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 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 45th “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 Sudan, South Sudan, Central African Republic and Côte d'Ivoire,
(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, some excellent perspectives; hate and fear inspired violence (including all the –isms) is continuing, and creating destabilising, ongoing harm; those who focus on systems and one aspect of a situation are continuing to stubbornly inflict damage to vulnerable human beings, and then respond defensively when that is pointed out – including wrongfully trying to control or cut off information; the world of international politics continues to be afflicted by macho power ploys, but more and well-reasoned calls for accountability are being made; another reason to be empathic; limits are being applied to people’s caring; the changes of thinking to address climate change; consideration of how to respond to misbehaviour; simple-minded judgemental thinking;(f) may all people be BPM balanced and in BPM contact with their Higher Self / the best part of their natures;(h) may all people be BPM empathic, without limits on their caring, and prepared for BPM change – especially on the crisis of climate change;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; andWARNING: some of these links may contain triggers around issues such as violence, sexual assault, discrimination, etc.
Permanent Issues and Thematically Arranged News:
- Permanent issue: may all actual and potential BPM Leaders 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; some thoughts on being part of “Team Human” in a digital; future; an excellent talk on bigots;
on the Rohingya genocide this week:
- burma has rejected the jailed Reuters journalists’ appeals, and launched a new military campaign against the Rohingya – who are NOT returning; the ongoing legacy from one of the massacres from the genocides (euphemistically referred to as “ethnic cleansing” so others could feel OK about not doing anything) in Kosovo 20 years ago highlights the problems that will continue from burma’s genocide against the Rohingya;
on other matters requiring particular attention:
- a 13 year old Indigenous girl has been traumatised by a police strip search (one of these days the harm done by such will have to be admitted – as will the harm done by the US TSA’s grope-fest); despite a (recorded) trivialising response to a domestic violence complaint, police claim nothing was wrong . . . ; in an ethical failure, “widespread faking of roadside breath tests by Police officers [in my home state] . . . was driven by ‘meaningless’ targets that were at odds with the force's own road safety strategy”; a Guardian Australia exclusive reveals that “Queensland’s freedom of information watchdog and the state’s police service met quietly last year and agreed citizens should be blocked from accessing their personal data held in a controversial police records system”;
- just before the US Vice President meets with a representative of North Korea, POTUS45 has announced an expensive space-based anti-missile programme - see also here, and a critique here . . . and a second US-North Korea summit will occur;
- based on an opinion that the impeachment of Andrew Johnson (POTUS17), which prevented a potential second US civil war and prevented his re-election, is more relevant than the attempted impeachment of Bill Clinton, a call to impeach POTUS45; “thousands more [refugee] children [were] separated [from their parents under [POTUS45] than previously known”; a group of neo-nazi students at a US school in a region which has experienced “a sharp increase in reported anti-Semitic incidents” have used “racist, sexually inappropriate and threatening commentary”, including one student’s call “to bring knives to school”, and formed a nazi symbol on school grounds; the appalling history of fascism / neo-nazis in my nation;
- the recent fish kill in Australia’s Murray-Darling was predictable (implementation of water plans was behind), may not be over (aerators will be installed to try to manage future risks), may be associated with withholding information and has led to calls for a Royal Commission; the changes of thinking we need to address climate change; “the next wave of action will be driven by employees striving to make a positive difference”; “leaving trees in the ground and planting new ones could help future proof new development sites against extreme heat”; “why we should care about vulnerable coastal communities”;
- “two people have been killed [by torture by police] and nearly 40 detained in a new crackdown on LGBT people in Russia’s Chechnya region”;
- “a new ‘short film by [a] razor company . . . has called for men to be the best they can be, sparking a significant backlash” from so-called “men’s rights activists”, who claim being decent “emasculates men” – see also this critique of the fragile, fearful response, which includes “the American Psychological Association [has issued] new clinical guidelines advising that a masculinity characterised by dominance, aggression and emotional repression can be harmful to men’s mental health”; “quotas are opposed because they undermine meritocracy in selecting candidates, yet it is the absence of genuine meritocracy that often prevents capable, talented women from diverse backgrounds having a fair opportunity to be pre-selected”; ⅓ of UN workers have been sexually harassed - see also here; “I was flabbergasted middle-class women thought there was anything surprising about middle-class men nursing an inner misogyny”; “sexual abuse of boys is ‘barely addressed’ by the laws in many countries, according to a global study that warns of a lack of support for young male survivors”; a “woman [has been] jailed for making [a] false rape claim against ex-partner”, which nearly drove her ex-partner to suicide, “changed who he was and ‘shattered’ his faith in the legal system”; “an Indian guru has been sentenced to life in prison for murdering a journalist who exposed sexual abuse of women at his sect”; “women [and some men] report feeling unsafe at lively spots, not just quiet streets”; a foreseeable problem with unisex toilets and open showers has led to a call for a return to common sense;
- the “upcoming women’s march [has been] clouded by anti-Semitism allegations”;
- Iran “is preparing for an extended period of espionage and intelligence wars, asymmetric deterrence and aerial defence”;
- China’s “hostage diplomacy”; “Poland . . . has called for the EU and NATO to take a ‘joint stance; on [a Chinese telecommunications company]after an employee . . . was arrested on spying charges”; Canada has condemned China’s death sentence for a Canadian drug smuggler – which has further raised already high tensions; China “has made enormous military strides in recent years, thanks partly to domestic laws forcing foreign partners to divulge technical secrets in exchange for access to China’s vast market” and “is on the cusp of fielding some of the world’s most advanced weapons systems – and in some cases already has surpassed its rivals”; the US may ban the sale of technology to Chinese companies which commit intellectual property theft or trade violations; a background on the risks posed by Chinese tech companies – which is their vulnerability to China’s government;
- the situation of a Bahraini soccer player granted refugee status by Australia who has been detained in Thailand at Bahrain’s request; an Iranian TV presenter has been arrested in the USA; Turkey has issued an international arrest warrant for a US-resident sports player;
- after studies show individuals excluded from a group over misbehaviour are more likely to misbehave, further research suggests a similar effect for nations - such as Venezuela - excluded from international governmental organisations (“why not break the rules if you’re already an outcast?” I have to ask, so what do the authors suggest nations do? Wring their hands? After all, the nations concerned are already not respecting group rules. I think this information – valid though it is – has to be taken with a grain of salt);
- “supporters of a man [the third of four, all connected to a motorcycle gang] sentenced for [sadistically] torturing and killing a kangaroo [as part of a gang initiation have] lashed out at the media”; some plants have been trained to react to stimuli, much as happened in the famed “Pavlov’s dogs” experiment;
- an idiotic start up wants to put billboards in space . . . ;
- a patronising TV “expert” on decluttering (which potentially can be good) has shown what an utter idiot she is by setting a limit on the number of books people should have;
this week’s atrocity alert at R2P lists Sudan, South Sudan, Central African Republic and Côte d'Ivoire; - 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:
- SIPRI has launched a series of publications on security in the Black Sea region (which includes Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Turkey and other nations), with topics including nuclear security and “rebuilding collective security”; China is bending the rules to get World Bank loans for purposes that it shouldn’t, given the size and development of its economy; an opinion that “the spectre of the failure of neoliberal globalisation” is “haunting Europe”;
of concern in my nation (Australia) this week:
- Australia’s neoliberal, evangelical zealot Chairman Morrison will suppress dissent by forcing local Councils to hold citizenship ceremonies on Invasion Day; no charges for those who leaked information about a raid on a union as “there was little chance of a successful prosecution”; “the Australian Human Rights Commission has warned [the government’s] proposal to lower the bar for stripping people convicted of terrorism or related offences of Australian citizenship could render people stateless and would be retrospective in application – in possible violation of international law or the rule of law”; details have emerged of the structural problems of an apartment tower which was evacuated late last year after cracks developed, and what will be needed to be done to repair it; “an official audit has criticised the Australian government and the environment department for applying ‘insufficient scrutiny’ to numerous aspects of a controversial proposal to award $443.3 [million] to” a private foundation; Australia’s “union watchdog accidentally leaked secret emails from [a] confidential whistleblower”; finally, specific details on this: electricity companies spent $50 billion on network upgrades between 2007 and 2013, which – according to the Productivity Commission - caused a 70% price increase that was misrepresented by the climate-change denying neoliberal dinosaurs as being due to renewables; “a report commissioned by the Australian Tax Office has found that wealthy people are funnelling money into private trusts and avoiding paying tax to the tune of possibly several billion dollars every year”;
also of concern this week:
- other concerning events have occurred or are developing in: France, WHO, Australia;
good news this week includes:
- “the European parliament has backed plans to cut EU funds to member states that undermine the rule of law or allow corruption to fester”; a social media platform “has removed hundreds of pages believed to be connected to” a Russian site aimed at influencing political elections in other nations;
on development (in an “end poverty/thirst/hunger” sense):
- the world is not on track to meet the SDGs, and is failing children; the Federation of American Scientists will work with the World Bank to improve the latter’s famine responses;
and democracy/governance/political matters in my home nation this week:
on the Royal Commission into banks, and similar matters:
- my home state has announced the members of its second “Youth Congress”; those trying to import a Chinese practice into Australia are whinging about the negative reaction their selfish practices are leading to; the supporters of an independent MP have chosen who they want to replace her when she retires; a retiring official in one political party in my home state has asked to be replaced by a woman; details of Australia’s proposed Commonwealth Integrity Commission; a minor political “party uses unsolicited political text messages to announce ban on unsolicited political texts”; a controversial right wing MP is being chased by liquidators; the “aged care royal commission begins with families of elder abuse victims shut out of first hearing”; - With regard to the USA and their
schoolyard BULLYING, unpresidential, uncomprehending, delusional 45th “President” (“POTUS45”)
(see here on actions for US residents; the VP is at least as bad):
- “employers in the US will still have to provide health insurance covering women's birth control, after a federal judge blocked [POTUS45’s] administration from enforcing new rules allowing employers to obtain exemptions from the Obamacare requirement”;
- POTUS45’s shutdown of the US government – which he is blamed for - has become “the longest ever”; perhaps in response to a call to defer or move the State of the Union because of the impact of the shutdown, POTUS45 has swiped back at the US Speaker by cancelling an important government trip, breaching security protocols in the process, citing the shutdown as an excuse; the impact of the shutdown on science; a reminder that POTUS45 “does not need a wall to prevent human trafficking”;
- allegations that POTUS45 ordered opinions polls – which he used to garner support - be rigged;
- claims that “US law enforcement officials became so concerned by [POTUS45’s] behaviour in the days after he fired FBI director James Comey that they began investigating whether he had been working for Russia against US interests” will be investigated – see also here, here, and here (which comments that Russian interference pre-dates 1968); the US Congress’s role with regard to running investigations in parallel with criminal investigations; after allegations that “that on at least one occasion in 2017 he took away his interpreter's notes after talks”, POTUS45 has “denied hiding details of conversations with” Russia's President, and denied that he ever worked for Russia;
- POTUS45 is “under fire over [a] ‘disrespectful’ tweet about Native American massacre”;
- a Hindu Democratic congresswoman will run for US President in 2020, but she is isolationist; a new young Democrat congresswoman is unsettling her more senior colleagues;
- an art installation which includes a Saudi flag will be moved away from “Ground Zero”, the memorial site for the terrible 9/11 attack, possibly in response to concerns about the involvement of Saudi citizens and allegations of Saudi partial responsibility;
- a “traveller who forgot a gun was in their carry-on luggage was able to take the firearm on an international flight due to an airport security bungle”; - 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 5 attacks in Iraq, 8 attacks in Afghanistan, and 5 attacks in Syria (out of a total of 41);
- in addition: violent extremist threats are or may be developing in Africa;
- a former US envoy against violent extremism says POTUS45 is giving one VE group “new life”;
- the sometimes politically motivated use of the word “terrorism”;
- other violent extremist matters have also occurred in: Indonesia; - With regard to refugees (noting the New York Declaration), people
seeking asylum and migrants:
- as another caravan flees violence and poverty, the increasingly desperate situation facing refugees just south of the USA-Mexico border; “the European Union is attempting to agree on a temporary deal on the handling of migrants and refugees rescued at sea”; a bibliography of “scholarly and practitioner” literature on “people from refugee and asylum seeking backgrounds”; “a doctor on Nauru who blew the whistle on the deliberate medical neglect of refugees and asylum seekers on the island has been awarded a global award for free speech”; Venezuelan child refugees in Brazil cannot get healthcare because of their lack of papers; another legal challenge against my nation’s indefinite detention of refugees;
- other refugee-related matters have also occurred in: Ethiopia (good news); - 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]):
- an activist group in yet another nation is trying to get another idiotic tax taken off women’s sanitary products;
- 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;
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):
- misogyny at a gay event;
- other homophobic/transphobic (and heteronormativity / cisgender-normativity) matters have also occurred in: Singapore;
on white supremacist and other forms of RACISM / CULTURAL DISCRIMINATION and Indigenous matters generally this week:
- Australia’s annual debate over Invasion Day is underway, with views including that a different date would be more inclusive, and a call to change the focus from changing the date to changing the nation (to not be racist); a 90 year old “Nobel Prize-winning American scientist . . . has been stripped of his honorary titles after repeating comments about race and intelligence”; “a GP has praised the receptionist at a [UK] surgery for silencing a patient who said they did not want to see an ‘Asian doctor’ ”;
on TRAFFICKING, and CHILDREN’s and associated human rights this week (from Thomson Reuters Foundation, Freedom United, and other sources):
- a priest who abuse a girl, who was then told she would go to hell, has escaped being jailed; international rankings show the UK is best at responding to child abuse – see also this, focused on my home state;
- also on child abuse, including institutional, this week: here, India, here;
- also on slavery / human trafficking this week: India, South America, UK, Bangladesh, UK, Finland, Thailand, Cuba;
on SEXISM this week (keeping in mind the overblown influence given to testosterone, and the potential value to women of using anger):
- “how a small online community group became a lifeline for women facing domestic violence”;
- on sexual harassment/misconduct/violence this week, see: India, France, Spain;
- other sexism matters have also occurred in: South Africa, India (good news), Malaysia, Israel;
on ANIMALS’ rights this week:
- an animal activist has been somewhat violently arrested (was the police officer biased against animal activists?) at the scene of a cattle truck rollover – with someone making utter rubbish comments about a still dying animal being dead;
- other animals’ rights matters have also occurred in: USA, Kazakhstan;
on PRIVACY, AGED, DIFFERENTLY ABLED, AND OTHER forms of human rights this week:
- according to a Wikipedia article, four million Australians, just under 20% of the population (of whom around half are in paid employment), have a disability, with another 2.6 million Australians being carers. The National Disability Insurance Scheme is being implemented, at a cost of around $15 – 22 billion per year and with some problems (e.g., severe understaffing) along the way. Now my home state, with a population of $6.4 million, has announced spending of just over $2 million per year for the next two years to help those advocating for the disabled, such as Disability Advocacy Victoria, with around half the funds reserved for regional bodies; criticism of the use of restraints in nursing homes (how much of that is due to understaffing? – see this article on understaffing) has led to “new regulations to prevent excessive use”;
- other privacy matters have also occurred in: UN/USA, Europe, USA, USA;
- other differently abled and other forms of human or other rights matters have also occurred in: here, Kazakhstan, Tanzania (good news); - 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):
- the joys of staring at the ceiling :) ; - With regard to natural and other catastrophes:
- a major snowstorm in the USA has killed five people; a mine collapse in China has killed 21 miners; an avalanche in Austria has killed 3 skiers; as a heatwave in Australia continues, 50 bushwalkers have been airlifted away from a fire to safety; - 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 [new 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, the “Earth3” model [SDGs + 9PBs]):
on climate change (our World War III?) and other environmental matters:
- another attempt to cut down the impact of air conditioning (build better houses, morons, starting with bringing back eaves and verandahs!) and refrigeration; a new windfarm could provide 10% of my home state’s energy; coral gardening is being trialled to save Pacific Island reefs; my home city “has become the first city in Australia to have all of its council-owned infrastructure powered by renewable energy”; “our oceans broke heat records in 2018 and the consequences are catastrophic” (rising temperatures date back to the 1950s); my home state is empowering regional communities to “adjust, build resilience and thrive in the face of a changing climate”; the environmental impact of cryptocurrency; in response to protests targeting its sites, a contractor will stop working for a controversial proposed coal mine in Australia; an interview with the “head of responsible investment and stewardship” on incorporating the SDGs and anti-climate change measures; climate protection could end unlimited speeds on Germany’s major roads; the growing sustainability focus of food production – e.g., an app to track this;
on technology and science matters:
- a social media platform has banned “clips that depict dangerous or emotionally distressing ‘pranks’ ”, but existing offensive material that was to be removed has not yet been taken down; “the largest collection of breached data in history has been discovered”;
on economic and financial matters:
- the downsides of working at home;
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 will see the world's biggest house price declines this year” (if only we had some money to take advantage of that :) ); an idiotic attempt (and the stupidity is also of the interviewees) to fit the concept of tiny homes into the widespread material wealth ideology (no matter how small, homes are for living in, not becoming rich, and misses the fact that this approach can be used to build BETTER stationary homes); the homelessness crisis in one Australian city has worsened;
on health and medical:
- veterinarians are reportedly abandoning their profession “as suicide rate remains alarmingly high”; further details of a recent, appalling case where a woman in a coma for ten years gave birth reveal that the staff didn’t know she was pregnant; the challenges of diagnosing autism in girls; the three second rule is utter rubbish; as “experts decry evidence-free policy as deaths mount”, young people are campaigning for pill testing; - With regard to education:
- “stress, anxiety and bullying” in schools is driving some families to home-school their kids; - 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):
- a police officer in my home state has been charged (which does not mean guilty) by the anti-corruption watchdog; tighter gun rules as one part of addressing a suicide problem in Australian Federal Police; mixed reactions to “CCTV footage of police aiming weapons at youth detainees” during a riot; some airline crews have been arrested for smuggling drugs; a first attempt to analyse the criminal histories of organised crime offenders in Australia;
- other crime, judicial and policing matters have occurred in: France.
Location based News:
- With regard to Africa, the Africa
Center for Strategic Studies (and other sources) has:
- “the southern African regional body SADC has called for a unity government [citing similar examples in Zimbabwe and Kenya] in the Democratic Republic of Congo [where nearly 900 people have been killed], following the disputed [by another opposition candidate] presidential election” – see also here, but the African Union has called for a delay in declaring the final result, “citing serious concerns”;
- many children in Ethiopia have been left stranded and struggling to survive by fleeing parents; “Ethiopia [has] passed a law . . . giving almost 1 million refugees the right to work and live outside of camps, in a move praised for providing them with more dignity and reducing reliance on foreign aid”;
- “the International Criminal Court . . . has acquitted Ivory Coast ex-President Laurent Gbagbo” of crimes against humanity (While this is a blow to those who died, lost love ones or otherwise suffered during the post-2010 election violence, it is important that the ICC shows it is independent, and not only about vengeance, which is helped by some people being acquitted – which was a key aspect of the Nuremberg trials. Now what is needed is to find who was responsible, and charge them. Note also that this does not say the ex-President was a good person, or that he didn’t commit other offences);
- South Africa’s President “has used the launch of the African National Congress's election manifesto to call for an end to the country's rape crisis. About 40,000 rapes are reported in South Africa every year, according to fact checking organisation Africa Check, but the actual number is thought to be much higher”;
- “improving prospects for a peaceful transition in Sudan”; as the crackdown is condemned, more on the large protests;
- an organisation set up to battle discrimination is having a profound, beneficial impact on Tanzanians with albinism;
- “police in Zimbabwe have fired live ammunition and teargas [and reportedly there have also been beatings and abductions] . . . to enforce a nationwide shutdown [of] protest [which has become more violent] against the rising cost of living” (the Internet has also been cut off); - With regard
to South and Central America:
- as it moves down the gun nut path, Brazil is whingeing about Brazilians caring about climate change and the plant – including Brazil – having a future; “bombings in Brazil reveal [the] growing power of gangs”;
- allegations of massive bribes to a former President of Mexico just before he took power (and to a Presidential aide) have been denied; the murder of an activist;
- “Venezuela’s opposition leader [was] briefly detained after challenging Maduro”; - 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:
- a Chinese telecommunications company has sacked an employee arrested in Poland for spying for China (this is good in terms of that company’s credibility, but can they stand up to Chinese government pressure and do Chinese laws still make them a security risk?); a questioning of Chinese crime statistics; a reminder of “the most powerful man in China to oppose the decision to send tanks into Tiananmen Square nearly 30 years ago”;
- signs of a second US-North Korea summit;
- “eSwatini . . . , previously known as Swaziland, is staying with Taiwan for ‘diplomatic and political morality’ even though it is left standing alone”;
elsewhere in Asia:
- “Malaysia's Education Ministry has said it shouldn't have published [a victim blaming] infographic in a school textbook that said girls must protect their modesty or risk being shamed and ostracised”;
- an article on Singapore's “caning shame”, which marks it as backward and raises questions about whether it is ready to join the world of nations;
and in the Pacific:
- a rare visit by an Australian leader to some Pacific nations, but “climate change is ‘no laughing matter’ and poses an ‘enormous’ threat to Fijians and Pacific Islanders, Fiji's Prime Minister . . . has warned Australia”; a “former minister for the Pacific has broken ranks with” Australia’s neoliberal government to criticise a “new $2 billion infrastructure fund” as “debt-trap diplomacy” “at a time when several are struggling to repay already massive loans”; - With regard to Europe and the European Union (EU) (which need
to step up, as the USA steps down):
- France’s President will launch “three-month national debate that he hopes will dissipate the anger displayed in the recent violent protests, without derailing the reforms he insists France needs”, but the proposed head resigned over concerns her pay was excessively high;
- an extreme right wing party in Germany has been placed under surveillance;
- “a UN envoy has praised Macedonia after its parliament approved a deal with Greece that would rename the country North Macedonia” – but see also here;
- a progressive (pro-LGBT, anti-xenophobia) Polish mayor has died after being stabbed at a charity fund raising event, with notable silent mourning, and “police have detained at least 10 people over social media posts calling for murder and acts of aggression” – i.e., hate speech;
- as “UK farmers prepare for [a] trade crisis matching [the] disruption during World War II” and France has activated its no-deal Brexit plan), “a polite request from Europe [to the UK]: wake us up when you know what you want from Brexit” (“the ‘meaningful vote’ . . . looks like more paralysis and delusion”); - With regard to the (forgotten or
ignored and underreported) conflicts in Ukraine, particularly in the east:
- Ukrainian-Russian tensions have extended to religion; - With regard to the conflict in Afghanistan (noting that
Afghanistan was once a peaceful and modern society, even allowing women in
miniskirts, before the Russian invasion – see here):
- a rebuttal of POTUS45’s claim that Russia invaded Afghanistan because of violent extremism; “Pakistan has detained a senior Afghan Taliban member in an attempt to put pressure on the militants amid talks with the US”; an opinion on the situation in Afghanistan; - With regard to South Asia (aka
the Indian
sub-continent), The
Hindu and other sources have:
on India:
- “one of the two Indian women who defied a historic ban to enter a Hindu temple is recovering in hospital after her mother-in-law allegedly attacked her”; the first woman has climbed a sacred mountain, after a court order, without problems; “two teenage girls have been honoured by the Indian government after it was discovered they had pretended to be boys for four years to run their father’s barbershop when he became too ill to work” – which is an appalling indictment on sexism in India, that it was necessary; ongoing concerns over the purchase of fighter jets; “to call for the overthrow of a stale and fearful social system is not sedition. It is democracy”; concerns about the independence of judges and the credibility of India’s Supreme Court; the “scheme to provide housing for the rural poor has achieved only 66% of its target”; another promise that farmers will get help . . . ;
elsewhere in South Asia:
- another mass grave has been found in Sri Lanka; - With regard
to West Asia (aka “the Middle East”) and
Northern Africa, the Middle East Eye, the Times
of Israel, and other sources have:
- the UAE and Israel are developing closer relations;
on Israel and Palestine:
- Palestine has taken the leadership of the UN’s coalition of developing countries (G77) for 2019; Palestinians’ pay is being held back by Israel; “political manoeuvring that could end Netanyahu’s rule . . . will likely not lead to any major changes in Israeli policy towards Palestinians”;
- other events concerning Israel/Judaism and/or Palestine have occurred or are developing in: USA, here;
on the conflict and the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis in Yemen:
- a “social science” perspective on the prospects for peace in Yemen; the UN is trying to salvage the ceasefire; the first aid in six months has been delivered in western Yemen; an attack on a UN convoy;
on Syria (where the Assad Dictatorship has lost all pretence of legitimacy, and partition is needed):
- a Saudi royal has warned that US withdrawal from Syria “would have a negative impact, further entrenching Iran, Russia and the rule of . . . al-Assad”; displaced infants are dying from lack of healthcare; a suicide attack by the violent extremist group POTUS45 claims is finished has killed four US soldiers; thousands of refugees are struggling to survive in harsh winter conditions;
elsewhere in the region:
- the dilemma facing young Jordanians;
- “the largest strike in Tunisia's modern history with more than 670,000 participants, as unpopular reforms and inequality are driving growing discontent”.
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.
