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 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 45th “President” (i.e., CEO) 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 burma 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, calls for a moral revolution amidst optimism about the rules-based world order; confirmation that the treatment of the Rohingya was genocide – and questions as a result; bias, discrimination and bigotry in those who have and exercise power – and behaviour that thoroughly discourages women and minorities from what would be an ameliorating participation; “truth decay”; an acknowledgement that climate change is World War III; as the USA twists international treaty words and reactions, a perspective on past US interference in Russian Presidential elections – which directly led to the current problematic incumbent (any interference – other than genuine humanitarian intervention - has such a poor history); a warning more will emerge on child and sexual abuses as one dinosaur organisation breaks from the herd of compatriot dinosaur organisations to accept all but a key recommendation on preventing future abuse; a decay back to the previous situation in East Asia (North Korea) is paralleled by growing risks of a de facto war in West Asia (in Syria), as the USA plans to engage in “grey” warfare; governments continue to put their citizens privacy and integrity at risk;(e) a willingness to commit to long term benefit by avoiding short term, easy and convenient but unethical and/or unwise paths of action;(f) personal growth leading to knowledge of oneself, including one’s biases and misperceptions or inadequate perceptions;(g) dedication to the truth;(h) absolute commitment to walking lightly upon Mother Earth;(j) responsibility above convenience and power in all things, especially governance;(k) whilst refusing to live with a bended knee, a commitment to true, lasting, BPM peace and an informed, aware and humane BPM pacifism;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; andWARNING: 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; an opinion that the world’s rules-based order will outlast US involvement; a call for Progressives to mobilise to counter the rise of the far right in Australia; a call for a moral revolution in Australia;
on the Rohingya genocide this week:
- a UN report has found “genocidal intent” existed; genocidal torturers, some in the military, are escaping any punishment for their evil; “to nudge [burma’s] post-junta transition forward, the UN should combine engagement with pressure for accountability for crimes against humanity and eventual refugee return”; as the atrocities against Rohingya children are detailed and a call is made for burma’s military to be prosecuted, a call is made for burma’s de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who, possibly being ill-served by the stubbornness that had served her well in resisting the junta’s oppression, had “not used her de facto position as head of government, nor her moral authority, to stem or prevent the unfolding events in Rakhine” and had allowed “her government to contribute to what had happened by denying the generals’ culpability, spreading false narratives and preventing independent investigations”, to resign – and questions are asked whether she could also be charged;
on other matters requiring particular attention:
- sadly, this week, I found nothing in the news on Yemen;
- as a family who lost two brothers to “prone restraint” – and others - plead for action, a review of coroner’s reports showed that 44% of Indigenous deaths in custody were of sentenced prisoners (compared to 51% of non-indigenous), and “most of the Indigenous people who had not yet been charged were suspected of non-indictable offences, ranging from public intoxication to evading police” – and most were from failing to implement recommendations from the Royal Commission and previous coroner’s reports;
- as a survey finds zero per cent of 18-25 year old women expressed an interest in politics as a career, the appalling problem of “slut shaming” women in politics(and we have finally found out what the allegation was – the issue of staff turnover, however, was a different matter: more in the section on democracy and governance); a woman has sued police “for failing to protect her from her violent ex-partner” (this article reports typical problematic attitudes: more in the section on crime and police);
- the problem of “truth decay” in the USA (and, no doubt, elsewhere);
- for perspective: the history of US interference (under Bill Clinton) in Russian Presidential elections to keep the drunken sot Yeltsin afloat – which led to Putin . . . ;
- an opinion that climate change is World War III, and “we are leaderless”, as nations trade “ideology for lives” (more in the environment sub-section of the modern lifestyle section);
- “charities expect [a] rise in sexual misconduct cases as they flush out abusers”;
- an opinion that “escalating clashes between Israeli and Iranian forces in Syria have demonstrably increased the risk of a new, large-scale regional conflict”;
- an assessment that North Korea has the USA wrapped around its little finger, to use a colloquialism – more on the devolution of talks and consequences; South Korea’s hopes have been dashed by the USA’s cancellation of the visit to North Korea by their Secretary of State; China is not undermining efforts to denuclearise North Korea;
- the US military has been given authority “to engage in “low-visibility, irregular warfare” operations”; “dubious claim that the United States can “suspend” the INF Treaty in response to a violation by Russia”;
- “governments want your smart devices to have stupid security flaws”;
- the USA’s (racist, lying, dishonourable, autocratic, dangerous, obnoxious, and misogynistic) 45th “President” (i.e., CEO) has started actively supporting the white genocide MYTH;
this week’s atrocity alert at R2P lists burma 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 45th US “President” (i.e., CEO) below
analyses, research and commentary this week include:
- more reflections on the recently deceased former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan; a Muslim’s assessment of the state of his religion; in what is described as a serious finding that “ought to demand the attention of Australia’s political leaders”, “despite 27 years of uninterrupted economic growth, the number [9%] of Australians living below the poverty line has failed to decline since the late 1980s”; an evidence based assessment of short term rentals (I consider that area still needs more regulation, and homes are for living, not getting rich); the Law Council of Australia’s assessment of the state of access to justice (I haven’t read this yet); recommendations for a better charity sector in Australia (I haven’t read this yet);
of concern internationally this week:
- France has warned that Europe can no longer depend on the USA for its military defence and “called for an urgent new European security policy in the face of rising nationalism and extremism”; the German chancellor “has condemned two days of far-right street violence [in an eastern city] that has left several people injured, which flared up after a Syrian and an Iraqi were accused of killing a German man” (and after someone leaked the details of a warrant) - but “German police (who have opened 10 cases against far-right protesters who gave the illegal nazi salute) and politicians have been accused of inadequate planning”; the long term problem of gerrymandering in the USA (which is why our system is better); a controversial mining company is trying to prevent India “from accessing its business records as part of an investigation into an alleged $4 billion fraud by power companies”; Argentina is seeking an “emergency release of $50 billion in IMF funds amid [the] financial crisis”; Voldemort II’s current lawyer has complained that Romania is being too vigorous in acting against corruption . . . (do these people have any notion of how that seems to align THEM with corruption? Can they be so clueless? I nearly created a special category of “weird” for this item); some consider Britain's waning world influence following the Brexit vote is behind a diplomatic clash –including accusations of threats - over islands hosting the US military base on Diego Garcia;
of concern in Australia this week:
- alarming calls by racists for vigilante groups (are neoliberal politicians are happy with what they created?); Australia’s new Prime Minister is an evangelical - see here for a critique of the “prosperity doctrine” of his Protestant sect and its inversion of “counsel of perfection” theology - neochristian; Australia’s case against “Witness K” and his lawyer, who revealed Australia’s abhorrent spying on Timor Leste during negotiations over an oil treaty, is based on secrecy agreements – presumably the defence will be on the higher duty of public interest; growing concerns about Australia’s current Home Affairs Minister, formerly Minister for Immigration and Border Protection and recently extreme far right candidate for Prime Minister, intervening to help domestic workers for people he had connections with, while ignoring the Afghan interpreter for the Australian Army who was in peril, and the Tamil family in central Queensland who 120,000 people wanted to stay; amidst grave privacy concerns, my home state will privatise the Titles Office;
- on the recent political crisis in Australia: as a call is made for a restoration of respect, some home truths get to told to the neoliberals (who have a man problem, not woman problem), an article “cultural and gender bias, bullying and intimidation” of women in politics – backed up by an outgoing minister who contradicted Australia’s neoliberal, evangelical zealot prime minister by stating complaints about bullying were made; “after a weeklong binge of leadership blood-letting the madness at the centre of the Liberal’s lust for power is becoming clear”; two conservative politicians have been given roles as “envoys” - both had roles in the recent crisis, and the self-admitted assassin has, concerningly, taken the indigenous role; although Australia’s former Prime Minister had a role in his downfall, hard-right columnists and “talkback radio blowhards” sought to undermine him from the moment he himself knifed their man; a lament for political compromise;
also of concern this week:
- other concerning events have occurred or are developing in: Iran, Bangladesh, Australia (hospitals), Australia (slut shaming);
good news this week includes:
- a key reform of the US Democratic processes has been adopted; a statue in Germany of Turkey’s President (Grand Sultan?) has been taken down; a discussion on corporate philanthropy;
- other good news has occurred: Ecuador;
and democracy/governance/political matters in my home nation this week:
on the Royal Commission into banks, and similar matters:
- an assessment of the Royal Commission discoveries on superannuation; “a scathing critique of Australia's corporate regulators, saying they were ‘not awake at the wheel’ as the big banks behaved appallingly”;
- see also: here;
on other matters:
- the problem of retiring into poverty; as Australia’s Modern Slavery Act nears, “procurement teams are woefully ignorant of labour exploitation in their supply chains”; options for a national integrity commission for Australia (I haven’t read this yet); a broader perspective: twelve things cost most households more than electricity; “while the general employment news appears quite solid, a deeper look reveals the overall picture is somewhat brittle and that along with underemployment and low wages growth, long-term unemployment is an increasing area of concern”; mortgages and debt distress in Australia; some young people are moving to regional areas (if homophobia and transphobia were not so prevalent, I might too); - With regard to the USA (which has
some … “unique” characteristics that don’t exist elsewhere in the world) and their BULLYING 45th “President”
(i.e. CEO) (who is dangerous – see here on actions
for US residents [and the useful principles]) this week (I avoid using
the 45th US President’s name for psychic reasons – I may use
“Voldemort II” as an alias – and the VP is at
least as bad):
- one of the jurors who recently helped convict two former associates of the USA’s 45th “President” (i.e., CEO) was a supporter of the USA’s CEO (isn’t jury duty supposed to be confidential? But it is significant that a supporter of Voldemort II can change their position when presented with evidence);
- an opinion that Voldemort II has made the USA “more dispensable than ever”; the USA’s CEO has driven down part of the market by threatening to pull the USA out of the World Trade Organisation formed after the USA blocked an earlier attempt; in a move reminiscent of the threats made by Cambodia’s former Khmer Rouge member and current prime minister before the recent “elections”, the USA’s (racist, lying, dishonourable, autocratic, dangerous, obnoxious, and misogynistic) 45th “President” (i.e. CEO) has “warned” of “violence” if his party does not maintain control of Congress after the midterm elections at a state dinner for evangelical neochristian ministers; commentators have laughed at Voldemort II’s (out of touch with reality) claim that internet searches are biased against him (but there could be fallout);
- a US Senator who was a voice for reason in the current insanity there – and the person who opened the Pandora’s Box that led to Voldemort II – has died: he once said he wanted to be remembered along the lines of someone who didn’t always get it right, but tried to serve his nation, which is, I consider, a fair call;
- a US candidate supported by Voldemort II has used racist language; a leaked photo of the White House summer 2018 interns shows Voldemort II’s lack of commitment to diversity;
- a useful backgrounder on US immigration requirements (with the insanity side of the debate illustrated by an utterly moronic media commentator); - 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 6 attacks in Iraq, 3 attacks in Afghanistan, and 2 attacks in Syria (out of a total of19)
- a comparison of radicalisation in prisons now with Irish prisoners in the 70s (and other historical cases); the post-9/11 costs of war have now exceeded US$1.5 trillion; - With regard to refugees (noting the New York Declaration) and people
seeking asylum:
- children in Australia’s refugee gulag are internet searching for ways to commit suicide – see this call for Australians to “say enough with your hubris, selfishness and rancour — get these children off of Nauru now or face our wrath at the only place many politicians seem to care about: the ballot box”; Italian officials – including its hardline Interior Minister – are under investigation for illegal arrest and abuse of power, and all refugees have been disembarked from a rescue ship that was blocked last week; the USA is taking a backward step, one right out of Australia’s playbook; Nauru is hiding its refugee camps from the sight of visiting leaders for the Pacific Islands Forum; an asylum seeker has died by suicide after his application for asylum was rejected, leaving behind a family; - 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]):
- medical staff at a Brisbane hospital say the building, named after a doctor with a history of racist and homophobic commentary, who argued children could catch diseases from “coloured” nurses, is a “monument to a quack” (renaming is under way); a new generation of Muslim faith leaders is working to “undo the damage” of citing the Koran as justification for domestic violence – and “all religions can be havens for abusers”; the trial of a “former Congo military leader on charges ranging from murder and rape to conscripting child soldiers and sexual slavery” is nearing completion;
- opportunities to take action here;
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):
- transphobia in a splinter religious group was misreported initially; social media discussions on controversial former leaker Chelsea Manning – approved to talk in New Zealand despite far right wing opposition, but not in hypocritical Australia – have shown how pervasive transphobia is; “a nine-year-old boy has killed himself after enduring four days of homophobic bullying at school”; the Vatican has covered up a recommendation by the neochristian Catholic church’s “still quite significantly misogynistic but promising” pope that “parents seek psychiatric help for children who show ‘homosexual tendencies’ ”; education can overcome homophobia in sport;
- other homophobic/transphobic (and heteronormativity / cisgender-normativity) matters have also occurred in: wedding magazine;
on white supremacist and other forms of RACISM / CULTURAL DISCRIMINATION and Indigenous matters generally this week:
- “Aboriginal leaders have called for an immediate review of the “absolutely unacceptable” numbers of Indigenous deaths in custody and are demanding Australia develop an independent system for monitoring them as a priority”; the story of Australia’s first Chinese lawyer; some recognition of Australia’s South Sea Islanders, many descendants of those kidnapped and brought here as slaves;
on TRAFFICKING, and CHILDREN’s and associated human rights this week:
- an allegation that the current neochristian pope knew of and thus was part of a cover-up of abuse; the neochristian catholic church in Australia has accepted 98% of recommendations to stop child abuse, but, unlike other churches, rejected mandatory reporting of those who confess to child abuse (or, no doubt, other crimes such as terrorism, mass murder, etc – and, based on comments in a radio interview, no significant requirements are imposed [just “go home and pray” to one priest who confessed to child abuse 1,500 times over 25 years!]; one comment I heard interestingly pointed out the use of a token woman to deliver the apology, and a glib deflection using humour in the media conference); “Malaysia's crackdown on illegal migrants puts trafficking victims in danger”; “more than 3,000 Vietnamese fell victim to human traffickers in 2012-2017”;
- also on child abuse, including neochristian and other institutional, this week: forced marriages of girls in the UK, forced begging in Ghana, protecting children in Uganda, UK;
- also on slavery / human trafficking this week: USA, Nigeria (UK help), UK (post-Brexit concerns);
- opportunities to take action here, here (which I found difficult – eyesight’s not so good these days, and there’s only so much zoom), here (great links to useful information), here (perhaps not so useful for casual, infrequent shoppers like me), here (tremendous to see others acknowledged – and I stunned how many organisations are close by, here, here (if you are inclined towards creativity), here (includes donation request for those who can), here, here, here, here, here, and here
on SEXISM this week (keeping in mind the overblown influence given to testosterone):
- women were prominent at training awards in my home state, which has also passed anti-domestic violence legislation; abduction and forced marriage in Kyrgyzstan; female joggers face everything from catcalls to murder on every run; as former employees call out a company for selling appetite suppressants, rather than those used in advertisements, a hacker was sentenced to eight months in prison for exposing intimate photos of an actress, feminists in France warn that authorities are - at odds to the MeToo movement’s message - sending the message that men owned the streets and could freely expose themselves in public in new public urinals (there are also men who dislike those moronic devices because of the public humiliation), a reminder that women’s self-harm is being fuelled by misogyny, not ‘social pressure’; as a sporting body indulges in yet more stupid sexism, and Ernie awards go to a sporting body for sacking a woman who defended abortion rights, a conservative MP who left his wife for same-sex marriage comments, and a conservative media outlet for its sexism, a reminder that up to three times as many Australian women have experienced family violence than are current smokers – which both a credit to the success of the 30-year old “quit smoking” strategy and a damning indictment of the decades of “turning a blind eye” to family violence, leading to a call for a sustained and relentless national investment and focus on public education, social change campaigns, regulation and legislative reform the size and scale of Quit;
- on sexual harassment/misconduct/violence this week, see: here, here;
- other sexism matters have also occurred in: Indonesia;
on WORKERS’ rights this week:
- wage theft in the USA; the current debate about counting work done outside of working hours is over emails; resolution of an unfair dismissal case related to wage theft shows the business owners have now learned;
on ANIMALS’ rights this week:
- animal abuse in Japan;
on PRIVACY, AGED, DIFFERENTLY ABLED, AND OTHER forms of human (and other – e.g., ANIMAL) rights this week:
- “the ‘unconscionable’ state of Australia’s train stations for disabled” people; - With regard to war, violence
and hate generally:
- another mass murder by gun in the USA; ground-penetrating nuclear weapons have been developed (ground penetrating bombs were developed by the UK during World War part Two, helped win that war and have been used since: the article points out the “advantages” of this development [including some limitation of pollution], but this prolongs the existence of these weapons); an opinion that it is more important to focus on addressing human aggression than banning specific weapons (whilst much of this is true except for humans always being required to operate weapons], there is still the issue of how much damage can be done by weapons, which is why I favour gun control and arms limitation as well as dealing with human flaws and failings, including aggression, mistakes, fear, etc); hundreds of special firearms permits have been granted in one Australian state through a loophole;
- other war, violence or hate related matters have occurred or are developing in: Afghanistan; - With regard to peace:
- a continuing campaign against nuclear weapons near a US city; peacekeeping must be seen as legitimate by both the host nation and those performing it; training on dialogue and mediation for peace building;
- other events concerning peace have occurred or are developing in: Ecuador; - 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):
- a Christian priest who has been posting thought provoking signs;
- other events concerning spirituality and psychism have occurred or are developing in: social media; - With regard to natural and other catastrophes:
- a volcano in PNG has erupted; the death toll in US Imperial Territory Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in 2017 has been increased from 64 to 2,975 – calling into question the US response; - 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:
- denialist dinosaurs in Australia’s neoliberal government and coal lobby have forced out a power company executive, hired to take the company into the (renewables rich) future – and political events here could be a harbinger of denialist blocks elsewhere; while Australia’s new energy minister claims he’s not a sceptic about climate science, “just the economics of green schemes”, a new analysis says wholesale prices will almost halve over the next four years because of the renewables technology many neoliberal conservatives oppose, and power companies hit back by blaming price hikes on the government policy vacuum – and a large US state has voted (it still needs approval by the state senate and Governor) to require that 100% of the state’s electricity come from carbon-free sources; an assessment of what Australian states can learn from the US roll back of climate change and environmental policies; as feral camels travel hundreds of kilometres in search of food and water, forecasts predict continuation of the drought, and “drought and a stellar snow season can happen at the same time”, the “former president of the National Farmers’ Federation . . . has accused politicians of ‘jumping in front of the cameras’ while shirking effective policy work on drought and climate change” (and connectivity), however we also need to get the moderate liberals on board to achieve strong action; as Australia moves towards a year-long bushfire season, a US state’s “summer of deadly wildfires and dangerous heatwaves will soon be the new normal if nothing is done to stop climate change”; “air pollution causes a ‘huge’ reduction in intelligence . . . indicating that the damage to society of toxic air is far deeper than the well-known impacts on physical health”; as fossil records are used to predict the severity of climate change in relation to temperature rise (and crop losses to pests will “soar”), the leader of a Pacific Islands nation savages climate change deniers, and a call is made for immediate action to save the Murray-Darling basin plan, a criticism is made that any consideration by Australia’s Prime Minister of drought without climate change is a dereliction of duty (my phrasing); a massive fire in a warehouse in my home city with concerning ownership created carcinogenic smoke – and fish kills in waterways downstream (which will stop a stormwater harvesting scheme [that I did some minor work for in my day job] being commissioned when planned); - which is possibly not as severe as the pollution of a river from an old mine in another state; my home state’s Minister for the Environment has demanded an explanation after illegal logging charges were thrown out; increased use of wood in tall buildings;
on technology and science matters this week:
- drone users are “brazenly breaking the law”; “the ruthless pursuit of online 'likes' gives you nothing”; the reasons some teenagers are leaving social media;
on health and medical this week:
- the “ripple” of road trauma – 30 people are injured for every death, and all affect many more people; concerns about inadequate health care for those at risk of suicide; a great example of how evidence-based medicine should be practised (evidence-based, and taking patients’ preferences and values into consideration) . . . but often isn’t (modern medicine can be “a major threat to public health”); a breakthrough in the search for a non-addictive painkiller; flawed data collection and management limits patient’s ability to assess hospital safety;
on other matters in the category this week:
- after an alcoholic realised that she “was stamping all over my relationships, career and wellbeing” she went cold turkey and “was astonished to discover how much happier I became, and how much more my family and friends liked me” – “drinking is not socially essential . . . I am living proof, as are millions of others, that you can be 100% teetotal and have an infinitely more interesting social life” (as someone who escaped from an abusive relationship with an alcoholic, I fully concur that drinking is NOT essential); - 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 abuse of ABC staff is unacceptable; an opinion that the investigative reporting in the USA that led to the global recent resurgence of the MeToo movement (it started ten years earlier) would not have been possible anywhere else in the world (defamation laws in Australia are considered problematic, and in nations “such as Pakistan, journalists could face imprisonment and death for doing their jobs, whereas in developed countries it was more a problem of intimidation by powerful people and institutions”; the US FBI arrested man who threatened journalists for criticising the USA’s CEO;
- other media / freedom of expression matters have occurred in: religion / trans; - With regard to education:
- an Australian University student magazine has an article praising North Korea that was written by an Anti-Semite;
- other education matters have occurred in: Ukraine (good news); - 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):
- as Queensland – which has “declined” to investigate allegations of reprisals against a whistleblower - shows signs of being back to the pre-Fitzgerald era (interestingly, my uncle left the Queensland police after the Fitzgerald Enquiry because “it didn’t get all the crooked cops”), the head of New South Wales anti-corruption head says the Minister tried to influence who was hired, two Victorian police officers are charged for excessive force on a welfare visit, a gross misconduct hearing into a violent and unjustified strip search shows it was used to intimidate and punish (and it IS sexual assault - by people who are supposed to be protecting us - the comments about “failing to treat with respect and courtesy” are inherently BS), and a former police officer who was kidnapped and threatened in an attempt to silence him alleges police “kept weapons to plant on suspects” (I have had growing concerns about a move towards authoritarianism in my home state’s police force ever since the female Police Commissioner left – along with concerns about lack of support and monitoring to manage the long term hardening of attitudes and other damage done by this service), New York, USA police are using training which “uncovers the implicit bias in all of us” (I particularly like the inclusion of an Action Plan); police removing a drunk have – unacceptably – been attacked; prisoners in 17 US states are striking over forced labour; indigenous trackers in Australian police; the human face of execution; a South Sudanese woman has been convicted of a child care scam – which the judge noted will not help views of her community;
- other crime, judicial and policing matters have occurred in: Australia (failure to protect DV survivor/victims).
Location based News:
- With regard to Africa, the Africa
Center for Strategic Studies (and other sources) has:
on Africa generally:
- Germany’s Chancellor will visit Africa to discuss refugees (aka “migration”) and development;
on specific African nations:
- Zimbabwe’s President has been returned to power “after a disputed election”; the staggering scale of the jobs crisis in Zimbabwe; some farmers are considering returning, nearly two decades after violent land grabs; - With regard
to South and Central America:
- “Brazil says it is sending its army to the Venezuelan border to ‘guarantee law and order’ amid an influx of migrants fleeing the crisis-hit country”;
- bolstering civil society and peace in Ecuador;
- in Mexico “Indigenous movements and long-time organizers are wary as they wait to see how much action will follow” the election of a “leftist” President; medics are “braving drug wars to treat people” in one of Mexico’s most violent states;
- “the exodus of migrants from Venezuela is building toward a ‘crisis moment’ comparable to events involving refugees in the Mediterranean”; - 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:
- the UN has called on China to free the million Uighurs it holds in “re-education” camps; hopes that scrapping China's two-child policy will end bride trafficking;
- the problem of cross-border marriage scams in Hong Kong;
elsewhere in Asia:
- an Australian filmmaker has been convicted of spying for an unknown nation in repressive Cambodia;
- an Indonesian girl who was jailed for miscarrying after her brother’s repeated rapes has been released;
- another wave of refugees could be starting to flee oppression in Viêt Nám;
and in the Pacific:
- China is attempting to bully Pacific islands into isolating Taiwan by cutting off their tourists; - With regard to Europe and the European Union (EU) (which need
to step up, as the USA steps down):
- a major company will move its European headquarters from the UK to Amsterdam to avoid potential tax issues arising from Brexit;
- violent clashes between French – trying to protect depleted scallop stocks – and legally fishing British could have sunk oats or killed people (I’m with the French goal, but NOT their methods);
- a critique of the fallout (including decades of pain for Greece) from the EU’s bailout (Italy may be next), which benefitted Germany – see also here and here; - With regard to the (forgotten or
ignored and underreported) conflicts in Ukraine, particularly in the east:
- human rights are being taught to Ukrainian first grade students; - 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:
- Russia will include Chinese and Mongolian forces in its biggest war games, next month, since the fall of the Soviet Union; - 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):
- a violent extremist leader has been killed (hopefully no-one else can take that role on, which would give counter-VE forces a gap to take some effective action [especially on hearts and minds] – the person killed now has to deal with the karma they created); - With regard to South Asia (aka
the Indian
sub-continent), The
Hindu and other sources have:
on India:
- India has rejected foreign aid following its recent, devastating floods; concerns of a political witch hunt in India;
elsewhere in South Asia:
- an article on a jailed critic of the Bangladeshi government;
- dozens of bodies have been found in a mass grave in a Sri Lankan civil war area (so which side does this atrocity belong to?); - 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:
- a “business boot camp” is fostering relations between Israelis and Palestinians;
on Syria (where the Assad Dictatorship has lost all pretence of legitimacy, and partition is needed):
- fears of an imminent disaster as the Assad regime prepares to attack the last rebel-held area;
elsewhere in the region:
- doubt about the possibility of a beneficial outcome from the criticised US sanctions – being legally challenged in the UN by Iran - on Iran (the issue of hurting everyday people is, in my opinion, a furphy – the same happened with anti-apartheid sanctions, but the sanctions were important in achieving change); Iran’s disinformation campaigns;
- the brave women behind a feminist radio station in the backward, oppressive kingdom of Saudi Arabia; a call for the car companies who lauded Saudi Arabia’s decision to allow women to drive to stand up for those activists behind the decision who have now been jailed.
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.
