Post No. 1,160 – Gnwmythr’s News Ed. No. 215

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

Information and Summary of News with Opinion / Advocacy / 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), more BPM Earth;
      mentally, more BPM Air;
      a plot of the elemental influences on a causal/spiritual level follows, and shows a need for more BPM Air;

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

(e)   dealing with the 45^th President of the USA 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 Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, South Sudan and Burundi, 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   courage has been shown in several places and ways;     clumsiness of words has shown the flaws of heart and mind and soul;     the rampant plague of self-justification has been at its work – ravishing hearts and minds and souls, and leading them despicable acts;     fear and insecurity has led to Orwellian crimes of interfering with speech, thought and truth;

(g)   may courage catch, and overcome the plague of fear;

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 (if I have any this week);

   opportunities/good news (in my opinion) are shown in green;

   comments (by me) 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, may we all exercise our human characteristics of reason, self discipline and improvement to overcome the often evil flaw of seeking social status;
• 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 and genocide this week:
     -   there has been a protest in burma’s capital against the war against another ethnic minority;     China has called for restraint and a ceasefire after fighting in northern burma killed three of its citizens;     the need for long term planning;
     on other matters requiring particular attention:
     -   the USA which “aspires to have North Korea as a “close partner” and not an enemy”, will “help North Korea boost its economy and living stands to levels like those in prosperous South Korea if it gives up its nuclear weapons”;     North Korea has cancelled talks with the South, and, following comments – which may have been misinterpreted (it is claimed the reference to Libya was about having an agreement, not about regime change . . . ) - by the USA’s new hawkish National Security Adviser, is threatening to pull out of talks with the USA – see also here, here, and here;
     -   Israeli troops have shot dead dozens of Palestinians (including five boys and one girl) on the Gaza border as the USA “opened its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem, a move that has fuelled Palestinian anger and drawn foreign criticism for undermining peace efforts” (the response by Israel – e.g., shooting a doctor from Canada - is violent, vile, and disproportionate [and undermines what Israel seeks to be], but the protests are NOT non-violent owing to the use of slingshots and Molotov cocktails– far less powerful than a military rifle, but it does not meet Gandhi’s requirements for non-violence: it is, however, human, and reflects both the effects of decades of suppression and powerlessness, and the absence of a modern Gandhi) - see this assessment of applicable international law and the actual violence on both sides (“intentional lethal use of firearms may only be made when strictly unavoidable in order to protect life” . . . “an attempt to approach or crossing or damaging the fence do not amount to a threat to life or serious injury and are not sufficient grounds for the use of live ammunition” . . . “this is also the case with regards to stones and Molotov cocktails being thrown from a distance at well-protected security forces located behind defensive positions”) - and as the UN’s top human rights body held a special session on “the deteriorating situation” which led to a decision to investigate possible war crimes, the prosecutor of the world’s permanent war crimes court expressed “grave concern”, and said alleged crimes could be investigated (and an Israeli military spokesman admits the killings have handed a public relations victory to Hamas);     criticism (e.g., “shame on you, this is like calling Trump’s lies ‘factual inaccuracies’. Please tell me an intern is running your Twitter feed”) of the failure of some reports and comments to make clear that the deaths of Palestinians in protests is as a result of being shot by Israeli soldiers;     an opinion that the USA’s “messaging” on Israel and Gaza is “Orwellian” - with history / background;     concerns over “a fundamentalist preacher” representing the USA “at the dedication of a new diplomatic building in a foreign country”;     examination of the “cycle of denial”;     there is a suggestion that Palestine could take Israel to the ICC over the killings;     a call for an international protection force for Palestinians –see also here;     a critique rebutting the claims of the 45^th US President that the move of the US Embassy to Jerusalem is about peace (it is actually about keeping campaign promises to his supporter base; also, the 45^th President’s son-in-law and his lawyer Jason Greenblatt “concluded that shaking up the status quo could help their efforts by giving the Palestinians a dose of reality . . . They also thought the Palestinians would eventually rally and resume contact after their initial shock and anger . . .So far they have not”);     accusations that Israel’s Prime Minister has “dangerously aligned his government with conservative, evangelical factions of the US Republican Party”;     “angry exchanges between Israeli and Palestinian envoys at the UN . . . over [the] deadly violence in Gaza”;     Israel’s most racist soccer club has renamed itself after the USA’s 45^th President;     on this, see also here, here, here, here, and here;
     -   Europe is considering measures to enable it to continue its part of the Iran P5+1 nuclear deal (including banning European firms from complying with the US sanctions) after the USA withdrew, and refuses to be blackmailed – although Germany is showing signs of cold feet;     the USA’s hawkish National Security Advisor may be pushing a regime change plan that was abandoned under a previous administration;     Iran will wait for Europe before deciding whether to stay or leave;
     -   China is reported to have put tens or hundreds of thousands of Muslims – and possibly some foreigners – from Xinjiang (where officials have been compelling families to allow officials to intrude into and observe their home life) into re-education camps;     China has sent nuclear-capable bombers to the disputed islands in the South China Sea;
     -   a film “based on the true story of Iraqi women who took up arms against [violent extremists] after escaping enslavement” (apparently, the extremists “believe if they are killed by a woman, they will not go to heaven as a martyr”);
     -   here it comes: a challenge to Russia’s “democracy” in the form of allowing a third consecutive Presidential term . . . (the current Russian President was president for two terms commencing in 2000 [after being Prime Minister from 1999], Prime Minister again from 2008 to 2012 –at which date when he started the current streak, just being elected for his fourth, but second consecutive, term);
     -   a breach of diplomatic protocol after “tense deliberations” between the USA and Australia, Australia allowed its former ambassador to the UK to take part in a “highly unusual” meeting with FBI agents in 2016 to share evidence about Russian meddling in the US presidential election campaign;
     -   in the first quarter of 2018, one social media platform closed half a billion fake accounts, ad “moderated 2.5 [million] pieces of hate speech, 1.9 [million] pieces of terrorist propaganda, 3.4 [million] pieces of graphic violence and 21 [million] pieces of content featuring adult nudity and sexual activity”;
       this week’s atrocity alert at R2P lists Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, South Sudan and Burundi;
• 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, research and commentary this week include:
     -   evidence from the 1960s and 1970s Negative Income Tax trials in North America supports assertions that a universal basic income will NOT “disincentivise” work – rather, “it should be seen as a rightful share of society's wealth” – see also here;     a report supporting “a need” for “a risk-informed and coherent approach” to climate change, migration and displacement (I’ve only read the Executive Summary so far, and it seems reasonable BUT I am concerned this could become an inadvertent delaying exercise, rather than people taking good decisions now for clear, if inadequately measured needs – the risk is a bit like not sending any firefighting units to a major fire until you’ve mapped how many are going to be needed: you should send what you can while you work out how many more are going to be needed);     an examination of “new power” – i.e., social media and connectivity (this needs to understand the social drive has always been there – hence Amnesty International, a host of organisations, and “people power”: we just now have better tools to unleash that and give it more effective influence against those in power) - also a book;     according to the little-known discipline of “cliodynamics”, which – to simplify – “plots historical events by a series of mathematical measures” (the example given in the article is “elite overproduction”, or times when there are too many extremely rich people for the positions of power that they typically occupy - resulting some going rogue and buying themselves into power [e.g., the USA’s 45^th President), there have been “spikes of rage” roughly every 50 years (1870, 1920, 1970 – “you have to allow a little wiggle room to take in the first world war and 1968” [and what about World War Two?]), but these include civil rights, union and suffragette movements . . . the article also refers to 40 to 60 year “Kondratiev wave” cycles, but the most useful comment – urging caution about the cycle type of thinking - was that the “slash-and-burn rage of the present political climate is made possible only by wilfully forgetting the past”, although the opinion that “societies in general are violent and hierarchical places” is countered by Steven Pinker’s “The Better Angels of Our Nature” (I’m surprised none of the journalists challenged them on this);    an examination of social mobility in the USA;     the UN has called for member nations to use all tools available, and to properly respect decisions of the International Court of Justice;
     of concern this week:
     -   an Italian tribunal has lifted a ban on a notorious  former Prime Minister from holding public office;     as a damning report by the Ombudsperson finds NDIS complaints ignored for months is released, one example of the frustration and delays as a family grapples with caring for father with rare form of dementia – and others here and here, and an activist site here (this scheme was one of the most popular initiatives that has been proposed in Australia for decades – clearly, the wish of Australians was for people affected by disabilities and their families to have a better, easier way of living, not just surviving. And yet, it has been in many ways, stuffed up after the neoliberals starting cutting back. Shame!);     the UK is trying to hide its links to the former Libyan dictator;     details have emerged of an alleged money laundering case involving former South Sudanese military general through his welfare dependent son who wound up with an expensive house in his name;     another multinational company has cowered to China's bullying over its territorial claims over places such as Taiwan;     a reminder that politics is a blood sport – and it needs to change!;     replacing flammable cladding on government buildings in one Australian state will cost tens of millions (how did we get to this situation?);     Australian on-line health records opt-out dates have been announced amid security concerns;     in an unprecedented move, Australia’s neoliberal government wants to give police the power to carry out identity checks without cause at the nation's airports - in addition, “new body scanners, similar to those used in international airports, would also be rolled out at domestic and large regional airports despite privacy concerns” (how are they going to prevent racist etc bias in implementation?);     two year delays in home aged care packages, “delays that advocates have labelled “unacceptable” ”;
     -   other concerning events have occurred or are developing in: Spain, China, China (re-education camps), Australia (suppression of truth, falsification of data used for historical research), Burundi,;
     good news this week includes:
     -   testimony to a US Congress committee on “protecting civil society, faith - based actors, and political speech in sub - Saharan Africa" (and video);     the UK has cracked down on pokies;
     on development (in an “end poverty/thirst/hunger” sense – and being mindful of “intimate activism”):
     -   “another year in education and an extra kilometre of road for every 1,000 people could dramatically improve communities' ability to withstand food crises”;     “a shift in thinking is needed to channel more funding to places where a lack of clean, reliable power is putting babies in danger and holding people back” – see also here;   the UN and World Bank will cooperate in finding financial and other necessary resources to help countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and harness data to improve development outcomes;
     and democracy/governance/political matters in my home nation this week:
     on the Royal Commission into banks, and similar matters:
     -   despite the horrors exposed by the royal commission into banking, annual auditing requirements of self-managed super funds will be reduced . . . ;
     on other matters:
     -   anger in Australia’s neoliberal party after the small number of women was reduced by the planned replacement of an assistant minister at the next election by a male . . . and then there is the growing problem of neochristian influence;     the timing of Australia’s High Court's dual citizenship decision shows it is uninfluenced by any political ramifications (which I consider good);    alleged price gouging by power companies;     some pensioners are “retiring overseas because they can't afford Australia”;     the continuing problem of not supporting Australian innovation;     the latest trial of the cashless welfare card has caused participants “horrible” financial stress (including no longer being able to meet loan repayments) and greatly reduced their independence;     blackmail charges brought against construction union bosses after the neoliberal government’s Royal Commission into the construction industry have been dropped;     following a media investigation into allegations that the Australian Tax Office  has inappropriately used garnishee notices to recover debt, leaving some taxpayers financially ruined by unfair and harsh action, the inspector-general of taxation has announced an investigation;     to “address” Australia’s dual citizenship fiasco without a referendum, candidates will have to disclose the birthplace and citizenship of themselves, their parents and grandparents before the next federal election;     to save about $5.2 million, the Australian government plans to cancel the disability support pension for thousands of prisoners, regardless of whether they’ve been found guilty or not - risking them immediately falling into homelessness, destitution and recidivism after release;
• With regard to the USA and their 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):
     -   more on the concerns around the new CIA Director – see also here;
     -   a questioning, based on decades of business dealings, of claims by the USA’s 45^th President that he has not made deals with Russia;     despite all his rantings about trade wars, the USA’s 45^th President “has pledged to help ZTE Corp ‘get back into business, fast’ after a US ban crippled the Chinese technology company” (where do I begin to comment on that . . . ;
     -   a fact check has rebutted claims by the notoriously bigoted US vice president that the USA is more religious;
     -   the crazy system of combining separate issues into one bill, combined with continuing deferment of an unrelated issue, led to a farm “safety net” and Supplemental Nutrition Program being rejected;
     -   a conservative news anchor (described as hard working despite a degenerative illness) on a pro-US President news network has challenged the 45^th US President for giving the media so much ammunition – such as his latest madcap suggestion that the FBI “infiltrated” his election campaign . . . ;
     -   an opinion that the current US administration is conducting an Orwellian attack on language and government documents;
• 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):
     -   according to this Wikipedia page, there have been 4 attacks in Iraq, 4 attacks in Afghanistan, and 2 attacks in Syria (out of a total of 23);     and (Note: there are many others that don’t reach the media I read) have occurred this week against violent extremists in: Egypt (Sinai), Africa’s Lake Chad region;    new suicide attack tactics in Nigeria;
     -   in an indication of the difficulty balancing prevention and being reasonable, a recent violent extremist knife attacker was “on police radar for radicalism”;     the US FBI is “pursuing 1,000 investigations into suspected ‘lone wolf’ militants and another 1,000 into ‘domestic terrorists’ ”;
     -   other violent extremist matters have also occurred in:   Indonesia,   Indonesia;
• With regard to refugees (noting the New York Declaration) and people seeking asylum:
     -   the particular abuse of LGBT refugees in Australia’s refugee gulags – sometimes at the hands of locals or local governments – and the cover up of sexual assaults;     athletes from Cameroon, Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana, and Sierra Leone who went missing during a recent sporting event in Australia are understood to have applied for asylum or are seeking advice on how to do so (sadly, that is probably the one category that gets around Australia’s hate);
• 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):
     -   “many young gay and lesbian people are too afraid to report hate crimes to Victoria Police because they are worried they will face further discrimination at the hands of the force” – responses being considered include “diversity training for new recruits and existing staff (I thought this was already done!), a stronger police presence at LGBTI events and an urgent review of Victoria Police's policies and programs”;     “the latest tiring attempt at inclusivity without any big screen proof”;     Australian LGBT organisations have been urged by veterans of the successful Dutch campaign for marriage equality to focus their efforts on achieving social acceptance through better gender and sexuality education (contains statistics from the Netherlands on the value of this);     Victorian practitioners of so-called “gay conversion therapy” could face prosecution;     on IDAHOBIT, a call to reflect on the impact negative reporting has on trans kids - almost half of whom attempt suicide;
     -   other homophobic/transphobic (and heteronormativity / cisgender-normativity) matters have also occurred in: Australia’s refugee gulags/PNG, Ukraine, Uganda, Lebanon;
     on white supremacist and other forms of RACISM / CULTURAL DISCRIMINATION and Indigenous matters generally this week:
     -   the history of slavery (called “blackbirding”) in Australia includes forcing pregnant women to dive for pearls because they can dive longer as a result of the higher amount of oxygen in their blood;     strong Indigenous criticism of an idea to police the authenticity of Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander art on the basis that the suggestion is “steeped in institutional racism”;     criticism of a local Council proposal to mandate the prominent use of English on shop signs;     how indigenous paths shaped one Australian city;     unbelievably in this day and age (“Aboriginal is a commonly-used term by governments around Australia, with several states boasting ministers for Aboriginal affairs”), a bureaucrat has deemed that the use of the term “Aboriginal” may be regarded as offensive and redacted it from birth, death and marriage certificates – creating a suppression of truth, falsification of data used for historical research, and devastation for individuals;     a red-carpet anti-racism protest, and sixteen female performers have also released a book titled “Being Black is Not My Job”;     “the arc of history that connects lynching’s past to policing’s present runs through the bodies of black unarmed men, women, and children”;
     -   other white supremacy / racism problems have also occurred in: Mexico;
     on TRAFFICKING, and CHILDREN’s and associated human rights this week:
     -   a video showing the slavery in goods bought in the West;     “children are being coerced and blackmailed into live-streaming their own sexual abuse from their own homes”;     free legal help for the victims of trafficking in Canada;     after meeting with and thanking the pope for his "brotherly correction”, all of Chile’s bishops have (belatedly?) offered to resign in response to the child abuse cover up scandal (why just offer? Why not resign?);     artwork of rescued children in India and Senegal;     US executives will help to grow the businesses of 21 entrepreneurs helping migrants, refugees and trafficking survivors;     “the UK government is being accused of “catastrophic failure” after admitting that a trafficked Vietnamese boy was sexually assaulted while being illegally detained”;
     -   also on slavery / human trafficking this week: UK construction industry, Chile, Cameroon, Saudi Arabia / Bangladesh;
     -   opportunities to take action here, here (which I found difficult – eyesight’s not so good these days, and there’s only so much zoom), here (great links to useful information), here (perhaps not so useful for casual, infrequent shoppers like me), here (tremendous to see others acknowledged – and I stunned how many organisations are close by, here, here (if you are inclined towards creativity), here (includes donation request for those who can), here, here, here, here, here, and here;
     on SEXISM this week (keeping in mind the overblown influence given to testosterone):
     -   the despair and wish they had done more of parents who lost their daughter to a domestic violence murder;     a misogynistic New Zealand MP is showing their cowardice by hiding;     a call for male actors to take pay cuts to achieve gender equality in the industry;     an examination of the impact of the “Me Too” movement;     compensation to gymnasts who were abused by the now-former team doctor;     one women is helping people find female tradies;     male victims of rape are beginning to feel they would be believed, but about 96% of offences are estimated to go unreported - the CEO of a male rape and sexual abuse charity said: “we do know of men who come forward and they just meet comments like 'men can't get raped, they can't be sexually abused' and are treated with disbelief that it is even a thing that happens to men”;
     -   other sexism matters have also occurred in: Australia, Saudi Arabia, China, Iraq, India;
     on WORKERS’ rights this week:
     -   the staggering problem of unpaid superannuation;     more on wage theft – including from a small business owner;
     on PRIVACY, AGED, DIFFERENTLY ABLED, AND OTHER forms of human (and other – e.g., ANIMAL) rights this week:
     -   sign language classes are taking off in regional areas of Australia;     support for assisted dying from the grandson of someone who used that recently;     a report has urged that most former research chimps should move to retirement sanctuaries;     limited measures to improve conditions for sheep on live export ships to West Asia have been announced (directors of companies who break the new rules will face up to 10 years in prison), but the trade will continue, despite recommendations (which animal welfare groups say have been misunderstood) to stop during the northern hemisphere’s summer;     privacy concerns about drones;
     -   other privacy, differently abled, animal, and other forms of human or other rights matters have also occurred in: Australia, Australia, The Gambia, digital rights, Google:
     on ANIMALS’ rights this week:
     -   a “grandmother in England was "very shocked" to discover a pony (now with animal welfare) left in her backyard, after her granddaughter responded to an advertisement on the internet”;
• With regard to war, violence and hate generally:
     -   yet  another mass murder by guns in a US school;     discussion on gun ownership laws the suspected murder-suicide of a family of seven in Australia shows “far fewer people now have a gun in their home but some people have a lot more guns”, and “the rate of gun-related crime had been ‘trending downwards since before 1996, but the rate of decline doubled after the law changes’ ”, and led to a call for regulation efforts to focus on the illegal market rather than licensed shooters;     a Red Cross app;
• With regard to natural and other catastrophes:
     -   the volcanic eruption in Hawaii is continuing - see also here;     the USA has stopped work on restoration of the power system in its imperial possession Puerto Rica before all power was restored;     a plane crash in Cuba has killed over 100 people;
• 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:
     -   more of the environmentally sensitive Great Australian Bight will be opened to gas and oil exploration;     concerns that a planned mine could “dry up” local creeks and a river;     fishing nets that have been killing platypuses have been taken off sale;     the shooting of a protected crocodile is being investigated;     illegal market demand is fuelling a growth in smuggling of Australian native animals;     with serious declines of freshwater supplies in 19 global hotspots due to overuse, NASA has warned that water shortages will be the key environmental challenge of this century;     “my daughter is right: our generation is wrecking the world for hers”;     a sharp and mysterious rise in emissions of a key ozone-destroying chemical has been detected from East Asia, despite its production being banned around the world;    “when we're adapting to climate change, we're not adapting to a new stable state, we're adapting to uncertainty”;     solar energy could reduce water consumption in northern Africa and West Asia;     climate change insurance policies may be developed for those who rely on the oceans;     could climate change cause more refugees than wars?;
     on technology and science matters this week:
     -   a mobile phone vulnerability allowing disclosure of location without consent was investigated and has now been “resolved”;     a social media network will make “disruptive” communications that “distort the conversation” less visible;     Google has refused to allow its privacy claims for a new tracking technique to be tested;     “digital rights are inherent human rights [and] must be fought for, solidified into social normality and ultimately protected and upheld if we are to maintain our humanity in digital spaces”;
     on economic and financial matters this week:
     -   the fitness centre boom might be coming to an end (good – I consider it has generally been more rip off than benefit, particularly as it stops people thinking and taking responsibility for their fitness) as a result of factors such as market saturation;
     on health and medical this week:
     -   concern about sugar is leading to an increasing demand for low-sugar products;     the evidence around the impact of hot weather;     parents buying teenagers alcohol with a public meal will be banned in my home state;     a study reveals that physically strenuous work kills men, contrary to (a naïve, in my view – and they didn't consider issue of lack of control over one's work: they should have checked research on heart attacks) expectation that physical exercise always improves longevity (there are other clumsy references to poverty which verge on victim blaming, and comments about factors such as sun or chemical exposure which fail to consider improved OHS requirements over the last couple of decades);     the problem of digital self-harm (for attention);
     on other matters in the category this week:
     -   another disturbing road rage incident (when are issues such as overcrowding and other life pressures going to be recognised as contributing to such incidents?);     a rebuttal of myths around being a foster carer;
• 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 … ):
     -   media / freedom of expression matters have occurred in: Mexico, China, USA;
• With regard to crime, judicial matters and policing (noting that an uncle of mine resigned when corruption was not comprehensively cleaned out of the police force he served in, I also have high expectations of police [to match their powers], and consider all violence, abuse of power and failure to understand the impacts of their actions [e.g., see here and here] by police – who are under incredible pressure –is, nevertheless, undermining and weakening all police and what they are trying to achieve):
     -   two more teenagers have been charged over a violent attack on boy with autism who was trying to defend his mother;     a police officer who was convicted and jailed for killing his baby son has not yet been sacked;     criticism of US police for having a “no snitch” culture that undermines accountability for their extreme powers and fails to match the reality of “snitching” in coloured communities;     a loophole in US laws has allowed non-police to get away with abuses of power under police perks;     police are calling for legal reforms to pave the way for the use of high-tech cameras to photograph and fine drivers using mobile phones (and they should also be detecting tailgaters!);     “despite bias and bigotry, the jury system can still deliver justice”;   laws are being tightened in my home state after two drug addicted people escaped jail despite assaulting ambulance officers;     the “gross human rights violations, including ‘psychological pressure’, with agents often using torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment’ ” associated with dictatorship Belarus’ secretive death penalty;     a report on how to make community corrections orders work;     “the arc of history that connects lynching’s past to policing’s present runs through the bodies of black unarmed men, women, and children”.

Location based News:

• With regard to Africa, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (and other sources) has:
     -   more than 20 people have been killed in violence in Burundi, which is still in crisis over its President’s desire to stay in power;
     -   violence is driving people out of the Central African Republic;
     -   Congo and the UN are acting against the recent Ebola outbreak, which has reached a city, and been escalated by the WHO – see also here;     another article on the kidnappings and killings being committed in a DRC national park;
     -   a “Ghanaian man is leading a campaign to bring The Gambia's former leader . . . to justice over the murder of 56 migrants who were mistaken for coup plotters”;
     -   embarrassing “bloody clashes between police and military in Ghana’s northern region [have] been condemned by the Police Service and the Armed Forces”;
     -   continuing political crisis in Guinea;
     -   biometric registration is being trialled to address the farmers/herdsmen crisis in Nigeria . . . ;
     -   “dozens of people have been killed in clashes between troops of Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland and its semi-autonomous region of Puntland”;
     -   more UN peacekeepers in South Sudan;
     -   growing pressure on Sudan to pardon a 19-year-old girl sentenced to death after she killed her husband as he tried to rape her on the basis that she is a victim of child marriage and acted in self-defence – see also here;
     -   China will help Uganda build nuclear power plants;
• With regard to South and Central America:
     -   the struggle for dignity for the descendants of slaves in Brazil;
     -   a warning of a ‘deteriorating climate’ for human rights defenders in Guatemala
     -   more murders of journalists in Mexico;     indigenous peoples in Mexico have recovered their native languages;
     -   an opinion that long  suffering Venezuela will soon see regime change;     a political prison in Venezuela has been seized by inmates after alleged torture;     growing disillusionment in the army;     accusations that Venezuela’s President and a key official have profiteered from drug trafficking;     the coming elections;
• 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):
     -   despite East Asian nations being amongst the most dangerous in the world for human rights activists, five courageous women are flouting traditional gender roles, and have suffered everything from solitary confinement to psychological torture as a result of their work;
     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:
     -   (see the “particular attention section);     schools for people who actually want to become internet celebrities . . . ;     on the 10^th anniversary of the devastating 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Chinese authorities have cracked down on unauthorised memorials for the event to suppress anything which didn’t focus on the nation's restoration achievements (“in order to maintain social stability”) – and censorship strikes another blow against truth and good/effective governance;
     elsewhere in Asia:
     -   suicide attacks in Indonesia by family groups on churches, which killed 13 people, and a police station are being investigated - see also here;     there has also been an attack using swords on police;
     -   “Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim has been freed from jail, saying the opposition's election victory was “a new dawn” for Malaysia” – see also this also positive assessment;     Malaysian police have searched the home of the former Prime Minister (no details are given, but this is presumably in connection with the ongoing corruption scandal);
     and in the Pacific:
     -   Nauru is believed to have recognised small breakaway republics, otherwise internationally not recognised as they are considered to have been seized by Russia from Georgia, for the net financial gain;
• With regard to Europe and the European Union (EU) (which need to step up, as the USA steps down):
     -   social media has minimised the impact of France’s rail strikes (on two days out of five) - except for people with fixed working hours and low wages who have no choice – and there are no warnings from business of collapsing profits;
     -   the Catalan parliament has “voted in a hardline separatist as leader, heralding an end to seven months of direct rule from Madrid but also more political uncertainty in a region that retains a mandate to seek a split from Spain”;
• With regard to the (forgotten or ignored and underreported) conflicts in Ukraine, particularly in the east:
     -   the “toxic consequences” of the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine;
• 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:
     -   an imminent international sports event will take place during the worst human rights crisis in Russia since the Soviet era;
• 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):
     -   fears violent extremists will capture a western Afghanistan city – and attacks in the east;     eight people have been killed in explosions in stadiums in Afghanistan;
• With regard to South Asia (aka the Indian sub-continent), The Hindu and other sources have:
     -   tensions between India and Pakistan over an Indian hydropower dam that Pakistan says will disrupt water supplies;
     on India:
     -   slum dwellers in India will receive land rights;     Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist BJP is continuing to expand its political footprint relentlessly;     “a plan by Mumbai authorities to develop protected coastal land now used for making salt could cause severe flooding in the congested city”;     the continuing problem of arsenic poisoned water supplies;     “reclaim the night” in India;
     on Pakistan:
     -   digital attackers attempting to install malware on an activist’s computer and phone have been tracked people linked to Pakistan’s army, with the activist “convinced these are intelligence agencies... They try to harass people and force them to leave the country”;
• 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 Syria (where the Assad Dictatorship has lost all pretence of legitimacy, and partition is needed):
     -   the USA may be cutting its assistance from north west Syria;
     elsewhere in the region:
     -   in Egypt “more than 300 political prisoners and inmates suffering health issues [have been] released . . . in time for Ramadan”;
     -   a former militia leader who is anti-USA and anti-Iran, and connected to human rights abuses by splinter groups from his militia (which he was able to later to stop, despite claims he had nothing to do with it . . . ) won the Iraqi elections (how genuine is his change, given past possible dishonesty?) - see also here;     “women standing for election in Iraq have faced an unprecedented deluge of abuse and intimidation - including the publication of sex tapes - to scare them away from politics”;
     -   a vertical farm in the United Arab Emirates;
     -   a call for the USA to oppose Saudi Arabia’s comments about obtaining nuclear weapons.

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.