For the sake of my health, until I retire or change to an
easier day job , I have cut back these posts.
Throughout 2019, these posts are likely to be cut back even further as a family illness is dealt with.
Throughout 2019, these posts are likely to be cut back even further as a family illness is dealt with.
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);
4. Ensuring opposition to POTUS45 is unified, cohesive and FOCUSED, NOT fractured or divisive;(d) the major events this week are:
(i) as attraction to violence continues to be inadequately addressed, the search for humans rights abusers continues, and further to the current map of genocides, this week there are risks of mass atrocities in Venezuela, Nigeria and North Korea,
(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, thoughts about reducing or preventing violence, although these were offset by the use of, and escalating responses to and/or perpetuation of, actual violence on scales ranging from personal to near global; indifference and the misuse of physical power to steal and acquire power or things, including land; abuse of power; some holding to account for abuses of power (and more may be possible); callous indifference and negative self-justifications for abuses and misuses of power that cause suffering, harm, and severe damage – particularly to the vulnerable; irresponsibility, fear, and callousness in allowing – or causing / enabling - a society to fall apart; inflexible, insensitive and inappropriate dogma in thinking and actions; use of power to threaten and intimidate, combined with refusal to reflect; choosing to ignore obligations that are inconvenient; weighing the relative merits and dangers of a range of matters incorrectly; fear of difference – especially of thinking or feeling; insisting on others having the same attitudes and beliefs out of fear of being wrong; self-reinforcing perceptions; avoiding action or deliberations out of fear of the seriousness of the ramifications / consequences; hiding behind bureaucracy;(e) may all people never be indifferent or suppress their emotions;(f) may people never hide in ways that cause or promote emotional distance out of fear – especially of consequences or repercussions of choosing to be BPM – or to avoid the inconvenience of being BPM or BPM doing one’s spiritual duty to care and aid;(g) may all people be aware that short term gains from abuse of power ALWAYS have a cost;(h) may people never stand back out of resentment or “I told you so” attitudes or desire for vengeance;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; “how development policies and programs can play a stronger role in preventing violent conflict globally”;
on the Rohingya genocide this week:
- other ethnic groups, in the north and east of burma, have also been driven from their land, and trying to regain it; “Rohingya refugee are living in [an] ‘untenable situation’ “; Bangladesh has said it cannot take any more Rohingya refugees;
on other matters requiring particular attention:
- this week I found nothing in the news on Ukraine;
- with tensions that originate with independence in 1947, particularly over Kashmir (where an insurgency that has killed tens of thousands of people has been active since 1989 – see also this Kashmiri and a conventional US perspective), and concerns over Indian human rights abuses in Kashmir and Pakistan’s harbouring of violent extremists, the recent suicide bombing by a Kashmiri that killed 40 Indian soldiers has led to the worst crisis between these two nations since 2002, with: an Indian military strike against an alleged violent extremist camp, the Indian Supreme Court ordering the army to protect Kashmiris, border fighting (with several civilian deaths), a retaliatory Pakistani airstrike and the shooting down of two Indian planes, with one Indian pilot being captured, after a beating by local Pakistanis (he was defended by Pakistani soldiers), and then released as a goodwill gesture. Throughout this is the concern over the nuclear capabilities of the two nations, and there have been international briefings and calls for restraint, but ending the crisis will require political courage, possibly aided by good diplomacy;
- after a second court case was withdrawn, a suppression order (that had allegedly been broken by dozens of journalists – who may now be jailed) was lifted, allowing journalists - who had been in the court and evidently had pre-prepared articles - to very quickly report on the conviction of a senior catholic church cleric for child abuse. The legal process is continuing, however, as he continues to insist he is innocent and an appeal has been lodged that some think could be successful (if it is, I would still consider him – and his church [which has infringed the right to life of minorities and many women] - a homophobic/transphobic bigot, but he would NOT be a convicted child abuser), but the last few days have seen: commentary on the social power being displayed and criticism over the uninformed who are trying to raise doubts over the conviction for the damage it does to survivors, an apology for appalling words by the defence lawyer when arguing over sentencing (the currently convicted person is now behind bars), calls for the very flawed response to child abuse (prior to the recent Royal Commission) he was responsible for to be dismantled, discussion over the impact of this on others of that faith, as well as the “unprecedented” (was it? Really? These abuses have been revealed for decades – particularly since Boston in 2002 – and they recently admitted destroying files on child abusing priests!) crisis for that church (which has recently removed him and others from positions of power) which included an initial decision to wait followed by a decision to start investigating (ironically, by the current successor to the Inquisition, which this cleric was once part of) before the appeal and a call for more women to fix the systemic problems being shown, and commentary on how hard this is for victims , with some information on self-care;
- after hundreds of strip searches in an Australian state found no contraband, comments that “the routine strip search of young people is not acceptable, we should have a proportionate risk-based approach” (I also note that this was part of the abuses committed by nazis – and was noted as such at the Nuremburg trials); “almost 5,000 complaints of sexual abuse and harassment of migrant children in US custody have been filed over the past four years . . . the allegations range from adult staff members having relationships with minors, and the showing of pornographic videos, to forcible touching”; outcry – including charges of torture – after an 11-year-old rape victim in Argentina was “given [a] C-section instead of abortion”;
- the war in South Sudan has been described as “a relentless litany of almost unimaginable horrors”; child soldiers; a proposal to work with banks to cut off the flow of money in to African conflicts;
- as Venezuela’s collapse allows crime syndicates and Colombian guerrilla groups in the south to run rampant, and raises concerns of a possible regional malaria epidemic, violence continues and a second border bridge is closed, leading to international condemnation – and a commitment to condemn any military incursion – see also here;
- more protests in India against the eviction of one million forest dwellers;
- the USA’s gun owners group has irresponsibly put the female Speaker at risk with a dangerously worded headline; the US House of Representatives has passed its first major legislation on gun control in nearly a quarter of a century, but it is not likely to be taken up in the Republican-controlled Senate;
- “hate speech threatens our humanity”;
- how to address climate security during geopolitical crises; an examination of geoengineering proposals to help our planet with climate change, including whether such could lead to the deferral of real action; “global warming could decimate fish supplies and fuel migration”; a lawsuit by Indians who rely on fishing against the financiers of a coal fired power station has been “revived”, as “the smart money is jumping the sinking coal ship”; “evidence for [human]-made global warming has reached a ‘gold standard’ level of certainty”;
- “United Nations investigators said . . . Israeli security forces may have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in killing 189 Palestinians and wounding more than 6,100 at weekly protests in Gaza last year”;
- “the African Union is seeking to kill off the EU’s latest blueprint for stemming migration, claiming that it would breach international law by establishing “de facto detention centres” on African soil, trampling over the rights of those being held”; “encampment can provoke and escalate tension amongst refugees, amongst hosts, and between refugees and host communities . . . [and] is a significant predictor of deadly communal conflict events” – self settlement is less violent; 60% of Australian voters support the new refugee “medevac” bill;
- China has redefined security to include prevention to justify its psychological warfare at home and abroad;
- the sporting world is having problems with racism and sexism – yet again; criticism of marches against (simplistic and expensive) anti-drug policies – and the policies - at music festivals in one Australian state for missing the cause (e.g., “rather than changing the culture that normalises the violent masculinity that plays a role in one-punch deaths or listening to the countless studies and research that tell us harm reduction is smarter drug policy”), and the racism of those with power and over-policing of indigenous people – which also occurs in other states;
- a film review site has stopped comments to cut off misogynistic trolls; business propaganda is harming women’s self-image (still), and some doctors are too stupid to counter that; doubts about how serious one Australian state is in tackling domestic violence; “Belgium, Denmark, France, Latvia, Luxembourg [and] Sweden [are] the only countries in the world to enshrine gender equality in laws affecting work” – see here; why a leading actress quit a major film project after the appointment of a controversial person;
this week’s atrocity alert at R2P lists Venezuela, Nigeria and North Korea; - 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:
- “when political parties collect campaign data on their potential voters, it can provide forensic clarity of detail for politicians on how to influence the vote. But for voters, it draws a new curtain obscuring their view of how politics is influenced”; “the policies that reduce (current) discrimination will limit (future) disadvantage to women”; an anti-corruption evidence research programme – and “citizens take action [against corruption] as a result of three variables: their own cost-benefit approximations, the way that contextual factors affect their lives, and their social connections”; the history of Australia’s transformative compulsory voting; evidence-based recommendations for improving conditions and prospects in the gig economy; “global spending on health is increasing; domestic public funding is rising and external financing is declining” but upfront fees are pushing people into poverty; an examination of the impact and significance of the SDGs in Australia (I haven’t read this yet); the dangerous hypocrisy of claims that sports and politics do not mix;
of concern internationally this week:
- the lessons from a recent security company scandal;
of concern in my nation (Australia) this week:
- a company associated with several recent political scandals is now sponsoring a political fundraiser; a candidate has been accused of a misleading social media post taking personal credit for government funds; “we need to decolonise history and archaeology if we want to know the truth” about Australia’s genocidal history; “the government’s contentious ParentsNext welfare program is having “devastating” impacts on participants, the majority of whom are single mothers of young children”; “an Iranian refugee who set himself on fire on Nauru would have had up to a 95% chance of survival had he been treated in Australia”; a lawyer who acted as a police informant for 14 years has previously acted in an unethical behaviour manner; a questioning of the neoliberal government’s claims on meeting climate change agreements; more divisive, absurdist, and, frankly, evil claims in an attempt to deny decent treatment of refugees and asylum seekers;
- other concerning events have occurred or are developing in: Australia, Nigeria, an NGO, Iran, Canada;
with regard to cyber warfare and other cyber problems this week:
- a social media platform is in trouble for allowing illegal political ads, and for allegedly knowing when women are having periods; a flaw in the privacy algorithm used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics; an “embarrassingly easy” company impersonation scam; “a record number of people filed privacy complaints with Europe's leading data authority last year”;
good news this week includes:
- good news has occurred: Mauritius (Diego Garcia);
on development (in an “end poverty/thirst/hunger” sense):
- a proposal to use traceability to improve health systems in low and medium income nations; “don’t overlook Africa’s ‘fragile’ states for social businesses”; sustainable development won’t occur unless migrants are included; “the key role that young people play in determining the future of migration governance around the world is the focus of the session this year of the International Dialogue on Migration at the UN”;
and democracy/governance/political matters in my home nation this week:
on the Royal Commission into banks, and similar matters:
- another assessment that the banks got off lightly;
on other matters:
- a rebuttal of governments claims that capital gains tax reforms would hurt low and middle income earners; the proposed disability Royal Commission could be of “a similar size and standing” to the five-year institutional child sexual abuse enquiry; evidence suggests mainstream Australia is becoming more progressive, recovering the setbacks of Howard’s evil; commuters in my home city face an “ ‘unprecedented’ shutdown of nine train lines” in a few weeks, said to be aimed at preventing later problems, but some commentators note the possible impact on the upcoming national election; an un-Australian small business owner doesn’t realise that internships are a US import, and are morally wrong to the point of being indefensible; tensions and divisions in a minority party; - With regard to the USA and their
schoolyard BULLYING, unpresidential, uncomprehending, delusional 45th “President” (POTUS45) (see here on actions
for US residents, and note that the VP is at
least as bad):
- a call to limit the Emergency Powers of all US Presidents;
- “the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives has advanced [passed] a resolution to terminate [POTUS45’s] national emergency declaration at the US-Mexico border”;
- as a former supporter of dubious credibility makes sensational allegations and a criticism is made of POTUS45’s supporters for wilful blindness, a comment that POTUS45 “could be savaged in [the Special Prosecutor’s] report and we may never know”; - 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 7 attacks in Iraq, 5 attacks in Afghanistan, and 7 attacks in Syria (out of a total of 43, causing at least 242 deaths and 328 injuries);
- “heightened security measures to reduce the risk of aviation [violent extremist] acts to impact all Australian exporters”;
- a warning not to be naïve about women in violent extremism (similar cautions have been made in the past – e.g., assuming women in peacekeeping will be more peaceable), and a call to repatriate and charge foreign women in violent extremism to discourage others; - With regard to refugees (noting the New York Declaration), and remembering Haiti, Ethiopia, Madagascar, DR Congo,
and the Philippines), people seeking asylum and migrants:
- no investigation one year after DRC refugees were killed by Rwandan police; a joke of an alleged factcheck which basically cops out (in my opinion, because of fear and inability to face up to what the consequences of the claim would be, which is personal incompetence, in my opinion) of actually checking a claim that Australia’s treatment of refugees is a crime against humanity; an opinion that other companies, not just the current security firm, have also been part of the wasting of hundreds of millions of dollars; an asylum seeker student has received a scholarship to University; the abuse of Nigerians who flee to Italy; - 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]):
- discrimination from both sides for a bisexual Muslim; the challenges facing the Sámi people; “ ‘A Year of Shame’ for [West Asia] and North Africa”;
- other human rights matters have also occurred in: Malawi;
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):
- POTUS45’s administration has – morally, if not legally - murdered a trans woman by committing refoulement, following which those threatening her killed her; homophobic vandalism in a regional town in my home state led to a push for more inclusivity in sport; Kenya is leaving lives “hanging on the line”; a call to stop discrimination against LGBT students in schools; animals;
- other homophobic/transphobic (and heteronormativity / cisgender-normativity) matters have also occurred in: China, China, Indonesia, Cambodia, UK, Brazil;
on white supremacist and other forms of RACISM / CULTURAL DISCRIMINATION and Indigenous matters generally this week:
- a staggeringly out of touch owner of a balloon in a shape with racist associations has had their balloon banned; a win for better rental housing for indigenous Australians; as my home state checks its progress on indigenous commitments, it also moves to create an indigenous-led evaluation and review mechanism;
on TRAFFICKING, and CHILDREN’s and associated human rights this week (from Thomson Reuters Foundation, Freedom United, and other sources):
- more than 100 institutions have not yet signed up to Australia’s National Redress Scheme for victims of child sexual abuse; a toolkit to help “financial institutions in Asia Pacific to combat modern slavery”; life after slavery;
- also on child abuse, including institutional, this week: social media (preventive action), the Philippines (taking action), India;
- also on slavery / human trafficking this week: UK, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Australian fashion industry, Guinea-Bissau, Brazil (new tactic using social media), Hungary, USA, Russia, Mauritania, here, USA;
on SEXISM this week (keeping in mind the overblown influence given to testosterone, and the potential value to women of using anger):
- a US judge has “ruled that it is unconstitutional for the government to require only men to register for the draft”; Jamaica is considering edging towards the late 20th Century by considering allowing some abortions; Saudi Arabia has named its first woman ambassador to the USA; a programme targeting “blokey sports cultures” in my home state has been expanded nationally;
- on sexual harassment/misconduct/violence this week, see: Brazil, Cambodia, India, Somalia (FGM), UN, USA;
on WORKERS’ rights this week:
- concerns about working conditions at an online ordering company’s factories;
on PRIVACY, AGED, DIFFERENTLY ABLED, AND OTHER forms of human rights this week:
- a disability arts initiative; a guide for aged care providers to support diverse older people; - With regard to war (noting that
economic ties do NOT prevent war), violence
and hate generally:
- a brazen shooting has killed one and injured two in my home city; more is needed to free the world of the scourge of landmines; - With regard to peace:
- events concerning peace have occurred or are developing in: Mali; - With regard to natural and other catastrophes:
- a detailed look at the recent Brazil tailings dam disaster; an illegal gold mine in Indonesia has collapsed; a train accident in Egypt has killed at least 25 people and left dozens injured; as a heat wave continues, bushfires in my state; - 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 – see here],
social media making people miserable or envious, work and lifestyles causing depression and burnout,
being duped by modern mantras and management fads,
“failing“ at being well, life options,
AI ethics, corporate misuse of mindfulness as
a distraction,
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:
- a zoo has broken links with a chocolate company over concerns about environmental impacts (specifically, palm oil); an interfaith organisation to protect rainforests; Australia’s Snowy Hydro 2.0 scheme, to provide a battery for renewables, is proceeding; older Australians are being caught out by longer and hotter heatwaves; growing support for hydrogen as a fuel, “but in a world where we must urgently stop climate pollution to limit the damage from global warming, only hydrogen produced from clean energy sources, not polluting coal and gas, is acceptable”; an examination of waste-to-energy plants; a devastating oil spill in the Solomon Islands; alternatives to concrete; Qatar is moving to lower emissions and improve liveability; “accelerating the Caribbean’s Climate resilience”; the USA “faces fresh water shortages due to climate change”;
- other environmental matters have occurred in: India;
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?):
- another article on people leaving cities – this one because of climate change effects; a builder in my home state has been suspended for shoddy work; apartment owners have been damages after a “flammable cladding blaze”; an amnesty on unregistered buildings in Turkey could cost lives;
on health and medical:
- how to support a loved one after they have experienced a sexual assault; “going to bed at the same time as your partner is ‘biologically irrational’ “; “giving up alcohol isn't easy, but after 30 days . . . already reaping the benefits” – see also here; - 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 … ):
- excellent journalism from a 12 year old girl; after an initially limited shortlist, an outstanding candidate – controversially, not on the shortlist - has been appointed as head of the ABC; an examination of media bias in relation to a recent event in the US, ending with “ ‘All things considered . . . this potentially combustible situation was relatively innocuous compared with what transpired afterward via social and other media … how many times must we witness these rushes to judgement before scepticism gets a chance to show off?’ We live in an era of hatred, incitement and bitter polarization, all skilfully stoked by [POTUS45]. Journalists have to do their best not to succumb to it”;
- other media / freedom of expression matters have occurred in: Eritrea, Cambodia; - With regard to education:
- an examination of proposals for free University in the USA; the evidence is that “condom handouts in schools prevent disease without encouraging sex”;
- other education matters have occurred in: the Sahel (Africa); - With regard to crime, judicial
matters and policing (noting (1) an
uncle of mine resigned when corruption was not comprehensively cleaned out of
the police force he served in, I have high expectations of police, and I
consider all violence, abuse of power and failure to understand the impacts of
their actions [e.g., see here and here] undermines and weaken all police – who
are under incredible pressure, and (2)
all people charged are innocent until proven guilty):
- three men who have been charged over an extremely violent attack on two police officers have been released on bail (others have also been charged); the link between mental conditions and (some) youth crime; allegations of misconduct by a police officer in a recent, prominent case are being investigated; Australia’s latest deaths in custody report; the criminalisation of women; CCTV has shown “police dragging [a] woman with dislocated hip up steps”;
- other crime, judicial and policing matters have occurred in: UK.
Location based News:
- With regard to Africa, the Africa
Center for Strategic Studies (and other sources) has:
on Africa generally:
- “food companies could face costly disputes over land [already claimed or occupied by local people] in Africa”;
- “the need for an African Union Special Envoy for Climate Change and Security”;
- “ ‘we risk losing a whole generation’, aid groups warn amid Sahel education crisis”;
- a UN debate on conflict prevention in Africa included “arms control, the illegal exploitation of natural resources, and the United Nations’ role”;
on specific African nations:
- another attack on an Ebola centre in the DR Congo;
- the editor in Eritrea who has to keep his identity secret;
- “for Ghana, UN peacekeeping is a ‘noble opportunity to serve humanity’ ”;
- LGBT discrimination in Kenya is costing that nation at least $100 million each year; “Kenyan slum dwellers [have united] to protect [a] city dam”;
- working towards peace in Mali;
- dozens of people have been killed in post-election violence in Nigeria, where the returned President faces considerable concerns;
- a call for Sudan’s war criminal President to step down and for security forces top focus on controlling violence; - With regard
to South and Central America:
- Brazil’s toxic sexual harassment; - 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):
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 broadcaster in backwards China has changed a reference to homosexuality in a US award acceptance speech; more homophobic censorship in backward China; China’s propaganda is trying to go digital;
- after a comprehensive media analysis beforehand (see here, here, and here), commentary that the host nation, Viêt Nám, set a good example for the DPRK of what could happen economically, and some promising social interactions but a shut-out of reporters by the USA and a stupid remark by POTUS45 about a US student who died after torture, the conference ended abruptly, with disputed claims over why, and post-analysis covering POTUS45’s shortcomings, mutual misreading, China’s possible relief, and this;
elsewhere in Asia:
- “Cambodian journalists brainstorm stories on women and LGBT+ rights in gender reporting course”;
- “the intersex bissu priests of Sulawesi — Indonesia's third-largest island — are on the verge of disappearing after years of cultural decline and increasing persecution”; - With regard to Europe and the European Union (EU) (which need
to step up, as the USA steps down):
- France’s discontent spreads well beyond the “yellow vest” protest areas; Islamophobia has struck in France, with threats from politicians leading to the cancellation of a “sports hijab”;
- a Dutch appeal court has ruled that a decision to cut benefits to a Muslim man who refused to shave his beard so he could take a job as an asbestos removal office “was ‘unmistakably an infringement of [the man’s] right to religious freedom’ but that this was tolerable if there was a legal basis” (in this case, safety, but I would have liked an explanation of why his offer to buy a special mask was unacceptable);
- what would be required for a second Brexit vote in the UK; - With regard to the conflict in sexist Afghanistan (noting that Afghanistan was once a
peaceful and modern society, even allowing women in miniskirts, before the
Russian invasion – see here):
- the “highest recorded number of Afghan civilians [were] killed in 2018”; - With regard to South Asia (aka
the Indian
sub-continent), The
Hindu and other sources have:
on India:
- “warming waters [have heated] up fishing costs along India’s Malabar Coast”; India’s “forest dwellers [will] fight mass eviction order with protests”; the problem of cow vigilantes; “sexual assault survivors march to end gender violence in India”;
on Pakistan:
- Pakistan’s desire for dams is opposed;
elsewhere in South Asia:
- “Bangladesh risks sanctions over failure to jail traffickers”; - With regard
to West Asia (aka “the Middle East”) and Northern
Africa, the Middle East Eye, the Times
of Israel, and other sources have:
on Israel and Palestine:
- Israel’s Prime Minister will be indicted n corruption charges (remember: innocent until proven guilty);
on the conflict and the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis in Yemen:
- differences of opinion in the USA over what to do in Yemen; an update on the crisis in Yemen – see also here and here;
on Syria (where the Assad Dictatorship has lost all pretence of legitimacy, and partition is needed):
- an assessment of the legal case against two alleged torturers of the Assad regime; “Kurdish-led forces say they have launched an operation to clear the final pocket of territory held by” violent extremists; humanitarian concerns in areas retaken by the Assad regime from violent extremists / rebels; the UN has appointed a new envoy for Syria;
elsewhere in the region:
- “the Iranian president . . . is under pressure to reject the resignation of the foreign minister . . . who had announced his departure . . . with a condemnation of what he described as the ‘deadly poison’ of infighting among Iran’s parties and factions”.
Other News:
- the tallest flowering plant and tallest hardwood tree (100.5 m) in the world has survived a recent bushfire.
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 (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.
