Post No. 1,189 – Gnwmythr’s News Ed. No. 224

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:

Notes:

(1) I am NOT a journalist, and make NO claims to objectivity or freedom from bias.
(2) 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 March 2019), 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)   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 that person’s BPM Guides and giving those BPM Guides 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 that person’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);

(d)   the major events this week are:   -   as attraction to violence continues to be inadequately addressed, the risks of mass atrocities in   Yemen, Nigeria and Central African Republic, 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 all who put or keep them there;   -   and, specific to this week,     a continuing decline in civilisation and civic life, including the quality of life, aided and abetted by misuse of eloquence and rhetoric by the nonBPM, and the failure to BPM use eloquence and rhetoric by the BPM;     continuing xenophobic belief in “otherness”, a fear that there are limits to “warm strokes” and other positive energies, and insecurity leading to a sense of threat arising from difference;     hypocrisy and double standards;     psychopathic lack of sensitivity and empathy of too many bullies who have and wield power;     personal injuries leading to utter inhumanity;     some attempts to redress the balance of the accumulated evil of discrimination;     macho competitions of ego;     uncaring attempts by damaged and thus malfunctioning individuals to misuse power for their short term gain at others’ expense;     some moments of common sense and sanity;

(e)   BPM perspective be re-established, and all people be prepare to pause, take a breath and count to ten or whatever else they need to restore the capacity for civil discourse;

(f)   all BPM people find their BPM voice – whether oral or other;

(g)   the essential unifying nature of humanness – and life – be recognised, respected and revered;

(h)   those brave souls who do good be BPM protected, acknowledged and rewarded;

(i)   the nonBPM weight of history be BPM acknowledged countered, and reversed;

(j)   those who are afraid of lifting their character and reactions out of the smallness of their lives be brought into BPM contact with the Higher Self so that they can be reminded of their innermost, inherent greatness;

(k)   socialisation in all its manifest evil forms be totally, completely and utterly BPM undone and reversed;

(l)   those who feel their self-worth is dependent on having traditional roles have their consciousness BPM expanded;

(m)   those who are overwhelmed, exhausted or unhinged by the pressures of modern life, with its declining civilisation and civility, be BPM healed, restored and made well;

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 (see also here, here, and here) :     the entirety of this blog and all other spiritual work and physical activism I and many others do;     in a trend that no doubt is occurring elsewhere, Australians have four fewer friends than they did in the 1980s – a decline that parallels the decline in civic life and the rise in inequality;     an analysis highlights that the in USA, where almost 80% of workers live from paycheque to paycheque, wages dropped after the Republican government’s tax cut, and current economic circumstances (low unemployment yet low wages) don’t match any in history, has more of good (decent) jobs crisis than just a jobs crisis –and declining union membership may be the problem. This problem also has parallels in Australia, where incomes have stalled for nearly a decade, leading to families in crisis (and the richest 20% of households owning 62% of all wealth – and relief won’t happen until wages rise), and even neoliberals are criticising the tax cuts plan;     “amid the cacophony of [Voldemort II’s] chaos presidency, an alternative movement is building. [A socialist Democrat’s] stunning primary victory . . . serves as one marker. Another is the progress Bernie Sanders and his allies have made in winning the battle of ideas within the party. A third is the turn of movements such as Black Lives Matter from protest to program and building power. Last week, the Congressional Progressive Caucus. . . provided another, publishing the latest edition of ‘The People’s Budget: A Progressive Path Forward’ ”;     the problem of social pressure forcing women to become mothers;     Europe is having an argument about the ethics of turning away refugees – which is a practice that could cost Europe its humanitarian soul;
     on the Rohingya crisis and genocide this week:
     -   violent burma has a drug– the production and export (including to Rohingya who were displaced violently by burma) of which is only exceeded by Afghanistan – crisis;
     on other matters requiring particular attention:
     -   sadly, this week, I found nothing in the news Ukraine;
     -   growth hormones and sedatives – may be being used on girls in sexual slavery in India, as a survivor says the world is at a “tipping point” in the drive to end modern slavery as awareness increases and MUST target finances to thwart human trafficking networks;   a report by British MPs accuses the aid sector of being “guilty of ‘complacency verging on complicity over an ‘endemic’ sex abuse scandal” (see also this);
     -   “citing ‘1000 of years of deprivation’ suffered by Dalit communities, the government [has begun] its push for . . . ‘accelerated promotion with consequential seniority’ . . . in public employment”;
     -   after inflammatory tweets all round, the USA’s (racist, lying, dishonourable, autocratic, dangerous, obnoxious, and misogynistic) 45^th President “offered” to meet Iran's leaders with “no preconditions” at “any time they want” – which, unsurprisingly, they declined (on the basis that USA is not trustworthy and such a meeting would be humiliating . . . );     the USA’s attempts to bully other nations into not accepting Iranian oil has not been completely successful;
     -   North Korea appears to be building new ballistic missiles - despite recent warming ties with the USA . . . (SIGH – and the doubters are looking more and more correct) . . . ;
     -   as US intelligence confirms that Russia is still committing “pervasive meddling” in US elections, the USA’s racist, lying, dishonourable, autocratic, dangerous, obnoxious, and misogynistic 45^th President has now openly called for an end to the investigation into Russian influence;
     -   China has retaliated against the latest batch of US tariffs;
     -   a federal US judge has blocked the release of software that allows consumers to 3D-print firearms;
     -   Google, which started with the commitment to “do no evil”, will launch a censored version of its platform in China;    two women have been arrested for social media posts that invite violence against certain races;
     -   Japan is trying to manipulate the world into re-allowing commercial whaling;
       this week’s atrocity alert at R2P lists   Yemen, Nigeria and Central African Republic;
• With regard to democracy (which can be measured [as can goodness],     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:
     -   I’m often amazed at how hindsight show some people had insight: this week, I’ve been surprised (in the 2^nd episode of Ken Burns’ series) by how many Americans in Viêt Nám knew in the early 1960s that the US intervention was heading for disaster because of problems such as corruption, ineptness, and the re-run of the already failed programme that was relabelled “strategic hamlets”: how do we make sure such people are listened to? How do we make sure that acts that rely on a genuine democracy include and focus on measurement of the genuine state of that democracy?;     failure to perform proper maintenance led to a recent, major bushfire;     an examination of three neoliberal governments with regard to indigenous rights shows they “may be both enabling and constraining”;     “an overview of the corruption risks associated with public regulatory authorities”;     another examination (not the most clearly written) of CEOs and their pay suggests the problem is more social licence than scale of pay;     a call to “move debates beyond the confines of democratic ‘transitions’, ‘consolidation’, ‘recession’, or ‘backsliding’ ” to include “threshold state” (well argued, but I’m still thinking about the implications with regard to what will best cause long term, stable progress towards TRUE democracy – and in raising that, I also point out that I have serious concerns with the nature of “democracy” in the USA, which is inherently addicted to destructive capitalism and destroying social cohesion, fairness and equity [and the presidential election collage is a ludicrous farce);
     of concern internationally this week:
     -   as Chinese money changes one Cambodian town, after years of increasing authoritarianism and a lead up that included threats of civil war, arresting the main opposition, and bullying or bribing media, “former” Khmer Rouge member and now prime minister Hun Sen has claimed to have won all the seats in Cambodia’s parliament in an “election” which Australia - after sharing champagne with dictators over renewal of an already failed refugee resettlement deal - declined to observe, leading to Cambodia’s opposition calling for action by the international community;     despite violence and concerns about electoral problems, Zimbabwe’s current president – from the same background as the former despot – has claimed he won the recent election . . . (see also this pre-election analysis);     dissenters in Nicaragua are fleeing that nation to avoid being killed;     Canada is ignoring “the fact that ancestry does not always line up with nationality” and using – with highly arguable “consent: (how does a prisoner give true consent? Especially when five have died there . . . ) - DNA and ancestry sites (which have been used previously to find killers) to check the identity of “migrants”;
     of concern in Australia this week:
       as Australia continues to force people to choose to opt out of its online health records and unethically dismisses their concerns (in a week when one state government was found to have abandoned hundreds of sensitive medical files), data shows health service providers – and human error - are the cause of most data breaches . . . at least the neoliberal government is now belatedly saying it will introduce laws to restrict access without a warrant, but that still isn’t enough;     unbelievably, the leader of an Australian state opposition has revealed that, because he is in tax dispute with the USA, he cannot renounce his US citizenship!;     as complaints are made about the inept “management” of complaints of sexual harassment by an environmentally-focused political party, a former Australian sporting body employee says she was sacked for publicly criticising lawmakers over the state of abortion services in an Australian state (where it is legal, but no clinics are available), with her lawyer saying her job involved interaction with government on matters concerning cricket, and her (protected) political opinion was not relevant to that. There have been calls for an investigation of the sporting body, and the leader of Australia’s opposition party has said this shows the need for an anti-corruption body. In addition, this case shows the perils of “opinion (restriction) creep” and that employers with strong pronouncements about workforce gender diversity should reflect on the “gap between rhetoric and practice before reaching for their social media policy and eject button”;     the Australian Federal Police is reportedly ready to refer a tip-off (from a government Minister’s office) on raids on union officials to the DPP;     as the witness whose complaint launched an investigation is arrested and unnecessarily strip searched by police, the government of my home state has declined to have Ministers stand down who are investigation over a several years old rort scheme (for which the direct costs have been repaid, but not the indirect. There has also been a tit-for-tat counter-allegation);     a frustrated boss who sent an idiotic email that showed his lack of people skills has tried to backtrack;     a nursing home resident with dementia was given a $2,500 power bill . . . (what meter could they possibly have read> Why did this take so long and so much trauma to get resolved?);
     -   other concerning events have occurred or are developing in:   India,   South Africa,   China;
     in the grey/mixed [good and bad aspects] or neutral area this week:
     -   Malaysia's civil aviation chief has taken responsibility for air traffic control shortcomings during the MH370 disappearance and resigned;    recommendations for better “matching skills training with market needs”;     Australia – which will allow a Chinese naval ship to join part of exercises with the USA - has joined an undetailed push by the US and Japan to significantly boost infrastructure investment in the Indo-Pacific region, in competition with China “Belt and Road” initiative, as part of a broader effort to reassert their influence;     an indigenous challenge to a controversial coal mine in Australia has been lodged with the UN;
     good news this week includes:
     -   recent polling by a progressive think tank indicates that Universal Basic Income might not be so politically far-fetched in the USA;     an attempt to discredit “single payer” (i.e., universal coverage) healthcare in the USA found “the potential cost of the plan would still be [lower] than ‘potential savings associated with cutting provider payments and achieving lower drug costs’ ”;
     and democracy/governance/political matters in my home nation this week:
     on the Royal Commission into banks, and similar matters:
     -   as superannuation for Indigenous people is revealed to be inaccessible (remoteness is a significant part of the problem), the banks release a new code of conduct (this is only as good as its implementation, and that’s going to be difficult in an industry which has three decades of massive cultural problems);
     on other matters:
     -   another call for Australia to stop perpetuating its habit of obsequiousness to “great and powerful ‘friends’ ”, this time through the ANZUS treaty, of which “Australian leaders have almost universally exaggerated the importance of ANZUS mainly for domestic political reasons and have never explained its real limitations”;     an interesting analysis of the results of Australia’s recent by-election results – and an opinion that the results show “voters are angry, about politicians and their own lot in life” as the neoliberals “push on with big business tax cuts, despite internal disquiet”;     an assessment that – irrespective of its leader’s popularity or lack thereof – the opposition team (“with a long-term plan for a fairer Australia”) is likely to win the next election;     an examination of inequality in Australia;     a gambling authority’s licence has been renewed – despite concerns over how it handles problem gamblers;
• With regard to the USA (which has some … “unique” characteristics that don’t exist elsewhere in the world)    and their BULLYING 45^th President (who is dangerous – see here on actions for US residents [and the useful principles]) this week (I avoid using the 45^th US President’s name for psychic reasons – I may use either “the USA’s CEO” or “Voldemort II” as an alias; also, the US Vice-President is at least as bad):
     -   Voldemort II’s lawyer is continuing to make damaging comments – the latest being a claim that collision is not a crime . . . (there has been some very entertaining satire on this on US comedy shows);
     -   “the man accused of enabling . . . abuse of female staffers is now [the USA’s racist, lying, dishonourable, autocratic, dangerous, obnoxious, and misogynistic 45^th President] communications chief”;
• 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, and good old fashioned police work.     I don’t name groups to reduce their publicity):
     -   according to this Wikipedia page, there have been 2 attacks in Iraq,   14 attacks in Afghanistan,   and 3 attacks in Syria   (out of a total of 35),   including   Tajikistan (car attack on tourists),   the Philippines;     in addition:     violent extremist threats are or may be developing in   Africa;
     -   Indonesia has a school which is trying to rehabilitate the children of violent extremists;     a former sex slave of violent extremists wants others to know how appallingly abusive it was – and that thousands may still be trapped;
     -   concerns – even within the USA’s notorious TSA – that US air marshals are being misused (although the TSA’s concerns are over misuse of resources, rather than privacy violations) by reporting “suspicious behaviour” – using guidelines that would also pick up those afraid of flying, distressed because of other personal matters, etc;     statistics show that the Muslim community is being targeted by the UK’s “Prevent” programme;
     -   other violent extremist matters have also occurred in:   here - but see also here, here, here, and here;
• With regard to refugees (noting the New York Declaration) and people seeking asylum:
     -   as Australia’s refugee gulag system is found to have responsibility for  preventable  deaths, the notorious Home Affairs Minister is again forced by a court to allow a sick child into Australia, and the extent of medical neglect reaches its worst ever point (so far), the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners may work to accredit the medical services in the gulags to Australian standards - but ONLY if the government gives it full and free access to the centres offshore, and makes its audit public. In the meantime, mayors and councillors from 17 Victorian councils have called on the federal government to reverse its cuts to support payments for asylum seekers on bridging visas, which will potentially force thousands into destitution. Internationally, 500 detained fathers and sons who have been separated (something which is opposed by the daughter of, and advisor to, the USA’s 45^th President) for months – not the days they were told – and coerced into accepting deportation orders instead of being allowed to pursue justified asylum claims (as they wish to do) will go on strike, and the UK’s “hostile environment” policy is stopping international acts scheduled to perform in the UK entering - or even wanting to enter. Finally, in a win for the haters, the person who committed a violent extremist attack in Manchester has been revealed to have been rescued from Libya by the British navy – making him one of the very few (see here, here, here, and here) who do;
• 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]):
     -   the US film industry is not making noticeable (significant?) progress on diversity;
     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 trans teenager is “changing hearts and minds” in rural areas of my home state;     in a parallel to problems with compensation for child abuse, one Australian state’s attempt to strike out convictions related to homosexuality has come undone over the issue of criminal offences – which can be a direct result of the abuse they suffered, in some cases;     Qatar is censoring anything related to LGBT rights (a world sporting body that held its last world championship in homophobic Russia is continuing the trend y choosing Qatar – which is also abusing and killing foreign workers);
     -   other homophobic/transphobic (and heteronormativity / cisgender-normativity) matters have also occurred in:
     on white supremacist and other forms of RACISM / CULTURAL DISCRIMINATION and Indigenous matters generally this week:
     -   some Australian media are fanning racism;     the abuses and “brutal legacy” of a children’s home with a mission to “breed out the black” . . . ;     a director who has otherwise been good has had a 2^nd show cancelled over “cultural appropriation” (such decision are truly surprising – to say the least – in this day and age);     staggeringly racist assumption by some French people that Africa doesn’t have bookshops – or literacy . . . ;     black  science  fiction;     at the 25^th Garma Festival (where a friend of mine is volunteering – hi G), a former national Liberal Aboriginal Affairs Minister has said “Aboriginal people have been dealt a ‘cold slap in the face’ due to policy failures and the rejection of a referendum push”;
     on TRAFFICKING, and CHILDREN’s and associated human rights this week:
     -   a former slave is running for political office in Mauritania in order to fight for freedom;     North Korea, Eritrea and Burundi are estimated to have the world's highest rates of modern-day slavery;
     -   also on child abuse, particularly neochristian and other institutional, this week:   India,   India,   Afghanistan,   Colombia (child trafficking ring broken, and a new app);
     -   also on slavery / human trafficking this week:   Africa,   UK: failure despite law;
     -   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,   and,   this week,   Kenya,   Eritrea,   India,   West Bengal,   here,   against child so-called “marriage”;
     on SEXISM this week (keeping in mind the overblown influence given to testosterone):
     -   as “Me Too” grows in China (and another assessment is made of what it might progress to) and the first female president of the Australian Ecuadorian Association tries to get her community to open up about domestic violence, a seven year old girl gets New Zealand – a nation whose Prime Minister has just returned to work after giving birth in office - to change sexist road signs and gives survivor/victims hope with domestic violence legislation, and information is made available for parents on promoting gender equality and preventing domestic violence, an appallingly violent attack by a sexual harasser on a woman in France is leading to outcry and calls for banning street harassment (it was not a “slap”, as one writer referred to it when calling for such actions to be made hate crimes – slaps are assault, and women use them and should be charged when they do);     someone has finally pointed out that “guys” is a sexist term (with a moronic and uninformed reaction);
     -   on sexual harassment/misconduct/violence this week, see:   Brazil,   police,   police,   Morocco;
     -   other sexism matters have also occurred in:   disasters and crises,   Syria (good news);
     on RELIGIOUS rights this week:
     -   Denmark’s ban on the burqa has come into effect as it joins nine other European nations;
     on WORKERS’ rights this week:
     -   yet more concerns over PFAS – this time in airport  firefighters;     as details emerge of a new wage theft case, a call for the hospitality industry – which is still charging customer the same it was before penalty rates were removed (rip off!) - to fix its problems;     social isolation and discrimination are hindering injured workers return to work;
     on PRIVACY, AGED, DIFFERENTLY ABLED, AND OTHER forms of human (and other – e.g., ANIMAL) rights this week:
     -   an Australian state has substantially weakened its greyhound “rescue” programme;
• With regard to war, violence and hate generally:
     -   another article on Nigeria’s severe farmer-herder violence problem – and a similar problem is developing in northern Ghana;
• With regard to spirituality    and/or     psychism generally (including revolutionary love, survival after death, and good religion),     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):
     -   beginning with a Nelson Mandela quotation (“Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again”), a suggestion to approach life as a marathon, not a sprint;
• With regard to natural and other catastrophes:
     -   an earthquake in Indonesia has killed more than a dozen people and left many isolated by landslides (subsequently rescued);     fires in a US state have killed several people, including another firefighter and two children and their great-grandmother;     “the responsibility to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence in disasters and crises”;     thousands more have been evacuated from a US state’s continuing bushfire;
• With regard to overcrowding and “modern” lifestyle issues     (such as conflict  minerals,     environmental harm and child labour in smart phones,     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:
     -   another Australian state has declined to enter the Australian neoliberal government’s energy scheme (I heard someone from that scheme interviewed: the rep’s argument included a pathetic whine that if this isn’t agreed to, “what will we do?” In that event, the better states will CONTINUE with genuine and realistic schemes to reduce GHG emissions, rather than curtail their efforts back to the bone-headed standards set in this scheme);     unlike the dinosaurs in Australia’s neoliberal government, the UK has prepared a plan to deal with climate change;     strong criticism of a forestry department’s possibly illegal “trial” which puts an endangered species at further risk;     illegally felled timber in PNG is being laundered through China;     the world’s largest King Penguin colony has declined by 90% - from 2 million to 200,000 . . . ;    an Australian state government ignored warnings from its own independent panel that there was insufficient data to approve the expansion of a coalmine;    a call to reuse plastic more in order to take the pressure off recycling (I also buy drinks in glass, not plastic – i.e., buy least plastic possible, but, remembering all too well the problems we used to have with broken glass, can’t advocate for that as a widespread policy [unless we have refundable deposits]; we also compost);     the fight to end the waste in “fast fashion”;     the golf company owned by the USA’s 45^th President has destroyed 4,000 year old, protected sand dunes;     calls for farmers affected by a brutal drought to apply for the aid to which they are entitled (is there a systems failure here? Should the aid be automatic – or more effectively advised of?) - the army may help deliver relief supplies;     a recent controversial “deal” top give half a billion dollars to a small, little known organisation (whose founders are “wealthy businessmen and philanthropists with links to the resources industry, and one was a senior public servant in the [notorious] Bjelke-Petersen government”) involved politicians and no environment department advice (so it WAS a political deal only . . . ;     in an era when farmers attempt to intimidate anyone who doesn’t clear enough, a reminder that tree species can assist in water and soil management;     the shrinking Carteret Islands;
     on technology and science matters this week:
     -   a warning to read the fine print from a woman whose face is widely used;     some social media outlets will give users the option of setting time limits;     some of the moral dilemmas of advanced technology;
     on economic and financial matters this week:
     -   “low wages and an unstable workforce have destroyed the chance of most young people owning a house” – despite some minor recent falls in price;
     on health and medical this week:
     -   one woman’s experiences with perinatal mental health problems;     new approaches have been developed for treating borderline personality disorder (which is very poor name);     a call for all medical costs to be disclosed in advance of treatment (I’ve personally had problems because of this issue – which I consider perilously close to blackmail and/or deceptive conduct);     the problem of silence after suicide (I would add workplaces to those considered in the article);
• 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 … ):
     -   the publisher of a major US newspaper has met with the USA’s (racist, lying, dishonourable, autocratic, dangerous, obnoxious, and misogynistic) 45^th President to urge that he stops his criticised political (“working the referee”) strategy of bashing the media by calling it “the enemy of the people”;     last week’s media deal in Australia may lead to a cascade of other deals, with particular concern over the fate of regional newspapers;     stupid changes are robbing the ABC of its richness and uniqueness, leaving fear and turmoil;     concerns after a Maldives court cleared two men of the disappearance of a journalist;
     -   other media / freedom of expression matters have occurred in:   CAR;
• With regard to education:
     -   consultants have recommended putting both universities and TAFE (vocational) courses under Australia’s national government, which – despite the proposal for “an independent authority to determine the ‘appropriate price’ for teaching and set the maximum amount of student contributions that can be levied” – is a terrifying prospect under the current neoliberal hordes;     independent Australian schools have warned (using a double financial burden argument) the national (neoliberal) government against a special deal with religious schools (personally, I consider government should have nothing to do with financing the rabid bigots in neochristianity, who are actively spreading hate);     a concerning “experiment” in one Australian state allowing “teachers” without degrees (the best engineer I ever worked for had a diploma, not a degree, and I’ve seen many people in the community who can do similar work to engineers quite ably [and have taught some]: this trial or experiment MIGHT work, but teaching children requires an extensive knowledge, and I am concerned the trial will be assessed by those who are focused on business needs only or religious bigotry, and thus fail to appreciate the bigger picture);
• 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):
     -   New Zealand is trying treating its most violent prisoners in a way that humanises and may heal them, rather than as unredeemable human refuse;     the neochristian Catholic church’s “still  quite  misogynistic but promising” Pope has declared the death penalty unacceptable “in all cases”;     as one utterly incompetent police force shreds the complaints of a woman left suicidal by her rape, another police force has completely stuffed up a message on sexual assault;     more unconscionable strip searches – of a witness whose complaint launched an investigation!;     claims police took an arrested drug suspect sightseeing are being investigated;     a neochristian pastor has been arrested after allegedly detaining 400 followers in Fiji;
    -      other crime,   judicial and policing matters have occurred in:   Russia (torture).

Location based News:

• With regard to Africa, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (and other sources) has:
      on Africa generally:
     -   African nations are failing to dismantle human trafficking networks that are exploiting hundreds of thousands of people due to a lack of coordination;
     -   the problem of land degradation;
     on specific African nations:
     -   an examination of the problems in Angola;
     -   Russia has provided military advisors in the Central African Republic – where three Russian journalists were murdered recently;
     -   a new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo;     “an opposition leader and former rebel leader in the Democratic Republic of Congo has officially launched his bid for the [nation’s] presidency”;
     -   the use of torture at Somali drug rehabilitation clinic has been exposed;     counter-piracy operations off the Somali coast will continue;
     -   although understandable given effects of long history of apartheid, South Africa will push ahead with questioned and questionable, bad governance  and unwise – especially given what happened in Zimbabwe - plans to amend the constitution to allow land expropriation without compensation; (this is tit-for-tat vengeance, a very short term plan);
     -   donor fatigue is contributing to the neglect of the conflict in South Sudan (are donors also backing off too early after the peace agreement?);
• With regard to South and Central America:
     -   a call for Brazil to decriminalise abortion;
• With regard to mainland China (may her growing middle class bring a love of peace and freedom),     East and South East Asia     and     the Pacific     (and noting the risks of atrocities in North Korea and Burma):
     on increasingly totalitarian mainland China, and also 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:
     -   more cheap rip offs of other nations’ products are being sold by China (this is theft, pure and simple);
     -   other events concerning China have occurred or are developing in:   PNG (laundering illegal timber);
     -   other events concerning the DPRK have occurred or are developing in:   here;
     -   an epidemic of suicides from extreme overwork has led to the South Korean government trying to get workers to take things easier;
     elsewhere in Asia:
     -   the problem of a community stateless Koreans in Japan – a community which came from the pre-division nation of Choson;
     -   the fatal dam collapse in Laos - which also flooded parts of Cambodia – has led to warnings about unexploded bombs and revealed the government’s secretive agenda to sell off natural resources;
• With regard to Europe and the European Union (EU) (which need to step up, as the USA steps down):
     -   it is starting to appear that France’s President Macron may be another Kevin  Rudd . . . ;
• 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 to same (see also elsewhere):
     Russia:
     -   there has been an outcry in Russia  - where members of an activist group who were jailed for a protest during a recent major international sporting have been detained again as they were freed from prison - over a video showing “brutality” (i.e., torture) in a prison (I consider the claims that people didn’t know, in an increasingly authoritarian nation which has been criticised widely for its human rights abuses, ludicrous);
• 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):
     -   misogynistic violent extremists in Afghanistan claim to have talked to the USA about peace;     a nine year old girl who was the victim of child abuse (i.e., a child marriage) has been murdered by her so-called “husband”;
• With regard to South Asia (aka the Indian sub-continent), The Hindu and other sources have:
     -   “militants” have been killed in Kashmir;
     on India:
     -   India has effectively stripped four million people in the north-eastern state of Assam of their citizenship over bureaucratic demands for proof that the arrived before the creation of Bangladesh in 1971, leading to fears of persecution of ethnic minorities there and deferral of deportation out of fear of violence (shades of Australia’s decision to suddenly make overseas-born Australians to re-prove their citizenship);    the monsoon has killed scores of people in India (how many deaths and how much havoc amongst the Rohingya refugees?);     India's lower house of parliament has legislated the death penalty for anyone convicted of raping a child under 12 (sadly, I have doubts about whether this would be a deterrent – anywhere, but especially in a society with such poor detection and prosecution and victim blaming records as India);     an examination of the growing problem of lynching;
     on Pakistan:
     -   former cricket star Imran Khan’s party has – with the forbearance opf the military? - won Pakistan’s election;
• 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:
     -   the Palestinian girl who was jailed for slapping and kicking Israeli soldiers has been released (slapping is assault, but the response – and the initial provocation – was extreme and unacceptable);     Israeli forces have killed another Palestinian demonstrator;     after the election of the USA’s (racist, lying, dishonourable, autocratic, dangerous, obnoxious, and misogynistic) 45^th President, Israel’s illegal settlement building programme trebled;     the environmental meltdown in Gaza;     “an online textbook that says Holocaust victims did not “tap into their strength” is required reading at [a (particularly stupid) US] University”;     “a Palestinian man who saved the children of a West Bank rabbi  in the aftermath of the deadly terror attack in which the father was killed, has been told he has to return to the West Bank, despite threats on his life there”, after the Israeli military refused to renew his temporary residence permit;
     on the conflict and the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis in Yemen:
     -   at least sixty people have been killed by an airstrike in Yemen;     an attack on a hospital has exacerbated the risk of cholera spreading;     attacks on water facilities and other civilian infrastructure are war crimes;
     on Syria (where the Assad Dictatorship has lost all pretence of legitimacy, and partition is needed):
     -   a survivor of a gas attack y the Assad regime says “a miracle” will be needed to end the civil war;     Russia has made a poorly received request for US assistance in rebuilding Syria;     the first female leader of the council in the rebel-held region of rural Aleppo has been elected;
     elsewhere in the region:
     -   increasingly authoritarian, military-led Egypt has sentenced scores of people to future reincarnations of anger, pain and rage;
     -   the challenge of managing paramilitary groups in Iraq;     the decline and destruction of Basra’s once famed canals;
     -   South Korea has sent a warship to Libya – where violent extremists are regrouping in the desert - one month after a South Korean worker was taken hostage.

Other News:

• a friendly and enthusiastic stray young dog that finished a half marathon may find a home.

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 [see Psychic Weather Report]. 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.