Post No. 1,252 – Gnwmythr’s News Ed. No. 244

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 (this blog was created for spiritual reasons, including a course), 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. See also here and here.

The themes that come to mind for my work this week, after I review all this news, are:

(a)   based on my interpretation of information here and here with Uranus in Aries contributing to fresh and possibly radical starts (until March 2019), and Pluto in Capricorn contributing to a transformation of power and business (and careers) (until some date in the Year 2024), conditions are ripe for a change for the better in world politics;

(b)   there is an enormous need to clear nonBPM energy – the thought forms, unattached energy and scars of the collective unconscious created by millennia of violence, including spirit rescue, and healing the warped views, seemingly “inherent” biases, and other damage created. Also, remember:
       (1) the counter to fear is genuine  EQ and clear thinking, expressed through calm, de-escalating speech,
       (2) where problems exist, advocating for BPM responses, and being as BPM as one can be, are constructive solutions,
       (3) peace is powerful, but it is a process requiring patient, persistent and nuanced nurturing, and a blend of conventional spiritual work, clearing nonBPM units, and physical world activism;

(c)   dealing with the 45^th “President” of the USA requires:
      1. eroding (i.e., slow, patient and persistent clearing of the little bits one can SAFELY cope with – remember, you are but one of many) the nonBPM influences feeding his arrogance and his mind-set, and strengthening 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   Democratic Republic of the Congo, Yemen and Nigeria,
        (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,     the benefits of not changing / BPM stability;     broad, leaderless, international progressivism;     flawed coverage / attention spans;     increasing pressure from the majority of the world’s people on the few reactionary, delusional elites who deny the reality of climate change, those powerful few who suffer from problems such as failing to understand public interest / duty / responsibility, ego, or stereotypical macho “shirt fronting”;     most people in the world are not free, some being stuck in repressive, authoritarian, totalitarian dictatorships (possibly with a façade of democracy), and many of the others are ignorant, indifferent or uncaring;     slowness to learn from mistakes, or resisting BPM change;     intolerance of difference, fear of change, and addiction to sameness;     glib flippancy over the exercise of power;     idiotically putting “convenience” (i.e., laziness) ahead of being a responsible, adult person;

(e)   may all people have the BPM courage, objectivity and emotional maturity to BPM accept, acknowledge and allow the truth;

(f)   may all people BPM accept and fulfil their BPM responsibilities and duties;

(g)   may all people move beyond viewing or interest in displays and contests of power, which are inherently superficial, to considering, addressing and acting on matters of substance, and the true essences of situations;

(h)   may all people have the BPM courage to care, and the BPM healing they need in order to manifest that;

(i)   may all people have BPM intellectual curiosity;

(j)   may people have the BPM maturity, discipline and commitment to excellence to care about doing things BPM properly, rather than conveniently;

(k)   may the world BPM acknowledge, accept and value the inherent strength of BPM diversity;

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; those without news deleted each week):
   -   Permanent Issues and Thematically Arranged News:
          permanent issues;     particular attention;
          democracy, freedom, governance, and ethics;     the USA and POTUS45;
          violent extremism;     refugees and migrants;     human rights
           (including homophobia/transphobia, white supremacism, trafficking
          and children’s rights, sexism, religious rights, workers’ rights, animals’ rights,
          and privacy, differently abled and other rights);     war, violence and hate;
          peace;     spirituality and psychism;     natural and other catastrophes;
          modern lifestyle (including climate change and environment, technology
          and science, economic and financial, housing, health and medical);     media;
          education;     crime judicial and police;

   -   Location-based News:
         Africa;     South and Central America;
          mainland China, East and South East Asia, and the Pacific;     Europe;
          Ukraine;     Russia and Central Asia;     Afghanistan;     South Asia;
          West Asia and northern Africa;

   -   Other Sites;

   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 and their Significant Others be kept BPM safe, undetectable and inviolable against indirect  psychic attack, and may they have all the BPM resources (including an assured income), opportunities and assistance for them to be BPM effective, 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 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 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, and 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 social media [sorry] argument for “staying the same”, rather than changing for the sake of change;     a “broad, leaderless, international movement has shown that it is possible for everyone to play a part in fighting back” against the far right – although “it would be seriously premature to claim any lasting victory” - see also here;
     on other matters requiring particular attention:
     -   this week I found nothing in the news on    the Rohingya;
     -   “a teenage climate activist . . . says [world leaders] are not doing enough to turn back the clock and prevent catastrophic climate change” (I agree);     “a collective goal reflecting the full scale of effort needed on finance to successfully address climate change”;
     -   61% of the world’s people live in nations that are not free;
     -   “shoppers urged to avoid Christmas gifts linked to slavery”;
     -   Russia’s President has issued a warning about rising threat of nuclear war, blaming the USA (giving the lunacy of POTUS45, I am inclined to the rarity of agree with Russia’s President in this instance. As to who is responsible, it could be foolish / desperate voters in the USA, or those who didn’t care [and still don’t] that people are being left behind – or it could even be complacency in the US Democratic party. Blame goes a long way . . . ) - and has done a quick bit of trolling over Brexit as interference in the USA continues (see also here and here);     in a clash “with Seoul’s rosier presentation of the North Korean position” that “could rattle the fragile trilateral diplomacy to defuse a nuclear crisis that last year had many fearing war”, North Korea has said “it will never unilaterally give up its nuclear weapons unless the US first removes . . . a nuclear threat”;
     -   a thought provoking opinion piece that “after two years of [POTUS45] we may have overlooked the essence of his insanity: his brain sees only private interests transacting. It doesn’t comprehend the public interest. [In his mind] private transactions can’t be wrong or immoral because, by definition, they require that every party to them be satisfied. Otherwise there wouldn’t be a deal. . . . For example, . . . [in POTUS45’s mind] the women got hundreds of thousands of dollars in return for agreeing not to talk about his affairs with them. So where’s the harm?”;
     -   the Middle East Eye reports “a leading financial risk database that is already facing multiple lawsuits from Muslim organisations which it suggested had links to terrorism is still using as sources websites accused of promoting far-right and Islamophobic agendas”;
     -   as China’s Chairman Winnie the Pooh, claims that “his country will not develop at the expense of other nations, in a speech marking 40 years since China introduced major economic reforms” . . . but “would not be told what to do by anyone”, a social media platform (which is “allegedly subject to Chinese censorship reach through hacked accounts and deleted tweets”) warns “of ‘unusual activity’ from China and Saudi Arabia related to a bug in a help form”,  the USA “charges Chinese citizens for espionage in [a] major hacking campaign targeting [the US] navy, NASA, others” and the Australian Government joins global condemnation of Chinese hacking, a third Canadian is detained (allegedly for working illegally) as retaliation continues over the arrest of a Chinese executive in Canada on US charges of breaking sanctions, an Australia-based academic is “stalked all week in Hong Kong by Chinese state media”, China's “pre-Christmas church crackdown raises alarm”, “Chinese activists shave [their] heads to protest persecution of [their] partners”, Greenland - neglected by the USA and Denmark, especially over air access - could become China's Arctic base, an 85 year old mother who has spent years campaigning for “her son . . . , a long-time dissident who has been in prison for more than two years awaiting trial” has disappeared. At least an internet search company “has reportedly ‘effectively ended’ plans for a censored search engine in China”;     the engineering accomplishment of a bridge between Hong Kong and mainland China has resulted in part of Hong Kong going under Chinese laws, and fears by pro-democracy activists of the erosion of democracy in Hong Kong;
     -   concerns over the use of facial recognition technology at borders;
     -   as a social media platform is sued by a US state over a notorious and now defunct data analytics company’s use of data and is revealed to have “shared private user messages with [streaming services, breaking] its own data rules [to do so] for major clients”, advice on how to “protect yourself from online data trackers” – see also here;
     -   a UK airport has been closed for over two days by illegally and apparently deliberately (not for violent extremism) flown drones – which could now be shot down;
     -   sensible advice for end of year holidays in Western cultures;
       this week’s atrocity alert at R2P lists   Democratic Republic of the Congo, Yemen and Nigeria;
• With regard to democracy (which can be measured [as can goodness],     requires  protection of minorities and the vulnerable   -   and are you fighting to change things [by 198 nonviolent methods], or to punish),     freedom,     governance (e.g., here, here, here, here, here)     and     ethics:
  Note: I have a section specifically for POTUS45 below
     analyses, research and commentary this week include:
     -   a critique of corporate surveys;     “engaging Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities in parliamentary inquiries”;
     of concern internationally this week:
     -   protests over job losses and immigration in Canada have pinched the yellow vests of French protestors;     “the UK risks ‘sleepwalking’ into becoming a cashless society with millions of people disadvantaged as a result”;
     of concern in my nation (Australia) this week:
     -   as an independent being sued for alleged defamation of a female MP cannot find any support and calls are made within one Australian conservative party “for a pair of prominent party figures to quit following allegations they used racist and homophobic comments”, others in that party show signs of – unbelievably – thinking their party’s problems with women (fewer than one in four women have been preselected in winnable Lower House seats) will be “overlooked”, a smaller conservative party’s scandals have engulfed it “and threaten its future at federal election”, and “an incoming [state] judge put his name to a motion to change voting rules at [a] Club which would have effectively doomed any chance of women becoming members” . . . Meanwhile tensions have emerged in a small progressive party;     more than a hundred workers have lost their jobs and pay as a company suddenly declares bankruptcy;     dissent over alleged mishandling of a state government’s financial crisis has been punished;     governance concerns this week include the workplace culture of Australia’s border farce,   the management of a coastal patrol fleet Australia uses to intercept asylum seekers,   the former director of a now collapsed aged care facility,   an Islamic group (which has “stripped of charity status after illegal land clearing”),   a union boss who “has been convicted of destroying . . . [potential] evidence in a royal commission” and a union that ignored a court order to stop picketing,   a clown who is trying some of the US-style rubbish to get out of paying taxes (“If you notice, all of these people [who] object to paying taxes or rates and everything else say that the laws are invalid . . . The curious thing is I have never heard any single one of them ever complain that the law is invalid if it gives them unemployment benefits or if it gives them any advantage”),   and   “the world’s biggest miner has sought to block the Australian tax office from using documents it claims were obtained in the Paradise Papers leak, arguing they are protected communications with its lawyers”;
     good news this week includes:
     -   workaholics in Western cultures are being urged to take a break during the end of year holidays (which doesn’t always suit everyone – for instance, winter is a better time for holidays for me);     Germany will “compensate people who fled . . . as children to escape nazis”;
     on development (in an “end poverty/thirst/hunger” sense):
     -   a call for initiatives around Women’s Economic Empowerment to include the role of men;
     and democracy/governance/political matters in my home nation this week:
     -   women have done well in my home state’s recent elections;     as a state branch is raided as part of a corruption investigation, a critique of the National Conference of the main opposition party where, in addition to sticking to a gulag-based refugee policy and adopting a promising housing policy, Australia’s main opposition party has kicked people on Newstart in the teeth and committed to recognising Palestinian statehood;     despite rosy claims by the neoliberal government, workers are not benefitting;
• With regard to the USA and their schoolyard BULLYING, unpresidential, uncomprehending, delusional 45^th “President” (“POTUS45”) (see here on actions for US residents; the VP is at least as bad):
     -   a review finds that the “Steele dossier” that started the ball rolling that led to the Special Prosecutor and the investigation (which has just claimed another scalp) into Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential election finds the dossier has held up well, with nothing being disproved;
     -   concerns that a sports player who protested during the US anthem is being retaliated against;
     -   his supporters are viewing Congress’s refusal to fund a wall on the US-Mexican border as a “retreat” by POTUS45 - but he has signed an order to create Space Command amid fears over Chinese and Russian programs;     as a former advisor is “lashed by judge as sentencing delayed” and an ex-business partner of the former advisor and a businessman with ties to Turkish Government officials are charged, Russian online propagandists are revealed to have “aggressively targeted African Americans during the 2016 US election campaign”, POTUS45’s “namesake charitable foundation has reached an agreement to dissolve under court supervision”, a former FBI director accuses “the US President of undermining the rule of law . . . by lying about the FBI”, and the “last adult” in the US administration causes fears of grave policy errors by leaving his role as Defence Secretary, POTUS45 announces a troop drawdown in Afghanistan and a premature withdrawal from Syria after wrongly claiming Da’esh has been defeated;
     -   as a young US Congresswoman cops criticism for taking a ‘self-care’ break (I’m with the critics: is she up to the demands of the position?), Bernie  Sanders is, scarily (he will be 79 at the next election – older than anyone else), still the most progressive choice for US President;
• 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 as well as 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.     Also, I don’t name groups in order to reduce their publicity):
     -   according to this Wikipedia page, there have been 2 attacks in Iraq, 6 attacks in Afghanistan,   and   2 attacks in Syria   (out of a total of 25),   including   Morocco;
     -   in addition:     actions (Note: there are many others that don’t reach the media I read) have occurred this week against violent extremists in:   Mali,   Somalia;
• With regard to refugees (noting the New York Declaration), people seeking asylum and migrants:
     -   the push to change the Australian opposition’s asylum seeker policy to a more humane policy has been “neutered”;     as a Guardian Australia exclusive reports that a “former Manus Island detention centre worker sues over alleged unsafe work” leading to post-traumatic stress disorder (he says he was seriously misled about the people and conditions there) and a “child asylum seeker allegedly raped on Nauru [has sued Australia’s] Government for damages”, migrants are described as “ ‘a powerful driver’ of economic growth, ‘dynamism and understanding’ ”;     “a landmark global migration pact provides dignity and rights to migrants in every situation and context, stressed representatives of non-governmental organisations in Latin America and the Caribbean, where some 30 million people live outside their countries, forced by economic, social, security, political and now also climatic reasons”;     Greek authorities are violently beating and pushing refugees back into Turkey;     “mental health experts [and] rights groups [have called] for unceasing media coverage of separated migrant children”;
     -   other refugee-related matters have also occurred in:   Morocco,   Mexico,   Belgium,   USA (committing refoulement),   Libya;
• With regard to other human (and other) rights and discrimination     (incidentally, bigots clearly have flaws of observation and thinking – shown by the fact that NOT all people choose to discriminate [and there’s this]):
     -   human rights awards winners;     the UN has adopted the “Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas”;     appalling signs of bigotry (or profound stupidity) at a small Australian school;     in the USA, “the Women’s March is in disarray, with . . . allegations of mismanagement . . . [and] top leaders of the main organisation have been accused of engaging in or condoning anti-Semitism”;
     -   in addition to opportunities below on child abuse and human trafficking, general opportunities to take action on human rights here, here, and, this week,   here,   here (for Australians);
     on HOMOPHOBIA/TRANSPHOBIA     (including heteronormativity and cisgender-normativity and noting that trans kids are the same as cis kids of the trans kids’ true gender):
     -   a “beauty” pageant’s “first openly trans contestant fights for tolerance, respect, and eradicating stigma”;     in a week when conservative, reactionary Singapore allows a gay man to adopt his biological son and at least some media outlets use the correct pronouns when reporting on the shortening of a sentence for a trans person who committed and was convicted of a serious crime, another conservative Australian MP has shown himself to be an utter hypocrite for opposing Equal Marriage on moral grounds when he was being unfaithful, weird, and unethical, and has now been forced to resign as a Minister and will not seek re-election;
     -   other homophobic/transphobic (and heteronormativity / cisgender-normativity) matters have also occurred in:   India;
     on white supremacist and other forms of RACISM / CULTURAL DISCRIMINATION and Indigenous matters generally this week:
     -   “25 years after white-minority rule ended [in South Africa] . . . racism is still deeply embedded but there are also symbols of racial reconciliation”;     “I wouldn't choose to be brought up by white parents again”;     in a week when a reminder of Australia’s history of slavery (“black birding”) is published, expert commentary that the “Indigenous deaths in custody report [is] ‘largely worthless’ . . . ‘misleadingly positive’ and ‘has the potential to misinform policy’ “, and that my home state’s new Parliament still has a diversity gap;     a major US entertainment company has been “accused of colonialism over [a] trademark on [a] Swahili phrase”;
     on TRAFFICKING, and CHILDREN’s and associated human rights this week (from Thomson Reuters Foundation, Freedom United, and other sources):
     -   “at the same time that many churches are celebrating the innocence of childhood this Christmas, they are denying justice to survivors who were innocent children when their lives were damaged and, in some cases destroyed, by institutional sexual abuse . . . the survivors of child sexual abuse deserve compensation before they die”;     the UK “should scrap its search for a new anti-slavery chief and address concerns about the independence of the next commissioner before readvertising for the role”;     “hundreds of trafficked children go missing from UK care”;     “lack of tough action make abuses ‘a risk worth taking’ for factory owners”;
     -   also on child abuse, including institutional, this week:   here,   India;
     -   also on slavery / human trafficking this week:   sporting events,   Malaysia (good news),   Cambodia,   Afghanistan,   India;
     -   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):
     -   domestic violence has featured in this week’s news, with its effects including turning its victims to crime (“between 70 per cent and 90 per cent of incarcerated women have been physically, sexually or emotionally abused as children or adults”),   calls for a major sporting organisation to “push for institutional cultural change . . . with five players arrested and charged for violence against women in recent weeks”,   an “Indigenous leader jailed for violent assaults, including trying to choke woman who ‘played dead’ “,   refugee communities,   a man “charged with 54 counts of domestic violence against four different women”,   a police officer (finally) “stood down from duty over charge for leaking [a domestic violence] complainant's address”,   and   suggestions on “helping someone out of an abusive relationship”.   Meanwhile, as a “rape victim who was (unbelievably) charged with attempted murder in El Salvador after giving birth to her abuser’s baby has been found not guilty and freed from jail”,   a Chinese stalker tries to sue a woman to track her down,   a former US news chief “will not receive his $US120 million ($167 million) severance package after the board determined he failed to fully cooperate with an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations”,   an “immediate and visceral” response by a pack of (appallingly judgemental) idiots to a woman publishing a money diary and similar ignorant, patronising and downright stupid judgementalism on the topic of morning sickness,   despite Australia's strong defamation laws causing the MeToo movement to not gather as much momentum in Australia as in many other nations a defamation case brought by a female MP against a news site received good news with an attempt to dismiss one charge rejected by the judge,   a call is made for more Australians to call out sexism when they see it;
     -   on sexual harassment/misconduct/violence this week, see:   Brazil,   theatre,   Libya;
     -   other sexism matters have also occurred in:   here;
     on WORKERS’ rights this week:
     -   “the biggest hospital in [my home state] has been sanctioned . . . for failing to keep its staff safe from violent attacks” (another state has decided to issue body armour);     a ride sharing service has lost a “landmark case over worker rights, entitling UK drivers to minimum wage and sick leave”;
     on ANIMALS’ rights this week:
     -   as a US poacher is ordered to watch the film “Bambi” while jailed and a call is made in my home state to end duck hunting, six decapitated fur seal pups have been found in New Zealand and a man is charged with strangling a horse;
     on PRIVACY, AGED, DIFFERENTLY ABLED, AND OTHER forms of human (and other – e.g., ANIMAL) rights this week:
     -   “how enduring power of attorney documents enable children to rip off the elderly”;
• With regard to war (noting that economic ties do NOT prevent war), violence and hate generally:
     -   five myths about “sponsor-proxy” conflicts/wars;     the global tear gas trade;     2018 was reportedly the “worst year for US school shootings”;     a perspective on “the landscape” of arms control;     reflections from a former US marine;
• With regard to spirituality    and/or     psychism generally     (including empathy, revolutionary love, survival after death, good religion, UFOs, being single / asexual / off-grid / non-conformist / true to yourself,     overcoming: belief in management  fads and fashions,   filling time / distraction):
     -   a proper perspective on forgiveness (“forgiveness in those situations is enabling further harmful behaviour”);
• With regard to natural and other catastrophes:
     -   an Indonesian airline will fund a more advanced search for the second emergency recording device from a recent plane crash;     a man swimming in floodwaters (which is NOT recommended) in Australia has died;     four drownings have occurred at one Australian beach during rough weather and flooding;     Swine Fever is spreading in China;
• 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], addiction or unthinking pro-technology bias (news is NOT always good),     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,     life options,     AI ethics, corporate misuse of mindfulness as a distraction from working conditions,     embedded emissions,     plane pollution,     bigger, flashier homes/cars and financialisation,     the need for agroforestry,     insisting on busy-ness,     raising Prince Boofheads,     trying to force everyone to have children):
     on climate change (our World War III?) and other environmental matters:
     -   fears that years of alleged lead-zinc spills at a northern Australian port will harm marine life;     “the CSIRO has found serious flaws in [a] key water management plan to protect an ancient springs complex near [a] proposed . . . coal mine” – see also this assessment of the risk of legal action;     “some of Australia's biggest vegetable farmers are fighting for compensation, claiming their food crops were decimated by contaminated herbicides”;     “misleading” claims by a former conservative MP that carbon emissions are coming down;     more on moves to improve the energy efficiency of ships (I can vouch for the efficiency of air bubbles – a smaller version of this proposal gave us ~0.25% gain when I was racing dinghies as a kid. Another option ships are looking at for long voyages with favourable winds is the use of kite sails);     “the commonwealth faces ‘unique fraud risks’ arising from its management of the $3.2 billion portfolio of environmental water in the Murray-Darling Basin, an internal audit has found”;     as ocean sinks are shown to be holding more warming extremes at bay as we reach record high emissions (“Australia is not on track to reach its Paris 2030 climate target, with emissions actually rising in the past four years” - although increasing use of renewables will reduce power prices, and hydrogen is looking like a promising energy “carrier”),   “policymakers have severely underestimated the risks of ecological tipping points, according to a study that shows 45% of all potential environmental collapses are interrelated and could amplify one another”.   Meanwhile, thousands of fish have died in the Darling river,   one third of a flying fox (“Australia's canaries in the coal mine”) species have died and Pacific (and Indian) islands continue to be at increased risk of erosion (notwithstanding that one set of islands has grown by accretion) . . . ;     my home state’s Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning has admitted that logging in old-growth forests should cease,   as private individuals and companies are making up for national government short comings on national parks and another state raises concerns over the treatment of national parks under a plan to raise the wall of a dam.   Als, “at a recent state gala, Finland's first lady wore a dress made from the country's birch trees . . . to support a new technology which could reduce the environmental damage caused by the fashion industry”;     alarming levels of chemicals in turtles on the Great Barrier Reef;   “single-use straws, plates, cutlery and cotton swabs [are] a step closer to being banned in [the] European Union”;
     -   other environmental matters have occurred in:   Africa,   Ghana (good news),   Kenya (good news),   Kenya;
     on technology and science matters:
     -   another (it is not the first) trial of technology to detect drivers using mobile phones;     valid criticism of an anti-friendship lazy-but-quick automatic reply to emails feature;
     on affordable, sustainable and decent housing and homelessness matters    (why are politicians with “investment properties” not admitting a conflict of interest and staying out of housing affordability debates?):
     -   Australia’s national opposition has announced promising policies on housing affordability (if elected);     in the UK, “a second hotel . .  has stepped in to offer 28 homeless people rooms over Christmas after their previous booking by a homeless project was cancelled”, while in Australia, a warning is made that a housing slump is a major economic risk (so make housing more affordable – e.g., allow tiny houses) and the financial regulator “will lift restrictions on interest-only residential lending . . . in a (STUPID!) attempt to stabilise Australia's ailing housing market”, an article on “real estate nightmares and . . . strata disputes” (which is why I would never buy a unit or apartment or flat); and a reminder that tertiary course debts are debts and can affect housing loans;     “the ranks of the homeless are increasingly bolstered by . . . older women, working women, and women who've become trapped in a cycle of desperation and penury”;     “couch surfers”;
     on health and medical:
     -   in a development that brings to mind advice to have children try as many foods as possible when young to minimise food allergies and to avoid excessive disinfection to allow the immune system to be stimulated, pets (“dogs and cats”) are reported to “protect babies against allergies and asthma — and the more pets, the better”;     vaccines have been delivered by drones;     “action against a supplements seller, after the online company claimed its products could help people build muscle while also treating anxiety, depression, heart damage, joint diseases, bone diseases and other ailments”;
     on other matters in the category:
     -   the US now has the trend of grandparents looking after their grandkids (which has been here for a while);
• 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 … ):
     -   an examination of the spread of fake news finds people are the problem;     the media world has been stunned and a major German news magazine “plunged into chaos after revealing that one of its top [award winning] reporters had falsified stories over several years”;
• 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 I 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):
     -   “the cost of a day in court is more emotionally, and financially draining than you might think” (which is why people should be taught about the law in high school – common things like fence disputes);     there will be no appeal against the overturning of the conviction of a catholic archbishop for covering up child abuse, as there are no errors of law, and thus no legal basis;     residents of a regional Australian town “say crime is out of control after a group of young people slashed the tyres of a police car while officers attended one of many recent burglaries”.

Location based News:

• With regard to Africa, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (and other sources) has:
      on Africa generally:
     -   “the changing climate and extreme weather events are affecting agricultural productivity in Africa to such an extent that a panel of experts are urging governments to prioritise and invest in irrigation to ensure food security” (unfortunately, Australian experience shows irrigation can also bring problems, so this must be done carefully);
     -   “signs of widening cracks among East African Community (EAC) member states have emerged after a heads of state summit was cancelled for the second time in three weeks”;
     on specific African nations:
     -   the DR Congo’s Presidential elections have been delayed again;
     -   restoring mangroves has started restoring fish stocks in Ghana;
     -   “delayed legislative polls in Guinea-Bissau have finally been scheduled for March . . . next year”;
     -   “investors [have turned] Kenya’s troublesome invasive water hyacinth into cheap fuel”;   environmental activists are being harassed;     a Kenyan port is at risk of being seized by China;
     -   a Nigerian man who pays the bills of hospital patients who cannot;     “a bloody escalation in the conflict between farmers and herders [has resulted] in at least 3,641 deaths in the past three years and the displacement of thousands more”;     fears Nigeria is heading towards becoming a “narco state”;
     -   “weeks of bickering and negotiation in Somalia’s parliament have stopped an effort to remove [the] President . . . though impeachment”;
     -   South Africa has issued an “arrest warrant for Zimbabwe's Grace Mugabe over [an] alleged assault” (I recall her fleeing at the time);
     -    a “ ‘chance for peace’ in South Sudan [is] finally within reach” (I hope so, and will do what I can for that to be so), but “South Sudanese refugees need $2.7 billion, as safe return remains elusive”;
     -   “curfews and state of emergencies have been imposed on several Sudanese cities while security forces have been deployed . . . after a third day of major anti-austerity protests that have seen eight people killed”;
     -   Zimbabwe’s Mugabe-Lite President is still enforcing a law against insulting the President . . . ;
• With regard to South and Central America:
     -   a former President of Argentina will be tried for corruption;
     -   “in a remote Colombian town notorious as the site of one of the worst massacres of the country’s civil war, . . . fears that the brutal violence of the past [“52 years of civil war . . . left more than 260,000 dead and 7 million displaced”] has returned” – this time possibly from a drug gang dispute, but “murders of human rights defenders and local activists have soared since the signing of the peace deal”;
     -   in Mexico, a relative of a late Nobel laureate “has been freed after being kidnapped and held for ransom for more than three months”;     Mexico is investigating “after teens from [the] migrant caravan [were] killed [the] near US border”;
     -   “a road to dialogue after Nicaragua’s crushed uprising”;
     -   “the risks of [a counterproductive] diplomatic rupture with . . .Venezuela”;
• 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:
     -   “North Korea has denounced the latest US sanctions [“on three top officials, after a report threw up a raft of human rights abuses”] , saying they could ‘block the path to denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula forever ”;
     elsewhere in Asia:
     -   “so-called "Crazy Rich" Indonesians”;
     -   as one of the world’s most racist nations, Japan, is forced to confront its resistance to immigration “amid [a] desperate labour shortage”, it also takes steps towards having aircraft carriers, causing concerns about its constitutional requirement to be defensive only, protests about new Russian barracks on disputed islands, and threatens to resume unfettered killing and eating of intelligent marine mammals;     Japanese crime syndicates are losing their attraction and their membership, with some “making a new life on the right side of the law”;
     -   “Malaysia has filed criminal charges against [a multinational bank} and two former executives for their role in the alleged multi-billion-dollar ransacking of state investment fund 1MDB”;
• With regard to Europe and the European Union (EU) (which need to step up, as the USA steps down):
     -   Belgium’s Prime Minister has resigned “after the biggest party in his coalition quit over his support for the UN global compact on migration” (and the right wingers win, with the support of progressives who forced the issue . . . );
     -   more violence at cost of living protests by “yellow shirts” in France and Belgium;     “why France has more protests than Britain or Germany”;
     -   Hungary’s government “appears bewildered by the speed and spontaneity of events on the streets” as protests grow against a harsh law aimed at that nation’s shortage of workers;
     -   in Spain, “the speaker of the Catalan parliament until January . . . has spent almost nine months in prison . . . facing charges of rebellion for her part in the 2017 push for Catalan independence . . . [and] faces up to 17 years in prison . . . she is calling on the European Court of Human Rights to order her release”;
     -   UK immigration will “focus on skills, not origin, after Brexit”;
• With regard to the (forgotten or ignored and underreported) conflicts in Ukraine, particularly in the east:
     -   Russian actions (including the building of a bridge with inadequate clearance) has killed a Ukrainian port;     “rights violations have continued unabated and unaddressed in Ukraine and people are still dying amid ongoing conflict”;
• With regard to Russia,     Russian influenced nations     and     eastern Europe,     Central Asia,     and responses to same (see also elsewhere):
     Russia:
     -   “Tsar” Putin wants Russia to do more to control youth music;
• 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):
     -   the UN’s envoy has advised that “the possibility of a negotiated peace in the country has never been more real in the past 17 years, adding that by moving from ‘contacts to talks’ between the Government and [a misogynistic violent extremist group], ‘we can begin to move from a logic of war to one focused on opportunities for peace’ ”;
• With regard to South Asia (aka the Indian sub-continent), The Hindu and other sources have:
     on India:
     -   “last week's electoral losses in five states for India's ruling party has led to speculation that its agenda of promoting hardline Hindu politics has backfired”;     “officials in Indian-administered Kashmir have reversed an education department ban on employees wearing traditional dress to work, following an outcry on social media”;     “the Indian government needs to pause and reflect, to ask whether or not the current trafficking bill will do more harm than good”;     an assessment of drought damage is underway;     disrespect for court ordered consideration of privacy – and careless flippancy on a DNA bill;     an assessment of progress of Indian states to the UN Sustainable Development Goals;     an oil rig evacuated before a cyclone is now listing;     more than 100 people at a call centre committing scam calls have been arrested;     fines will be issued if plans to clean polluted rivers are not submitted;     protests by far right extremists have forced the cancellation of a speech by an actor who expressed concern over a mob who murdered a police officer over an alleged death of a cow;     a clumsy trans rights bill may do more harm than good;
     on Pakistan:
     -   the UAE will prop up Pakistan;
• With regard to West Asia (aka “the Middle East”) and Northern Africa, the Middle East Eye, the Times of Israel, and other sources have:
     -   a criticism of Israel’s ever more likely war against Lebanon on the basis that “targeting the host state is only effective against hosts controlled by strong regimes”;     a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist says the US  Congress is trying to make it a federal crime to participate in boycott of Israel, as a “fundraising website . . . has suspended the account of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement after complaints from a pro-Israel group alleging the peaceful initiative is linked to militant groups”;
     on Israel and Palestine:
     -   Israel is whinging and whining because Australia has reaffirmed its “support for a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem under a two-state peace deal”;     as the “UN calls for funds to ease [the] ‘deteriorating’ humanitarian situation in Gaza and West Bank” and is told “ ‘we are nowhere closer’ to Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, than a year ago”, the son of Israel’s Prime Minister is banned from social media for hate speech, and may harm his father’s re-election prospects;     Israel has destroyed tunnels coming in from Lebanon;     “Military Police [have] opened an investigation . . . into death of an East Jerusalem man, who was shot by Israeli troops after a car he was travelling in drove through a roadblock in the West Bank”;
     -   other violent incidents this week include:   this,   here,   here;
     on the  conflict and the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis in Yemen:
     -   as the UN votes to send observers, although the ceasefire in Hodeidah has been broken sporadically by gunfire (commencing within minutes of it coming into effect), the absence of movement suggests it is largely holding – see also this analysis;      “the Yemeni mother of a dying boy in [the USA] is being prevented from seeing him due to a US ban on visitors from her country”;     US weapons are being used in Yemen –and directly contributing to the cause of the world’s largest ever cholera outbreak;
     on Syria (where the Assad Dictatorship has lost all pretence of legitimacy, and partition is needed):
     -   a call for a new Syrian constitution;     Kurds have been abandoned by the West again – this time by the USA;     “Syria's internal exiles on the pain of never being able to go home”;
     elsewhere in the region:
     -   “a former security guard for the US firm Blackwater has been found guilty of murder for his role in a notorious massacre of unarmed civilians in [Iraq’s capital] in 2007”;     US will allow Iraq a waiver so it can keep importing Iranian gas;
     -   an opinion that Russia wants another Gaddafi in Libya;     “the ‘overwhelming majority’ of women and older girls who passed through Libya as migrants reported being gang-raped by traffickers or witnessed others taken away to be abused”;
     -   Saudi Arabia has hit back at the USA after the US Senate blamed Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince for the killing of Saudi-born US journalist Jamal Khashoggi;     a Middle East Eye exclusive reports “the US embassy in Saudi Arabia tweeted a video promoting peaceful protest as a path to ‘positive social and political changes’, but the post was deleted . . . after reporters asked whether the mission was encouraging Saudis to go out on the streets”;
     -   “an Australian man has been sentenced to five years in the notorious United Arab Emirates prison system after being found guilty of [allegedly] spying”.

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.