the option to retire declines, so too do senior clubs;   “some CEOs are getting the message that even though the economy is growing, they need to serve their communities, too”;   wage decline in the USA;
       on affordable, sustainable and decent housing and homelessness matters this week (why are politicians with “investment properties” not admitting a conflict of interest and staying out of housing affordability debates?):
       -   a conference paper on tiny homes;   a site giving legal commentary for tiny homes (in Australia);   the fed-up German renter who moved to a somewhat amateurish homemade boat;   another tiny homes idea - albeit not a very good one;
       on health and medical this week:
       -   the experiences of a recovering alcoholic – who doesn’t, as with most, fit the stereotype;   a quadriplegic doctor;   blood tests for pesticides are leading to farmers taking measures to prevent long-term health problems;   a five-year-old girl with a history of asthma was turned away by her doctor for being late - and died that night in hospital;   how age gets blamed instead of sedentary lifestyle;   a UK health insurer that gets half its profits from Australia has cut one third of its Australian clients off from hip and knee replacements, pregnancy and other major procedures;   the diversity of people’s thinking / brains means what works for one won’t necessarily work for another (it’s about time someone in the medical profession woke up to this blindingly obvious fact!!! … now, if we can only get parents to teach this to their children … );   a man who was discharged - one sneeze away from quadriplegia - from hospital with a broken neck and told to apply a heat pack says doctors failed in their duty of care (I am inclined to agree!);
       -   other health and medical matters have occurred in: Australia;
       on other matters in the category this week:
       -   whistleblowers say gamblers and drinkers are being spied on;   research may help more people learn the extraordinary skill of echolocation, using mouth clicks to explore their environment much as bats do;   a nuanced article on farmers;
  • With regard to press aka the media, and freedom of expression (claims of presenting “both sides” of a debate can be WRONG if the other side is RUBBISH –as is the case on LGBTIQ issues. Also, media can be unprofessional, but funding is an issue … ):
       -   major Australian media companies have lined up with a magazine publisher to appeal against the record amount of damages awarded to a defamed woman, in an effort to prevent defamation payouts escalating;
       -   other media / freedom of expression matters have occurred in: Austria, Canada, Slovakia, Indonesia, Poland;
  • With regard to education:
       -   a call for hazing at Universities to be made more clearly illegal after a damning report is released and a possible link to a suicide is raised (this has been of concern for decades, but, when I was at Uni student drinking was probably the more serious problem) - see also here, here, and this opinion that “future leaders are cutting their teeth on rape culture”;   a warning that “regional students 'will bear brunt' of university funding freeze”;   an article on the reasons for drug (including alcohol) use by kids;   changes are being considered to education in my home state;   the Unexceptional States of America wants to protect loan companies with predatory loan servicing practices from the students who are their victims – and those acting on the behalf of those who have been deceived and abused … ;   a teacher in Ghana who has been using blackboards to teach computers will get a computer;   students are backing a teacher strike;
       -   other education matters have occurred in: Cameroon;
  • With regard to crime, judicial matters and policing:
       -   police in my home state have admitted they need to be more transparent over misconduct and abuse, but (arrogantly) don’t want to be lectured … which arrogance is not made more credible by their professional standards and ethics leader being revealed to be a misogynist;   concerns by a judge over protracted delays in bringing a case to court;   (heartless) Australia is being pressured not to deport Kiwis who have never set foot in New Zealand;   a woman who committed infanticide as a result of “non-psychotic pregnancy denial” and dissociative amnesia has been sentenced, including taking a pregnancy test twice a year;   the victims of a violent home invasion by sports player still have not received court ordered compensation, but the attacker has been allowed to keep playing … ;   a completely botched execution attempts in the USA;
      -    other crime, judicial and policing matters have occurred in: India, Egypt, USA, Germany, the Netherlands, the Sahel;
Location based News:
  • With regard to Africa, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (and other sources) has:
       on Africa generally:
       -   hundreds of Cameroonian teachers have been arrested for protesting for better pay;
       -   the problem of sexual violence by armed thugs in the Central African Republic;
       -   youth in the “Democratic” Republic of Congo are demanding peace;
       -   there is a risk Ethiopia’s new dam on the Nile could trigger a war over water with Egypt and Sudan;
       -   a Ghanaian 'superhero' has been awarded for work to end 'spirit child' killings;   mobile data will be used in Ghana to track and control epidemics;
       -   environmental concerns over a proposed railway bridge in a Kenyan national park;
       -   another article on the fraught prospect of elections in Libya;
       -   Malawian farmers are using both artificial and low tech weapons against pests;
       -   criticism of the Nigerian airforce for bombing civilians;
       -   South Africa’s new President made substantial changes to ministerial positions, including reappointing the finance minister sacked by the former President, keeping in mind “the need to balance continuity and stability with the need for renewal, economic recovery and accelerated transformation”;   outrage at parliamentary motion calling for- illegal - expropriation of land without compensation;
       -   therapy dogs in Uganda;
       -   Zambia will ban foreign ownership of land;
       -   Zimbabwe’s slums are growing as struggling people are forced there for cheaper rent;   Zimbabwe is continuing to try to get expelled (white) farmers to return (is the compensation realistic yet?);
       on Sudan and South  Sudan:
       -   Sudanese fear the future;
       -   “nine South Sudanese opposition groups have formed an alliance to accelerate efforts to end the conflict”;   support for the freezing of bank accounts of the violators of the ceasefire;
  • With regard to South and Central America:
       -   a workshop on peace in South America;
       -   “more than one in 10 of Brazil’s top ranking politicians … has received a campaign donation from a company linked to modern slavery;   Brazilian gangs are causing fear and army action by blowing up banks to get their cash;   Brazil has decided to reward illegal deforestation by amnesties and reduced (by the size of Italy) restoration requirements;
       -   helping women who have been jailed for abortion (and, in some cases, miscarriages) in El Salvador;
       -   the background to a moronic attempt at “casting out the devil” in Nicaragua that resulted in murder of the mentally ill woman;
       -   Venezuelans are fleeing to Colombia to avoid dying;
  • With regard to China (may her growing middle class bring a love of peace and freedom), East and South East Asia and the Pacific (noting the risks of atrocities in North Korea and Burma):
       -   slavery amongst sports players in south east Asia;   social enterprises in south east Asia are being abandoned by governments;
       on China, Hong Kong, the DPRK (North Korea) and South Korea (which need to accept their partition – for now – and sign a peace treaty), Taiwan, and the free but invaded and occupied nation of Tibet:
       -   another freedom-of-navigation exercise by the USA in the South China Sea;   Chairman Xi could rule for life ... ;   the problem of unpaid wages in China’s construction industry;   Chinese state media are using a video of a child urinating over the buttons in a lift – which caused a short circuit that he then panicked over - to reinforce educating kids and better parental controls;   an examination of China’s crackdown on companies – some thought too big to touch;
       -   events concerning the DPRK have occurred or are developing in: Syria;
       -   South Korea has cut its “inhumanely long” 68-hour maximum working week to 52 hours  40 normal hours, and 12 hours overtime;
       elsewhere in Asia:
       -   East Timor and Australia have (finally) reached an agreement on their disputed maritime border and a “pathway” to develop an offshore gas fields;
       -   concerns over recent changes to laws governing journalism in Indonesia;
       -   formula milk companies are continuing to use aggressive, clandestine and often illegal methods to target mothers who can least afford it in deprived areas of Philippines;
       -   Thai activists with masks have called the general leading the junta a liar;
       and in the Pacific:
       -   “a journalist in Papua New Guinea has found there's a hunger for stories about locals who have overcome the difficulties of life in their developing country”;
  • With regard to Europe and the European Union (EU) (which need to step up, as the USA steps down):
       -   ahead of temperatures set to fall as low as -10 degrees Celsius, homeless people are being taken to shelters even if they are unwilling;
       -   “Austria's public broadcaster … has filed a lawsuit against the country's deputy leader after he accused it and one of its news presenters of lying”;
       -   Germany is being subjected to an ongoing cyber-attack on part of the government system (that ongoing nature means readers of this blog can possibly help psychically by promoting clear thinking non the part of those defending and investigating, and removing any nonBPM units protecting the attackers);   1,000 Islamophobic incidents in 2017;
       -   growing tension between far right and far left in Italy before elections;   young Italians are losing faith in politics;
       -   Dutch cities are amassing data on oblivious residents as part of an online system to detect aggressive behaviour and alert police officers to altercations in violent areas – in breach of the Dutch Personal Data Protection Act, which requires people to be notified in advance of data collection;
       -   Poland’s new Holocaust law has led to a wave of anti-Semitism, fears it will repress research, and a law suit against an overseas newspaper;
       -   the Slovak Prime Minister has offered a one million euro reward for information about the murder of an investigative journalist;
       -   protests against Spain’s King when he visited Catalonia;   the former Catalan president whose push for regional independence created a crisis will not try to return to office, stepping aside for a candidate who is currently in prison ... ;
       -   racism and Islamophobia in one UK town;
  • With regard to the (forgotten or ignored and underreported) conflicts in Ukraine, particularly in the east:
       -   Crimeans who are resisting the Russian invasion and annexation are being suppressed;   a call for more aid for the “forgotten” crisis in Ukraine;
  • With regard to Russia (which is currently supporting an – in my opinion, based on R2P principles - illegitimate regime in Syria), Russian influenced nations and eastern Europe, Central Asia, and responses (see also elsewhere):
       Russia:
       -   Russia has boasted of unstoppable nuclear weapons, creating fears of an arms race;
       -   other events concerning Russia, eastern Europe or Central Asia have occurred or are developing in: USA/Russia;
  • With regard to the conflict in Afghanistan (noting that Afghanistan was once a peaceful and modern society, even allowing women in miniskirts, before the Russian invasion – see here):
       -   violent extremists are committing attacks ahead of talks about talking to the murdering extremists … (rewarding a bully, anyone?) … and Afghanistan has now caved in and offered recognition of them as a legitimate political group … which the (resurgent) extremists have rejected … ;   Middle Ages era type sexism is leading to female sports players are being physically attacked and subjected to bomb threats;
  • With regard to South Asia (aka the Indian sub-continent), The Hindu and other sources have:
       on India:
       -   Delhi’s air pollution is moving from environmental crisis to humanitarian catastrophe;   more than 30,000 slum residents have been forced to a “critically polluted” area without schools, hospitals, medical shops or means of livelihood where many have died and become ill as an Indian city clears land around a water pipeline and plans a bike lane to stop residents moving back;   horror at a lynch mob taking selfies with their victim;   an assessment of mob violence in India;   one hospital will offer free breast reconstruction;   fighting stigma over illness;   child miners;   extremely heavy rain is becoming more intense and more frequent;   some villages are using an old law to ban alcohol;   a call for an emissions trading scheme;   a call for a law against genetic discrimination;   assaults on women under guise of a festival;
       elsewhere in South Asia:
       -   victims in Nepal are despairing despite the new government's pledge over war crimes;
  • With regard to West Asia (aka “the Middle East”) and Northern Africa, the Middle East Eye, the Times of Israel, and other sources have:
       on Israel and Palestine:
       -   the problem of small business debts in Gaza’s collapsing economy;   the US “peace” proposal will give Palestinians limited self-rule, leading to “the creation of one state with two systems”;   concerns after Israeli police responding to a riot throw a stun grenade at a couple with an unseen baby;
       on the conflict in Yemen:
       -   the cholera epidemic is likely to worsen;   several Senators are attempting to stop US involvement in the Yemeni war;   Saudi propaganda about aid is hiding a tighter blockade;   Yemeni refugees are being stopped – unless they’re rich enough to pay big bribes;
       on Syria (where the Assad Dictatorship has lost all pretence of legitimacy, and partition is needed):
       -   the growing fear in Damascus;   the UN has called for a one month ceasefire;   hundreds have now died in the bombing of the Damascus suburb of Ghouta – which will now be limited to 19 hours a day … ;   claims rebels are blocking aid and evacuations;   North Korea has apparently been helping Syria make chemical weapons;   eight Turkish soldiers have been killed in fighting in Syria;   after the war “Syrians are likely to file more than two million lawsuits seeking restitution for lost and damaged property”;   calls for Dictator Assad to be held accountable;
       on Iraq (which was a peaceful and prosperous society before the UK / USA / CIA backed revolution – see here) and Kurdistan:
       -   an Iraqi court has created 15 angry and probable violent future incarnations, as well as potentially creating martyrs and confirming the mediaeval status of Iraq’s judicial system, by sentencing 15 (Turkish) women to death for joining a violent extremist group (they should be jailed);   “You have a family of 50, with just one man who joined [violent extremists], but the whole family, despite reporting that individual, is now stigmatised - and they are scared to return”;
       on Iran:
       -   Iran is now targeting environmental activists;
       on Saudi Arabia:
       -   Saudi Arabia has sacked its top military commanders in a series of late-night royal decrees by the King – and will allow women to join its military in non-combat roles;
       elsewhere in the region:
       -   the human rights abuses occurring in Egypt;   Egypt has now jailed three female artists – one over a joke, and two over music videos;   threats for “defaming” security forces;
       -   Lebanon’s Prime Minister has returned to Saudi Arabia for the first time since his “resignation” … (what on earth for? Is he going to let himself be pressured into resigning again?);
       -   “the only western construction worker killed in the building of World Cup stadiums in Qatar was provided with substandard equipment by managers who should have known the risks” (and likewise for the non-westerners who died … ?);
Other News:
General Comments/Information
(Dear Reader, please remember, I expect you to think when reading this blog, and I reserve the right to occasionally sneak in something to test that)
Many others are very capably doing this type of work – for instance, the Lucis Trust's Triangles network (which has been running for many decades);   the Correllian Tradition's 'Spiritual War for Peace' (see also here, here, and here), the Hope, Peace, Love and Prosperity Spell (also from the Correllian Tradition, in around 2007 or 2008),   the Healing Minute started by the late, great Harry Edwards (running for decades);   the “CE 5  ET contact” movement started by Dr Steven M Greer, which is the one which appears to me to most capitalise on the teachings of “The Nine”,   the “Network of Light”  meditations;   the 1 Million Meditators movement,   and   also see here, here and here – even commercial organisations (for instance, see here), online groups (e.g. here and here – which I do not know the quality of) and even an app.    Thus, if you don't like what I am suggesting here, but want to be of service, there are many other opportunities for you – including secular opportunities: e.g., see here, here and here.
Again, activism in the physical world is also required - see here, here and here, here, and, of course, here.
(I specifically have a role for (absent) healers on Saturdays, as explained in the Psychic Weather Report posts. Anyone who wishes to be protector has a role every day :). At all times, on all levels and in ways, BOTH must ALWAYS be BPM in the way they perform such roles.)
If I am ever late getting my Psychic Weather Report up any week, there is a default plan.
I apologise for publishing these posts twice, but Blogger keeps changing my formatting.
No signature block for these posts.