Post No. 1,119 – Gnwmythr’s News Ed. No. 198

Information and Summary/Analysis:

Note: I am NOT a journalist, and make NO claims to objectivity or freedom from bias. Furthermore, I do not hold copyright to any of the articles I link to, nor do I claim authorship, except for those links to material I have written for this and my related blogs, and my commentary in these posts. (I try to make sure quotes are shown using quotation marks.)
The purpose of posting these news links is not only to inform; it is also to

   stimulate a connection to:
    - nonBPM units that need to be cleared, and
    - BPM units that need to be strengthened,
   so that you can do the clearing / strengthening that is required.

That only works if you don’t let yourself be overwhelmed by this, so take it in small chunks if you need to, but remember to actively clear and heal! … including yourself.
As part of that, note that there are key uncooperatives to be cleared (rescued): you should ONLY address those that are within your ability – if you get a sense (e.g., through meditation) or are told by your BPM Guides/Higher Self to back off, do so, and content yourself with clearing the smaller nonBPM units within your capability – which will weaken those uncooperatives. More importantly, there are many people doing this sort of work, and others are quite likely to be able to clear the uncooperatives concerned.
That is also one of the many reasons it is OK to take a break or cut back this work if you need – in fact, doing so will help you deal with the next point, which is …
… the energies we use and manifest in our daily lives contribute to the larger soup of energies that influence world events, so it pays to address those as well, to the extent that one can, or to at least stop oneself projecting them into the psychic soup.
The reminders / explanations about Sunday’s meditation-clearing are here;   see also here,   here,   here,   (here and also here and here are interesting),   here, here,   here,   and   this post reminds us to be patient and persistent, like a “speeding oak”.
There are some notes at the end of this post about other options for those who do not like this way of working.
Finally, one of the biggest concerns I have about spirituality in the world now is that the concept of agape type love has been perverted into both a quest for emotional warm fuzzies, and an excuse to avoid doing the hard work of improving oneself and all that one does. On that, it may help to consider the simplification that one cannot love perfectly until one has learned how to perfect. (And one of the concerns I have about those resisting change is that they are so shallow / superficial /stupid that they thing their actions have ONLY the meaning of their [limited] conscious intention … ) See also here and here.

The themes that come to mind for my work this week, after I review all this news, are:

(a)   based on my interpretation of information here and here with 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:   -   (1) the counter to fear is genuine  EQ and clear thinking, expressed through calm, de-escalating speech,   -   (2) where problems exist, advocating for BPM responses, and being as BPM as one can be, are constructive solutions,   -   (3) peace is powerful, but it is a process requiring patient, persistent and nuanced nurturing, and a blend of conventional spiritual work, clearing nonBPM units, and physical world activism;

(c)   viewing the overall emotional state of the world from an elemental point of view, this week we need:
           on all levels, the compassion of more BPM Water;

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

(e)   dealing with the 45^th President of the USA requires:
           1. eroding (i.e., slow, patient and persistent clearing of the little bits one can SAFELY cope with – remember, you are but one of many) the nonBPM influences feeding his arrogance and mind-set, and strengthening the USA’s CEO’s BPM Guides and giving them whatever BPM help they need to present a BPM alternative to promote a change of heart,
           2. lifting the nonBPM influences from the shoulders of the USA’s CEO’s marginal supporters, allowing them to “come to their senses”, which may result in them feeling bewilderment/shame, and simultaneously strengthening the BPM influences around them (e.g., their BPM Guides) to counter them backsliding,
           3. physical world activism (especially education) – e.g., this. As well as doing what one can there, help those who are doing this work (e.g., sending them “positive vibes”) and look for nonBPM blockages that can be cleared (e.g., setting up a BPM vortex above meetings to draw away external nonBPM influences/energies/units, so that the audience can listen as they are, without any obsession/possession);

   (f)   the major events this week are:   -   as attraction to violence continues to be inadequately addressed, the risks of mass atrocities in Burma, Nigeria and the Central African Republic, and ongoing violent conflicts and crises in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Mexico, Somalia, South Sudan, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Libya, Sudan (Darfur and South Kordofan), Yemen, Egypt (Sinai), Kurdistan, the Philippines, Ethiopia, Mali, Burma, DR Congo, Burundi, Kashmir, Baluchistan (Pakistan and Iran), India (Maoist and other insurgencies), the Maghreb (Africa), Ukraine, and elsewhere;   -   refugee and humanitarian crises;   -   the political madness of regimes with authoritarian leaders;   -   and   

   (g)   all actions taken in pursuance of social status are evil: I’m aware of all the evidence that this is an evolved human characteristic, but we need to exercise our human characteristics of reason, self discipline and improvement to overcome that flaw, and the viciousness and destructiveness that go with it;

   (h)   may our fears be BPM eased;

   (i)   may our minds be BPM cleared;

   (j)   may our hearts explode into loving growth, fuelled by clear thought on mutual help and the strength of communal sharing and support;

   (k)   may our philosophies encompass the all life as family;

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:
     this week on reversing the deliberate, well-funded, long-term strategy (from about the 70s) to make self-interest seem normal and a commitment to fairness (such as former US President Franklin D Roosevelt’s Four  Freedoms) an aberration:   the entirety of this blog and all other spiritual work and physical activism I and others do;   a call (by Bernie Sanders) to “wrench power back from the billionaires”;   the “spiritual blackout” in the USA;   a call to “redesign our unsustainable economic system and create new civilization based on empathy sharing and caring”;
     on the Rohingya crisis this week:
     -   unbelievably, Bangladesh will return all the Rohingya to Burma within two years … but those who have been through this before know they can’t go back - see also here;   the dire situation for children could become catastrophic;
     on the North Korean nuclear tensions this week:
     -   disturbing revelations about devolved command and plans for and current use of nuclear weapons;   a challenge to the assumptions underlying analyses;   a false missile alarm in Hawaii has shown many problems – and another in Japan;   the Catholic Pope fears the world is one step away from nuclear war;   another article on the USA’s loosened controls on nuclear weapons;   China will be absent from a meeting of 20 nations on how to contain North Korea’s nuclear threat;   another article suggesting military force against North Korea … (and what of China?);   a call to consider reviving the (traumatising) Cold War-era nuclear drills in schools;   Japan has warned not to be blinded by North Korea's recent “charm offensive” – South Korea says it isn’t;   the Koreas will march under one flag at the winter olympics opening ceremony (and have one combined team) (it’s good that their relations are improving, but that doesn’t mean the danger is easing);
     on the fallout from the USA’s recognition of (all?) Jerusalem as Israel’s capital:
     -   the Palestinian President has described the USA’s current peace efforts as the “slap of the century”, and “accused Israel itself of putting an end to the Oslo Accords”;   the USA will halve funding for a UN Palestinian refugee agency – putting education and health at risk;
     on other matters requiring particular attention:
     -   the USA will further entrench religious bigotry and hate in health “care”;
     -   an annual democracy assessment has found the world experienced its 12^th year of declining freedom;
     -   STUPID left wingers who are adopting violence;
     this week’s atrocity alert at R2P lists Burma, Nigeria and the Central African Republic;
• With regard to democracy (which can be measured [as can goodness], and requires  protection of minorities and the vulnerable – and remember Gandhi’s question about whether one is fighting to change things, or to punish, and note this list of 198 methods of nonviolent action), freedom, governance (e.g., here, here, here and here, and see also here) and ethics:
  Note: I have a section specifically for the 45^th US President below
     analyses this week include:
     -   a report on the Making All Voices Count project;   the advantages of Estonia’s volunteer cyber defence unit;   examination of funding sources for Australia’s fair share of climate change finance;   concerns at the possibility of a growing debt crisis amongst developing nations;   moving beyond money when assessing the “greatness” of nations;   although it uses sexist wording, this call for businesses to be statespersonlike is worth considering (social media link – sorry);   the false alarm in Hawaii from a systems point of view;   an interesting discussion between two famous whistleblowers;   a call to reshape governments;   corruption costs 5% of worldwide GDP (4% in Australia);   an argument that the end of the Cold War started the oil curse;   UN concerns for 2018;   declining US confidence in government;
     of concern this week:
     -   a right wing extremist political candidate in the USA is using his supporters to troll his opponents;   "the Paradise Papers have helped to reveal a global industry of tax avoidance packages that are offered to wealthy individuals much like holiday packages";   a TV station has been criticised for interviewing a far right extremist without mentioning his criminal history, which includes racial vilification and claims of violence and terror against women;   the idiots in the US government are heading for another shutdown ... ;   “United States border patrol agents routinely vandalise containers of water and other supplies left in the Arizona desert for migrants, condemning people to die of thirst in baking temperatures, according to two humanitarian groups” (in my view, such acts constitute murder);   an egregious breach of trust by an official – and those affected have not yet been told;   more global privacy concerns emanating from the USA;
     -   other concerning events have occurred or are developing in: Peru, Hong Kong, Kosovo, southern Africa, Congo-Brazzaville;
     in the grey/mixed [good and bad aspects] or neutral area this week:
     -   Germany could join with France against the US world view at the World Economic Forum in Davos next week;   a US phone company is being pushed to cut ties with Chinese phone company – the entry of which into the USA is being opposed;   dual citizenship problems in Sierra Leone;
     -   other events in the grey or neutral area have occurred or are developing in: Cambodia, India;
     good news this week includes:
     -   a US politician is running on a jobs guarantee;   the UK has appointed a minister for loneliness to continue the work of a murdered politician and tackle the isolation felt by more than one in 10 people;
     -   other good news has occurred: Indonesia, Nigeria, Gambia;
     and democracy/governance/political matters in my home nation this week:
     -   a Chinese diplomat hosted one party’s new MPs to influence them towards his view that China isn’t influencing Australia’s internal affairs … ;   grave concerns over Australia’s social security department aiding predatory companies accused of exploitation and misconduct direct access to welfare recipients’ money through its automated debit system, thereby creating privacy risks and sabotaging the help with essential expenses aim of the policy;   concerns the NDIS could result in 75% of people losing their mental health support;   trust in multicultural areas is starting to recover;   claims Australia’s cyber defences are weak (which doesn’t surprise me, given things like the move to abolish redundancy in physical infrastructure to save money that took off in the 80s – thanks to stupid economic rationalism);   “the Australian government must act on the “serious shortcomings” in its human rights record if it wants to be a credible leader on the global stage”;   “the moral right of integrity” (this surprised me) and MPs trying to use music;
     -   other events relating to my home nation have occurred or are developing in: media;
• With regard to the 45^th US President (who is dangerous – see here on actions for US residents [and the useful principles]) this week (I avoid using the 45^th US President’s name for psychic reasons, but also use either “the USA’s CEO” or “Voldemort II” as an alias; also, the US Vice-President needs to be worked on – and typically takes about three times as much effort to clear of negativity):
     -   US life expectancy has declined for two years in a row;
     -   predictions that Voldemort II’s legacy will be his embodiment of five decades of backlash against the great Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. and immigration cut backs that hurt his support base;   an opinion that the rising stigma against assimilation is hurting diversity in the USA:
     -   a rebuttal – and, in fact, reversal - of the 45^th US President’s comments about Haiti;   a reminder that the USA used to have a quote system – until it was eliminated by President Johnson;   the problems caused by expelling 200,000 Salvadorians include removing a major source of income to that nation;   further commentary (with historical comparisons) on Voldemort II’s racism;   a US (Christian) pastor has denounced the 45^th US President's vulgar description of nations while the Vice-president was - allegedly unhappily - in the congregation;   US Senator Cory Booker has castigated the US homeland security secretary for “saying she couldn't remember whether Donald Trump referred to some nations as 's****hole' countries: 'When ignorance and bigotry is allied with power, it is a dangerous force … your silence and your amnesia is complicity'”;   Syrian refugees in the USA are afraid;
     -   a call to continue the fight for voter’s rights;
     -   against a background of growing calls for a mental health evaluation, the USA’s 45^th President has passed his physical (good genes helped by “a lifetime of abstinence from tobacco and alcohol”) and a cognitive check (see also here) (if his statements are not due to mental illness, then they are due to evil [it cannot be claimed such actions are an acceptable part of politics]);
     -   the USA's 45^th President is now trying to claim he didn't say - despite audio recordings - that he had a good relationship with the leader of North Korea;
     -   Voldemort II has advocated for public service on Martin Luther King Day - from a golf resort … and there are continuing ethical concerns about his golf course and other international deals – see also here;
     -   record low approvals for Voldemort II;
     -   a former key advisor has been subpoenaed by the Russian influence investigation;   Voldemort II's “use of the terms “fake news” and “enemy of the people” is shameful and reminiscent of words used by Joseph Stalin to describe his enemies”, according to a retiring US Republican Senator;
• With regard to violent extremism (VE) (aka, terrorism) (ALL people advocating hate or discrimination in response to violent extremism are actively doing the work of violent extremists. This will be countered, in part, by “Cure Violence”, real and perceived disempowerment and acknowledging the variety in what provides genuine, BPM fulfilment as a counter to fanaticism as a source of meaning. I don’t name groups to reduce their publicity):
     -   violent extremist attacks/acts have occurred this week in Nigeria, and, according to this Wikipedia page, there have been 3 attacks in Iraq and 3 attacks in Afghanistan (out of a total of 34);   and actions (Note: there are many others that don’t reach the media I read) have occurred this week against violent extremists in: Somalia;
     -   the hunt for the world's most wanted violent extremist;
     -   the USA still has a problem with (hiring small) planes;   why good (relationship and trust building) neighbourhood policing is crucial to countering violent extremism;   five myths (which I had never heard of) about the biggest violent extremist group in west Africa;
     -   other violent extremist matters have also occurred in: USA;
• With regard to refugees (noting the New York Declaration) and people seeking asylum:
     -   a man who was orphaned and trafficked as a child and thus is stateless is being subjected to unlawful, indefinite and arbitrary detention by (heartless) Australia;   Australia is reneging on a promise to bring out the family of a refugee who took up the Cambodian relocation offer;   "child labour and early marriage are direct consequences of poverty" – including Syrian refugees in Lebanon;   interviews with both refugees in Australia's Manus gulag, and neighbours - see also here ("hope deferred makes the heart sick");   MSF has been refused access to Australia’s Manus gulag, where a security dispute is leaving refugees at risk;
     -   other refugee-related matters have also occurred in: Palestine, Somalia, Austria, Australia, Syria/Lebanon, Israel;
• 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 of observation and thinking – shown by the fact that NOT all people choose to discriminate unless they have been educated otherwise):
     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):
     -   “the [neo]Christian  legal army behind [homophobic] ‘Masterpiece Cake Shop’”;   more transphobia in an Australian state (I was right to move out of that one!) from conservative scaremongers ignoring science (see Bill Nye explain that sex and gender are different and both on a spectrum) and indulging in facile extremism – and thereby emboldening the clueless to use insults and hurtful “jokes”;   another article on asexuality;   “the Administrative Appeals Tribunal showed “extreme illogicality” and its decision lacked “an intelligible foundation” when it rejected the appeal of an Indian asylum seeker seeking protection in Australia because of his homosexuality, the full bench of the federal court has found”;
     on white supremacist and other forms of racism and indigenous matters generally this week:
     -   honouring the great Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. by continuing to fight racism;   a call to denounce the 45^th US President’s racist actions, not just his racist words;   “a four-generation Torres Strait history on stage”;   a call to expand indigenous ranger programmes;   “four stars … have been formally recognised by their Australian Aboriginal names”;   resistance to changing the date of Australia's celebration (most Australians are open to this) from out of touch conservatives (although the point of debating history is valid, but that means accepting that massacres and attempts at genocide [e.g., poisoned flour] DID happen) and one indigenous MP has questioned the push (but not the reason) - see also here, and here;   a UN campaign against racism;   reclaiming history and language;   a right wing nutter has claimed whites in Italy are at risk of extermination ... ;   how the media created a moral panic over ALLEGED African youth gangs;
     -   other white supremacy / racism problems have also occurred in: UK, my home state, Latin America, Belgium;
     on sexism this week (keeping in mind the overblown influence given to testosterone):
     -   an opinion on how to end the scourge of silence around sexual harassment (in the USA);   an actor will donate the $1.5 million he made for a film re-shoot to the Time’s Up initiative after learning his co-star was paid only $1,000 … ;   the legal difficulties of challenging a gender pay gap;   the UN Secretary-General has been “given a C+ grade from women's groups”;   a study found hashtag activism is leading to bystander intervention;   healing the trauma of sexual assault;   a suggestion to replace sex segregation in sport with a capability system similar to that used in the Paralympics;   a Canadian author is facing a social media backlash after voicing concerns about the Me Too movement, which “was the symptom of a broken legal system” and had been “seen as a massive wake up call”, and calling for due process over fears that the movement could lead to extremism;   the reasons some people in previously non-violent relationships murder their partner;   a call to “no longer mollify powerful men”, to “get ugly”;   a woman has appeared on TV to defend her accusations of sexual assault (having to do so – or feeling she has to – is an appalling indictment of the resistance to decency);   "YouTube star wins damages in landmark UK 'revenge porn' case";   gender bias in tech games;   tackling period poverty – and see this;   the United Nations “has allowed sexual harassment and assault to flourish in its offices around the world, with accusers ignored and perpetrators free to act with impunity” (I can well believe that, given some stupid replies I've received - and the problems with peacekeepers);   “Canadian PM Justin Trudeau has established a policy mandating that groups that apply for youth employment grants support abortion rights”;   after an opinion that one sexual assault case was a missed opportunity to identify and deal with issues such as the socialisation of women, the author has published a response to criticisms covering things like the socialisation of men (and her experience of assault;
     -   on sexual harassment/misconduct this week - more accusations / resignations and commentary / responses: here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here;
     -   other sexism matters have also occurred in: Sri Lanka, Tanzania, India, UK;
     on workers’, children’s, privacy, and other forms of human (and other – e.g., animal) rights this week:
     -   research after watching the film “Spotlight” (which contains an incredibly powerful line "It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes a village to abuse one") led me to more information on Richard Sipe (who reminds me of Phillip O'Donnell) – see also here;   a streaming service has been accused of glamorising child trafficking;   a UK cancer charity is tackling supply chain slavery;   a confessed US sex trafficker has been sentenced to 15 years in prison;   a UK supermarket chain has removed a coffee brand over 19^th century slavery images;   consumers who “knowingly buy products that have been made unethically … may cope by forgetting the truth about their origins”;   a call to move beyond a “band aid” approach to address deeper problems like poverty and poor sourcing practices by businesses;   a guide for plane cabin crews to spot human trafficking;   a terrible child abuse case in the USA (I heard one neighbour say the kids looked starved, and behaved strangely … why did no-one report any concerns?);   an elderly couple with dementia have had a win in court;   a cretin has killed a dog by locking it in a car in a heatwave;
     -   also on child abuse, particularly neochristian and other institutional, this week: Pakistan;
     -   also on slavery / human trafficking this week: India, UK, India, USA, West Asia, India, Indonesia;
     -   other workers’, children’s, privacy, differently abled, animal, and other forms of human or other rights matters have also occurred in: Sudan, Chechnya, Russia, Bangladesh, Iran, South Sudan, Mauritania, Kenya, Kuwait;
• With regard to war, violence and hate generally:
     -   an argument for a more inclusive military;  the USA military has put “countering China and Russia at the centre of a new national defence strategy” after more than a decade and a half of focusing against violent extremists;
     -   other war, violence or hate related matters have occurred or are developing in: USA (STUPID left wingers);
• With regard to peace and/or spirituality generally (including survival after death, and good religion), development (in an “end poverty/thirst/hunger” sense – and being mindful of “intimate activism”) and the occasional nice story (and to get people to constructively remedy: fear of being single / asexual / off-grid or a rebel / innovator / non-conformist / true to yourself, belief in management  fads and fashions, distracting themself aka filling their time, and accept extraterrestrial UFOs):
     a call to end the cults of personality;   an international conference on young peacebuilders;   a desire for “non-extractive” investing has led to Regenerative Finance;   the UN is promoting safe drinking water;   research into the effects of moods shows that it is possible to train people to be more compassionate;   an article on “orchid children” - sensitive kids who “suffer disproportionately in adversity, but who especially thrive in positive conditions” (social media link – sorry);   five nonviolent movements of note;   using PPPs to achieve SDGs  puts health at risk;
• With regard to natural and other catastrophes:
     -   an earthquake in Peru;   the largest ever bushfire in a US state has now, after weeks, been contained;   more on the cholera problem in DR Congo;   a volcano in the Philippines;   evidence major earthquakes are NOT linked to the full moon;   the wet season in Australia’s north has released a soil bacterium that causes a potentially fatal disease;   more malaria deaths in Zimbabwe (mossie nets have been identified as one of the most cost effective ways of giving aid);
     -   other events concerning disasters have occurred or are developing in: PNG;
• With regard to overcrowding and “modern” lifestyle issues (such as conflict  minerals, environmental harm and child labour in smart phone , FOMO (which can be overcome) and addiction or unthinking pro-technology bias, second thoughts, social media making people miserable or envious, work and lifestyles causing depression, being duped by modern mantras and  management  fads,  “failing” at being well, AI ethics, corporate misuse of mindfulness as a distraction from working conditions, embedded emissions, plane pollution, bigger, flashier homes/cars– which means actively abusing the environment and society’s cohesion and contributing to financialisation, the need for agroforestry, the accursed “new is always good” groupthink of the computer world, abuse of workers by insisting on busy-ness, raising Prince Boofheads):
     on climate change and other environmental matters this week:
     -   a burning oil tanker has exploded and sunk, resulting in a giant oil spill which Chinese ships are racing to clean up;   tourist operators are trying to censor reports on what is happening to the Great Barrier Reef (I recall something similar happening in the 70s when the unscrupulous tourist industry led to irresponsible, cut back cyclone warnings);   the growing health and other problems of increasing heat in Australia;   the annual cost of climate change is $1.5 trillion;   the UN is promoting healthy land and soil;   my home state may extend a coal mining licence for the most polluting remaining coal-fired power station, despite a zero emissions pledge;   indoor air pollution;   an expected “renewable energy investment bonanza” will lower power prices in Australia;   concerns over a proposed fish farm;   locals are trying to save a rare green turtle nest that is under threat;   the UN is promoting genetic biodiversity in the Pacific;   “"cotton growers [are] facing complete crop loss [from thousands of hectares] after alleged herbicide drift”;   “all of Norway’s short-haul airliners will be entirely electric by 2040”;   the increasing problems of heatwaves in slums - and Australia;
     -   other environmental matters have occurred in: South Africa (good news), Oman (good news), Argentina, Gabon (good news);
     on technology and science matters this week:
     -   a bullying expert says no child under 12 should be on social media;   revised self-driving car guidelines coming in the USA;   over 1,000 teenagers in Denmark have been charged for sharing a sex video;   privacy concerns after a food delivery driver misused an app to send abusive messages to a woman (and a moronic response from the company);   Australia’s NBN will fail three quarters of its customers … ;
     on economic and financial matters this week:
     -   mobile apps are helping rural women in India and Japan gain an income from guests;   a US supermarket chain’s flashy claims of passing on benefits have so many conditions it is less than 2% of the tax cut;   more concerns about the casualisation of full-time work;   a US tech company will pay tax on its massive international holdings;   another call for a shorter working week;
     on affordable, sustainable and decent housing and homelessness matters this week:
     -   “efforts to improve cities with cutting-edge technology can run into challenges, particularly in slums”;   a US city has charged people who defied a ban on feeding homeless people which was allegedly introduced - instead of providing access to restrooms etc - to rein in a hepatitis A outbreak that has killed 20 people and prompted mass vaccinations and the bleaching of streets;
     on health and medical this week:
     -   millions of boxes of a French powdered baby milk have been recalled as a result of pathogenic contamination;   the US Anti-Eviction Mapping Project (a similar scheme here a couple of decades ago was shut down);   another article saying alternatives to AA are more effective;   "holding in a sneeze can cause ear damage or a brain aneurysm";   hospitals are more dangerous in January;   research into alcohol and river drownings;   criticism of the simplification (fantasy of one right answer) in baby manuals;
     on other matters in the category this week:
     -   “The “millennial” is created, not born … and … qualities reveal more about her makers than they do about her”;   parental influence is leading to Australian teenagers turning away from tobacco and alcohol in such numbers as to be called “the sober generation”;   a vacant building in Mexico was turned into a successful community centre;   the problem of declining rural villages;   the advantages of co-parenting;   yet another article on how to cope with work – rather than questioning whether pressures are excessive and should be reined in;   “removing pokies … would help gamblers without hurting the economy”;   adolescence now perceived as going from 10 to 24 ... (well, true maturity for many often arrives with the first Saturn return, in my experience, but this is about things like people staying at home … );
• With regard to press aka the media, and freedom of expression (claims of presenting “both sides” of a debate can be WRONG if the other side is RUBBISH –as is the case on LGBTIQ issues. Also, media can be unprofessional, but funding is an issue … ):
     -   a critique of the 45^th US President’s attack on truth, and the media response (“…idea … is a fundamental abdication of the journalist’s purpose and profession”);   research after watching “The Post” led me to more on Ben Bagdikian, “The  Nation”, and Daniel Ellsberg – particularly recent comments about nuclear weapons and devolved command;   Australia’s only kids’ newspaper has closed;   a field guide to “fake news”;
     -   other media / freedom of expression matters have occurred in: the Philippines (see also here), Australia, Sudan;
• With regard to education:
     -   the media in my home state has “has hammered” the African community;   a call for schools in conflict zones to be protected;   a statement of the bleedin’ obvious: teachers who feel appreciated are less likely to leave;  Universities say they are looking for band aid solutions after funding cuts – and students are struggling more, and the government’s blaming Universities rather than acknowledging business is failing;
     -   other education matters have occurred in: India;
• With regard to crime, judicial matters and policing:
     -   a detailed critique of US gang policing, and how it “criminalises communities”;      why good (relationship and trust building) neighbourhood policing is crucial to countering violent extremism;   questions over one Australian state police’s claims that testing for cocaine will improve road safety;   a man who put spyware on thousands of computers has been charged – including for child pornography;   a surgeon who branded livers he operated on has been fined and ordered to do community service … ;   concerns that “parallel construction” (creating a fake story to hide how evidence was – possibly illegally – obtained) is undermining the US judicial system;   the Law Council of Australia has said recent attacks by the Commonwealth Home Affairs Minister on Victorian judges have “eroded confidence in the judiciary, threatening its independence and the rule of law”;   examination of statistics on youth crime and gang allegations in my home state;   grave concerns over possible breaches of international law for youths being held in solitary for up to 250 days;   a man convicted of theft in 1976 was “cleared after googling his arresting officer” (who was jailed form the same crime and “fitted up” others, some of whom died … how close is that to murder?);   the number of alcohol-related assaults in an Australian state has gone up despite the re-introduction of the banned drinker register;
    -    other crime, judicial and policing matters have occurred in: PNG, Iran, Uganda.

Location based News:

• With regard to Africa, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (and other sources) has:
     on Africa generally:
     -   a mixed bag at the Africa Tech Now display at a US tech conference;   an assessment of priorities for the African Union;   human rights problems last year in southern Africa;
     -   a UN ultimatum to armed groups in the Central African Republic;
     -   the crisis in Congo-Brazzaville – perhaps drowned out by the conflict in neighbouring DR Congo;
     -   millions are suffering in the DR Congo;
     -   the courage of Gambian human rights defenders;   Gambia is recovering from the exit of a dictator one year ago;
     -   Kenya has been asked to stop evicting forest people;
     -   “Liberia's outgoing president has been expelled from her own party, for allegedly failing to support its candidate to succeed her”;
     -   promising developments in Nigeria;
     -   the Somali army violently destroyed 23 camps for - and the personal possessions of - 4,000 internally displaced Somalis late last year;   aid is being sought to protect millions of lives from drought;
     -   solar steam is growing in parts of South Africa;
     -   Tanzania has stupidly arrested pregnant school girls;
     -   refugees in Uganda are helping girls to avoid abuse or early marriage;  Uganda is slipping backwards into using the death penalty;
     -   Zimbabwe’s new President has “pledged” free and fair elections in a few months’ time (I’m inclined towards scepticism – which is a reason to work to help that actually happen, not be fatalist) - see also here;
     on Sudan and South  Sudan:
     -   concerns over the arbitrary detention of two community leaders in Sudan;   Sudan has arrested two reporters;
     -   “sport for disabled people in South Sudan has become a safety net”;   28 aid workers were murdered in South Sudan last year;
• With regard to South and Central America:
     -   the UN says Latin America is trampling on indigenous rights;   the Catholic Pope is visiting South America and facing anger over the endemic child abuse scandal;
     -   the need for enforcement of Argentina’s forest law;
     -   former FARC rebels have set up a (non-military) “FARC experience hotel” in Columbia … (helps with an income, I suppose);   a bomb attack by the ELN rebels has stopped pumping on a Colombian oil pipeline;   abridge under construction has collapsed, killing several workers;
     -   a vacant building in Mexico was turned into a successful community centre;   hunting poppies in Mexico to fight the USA’s drug epidemic;
     -   disillusionment and corruption in Peru;
     -   conflicting claims after a police operation attempting to capture the pilot who launched a helicopter attack on the Supreme Court last year became violent … with later confirmation he was among seven people killed;
• 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:
     -   the Chinese approach to international aid and development – see also this examination of Chinese aid in the Pacific;   another gutless company has backed down over China’s imperial claims over the free nation of Taiwan and the violently invaded and occupied nation of Tibet;   -   other events concerning China have occurred or are developing in: USA, Australia;
     -   a democracy activist in Hong Kong has been jailed - again;
     elsewhere in Asia:
     -   exiled Cambodian opposition leaders have set up a new political movement;
     -   tech (“Game My Village”) was used to build participatory decision making and new relationships of trust and transparency in Indonesia;   three key influences in Indonesia’s elections later this year;   the stock exchange mezzanine walkway has collapsed;
     -   Malaysia’s former “authoritarian” (despotic?) leader has joined with his political enemy to attempt to unseat his handpicked successor;
     -   the Philippines government has attempted to silence a major, critical news outlet as part of its war on the media;      lava is flowing from a volcano in the Philippines;   the Philippines has stopped sending workers to Kuwait over deaths and abuse;
     and in the Pacific:
     -   more islands around a volcano in PNG are being evacuated;   drunk police in PNG;   Fijian workers are fighting for a fair go;   more sexual violence in PNG;
• With regard to Europe and the European Union (EU) (which need to step up, as the USA steps down):
     -   storms in Europe have killed 8 people;
     -   Austria is planning for concentration camps for refugees .. ;
     -   the pro-Russian incumbent in the Czech presidential elections is leading, but there will be a second round;
     -   “Greece is braced for industrial action as its MPs prepare to vote [they have subsequently kowtowed to reforms and also union busting] on implementing some of the most politically sensitive measures [limiting strikes] attached to its 2015 bailout”;
     -   the assassination of a prominent Kosovo Serb politician may complicate attempts to normalise the troubled relationship between Kosovo and Serbia (which continues to regard Kosovo as a breakaway province) and raises questions over peacekeeping and rule-of-law missions, which critics say turns a blind eye to organised crime;
     -   the USA’s foot-in-mouth Ambassador to the Netherlands has admitted he “got it wrong” over no go zones and apologised;
     -   protests against further abortion cuts in Poland;
     -   Spain will continue to rule the regional administration of Catalonia directly in the event that its former separatist leader is chosen as president;
     -   there is a possibility that UK voters could reverse the Brexit decision (but would that stop the process?);   the UK scrambled fighters to intercept Russian jets heading into its airspace;
• With regard to the (forgotten or ignored and underreported) conflicts in Ukraine, particularly in the east:
     -   Ukraine has “defined” Russia as an aggressor;
• With regard to Russia (which is currently supporting an – in my opinion, based on R2P principles - illegitimate regime in Syria), Russian influenced nations and eastern Europe, Central Asia, and responses (see also elsewhere):
     Russia:
     -   arbitrary arrest and judicial harassment of a human rights defender;   “a real politician is unwelcome against the backdrop of the country's imitated democracy”;   a call to end attacks on a human rights group;
     in Central Asia:
     -   “politics and security hold each other hostage in Nagorno-Karabakh” (between Armenia and Azerbaijan);
     -   a human rights defender has been arbitrarily arrested in Chechnya;
     -   other events concerning Russia, eastern Europe or Central Asia have occurred or are developing in: UK;
• 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):
     -   talks to end the war might resume – and might include violent extremists;
• With regard to South Asia (aka the Indian sub-continent), The Hindu and other sources have:
     on India:
     -   “with greater economic strength, India believes its 'time has come'”;   two mothers have asked a court to free their daughters from a mill;   women are forming collectives to get around bans on them having land;   poor minorities are being left behind;   rooftop gardens;   water scarcity is threatening India’s power generation;   the closure of state schools;   a recommendation has been made to disqualify 20 MLAs on corruption charges;   consideration of wildlife safety proposals;   100 government websites will be made more accessible;   India and Israel have normalised relations;   a call for caution in India’s relationship with the USA;   a call for more solar powered agriculture;   a call by local fisherfolk for the ban on trawlers to be enforced;
     on Pakistan:
     -   Pakistan has suspended intelligence sharing with the USA in retaliation for US measures – but rhetoric on both sides may exceed actual actions;   the outrage over a recent child rape and murder is continuing (is this a case of “thou doth protest too much – i.e., guilt?);   bigots have shot and killed a mother and her daughter who were immunising children against polio;
     elsewhere in South Asia:
     -   the annual report of a human rights organisation in Bangladesh;
     -   Sri Lanka has chosen to continue suppressing women;
• With regard to West Asia (aka “the Middle East”) and Northern Africa, the Middle East Eye, the Times of Israel, and other sources have:
     on Israel and Palestine:
     -   Israel has destroyed an attack tunnel from Gaza;   a US Jew who supports nonviolent boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel in order to support Palestinian rights considers that the recent bans will backfire;   along with abuse of suspects and innocents and collective punishment, Israel claims it has killed the man who killed an illegal settler;   a call for a change of Palestinian leadership;   concerns over a visit by America’s evangelical Vice President to Israel;   an opinion piece that “Israel's deliberate targeting of Gaza's health sector … constitute a crime against humanity”;   the rejected US “peace” proposal included Israeli military control, a Palestinian capital outside Jerusalem, and no timetable for Israeli withdrawal;   the diplomatic crisis sparked by an attack on the Israeli Embassy in Jordan appears to be resolved;   a Palestinian has been killed by his family for allegedly collaborating with Israel;
     on the (forgotten / ignored / underreported) conflict in Yemen:
     -   the war in Yemen has killed 5,000 and left malnourished 400,000 children;   a street artist is campaigning for peace;
     on Syria (where the Assad Dictatorship has lost all pretence of legitimacy, and partition is needed):
     -   as the USA helps rebels set up a border force, Turkey plans to attack Kurds in Syria … (has started – now to see how ethical / genuine the USA is …  - see also here);   thousands more civilians are fleeing government attacks on a supposed de-escalation zone;   the experience of being under siege;   ten Syrian refugees have died of hypothermia trying to get into Lebanon;   Russia will control the shape of the peace … ;
     on Iraq (which was a peaceful and prosperous society before the UK / USA / CIA backed revolution – see here) and Kurdistan:
     -   the story of a man who wound up rescuing kidnapped Yazidis;
     -   and the Iraq Body Count project reports 76 people violently killed in the last week;
     on Libya:
     -   Libya also has a monetary crisis;   a call for no-one to be forcibly returned to Libya;
     on Iran:
     -   thousands are still in detention following the recent price of living protests – and several have died (at least one of whom was forced to take pills that made him feel ill);   an assessment of the status of the nuclear deal – see also here;   a prediction of further unrest in Iran;   cruel and unusual punishment of a thief in Iran;
     elsewhere in the region:
     -   Egypt’s President will run for another term;   Egypt and Ethiopia will not allow their dispute over a dam affect relations;
     -   Oman is reaping benefits from mangrove restoration;   -  
     -   anti-austerity protests in Tunisia are continuing, leading to promises of reform;
     -   a “Qatari royal says he is being held against his will in the United Arab Emirates”;
     -   the UAE says Qatari jet fights have intercepted its civilians airliners.

Other News:

• an assessment of expert predictions for 2018;
• two Indian families will keep their sons who were swapped at birth.

General Comments/Information

(Dear Reader, please remember, I expect you to think when reading this blog, and I reserve the right to occasionally sneak in something to test that)

Many others are very capably doing this type of work – for instance, the Lucis Trust's Triangles network (which has been running for many decades);   the Correllian Tradition's 'Spiritual War for Peace' (see also here, here, and here), the Hope, Peace, Love and Prosperity Spell (also from the Correllian Tradition, in around 2007 or 2008),   the Healing Minute started by the late, great Harry Edwards (running for decades);   the “CE 5  ET contact” movement started by Dr Steven M Greer, which is the one which appears to me to most capitalise on the teachings of “The Nine”,   the “Network of Light”  meditations;   the 1 Million Meditators movement,   and   also see here, here and here – even commercial organisations (for instance, see here), online groups (e.g. here and here – which I do not know the quality of) and even an app.    Thus, if you don't like what I am suggesting here, but want to be of service, there are many other opportunities for you – including secular opportunities: e.g., see here, here and here.

Again, activism in the physical world is also required - see here, here and here, here, and, of course, here.

(I specifically have a role for (absent) healers on Saturdays, as explained in the Psychic Weather Report posts. Anyone who wishes to be protector has a role every day :). At all times, on all levels and in ways, BOTH must ALWAYS be BPM in the way they perform such roles.)

If I am ever late getting my Psychic Weather Report up any week, there is a default plan.

I apologise for publishing these posts twice, but Blogger keeps changing my formatting.

No signature block for these posts.