Post No. 1,072A – Gnwmythr’s News Ed. No. 180

The length of this post has necessitated this post being split in two. The other part can be found here.

Exhaustion from my day job has resulted in the breadth of collation for this week’s Gnwmythr’s News being cut back: my apologies, but I have to pay the rent and bills, and anticipate the pressure will ease up in a few weeks.

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 … )

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 Saturn in Sagittarius contributing to finding an authentic balance (until 20^th 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 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 that:
           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:
           emotionally (astrally), more BPM Water
           mentally, more BPM Æther;
           a plot of the elemental influences on a causal/spiritual level follows, and shows a need for the inner reflection of more BPM Air;

(d)   I’ve created a bindrune for this week’s work, which is:

 (e)   dealing with the 45^th President of the USA (aka the USA’s CEO) 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 – for which my “changing the personality of oppressors” post is useful – with a view to promoting what would seem to be 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. to address the others, physical world activism (especially education) is required – 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, there are risks of mass atrocities in Burma and Yemen;   the crisis – just mentioned – around the Rohingya in Burma and Bangladesh;   ongoing tensions around the Korean Peninsula;   Ongoing crises and reactionary deeds associated with the USA’s CEO;   continuing suffering in South Asia and Africa;  the struggle for accountability and ultimately, freedom and democracy;

   (g)   self pity;

   (h)   lack of reflection on a balance between self and others;

   (i)   lack of proper balance in self care;

   (j)   fear, leading to hate and violent anger;

   (k)   being overwhelmed;

   (l)   greed, including selfish desires for power

   (m)   lack of trust/goodwill;

I also take this opportunity to emphasise that it is absolutely VITAL that this psychic / metaphysical / spiritual work be performed non-violently 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:
     -   all ethnic minorities in Burma are being persecuted, but the Rohingya, more than 370,000 Rohingya have fled to an uncertain “welcome” in Bangladesh (where aid is being stopped by red tape), are being subjected to genocide (at the very least, a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”) by Burmese who are using Nazi paraphernalia and ideology;   the UN’s Secretary-General has reiterated his call for Muslims from Burma's Rakhine state to be “granted nationality or at least a legal status that would allow them to lead a normal life, while also urging the international community to help provide assistance for the nearly 380,000 people who have fled into Bangladesh”;   Burma has rebuffed the Rohingya "rebels" belated (and far too late – the damage is done: the “300,000 people who have fled Rakhine state to Bangladesh over the past two weeks all come from the last areas of [Burma] with sizeable Rohingya populations not confined to displacement camps”) ceasefire, as a violent extremist organisation calls for weapons to be sent for the purpose of revenge … ;   some Rohingya have suffered crippling injuries after apparently stepping on army landmines as they fled violence in Burma;   Burma's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi is to miss next week's UN General Assembly debate as criticism of her handling of the Rohingya crisis grows (I heard an opinion on a radio show that the reason the Burmese military have chosen to be so vicious now, in a situation that has existed for decades, is to try to pressure Aung San Suu Kyi into supporting an unpopular minority, so they can do better in the next elections – and that is an issue because Burma is NOT truly a democracy as yet);   an interview with some of the Buddhist monks behind the hate in Burma;   India is preparing to “push back” Rohingya refugees, has sent aid to Bangladesh, and will pressure Burma;
     -      after the DPRK warned it will make the USA “pay a heavy price”, the UN’s Security Council unanimously voted to impose new sanctions – albeit watered down to avoid a Chinese veto, after which the DPRK claimed the USA is 'fired up' for confrontation;   an interesting critique of thinking about North Korea;   the DPRK has tested another missile … following which South Korea said it could destroy North Korea “beyond recovery”;   an assessment of the possibility that South Korea and Japan could wind up with nuclear missiles, and what that could lead to ... ;   the two Koreas need to accept their partition – for now – and sign a peace treaty – which will give the family access so many desire, and set the scene for normalisation which is essential prior to a peaceful reunification;
     -   this week’s atrocity alert at R2P lists Burma and Yemen ;
• With regard to democracy (which can be measured, 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 and governance (e.g., here, here, here and here, and see also here):
  Note: I have a section specifically for the 45^th US President below
     -   analyses this week include:   a detailed article on the leader of the free world: Angela Merkel;   a review of how ideology has overtaken economics (especially under neoliberal politicians), driving a decade of governments ignoring warnings from power generators, and leading to the current energy crisis in Australia (price rises are not related to renewables: lack of investment and the soaring price of gas are responsible);   an article on whether or not private health insurance (in Australia) is worth the money;   a bicycle advocacy group is reviewing its support of mandatory helmet laws (I am glad they are also getting expert advice: personally, I’m in favour of the helmets for harm minimisation reasons – and am cranky enough to want those who have preventable injuries to pay for their own medical care);   a critique of the evidence around drug-testing welfare recipients;   an examination of why conservatives vote for policies that harm themselves;   “noting that the world economy in 2017 “is picking up but not taking off,” a new United Nations trade and development report has cautioned against fiscal austerity and harnessing finance to support job creation and infrastructure investment”;
     -   of concern this week:   a senior Australian state “water bureaucrat is facing misconduct allegations, after a damning independent report into allegations of water theft and corruption in the Murray-Darling Basin recommended fundamental reforms to the system”;   the anti-corruption organisation Transparency International has criticised a decision by Australia's national government to not adopt an anti-corruption body with investigative powers to crack down on corruption, as a number of Australian states have, as a missed opportunity;   a former acting director of the CIA, who has defended the use of drone strikes and torture techniques against terror suspects, resigned from his post at Harvard University over its hiring – now withdrawn - of whistleblower Chelsea Manning;
     -   other concerning events have occurred or are developing in: PNG, Cambodia, Singapore, South Sudan, Israel, the USA (“Western Supremacists” and anti-BDS thigs), Saudi Arabia;
     -   in the grey/mixed [good and bad aspects] or neutral area this week:   “a former pharmaceuticals company CEO … has had his bail revoked over a threat made against Hillary Clinton and will sit behind bars ahead of sentencing for securities fraud”;
     -   other events in the grey or neutral area have occurred or are developing in: USA, India;
     -   good news this week includes:   increasing support in the USA for universal health care;
• With regard to the 45^th US President (who I consider seriously dangerous, even if his administration looks like a Schoolyard Squabble Squad – see here on practical, physical actions for US residents [and the principles are useful elsewhere]) this week:
  I deliberately avoid using the 45^th US President’s name for valid psychic reasons: however, to both simplify my typing and remind people that he is dangerous (actually, I consider him evil), I will use either “the USA’s CEO” or “Voldemort II” (or a combination – and the “II” is because the Harry Potter series had Voldemort I) or a variation thereof – in this section, at least - as an alias.
     -   the USA's CEO has again blamed "both sides" for the killing by a far right wing extremist a month ago;
     -   lack of evidence of voter fraud is resulting in some “circular logic” in the US enquiry;
     -   the USA’s Supreme Court has allowed that nation’s 45^th President to broadly implement a ban on refugees entering the country from around the world – which has been criticised (and there is further legal action pending);
     -   ethical questions about the USA CEO’s National Security Advisor;
     -   “the Justice Department has notified Senate investigators that it will not make FBI officials available for interviews because doing so could pose conflicts with the work of special counsel Robert Mueller”;
     -   confusing news (see here, here, here, and here) about a possible deal or “agreement” on possibly protecting the “Dreamers” (still not clear to me … ) as the USA’s 45^th President continues to go around his party to deal directly with Democrats;
• With regard to violent extremism (VE) (aka, terrorism - e.g., Da’esh) (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 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, BPM fulfilment as a counter to fanaticism as a source of meaning. I am deliberately avoiding the use of specific names of violent extremist groups as much as possible to reduce the publicity they get – I’m not a primary news source, and thus consider I can do so):
     -   violent extremist attacks/acts have occurred this week in Iraq, UK, Afghanistan, Nigeria, and, according to this Wikipedia page, there have been 12 attacks in Iraq and 5 attacks in Afghanistan (out of a total of 33);   violent extremist threats are or may be developing in Burma;   prevention has or may have occurred in the UK;   a Finnish aid worker who was abducted four months ago in Afghanistan has been freed;
     -   former violent extremists have appeared in a counter violent extremism video “describing the … caliphate as a "pit of lies" where fighters chase three things — power, money and women”;   rubbish trucks are being used to defend against violent extremist attacks;
     -   a call by a respected former FBI agent for commitment to “core values” and unity in countering violent extremism;   an article on the misrepresentation of white supremacists and neochristian supremacists as not being terrorists;   a survey has shown some of the reasons that violent extremists attack aid workers;   the marginalisation of Muslims in the West;
     -   other violent extremist matters have also occurred in: Iraq;
• With regard to refugees (noting the New York Declaration) and people seeking asylum:
     -   “serious questions are being asked about the way refugee cases are considered after [Australia’s] Refugee Review Tribunal was found to have adopted a "cut-and-paste" approach to its rulings”;   questions about how a deportation case in Australia has been constructed, and how the detainee is being handled - especially after he was sent interstate in response to a complaint;   an announced freeze on forced repatriations of Afghans living in Pakistan has brought certainty for those refugees;   my home state will cover the welfare shortfall after the Federal neoliberal government cut refugees (aka “people seeking asylum”) off;   asylum seekers given a 'negative' status in Australia’s offshore refugee gulags could face indefinite detention in PNG;  the two sides of people smuggling;
     -   other refugee-related matters have also occurred in: the USA, Uganda, Libya, Iran;
• With regard to human (and other) rights and discrimination (incidentally, I consider it vital to identify people who are bigots as they clearly have flaws in their powers of observation and thinking – shown by the fact that NOT all people act hatefully without education/lobbying/the restraint of laws):
     -   on Australia’s postal survey around Equal Marriage, and the homophobia/transphobia (including heteronormativity, cisgender-normativity and the suppression of the religious freedom of those religions that support Equal Marriage by neochristian supremacists) resulting from that this week  – and I am going to note that Australia’s current “debate” about the Equal Marriage postal survey IGNORES the FACT that there have been DECADES and CENTURIES of distortions, lies, attacks and hate speech against LGBTIQ people – in the current debate gives equal air time within the debate, then it is UNFAIRLY biased against the “no” case:   an Australian MP wants Equal Marriage campaigners to leave him alone - but he is happy to continue to interfere in other people's lives by advocating for a "no" vote;   a statement about the effects of the "debate" on Equal Marriage (which I can confirm, having had half a dozen friends who have been driven to suicide by the unrelenting, unmitigated and unconscionable abuse of LGBTIQ people);   the experience of a same sex couple who have fostered kids for twenty years;   Australia’s (wimpy, head –in-the-sand) neoliberal Prime Minister has supported Equal Marriage;   “same-sex marriage is a test of Australian maturity that we may not pass ... It's time not just to focus on who will win the marriage war, but how we are going to live with the peace”, written by a neochristian supremacists - I disagree - BIGOTRY IS BIGOTRY, and those opposing equal marriage are ON THE WRONG SIDE OF HISTORY - their vehemence matches that of the white supremacists, especially after the USA’s civil war, but is EQUALLY WRONG (I have also posted here a copy of an email I sent to the Prime Minister … if I do write an article on a media religions and ethics page, as I mention in the introduction to the linked post, I will also provide a link to that on this blog);   people who threaten, intimidate or vilify someone based on their sexual identity or religious convictions during the same-sex marriage survey could face a $12,600 penalty (I might take advantage of that to write a religious view in favour of Equal Marriage … );   “instead of merely debating whether same-sex couples should be allowed to marry, we should be debating whether marriage is acceptable at all, said a prominent philosopher and an Israeli feminist” – thereby showing their lack of understanding of the effect of enforced difference: if you want to attack marriage, do so completely separately to the Equal Marriage debate;   suggestions to put glitter in postal survey envelopes have led to a warning that such would lead to the envelope being destroyed;   an article on the woman whose legal action helped end the USA's ban on Equal Marriage, and what she had to go through before then;   "an implied threat from [Tasmania’s] Minister for Police [over reporting on the Equal Marriage postal survey] is unacceptable. That's how silencing journalism starts, that's how silencing independence starts";   this alleged assault – by a man tearing down “yes” posters, on the godson of a former Prime Minister – is exactly what I was concerned would happen;   some MPs have again said they would not accept a “yes” result in the postal survey (or would do so only conditionally, thereby rendering them as the Australian equivalent of what the USA calls “faithless electors” – “faithless representatives”, perhaps);   a call for more sports to take a moral leadership stand after a vicious backlash against a neochristian rugby player indicating he was against Equal Marriage;   police are investigating the sale of postal survey votes;   "Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has rejected former PM John Howard's criticisms that religious freedom is at risk if same-sex marriage is legalised": these idiots need to be told religious freedom is being compromised NOW by the ban! (and while they’re at it, maybe get a bit more involve in things like this, and this … );
     -   on homophobia/transphobia (including heteronormativity, cisgender-normativity and the suppression of the religious freedom of those religions that support Equal Marriage) this week (and noting that trans kids are the same as cis kids of the trans kids’ true gender):   more short-sighted stupidity: a facial recognition experiment that claims to be able to distinguish (at around 60-70% accuracy) between gay and heterosexual people has sparked a row between its creators and two leading LGBT rights groups – who have (rightly, in my view) accused the project of being “reckless”, "dangerous" and "junk science" and “a description of beauty standards on dating sites that ignores huge segments of the LGBTQ community, including people of colour, transgender people, older individuals, and other LGBTQ people who don't want to post photos on dating sites" – this critique says the project “tells us more about stereotypes than the origins of sexuality”;   some comments on the history of movement towards acceptance in Australia;
     -   on white supremacist and other forms of racism this week:   “the United Nations has described Australia's lack of progress on Closing the Gap as "woefully inadequate", saying the over-incarceration of Indigenous people [remains] a major human rights concern”;   an Australian state’s Chief Minister he is “shocked and upset after a video emerged showing a person outside a tour company spraying a hose towards an Indigenous man sitting on a busy footpath in the centre of Darwin”;   calls have been made for Australian Olympian Peter Norman, who was punished and ostracised for sharing a dramatic stand against racism at the 1968 Olympics, to be – belatedly – honoured by Australia (the US Track and Field Federation already has);   a third Council in my home city has decided to stop observing Australia Day;   a black woman descended from someone who was a slave to the Cherokee has applied to join that nation;   Tasmanian authorities have seized more than 150 alleged Aboriginal artefacts being offered for sale online from Sydney;
     -   other white supremacy / racism problems have also occurred in: Brazil, Ethiopia, USA/Namibia;
     -   on male supremacist and other forms of sexism this week (keeping in mind the overblown influence given to testosterone):   a successful woman in the USA’s tech industry says she dyed her hair brown and ditched her high heels and contact lenses in order to “get ahead”;   “becoming a nun is not often associated with women’s emancipation {but it has offered] interesting career option[s] for women” through history, albeit downplayed, as other work by women also has been;   “of the psychological traits we studied, conscientiousness and agreeableness had the greater influence on the gender wage gap. On average, men are rewarded more for being more conscientious than women are. Women are penalised more for being agreeable than men” (some good comments about variance in pay gap at different pay scales);   religious ministers in the USA who support abortion – and the need for guards against “pro-lifers”;   "three women who used to work at Google have filed a lawsuit against the technology giant, alleging it pays women less than men for comparable work";
     -   other sexism matters have also occurred in: Indonesia, Jordan;
     -   on religious rights (including Islamophobia) this week:  
     -   other religious rights / Islamophobia matter have also occurred in: Pakistan, Tunisia;
     -   on workers’, children’s, privacy, and other forms of human (and other – e.g., animal) rights this week:  “impacts of climate change and the global economic crisis are compounding the threats faced by people living in poverty around the world, a UN rights expert [has] warned, calling on the international development community to put human rights at the centre of their work”;   two of the top five finalists at this year's Miss America pageant have surprised audiences with their bold responses to questions about the USA’s CEO and his policies, with the US withdrawal from the Paris climate accord called a "bad decision", and – in 15 of her allotted 20 seconds – calling the attack in Charlottesville an obviously white supremacist terrorist incident;   the head of the Australian Building and Construction Commission boss has resigned after admitting to knowing that material his organisation distributed was wrong, and thus a breach of the Fair Work Act – and the Minister responsible is also under fire for her prior knowledge of this;   my home state is cracking down on labour hire exploitation;   an Australian Union is facing millions in penalties over unlawful industrial action in 2014;   the organic food industry in the USA is suing the current administration, who are blocking rules from the previous administration;   Instagram deleted an image of a boy with a disability after it was (anonymously?) reported for violating guidelines, but re-posted it and apologised;   in Australia, "the prices set under the National Disability Insurance Scheme are not realistic for the Northern Territory and will not cover the costs of quality care in remote communities, service providers have said";
     -   other workers’, children’s, privacy, and other forms of human or other rights matters have also occurred in: mobile phone factories, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh/West Asia;
• With regard to crime, judicial matters and policing:
     -   Australian children as young as four are being coerced into sexualised activities - the number of reports of these cases is "literally exploding" and overwhelming police;   concerns that UK police are enabling the abuses of authoritarian regimes;   Australia’s “consumer watchdog is ramping up its warnings about scammers who are targeting older victims to pay for alleged services with iTunes gift cards”;   my home state has marked a decade of providing support to young people who have been victims of or witnesses to violent crimes;  a scammer who claimed to be from the Australian Taxation Office gave an expletive-ridden spray to a radio presenter after being told their conversation was being recorded – which is about what I would expect of someone with that sort of mentality;   a drug and alcohol counsellor has been charged with using his position to get drugs – which, IF true (people charged are innocent until proven guilty), is a major abuse of power;   “the worst of the Catholic sexual abuse scandal may be over in Australia, but the crisis is likely to hit the church in Asia, Africa and parts of Europe within a decade, a report has warned”;   “Victoria's police chief insists a DNA mix-up that derailed [a murder] investigation … was a mistake, not a cover-up, but acknowledges the matter is being forensically looked at”;   a number of prisoners are still on the run after more than 100 escaped when Hurricane Irma hit the British Virgin Islands, creating a "serious threat of the complete breakdown of law and order", and necessitating police and troops being sent to recapture the prisoners;
    -    other crime, judicial and policing matters have occurred in: Brazil, Africa, India;
• With regard to press aka the media, and freedom of expression (keeping in mind that claims of presenting “both sides” of a debate can be WRONG if the other side is RUBBISH –as is the case on LGBTIQ issues: having an “equal say”, or a “right to respond” MUST be assessed in the context of what is happening overall in society – NOT solely in one limited incident. Also, funding is an issue … ):
     -   a “magazine publisher … has been ordered to pay [an Australian] Hollywood actress … more than $4.5 million in damages for defaming her in a series of stories in 2015 … because the extent of the defamation [was] "unprecedented in this country" because of the articles' global reach” which has been described as "an opportunity for publishers and readers to say goodbye to an outmoded product";
     -   other media / freedom of expression matters have occurred in: Saudi Arabia;
• With regard to overcrowding and “modern” lifestyle issues (is YOUR smart phone free of conflict  minerals, environmental harm and child labour? [IT manufacturers are making some effort in on those – in response to activist pressure.] Do you suffer from FOMO or addiction? Are you having second thoughts about technology? Is your social media making you miserable or envious? Are you being duped by modern mantras? Are you “failing” at being well? Does your AI use ethics? Does your corporation misuse mindfulness as a distraction from working conditions? Are you afflicted by management  fads? Do you understand embedded emissions? Do you want a bigger, flashier home/car than people had 50 years ago – which means you are actively abusing the environment and society’s cohesion and contributing to the problem of financialisation? Are you accursed with the “new is always good” groupthink of the computer world? Do you abuse workers by insisting on busy-ness? Are you raising a Prince Boofhead? Keeping in mind that, although I am a Pagan now, but have been a Buddhist, maybe the lesson of Buddhism that one must first recognise that one causes much of one’s own suffering is applicable … ):
     -   on climate change and other environmental matters this week:   as an Australian state government plans to reopen three four-wheel drive tracks in a sensitive Conservation Area, damage by four-wheel drives has further increased the anger of green groups and the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre;   “the economic arguments being used by mining giant Glencore in its application to keep expanding its controversial McArthur River Mine are "almost comical" according to a report by think tank the Australia Institute”;   after a notorious (it has been plagued by problems since a waste rock fire in 2013 emitted toxic smoke, and there have been fears acid and metal drainage could contaminate fish in nearby waterways) mine in an Australian state paid zero royalties, that state’s government is considering changes;   “after six months of being kept under wraps, reports on the impacts of a mine … have been released, revealing "disturbing" fracturing and bulging, putting Sydney's drinking water catchment at risk”;   Australia’s rural-based political party has made a stupid decision to advocate for cutting back support for renewable energy;   a century of coral die-offs – particularly in last 30 years – is taking a big toll on the Great Barrier Reef;   an opposition MP has claimed that the head of energy company is being bullied by Australia's climate-denialist-plagued neoliberal-party Prime Minister over keeping a coal-fired power station open for longer;   the Australian Government needs to "get out of the way" of efforts to provide reliable and stable electricity, as calls are made for pragmatism, not panic;   about 20 indigenous rangers have been blending traditional knowledge of fire management with new technology for 15 years to protect about 16,000 square kilometres of landscape, and in the process gaining carbon credits that are traded with mining companies and the Australian Government – which is believed to be a world-first in using fire to create carbon credits;   the snow leopard is no longer endangered;   an article on hydrogen cars ... where does the hydrogen come from? How sustainable is the manufacture (it can be generated by solar power: is it, in this instance)?;   efforts to achieve zero food waste in the food industry;
     -   other environmental matters have occurred in: China (good news), PNG, Timor Leste;
     -   on technology and science matters this week:   a bluetooth spread virus;   a cyber-security trial aimed at protecting hospitals from hacking;   “the first ten years of the [mobile phone] has been a bloody decade of labour abuse”;   the UN “Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women [has] launched the Global Innovation Coalition for Change … to encourage innovation and technology work better for young women and girls around the world”;   turning waste from wine production into flour;
     -   on economic and financial matters this week:   in my nation, company directors may be given unique ID numbers in a bid to stop "phoenixing" (is estimated to cost the economy more than $3 billion a year) – other measures may include a security deposit, making it no longer possible to backdate appointments, and stopping directors from being able to resign while leaving the company without a director, but consultation is continuing on the details;   where Australian households spend their money;   market forces and weakened institutions (which now work to entrench wage inequality rather than reduce it) are keeping Australian wages low - which is being lamented by those who advocated for these changes;   a new programme aims to help older women at risk of homelessness turn their passions in to a source of income;  an article on protecting one's credit history on line, following the recent, massive data breach;   “the ABS is wrong: inequality is getting worse in Australia”;
     -   on affordable housing and homelessness matters this week:   in Australia, “property ownership has been about status and wealth since our convict days”;   a homelessness conference in my home city will hear how Finland has found a housing solution (which is, as done elsewhere overseas, build homes for them … );   another rental horror story: this one involving a leaking tap, a hole in the wall, a massively disruptive discovery of asbestos, and a several months long fight for compensation;   “a “tiny house” prototype stolen from a Canberra business appears to have made its way to a Queensland town 1,250 kilometres away in a matter of hours”;   some councils in my home city are trying use their power over zoning to push developers into setting aside more homes for affordable housing (NOT public or social housing, which is mostly for people on welfare: owned by investors or housing organisations, and rents are generally capped at 80 per cent of the market rate);   in a battle perhaps akin to that in the film “The Castle”, “two women who were forced out of their demountable homes by a developer have won a court battle for (fair and reasonable) compensation after a six-year fight” –a fight which, sadly, saw many others drop out along the way;   don't over borrow for home loans;
     -   on health and medical this week:   major injuries to cyclists have continued to rise in my home state despite the overall road toll falling, with no (as yet) clear cause;   on R U OK day, an MP who spoke of his father’s suicide has called for stronger community networks;   managing “mental load”;   standing too much at work might be doubling the risk of heart disease;   a doctor in my home city "who has been under investigation for his anti-vaccination stance has had his licence to practise suspended";
     -   on other matters in the category this week:   there are better performance targets and conditions in my home city's renewed public transport contract – but I don’t think they’ve included crowding as yet;
• With regard to education:
     -   public schools in my home state will be forced to catch up to the mind-20^th Century and allow their female students to replace their dresses and skirts with shorts or pants, under changes to encourage girls to be active and comfortable (this also needs to also apply to private schools receiving public money);   nominations for young achievers in my home state have opened;   some snotty-nosed, bigoted parents are using “consultants” to find the “best” private school for their brats;
     -   other education matters have occurred in: Africa;
• With regard to war, violence and hate generally:
     a former UN peacekeeper with PTSD is seeking recognition of the fact that he was held as a prisoner of war (this article also raises serious concerns about how peacekeeping missions have been run – concerns which became blindingly obvious in Rwanda and Bosnia, and are still present in Africa);   an Australian SAS soldier who cut the hands off the dead bodies of two suspected violent extremists because of time pressure for an extraction - leading to questions by field commanders (one now an MP) and subsequent instructions not to do that - has been cleared of war crimes by a Federal Police investigation;
• With regard to natural and other catastrophes:
     a mudslide caused by Hurricane Katia has killed two people in Mexico as the earthquake clean-up begins;   “European countries are boosting relief efforts in their Caribbean territories devastated by Hurricane Irma, amid criticism over the response”;   loss of power – still widespread in the south eastern USA - at a Florida nursing home, combined with a poor response, had led to over six deaths, and air pollution and fears of an oil spill in Harvey’s wake;;   the storm surge associated with Tropical Cyclones can cause water to fall dramatically elsewhere (warning: photo shows a stranded manatee);   a hepatitis A outbreak in a US city has hit the homeless in particular, and led to streets being sprayed with bleach;   the problem of social media misuse/overload during disasters;
• With regard to peace and/or spirituality generally (including survival after death), development (in an “end poverty/thirst/hunger” sense) and the occasional nice story (are you crippled by the fear of being single or asexual or off-grid or in any other way a rebel / innovator / non-conformist / true to yourself, or believe in management  fads and fashions? Do you distract yourself and fill your time to avoid finding real meaning? If so, you have a spiritual problem, and a need to constructively remedy that):
     a review of options for improved financing and the role and relevance of the UN in development – see also here;   this year’s bravery awards in my nation;   ethical questions about GiveDirectly (I wasn’t aware of the control group, which is a major concern to me);   over concerns that a “revolving door of volunteers was making abandonment and attachment issues even worse”, the trend of Australian high school students going overseas to volunteer in an orphanage is about to come to an end (from a radio interview, many of the kids in such orphanages have been recruited so foreign aid money can now be obtained: as a result, at least one organisation now focuses on supporting families to keep the kids at home) - see here for guidelines on how to ethically volunteer overseas.