For everyone’s convenience, I’ve shifted
the reminders / explanations about Sunday’s meditation-clearing
to this
post. I have a simplified blogiography of posts related to this work here,
a list of themes I have identified here,
and my changing the personality of oppressors post, which I am contemplating
expanding to include some key people to work on, is here.
(Also, see here for some
investigation into evidence of the effectiveness of this type of work, which
shows variability [and mentions causes] and cycles in the
energetic/consciousness response … and also here is interesting.) A range of information on emotions is here,
and suggestions on how to work with emotions is here.
The purpose of posting these news links is
not only to inform: it is also to stimulate a connection to nonBPLF units that
need to be cleared and BPLF units that
need to be strengthened. 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.
Also, in the same way that activists used
to argue that “the personal is political”, the energies we use and manifest in
our daily lives contribute to the larger soup of energies that influence world
events. If you want to, for example, improve the communication of nations,
improve yours. To help stop abuses of power, be always ethical in your conduct.
Want peace? Then work in an informed, understanding, intelligent and nuanced
way for peace in yourself and your life.
Finally, remember that many others are
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' (begun in 2014, and the website was recently updated
to include many more activities),
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 (held at 10Am and 10PM local time each day, and one can pay to
be officially registered. This also has been running for decades); and also
see here
and here,
and even commercial organisations are getting involved (for instance, see here).
No doubt there are many others, so, if you don't like what I am suggesting here, but want to be
of service, there are many other opportunities for you.
Now, the themes – short, medium and long term - that come
to mind for my work this week, after I review all this news, are (and no
apologies if this repeats the themes of any previous weeks – in fact, given the
size of this task, that is to be expected):
Specific energy related suggestions are also provided below, in the Section discussing R2P recommendations for Iraq: From an energetic point of view, what is needed is a sense of broader perspective – for instance, that from the rune Eihwaz.(a) based on my interpretation of information here and here with Saturn in Sagittarius contributing to finding an authentic balance (until 20th December, 2017), 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 nonBPLF energy – the thought forms, unattached energy and scars of the collective unconscious created by millennia of violence. This need includes rescuing those who have been trapped by that history, and healing the warped views, seemingly “inherent” biases, and other damage done by the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual violence committed on scales large and small in that timeframe;(d) the United Arab Emirates are emerging as a world player of considerable concern;(e) the end does NOT justify the means – there are always Balanced Positive, Spiritually Mature principles we are held accountable to, no matter how much “it seemed like a good idea at the time”, and no matter how time passes;(f) making a lot of noise and movement as a distraction can be effective, but it is less admirable if we are the ones allowing ourselves to be distracted – for instance, allowing ourselves to forget about poverty, hunger, thirst, rising sea levels, tensions over the South China Sea, North Korea, and democracy as a result of idiots like Trump and Abbott;(g) the USA needs to address the problem of gun and other violence, the extent of which is largely unique to that allegedly at peace nation;(h) the USA and other cultures need to address the contagiousness of violence - and bigotry;(i) perspective is always necessary: it is necessary to be able to look at a problem, and find the causes, some of which may be well removed from the manifestation, whether one is considering medical issues (the TV series “House” has some good examples of this), the origin of an outbreak, a change in the environment, the reason for a crime, the reasons groups or societies or cultures have particular attitudes, or the state of the world from a spiritual / psychic point of view. This particularly important given the complexities and scale of interactions and side-effects in today’s world;(j) those with power – whether on a personal, family, group, national or international scale - need to look at their effect, not just their legacy –and, as stated above, they will always, ultimately, be held accountable for abuses of their power;(k) there can be lessons in history;(l) there are reasons to celebrate about us;
News and other matters
from this week include the following (opportunities/good news are shown in green; comments are shown in purple; WARNING: some of these
links may contain triggers around issues such as violence, sexual assault,
discrimination, etc).
- permanent issue: may all actual and potential BPLF [1] Leaders be kept BPLF safe, including keeping them undetectable to the nonBPLF and keeping all their Significant Others inviolable against being used for indirect psychic attack, all as is for the Highest Spiritual Good;
- with regard to democracy, freedom and governance: Vanuatu's Supreme Court has followed through with invoking the leadership code of its constitution and banned all 15 MPs convicted of bribery from public office; the United Arab Emirates are trying to end democracy in Tunisia; local governments are spying on private citizens by accessing their metadata; Finland is proposing to move towards a national basic income, where there is no social welfare, but everyone receives at least 800 Euros per month (Sue-Ann Post suggested something slightly different many years ago: an economy where everyone received the same wage); a new United Nations (UN) report has highlighted a worrying clampdown on opposition, media and civil society in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since the beginning of the year, and stresses the need to guarantee political and civil rights ahead of key elections; the UN Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) has reported that the nation’s Constitutional Court approved the applications of 30 candidates to run in the Presidential elections scheduled for 27th December, and rejected 14 candidates, including former President Francois Bozize and anti-Balaka coordinator Edouard Ngaissona, for not meeting the necessary requirements; Venezuela’s conservative opposition has gained from the recent elections, leading to divisions in the socialist party; Armenia has approved becoming a parliamentary republic; a critique of NATO’s shortcomings in the past and now, with regard to Russia’s aggression, and support of authoritarian stability rather than lasting democratic stability; India’s Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested a senior government official on bribery charges; the UN Secretary-General has welcomed Finland’s measures to prevent social exclusion and foster dialogue and understanding across religious and cultural lines, and he applauded its work to promote human rights, equality and democracy. He stressed that integration takes time, resources and good will from all sides, and said that we needed strong leadership – and media engagement – in the fight against rising xenophobia and discrimination (but see also here); the UN Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) reports that the electoral code of conduct of political parties and candidates has been signed in Bangui, and appealed to all candidates to campaign peacefully and called on the supporters of the rejected presidential candidates to avoid any actions that could jeopardize the electoral process; the UN is investigating systemic abuses of human rights by the North Korean government; the military leaders in Thailand are extending their rule and delaying democracy; the European Court of Justice has annulled a farm deal between the European Union and Morocco as it may also include the disputed area of Western Sahara; the Indian Supreme Court has upheld a law requiring minimum education standards for political candidates, in a blow to grassroots democracy; the problem of secrecy in the name of security; the significance of political conventions in the Westminster system;
- with regard to Da’esh and violent extremism generally (and I consider ALL people advocating hate or discrimination in response to violent extremism to actively be doing the work of violent extremists. This PARTICULARLY includes those cretins [including in the media, and Amnesty International]who use that acronym ISIS, which is actually the Greek name of the Egyptian Goddess Aset – and others - and actively perpetuates the patriarchal and sacrilegious evil that Da’esh are trying to accomplish in this world – which will be countered, in part, by the sort of approach advocated by “Cure Violence”, and, in part, by addressing real and perceived disempowerment and acknowledging the variety in what provides genuine, BPLF fulfilment as a counter to fanaticism as a source of meaning): the New York Times has published a front page editorial – the first since 1920 - on the USA’s scourge of gun violence, as US President Obama makes a rare Oval Office address on terrorism and gun violence (see also here and here), comedians show people don’t know how much violence is in the neochristian Bible and Muslims suffer the backlash – see here, here (JK Rowling had a good response to this cretin – who’s rhetoric has been criticised by the Pentagon), here, here, here for a response to former PM’s Abbott comments which points out that Abbott’s church was did NOT have a reformation, and here - and review and commentary on the ten year anniversary of race riots in Sydney – see here, here, and here - includes questioning of handling of backlashes; a triple suicide bombing in Chad has killed over 20 people; an assessment that 95% of Da’esh recruits are being radicalised by friends and family, not religious leaders – and lack religious fervour anyway; a speech by former Australian Foreign Minister, Gareth Evans, on countering violent extremism, including the need for immediate payoff for those being diverted, and a plug for the US-based (and focused?) organisation “Cure Violence”, which argues that violence is a contagious disease; the number of foreign fighters in Da’esh in Syria and Iraq has doubled, to 27,000, in the last year; Da’esh’s aims with regard to social engineering, population cleansing and colonisation; former Irish President and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson has linked climate change to future radicalisation; criticism of Turkey’s obstruction of those fighting Da’esh – the Kurds; claims Da’esh is now trying to recruit in China; commentary on one of the reasons the USA is avoiding a ground war against Da’esh; some states in the USA will stop selling weapons to suspected terrorists; Da’esh’s finance chief has been confirmed killed in an air strike last month, and meetings are continuing to address how to curtail Da’esh’s economic power; more use of humour in the fight against Da’esh; the New South Wales Supreme Court has ruled a rally to mark 10 years since race riots in Sydney's Cronulla suburb cannot go ahead - and see here for some personal experiences from that terrible day; Australia is moving towards indefinite detention for “unreformed” terrorists; an examination of the split into two categories of gun-related violence in the USA; Swiss officials say police, based on a CIA tip, are hunting for at least four Da’esh-associated suspects believed to be plotting an attack in Geneva;
- with regard to refugees: masked men are continuing to attack refugee boats in the Aegean part of the Mediterranean Sea; a senior Thai policeman who headed an investigation into human trafficking for the country's military government has fled Thailand in fear of his life and is now requesting political asylum in Australia; an assessment that the European Union’s “blame game” is resulting in problems for Greece and the refugees there;
- with regard to human rights and discrimination (including associated violence / crime): China has mounted an extraordinary set of attacks against Communist Party members in Xinjiang and Tibet, with accusations of disloyalty, “secret participation in religious activity”, “sympathy with the Dalai Lama” (on a personal note, long live Tibet!) and even support for terrorism; living with an “invisible” disability; an article on some of the abuses of people with disabilities; some 150 high-level representatives from more than 40 nations, as well as from the Council of Europe, UN agencies, academia and NGOs have held a two-day meeting, organized by UN Women and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), on Ending Violence against Women: Building on Progress to Accelerate Change; the 2016 Olympics have led to widespread violations of children’s rights and other civil liberties in Brazil, according to a new dossier of alleged abuses compiled by academics and nongovernmental organisations – see here for a critique of this and other events with regard to “legacy”; a debate on LGBT rights shows how backwards Japan has been on this, although some change for the better is happening; British police are investigating newly crowned world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury over comments he made about homosexuality which led to a complaint of a hate crime; some clarity on the rubbish around same sex/gender parenting; Canada’s government has launched a long-awaited national enquiry into the murder or disappearance of hundreds of indigenous women, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised a “total renewal” of the country’s relationship with its aboriginal population; a call for the Kenyan government to release political prisoners; an assessment that “the outcome report of China’s fifth review under the Convention against Torture highlights the absence of accountability and need for broad legal reform to eradicate torture in the country”; after 17 months, Azerbaijan has released human rights activist Leyla Yunus; Georgia has made limited steps towards ending child marriages; India’s media regulator has banned “women as witches, practitioners of black magic and exorcism” from prime time TV – which, as a woman who is a witch, I have concerns about; caste divisions have reared their ugly head in relief efforts following recent flooding in parts of India; a lawsuit by trafficked workers in the USA has been successful;
- with regard to crime, judicial matters and policing: homophobic bullying and threats to Taser her have driven a lesbian senior constable out of the police – and the cretin who did this is EXACTLY the sort of person who is unfit to wear the uniform, and brings discredit on the entire force - and see here for some useful comments and suggestions; suggestions that Chicago’s previous attempts at police reform lacked adequate independence, and thus led to the current problems; Canada’s government has launched a long-awaited national enquiry into the murder or disappearance of hundreds of indigenous women; a senior Thai policeman who headed an investigation into human trafficking for the country's military government has fled Thailand in fear of his life and is now requesting political asylum in Australia; experts from the Columbia and Harvard Law Schools in the United States conducted a three-year investigation into the system established by Barrick Gold, the owners of the Porgera mine, to directly remedy sexual assaults by its staff and found it "deeply flawed and insulting"; the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has hailed the end of the death penalty in Mongolia, calling it a welcome step in the fight for the human rights of all; 70 Iranian MPs have called for the abolition of the death penalty for non-violent drug crimes; Interpol has arrested Rwanda’s most wanted in connection with the 1990s genocide; Toronto police have used social media to help crack a case; a former US police officer has been convicted of rape and sexual assaults – which is the sort of problem that potentially goes with the levels of power police have, and the inability of people to disobey police directions: the system relies, in effect, on the personal honesty of police – which most have, but many have flaws such as sexist, homophobic and limited perspectives (as do the population they are drawn from), and some – as in this case – outright abuse their power, and, as a result, the lives of over a dozen families have been DESTROYED. As someone who no longer wears skirts in public because of police abuse, and someone who has been sexually assaulted several times, this story is full of personal triggers ... See also here, for an older case;
- with regard to media and freedom of expression: the Supreme Court of Victoria has ruled that a newspaper’s sources are protected; despite an extraordinarily difficult situation, the media in Turkey is in a healthier state than Western coverage would suggest; Iran’s Ettelaat newspaper has strongly objected to the state’s ban on publishing the name or images of a former reformist President, Mohammad Khatami; Bangladesh has lifted the ban on facebook, three-weeks after it was imposed, following Supreme Court ruling upholding the death penalty of two opposition leaders convicted for war-crimes committed during 1971 independence war against Pakistan; a call for Malaysia to immediately drop charges under the Film Censorship Act against rights activist Lena Hendry;
- with regard to overcrowding and “modern” lifestyle issues (is YOUR smart phone free of conflict minerals?): local governments are spying on private citizens by accessing their metadata; sexually transmitted debt –which I have been a victim of – it is the non-malicious examples in this articles which are particularly important to note; a Catholic Church Cardinal has suggested family planning could help with anticipated crises; Kiribati’s struggle to survive; claims that Google’s Project Loon, through which the online search giant plans to provide internet connectivity using balloons, will interfere with cellular transmissions of mobile operators in India. The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project developers and astronomers have raised concerns that the lower of the two ISM bands that Loon uses (2.4 GHz) will interfere with the mid-band frequency range (0.5 GHz-3 GHz) used in the SKA project;
- with regard to education: pornography, sexting and raunchy music videos will be analysed by high school students as part of a curriculum revamp designed to counter violence against women (if this is done well, in a sex-positive framework, this could potentially be beneficial – some [NOT all] of the young people I’ve known in the last decade and a half could have definitely benefitted from this); a warning that cyber bullying peaks during holidays, when kids mix with different groups, and don’t get called to account on Mondays; a sitting Supreme Court judge has made an appallingly racist remark during a court case;
- 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): the Taliban have attacked Kandahar, reportedly killing dozens; unemployment is contributing to a drug problem in Afghanistan; China has positioned itself as a credible bridge-builder between Afghanistan and Pakistan; Taliban militants have attacked a foreign guesthouse in Kabul's embassy district, causing several casualties;
- with regard to Africa (where I am still looking for a comprehensive local source of news, one akin to the Middle East Eye or The Hindu) generally, in addition to mentions elsewhere: the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Central Africa, Abdoulaye Bathily, has updated the UN Security Council on the work of the UN regional office there, and said that Boko Haram remained a critical threat to stability, peace and security in the region, but the LRA still pose a threat; the President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the nation, Nicholas Kay, have co-hosted the seventh High-Level Partnership Forum in Mogadishu, which reviewed overall progress over the past six months against the New Deal Somali Compact, the three-year action plan which articulates the country’s priorities from 2014 to 2016, identified possible gaps and focused on what needs to be accomplished ahead of the Ministerial Forum to take place in Istanbul in February 2016. According to aid agencies in Somalia, people displaced from Gaalkacyo in Puntland State have started returning home following a local peace agreement signed on 2nd December (more than 90,000 people had fled in three weeks following the start of a conflict in November), and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that an estimated 4.9 million people are in need of assistance, and 1.1 million people have been displaced around the country; the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that aid organizations in the Sahel region today launched the regional humanitarian appeal for 2016, calling for nearly US$2 billion to provide vital assistance to millions of people affected by crises in nine countries across the Sahel; the 28th High Level meeting of Heads of the United Nations Missions in West Africa will bring together the Heads of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), the Special Envoy for the Sahel, the United Nations Integrated Peace-Building Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS), and the UN Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI), and will focus mainly on governance and security developments in the sub-region and discuss ways and means to continue to strengthen coordination between the various UN entities in the sub-region and review progress in the implementation of their respective mandates; a call for stronger action to end child marriage;
- with regard to China and East Asia: China has mounted an extraordinary set of attacks against Communist Party members in Xinjiang and Tibet, with accusations of disloyalty, “secret participation in religious activity”, “sympathy with the Dalai Lama” (on a personal note, long live Tibet!) and even support for terrorism; China has issued a red alert for pollution in Beijing; claims Da’esh is now trying to recruit in China; China has positioned itself as a credible bridge-builder between Afghanistan and Pakistan;
- with regard to the conflict in Iraq (noting that Iraq was once a peaceful and prosperous society, before the USA / CIA backed revolution – see here): Iraq has demanded Turkey withdraw the armoured regiment it has sent in to Iraqi territory to allegedly train Kurdish Peshmerga troops; decades of uncontrolled supply of weapons and ammunition to Iraq from scores of nations has contributed to the scale of the current and recent violence; Iraqi forces are making significant progress in the campaign to retake Ramadi;
- with regard to the Libyan civil war: following the appalling stuff up and unconscionable conduct of “Leon-gate”, Western leaders and some Libyans are still supporting the UN-brokered peace process, whereas other Libyans are supporting a Libyan-Libyan process which led to a recent, limited and criticised agreement – and, at the end of this week, Libya's rival parliaments have agreed to sign the UN-sponsored agreement on forming a national unity government next week;
- with regard to Russia (see also Syria): Australian head of the navy has warned of increasing Russian navy presence in the region as “the Soviets of the past still have a view, amongst those in Russia, that would indicate that Russia still has a position in the world that they would seek to re-establish”; an analysis of the complex connections between Russia and Turkey; India and Russia are conducting joint naval exercises, ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s visit; a critique of NATO’s shortcomings in the past and now, with regard to Russia’s aggression, and support of authoritarian stability rather than lasting democratic stability; an analysis of Israel and Russia’s growing ties; Russia’s ongoing war against human rights; an excellent examination of the current US debates re Syria – particularly “strong” vs. “weak” - against the insights now available for the comparable debates around Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan in the late 70s and 80s and the US response;
- with regard to Sudan and South Sudan: the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) reports that gunfire continued yesterday in Yambio town in Western Equatoria State, and it is continuing to patrol;
- with regard to the conflict in Syria: the UN’s Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Kyung-wha Kang, today called for greater protection and assistance for Syrians caught up in the country’s four-year conflict, following a five-day visit to Jordan and Turkey during which she talked with Syrian refugee families in Jordan and Turkey; the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has said that it is gravely concerned for some 12,000 people, including elderly people, others who are sick or wounded, children, women, and others who are vulnerable and need help, who are trying to flee Syria and stranded in remote areas at the north eastern Jordanian border, facing deteriorating humanitarian conditions – see also here. The number of people there has risen sharply since the start of November, following the recent intensification of conflict in Syria; the UN Secretary-General has met with United States Secretary of State John Kerry, and, speaking to the press afterward, welcomed Mr. Kerry’s initiative to hold the 3rd meeting of the International Syria Support Group in New York on 18th December – which he and his Special Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, would participate in. He also underscored the necessity of having a nationwide ceasefire in Syria as soon as possible, and hoped the talks in New York will provide a firm and solid basis so that the ceasefire and political process can begin (I thought it was already underway, with an agreement on a timeline for elections?). Meanwhile, the Syrian opposition has met in Saudi Arabia to agree on a unified political position based on removing President Bashar al-Assad from power, but the talks were ended by one of the major rebel groups with a demand that Assad step down, but the possibility of future talks remains open; an excellent examination of the current US debates re Syria – particularly “strong” vs. “weak” - against the insights now available for the comparable debates around Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan in the late 70s and 80s and the US response; the USA is denying claims of an attack on a Syrian government base – and one official even suggested a Russian airstrike was responsible; Russia has launched cruise missile strikes from a submarine; rebels and their families are leaving Homs under a deal which will see the siege lifted, and the city then entered by Government police but not troops;
- with regard to Turkey: Iraq has demanded Turkey withdraw the armoured regiment it has sent in to Iraqi territory to allegedly train Kurdish Peshmerga troops; Turkey has protested over the flaunting of a rocket launcher (was that just an idiot being a smart arse, or was it endorsed / ordered?); an analysis of the complex connections between Russia and Turkey; criticism of Turkey’s obstruction of those fighting Da’esh – the Kurds; despite an extraordinarily difficult situation, the media in Turkey is in a healthier state than Western coverage would suggest; concerns over the “neo-Ottoman right-wing irredentist” group “Ottoman Hearths”;
- with regard to the conflicts in Ukraine, particularly in the east: a new survey by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has found that the conflict in eastern Ukraine is forcing some 230,000 farming families to skip meals, migrate to find work, borrow to pay for necessities, kill livestock for lack of feed and plan less due to lack of seeds and fertiliser; recent months have seen a significant reduction of hostilities in parts of eastern Ukraine, but serious human rights concerns persist, including torture and an absence of rule of law, according to the latest report by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine;
- with regard to the war in Yemen: Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Yemen, will convene a series of face-to-face consultations among the Yemenis in Switzerland on 15th December. These consultations seek to establish a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire and secure improvements to the humanitarian situation and a return to a peaceful and orderly political transition, and will be accompanied by a week-long ceasefire - see here for an analysis of the prospects for peace; the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) launched an interagency appeal for $94 million to provide protection and assistance over the next year to refugees, returnees and migrants fleeing the conflict in Yemen; two convoys from the World Food Programme (WFP) have arrived in the central Yemeni city of Taiz, where people are living in dire conditions under a virtual state of siege, with food supplies for 145,000 people (around one quarter of the 2005 population) for one month, and a third convoy is on its way. WFP has stressed that it needs freedom and safety of movement inside the country to reach as many people as possible with food assistance before they fall deeper into hunger;
- with regard to natural and other catastrophes: after the floods recede, southern India is in need of urgent humanitarian assistance; as mentioned recently, El Nino is creating a risk of famine in Ethiopia: that could affect over 10 million people;
- the Secretary-General has opened the High-Level session of the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) and told the ministers and negotiators representing 196 parties that their task was to translate this historic call for action into a durable, dynamic, credible and fair climate agreement. He noted the building public pressure, from local leaders to religious organizations, as well as the business community and civil society, saying that we all have a moral and political duty to heed those voices;
- the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator launched a record $20.1 billion humanitarian appeal to help nearly 90 million of the world’s most vulnerable and marginalized people in 2016;
- the Security Council has adopted Resolution 2250, on youth, peace and security. That resolution is the first one by the Council to focus entirely on the role of young people in peacebuilding and countering violent extremism;
- this week saw the first-ever International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, and the Secretary-General said that this is an ideal time to reaffirm our commitment to prevent this serious international crime, honour the memory of the victims, and reaffirm the right to remedies and reparation, as recognized in international law;
- also this week, in a message to mark Human Rights Day, the Secretary-General stressed the need to take more concerted global action to promote the timeless principles we have collectively pledged to uphold;
- at the climate change in Paris, the Secretary-General has met with a group of civil society leaders, who represented a broad array of organizations who had gathered more than six million signatures encouraging governments to adopt an ambitious agreement in Paris;
- the UN is aware of the use of the UN emblem on materials used during recent political demonstrations in the Maldives. The UN had NOT granted permission for this use of the UN emblem and emphasizes that it does NOT endorse, sponsor or have any connection to the content used on those materials;
- the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners today launched a new framework to eliminate human rabies;
- Human Rights Watch also has: a handful of countries (Norway, Saudi Arabia, and the United States) have been blocking human rights references in important parts of the climate change agreement; there has been another bloody crackdown on protestors in Ethiopia;
- the Global
Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
(R2P) also has:
an analysis of R2P, including its failures, by former Australian Foreign Minister, Gareth Evans;
- an occasional report, aiming to give background, offer analysis, track international response and suggest necessary action, for five nations in immediate crisis (“mass atrocities are occurring and urgent action is needed”: Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Lake Chad Basin, and Burma), one nation at imminent risk (“the situation is reaching a critical threshold and the risk of mass atrocity crimes occurring in the immediate future is very high if effective preventive action is not taken”: Burundi, South Sudan and the Central African Republic), and five nations for which there is serious concern (“significant risk of occurrence, or recurrence, of mass atrocity crimes within the foreseeable future if effective action is not taken”: Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya);
Recommended actions from the occasional report for the nation of Iraq, where the security situation is dire, largely as a result of Da’esh, but also some Shia militias (I will work through other nations from the report in coming weeks) are:
- the international community should continue to provide support to the Iraqi government to combat the threat Da'esh poses, especially to religious and ethnic minorities, but, while doing so, the government must protect civilians and address the underlying sources of conflict between Sunnis, Shias and Kurds in Iraq;
- the government must actively prevent reprisals against Sunni civilians by the Iraq's security forces (ISF) and Shia militias, and ensure displaced populations receive urgent humanitarian assistance, and Iraq's international supporters, especially the United States, must also ensure that the ISF complies with its obligations under international human rights law;
- the Kurdistan Regional Government is also in need of international support to defend vulnerable populations from ongoing Da'esh attacks;
- all members of the international anti-Da'esh coalition must abide by International Humanitarian Law and minimize civilian casualties;
From an energetic point of view, what is needed is a sense of broader perspective – for instance, that from the rune Eihwaz.
- the US-based and -centric “War on the Rocks” blog (which I have found may also have other articles that I have concerns with - and thus do not provide links to, unless I want you to think … :) ) also has: fanaticism as a source of meaning –an article suggesting current approaches to deradicalisation are misdirected; Da’esh’s aims with regard to social engineering, population cleansing and colonisation; criticism of the US military’s abuse of a (serving) whistleblower; an excellent examination of the current US debates re Syria – particularly “strong” vs. “weak” - against the insights now available for the comparable debates around Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan in the late 70s and 80s and the US response; an assessment of the threat that North Korea currently poses, and why;
- the Justice in Conflict blog has: an assessment of the flawed understanding and wrong claims around R2P, and the damage that has caused to the principle;
- the Political Violence at a Glance blog has: “democratic transition following a UN peacebuilding mission can be as high as 84%”; an examination of the results of Mexcio bringing military into police action against drug organisations which found that it resulted in an increase of violence, and that the two key avenues for improving Mexican national security are community engagement and transparent institutions;
- the Middle East Eye also has:
a critique of NATO’s shortcomings in the past and now, with regard to Russia’s aggression, and the mistake of supporting authoritarian stability rather than lasting democratic stability;
following a decision by the Geneva-based International Chamber of Commerce that the Egyptian General Petroleum Company and the Egypt's state-owned gas company must compensate Israel's state-run electricity company, the Egyptian government has reportedly frozen talks to import Israeli gas;
warnings from Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence service that outlawing the northern Islamic Movement would rally Israel’s 1.6 million Palestinian citizens to the movement may be being realised even sooner than expected; children as young as 7 have been arrested by the Israeli military; an Israeli Rabbi is trying – with support from people in the USA - to breed a red heifer, which could lead to widespread war in the region; an analysis of Israel and Russia’s growing ties;
Egypt is continuing to flood Palestinian smuggling tunnels with sea water; a law allowing “short term marriages” has been criticised as facilitating human trafficking and forced prostitution;
Swiss prosecutors want to interview two prominent Saudi figures as part of their investigation into an alleged kidnapping of a reformist prince in 2003;
- Also on West Asia / the Middle East:
disagreement between the Israeli military and the hardline right wingers on how to address current violence; the struggle between restraint and revenge in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley; Iran’s Ettelaat newspaper has strongly objected to the state’s ban on publishing the name or images of a former reformist President, Mohammad Khatami;
- The Hindu also has: in a setback to peacemaking efforts, the United Madhesi Democratic Front of Nepal has rejected the “Framework Agreement” that the Nepal government had presented as a breakthrough solution to the nearly four-month-long economic blockade; an editorial on India’s re-engagement with Pakistan – and another urging continuation, and see also here; Pakistan has successfully test-fired a medium-range (2,750 km) nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile; China has positioned itself as a credible bridge-builder between Afghanistan and Pakistan; civil society groups allege that “new” World Trade Organisation issues — which the rich world terms the “latest challenges facing world trade” — actually represent the corporate agenda of advanced countries; caste divisions have reared their ugly head in relief efforts following recent flooding in parts of India; India is struggling to meet targets for cutting malnutrition rates; Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera has said the government would take “stern action” if it came to know that any secret detention centre still existed in Sri Lanka; 413 people serving in India’s military have committed suicide since 2012: the response includes yoga and meditation to better deal with stress (how does that rate compare with the national average?); heavy rainfall has flushed out pollution from five polluted lakes in Ranipet and the Palar River (where has it gone? Where is the problem now?), officials have cautioned tanneries and other factories of stringent action if they illegally discharged effluents into the now cleaner waterbodies;
- Also on the Indian sub-continent:
a crowd-funded reservoir de-silting project has led to other benefits, and may be a useful example for elsewhere; India and Russia are conducting joint naval exercises, ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s visit; an opinion piece noting that Delhi’s air pollution is worse than Beijing;
- the BBC also has: an report that the Vatican has told Catholics that they should not seek to convert Jews and stressed that the two faiths have a "unique" relationship; North and South Korea are talking;
and from a range of other sites:
- a speech at the launch of “Why Peace Processes Fail” – which I have added to my wish list, as it is surprisingly reasonably priced … for an academic book;
- the USA has expanded sanctions against North Korea for weapons breaches;
[2] Please
see here, here and my post "The
Death of Wikipedia" for the reasons
I now recommend caution when using Wikipedia. I'm also exploring use of h2g2,
although that doesn't appear to be as extensive (h2g2 is intended - rather
engagingly - to be the Earth edition of
"The
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy").
[3] I apologise for the formatting: it seems Blogger is
no longer as WYSIWYG as it used to be, and there are a lot of unwanted
changes to layout made upon publishing, so I often have to edit it immediately
after publishing to get the format as close to what I want as possible.Love, light, hugs and blessings
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear"; ... aka Bellatrix
Lux … aka Morinehtar … would-be drýicgan or maga
... )
My "blogiography" (list of all posts and guide as to how to best use this
site) is here, and my glossary/index is here.
I started this blog to cover karmic regression-rescue
(see here and here), and it grew ... See here for my group mind project, here and here for my "Pagans for Peace" project (and join me
for a few minutes at some time between 8 and 11 PM on Sunday, wherever you are,
to meditate-clear for peace), and here
for my bindrune kit-bag. I also strongly recommend
learning how to flame, ground
and shield, do alternate
nostril breathing, work
with colour, and see also here and be
flexible.
The real dividing line is not between
Christianity and Islam, Sunni and Shia, East and West. It is between people who
believe in coexistence, and those who don’t.
- If your “gut” (your instinct/intuition) is telling you something is wrong, but logic and the available evidence is saying otherwise, the proper conclusion to draw is that you need better, more personally credible evidence. Your “gut” could be wrong, right, or missing the nuances / “shades of grey” . So could the available evidence.
- All of the above - and this blog - could be wrong, or subject to context, perspective, or state of spiritual evolution ...
Tags: activism, discrimination, energy work, magick, meditation,
nonviolence, peace, society, violence, war,
First published: Laugardagr, 12th December, 2015
Last edited (excluding fixing typo's
and other minor matters): Saturday, 12th December, 2015
