Post No. 1,082 – Gnwmythr’s News Ed. No. 184

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), the compassion more BPM Water;
           mentally, the insight of more BPM Air;
           a plot of the elemental influences on a causal/spiritual level follows, and shows a need for the sense of interconnectedness and resulting security that comes from more BPM Æther;

(d)   the rune for this week’s work is Mannaz:

 (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, the risks of mass atrocities in Burma and Cameroon;   the ongoing crises in Burma/Bangladesh (which is slowly gaining world attention), Yemen (which I have heard described as a humanitarian crisis worse than that of Rohingya, as Yemen has 800,000 people with cholera, for a start), Syria, central and East Africa;   the crises around the USA’s Petulance-in-Chief;

(g)   democracy continues to struggle to take root in nations where people hold the comfort of bureaucratic procedures ahead of principles;

(h)   fear and addiction to small views (fear of being overwhelmed?) are problems;

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:
     -   a thoughtful article (from someone who – tongue in cheek - is “fearing fellow activists”) calling for nuance in activism, remembrance of shared humanity (with a timely reminder of the isolation of whites who supported the 45^th US President) and acceptance of both imperfection and responsibility;   “Black Lives Matter is a revolutionary peace movement”;
     -   some thoughts of mine on the Rohingya crisis, and what to do about it;
     -   white supremacists have returned to Charlottesville in the USA;   as Queensland continues to weaken Australia’s gun laws, the USA’s gun nut association has revealed it is really against bans on so-called “bump stocks” (it wants some other form of control … ), the manufacturers of which are being sued;
     -   this week’s atrocity alert at R2P lists Burma and Cameroon;
• 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 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:   “the Hanson effect: how hate seeps in and damages us all”;  the need for urban policy to manage digital effects on buildings;   the 2017 Nobel economics prize was for showing people do not make rational economic decisions;   the challenges facing Kyrgyzstan’s milestone forthcoming presidential elections – the first in the region where an incumbent has stood down beforehand;   “the rising risks of misrule in Tajikistan”;   towards a new model of leadership (sorry – is on social media);   "The Dark Side of Resilience" ("even adaptive competencies become maladaptive if taken to the extreme" ... "comes with the exact same traits that inhibit self-awareness");   a book on “the war against democracy launched by an alliance of the superrich in the 1970s” and what can be done to resist that, and an article on successful resistance tactics in the USA;   the US Democratic Party’s leadership does not reflect its membership base;   the moral demands and coping strategies of the humans who are bureaucrats;
     -   for other analyses see: more security theatre;
     -   of concern this week:   yet another political candidate (a woman) has been caught out indulging in stupid, sexist behaviour;   ethical concerns about the extent to which a US public relations firm is allegedly controlling the Fijian government's communications (they also did this in West Asia);
     -   other concerning events have occurred or are developing in: Australia, Spain/Catalonia, Spain/Catalonia (2^nd), Thailand, the ICC, Kenya, Rwanda;
     -   in the grey/mixed [good and bad aspects] or neutral area this week:   international students have been warned to engage in respectful debate rather than being tools for the Chinese Communist Party;   New Zealand may add employment to its central bank targets;
     -   other events in the grey or neutral area have occurred or are developing in: South Africa;
     -   good news this week includes:   an organisation/project aiming to change governance by reintroducing the word good – results here, and a TED talk (I’m going to have to pass this one on to my MPs … );
     -   and democracy/governance/political matters in my home nation this week:   voters in marginal, conservative, rural electorates in my home state are overwhelmingly in support of the Assisted Dying Bill;   obfuscation from the neoliberal government over the work-for-the-dole scheme;   Australia's inept Prime Minister "Trumble" has been caught out – again, this time on the numbers of women in his Cabinet;   imminent reform of Australia’s private health insurance industry to attract the young - and a story by a young person who clearly doesn’t realise that public health systems are viable options;   ways that Australia’s neoliberal party can improve its gender balance;
• 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 White House has tied any deal on “the Dreamers” to the border wall;
     -   the USA's CEO has tried to circumvent Obamacare;
     -   an article on “how the Republican party got [the USA’s CEO] wrong”;  concerns over the infantilisation of the USA’s CEO;   the USA’s CEO has challenged his Secretary of State to an IQ test … and threatened to shut down a major media outlet he doesn’t like;   kakistocracy in the USA?;
     -   Voldemort II is continuing to abuse and misuse the notion of “patriotism”;   concerns over the state of democracy in the USA;
     -   a republican US state is warning against tax cuts;
• 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 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 Syria, Egypt, and, according to this Wikipedia page, there have been 2 attacks in Iraq, 2 attacks in Afghanistan, and 1 attack in Syria (out of a total of 16);   a US-Canadian couple who have been held prisoner by violent extremists for five years, having three children during that time, has been released;
     -   the US military is allowing hunger strikers to experience harm before force feeding (which also causes harm, so this is, to some extent, a rock and a hard place) them;   the USA, China, Pakistan and Afghanistan will resume talks on counter violent extremism, including Pakistan’s honesty (or lack thereof);
     -   a warning that sharing biometric data is just more security theatre;
     -   other violent extremist matters have also occurred in: Mali (interview on countering);
• With regard to refugees (noting the New York Declaration) and people seeking asylum:
     -   more aid is being sought for the malnourished Rohingya, who are continuing to flee;   more Rohingya have drowned – including children;   the intention of the attacks on the Rohingya is also to stop their return;   refugee deaths in the Sahara are twice those in the Mediterranean;
     -   other refugee-related matters have also occurred in: Burma, Libya, India, Africa;
• 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 pus for equal “debate” IGNORES the FACT that there have been DECADES and CENTURIES of distortions, lies, attacks and hate speech against LGBTIQ people– if the current “debate” gives equal air time, then it is UNFAIRLY biased against the “no” case. Furthermore, after the fearmongering and conflation of this and transphobia, this is no longer just about marriage, it is about whether bigotry is simply being given a new, less overtly violent face (this “conversation guide”, is, however, quite good):   an opinion about the ethics of both campaigns (which I consider flawed, as it doesn’t consider the ethics of being in this situation – a situation where LGBT people’s hearts are being under the slave-like control of homophobes - in the first place);   the violence and hate on both sides of the current “debate” (this misses quite a few items, and is inherently flawed for missing the context of cis-privilege and historic hate);   a church has given a million dollars to the “no” campaign;   participation rate in Australia’s survey has already exceeded Ireland’s referendum;   a celebrity has joked (in support of Equal Marriage): "Why can't they be as miserable as us heterosexuals in their marriages?";   a start-up is supporting Equal Marriage;
     -   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 challenge to a neoliberal politician over political point scoring;   gay campaigners in UK are fighting for recognition of de facto hetero relationships (in my home state, we gave both recognition on a de facto basis at the same time – with one MP insisting that a hierarchy be kept with marriage at the top … );
     -   other homophobic/transphobic (and heteronormativity / cisgender-normativity) matters have also occurred in Indonesia (see also here);
     -   on white supremacist and other forms of racism and indigenous matters generally this week:   indigenous knowledge of Tropical Cyclones;   a movement to abolish Columbus Day and replace it with Indigenous Peoples Day has gained momentum in the USA;   a sports commentator has been shut down for standing up to white supremacists;   one Australian state has passed unprecedented laws to revive indigenous languages;   a college footballer in the USA has been dropped from the team for kneeling during the US anthem;   one US hospital is providing indigenous foods;
     -   other white supremacy / racism problems have also occurred in: South Africa;
     -   on male supremacist and other forms of sexism this week (keeping in mind the overblown influence given to testosterone):   the judgementalism shown against women who leave children;   questions over the reactions to revelations of a Hollywood figure's sexual abuses –one stupid woman has blamed the victims, and allegations of silencing the victim have been made (following which that social media was boycotted by women and men for 24 hours), but others have set the broader context quite well (see also here) - and the Hollywood sexual abuse also includes male victims;   the economic costs of domestic violence in the Arab world;   five years after being shot by violent extremists for speaking in favour of girls' education, Malala Yousafzai has attended her first lectures at Oxford University;   an allegation of revenge porn involving a sportsman;   power lifting for older women;   a child rights organisation is calling for gendered school uniforms to be banned after a survey showed declining confidence after puberty;   a domestic violence murderer has been jailed for 30 years – and another for 33;   a sports body has stepped after women players were pressured to strip off;   a spotlight on women farmers;   the OECD has reported more needs to be done to close gender gaps;
     -   other sexism matters have also occurred in: Burma, school textbooks, India;
     -   on religious rights (including Islamophobia) this week:  
     -   other religious rights / Islamophobia matter have also occurred in: Australia;
     -   on workers’, children’s, privacy, and other forms of human (and other – e.g., animal) rights this week:   a Miss Wheelchair beauty pageant has broken some barriers;   the need for homes for aged people to be heat wave resistant - see also here and here;   as my home state appoints an information security officer, and a defence contractor reports files stolen,  what companies should be doing to protect privacy;   the need for disability advocacy groups to keep their funding;   the Commonwealth Games Federation has adopted a human rights policy statement;   concerns that property developers and landlords are making child care more expensive and poorer quality;   disability discrimination in workplaces;   grandparents who are primary carers for children will now be included in decisions;  an appalling incidence of animal cruelty;   allegations that the neochristian church is hiding behind the law;   hundreds of residents of the towns hosting the next deaf games are learning sign language to make participants welcome;   a major fashion company has banned fur from its products;   a (disputed) report that caged hens suffer more bone fractures;  poor people cannot afford to move to other jobs;
     -   other workers’, children’s, privacy, and other forms of human or other rights matters have also occurred in: NSW schools, cities;
• With regard to crime, judicial matters and policing:
     -   a leg trap has been set near a children’s playground;   the growing problem of sexual assaults by children on other children;   a US police officer who violently handcuffed, dragged a nurse out of hospital and threatened her because she refused - in accordance with hospital policy and the law - to allow a blood sample from an unconscious patient has been fired;   the Council of a town of 2,700 people who spend over a million dollars annually on drugs has announced a slogan to be “meth-free” – to the bewilderment and concern of the tourist industry there;   according to my home state's Victims of Crime Commissioner, a High Court ruling confirmed that sentencing for the most serious crimes needs to be “toughened up”;   corruption concerns over a former head of the ICC;   the suspension of sentence of a man who pleaded guilty to murdering a four year old will be reviewed after he laughed;
    -    other crime, judicial and policing matters have occurred in: PNG, Mexico, Australia, India, India (2^nd), Spain/Catalonia;
• 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 … ):
     -   the growth of hate speech – including Islamophobia - in Australia;   the digital risks and rewards for foreign correspondents;
     -   other media / freedom of expression matters have occurred in: more security theatre;
• 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:   support for a landmark treaty to rid the world of illegal fishing;   as business "slams" Australia's neoliberal government over its clean energy backdown, the dinosaur of Australian politics is at it again;   the dangers of heatwaves in Australia;   some housebuilders are dodging energy efficiency requirements;   indigenous leaders in the Northern Territory are urging maintenance of the ban on fracking against pressure from Australia’s neoliberal, dinosaur-infested government;   the USA has jumped on the pro-coal dinosaur;   as Queensland homeowners join the solar panel and batteries crowd, Australia's neoliberal government's latest "solution" is to pay people to switch off air conditioners during heat waves ... (including the elderly and otherwise vulnerable?);   corridors are helping animals return to urban conservation areas;   concerns that inflate expectations about artificial meats are diverting attention away from the problem of excessive meat consumption;   claims scientific intervention can save the reef … ;   environmental accounting … ;   consumer demands for unblemished fruit is causing waste of up to 84% of tomatoes;   the Dutch team has won its third consecutive solar car challenge;   trees are public health infrastructure;   the UK and Canada have committed to removing coal from their power generation, and challenged other nations to join them;   restoring coal mines to farms;   activism is aiming to return salmon from New Zealand to a dammed US river;   a call for better protection of Australia’s unique species;
     -   other environmental matters have occurred in: the  Caribbean, aged people’s homes;
     -   on technology and science matters this week:   the technical difficulties of trying to de-identify data;   a warning on the emotional engineering of home robots;   more bad news about the cyber breach of a credit records company;   virtual dating … hmm … and social media’s push for VR;   as my home state uses virtual reality to aid public review of a project and appoints a Chief Information Security Officer, an assessment of cyber threats is published;
     -   other technology and science matters have occurred in: urban planning;
     -   on economic and financial matters this week:   the cut to penalty rates will continue ... – see also here;
     -   on affordable housing and homelessness matters this week:   more advances for renters in my home state;   oversupply has cause a drop in apartments in one Australian city (how noise proof and fire resistant are they?);   some US people are moving homeless people into tiny homes in their backyards;   a comparison of different approaches to affordable housing;  concerns over interest-only repayment loans … especially the number of them;   community housing in Australia;
     -   on health and medical this week:   the violence and other problems making it harder the get doctors into remote areas;   misdiagnosis of anxiety;   one cancer sufferer’s story;
     -   on other matters in the category this week:   simple steps to make cities better places for the elderly;
• With regard to education:
     -   250 complaints of abuse of disabled children in NSW schools;   a call for school textbooks to be less sexist;   the worsening situation facing University students over course debts (if I’d been looking at these levels of debt, I would have become a tradie – and others are also questioning the value of Uni);   major concerns over proposals to have robots mark NAPLAN English tests;   a teacher at a remote school funded (and was able to recover this later via crowd funding) her class’s 2,000 km trip to see a cultural event;   a US city will fine or jail the parents of bullies;
     -   other education matters have occurred in: Universities;
• With regard to war, violence and hate generally:
     a US-focused assessment of the “delicate balance of terror” known as deterrence;   some suburban gun nuts (actually, they’re NOT all nuts – a former colleague of mine, a gentle soul long since retired, had a couple of dozen of historical guns) in Australia have stockpiled hundreds of weapons – see also here;   distressing reading (content warning!) in the UN’s report on the effects of armed conflict on children;
• With regard to natural and other catastrophes:
     gas explosion in Ghana;   as the UN urges global solidarity and accelerated action on climate change, Dominica has committed to both rebuild and become the world’s first climate-resilient nation;   bushfires in the USA have killed at least ten people;   as those who left face problems getting back, storms are slowing recovery in Puerto Rica – where the true death toll is likely to be in the hundreds;   the importance of being psychologically prepared for a bushfire;   floods have killed dozens in Viêt Nám;   early intervention has averted the predicted famine for 20 million people, but hunger continues;   the psychological blocks to evacuations;
• With regard to peace and/or spirituality generally (including survival after death, and good religion), 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):
     poetry to bring cultures together;   lack of clarity around mindfulness;   calls for a “risk-informed” approach to sustainable development with integrated global agreements on disaster risk reduction and climate change;   self-care.

Location based News:

• With regard to Africa, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (and other sources) has:
     -   economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa;   “population displacement” (i.e., refugees) inside Africa;
     -   a call for the UN to act on Burundi;
     -   more aid is needed for the Central African Republic (CAR);   new allegations of sexual abuse by peacekeepers in the CAR;
     -   Chad has withdrawn from the fight against violent extremists in Niger;
     -   the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is facing electoral challenges;   concerns over the DRC’s army, although it is now child-free;
     -   protests in Ethiopia have left six people dead;
     -   a gas explosion in Ghana has killed several people;   a campaign is underway to end the use of shackling for mentally ill  people in Ghana;
     -   Kenya’s opposition leader has withdrawn from the election re-run to force better preparations;   protests have been banned;
     -   a call for all parties to commit to the peace timeline in Mali;   an interview on countering insurgencies in Mali;
     -   Rwanda has rejected allegations by a credible, respected source that it uses torture;
     -   Somalia’s Defence Minister and head of the army have both resigned;
     -   South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal has ruled their President must face charges of corruption, fraud, racketeering and money laundering;   South Africa’s High Court has ruled that an anti-apartheid activist who died in police custody in 1971 was murdered by officers and did not commit suicide;
     -   chess is helping young people in a Ugandan slum;
• 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):
     -   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:
     -   security overkill in China;   another South China Sea freedom of navigation exercise;   the Communist Party of China will commence its 19^th National Party Congress next week;   censorship of academic research in China;
     -   other events concerning China have occurred or are developing in: Australian Universities;
     -   claims North Korea cyber-stole information, including assassination plans;   several ships have been banned globally from ports for carrying contraband to the DPRK;   a call for Australia to use its modest diplomatic relations with North Korea;   claims backdoor communication between the USA and DPRK is sophisticated;   Malaysia will no longer accept imports from the DPRK;
     -   South Korean smog is local;   a suggested use of climate change targets to draw South and North Korea closer together;
     -   elsewhere in Asia:
     -   another of Burma’s flaws is the child abuse that is child marriage;
     -   more rampant  homophobia in Indonesia;   a governor has admitted he was wrong, and those fleeing the volcano on Bali are refugees;
     -   compensation for the victims of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan;
     -   the crisis in and around the southern Philippine city Marawi, occupied by violent extremists, is continuing;
     -   after promising to do so to the USA, Thailand will now NOT hold elections next year;   an elderly Buddhist intellectual may be facing 15 years jail for questioning the historical accuracy of a story of a former Thai king slaying a Burmese prince in a duel in 1593 while riding elephants;
     -   and in the Pacific:   a US Embassy official has been robbed by a man who got into his car after it had been stopped by PNG police and produced a gun (what was the police officers' cut? [they have been "rounded up"]);
• With regard to Europe and the European Union (EU):
     -   with growing concerns over the low turnout for the Catalonian independence referendum, as the region declares and suspends independence,  calls for talks - to restore Catalonia's autonomy, if nothing else;   Spain has taken the first step towards suspending Catalonia's political autonomy completely;   confirmation that Spanish police in Catalonia used excessive force;
• With regard to (the conflict and other matters in) Iraq and Kurdistan (noting that Iraq was once a peaceful and prosperous society, before the UK / USA / CIA backed revolution – see here, and that it needs an emphasis on a secular society and citizenship – but also here, although based in Syria and here):
     -   Iraq has denied a military operation against Kurdistan;
     -   and the Iraq Body Count project reports 64 people violently killed in the last week;
• With regard to the Libyan civil war:
     more on the dire situation face by refugees in Libya;   supporters of the former dictator are making a comeback;
• 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, and responses (see also the section on Europe):
     glimmers of hope for democracy in Russia’s local elections;
• With regard to South and Central America:
     -   13 prisoners have been killed in a violently suppressed riot in Mexico;
• With regard to South Asia (aka the Indian sub-continent), The Hindu and other sources have:
     -   on India:
     -   fireworks have been banned for Diwali in Delhi, to attempt to maintain better air quality;   concerns over the Indian Prime Minister’s connection to internet trolls;   finally, an element of rationality as India’s Supreme Court rules that sex with an underage “wife” is rape;  India is building more roads on its “China” (actually the illegally invaded and occupied land of Tibet) border;   India is looking to deport Rohingya “illegal immigrants” to Burma … ;   arrests for dowry harassment abuses, stopped over concerns of false claims, against women can resume;   awards to three police officers have been withdrawn over corruption;   job markets and policies in India;   a police constable has been found smuggling smartphones to prisoners;
     -   on Pakistan:
     -   growing tensions between civilian and military leaders (I recently read a comparison of Pakistan to 19^th Century Prussia: an army with a state … );
• With regard to Sudan and South  Sudan:
     -   South Sudan has agreed to joint consultations … again;   oil-rich South Sudan is facing a fuel shortage;
• With regard to the conflict in Syria, where Assad’s regime has, in my opinion, lost all claims to legitimacy, and it is time to consider partition (see here, here, here and here):
     September has been the deadliest month of 2017;   talks on allowing civilians out of a violent extremist held enclave have stopped;   Turkey is moving in to rebel held areas – see also here, on the overall strategic situation;
• With regard to Turkey:
     diplomatic relations between Turkey and the USA are declining - which Grand Sultan “Erdogan” (Erdowan) is blaming on the USA;
• With regard to the conflicts in Ukraine, particularly in the east:
     a consideration of peacekeeping in this “forgotten conflict”;
• With regard to West Asia (aka “the Middle East”) and North Africa, the Middle East Eye and other sources have:
     -   reasonable economic growth in West Asia and northern Africa;
     -   on Israel and Palestine:   the two main Palestinian factions are reported to have made a deal;   after conflating “pro-Palestinian” with “anti-Israel”, and closely observing the USA's Petulance-in-Chief, both Israel and the USA have withdrawn from UNESCO over admission of Palestine;   a social media network shut down a Palestinian news channel – in contravention of its own guidelines;
     -   elsewhere in the region:
     -   the disruption to Gulf state unity;   the co-opting of sport by despots;
     -   an Egyptian activist has dedicated an international rights award to the thousands of Egyptians who have been tortured or imprisoned;
     -   as hardliners and pragmatists unite in response to US pressure, Iran has warned the USA against designating its Guards a terrorist group;   as Iran warns that threats would backfire, it appears the USA will (now has) decertify Iran, but not withdraw from the P5+1 nuclear deal;
     -   a Saudi Arabian writer considers his nation may become more liberal;
• With regard to the conflict in Yemen (unlike Iraq, I cannot find a source of regular information on casualties in Yemen, but the hardship and deaths from food, water and medical shortages that concerns me just as much – if not more, and I don’t know if such sites would report that; it is also important to remember that there are multiple sides in this dispute – and opponents to the government are not necessarily Houthi or violent extremist):
     discord amongst the Houthi could open prospects for peace.

Other News:

• a sports star is getting a sense of meaning by working with disadvantaged kids;
• the fight to regain an Australian trademark continues;
• baby talk plays a role in development.

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 “Network of Light”  meditations;   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.

(Please note that I now 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.