Post No. 1,130 – Gnwmythr’s News Ed. No. 202

For the sake of my health, I have to start permanently cutting back these posts – probably not the length, but I won’t be looking at as many news sites until I retire or change to an easier day job.

Information and Summary/Analysis:

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

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

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

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

(a)   based on my interpretation of information here and here with Uranus in Aries contributing to fresh and possibly radical starts (until some date in the Year 2018), and Pluto in Capricorn contributing to a transformation of power and business (and careers) (until some date in the Year 2024), conditions are ripe for a change for the better in world politics;

(b)   there is an enormous need to clear nonBPM energy – the thought forms, unattached energy and scars of the collective unconscious created by millennia of violence, including spirit rescue, and healing the warped views, seemingly “inherent” biases, and other damage created. Also, remember:   -   (1) the counter to fear is genuine  EQ and clear thinking, expressed through calm, de-escalating speech,   -   (2) where problems exist, advocating for BPM responses, and being as BPM as one can be, are constructive solutions,   -   (3) peace is powerful, but it is a process requiring patient, persistent and nuanced nurturing, and a blend of conventional spiritual work, clearing nonBPM units, and physical world activism;

(c)   viewing the overall emotional state of the world from an elemental point of view, this week we need:
           emotionally (astrally), the centering and stability of more BPM Earth and Æther;
           mentally, the clarity, understanding and depth of thought of more BPM Air and Æther;
           a plot of the elemental influences on a causal/spiritual level follows, and shows a need for the compassion and sensitivity towards others of more BPM Water;
          

(d)   the rune for this week’s work 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 DR Congo, Syria, and the ICC investigated Venezuela and Philippines, and ongoing violent conflicts and crises in Syria, Afghanistan, Mexico, Iraq, Burma, Somalia, South Sudan, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Libya, Sudan (Darfur and South Kordofan), Yemen, Egypt (Sinai), Kurdistan, the Philippines, Ethiopia, Mali, DR Congo, Burundi, Kashmir, Baluchistan (Pakistan and Iran), India (Maoist and other insurgencies), the Maghreb (Africa), Ukraine, and elsewhere;   -   refugee and humanitarian crises;   -   the political madness of regimes with authoritarian leaders;   -   and   enforcement of limited views and modes of existence (from a spiritual point of view);   selfishness and grasping on to what one has;   arrogance of people, groups and nations – especially those that either want to be preeminent or think they are entitled (are you listening, USA? neochristians?);   hate is being manifested by some deeply hurt, scarred individuals in power in ways that are manipulating others into thinking they are reasonable;   there has been some good progress and good promotion;   morality is slipping backwards into the regressive, hateful, insecure 1950s;   disrespect for constructive social institutions;

(g)   as all actions taken in pursuance of social status are evil, may we exercise our human characteristics of reason, self discipline and improvement to overcome that flaw, and the viciousness and destructiveness that go with it;

(h)   may the social filter bubbles around all nonBPM people lead to hubris and all the associated flaws, weaknesses, lack of attention and other mistakes;

(i)    more caring generosity is needed

(j)   may security, courage, relaxed states of healing and all other necessary BPM attributes neutralise, render meaningless / undesired / unnecessary all arrogance of people, groups and nations – especially those that either want to be preeminent or think they are entitled;

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;   “development is promoted disproportionately when and where it serves the interests of wealthy countries ... a widening gap will emerge as those not targeted are left further behind”;
     on the Rohingya crisis this week:
     -   burma says “action” (what sort?) will be taken against military who helped murder ten Rohingya (and what about the rest?);   inadequate international action (the US says the UN should act … );   “it is time to address the root causes – including decades of repression inside [burma] – so those who fled feel safe enough to return to their homeland”;
     on the North Korean and general nuclear tensions this week:
     -   South Korea is pushing for closer relations with North Korea, to US displeasure … but the possibility of US-North Korean talks is being raised (again … ) as North Korea “wins the diplomacy gold medal”;
     on the fallout from the USA’s recognition of (all?) Jerusalem as Israel’s capital:
     -   “the methodology of historical misrepresentation”;
     on other matters requiring particular attention:
     -   the Philippines’ President has stepped up his misogyny to include giving orders to shoot women “in the vagina” – and should be personally investigated for crimes against humanity;
     -   a series of investigations into alleged sexual crimes committed by US marines in northern Australia have been “quietly dropped”, raising questions about “whether Australia and the US are doing enough to investigate claims of sex crimes, and echoes decades of international concern about the cover-up of those crimes by US military personnel serving abroad”;
     -   “The Oxfam sex story [which locals tried to warn of – and the man at the centre of the scandal at aid agency Oxfam was dismissed by another NGO seven years earlier for similar misconduct, see also here, here, here, and here] is horrific. So is the war on foreign aid”;
     -   a TED talk on putting the power of the law in people’s hands, (“the UN estimates that four million people lack access to justice”), which needs more than only lawyers (just as doctors also have nurses): community paralegals (to the audience: donate, push MPs to make this a priority, and be a paralegal in your own life);
     -   the world’s leading philanthropic couple have called on the USA’s 45^th President to treat women and minorities with more respect and to continue investments in poorer countries for the sake of global security;
     -   a call to keep encryption secure, and without backdoors;
     -   a young engineer is aiming to retire at 35 (I should have aimed for 55) - and a response here which is good on social contribution and issues such as having a family, and so utterly silent on the personal wear and tear of modern work that it becomes cretinously moronic!;
     this week’s atrocity alert at R2P lists DR Congo, Syria, and the ICC investigated Venezuela and Philippines;
• 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:
     -   an assessment of whether Australia’s banking Royal Commission can achieve anything useful - such as dismantling their current business model;   “Authority is a very delicate commodity. Abuse it and it becomes unrespected authoritarianism. Fail to nurture it and it withers”;   questions over what is believed to be another relationship-with-a-staff-member case (and this related ethical concern) - including over the archaic-ness of some of the rules, as opposed to, say, modern business practice – and changing attitudes on such matters in France. Also, a critique of the original salacious “shake-the-tree” tabloid journalism and its 1950s moralism, as compared to the subsequent genuine public interest matters – and the motivations (lack of trust in public institutions, media competition, pervasive invasiveness of social media, and “people’s sense of entitlement to pass judgement on matters of which they have personal experience”);   China, rather than Russia, is the benchmark against which the USA judges the capability requirements for its own armed forces;   an analysis of the USA, China and the international order suggests the “Kindleberger Trap” may be more of a problem than the “Thucydides Trap”;   the history of and support for a Universal Basic Income;   there is a “need for a backlash that restores moderation - not one that swings the pendulum to the opposite extreme”;
     of concern this week:
     -   banks have been offering problem gamblers extended credit;   linguistic limbo over relationship terminology .. ;   a notorious former Australian neoliberal Prime Minister is opposing integrity;   one Australian state’s electoral commissioner has been suspended over “serious allegations”;   the company which is trying to open a coal mine in Australia “may have been negligent in failing to disclose its Australian CEO's links to a company convicted of environmental offences in Africa”;   appallingly blatant lies about environmental benefits for community projects;   Australian religious schools – from the child-abusing christian religion - want to be able to eject LGBT and other students and teachers;   a series of expert opinions indicate the use of consultants and contracting has resulted in a seriously degraded bureaucracy;   Australia’s vicious and completely botched “robo-debt recovery” forced to either wipe or change one of every six debts it raised and only recovered about $84m of $350m debts it identified;   none of the 11 lobbyists who breached rules over the past five years has been suspended or removed from registration;   some US cities are criminalising minor matters (which a legal challenge alleges is a for-profit policy);   a fight is underway against a large agricultural company with an apparently flawed weed killer;   a giant tech company is trying to make diversity a commercially sensitive matter;
     -   other concerning events have occurred or are developing in: Russia, China, South America, Europe, USA/Russia;
     in the grey/mixed [good and bad aspects] or neutral area this week:
     -   a far-right activist has been found in contempt of court for failing to take down social media posts of him wearing a freight company's uniform while ambushing a former senator;
     good news this week includes:
     -   good news has occurred: South Africa, Sierra Leone;
     and democracy/governance/political matters in my home nation this week:
     -   domestic workers in diplomatic embassies are being abused;   the opposition in my home state have adopted a policy that will accelerate fear and invite vigilantism;   calls for the child-abusing neochristian catholic church, which is worth $30 billion, to lose its tax status;   the stupidity of seeking a corporate tax cut when major companies pay none or little;   the human stories –good and bad – from the community maligned by race baiting politicians and media;   Australia’s Ministerial Code of Conduct will now ban sex between Ministers and their staff – see also here;
• 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):
     -   in an utterly unacceptable and grossly stupid incident, people close to the 45^th US President have been targeted by having a white powder mailed to them;
     -   thirteen Russians and three Russian companies have been charged with an elaborate plot to interfere in the 2016 US presidential election through social media propaganda aimed at helping Republican candidate and harming the Democratic candidate;   Voldemort II has “blocked the release of a classified memo drafted by Democrats that counters Republican allegations about abuse of government surveillance powers in the FBI's Russia probe”;   warning that Russian interference will continue;
     -   concerns over the US security establishment, which is being hidden by the outrageousness of the USA’s 45^th President;   concerns over interim security clearances amongst White House aides;
     -   the fight to uncover who was responsible for the 45^th US President’s lies about foreign born violent extremists continues;
     -   concern that conservatives are showing more contempt for court decisions;   another article on one of the 45^th US President’s conflicts of interest;
     -   an opinion that the White House’s problem is dishonesty, not chaos;   a suggestion that conservatives have made themselves existentially vulnerable to “Me Too” (my wording);
     -   the US is cutting back consumer protection;   Voldemort II’s military parade would cost $10 – 30 million;
     -   a 2^nd judge has blocked action against DACA;
     -   US defence spending has sparked a game of profit purveying;
• 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 Kenya, Nigeria, and, according to this Wikipedia page, there have been 1 attack in Iraq, 6 attacks in Afghanistan, and 2 attacks in Syria (out of a total of 31);   and actions (Note: there are many others that don’t reach the media I read) have occurred this week against violent extremists in: Egypt, Pakistan;
     -   staggering delays in bringing the alleged Bali bombing mastermind to trial;   UK has unveiled an “extremism blocking tool”;
• With regard to refugees (noting the New York Declaration) and people seeking asylum:
     -   the perilous lake crossing for Congolese refugees going to Uganda;   PNG soldiers have attacked refugees in Australia’s Manus Island gulag;
     -   other refugee-related matters have also occurred in: Europe;
• 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):
     -   “modest but functional lactation can be induced in transgender women” - which doesn’t surprise me, based on personal experience;   another call for religious exemptions to anti-discrimination laws to be abolished;
     on white supremacist and other forms of racism and indigenous matters generally this week:
     -   claims an indigenous advisory board may still be “on the table” … - see also here, and these allegations that the Prime Minister was “deceitful and duplicitous” for privately encouraging indigenous leaders to consult the Australian public before publicly rejecting the proposal;   a critique of “Closing the Gap”, and an opinion that intergenerational trauma must be addressed – see also here;   a noted media commentator says he is proof that “we can close the gap” – and notes that approximately 65 per cent of the 550,000 Indigenous people identified in the 2011 census “are in employment and living lives not noticeably different from the rest of Australia” - but it wasn't always like that, and issues such as limited reparations mean there is still more to do for the Stolen Generations;   Lloyds has set an ethnic diversity target;   a sporting body has finally caught up with the last decade or so of sport science to finalise its gender diversity policy – too late to avoid a circus;
     -   other white supremacy / racism problems have also occurred in: Indonesia, Ecuador,;
     on sexism this week (keeping in mind the overblown influence given to testosterone):
     -   a sexual misconduct scandal has put an aid group’s work at risk;   the alleged child abuser who had fled to Israel was re-arrested after political pressure was applied;   an analysis of the backlash against Me Too, including “the political power of narrative order” (“start the story with “Secondly,” leaving the “Firstly” for later”);   the need for bystanders to take action;   “by working together towards gender equality, we can address the key drivers of violence against women”;   in response to casual cynicism, proof that women’s networking conferences work;
     -   on sexual harassment/misconduct this week - more accusations / descriptions of effects and commentary / responses / resignations: here, here, here, here;
     -   other sexism matters have also occurred in: USA, South America;
     on religious rights this week:
     -   “anti-Semitic hate speech incidents in Austria [are] at all-time high”;
     on workers’, children’s, privacy, and other forms of human (and other – e.g., animal) rights this week:
     -   a priest who is an alleged child abuser request for his alleged victims medical records has been denied;   in one Australian state, concerns over a conflict of interest for a key person in a legal review 20 years ago that recommended maintaining legal limitations on child sex abuse claims who was at that time connected to a neochristian church accused of abuse;   criticism of the Pope for defending a child abuser;   survivors of the worst massacre of the Liberian civil war are seeking damages;   the need for a new definition of worker;   another shocking animal abuse story;   warnings that a common slavery entrapment technique is a romantic relationship with a vulnerable person – see here, here, here, and here;   the taboo topic of Mauritania’s slavery problem;
     -   also on child abuse, particularly neochristian and other institutional, this week: here;
     -   also on slavery / human trafficking this week: Australia, Viêt Nám, Turkmenistan, USA (allowance of legal action), Malaysia;
     -   other workers’, children’s, privacy, differently abled, animal, and other forms of human or other rights matters have also occurred in: Burundi, USA;
     -   opportunities to take action here;
• With regard to war, violence and hate generally:
     -   an examination of how civil wars end;   “research into the role of the UN in decreasing violence in conflict, and in prolonging peace after conflict, suggests that UN efforts to reduce and resolve conflict are generally effective”;   myths interfering with rehabilitation of child soldiers;   at least 17 people have been murdered in another US school shooting – and, in response to a radio comment I heard, to put this in context, last year there were (from here and here) 39,000 deaths in the Syrian war, 23,065 in Afghanistan war, 15,590 gun deaths in the supposedly at-peace USA, 14,771 in the Mexican drug war, and 13,187 in the Iraq conflict – see also this site campaigning for change. Also, the US FBI admits it didn’t act on a tip;
• 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):
     advice to parents to think of themselves as their child’s consultant - and to let kids quit;   a UN agency has set an ambitious target to reduce hunger and poverty for millions worldwide;   achieving Sustainable Development Goal 16 (ending all violence against children) requires both government and business action;   criticism of intellectual property rights as being for profit, not scientific progress and technological innovation;
• With regard to natural and other catastrophes:
     -   fatal transport accidents: Russia (plane [wide debris field …]), USA (chopper crash), Indonesia (bus), Hong Kong (bus);   the state of play with volcanoes in the Ring of Fire;   extensive damage but no deaths in Tonga from category four Cyclone Gita, which was upgraded to a category five after hitting Fiji;
• With regard to overcrowding and “modern” lifestyle issues (such as conflict  minerals, environmental harm and child labour in smart phone , FOMO [which can be overcome] and addiction or unthinking pro-technology bias, second thoughts, social media making people miserable or envious, work and lifestyles causing depression, being duped by modern mantras and  management  fads, “failing” at being well or failing to consider life options, AI ethics, corporate misuse of mindfulness as a distraction from working conditions, embedded emissions, plane pollution, bigger, flashier homes/cars– which means actively abusing the environment and society’s cohesion and contributing to financialisation, the need for agroforestry, the accursed “new is always good” groupthink of the computer world, abuse of workers by insisting on busy-ness, raising Prince Boofheads):
     on climate change and other environmental matters this week:
     -   resumption of fracking in one Australian state may be delayed;   Australia’s solar power could double;   we’re not doing enough about rising sea levels;   a poacher was killed and eaten by his intended victims (karma, anyone?);   the start of cleaning up lead contamination at sports grounds;   the “slow” flower movement (i.e., locally grown, not transported over long distances) – which includes educating people “to look at what's in season and what it means to choose flowers that are out of season”;   Australia’s extinction crisis;   a major fish “die-off” (kill”);   German cities will try free public transport to cut pollution;   the USA is continuing to cut back environmental protection;   the quest for more sustainable cities;   “SMART” drumlines are being used to – apparently effectively - divert sharks from beaches, rather than kill them;   a key union is taking anti-environment stance … ;   two states have pulled out of the Murray-Darling water plan after cut backs in environmental flows;   air pollution in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (there is one error in the video: people in yurts start burning raw coal, and finish the winter burning shredded tyres. Check out the shown website);
     on technology and science matters this week:
     -   there was a cyber-attack on the winter olympics’ opening;   crypto-jacking attack on businesses;   a call for scientists to better engage with the public;   the stupid problem of so-called “extreme” pranks (i.e., shouting fire in a crowded theatre);   possible privatisation of the International Space Station;   drones are ruining a waterfall;
     -   other technology and science matters have occurred in: USA, Russia, UK/Russia;
     on economic and financial matters this week:
     -   the post-GFC world is different;   another article on burn out (social media link - sorry);   “predictive models are based on flawed reasoning”;
     on affordable, sustainable and decent housing and homelessness matters this week (why are politicians with “investment properties” not admitting a conflict of interest and staying out of housing affordability debates?):
     -   an emerging class of landlord are using their secure financial position to help others facing homelessness;   a regional city is successfully stopping kids becoming homeless;
     on health and medical this week:
     -   why people stay in unhealthy relationships (which misses the issue of vows, even if the vows are not legally recognised [I only came to terms with ending a relationship despite vows after reading how consent for governance can be withdrawn if the government is breaking their side of agreement: I suspect others are in the same boat, but clueless people such as this author are missing that point]);   “before and after” weight loss photos will be ditched in the interests of promoting “a journey of health”;
• 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 … ):
     -   another article on spotting fake news;
     -   other media / freedom of expression matters have occurred in: Turkmenistan, South America, Russia, Gambia (good news), Australia, Turkey;
• With regard to education:
     -   a call for the Commonwealth to stop using its 3% of funding as an excuse to interfere with schools;
• With regard to crime, judicial matters and policing:
     -   three US prison guards “are facing criminal charges over the death of an mentally-ill inmate who died of dehydration after water to his cell was cut off for a week”;   two US police officers have been found guilty for their role in a police corruption case that involved robbing city residents;   more evidence at the trial of an addict (addicted to tobacco) who killed a surgeon who told him to move out of a no-smoking area (that sort of arrogance is, in my experience, very common with smokers);   a very strong criticism of Julian Assange and his legal arguments (most of which seems reasonable to me, but I consider the comments about extradition naïve, and inadequate in that they fail to mention the possible death penalty);   a warning about fake child protection workers;   “nine out of ten people in Western Australian youth detention are severely impaired in at least one area of brain function”;   a former Queensland police sergeant who leaked footage of officers bashing a handcuffed man has been found not guilty of misconduct;   on digital privacy, an abstract of a paper which advocates that “unless variation in law enforcement agencies is recognised and considered, reform efforts will be based on an incomplete picture of law enforcement surveillance, and may have unanticipated consequences in both small and large communities”.

Location based News:

• With regard to Africa, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (and other sources) has:
     on Africa generally:
     -   a farmer’s club is helping small farmers save and prepare for climate change;   the complexity of solving income inequality in Africa (with an interesting comment that “where there is less inequality, the benefits of growth reach wider sectors of the population”);
     -   a call for a Burundian human rights activist to be released;
     -   a call for the release of an Ethiopian journalist to “herald a new dawn of respect for human rights”;   Ethiopia’s Prime Minister has resigned after mass protests;
     -   an historic day for Gambia’s journalists and human rights defenders after ECOWAS’s Regional Court of Justice found that “draconian” media laws violate the right to freedom of expression;
     -   Guinea-Bissau has asked for more UN assistance to continue its transition to a stable democracy;
     -   a Kenyan court has “revoked the deportation of a lawyer who “swore in” [the] opposition leader … as the country’s “president” in a direct challenge to the government”;
     -   Liberia will review foreign business agreements;
     -   violent extremists have closed schools in Mali;
     -   Presidential candidates in Sierra Leone have held a debate;
     -   after a week of increasing pressure, South Africa's president has resigned on the eve of no-confidence vote – an assessment of his replacement here, the ongoing need to fight corruption, and a call for Zuma’s human rights abuses to be investigated – see also here;   South Africa has declared the drought causing Cape Town to run out of water a national disaster;
     -   Zanzibar has launched a legal challenge to its union with mainland Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika);
     -   in an enormous blow, Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader, has died (of natural causes), and a replacement has been announced;
     on Sudan and South  Sudan:
     -   a notorious, violent former security chief who allegedly plotted a coup has been reinstated by Sudan’s war criminal president in response to growing internal and external pressure;   US concern at continued arrests of Sudanese activists and opposition figures (shame the morons encouraged it by changing Sudan’s status, then);
     -   the war is having a devastating effect on children in South Sudan;   South Sudan has rejected a proposal for four Vice-Presidents;
• With regard to South and Central America:
     -   journalists are challenging the prevalence of male machismo in South America;   concerns over the widespread use of technological tools in political campaigns in South America;
     -   an assessment of war tribunals and truth commissions about to start work in Colombia, and the needs they have to address;
     -   rapes and beatings to attempt to “cure” LGBT people in Ecuador;
     -   claims of surveillance of political candidates in Mexico;
• 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:
     -   another examination of China’s extremely disturbing “social credit” scheme;
     -   South Korea will act against illegal and unfair acts in cryptocurrency trading;
     -   Taiwan’s President got a warm response after wishing China a Happy New Lunar Year;
     elsewhere in Asia:
     -   declining democracy and press and internet freedom in south east Asia;
     -   Indonesia is formalising its gay hating and transphobic status;
     -   Thailand’s military Prime Minister has tried to make a pop hit .. ;
• With regard to Europe and the European Union (EU) (which need to step up, as the USA steps down):
     -   a call to invest in “migrants” (by which I think they mean refugees) to avert a 'nuclear bomb' of civil unrest;   the UK and Ireland “will seek to find a way to get talks on restoring Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government back on track”;   questions over how the EU tax haven blacklist is managed, and why it lacks transparency;
     -   a new start for the Irish political party Sinn Féin;
     -   the UK has blamed Russia for a cyber-attack last year;
• With regard to the (forgotten or ignored and underreported) conflicts in Ukraine, particularly in the east:
     -   Ukraine has deported the former Georgian president who has emerged as a vocal antagonist of the government;
• With regard to Russia (which is currently supporting an – in my opinion, based on R2P principles - illegitimate regime in Syria), Russian influenced nations and eastern Europe, Central Asia, and responses (see also elsewhere):
     Russia:
     -   Russia is trying to censor social media posts by the opposition leader about alleged corruption;
     -   other events concerning Russia, eastern Europe or Central Asia have occurred or are developing in: USA/Russia;
• With regard to the conflict in Afghanistan (noting that Afghanistan was once a peaceful and modern society, even allowing women in miniskirts, before the Russian invasion – see here):
     -   after a year when more than 10,000 Afghanis were killed, violent extremists have claimed “they wanted to end Afghanistan’s 17-year war through talks” – and Russia has claimed the US ignored an offer to “broker talks”;   the Afghan army is replacing older senior officers with new blood;
• With regard to South Asia (aka the Indian sub-continent), The Hindu and other sources have:
     -   an attack by a Pakistani group into India has increased tensions;   on India:
     -   widows of tiger attack victims are facing discrimination;   concerns over plans to redevelop Mumbai’s port after a grossly botched plan there 20 years ago;   a proposal to improve rural housing;   a Dalit activist who attempted a self-immolation protests has died;   “by upholding the approach of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal … the Supreme Court has boosted the prospects of a viable water-sharing arrangement among the riparian States”;   the children of the farmers who committed suicide are not receiving the support or counselling they need;   “without reform of the public health system, insurance schemes are but a Band-Aid solution” – and it won’t help the poor;   a bank scandal;
     on Pakistan:
     -   Pakistani police have arrested four people accused of stealing spinal fluid from women (using claims of a blood sample being necessary for financial aid);   an examination of US-Pakistan relations;   in “a major policy shift, Pakistan will deploy troops in Saudi Arabia under an existing bilateral security cooperation agreement”;
• With regard to West Asia (aka “the Middle East”) and Northern Africa, the Middle East Eye, the Times of Israel, and other sources have:
     -   the USA and Turkey continue to disagree over Kurdish militia in Syria, but the USA may move their Kurdish allies away from a disputed crossing point;   an assessment that Iran and Israel will not go to war unless Iran’s national security is directly attacked –but Israel won’t allow an Iranian base in Syria;
     on Israel and Palestine:
     -   an Israeli jet engaged in an attack in response to an incursion by an Iranian drone from Syria has been shot down , leading to Israel and Iran considering what happens next … ;   the USA has warned Israel that settlements complicate the peace process;   police have recommended that Israel’s Prime Minister be charged with bribery (more may come) – leading to protests against the PM, concerns that the PM’s “shamelessness is corrupting Israel”, and concerns that this will force him to the right politically and Palestinians will pay the price;   from an assessment of potential replacements for Israel’s current PM, “the unfortunate truth is that no Israeli political leader - nor the electorate at large - is willing to take any risks for peace”;   Israel will demolish more homes of a village that it has destroyed and thus forced relocation of previously;   a dog attack ad assault of a woman as part of an Israel army action;   Israel has installed a checkpoint which “residents say they are aimed at further preventing Palestinians' access to the Old City of Jerusalem”;   as an Israeli court says Eritrean draft dodgers are eligible for asylum, Israel plays word games over the deportation of refugees;   Israel has returned the bodies of two West Bank violent extremists (a valid invitation for Palestine to respond … );   the Israeli army has opened a criminal investigation into the death of a Palestinian girl by indirect fire;
     -   other events concerning Israel and/or Palestine have occurred or are developing in: Lithuania (anti-Semitism), Austria (anti-Semitism);
     on the conflict in Yemen:
     -   promises of aid for Yemen … including from Saudi Arabia!;   dozens of supporters of the Saudi-backed president have been murdered (assassinated);
     on Syria (where the Assad Dictatorship has lost all pretence of legitimacy, and partition is needed):
     -   the three other wars the Syrian war is fuelling;   more on the horrific scale of civilian deaths;   dozens of Russians mercenaries (there are apparently no official Russian soldiers left) were killed in US airstrikes defending a US backed group of rebels;   France will strike Syria if use of chemical weapons against civilians is proven;
     on Iraq (which was a peaceful and prosperous society before the UK / USA / CIA backed revolution – see here) and Kurdistan:
     -   a two year plan to fast track Iraq’s reconstruction has been launched;   a pessimistic assessment of the prospects of a Kurdistan;
     -   and the Iraq Body Count project reports 80 people violently killed in the last week;
     on Libya:
     -   talks in Egypt are aimed at unifying Libya’s armed forces;
     on Iran:
     -   Iran has marked the anniversary of its 1979 revolution with US-bashing and a new missile;
     on the Armenian-Genocide-Denying Grand Sultanate of Turkey:
     -   Turkey has jailed six journalists for life for allegedly giving coded messages in support of the coup on television … ;
     elsewhere in the region:
     -   the head of an opposition party in Egypt is at risk of being disappeared (exactly the sort of situation those who apply what is on this blog can act to try to prevent)  see also here;   Egypt and the USA are discussing military cooperation;
     -   Qatar has a made a suggestion (optimistically?) for an EU style security agreement for the region … ;
     -   Lebanon has “rejected a US proposal to resolve a maritime border dispute between the country and Israel”.

Other News:

• bush inventors;
• the Lunar New Year will welcome the “Year of the (Earth) Dog” - but family attempts to exert control and dominance will not be welcomed.

 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.