Post No. 1,192 – Gnwmythr’s News Ed. No. 225

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   Afghanistan, South Sudan and Yemen, 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,     some belated righting of neoliberal wrongs, together with the evidence of need for more righting (including a trap of capitalistic bias) and how to do so;     splits in the behemoth of insensitivity around the leader I refer to as “Voldemort II”;     dishonesty under the excuse of “saving face”;     continuation of the building climate change crisis;    insensitive, unjustifiable and inept implementation of bureaucracy – particularly under the guise of “security theatre”;     bullying and macho bravado BS – noticeably in the political world;     the need for more responsible journalism that doesn’t feed the haters;

(e)   determination to be balanced and a fulcrum of balanced positivity (what others approximate with “be and do ‘good’”);

(f)   continued efforts to change those who are unbalanced - and those around them;

(g)   clear, broad perspective and long term thinking combined with empathy / compassion / agape-type love;

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;     a questioning of why employers are allowed to increasingly police their employees private lives;     as welfare agency staff are finally boosted (although one of the companies is an extremely controversial and concerning one), the personal experience of someone on the receiving end of the distressing, forbidding and dehumanising language (“here was the then minister for human services [whose daily travel allowance exceeded what this person had to survive on for a week] who had ultimate power over Centrelink policy, saying the payment I used to eat and pay rent was as bad for me as weedkiller and DDT. The payment I used to stop being homeless was apparently making my life worse. My ability to eat and use electricity was seen as toxic and harmful by this man who seemed to resent my payment” . . . “the politicians point to you and say it’s your fault you can’t go any higher. There is no ‘obligation’, it seems, to treat clients with respect and dignity, or to even follow the legislation”) used against welfare recipients. Also, the Finnish basic income trial led to no monetary changes, but transformative psychological benefits as a result of no longer having to deal with a “benefits system fraught with complicated forms, mandatory courses and pointless obligations”;     as the parents of the USA’s First Lady (belatedly?) become US citizens, celebrities have launched a coordinated campaign urging the daughter of the USA’s 45^th President to speak out against the effects of the administration’s family separation policy and to call for the resignation of the person implementing it;     a study on anxiety fell into the trap of accepting the capitalist premise that people “need” to be productive, constantly active and to measure their self-worth by our output – but it is important to take time out, and the burgeoning anxiety industry is selling a lie “that we all, individually, have the power to fix our problems” when “it would be bizarre if most of us, particularly millennials, weren’t anxious: inequality is skyrocketing, the job market is becoming more precarious and house prices are increasingly out of reach”;
     on the Rohingya crisis and genocide this week:
     -   “cracks in the official line” (i.e., blatant lies are revealed) as allegedly repatriated Rohingya are found to never have left burma;
     on other matters requiring particular attention:
     -   sadly, this week, I found nothing in the news on Afghanistan   or   Ukraine;
     -   as the world could face a “hothouse” climate and trigger further warming — even when all human emissions cease, the Caribbean nations are begging the USA’s (racist, lying, dishonourable, autocratic, dangerous, obnoxious, and misogynistic) 45^th President to grasp the climate change threat, saying “war has come to us”;
     -   in a week when an 84 year old woman’s handbag was stolen when some inept “security” officers took her to be “frisked” (why aren’t the threats to call police if a mysterious form isn’t signed regarded as coercion?) and didn’t watch her property, leading to advocacy groups calling for the “undignified” treatment of the elderly and disabled to be stopped, more abuse of those who have deviated from the hetero-nuclear norm under the excuse of airport “security” (i.e., security theatre);
     -   the EU is on a collision course with the USA after the EU’s foreign policy chief called for Europeans to increase their business dealings with Iran in defiance of bellicose statements from the USA’s (racist, lying, dishonourable, autocratic, dangerous, obnoxious, and misogynistic) 45^th President (aka Voldemort II) - see also this opinion that sanctions strengthen hardliners in Iran (I’m always a bit wary of such arguments: they may be true, or they may be just another manifestation of the “sanctions don’t work” furphy . . . the truth probably varies on a case by case basis);
     -   Voldemort II has announced a timeline for the militarisation of space;
     -   an opinion that the latest conspiracy nut “theory” shows that the media needs to end their symbiotic feeding of trolls (thereby cementing the trolls’ successful tactics in place for the next time) by (1) not reporting on things until the stories become relevant to people outside the community in which the behaviour occurs, and (2) employ “strategic silence” by not repeating something just because it has been said (there are “factors to consider before reporting, most notably what impact the coverage will have on the targets of the potential story’s subjects, whether that impact is further intimidation, dehumanisation, or physical harm”);     the problem of unregulated, unmediated and unmanaged hate speech on social media;
     -   this week’s USA-DPRK episode includes a North Korean “warning” that the USA must live up to its agreement with the DPRK, with no denuclearisation until the USA takes “reciprocal action”, and revelations that some North Korean defectors were actually tricked into defecting by (illegal) actions by South Korean agents;
       this week’s atrocity alert at R2P lists   Afghanistan, South Sudan and Yemen;
• 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:
     -   an analysis of the rise of the right wing in Italy, historical home of fascism . . . ;    an assessment of the crisis in US democracy;
     of concern internationally this week:
     -   the UK’s largest socialist bookshop was vandalised by mask-wearing far-right protesters;
     of concern in Australia this week:
       after nearly a decade of disgraceful and short-sighted and stupid political decisions, as Australia’s neoliberal Energy Minister (who is actually one of the few who have given sensible, decent replies to me when I have written to him) digs in his heels on the so-called National Energy Guarantee (on the basis that the Commonwealth signed the Paris commitments – which ignores the kicking and screaming on the neoliberal side of the table, and the fact that individuals, companies and state can and ARE already taking action), Australians show yet again they want more renewables, slowly drowning Pacific nations are unimpressed, and government backbenchers contradict the Prime Minister by saying they haven’t all agreed to the NEG;     in a week when falling taxi licence values leads to fears of suicides, a major supermarket chain admits its hotel staff profiled pokies players to encourage betting, and millennials will face poverty in retirement unless superannuation is overhauled, more evidence that only wage growth (see also this), not low inflation, will lead to increased spending, and that the young are bearing the brunt of underemployment (it is a shame current business leaders are too inept to follow the example of the Ford motor company, which promoted, in the 1920s, a five day working week and higher wages so its customers could but more cars);     more than three years after a category 4 Cyclone devastated an indigenous community in northern Australia, more than a hundred families are still waiting for promised rebuilding assistance (asbestos contamination is part of the problem);     revelations that the Australian neoliberal government's online health record system is capable of storing genomic information - which could turbocharge medical research but has intensified privacy and security fears;     concerns that the “red shirts” scandal in my home state “has tainted Victorian politics”, as well as concerns over the “incomprehensible” raids by police (“even in cases of serious crime, people make arrangements to attend on appointment”) – and “one report that a female was patted down, without a female police officer being present”;     my home state may still sell off the Titles Office . . . ;
     also of concern this week:
     -   other concerning events have occurred or are developing in:   USA,   Australia,   Australia,   South Africa,   Comoros,   Mozambique,   India;
     in the grey/mixed [good and bad aspects] or neutral area this week:
     -   after Canada quite correctly expressed its grave concern over Saudi Arabia’s arrests of several human rights activists, the regressive and oppressive Saudi kingdom broke off diplomatic relations, announced a freeze on all new trade and investment with Canada and a Saudi organisation posted a threatening image hinting at a violent extremist attack – as others call for support for Canada;     residual anger (over fears “our democracy has been sold”) from the elections in March of one Australian state (“with the weakest political donations laws in the” nation) has led to a decision to hold a private enquiry along the lines of Royal Commission, including the involvement of legal or corruption experts;
     -   other events in the grey or neutral area have occurred or are developing in:   Malaysia (the charges are probably good, but it is sad that they were necessary, hence this is in the grey section);
     and democracy/governance/political matters in my home nation this week:
     on the Royal Commission into banks, and similar matters:
     -   a reminder that the banks’ misconduct, not the Royal Commission, is behind the lack of confidence in them;     “the head of the trustee responsible for [one Australian bank’s] superannuation funds told the royal commission she never thought about whether wrongly taking fees from customers' accounts was a crime” (I still maintain this problem was inevitable when the banks shifted to fees as their primary means of obtaining income, back in the 80s);     “the Australian Securities and Investments Commission will, for the first time, have enhanced powers to embed its enforcement staff into [major financial organisations] as part of an ‘expanded armoury’ to fight white-collar crime”;     one Australian party is proposing that the big four banks be forced to break up their businesses;
     on other matters:
     -   my home state’s emergency chief has resigned after being accused of – and strenuously denying - workplace bullying;    although police claim they had a group violence situation under control, others are not so sure – and I heard the police commissioner obfuscating about equipment when interviewed. Sadly, racist elements of this are being played up;     as the outgoing public service chief is found to have breached the public service code of conduct by “failing to uphold the good reputation” of his agency when he passed research on to a right wing think tank, Australia’s national opposition party will commit to “abolishing the public service staffing cap, declaring it a false economy where one saving on public servants ends up costing taxpayers much more in consultants and contractors” - and will also get rid of the moronic cap on NDIS staff (whoever imposed that should also be sacked for gross incompetence);     short-stay accommodation hosts in my home state can now be banned from renting out their apartments, unruly guests can face fines and owners can be forced to pay their neighbours compensation;
• 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):
     -   after the USA’s 45^th President insulted a US sports star, his wife broke ranks again and praised the player;
     -   a US federal appeals court has ruled that the family of a Mexican teenager who was fatally shot by a US agent through a border fence can legally sue the agent and US government for damages;
     -   weeks after the USA’s 45^th President refused to sign the G7 communique, US officials “scrambled behind the scenes to shield [a] NATO deal” from their Petulance-in-Chief;
     -   the testimony of a former business partner of the USA’s 45^th President’s former campaign chairman includes an admission that they committed crimes;
• 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 4 attacks in Iraq,   2 attacks in Afghanistan,   and 1 attack in Syria   (out of a total of 15),   including   suicide bombing of a mosque in Afghanistan,   Nigeria,   Kenya;
     -   five people who have been (allegedly?) fighting with violent extremists in Syria have been stripped of their Australian citizenship (and not told, which I consider they should – if it can be);
     -   the growing risk of drones;
• With regard to refugees (noting the New York Declaration) and people seeking asylum:
     -   Australia’s two largest airlines are “facing increasing pressure from unions, advocacy groups and the public to refuse to participate in the forced removal of asylum seekers from Australia, as airlines around the world boycott deportations”;     South Sudanese children are trying to find their families in Uganda;
• 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]):
     -   another push to stop religions discriminating when they hire people (religions are inconsistent and hypocritical in their hiring practices, but I am also concerned that they FAIL to teach about laws banning discrimination, and thus contribute to the development of thugs);     a former President of Chile, a woman who was tortured by the vicious, US-backed despot Pinochet, has been appointed the new UN High Commissioner for Human Rights;
     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 call for gender identity support services to extend beyond the cities (regional transphobia needs to be addressed. I’d also suggest this approach be taken in other states, but some are too plagued by social backwardness for such centres even in the cities);     some personal illustrations of the importance of the “Gay Games” (competing in Sydney 2002 was an enormous boost to my self-esteem);     a UK cricketer on trial for assaulting two men subjected them to homophobic abuse before the fight (I hope the sports body has enough common sense to distance themselves from the homophobic elements of this);
     -   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:
     -   an idiotic drunk driver tried to claim being white meant she should not be charged;     the UN called to celebrate, not confine, indigenous people – the rights of whom should continue to e respected even when they are displaced or migrate;     as Australia’s retiring race commissioner departs with a speech saying that “race politics is back” - directly leading to distrust of Sudanese teenagers (¾ of criminals in my home state are Australian born) – and their parents (“he never expected the biggest threats to racial harmony to come from within Australia’s own parliaments”, given that Australia has “good reason to boast that it is one of the most successful multicultural societies in the world” - and “when politicians resort to using race in advancing their agendas, they inevitably excite racial anxiety and stir up social division”) with a “parochial fragility” that explains the offence when racism is called out is “not that an act of discrimination occurred, but rather that someone was subjected to being called racist . . . people should look at it another way: if you don’t want to be called racist, you can start by not doing something racist”, the fallout from a media outlet’s interview with a right wing extremist includes a former Labor minister quitting as a commentator, loss of advertising and broadcasting rights (on public transport), a question as to why they are promoting white nationalist ideas - and another reactionary conservative commentator publishes a column with serious errors of fact (an excellent explanation of the statistical cherry picking errors, including use of those techniques to “prove” that “111.8% of residents in the suburb where I live . . . are ‘Australian’ ”), which also attacks Jews (possibly due to a lack of thought, as the commentator is generally known to not be anti-Semitic), and “illustrates the steady and sinister and perilous drift of Australia’s national conversation towards a permissible racism”, a drift which is also illustrated by the opinion that the racist letter published in 1996 by a notorious candidate (who was expelled, started her own far right wing party, and is now an MP) would “today . . . be barely noticed by anyone”. Meanwhile, as the first black female mayor of a US city – elected after her city suffered a white supremacist groups march (the chief agitator is trying to avoid the legal consequences of her hate) - is interviewed on her policy agenda (she was elected on an argument that her city’s “Democratic politicians had failed to do enough to tackle systemic racism and economic inequality, and that it was time for a deeper change”), life, and “why she believes Democratic politicians ‘don’t know how to reform systems’ ”, the neoliberal Prime Minister of Australia – where the need for rights, opportunities and a “foundation that is solid and grounded in the depth of our heritage, spiritually, culture language and identity” is ignored in favour of the failed views that “black children need to be ‘fixed’ ”, and some cities are full of ghosts – ignores pleas to not leave people behind and to reimagine Australia lest we also “be undone” to yet again reject calls for an Indigenous voice;
     -   other white supremacy / racism problems have also occurred in:   Pakistan (good news);
     on TRAFFICKING, and CHILDREN’s and associated human rights this week:
     -   an elderly village “witch doctor” in Indonesia has committed sexual and spiritual abuse by using a lie that he was possessed by the jin (spirit), of a young boy, to entrap a girl from the age of 12 for 15 years (she has now been rescued);     the problem of too many children, according to a large number of experts, being taken into care in Norway without good reason (the conviction of a top psychiatrist in the child protection system for downloading child abuse images is also raising further serious questions);     calls for a former Australian Governor-General, who was forced out for failing to act against child abusers, to be stripped of his religious title;
     -   also on slavery / human trafficking this week:   UK,   UK,   India (use of stand-up comedy to educate);
     -   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,   here,   here,   here;
     on SEXISM this week (keeping in mind the overblown influence given to testosterone):
     -   although abortion is currently still legal in the USA, women who have experienced an abortion are sharing their stories to remind society what this is about. Also, a single private abortion clinic has belatedly been opened in an Australian state where a woman was recently sacked for criticising the closure of those clinics;     an utterly ridiculously based appeal by a rapist has been rejected;     a rape at a South African University led to an incredibly slow response and the death by suicide of the victim;     a campaign to reclaim “the C word” (which I can’t use, given the lack of an adult content filter – and the problems that using such cause) has now reached the co-leader of the New Zealand Green party (who appears not to know others have also worked on this);     Malaysia is trying to police what Muslim women wear;
     -   other sexism matters have also occurred in:   Argentina,   Japan,   India,   India (good news);
     on RELIGIOUS rights this week:
     -   religious rights / Islamophobia matters have occurred in:   China,   Germany;
     on WORKERS’ rights this week:
     -   a large US city has imposed a limit on ride sharing licences and set minimum pay conditions for drivers;
     on ANIMALS’ rights this week:
     -   problems in the horse racing industry;
• With regard to war, violence and hate generally:
     -   a mass murder by guns in Canada;     drawing attention to the fewer numbers of nuclear weapons now compared to the Cold War is “a very poor comparison because you could do a lot more with what you have today”;
• With regard to peace:
     -   based on past successes at community interactions when women have been included in peacekeeping forces in Somalia (including intelligence on violent extremism), a plan has been developed to boost female participation in peacekeeping – in Africa initially, and then elsewhere” if successful” (which is a stupid qualification: female involvement should always be an aim, and if it doesn’t work, find out what misogyny is preventing that success and eradicate it. This is even more essential given problems with sexual abuses by peacekeepers): however, “the plan has echoes of the preventing sexual violence initiative promoted by the former British foreign secretary . . . and Hollywood star Angelina Jolie, which promised support for victims and help to end the culture of impunity. There was alarm earlier this year when it emerged the Foreign Office team of 74 experts, including lawyers and psychologists who could be sent promptly to conflict-hit areas, had been halved, while funding had been cut by 10%”;
• 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 beneficent extraterrestrial UFOs):
     -   death doulas promote people having an end of life plan;     on UFOs, I recently re-watched Dr Steven Greer’s “Sirius Disclosure” film: it’s interesting, although it strays too much into conspiracy theory territory for me (I consider the capitalistic drive for profit in the boardrooms of the “military-industrial complex” more than adequate explanation for what is happening without also invoking an official [unleakable – which is a bit like declaring a ship “unsinkable” . . . ] government conspiracy), and might watch “Unacknowledged” (although the near four hour length is a problem);    a “kind hearted” shop assistant has stepped in to pamper a customer with cerebral palsy who had been turned away;     “how to sit with someone who is dying”;
• With regard to natural and other catastrophes:
     -   a devastating earthquake in Indonesia, the second in a week, killed hundreds of people – and was followed by a third;     Europe’s continuing heatwave has reached record temperatures (47°C in Portugal);     a helicopter crash in Russia has killed 18 people;     as one state is declared 100% drought affected, more on Australia’s drought – including a cautionary rejoinder to social media that international trade is where the bulk of Australia’s agricultural product goes, and thus foreign aid is important in preserving markets for Australian farmers, and a call for more recycled water to be used for agriculture;     the government of US Imperial possession Puerto Rico now says more than 1,400 people died in Tropical Cyclone (Hurricane) Maria;     heavy flooding in an Indian state;
• 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:
     -   a critique of a recent article on the critical climate change crisis which narrows blame and responsibility more particularly to the USA than in the article;     the former neoliberal government’s foreign aid cuts and decreased emphasis on climate change have caused a loss of expertise, a lack of oversight and early closure of some projects;     one Australian state has experienced a decline in prosecutions for illegal land clearing (from ten down to two), but – after an eight month Freedom of Information battle by a newspaper - clearing has also been shown to be down after a “sharp spike” the previous year;     a new technological development will make shipping hydrogen (as ammonia) safer;     electronic waste dropped at government-approved recycling points has allegedly been exported to developing countries, potentially in breach of a global waste treaty;     concerning new information about the extent and foreknowledge of pollution from a coal export port during a cyclone;     Lebanon has banned plastic bags;     urban greening;     an agricultural products company has been ordered to make a large payout to a man who had very high levels of contact with one of the company’s common products in his job, and has cancer (I would imagine this will be appealed);
     -   other environmental matters have occurred in:   China;
     on economic and financial matters this week:
     -   the financial losses of ending relationships (including for women);
     on affordable, sustainable and decent housing and homelessness matters this week    (why are politicians with “investment properties” not admitting a conflict of interest and staying out of housing affordability debates?):
     -   as my home state – which has been encouraging social housing – starts to implement planned changes to enable renting to come with making a house a home (which real estate agents and landlords will fight), an assessment that the national government “walking away” from social housing has resulted in a cost to society as renting and buying become harder, including a comment “here’s the unspoken truth of the housing debate: it’s not about the transaction, it is about the homes and the responsibility of a decent society to ensure that everyone has one”;
     on health and medical this week:
     -   a call for separation of bikes and cars, as well as technological improvements in cars to avoid crashes (such as lane-keep assistance, autonomous braking and mobile phone blockers), in response to the increasing numbers of deaths of cyclists (these changes would help others as well). Meanwhile, a stupid decision to fine a driver who slept when he was tired has undermined driver fatigue campaigns – and shown the need for less NIMBY blocking of rest areas;
     on other matters in the category this week:
     -   an article on “house husbands” – men who stay at home to care for children while their wife works, which I first came across in the early 90s when a young engineer in  my team left so his wife, who worked in advertising and had a much higher income, could keep working (the article also shows the backwardness of the USA);     a stay-at-home Dad says he never had a day working in an office that he was proud of;
• 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:   Yemen,   Israel,   Mozambique;
• With regard to education:
     -   education matters have occurred in:   South Africa;
• 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):
     -   workshops are urging Australians to learn from the US Black Lives Matter movement and film police to help hold them to account (“Copwatch”) – and more police support “bodycams”;     a US police force has exposed more than a dozen anti-fascist activists to serious risks of harassment and abuse (and assault), exposed itself to an intense backlash through its unprofessionalism (and stupidity);     a decision in my home state to test one aspect of the evidence in a court case that convicted a police killer has met controversy – and some support;     calls for police in my home state to improve training after man was seriously injured during arrest while having epileptic seizure (“restraining is the worst thing you can do”, I didn’t know such attacks can be preceded by aggressiveness . . . the police here have, in my view, gone downhill professionally since the female commissioner left);     continuing concerns about youth detention in my home state;
    -      other crime,   judicial and policing matters have occurred in:   Russia (torture),   PNG,   India.

Location based News:

• With regard to Africa, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (and other sources) has:
     -   concerns over violence in the Central African Republic;
     -   the apparent fulfilment of a promise the current President of the DR Congo to stand down has been welcomed;
     -   “along with peace, Eritreans need repression to end”;
     -   ethnic tensions and violence are continuing in Ethiopia;
     -   eleven people have been killed in “ethic violence” in Mali, where the opposition is in disarray ahead of a Presidential “runoff vote” against the incumbent;
     -   “China and Mozambique [have] signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which has the potential to help save Mozambique’s forests and make its timber industry more sustainable”;
     -   a new xenophobic political party has started in South Africa;
     -   the recently announced peace deal in South Sudan has now been signed (as I wrote previously: we’ve been here before . . . but this time, ex-rebels are to be integrated into the army);
     -   Sudan has – illegally – chosen its current war criminal President to stand for a third term . . . ;
     -   outrage of the treatment of an opposition leader in Zimbabwe, as the opposition continues to work towards a legal challenge;
• With regard to South and Central America:
     -   the attempt to pass abortion reform in Argentina has been rejected;
     -   an alternative network in Brazil is promoting women’s participation in elected offices - with media support;
     -   Colombia - generally an Israeli ally - has recognised Palestine as a sovereign state;
     -   as the numbers of Venezuelans fleeing to Ecuador reaches record numbers, a failed drone attack on Venezuela’s President has led to inflammatory allegations;
     -   other events concerning South and Central America  have occurred or are developing in:   Nicaragua;
• 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:
     -   following the death of one of its critics, censorious China has rushed to demolish his studio - the Winnie the Pooh film has been banned in China lest it facilitate insulting Chairman Xi;     why Uighurs – one million of whom may be in “re-education camps” - across China are living in fear;     China’s growing waste problem – including the associated problems;     China is trying to make religions “more Chinese” – and to bulldoze a newly built mosque;
     elsewhere in Asia:
     -   disappointingly, Indonesia’s President has chosen a conservative religious figure as his next Vice-President;
     -   appalling, blatant sexism in a Japanese medical school, where entrance exam scores were altered for more than a decade to limit the number of female students, has been found, leading to a meaningless apology – and how many other instances have not yet been discovered?;
     -   those boys rescued from a cave recently who didn’t now have Thai citizenship;
     -   the Philippines’ (bodyguard-imitating initially little rich boy [until sexually abused by a catholic priest], misogynistic [wannabe  rapist], self-proclaimed murderer,  mass killing enabler,  human rights abusing, with shades of Pinochet)  president  Marcos-Lite is now threatening to murder “corrupt” police officers (and how, exactly, will “corrupt” be defined / determined, given the abuses of power so far? Will the threat be counter-productive?);
     and in the Pacific:
     -   PNG is investigating after a video emerged of appalling police brutality;     Australia remains the largest aid donor in the Pacific;     a polio outbreak has occurred in PNG;
• With regard to Europe and the European Union (EU) (which need to step up, as the USA steps down):
     -   Greece has appointed new heads of key emergency services following last month's deadly bushfires;
• 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:
     -   the USA will finally join other nations in the imposition of sanctions on Russia over the chemical attack in the UK;
     in Central Asia:
     -   Russia is digging its claws deeper into the occupied Georgian territory of South Ossetia;
• With regard to South Asia (aka the Indian sub-continent), The Hindu and other sources have:
     on India:
     -   “claim, objection and correction” forms are being reissued in an Indian state for the four million people excluded from the complete draft of the National Register of Citizens – see also here;     a reminder has been given to India that “people in the UK have a right to protest and to demonstrate their views, provided they act within the law”;     allegations of fake voters will be heard in India’s Supreme Court;     after a court ordered the release of an activist who had criticised police, police arrested him again, using an old case as a pretext;     “the Muslim women’s rights group spearheading the movement against instant divorce has welcomed the amendments to the triple talaq Bill”;
     on Pakistan:
     -   Pakistan is set to have its first ever lawmaker of African descent;     Pakistan has said that US cuts in military training may lead it to look to Russia or China;
     elsewhere in South Asia:
     -   after two students were killed by a bus, anger at appalling traffic conditions led to heartfelt protests in Bangladesh which were violently suppressed (including by government “activists”), leading to violence (some protesters have been stopping traffic to check vehicles and drivers have valid documents) that included the US envoy to Bangladesh, who issued a statement saying “nothing can justify the brutal attacks and violence over the weekend against the thousands of young people who have been peacefully exercising their democratic rights”;
• With regard to West Asia (aka “the Middle East”) and Northern Africa, the Middle East Eye, the Times of Israel, and other sources have:
     -   an article on growing tensions on the Lebanon-Israel border as a result of wandering sheep herds (at least both sides are working at minimising escalation . . . );
     on Israel and Palestine:
     -   as the UN and Egypt attempted to broker a long-term ceasefire between Israel and a “militant” Palestinian group, dozens of rocket attacks by that Palestinian “militant” group injured Israeli civilians and led to Israeli air attacks that killed two civilians and a militant – apparently, Israel has moved for calm and an end to the military response in Gaza to avoid antagonising Iran and/or the threat from Syria;     Israel has bombed Gaza’s cultural centre;     in what is being described internationally as “politically motivated” moves, Israel’s anti-media campaigns has this week arrested seven Palestinian journalists;
     -   other violent incidents this week include:   a Palestinian medic has been killed by Israeli forces,   here,   Germany;
     on the conflict and the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis in Yemen:
     -   “Saudi-led coalition air strikes have killed dozens of people, including children travelling on a bus through a market”;     concerns over inadequate or inept media coverage;
     on Syria (where the Assad Dictatorship has lost all pretence of legitimacy, and partition is needed):
     -   “the head of a suspected chemical weapons' research centre in Syria has been killed in a car bombing” (as a short term harm minimisation measure, this probably has points in favour, but there are others in the programme, the viciousness of the will of the Assad regime is unabated, and the person concerned has not learned from this life and will have to face tests about choices in their next life);     dozens of people have been killed by air strikes as the Assad regime prepares for a potentially devastating ground assault;
     elsewhere in the region:
     -   a possible step forward in resolving the divisive conflict in Libya;
     -   US tariffs are hitting Turkey’s economy.

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.