Post No. 1,220 – Gnwmythr’s News Ed. No. 233

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” (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 and the search for humans rights abusers continues, the risks of mass atrocities in   Venezuela, Cameroon and South Sudan, 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 fairer, more participatory forms of democracy;     illustration of how well sentient beings respond to love;     a slow holding to account of some haters for their abuses of power;     more abuses of power by people who are so emotionally crippled / stunted that they lack empathy, or who have learned to hate superficial characteristics;     stereotypically macho bluster and threats and selfishness by individuals, groups and nations (increasingly audacious and authoritarian China and its brainwashed / coerced people are of particular concern);     a reminder that machines are NOT human;     governmental systems continue to be based on short term reactions;     flawed responses to, and preparation for, natural disasters – partly because of uneven and unfair distribution of resources;     secrecy continues to be used by the powerful;     an illustration of the benefits of being inclusive;

(e)   may all people rein in their fear and allow others to have nice things as well;

(f)   may those in power not be overwhelmed, so that they may act in a timely, firm and genuine manner to hold those with power to account;

(g)   may all people be healed to the extent that they can empathise;

(h)   may humanity remember what being human means, and never allow that to be diminished;

(i)   may those who seek to feel “good” by dominating others, whether alone or with others, be BPM restrained, their evil BPM neutralised, and their victims BPM healed and made well and whole and given proper restitution, and may all continue until the wrongdoers can themselves be brought into a BPM state of balance, awareness, and wholeness;

(j)   may all people think, act, and react with BPM mindfulness of the long term outcomes, consequences and effects of same;

(k)   may all people, including and especially those with responsibility and/or power, be mindful of the future, and what may be necessary to BPM prepare for eventualities, no matter what the likelihood of same be;

(l)   may all people recognise, acknowledge and embrace the benefits of BPM inclusivity;

(m)   may all people recognise, acknowledge and embrace the benefits of BPM openness, transparency, and honesty;

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 thoughtful and interesting interview with George  Monbiot;     a lovely story about a pet chook that shows how personality can flourish if sentient beings are treated well – kindly, and with love - and a talk on researching moral behaviour in animals, rather than the biased research creating an impression of aggression (which is described as unfair to both animals and humans);     the national President of Australia’s ALP has called “for ‘a Manhattan project for social democracy’ “, warning that “right wing think tanks, ‘backed up by their friends in the right wing press’, have been successful in framing the policy conversation on inequality, workplace relations, deregulation, corporate tax and regulation” – with “the mental ability to resist such arguments broken down over time by . . . forceful advocacy and repetition”;     with deeper problems than fake news, media interviews show the bizarre superficiality of society’s focus that the cult of personality has gradually imposed – especially in politics, where it is helping demagogues and clowns, as too many journalists fail to see what’s lurking at the back of the room, according to George Monbiot;
     on the Rohingya  genocide this week:
     -   the European Union may impose economic sanctions on burma;     continued detention of 100 Rohingya in India on “unusual reasons”, and fears of deportation of other Rohingya refugees;
     on other matters requiring particular attention:
     -   France has concluded that Iran was behind a foiled bombing attack in France in June;     threats by Iran against Israel;
     -   French police have opened “an investigation into the whereabouts of the chief of [Interpol], after his wife reports she has not heard from him since he travelled home to his native China”;
     -   Australia’s High Court has ruled that a machine CANNOT make a legally-binding decision “since there was no related ‘mental’ decision involved in it being issued”;
     -   in the week that New Zealand introduces draconian forced search powers for online systems and digital devices, privacy concerns over US visa applications and the lack of transparency on algorithmic vetting;
     -   it has been revealed that, despite years of denial, the Australian government is jointly responsible for Nauru’s restrictive and apparently biased (anti-the ABC and Guardian Australia) media access policy;
     -   an LGBT-friendly German mosque has been deradicalising Muslim youth;
     -   a presentation to the UN on corruption;
     -   the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded “to Denis Mukwege and [Yazidi woman] Nadia Murad for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict”;
     -   as details of heroism and monitoring failures (in first [e.g., rural roads] and third world nations, I am always concerned about the lack of thought for how something provided through a grant will be operated) and the devastation caused by the earthquake and tsunami in an island in the archipelago nation Indonesia (where logistics are always inherently difficult) emerge, fake news becomes a dangerous problem and the death toll continues to rise, with concerns the true toll may never be known;
     -   despite a week during which the USA’s (racist, lying, dishonourable, autocratic, dangerous, obnoxious, and misogynistic) 45^th “President” (CEO, Chancellor?)     - who is currently under investigation for alleged tax fraud that is long past the statute of limitations -     initially praised and then mocked the exemplary woman who gave evidence (to a female prosecutor brought in because all eleven conservative Senators are male, and to the displeasure of three Republicans, and comments pointing out that this illustrates the male dominance pattern of society - i.e., patriarchy, and questions about the socialisation of women – “from an early age, we’re taught to please men. What if we got angry instead?” In that context, the woman testifying was a “welcome earthquake”, and a controversial female advisor to POTUS45, “a victim of a sexual assault – but . . . also a woman who profits from internalised misogyny” proves patriarchy has no gender), a former classmate of the nominee “accused him of lying under oath about drinking during his university years” (there were also questions about a brawl [the nominee was not charged], and commentary about selective memories from high school – and debunking of stupid ideas around sexual assault),     an assessment that the conservatives attempt to isolate the woman “had backfired”,     a call by “hundreds of US law professors” to reject the nominee “because of his conduct at last week’s hearing” ( “displayed contempt towards members of Congress, a political bias that could call into question his future rulings, and a temperament unsuited to a lifetime position on the highest court”),     investigation of claims that young US men “are scared” (noting that “one 2010 study found that 2-10% of rape accusations in the past 20 years were proven to be fake”, some are, many aren’t, and many welcome improved attitudes – “I think it's a scary time for men that sexually harass and beyond, because they are afraid of getting caught or outed. Don't be a creep and learn to leave people alone if you don't already know that social skill”, “to counter the culture I am in, women should be given an equal voice to hold us more accountable”, “If men's actions have become more cautious out of fear of being accused of harassment or assault, I say 'good, great!' They should”),     controversy around an extremely limited and criticised (over its limited scope) FBI investigation,     and despair that the confirmation process continued despite the multiple, serious issues,     the nomination moved – on party lines – towards final confirmation;
       this week’s atrocity alert at R2P lists   Venezuela, Cameroon and South Sudan;
• 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” (i.e., CEO)  below
     analyses, research and commentary this week include:
     -   a critique of the religious aspects of Australia’s neoliberal, evangelical  zealot prime minister;     an opinion that greed is why Australian banks   one of which paid one state’s “state schools almost $400,000 to sign up students” - “stole from dead people”;     the moral basis and legitimacy of mass protest movements;     the opinion of people who are studied by political scientists on the ethics of research;     “five major patterns surrounding political violence that we are beginning to observe today” – the internationalisation of civil wars, which are becoming longer and more one-sided, deaths and military coups are declining, and the rise of non-violent protests;     “governments, particularly those in Arab and Asian regions need to leverage youth population for sustainable development instead of making them an element of social instability”;
     of concern internationally this week:
     -   a (stupid) controversy after a University promotes health and support services for sex workers;     a major tobacco company is using a loophole to secretly lobby on e-cigarettes – and lobbying by the tobacco industry is described as “increasingly vicious”;     Nauru has refused passports to at least three members of the “Nauru 19”, who were charged over attending a political rally in 2015, despite the court throwing out a criminal case against them, on the grounds of “potential for harmful conduct” legislation;     Japan has cut the number of women in its cabinet to one . . . ;
     of concern in my nation (Australia) this week:
     -   the outsourced jobseeker program of Australia’s neoliberal government is “leading to anxiety rather than jobs”;     a warning that “any move [at the national level] to override state bans on property developer donations would be a ‘dreadful step backwards’ ”;     a police officer has been charged with abuse of an MP;     “a record number of public officials [have] sought whistleblower protection for reporting corrupt conduct in [an Australian state] . . . , but concerns remain about the extent to which state’s corruption watchdog is able to investigate and prosecute many of those cases” (including that most complaints against police were referred back to police . . . );     revelations that pressure “from the health department led the parliamentary library to remove then amend advice” that contradicted the Health Minister’s assurances about the privacy of the online medical records system;     a conservative MP has been charged with fraud;     a hypocritical call for a former Prime Minister, notorious for sabotaging his successor, now an envoy, to “be allowed to do his job”;     security concerns over Australia's Department of Defence and Bureau of Meteorology contracts with a Chinese company “whose technology was allegedly infiltrated by malicious computer chips planted by Chinese spies”;     a “former attorney-general . . . was asked to approve the controversial prosecution of an Australian spy [who exposed my nation’s duplicity against the tiny and new nation of Timor Leste] and his lawyer more than two years before consent was finally granted”;
     also of concern this week:
     -   other concerning events have occurred or are developing in:   Malaysia,   China;
     good news this week includes:
     -   “aged care doesn't need to be so Gothic — this is what it could look like”;     former US Presidential candidate and current Senator Bernie Sanders has forced a major technology company to improve how it treats workers;     “councillors . . . have said they are trying to recognise their local community's religious diversity by no longer opening their meetings with a Christian prayer”;
     and democracy/governance/political matters in my home nation this week:
     on the Royal Commission into banks, and similar matters:
     -   the foreign transaction fees charged by banks will be investigated;     a call for the Royal Commission into banking to be extended to give regional victims of banks a chance to have their say;     the ongoing problem of gambling;
     on other matters:
     -   a bad decision from a couple of decades ago (a decision reinforcing that brainwashed women can be part of the patriarchy) has been reversed, with the GST removed from women’s sanitary products;     a new advertising campaign aims to eliminate victim blaming of survivor/victims of domestic violence;     an opinion that the rebranding of Australia’s new Prime Minister is “as close as politics comes to an absolute necessity, driven not by short-term polling but by the total collapse of faith in conventional politics”;     a union has won a legal battle to suppress the results of an investigation into bullying;     as a water Authority managing director is found to have acted corruptly, satellites are used to monitor water usage;
• With regard to the USA (which has some … “unique” characteristics that don’t exist elsewhere in the world)    and their BULLYING 45^th “President” (i.e. CEO  or POTUS45) (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 “Voldemort II” as an alias – and the VP is at least as bad):
     -   a US court has blocked the US administration “from ending protections that have allowed 300,000 immigrants from four countries to live and work legally in the United States, saying the move would cause ‘irreparable harm and great hardship “;
• With regard to violent extremism (VE) (aka, terrorism)     (ALL people advocating hate or discrimination in response to violent extremism are actively doing the work of violent extremists. This will be countered, in part, by “Cure Violence”, real and perceived disempowerment and acknowledging the variety in what provides genuine, BPM fulfilment as a counter to fanaticism as a source of meaning, and good old fashioned police work.     I don’t name groups to reduce their publicity):
     -   according to this Wikipedia page, there have been 2 attacks in Iraq and 4 attacks in Afghanistan   (out of a total of 16),   including   Burkina Faso;     in addition:     actions (Note: there are many others that don’t reach the media I read) have occurred this week against violent extremists in:   Burkina Faso;
     -   a US “navy veteran has been charged with threatening to use a biological toxin as a weapon” against POTUS45 and other leaders (this may wind up being a criminal or mental health issue);
• With regard to refugees (noting the New York Declaration) and people seeking asylum:
     -   a campaign is taking advantage of a prominent Australian by-election to advocate for more humane asylum policies;   the trauma of children in Greek refugee camps;     the horrors faced by victims of trafficking in Libya;     “an Iranian Kurdish refugee who documented life on islands used by the Australia government as detention camps has been awarded a prestigious prize [the Anna Politkovskaya  award] for investigative journalism”;
• 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]):
     -   a self-promotion by Amnesty International;     “in multicultural Australia, corporate boardrooms are still overwhelmingly white Anglo-Saxon”;     an update on conflict minerals (see also here), and alleged exploitation of rural communities in Africa by mining companies;
     -   in addition to opportunities below on child abuse and human trafficking, general opportunities to take action on human rights here, and, this week,   here,   here;
     -   other human rights matters have also occurred in:   China;
     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):
     -   gender dysphoria may have a genetic basis, but that could be used in ways that medical researchers have no clue about;
     on white supremacist and other forms of RACISM / CULTURAL DISCRIMINATION and Indigenous matters generally this week:
     -   a conservative newspaper has settled out of court after taking an Aboriginal boys photo and using it – with his name – in a context which “implied the boy was ‘a criminal, a delinquent, that he is imprisoned or detained, and that he is contributing to a crisis situation’ ”, leading to the boy being “subjected to ‘hatred, ridicule and contempt’ ”;     the story of a homeless indigenous woman who was given a second chance by a coffee van service and is now working for police;     “Australia's flagship remote employment program is . . . worsening poverty in communities”;     one of the lead investigators into a controversial death of 17-year-old Aboriginal boy “engaged in unrelated fraudulent practices while he was the chief detective at [a] Police Station”;     one Australian state government is blocking use of an award-winning irrigation system at an Aboriginal owned station, and refusing to fix the uranium contaminated water supply at a small community;     an indigenous leader and family members have been charged with fraud “worth more than $650,000” (everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty, but if this is true it will be a grievous breach of trust – not only for the community concerned, but for inflaming the bigots: this is the sort of reason I get so cranky about police who do the wrong thing);     the co-chair of the Indigenous Advisory Council appointed by the Prime Minister to advise on “practical changes to improve the lives of Indigenous peoples” has said there is “a need to ‘future-proof’ Aboriginal affairs by establishing a voice to parliament in the con­stitution as a matter of priority’ so that it could not be dismantled by the government of the day”;
     on TRAFFICKING, and CHILDREN’s and associated human rights this week:
     -   on the one hand, a community organisation has apologised for child abuse, but on the other hand, they are vigorously resisting court cases brought by victims;    experts say that nations “should not solely focus on funding but strive to better share information on slavery”;     companies that are leading the fight against forced labour;     in response to a lawsuit, a social media platform has banned sex trafficking;     the UN has urged Malaysia to end child marriage;
     -   also on child abuse, including neochristian and other institutional, this week:   rapping to end forced marriage,   here,   here,   here;
     -   also on slavery / human trafficking this week:   Thailand,   Nigeria;
     -   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):
     -   a fact check confirms that women have “become better educated whilst the gender pay gap hasn't budged”;     a sexist – and stupid (see also here)- jerk has been suspended for claiming physics was invented and developed only by men . . . but there are still deeper problems;     a thoughtful, nuanced and wide-ranging article on what a Swedish professor “learned from a month reading the feminist classics”;     an article on an “inexplicable and indefensible” sexual behaviour by Gandhi in his later life;     why female criminals are judged more harshly;     unpaid housework in the UK;     the boy contributors to Wikipedia initially refused to provide an article on the woman who won this year’s Nobel physics award;     one of the early events that ultimately led to “Me Too”;
     -   on sexual harassment/misconduct/violence this week, see:   here,   here,   here (Nobel committee rapist),   here (horrifying University “hazing” ritual),   here;
     -   other sexism matters have also occurred in:   Lebanon,   India,   Egypt,   India,   India,   India;
     on ANIMALS’ rights this week:
     -   another attack on a pet, and a chicken farm;
• With regard to war, violence and hate generally:
     -   one US city's “brutal summer of gun violence”;
• With regard to natural and other catastrophes:
     -   aid to Nigeria for floods;     a typhoon has hit Japan;
• 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 (our World War III?) and other environmental matters this week:
     -   as Australia’s neoliberal, climate-change-denialist government is accused of delaying - and trying to bury it under public events - quarterly emission data (which shows massive clearing in the Reef’s catchment), the massive battery system installed in one Australian state “dispatches power faster than conventional stations and pushes down prices”, and “has helped shore up the entire energy grid”;     my home state’s renewable energy boom will create thousands of jobs;     simple steps can lead to reforestation;     a council in my home state has asked for guidance on approving and reviewing solar planning projects;     a regional city is benefitting from a renewables boom;      new rules to better manage (audible) noise from wind farms;     the impacts of GHG emissions;     a call for “climate change response [to] be accompanied by a renewed approach to economic development”;
     on technology and science matters this week:
     -   illegal use of a drone has delayed a helicopter rescue;
     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?):
     -   medical research can be limited by the mundane habit/characteristic sticking to the familiar;     another story on alcoholism in Australia;
     on health and medical this week:
     -   antidepressant withdrawal is substantially more severe than existing guidelines suggest, leading to possibly widespread misdiagnoses;     a series of articles for the coming World Mental Day;
• 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 … ):
     -   as the opposition reaffirms that it would follow the recommendations of an independent selection panel on new appointees to the ABC board, the ABC board has said that it “immediately” ordered an investigation into allegations, including against the former chairperson;
     -   other media / freedom of expression matters have occurred in:   Saudi Arabia;
• With regard to education:
     -   a horrifying example of a threatening “hazing ritual” at a University – a belated response here;     twenty-four teachers “have been banned or suspended from classrooms this year for posing an ‘unacceptable risk’ to students”;     “busting the myth of 'sector-blind' school funding”;
• rejecting racist aspects of fashion and “beauty”;     indigenous buskers could be allowed to perform without permits in one Australian city;
• 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):
     -   seven police were shot, one fatally, in a confrontation with a suspect who held children hostage in the USA;
    -      other crime, judicial and policing matters have occurred in:   India,   Australia.

Location based News:

• With regard to Africa, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (and other sources) has:
      on Africa generally:
     -   concerns Africa is not doing enough to prepare for climate change;
     on specific African nations:
     -   “the construction of a new major airport in Angola is confirmation of a disgraced Chinese billionaire’s clutch on infrastructure projects in the economically-struggling Southern African country and his infamous influence in the continent’s political crises and human rights violations”;
     -   a call for elections in Cameroon to be peaceful, free and fair – see also here and here;
     -   Congo has complained about the sanctions imposed on it in response to human rights abuses;     aid workers have been attacked;
     -   continuing repression in Eritrea, which may change regional geopolitics if it opens up;
     -   “Ethiopia’s national human rights commission has called for the deployment of the national defence forces to restore order and stability in the regions where violence is rampant”;
     -   “Gabon votes . . . in long-delayed legislative and municipal polls”;
     -   a violent extremist will context elections in Somalia;
     -   a criticism of South Africa’s attitudes towards Israel;
     -   critical water shortages in South Sudan;     the last South Sudanese rebels have returned from Congo;
     -   concerns over repression of the media in Sudan;
     -   Togo’s opposition leader has been hospitalised as a result of a hunger strike;
• With regard to South and Central America:
     -   as people flee Venezuela –where inflation will shortly hit one million percent and human rights abuses are of great concern - at a rate exceeding the rate at which people flee Syria (“close to four million Venezuelans have left the country since 2007, with two million in the past two years alone”), a call for people to care and other nations to take action;
• 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:
     -   Chairman Winnie the Pooh’s cult of personality now includes a TV game show . . . ;    a “Chinese CCTV journalist's outburst [which was hysterical, and included a physical assault] in the UK could be a sign of things to come” (do they get social engineering brownie points for this sort of hysteria?);     as Chinese super-trawlers strip “the ocean bare as its hunger for seafood grows”, China - increasingly irritated with the USA under POTUS45 - exhibits a dangerous recklessness by causing a near collision between one of its and a US naval vessels, and the USA’s Vice-President accuses China of meddling in US elections (is that a genuine accusation, or another attempt to divert from the scandal around POTUS45’s nominee to the US Supreme Court);     Uighur refugees have told of their experiences in Chinese re-education camps;
     -   other events concerning China have occurred or are developing in:   Australia,   France;
     -   South and North Korea have started clearing minefields in the DMZ;     “North Korea says there is ‘no way’ it will disarm nuclear weapons without an end to sanctions”;     a former South Korean President has been “jailed for 15 years for corruption and embezzlement”;
     elsewhere in Asia:
     -   Indonesia is upset over Vanuatu’s support for West Papuan self-determination (may anything on this that happens again be genuine, this time – and may the human rights abuses STOP);     continuing problems despite progress in Indonesia’s mental health sector;
     -   the wife of Malaysia’s former Prime Minister has also been charged with corruption;
     and in the Pacific:
     -   PNG’s polio outbreak has had its first fatality;     the crash of a jet passenger in a Pacific island’s lagoon has claimed one life;
• With regard to Europe and the European Union (EU) (which need to step up, as the USA steps down):
     -   discrimination within Bosnia;
     -   desecration of Jewish cemeteries in Poland;
• With regard to the (forgotten or ignored and underreported) conflicts in Ukraine, particularly in the east:
     -   “the alienated civilians of eastern Ukraine”;
• With regard to Russia (which is currently supporting an – in my opinion, based on R2P principles - illegitimate regime in Syria),     Russian influenced nations     and     eastern Europe,     Central Asia,     and responses to same (see also elsewhere):
     Russia:
     -   as Western nations issue “coordinated denunciations of Russia for running what they described as a global hacking campaign, targeting institutions from sports anti-doping bodies to a nuclear power company and the chemical weapons watchdog”, and the USA threatens Russia over an alleged breach of a Cold War treaty (which could also be an attempted diversion from the scandal around POTUS45’s Supreme Court nominee), Russia’s President calls the former spy who was poisoned by Russia in the UK a “scumbag” (hmm . . .  admission of motive?);     an examination of how much Russia spends on nuclear weapons;
• 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 US mercenary is trying to take over the war in Afghanistan;
• With regard to South Asia (aka the Indian sub-continent), The Hindu and other sources have:
     on India:
     -   two men have been arrested in India for raping a woman and sharing a film of it on social media;     “Bollywood” is teetering on the edge of its “Me Too” moment;     concerns about alleged extra-judicial killings by police in a northern Indian state;     India has avoided a ‘Lehman Brothers moment’ (a “too big to fail” moment) by taking over a major private infrastructure financing and construction group;     India has bought a Russian air defence system, to the USA’s displeasure;     “growing crimes against women in [an Indian state] are stifling their freedom and aspirations”;     agreement to a “a tripartite meeting to discuss various political issues concerning the Gurkhas, including the demand for a separate State of Gorkhaland”;     a polluted river in India;
     elsewhere in South Asia:
     -   in a move “that has been widely ridiculed as an ineffective way of combating violence against women”, an approach “that India was forced to back down from . . . after just a week”, “Nepal's Government has announced it is banning online pornography”, leading to calls to “focus on punishing perpetrators rather than censoring the internet”;
• 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:
     -   as US citizens show support for Palestinian refugees, three Palestinian protestors have been killed by the Israeli army;     Israel’s Prime Minister has been questioned by police over alleged bribery;     allegations that “Israel is shutting down its critics on social media”;     a “Jerusalem municipality [will] remove [the] UN agency for Palestinians” (thereby further entrenching discrimination and hate);     Germany has told Palestinians they must accept Israel as a Jewish state (but non-Jewish people must be given rights – including the rights of non-Jewish citizens, just as the rights of Jewish people outside Israel);     an exchange of threats between Israel and Gaza’s ruling violent extremist group;     as use of a right-wing website that names and shames campus activists in judging people entering Israel (and a Jewish foundation once funded an anti-Israel group), Israel has tried to defend questioning left wing Jewish activists;     a “Bedouin village [is] living on borrowed time”;
     -   other events concerning Israel/Judaism and/or Palestine have occurred or are developing in:   Poland;
     on the conflict and the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis in Yemen:
     -   as civilian deaths rise by 164% in the last four months and more than five million children – and millions of adults - are at risk of famine, arms sales to Saudi Arabia (the subject of street protests in one Yemeni city) continue to be of concern, but an attempt to restart peace talks is announced;
     on Syria (where the Assad Dictatorship has lost all pretence of legitimacy, and partition is needed):
     -   a call for unimpeded access for humanitarian aid;     the despair of refugees returning – unwelcomed – to Syria;
     elsewhere in the region:
     -   calls for more human rights and “an end to [the restrictive associations law” in Algeria;
     -   in this era of “Me Too” and campaigns against domestic violence and harassment, an Egyptian woman has been jailed for complaining about sexual harassment . . . ;     sexist rubbish in an Egypt Air magazine;
     -   Iran says it has launched ballistic missiles against “militants” in Syria it “blames for a recent attack on a military parade”;     “the International Court of Justice ordered the United States . . . to ease some sanctions against Iran, including those related to the supply of humanitarian goods and the safety of civil aviation”;
     -   fears that well-known women in Iraq are being hunted and murdered;     one city’s poor water supply has caused the EU’s envoy to become ill;
     -   a Saudi Arabian journalist has gone missing in that nation’s Embassy in Turkey;     some Saudi women are becoming successful businesswomen;     an opinion that the USA is regularly “insulting Saudi Arabia”;
     -   progress on democratic reform in Tunisia, but there are still human rights concerns, and the state of emergency has been extended; 

Other News:

• some tulips that were going to be thrown out for not being nice enough were moved to a laneway in my home city by a guerrilla gardener (which raises the issue of consumers’ unrealistic, expensive and wasteful expectations).

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.