Post No. 1,136 – Gnwmythr’s News Ed. No. 205

For the sake of my health, until I retire or change to an easier day job , I have cut back these posts.

This week, don’t be fooled by the word count: my work trip means the research has been quite limited (hence the relatively higher proportion of news from my nation, rather than globally). My apologies, but I do need to pay the bills :)

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, including the following plot of the elemental influences on a causal/spiritual level, this week we need the stability and security of more BPM Earth;

(d)   I’ve selected the rune Berkano for this week’s work:

(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 Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Syria, and Somalia, 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   other news below;

(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)   may we allow ourselves the personal security of agape love and al that it creates, and avoid those decisions which may undermine that;

It is absolutely VITAL that this psychic / metaphysical / spiritual work be performed non-violently and as is for the Highest Spiritual Good – which is part of being BPM – on all levels and in all ways. Always remember (see here): Do you fight to change things, or to punish? See also here, here, here, here, here, and my comments about “authentic presence” in this post.

News and other matters from this past week follows:

   news items are presented in the following sections (there is overlap, and items may appear more than once):
    - Permanent and Thematically Arranged News,

    - Location Based News,

    - (from a range of) Other Sites;

   opportunities/good news are shown in green;

   comments are shown in purple; and

   WARNING: some of these links may contain triggers around issues such as violence, sexual assault, discrimination, etc.

Permanent Issues and Thematically Arranged News:

• Permanent issue: may all actual and potential BPM Leaders be kept BPM safe, including keeping them undetectable to the nonBPM and keeping all their Significant Others inviolable against being used for indirect  psychic attack, and may they have all the BPM resources (including an assured income, given the power that nonBPM forces have in the structures of the material world), opportunities and assistance (including so-called “good luck”) for them to be BPM effective at influencing the world’s direction, development and unfoldment, all as is for the Highest Spiritual Good;
• Permanent issue: may all humans recognise, irrespective of the appearance of difference, the essential shared humanness of other people, the inherent resilience, the dynamic power, the strength of BPM collaboration, and the opportunities of having a diverse, inclusive and welcoming population, and may all people choose fairness, when such decisions are before them;
• Permanent issue: may all actual and potential BPM Violence Interrupters (and Interrupters of hate / fear / anger) of be kept BPM safe, and may they have all the BPM opportunities and assistance (so-called “good luck”) for them to be BPM effective at containing and stopping – along the lines of the Cure Violence model - the spread of violence (and hate / fear / anger), all as is for the Highest Spiritual Good;
• Permanent issue: may all humans choose to live modestly – to forgo outdoing others, or trying to have more than they need - for the sake of an easier, more manageable life, if they cannot do it for the sake of the planet;
• Permanent issue: may all humans be in better communication with the better parts of their nature – especially those who need that more than other, better people;
• Matters warranting particular attention:
     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 many others do;
     on the Rohingya crisis this week:
     -   Australia will continue enabling the Rohingya genocide by failing to send a message that such behaviour is unacceptable by stopping training and contacts – with particularly cringeworthy talking points for the Defence Minister, and an utter rubbish response about opportunities to raise issues (does the “raising issues” comprise telling the Burmese that their mass murder and ethnic cleansing is unacceptable – and do so as strongly as the signal of breaking off contact?);   burma is using “forced starvation” to continue forcing out more Rohingya;
     on the North Korean and general nuclear tensions this week:
     -   South Korea, China, and the USA were "cautiously optimistic" after North Korea pledged to not use conventional or nuclear weapons against its neighbour and agreed to suspend nuclear tests during possible unprecedented talks between the US and North Korean leaders (several commentators have pointed out that this sort of situation has occurred before), but the US will impose new sanctions for the murder of the brother of North Korea's leader (which the USA "has concluded" was a form of VX nerve agent;
     on the fallout from the USA’s recognition of (all?) Jerusalem as Israel’s capital:
     -   Voldemort II may provoke more unrest by attending the opening of the US embassy in (West) Jerusalem;
     on other matters requiring particular attention:
     -   the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter by a nerve agent, which led to about 21 other people needing medical treatment (the initially responding police officer wound up in hospital in a coma), is being investigated, and this event has invited comparison to other enemies of the Kremlin who have met with foul play since Vladimir Putin came to power (Russia has denied any responsibility, commenting that an exchange of spies is considered the close of the matter), and warnings of "robust" retaliation by the UK if Russia is responsible (received with some scepticism);
     this week’s atrocity alert at R2P lists the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Syria, and Somalia;
• 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:
     -   “the battles fought for a better, safer world are never totally won. Assumptions of endless progress are often wrong. And with the three [Presidents of USA, Russia and China] in power, hopes for global security and prosperity remain on a precarious wish list”;   an article on the real life experience (or lack thereof) of politicians, but: “there is no evidence that, for example, a farmer in Parliament will better represent pastoralists and graziers”, but “there is little to demonstrate the current mix is delivering the best outcome”;
     of concern this week:
     -   the USA’s 45^th President Donald has praised China’s Chairman-President for the elimination of term limits … ;   a pro-gun group supporting a notorious far right Australian political group has been found to be linked to an anti-Islam group which advocated for hanging pictures of the leader of nazi Germany in classrooms;   social media is being used to circumvent bans on political advertising just before elections, during the official black out;   incredibly, a newly elected Australian state Premier has claimed he “has a mandate for about 200 policies that were released to interest groups and not made available for public scrutiny during the state election campaign”;   a US White House aide has violated US federal law on at least two occasions last year by “advocating for and against candidates” from her official position;
     -   other concerning events have occurred or are developing in: Sierra Leone, China / Taiwan / USA;
     in the grey/mixed [good and bad aspects] or neutral area this week:
     -   modern protest songs are being drowned out by other songs;   a somewhat concerning suggestion that unions go beyond legal campaigning to taking unlawful industrial action (i.e., illegal strikes) to win bigger pay rises, justified on the basis that Australia’s laws make protected action too hard for workers;
     good news this week includes:
     -   a Citizen's Assembly has brought Ireland to the brink of legalising abortion;
     -   other good news has occurred: South and Central America;
     and democracy/governance/political matters in my home nation this week:
     -   the new maritime border agreement between Australia and Timor Lesté could lead to Indonesia pushing for an updating of their outdated border agreement with us – but the whistleblower whose revelations of spying on the East Timorese delegation in 2004 enabled this agreement is still under “effective house arrest” (my nation has behaved disgracefully throughout these negotiations);   very concerningly, the Australian opposition will support neochristian schools, the breeding ground of misogyny, bigotry and hate, if elected;   concerns over what appears to be censorship by an embattled Minister’s department of the transcript of an interview – covered with utter rubbish about non-political and portfolio-specific and “free from political bias and political influence”;   hypocritically and, in my view, deceitfully, Australia has “pledged” at UN to improve its human rights situation … ;   “Australia isn't in recession – but …might as well be … given growth is so persistently anaemic”;   as China’s claims of not interfering are made a mockery of by a top Chinese leader’s calls for continued efforts to rally China's "sons and daughters" abroad, China is citing Australian critics to attack a controversial new book which claims China is seeking to control Australia's Chinese diaspora and systematically erode Australia's democracy;   poor judgement by an opposition Senator in Australia over a new long-range air tanker which is also capable of carrying passengers and VIPs;   bipartisan unity in Australia on opposition to US trade tariffs, with the steel industry of the view that existing anti-dumping laws make retaliation moot;   thousands of people - 90% Indigenous - in a controversial work for the dole scheme (which forces unemployed people in remote areas to work up to three times longer than other jobseekers) have been threatened with having their Centrelink payments cut off for eight weeks (what this report fails to mention is the travel times to phone reception, the excessive waiting times on phones, and the staggering travel times to "re-engage with their CDP provider", as the Minister terms it) - "If it was happening in Melbourne or Brisbane, there'd be absolute outrage. So why is it happening in our remote communities?";   political testiness over wages and jobs as proposals are made for the minimum wage to become a “living wage” (set too high, in my opinion, at 60% of average weekly earnings), with the response by the neoliberal government showing they are completely and utterly out of touch with the struggle to survive;   a call for two Australian opposition parties to work together to tackle the “unfair, ineffective and inefficient” private health insurance industry;   a trailblazing female Torres Strait Islander mayor who has been named emerging political leader of the year wants to empower her remote community;   a warning that, despite the reforms of the 1980s and 1990s, Australia is “putting too few eggs” into its export basket (“simpler exports when compared with products exported by other advanced economies”), which “does not bode well for future economic growth”;   Australia’s main opposition party has promised to boost the representation of women in senior positions on government boards and in the public service, as well as take action to address the gender pay gap, if elected;
• With regard to the 45^th President (who is dangerous – see here on actions for US residents [and the useful principles]) of the Unexceptional States of America (which has some … “unique” characteristics that don’t exist elsewhere in the world) generally this week (I avoid using the 45^th US President’s name for psychic reasons – I may 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):
     -   another key (economics) advisor to the USA’s 45^th President has quit, believed to be over the imposition of tariffs (although he had reportedly threatened to leave after Voldemort II’s incendiary comments following the deadly race riot in Charlottesville), leading to a drop in markets;   the tit-for-tat over new US tariffs is continuing;   the US White House is expected to launch action against China over its major concern: allegations of intellectual property theft worth trillions (understandably, and with some justification in this instance – although too many IP cases are not about benefits to communities, but protecting companies high profits);
     -   the US administration has taken its xenophobic, anti-immigrant campaign to the courts by suing one US state that has been defiantly continuing “sanctuary” policies;
     -   an adult film actress involved in allegations of an affair with the USA’s 45^th President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against him alleging that a nondisclosure contract she signed is “void” because he “did not sign it, and that his lawyer allegedly tried to "intimidate her into silence”;
     -   an opinion that nepotism and corruption are “the handmaidens” of the 45^th US presidency;
• 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 Afghanistan, and, according to this Wikipedia page, there have been 3 attacks in Afghanistan (out of a total of 15);
     -   the story of a young woman who escaped the sex slavery of violent extremists;
     -   other violent extremist matters have also occurred in: Indonesia;
• With regard to refugees (noting the New York Declaration) and people seeking asylum:
     -   rejected (why?) asylum seekers in Australia’s Manus gulag are not allowed to stay in PNG, but can’t return home because it is too dangerous for them!;
• With regard to other 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 [and there’s this]):
     on HOMOPHOBIA/TRANSPHOBIA (including heteronormativity and cisgender-normativity) this week (and noting that trans kids are the same as cis kids of the trans kids’ true gender):
     -   a lesbian tells how she survived the era of discrimination in Australia’s Defence Force;   understandable anger after laneways and front yards were used as public toilets by Sydney LGBT Mardi Gras partygoers;   after fake news about an airline political correctness booklet(which sounded good to me, actually –be respectful of the LGBTIQ communities including no misgendering, males to stop “manterrupting”, non-sexist language and avoid unconscious colonialist bias): “We shared some language suggestions developed by the Diversity Council of Australia on our corporate intranet to help start a conversation about the impact language can have on an inclusive workplace”;
     on white supremacist and other forms of RACISM and Indigenous matters generally this week:
     -   a “Melbourne Dreaming” app has made knowing about and understanding my home city's rich Aboriginal history easier;   violent and racist graffiti in my home city;   Indigenous people want more control over how their culture and history is conveyed by museums, archives and libraries;   the appalling “killing times” in Australia’s Kimberley region, during which time (lasting into the 1930s – and possibly later) to dozens of Indigenous people were murdered in some incidents, are reflected in some offensive place names;
     on TRAFFICKING, and CHILDREN’s and associated human rights this week:
     -   Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and children from lower socio-economic backgrounds and remote areas continue to be over-represented in the one in 32 subject to a protection investigation or response, with increases of between 27% and 45% in substantiated notifications, care and protection orders, and out-of-home care, in the four years to mid- 2017;   significant steps towards a redress scheme for child sexual abuse survivors, although the payment amounts have been reduced and time periods to make decisions are short;   to address problems of proof around consent, after a public outcry over two cases of sex involving 11-year-old girls France will make 15 the age of sexual consent;
     -   also on child abuse, particularly neochristian and other institutional, this week: India (good news);
     on SEXISM this week (keeping in mind the overblown influence given to testosterone):
     -   a warning against a nominal once-a-year effort by males to show support for gender parity – especially when misogynistic views manifest, growing from nasty quips into “something more dangerous”;   a fast food chain’s “stunt” for International Women's Day has been criticised as hollow gesture, with calls for to pay its employees a living wage;   49% of farmers are women, but 90% of the internet imagery of farmers is male;   on IWD, some women's experiences of sexism;   the underhanded undermining of a sexual abuse complainant is denying her natural justice and making it unlikely others will come forward;   a sport's body's gender advisor has called their handling of a violent assault and home invasion by one of their rising stars into question;   a women's footy competition may be discriminating against women coaches;   10% of Australia’s working women – particularly those with a disability, from culturally diverse backgrounds, lesbian (bisexual?) or studying - are being sexually harassed in their current job, and two thirds consider they are being treated with respect (essential for 80%), and fewer than a third consider men and women are treated equally (as opposed to half of men);   when considering heterosexual dating, a suggestion to “beware the man with no female friends” – as opposed to those people, male and female, who are wary of male-female interactions, a form of thinking that is antithetical to the expansive quality of great friendships (which may not be romantic, but are no less important for it – and this also illustrates the oppressive gender roles for men, sacrificing “emotional wholeness” to advance in the halls of power);   Australia will restore the ABS’ time use survey to measure unpaid and domestic work, which is disproportionately done by women;   criticism of an Australian tabloid for misrepresenting tweets to blame the victim of alleged sexual harassment;   “one of the west’s largest Buddhist organisations has admitted to sexual abuse by its teachers”;   an Oscar winning actress “gave an acceptance speech in which she placed her award on the floor in front of her and then asked every female nominee in the audience to stand up so that the “gatekeepers” in the room could see whom to contact about project ideas”, and also called for inclusion riders (clauses in A-lister contracts that stipulate diversity quotas for a film’s cast and crew);   the story of a young woman who escaped the sex slavery of violent extremists;   in my home state, an “Appeal Court judge has suggested experts in family violence could be used in criminal proceedings to help sentencing judges understand the effect of abusive relationships on criminals”;   a podcast series about the real life and inspirational stories of brave, adventurous and trailblazing Australian girls and women (like Nancy Wake the spy, Louise Sauvage the wheelchair athlete, and pioneer scientist Ruby Payne-Scott) – see also here;   “beneath the stereotypes of tattooed women”;
     -   on sexual harassment/misconduct this week: here, here, here;
     -   other sexism matters have also occurred in: Russia, airlines;
     on RELIGIOUS rights this week:
     -   religious rights / Islamophobia matters have also occurred in: Sri Lanka;
     on WORKERS’, PRIVACY, AGED, AND OTHER forms of human (and other – e.g., ANIMAL) rights this week:
     -   caring parents who were doing the best to care for their children despite being poor – leading to an unconventional life - have been charged;   why some diversity programs fail and others succeed;   a major oil company in Australia has been criticised by the Fair Work Ombudsman for widespread breaches (non-compliance rate of 76 per cent) of workplace laws;   “one in five chronically homeless people find themselves on the street after leaving psychiatric facilities and more than half have a psychotic illness”;   concerns over the number of people in aged care homes who are dying by suicide;   a boss has been jailed for the preventable death of a worker;
     -   other workers’, privacy, differently abled, animal, and other forms of human or other rights matters have also occurred in: Australia, Indonesia, South and Central America, Australia:
     -   opportunities to take action here;
• With regard to war, violence and hate generally:
     -   Australia’s biggest regular poetry slam has taken the unprecedented step of hiring security guards after a notorious misogynistic former Prime Minister described it as “Islamic political ranting”, leading online abuse;   the US state where a recent massacre of students occurred has adopted backward and several tiny, tentative measures on gun “control”, as the US Administration’s Education Secretary went to the school and dodged students;   after his wife was killed, a widower is angry over the senselessness of inaction on gun control reforms;   law enforcement experts say US authorities need a new approach to spotting and stopping would-be attackers – and information-sharing is key;
• With regard to peace and/or spirituality generally (including revolutionary love, 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):
     some excellent personal reflections on what is termed “suicidal ideation” (I particularly appreciate the thoughts on counsellors trying to make people happy with their lot in life, rather than trying to change it, which is a MAJOR flaw);   good suggestions on being gentle on oneself;   a seriously flawed – because it doesn’t even acknowledge polyamory - article taking the conventional line on why people have affairs;   a flawed article about money and happiness which fails to acknowledge the work by others showing that money contributes to happiness until key needs are met - it is the wealth above that which is often irrelevant (and health care should be equally accessible to all);
• With regard to natural and other catastrophes:
     -   aftershocks and landslides in PNG have killed at least 100 people, and the nation faces a long recovery;   storms in the USA have killed several people;   parts of the Caribbean still have displaced people and need recovery assistance, six months after Tropical Cyclone Irma;   airlines that have doubled prices for an area cut off by rain have been accused of price gouging;
• 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:
     -   laws in one Australian state that made land clearing easier have been ruled invalid by a court, and laws in another allowing clearing “likely to cause up to 3 megatonnes of CO₂-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions” are being challenged based on climate change impact;   water thieves on the Murray-Darling river system will be prosecuted, eight months after the ABC revealed the problem;   farmers and businesses aren't waiting for politicians to catch up with the reality of climate change - they're acting NOW;   “a Thai businessman caught poaching a rare black leopard plans to build a highway through a pristine forest in [burma] that is home to endangered leopards and connects two tiger sanctuaries”;   “Australia has 1,800 threatened species but has not listed critical habitat in 10 years”;   a major pesticide and herbicide manufacturer has been asked by a court to prove its products are safe (although I have concerns over some of these products, and the aggressiveness of such companies, what I have seen of the product at the centre of this case suggests it is safer than coffee … I could be wrong, of course);   the USA’s decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement has created serious problems for global efforts to tackle climate change;   Australia’s main opposition party has, after several backflips, settled on not investigating alleged doctoring of scientific reports to cancel a controversial coal mine’s licence if elected, although the mine is still “not supported”;   less than 50% of Australia’s original wilderness still exists, thanks to the colonialist view that development of land means eliminating native vegetation – a backward line of thought still plaguing properties, which are attempting to bully, shame and intimidate others into toeing the line by clearing madly;   plastic pollution is ruining Bali;   100 kg of ivory (including carvings) has been crushed;
     -   other environmental matters have occurred in: India, USA, Brazil, a clothing company (good news), Costa Rica, India, Iran, South and Central America;
     on technology and science matters this week:
     -   researchers have found that fake news circulates up to 20 times faster than factual content – and real users are more likely to spread it than bots;   a researcher who has developed drone technology to find survivors after a disaster is - unlike so many other such people - well aware that the technology can be used for evil;   whilst the great promise of self-driving cars is that they will save innumerable lives by removing the most fallible and unpredictable element from vehicle traffic (the human), some humans in one US city are attacking those cars (and other robots – although at least one has been removed in response to a backlash from residents and the homeless population who complained the robot was harassing them), causing several accidents (there are also valid concerns about humanity, human interactions, and the limited life experience/thinking behind some programming);   the problem of deep fakes;
     on economic and financial matters this week:
     -   an Alaskan shipyard is aiming to build a more productive team by developing ‘soft skills’ – meaning “even the manliest men” (to which I can only comment real men eat quiche) meditate each, daily stretching and socializing on the clock;   a New Zealand company is offering an annual cash bonus to employees who bike to work every day for at least six months, in a bid to energise staff and move the city away from a reliance on cars (good idea, but there are those who have valid reasons for not biking … );   “fly-in fly-out workers feel so-called golden handcuffs are keeping them trapped in high-paying jobs, despite the lifestyle causing feelings of disconnectedness with partners and families” (although I’m not in a FIFO job, I can relate to the “golden handcuffs”);
     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?):
     -   a Canadian city has declared 5% of homes empty and liable for new tax;   an opinion – flawed, in my view, as it fails to address size of houses - that younger, low-income households are bearing the brunt of a housing affordability crisis that is “largely caused by community opposition to development” (which I consider largely conventional economic thinking), and that “the reality is that most of the things that are going to make a really big difference … are politically really hard” (true!);   ”wealthy property investors [“sophisticated investors in the top 25 per cent of incomes”] should be excluded from making hefty tax deductions if negative gearing laws are overhauled”;   the problem of rental blacklists (some illegal);
     on health and medical this week:
     -   a private health insurer which recently cut benefits has watered down changes that would have seen patients only qualify for gap cover if treated in their approved facilities, following a backlash from doctors - who accused it of heading towards a US-style health system (see also here) - and consumers;   an antibiotic aimed at "superbugs" imitates their favourite treat: iron;   the surprising physicality of dying of a broken heart;   anxiety – which is not depression;
     -   other health and medical matters have occurred in: Australia;
     on other matters in the category this week:
     -   a woman abandoned a successful career in the city, aged 32, and embraced frugality to create a more meaningful life for her and her family in a homestead in the woods;   social workers have criticised a new policy in one Australian state that denies homes to those with a history of serious drug offences, saying it sets a “troubling precedent” that further marginalises people trying to leave their past behind them … but no comments about how other residents will be kept safe … ;   to raise resilient kids accept them as they are (girls, in particular, are taught in a million ways that they should please others, rather than honouring natural differences);   “why people hide behind angry, anonymous letters they send to their neighbours”;   an article on urban farmers;   “before the era of supermarkets, seasonal shopping and health buzzwords, our grandparents reduced food waste not because they wanted to, but because they had to”;
• 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 … ):
     -   despair that, after decades of providing outstanding drama, the ABC has, in the last decade of government underfunding and wobbly adaptation to the digitisation of the broadcast space, realised a prediction of a bleak future;
• With regard to education:
     -   concerns over education after a report shows no improvement in maths and reading among students in a decade and the results of disadvantaged students have declined sharply … but there are some bright spots (such as a mathematics program for ESL children, synthetic phonics, and mentoring for staff in literacy teaching);   after two cases in which the decision to remove students for serious behavioural issues were overturned (one an attempted murder), the appeals process for students expelled from schools in my home state will be overhauled;
     -   other education matters have occurred in: Cambodia (good news);
• With regard to crime, judicial matters and policing:
     -   medical experts have warned against the use of a common tranquilliser - safe in controlled circumstances - during the physical restraint of a prisoner;   an Australian casino may face disciplinary action (nominally potentially including the suspension of its licence by the gambling authority) after allegedly removing gambling options on some of its poker machines;
    -    other crime, judicial and policing matters have occurred in: Australia, Egypt.

Location based News:

• With regard to Africa, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (and other sources) has:
     on Africa generally:
     -   as Sierra Leone goes to the polls, the influence of China – which has been a close ally of the outgoing president – looms;
• With regard to South and Central America:
     -   “officials from 24 [South and Central American nations] have signed a legally binding environmental rights pact containing measures to protect land defenders”, almost two years after an infamous murder of a defender in her Honduran home;
     -   a drug gang suspect, who had been released for treatment, and his wife have been murdered in the hospital by members of a hyper violent cartel 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:
     -   events concerning China have occurred or are developing in: Sierra Leone, Australia;
     -   China has threatened Taiwan – with some claims about going to war – if the USA adopts a law promoting closer ties with the island;
     elsewhere in Asia:
     -   “if children can't get to lessons, a project in rural Cambodia is showing how lessons can be brought to them”;
     -   an Indonesian zoo infamous for mistreatment of animals is clearly not learning after a video emerged of one of its orangutans smoking;   Indonesia lacks legislation to prosecute Islamic State fighters returning from conflict;
     -   the Philippines President's “slurs against UN human rights activists suggest he needs to see a psychiatrist”;
     -   under the shadow of shared concerns about China, the USA and Viêt Nám are continuing to patch up their relationship ("disagreements over the harsh treatment of political and religious dissidents in Vietnam have not been allowed to interrupt this progression, and there is a remarkable absence of recriminations over the past");
• With regard to Europe and the European Union (EU) (which need to step up, as the USA steps down):
     -   the Italian elections have “certified the collapse of established parties” with a nationalist and xenophobic right wing party and a moderate centre-left party (an extraordinary example of new centrist populism) getting large numbers of votes … a change of government is likely, but who will form government – and how – is uncertain;  
• 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:
     -   a senior Russian MP has been accused by three female journalists of sexual harassment;
• With regard to South Asia (aka the Indian sub-continent), The Hindu and other sources have:
     on India:
     -   education in India is credited as being a key reason there has been a significant drop in the number of child marriages worldwide - which is good news, but more work needs to be done to stop this form of child abuse (see also here);   an Indian city is facing water and wastewater stress;   a wedding truck crash in India has killed 30 people;   the presence of leopards in an Indian city park appears to be saving lives, which may be because they keep the stray dog population under control;
     elsewhere in South Asia:
     -   menstrual cups are helping Nepal's girls and women avoid the deadly – and highly offensive – period of ritual isolation;
     -   Sri Lanka has declared a 10 day state of emergency after violent clashes - built on fake news, social media and xenophobia - erupted between majority Buddhists and members of the minority Muslim community – and shut down social media in an attempt to stop anti-Muslim violence continuing to spread;
• 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’s Prime Minister, enjoying being away from being investigated for corruption has been claiming that “darkness is descending” as Iran expands its sphere of influence in West Asia;
     on the conflict in Yemen:
     -   the UK will raise the disastrous Yemen war with the Saudi crown prince;
     on Syria (where the Assad Dictatorship has lost all pretence of legitimacy, and partition is needed):
     -   the Assad Dictatorship is continuing to make military gains in Ghouta;   the first aid convoy has reached Ghouta – but only after the Assad Dictatorship stripped it of all medical aid;   allegations that Russia has used unguided “dumb” bombs in Syria in a possible attempt to shift responsibility for possible war crimes and civilian deaths to Dictator Assad;
     elsewhere in the region:
     -   the human face of execution day (every Tuesday) in Egypt.

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.