Post No. 1,238 – Gnwmythr’s News Ed. No. 240

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:
       (i)   as attraction to violence continues to be inadequately addressed and the search for humans rights abusers continues, the risks of mass atrocities in   Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Cambodia,
       (ii)   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;
      (iii) 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,     flawed media coverage;     sexism and abuses of power, including in the political arena;     continuation of the war on truth;     sloppy use of power, possibly through impatience, rendering it ineffective;     misuse of power to hide and be unaccountable;     paranoia, and authoritarian suppression of dissent masquerading as paranoia;     the insanity of thinking an end justifies violence and causing pain or other harm;     revisionism to avoid uncomfortable truths;     fear masquerading as hatred of difference;     simplistic and extreme use of power;

(e)   may all people be BPM empathic and ethical;

(f)   may all people be BPM balanced and patient;

(g)   may all people observe and BPM hold to account all use of power by themselves, and by those around them;

(h)   may people always understand that the means shape the end, and therefore only BPM means should be used;

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;
     on other matters requiring particular attention:
     -   sadly, this week, I found nothing in the news on the Rohingya,   or  Ukraine;
     -   a sexual assault on crowded public transport;     violent sexism in games;     the perennial problem of understanding and getting consent;     “detained activists in Saudi Arabia, including those who campaigned for the right for women to drive, are being sexually harassed and tortured in prison, Amnesty International has been told”;     in a major blow, a US judge has said laws to ban the “despicable” practice of female genital mutilation lie with US states, not the US Congress, and has thus declared a US law banning FGM “unconstitutional” (this sort of staggering ineptness should NEVER happen);
     -   political interference – including from former mid-level Khmer Rouge leader and now dictatorial Prime Minister – may prevent the genocide trials in Cambodia being taken to the necessary extent, and thus undermine the rule of law;
     -   in a staggering act, a UK academic has been sentenced to life in prison on allegations that his academic research in Dubai was ‘spying’ . . . ;
     -   an autistic Israeli-American man with “paranoid delusions” has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in Israel for making about 2,000 hoax bomb threats by phone and email (when he was a minor), including 500 to Australian schools, that forced evacuations, including of US Jewish community centres (leading to hate crimes charges in the USA), and planes to make emergency landings - and earned him hundreds of thousands of dollars on the so-called "dark web";
     -   another potential violent extremist attack in my nation has been prevented by police work;     Australia’s “peak legal body has warned [the] Home Affairs Minister . . . an attempt to deport alleged foreign criminals before trial would endanger national security and undermine natural justice”, with similar criticism over a rehashed proposal to strip citizenship from convicted violent extremists – and hold them indefinitely (one comment I heard on talkback radio was to the effect of “why should we export our problems to others rather than deal with them?”;     Australia’s neoliberal Prime Minister is upset that some of Australia's most senior Muslim leaders have responded to his criticism of Islam following a recent violent extremist attack in my home city by telling him that deeply disappointed by his comments and want a coming regular meeting deferred until their concerns have been addressed;     “Australia’s history of anti-Italian racism echoes grotesquely in rhetoric about Sudanese people” – and the hypocrisy is particularly sharp in the grieving over a murdered Italian café owner who was given a state funeral;     an exclusive by “The Age” reports that the former head of Australia’s Border Force wants a “right-wing US provocateur” banned;
     -   an investigation has shown “America’s perpetual warfare abroad has led to an increase in white supremacist violence at home”;
     -   an article on a NY Times report that a social media platform knew of Russian interference in the US 2016 elections and used a republican company to attack critics and spread disinformation (if this is true – and it comes from a normally very reliable and credible source – it would be staggering: these claims warrant further, official investigation, in my view, to make a determination one way or another);     Russia has claimed immunity - and pointed out US duplicity - in a legal case brought against it by the US Democrat party over hacking and interference;     Russian trolls “have targeted Australia’s democracy primarily through attempts to stoke anti-Islamic sentiment . . . researchers have warned”;     an article on information security in democracies;     a social media platform failed to stop a child marriage auction in South Sudan;     more grave breaches of personal data privacy through so-called “smart” phones and internet browsing – including by government organisations;     a TED talk on “how tech companies deceive you into giving up your data and privacy”;     “how fake news can exploit pictures to make people believe lies”;
     -   a criticism that “ ‘you win or you die’ [is] not a model for a sanctions regime”;
     -   at this week’s APEC conference, absolute thuggery by some Chinese officials trying to FORCE their way into the office of PNG’s Foreign Minister necessitated security being called, as US-Chinese tensions and Pacific Island wariness prevent a communique being issued, and cooperation tales a backwards step . .  . Meanwhile, the USA and Australia will partner on a naval base in PNG to help counter Chinese influence . . . and members of PNG's police and armed forces protested in response to not being paid;     “in unusually blunt terms, [a] former Chinese Premier . . . has warned the lack of water threatened the very survival of the Chinese nation itself”;     an assessment that China’s navy has ended US naval dominance in Asia;     the US “government is taking on a new and aggressive campaign against Chinese agents accused of industrial espionage” (good –that has been a problem for decades);
       upcoming events (opportunities to do BPM clearing etc):   a visit by China’s Chairman Winnie the Pooh to the Philippines’ (human rights abusing, with shades of Pinochet)  president  Marcos-Lite, may lead to protests and announcements of “major infrastructure deals which have raised concerns over environmental impact”;
       this week’s atrocity alert at R2P lists   Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Cambodia;
• 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:
     -   an assessment of the costs of the low-transparency so-called war on terror – see also here;     “modern monetary theory” (I’ll have to think about this more . . . );    “inequality undermines democracy”;
     of concern internationally this week:
     -   concerns over the geopolitical power Russia and Turkey will get from their gas pipeline project;     a UK publishing company is facing a public backlash for offering a bandaid solution to insufficient wages after asking its employees to put interns up on a spare bed or couch;     in a move widely seen as unlikely to work, Timor Leste has bought back a private company’s share of a gas project to attempt to improve its situation;     those diplomats affected by Cuba ‘sonic attacks’ say their government abandoned them - and many believe this to maintain friendly relations with Cuba;
     of concern in my nation (Australia) this week:
     -   an Australian state government has been “accused of inaction on youth detention royal commission findings”;     criticism of Australia’s neoliberal Prime Minister for trivialising “the suffering of [an] Australian [whistleblower] . . . , and [making] ‘lewd"’ comments” about a female celebrity;     one Australian state’s child protection agency “has directed that children in its care maintain their connection with a group that a Supreme Court jury has branded a ‘socially harmful cult’ “;     there is evidence that paperwork and taxes are “causing thousands of small businesses owners great distress, and some are not coping, leading to the Australian Taxation Office . . . offering a counselling service”;     events before the death of the baby of a homeless couple show problems in responding to homelessness (were the official contacted overwhelmed, uncaring, or some in each option?);     “PNG-born Australians fear becoming stateless despite years [of] calling Australia home”;
     also of concern this week:
     -   other concerning events have occurred or are developing in:   Australia;
     in the grey/mixed [good and bad aspects] or neutral area this week:
     -   how a young US politician is responding to online criticism for her clothing (some of which was on loan) and lack of money (which, in my opinion, makes her a better MP for everyday people than being rich);
     good news this week includes:
     -   a sporting organisation has chosen to leave suspensions for cheating in place, despite calls from a players’ association for the bans to be lifted;     lessons from Canada on how to get immigrants to move to regional areas;
     on development (in an “end poverty/thirst/hunger” sense):
     -   another article on the benefits of direct cash transfers;     economic empowerment of older women;     the challenges facing development agencies;     a “blue  economy”;     “how to transition one of the fastest-growing economies in the world to a green growth model”;
     and democracy/governance/political matters in my home nation this week:
     on the Royal Commission into banks, and similar matters:
     -   a review of the current status of the Royal Commission, and suggested questions by a media commentator;
     -   see also:   here,   here;
     on other matters:
     -   a proposed “carbon tax [that] would also leave around three-quarters of Australians financially better off”;     employment is my home state’s manufacturing industry “has risen almost 10 per cent in past three years . . . defying the predictions of doom when Australia stopped making cars” (it is still lower than it used to be, though);     in a note from history, and article on how the League of Nations helped my nation develop foreign policy independence;     another attempt at a right wing activist group in my nation;     a Australian territory government has wound back its countersuit against public housing tenants who have been suffering years of neglect;
     on the election in my home state:
     -   promises made this week in the lead up to yesterday’s election in my home state (see here for my take on the outcome), which “will determine whether bosses who underpay staff face jail” include:   Finnish style “baby bundles” and tax breaks for parental leave,   and, from the neoliberal opposition (who have “preferenced a conservative Christian who promotes gay conversion therapy and refers to homosexuality as ‘sexual brokenness’ ” in one electorate), boot camp for non-violent offenders (how are they going to stop the bullies and worse, and cater for introverts?), a criticised review of judges by the public,   (both transport promises are critiqued here),   and an article on minor parties here. There has been another problem with a candidate;     on a perhaps lighter note, I volunteered to help hand out “how to vote cards” (to my surprise, some people use them to make their decision on who to vote for) there was a moment of bipartisan unity as I and a similar volunteer from another party went to aid of a dove that was stunned after flying into a pedestrian as it tried to evade a magpie);
• With regard to the USA and their schoolyard BULLYING, unpresidential 45^th “President” (“POTUS45”) (see here on actions for US residents [and the useful principles]) this week (the VP is at least as bad):
     -   POTUS45 has been rebuked by a US Supreme Court Justice, who said “we do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges” – they have judges;
     -   as the caravan of refugees reaches the Mexican city of Tijuana, which declares a humanitarian crisis, POTUS45’s ban on giving asylum to “illegal” migrants has been temporarily blocked by a judge, following which POTIS45 gave “troops guarding the USA’s southern border authority to use ‘lethal force’ “, allegedly because of a risk of violence and threatened to close the border, as some troops associated with establishment were withdrawn, which – together with the announcement of an end date – gave some people an impression this “was nothing more than a political stunt”;
     -   another factual error by POTUS45 – this one on managing the risk of bushfires;
     -   a comparison of the email account misuses of former US Presidential Candidate Clinton and the newly discovered misuse by POTUS45’s daughter and advisor;
     -   POTUS45 “says he ‘very easily’ completed his written answers for special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's role in the 2016 US election, but has not yet submitted them to Mr Mueller's office”;     the obstacles to preparing a response to future possible interference;
     -   an analysis of the broader problems associated with the (apparently arguable) appointment of this particular acting US Attorney-General, and an examination of whether POTUS45 broke US law by doing so;
• 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, 8 attacks in Afghanistan,   and   5 attacks in Syria   (out of a total of 61),   including   Pakistan (Chinese consulate),   Libya,   Nigeria,   Niger;
     -   in addition:     actions (Note: there are many others that don’t reach the media I read) have occurred this week against violent extremists in:   Somalia,   Burkina Faso;
• With regard to refugees (noting the New York Declaration) and people seeking asylum:
     -   the challenges facing refugees in West Asia as the northern winter approaches;     child refugees with disabilities;     the “UN General Assembly President [has defended the] ‘landmark’ migration compact”;
• 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 reminder of the bigotry and hate shown towards a child who contracted HIV from a contaminated blood transfusion, and had to flee Australia to more progressive and decent New Zealand;     the backlash against a lingerie company over trans and plus-sized models (“many ‘influencers’ were supportive of both categories”) - which led to the CEO’s resignation - is “a 21^st century labour dispute”;
     -   in addition to opportunities below on child abuse and human trafficking, general opportunities to take action on human rights here, here (for example), and, this week,   here,   here,   here,   here,   here;
     -   other human rights matters have also occurred in:   Chechnya,   Wales;
     on HOMOPHOBIA/TRANSPHOBIA     (including heteronormativity and cisgender-normativity) this week (and noting that trans kids are the same as cis kids of the trans kids’ true gender):
     -   a wedding magazine that appears, by its inaction, to be homophobic has shut down;     “for Tasmanian politician Cassy O'Connor, changing the laws to give parents the choice of whether they list their child's gender on a birth certificate is a personal crusade” because of her son (this law also removes the requirement for people to have sexual reassignment surgery to change their legal document);
     on white supremacist and other forms of RACISM / CULTURAL DISCRIMINATION and Indigenous matters generally this week:
     -   white supremacy / racism problems have also occurred in:   Australia;
     on TRAFFICKING, and CHILDREN’s and associated human rights this week:
     -   “a new human rights rankings list of apparel, agricultural, and extraction firms around the world”;     a call for wider (and unconventional) choices for vocational training of survivors;
     -   also on child abuse, including institutional, this week:   here;
     -   also on slavery / human trafficking this week:   UK,   Colombia (good news);
     -   opportunities to take action this week;
     on SEXISM this week (keeping in mind the overblown influence given to testosterone, and the potential value to women of using anger):
     -   “extensive research by the Coroner's Court into domestic violence has found attacks spark from an underlying pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour, not a random snap”;     yet another article pointing out that “women ‘over-invest’ in becoming job ready, and expect less once they're employed” (maybe instead of dragging women down to men’s standards, get men to be less over-confident);     Australia’s government has announced “sweeping changes to boost women's economic security”, including women fleeing domestic violence;
     -   on sexual harassment/misconduct/violence this week, see:   here;
     on WORKERS’ rights this week:
     -   “telecommunications workers have launched what lawyers have called an ‘unprecedented’ class action, alleging they are victims of sham contracting”;     thousands of families will have no end of year celebrations after a large company goes bust;     “why the gig economy loves ‘gamification’ “;
     on ANIMALS’ rights this week:
     -   animals’ rights matters have also occurred in:   India,   Egypt;
     on PRIVACY, AGED, DIFFERENTLY ABLED, AND OTHER forms of human (and other – e.g., ANIMAL) rights this week:
     -   the problem of invisible disabilities;
• With regard to war (noting that economic ties do NOT prevent war), violence and hate generally:
     -   two years after she wrote an award-winning essay on US gun violence, a 13 year old girl was killed in her bedroom by a stray bullet;     “landmine casualties [are higher] for [the] third consecutive year”;
• With regard to natural and other catastrophes:
     -   the fires in the US state of California have also resulted in that area currently having the worst air pollution in the world;     a volcanic eruption in Guatemala;     another bushfire in my nation;
• 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,     SELFISH bigotry in the form of trying to force everyone to have children to share the misery . . . ):
     on climate change (our World War III?) and other environmental matters this week:
     -   a call to do more for cities that are sinking (the article’s mention of unsustainable urbanisation is key, and city growth far outstrips population growth as people move for jobs);     a call for a landfill-free circular economy;     my nation’s national government opposition party’s policy – if elected – to subsidise batteries “could be a game changer”;     another article on tidal power;     “artificial roosts [have been] built for ghost bats at risk of homelessness in [a] remote . . . mining region”;     a company has become bankrupt after being “burned” by its involvement in solar farms (sad, but perhaps an important reminder of the need for commercial commonsense);     “Australia's endangered forests are being ‘stolen’ and sold in hardware and office stores”;     research showing domestic cats are “more active” when seasonally migrating birds are present also illustrates why our cats are indoor only cats;    more greenhouse gas emissions records have been broken;     “NGOs call for disinvestments in biodiversity destruction”;
     -   other environmental matters have occurred in:   Australia,   India,   India (good news);
     on technology and science matters this week:
     -   an examination of the nuances in moderating social media platforms;
     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?):
     -   the impacts of rough sleeping on women;     homelessness in Australia now also includes women with children and other family units;     ways to fund the infrastructure known as social housing;     the closure of caravan parks is putting older residents at risk of homelessness;     many of the woman evicted from a building redeveloped by a shallow reality TV programme have wound up in jail;     a modular bamboo house that “can be built in half a day and costs just over $100 per square metre”;     “emerging research in Australian cities shows that rental status rather than socio-economic disadvantage is a driver of underinsurance” (I question that, given that so few rentals are truly affordable);
     on health and medical this week:
     -   the harsh truth of the deadly impact of anti-vaxxer nuts;
• 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 … ):
     -   calls for journalism to be focused on solutions, positivity, fewer “media dinosaurs”, and the longer view;     a US judge “who is hearing CNN's lawsuit challenging the revocation, ordered the White House to restore [recently banned, under controversial conditions,] Acosta's press pass while the case is pending” . . . but POTUS45’s administration has started suspending the pass again . . . then back down on the pass but “unveiled new rules governing future press conferences”;     claims that the CIA considers Saudi Arabia ordered the murder of journalists Jamal Khashoggi have been denied by the US government, which says neither it nor the intelligence community have reached a verdict yet – and see also this article on “the important norms” that have been “violated” (on that last article, I’m still thinking about that – it didn’t immediately convince me, and seems a little like a re-run of some of the opposition to the Pentagon Papers);
• 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):
     -   in the same week that police work prevented another potential violent extremist attack, a police officer is recognised for protecting Somali women against abuse, and Colombian police broke up a sex slavery ring, police are defended over bailing a person who later attempted to commit a violent extremist attack, an officer is criticised for a bungled attempt to euthanize an injured animal (I think lack of training, rather than type of weapon, is the issue), an innocent couple won more than $1.1 million in compensation for being “wrongfully” tasered by police many years ago, a court case is proceeding for an alleged police bashing of a woman during a raid (she “woke up ‘covered in blood’ in the back of a police van”), a disability pensioner sues police “after dashcam footage showed her being manhandled by an officer who drew his gun and pepper sprayed her dog after she was pursued for 2 kilometres for driving an unregistered vehicle”, a Greens MP takes legal action against police over a series of racist social media posts, police delivered a killer to his victim's door, and a “drunk police officer has allegedly shot and killed three teenagers at a party in Timor Leste, prompting protests against police brutality and lack of discipline”.

Location based News:

• With regard to Africa, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (and other sources) has:
      on Africa generally:
     -   the transparency of “military spending in sub-Saharan Africa [is] higher than expected”;
     -   a new “energy security framework” for East Africa;
     on specific African nations:
     -   “Angola vows to fight ‘cancer’ of corruption as economy recovers”;
     -   Burundi “must take [the] lead in launching [an] inclusive dialogue to end [the] political crisis”;
     -   in another violence caused crisis, 60% of people in the Central African Republic now need urgent humanitarian assistance;
     -   “a former judge and leading opposition figure has been sworn in as the head of Ethiopia’s electoral board”;
     -   no result yet in Madagascar’s elections . . . ;
     -   “tens of thousands ‘left to starve’ as Mali conflict escalates”;
     -   South Sudan wants $1.5 billion for post-conflict recovery;
     -   investors and donors are alarmed at Tanzania’s decline;
     -   tension is growing in Zambia over China;
• With regard to South and Central America:
     -   “Brazil’s president-elect . . . has prompted outrage and disbelief after he said the people of Brazil – which was ruled by the military for two decades – ‘still don’t know what dictatorship is’ ‘;
     -   police have broken up a sex slavery ring in Colombia, freeing more than 40 women;
     -   the problem of a fractured opposition in Venezuela, and what to do about it;
     -   “for the first time in a decade, the number of people falling into poverty in rural Latin America and the Caribbean has increased by two million”;
• 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 hidden agenda of China's widespread bribery culture”;     “China's push for cleaner air is pushing up Australian power prices”;     controversy over Taiwanese independence after a speech at “China’s Oscars”;
     -   other events concerning China have occurred or are developing in:   water shortages,   navy,   industrial espionage,   the Philippines,   Pakistan (Chinese consulate),   APEC,   APEC,   PNG;
     -   Hong Kong’s elderly are struggling to make ends meet;     “three leaders of Hong Kong's 2014 pro-democracy 'Occupy' movement . . . denied public nuisance charges as international criticism of the erosion of civil liberties grows”;
     -   crucial elections in Taiwan;
     elsewhere in Asia:
     -   Indonesia is cutting back deforestation and starting to respect indigenous rights;
• With regard to Europe and the European Union (EU) (which need to step up, as the USA steps down):
     -   “Austria’s foreign minister, who is boycotted by Israel due to her affiliation with the far-right . . . Party, [has] vowed to fight against anti-Zionism and to stand up for the Jewish state in international forums”;
     -   a reminder that Europe does have an army for just over a decade;     following recent suspected Russian interference, Scandinavian nations are preparing for civilian and military flights without GPS;
     -   French citizens angry with rising fuel taxes have risen up in a grassroots movement, resulting in more than 400 people injured and one dead at roadblocks;     “France advised to change heritage law to allow return of African art to former colonies”;
     -   Spain is threatening to try to throw a spanner in the works of the UK’s “Brexit” over Gibraltar;
• 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):
     -   another terrible violent extremist attack has killed scores of people – on a Muslim holy day;
• With regard to South Asia (aka the Indian sub-continent), The Hindu and other sources have:
     -   a meeting between Indian and Pakistani military commanders to strengthen the ceasefire;     plans for a visa-free corridor for Sikhs;
     on India:
     -   India has a hospital for elephants;     a photo of a social media CEO holding a sign saying “smash Brahminical patriarchy” gifted to him during a closed session by a Dalit woman has resulted in a social media storm;     poor response to Zika outbreak;     elections in India;     following a rebuke, an MP has apologised for casteist remarks;     a tourism project is threatening local people and fragile forests in the Andaman Islands;     India is moving towards electric vehicles only in tiger reserves;
• 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:
     -   on-line sexual harassment of Palestinian women “a result of the patriarchal society they live in and the Israeli occupation - has caused women and girls to lose the ability to express themselves freely online”;     as photos of alleged Israeli special forces soldiers are published, a Palestinian group is trying to discover if there is an Israeli special forces base inside Gaza. Meanwhile, a call for even harsher measures against Gaza by Israel;     “10,000 Palestinians gathered on the Gaza border on Friday for weekly protests, with . . . security forces keeping most demonstrators away from the fence for the second consecutive week following a ceasefire with Israel”;     “a leading European rabbi this week called on Israel to end engagement with far-right parties in Europe, regardless of their position on the Jewish state”;     “clashes break out as IDF forces raid Palestinian wedding”;     suspected anti-Arab hate  attacks;     an Israeli court has not stopped eviction of hundreds of Palestinians in EAST Jerusalem;     anti-Semitism shown by Argentine soccer supporters;
     -   other events concerning Israel/Judaism and/or Palestine have occurred or are developing in:   Austria,   Europe,   Germany;
     on the  conflict and the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis in Yemen:
     -   yet another warning on the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, and an article on “how to halt Yemen’s slide into famine” (transfer Hodeidah to the UN [the rebels have agreed to consider this], and cut off Saudi Arabia’s weapons supply) – see also here;     a mourning for the loss of Yemen’s ancient history;
     on Syria (where the Assad Dictatorship has lost all pretence of legitimacy, and partition is needed):
     -   a prominent Syrian opposition activist, a broadcaster who was one of the best-known members of civil society opposing both militant groups and the Assad regime, has been shot dead;
     elsewhere in the region:
     -   concerns that Egypt is exporting cats and dogs as food . . . ;
     -   Iran has denounced “ ‘dangerous’ US claims about Iranian chemical weapons”;     sanctions may have limited impact;     Iran still hopes Europe can save the nuclear deal;
     -   concerns that Iraq might head towards another authoritarian leader;
     -   despite claims by POTUS45, Saudi Arabia is not the only reason oil prices are down;
     -   strikes in Tunisia for pay rises.

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.