Post No. 1,290 – Gnwmythr’s News Ed. No. 255

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.

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);
       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   Afghanistan, Sudan and Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories,
       (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,     rallying inspiration for BPM action;     limited media coverage;     the generous but unsupported are reaching compassion fatigue – and the limits of their limited resources;     some acknowledgement of the problem of population growth;     the powerful are muscling up to each other – on all scales of power, and acting - both overtly and covertly - threateningly and/or aggressively to any possible loss or restriction  of power, including the climate change crisis;     reminders to call on ALL resources by being inclusive, and for bystanders to act when they the vulnerable being victimised or attacked – and some are being abused, tortured or killed;     good perspectives on current losses;     fear, xenophobia, and bigotry in all its various manifest –isms;     inept management of power;

(e)   may all people have the awareness, objectivity and spiritual courage to take BPM action when they are bystanders to wrong doing;

(f)   may all people have the awareness, objectivity and spiritual courage to hold those with power to BPM account;

(g)   may all people “never be negligent, even in trifling things” (from the Order of Scathach);

(h)   may all people never abuse, misuse or neglect their power, influence or authority;

(i)   may all people have the patience and courage to BPM overcome their fears and flaws;

(j)   may all else that should BPM asked for, also be done;

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 workable response to fascism”;     “women can defeat ‘angry white men’ in right-wing politics”;     another article on the benefits of compulsory voting;
     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 Afghanistan,   or   Yemen;
     -   the overlooked, powerful force of population growth;
     -   as Russia formally leaves the INF treaty, fears of a “Cold War-like arms race” between Russia and the USA;     a prominent historian has warned that the “US and China [are] locked in Cold War 2.0”;
     -   fears that, if POTUS45 loses the 2020 US Presidential election, there may not be a peaceful transition of power;
     -   “inclusive approaches to preventing violent conflict”;     yet another call for women to be part of peacemaking;     a comic on human trafficking has two endings to show the need for bystanders to take action;     “a group of male Republican lawmakers in [a US state] have come under criticism for a stunt that gun control advocates say was demeaning to victims of gun violence: donning pearl necklaces to apparently mock those testifying in front of them”;
     -        “the UN human rights chief has warned of the threat posed by growing global inequality over income, wealth and access to resources and justice”;
     -   child suspects are being tortured in Iraq to force them to confess to being violent extremists;     a discussion paper for a project investigating “what is known about systems that enable the ‘public health approach’ to protecting children”;     if only the victims of child abuse were believed;     mixed reactions to the recent conviction (currently subject to an appeal) of a senior catholic cleric, including more revelations of devastation, a foolish article attacking the victims of sexual abuse who accused the cleric, civil legal action, a backlash and powerful rebuttal, the quitting from the case of the cleric’s barrister (angry that his client was convicted), and – surprisingly - pity;
     -   the silencing of the climate change crisis, and how to fight back (on that, in my opinion, one of the biggest hurdles to overcome is the emotional reaction of denial people have – subconsciously, generally – to the implications of climate change);     more delusional falsehoods from politicians over climate change – this time claiming emissions are falling;    “time to see air pollution as a human rights threat” (it threatens the rights to life and quality of life);     “investors fear to tread risky path towards building a greener world” – see also here;     Guardian Australia has revealed that a mining company “engaged [a] firm to [covertly] push anti-renewables message and counter anti-coal activists”;     a farmer who exposed the recent major fish kill story in Australia “has lodged a complaint with police, alleging he felt ‘intimidated’ [a specific crime in that state] by a staff member of lobby group”;     ”extinction is theft from the future”;     the ongoing oil spill crisis in the Solomon Islands;     “microplastic pollution [has been] revealed [to be] ’absolutely everywhere’ ”;     “when environmental racism and climate change collide”;
     -   an opinion that evident traditions amongst white supremacists means the problem of the neo-nazi threat is “much bigger than we realise” (the article focuses on the USA, but it also applies elsewhere, I consider – e.g., the photo of the threatening thugs in a regional area of my home state during the Equal Marriage debate);     neo-nazis at a school party;     an ABC investigation shows Australian hotels have been racially segregating guests;
     -   the terrible toll of constantly high commercial pressures in the workplace includes burn out;
     -   Turkey is unlikely to be able to effectively help Uighurs in China;
     -   a social media platform’s disturbing “global lobbying against data privacy laws”;
     -   a women’s sporting event that caught up to an incompetently run men’s race was forced to stop, turning it into an utter, sexist farce;     “it’s a coercive and insidious form of psychological torture, but gaslighting can be recognised and stopped” (I’ve seen that list of symptoms in some people in the workplace . . . );     thoughts on protecting women who are politically active;     some thoughts on “toxic masculinity”;     from one of Mandela’s granddaughters: “We can be the generation that achieves a truly gender-equal society. As Mandela said, it only looks impossible until it's done”;     “more than 100 Bangladeshi female workers abused or exploited in Saudi Arabia returned home this week, according to human rights activists, fuelling calls to stop sending Bangladeshi women to the Middle East to work as housemaids”;     some thoughts on and the history of International Women’s Day;     an excellent poem on feminism;     “a clarion call . . . to break the taboo around menstrual health for women and girls that persists in many parts of the world and take concrete action to end “disempowering” discrimination” – see also here;     mediaeval attitudes from Italian right wingers;     workplace harassment;     “the future women want: free of violence” [IPS];     a video game based on rape has been withdrawn (why was it published in the first place?);     8 successful gender policies;
     -   “police in [a] US state . . . have launched an internal probe after an officer detained a black man holding a rubbish picker in front of his building”;
     -   “one of the world’s largest charities has launched an investigation into claims that it funds, equips and works with paramilitary forces accused of beating, torturing, sexually assaulting and murdering scores of people in national parks across Africa and Asia”;
     -   “if it’s overdue (and it is) to crash the patronising, self-serving western narrative of the “white saviour” in Africa and elsewhere, then isn’t it also important to ensure that all charitable white-on-black endeavours aren’t automatically dismissed as condescending and offensive?” – see also here;
     -   more ineptness from the air travel industry – particularly aircraft designers/manufacturers – around wheelchairs, and people with genetic problems;
     -   a major study has confirmed that there is “NO link between autism and MMR” (vaccination);
       upcoming events (opportunities to do BPM clearing etc):   a forum on achieving a circular economy;
       this week’s atrocity alert at R2P lists   Afghanistan, Sudan and Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories;
• 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:
     -   an opinion that US courts “awarding punitive damages against foreign states is dangerous and counterproductive” (but there are human rights advantages to doing so which the article fails to consider – this is not only about violent extremism or the absence of war);     an opinion that cutting violent extremist movements off from diaspora communities (e.g., cutting the IRA off from US Irish money) promotes their transformation to peaceful movements – which fails to consider issues such as possible human rights problems caused by the “cutting off”, and also the benefits that diaspora communities can provide on the issues (e.g., the publicity the Tamil diaspora community provided, which counterbalanced the complete lack of information on their experience of discrimination, etc);     a legal analysis of the recent US Supreme Court decision to allow Indian fishing people to sue an international corporation (good) because corporations having – in the USA, laws differ elsewhere - the same immunity as foreign governments means they  can sued if their actions also fall into one of the exemptions, including commercial activity, as is the case in this instance;     “the collection and use of client feedback in the social sector” (this would be much more powerful if “client”, which is a term indicating subservience / dependence, was changed to “citizen”, who is someone with inherent rights including the right to have expectations of those providing a service);     a bunch of thoughts on strategy/defence/geopolitics for Australia (I haven’t read this yet –at first glance, it looks a little neoliberal . . . but I’ll give it a go if I get time);     “populists on left and right have closed gap between rich and poor - but also eroded freedoms”;     “a re-examination of the role of the United Nations and a tallying of its successes and failure get underway as it prepares for the 75^th anniversary next year in the world of the 21^st century while its core entity, the Security Council, is trapped in the time warp of 1945, its founding year” [IPS];
     of concern internationally this week:
     -   the fight against the spread of African swine fever (China is taking some major steps, including the use of technology);     a suspected massive money laundering operation from Russia is being investigated;     Canada’s political scandal is growing;     a “jailed British-Iranian woman . . . will be given diplomatic protection by” the UK, enabling her imprisonment to be treated as a diplomatic matter;     the varying approaches by nations towards a controversial Chinese technology company (the questions about US motivations are concerning especially if that was behind the recent arrest of a Chinese executive, although the releases about those charges were focused on Iraq sanctions], but the potential for government influence in a totalitarian nation like China are real), which has “filed a lawsuit against the US government over a ban that restricts federal agencies from using its products”;     as it appears North Korea’s leader may emerge the victor from the recent summit with the USA’s “leader”, it has also “restored part of a missile launch site that it began to dismantle as part of pledge during the first summit” – an expert report on policy towards the DPRK has been released (I have not read that 106 page report and probably won’t, but the “introduction and summary” is good);     Russia’s President “has accused foreign intelligence services of beefing up activities in Russia, announcing that hundreds of spies were stopped in 2018 alone” (there  have been spies undoubtedly, and some would have been stopped – also undoubtedly, but 600?);
     of concern in my nation (Australia) this week:
     -   the Australian Securities Exchange has stupidly surrendered to some backward commercial interests (others – surprisingly including the mining industry – are more aware and progressive) and replaced the widely understood term “social licence to operate” with meaningless waffle from its corporate governance guidelines;     concerns that, although legal requirements are being met, a conflict of interest may not meet community standards;     rabble rousing by Australia’s “homophobic, anti-women, climate-change denying“ neoliberal government “on refugees or franking credits, is beneath contempt”;    a series of bureaucratic bungles dating back 40 years has left PNG-born Australians in limbo;     “Centrelink’s ‘mutual obligation’ is a system of humiliation”;     one Australian state’s “‘puritanical’ prostitution laws, enforced by undercover police, have left women [sex workers] vulnerable and scared”;     high numbers of children under protection;     whether a whistleblower who exposed serious problems in the Australian Taxation Office is protected by 2013 public interest disclosure laws is being examined (it would seem obvious that he is);, and the whistleblower who exposed alleged abuses by Australian special forces in Afghanistan is facing similar uncertainty;     the Federal Treasury has “scolded” Australia’s neoliberal government for exaggerating the impact of the opposition’s proposed negative gearing overhaul;     some sexual abuse survivors are having trouble accessing the National Redress Scheme and are at risk of being re-traumatised by the process – and many of the organisations that have not signed up have not done so because the scheme has so many major problems;     a controversial coal mining company “has suggested the company could seek ‘sizeable compensation’ – potentially billions of dollars – from the [Australian state] government if its mining leases are cancelled” (this is a contractual risk, and shows the needs to (a) get climate change-denying dinosaurs out of government, and (b) for governments to be more careful);     the impacts on a local economy if coal mining closes (this needs to be addressed – properly, not as it was when a steel industry shut down where low unemployment rates were falsely claimed to show the problem had been addressed, when the truth was there were still thousands of jobs and families missing as a result);
     -   other concerning events have occurred or are developing in:   Australia,   Algeria,   Burkina Faso,   Burundi,   Brazil,   Cameroon,   Venezuela – see below;
     with regard to cyber warfare and other cyber problems this week:
     -   analysis of a US counter-offensive against foreign election influence;     a critique of POTUS45’s executive order on AI finds a couple of advantages and several weaknesses (including privacy and definition);     a criminology survey shows the use of biometrics is accepted to safeguard personal information;
     in the grey/mixed [good and bad aspects] or neutral area this week:
     -   events in the grey or neutral area have occurred or are developing in:   Syria;
     good news this week includes:
     -   some mothers have shown it is possible to be an MP, but there are problems still;     in my home state, priests could be forced “to break the seal of the confessional to report child sexual abuse . . . within the year”;     in Australia, “the days of a [camper van hire company] with offensive slogans may be numbered, after the federal government indicated it would move to close legal loopholes that have prevented states taking action against the company”;
     -   other good news has occurred:   Iraq,   Pakistan;
     on development (in an “end poverty/thirst/hunger” sense):
     -   examination of recognition vs. regulation of social enterprises in Asia;     an IPS report highlights the benefits that modern technology can bring are ineffective without “access to other critical resources, especially secure land rights, which women in rural areas need to flourish”;
     and democracy/governance/political matters in my home nation this week:
     on the Royal Commission into banks, and similar matters:
     -   horror stories at the Aged Care Royal Commission;
     on other matters:
     -   living standards continue to fall as population growth appears to be the only source of economic growth (which is why, much as interest rates are adjusted for inflation to provide a “real” rate, so too growth should be adjusted for population growth to provide a real growth rate);     both environmentalists and small business are calling for “right to repair” legislation;     “the leaders of Western Australia's livestock owners and producers have called on their members to show restraint after tensions between animal activists and farmers reached new levels this week”;    a series of FactChecks has shown that the use of taxable income by the “homophobic, anti-women, climate-change denying“ neoliberal government to attack opposition policies is misleading;     a call by a lobbying group for the neoliberal coalition to introduce quotas to increase the proportion of women;     calls for improved access to contraception;     Australia's economy has entered recession on a per capita basis;     the divisions inside a minor, but significant, party in one state have worsened;     Australia’s overly complex health system – and likewise for the aged care system;     a survey of Australian tax payers show they support an increase to social security and fixing loopholes that benefit the rich;
• With regard to the USA and their schoolyard BULLYING, unpresidential, uncomprehending, murdering, lying, dishonourable, delusional 45^th “President” (POTUS45) (see here on actions for US residents, and note that the VP is at least as bad):
     -   a poster at a nominally Republican stall at a US legislature has been condemned by both the Republican party and its victim, a US Congresswoman who it linked to violent extremism, as “hate speech” and for encouraging threats of violence;
     -   Democrats have banned a conservative media network from their 2020 campaigns over its “inappropriate” ties to POTUS45;
     -   POTUS45’s next trade targets are India and Turkey . . .  ;
     -   a conservative media network suppressed an unfavourable story to help POTUS45 get elected;
     -   “Democrats in the House of Representatives are stepping up investigations into [POTUS45’s] potentially impeachable acts of corruption, obstruction of justice and abuse of power”;
     -   a “top Republican” contradicted POTUS45’s claims that the leader of North Korea didn’t know of the circumstances around the death of a young US man;
     -   POTUS45 fatigue;
     -   a FactCheck shows that, while it is in the leading group, inequality is not worst in the USA;
     -   the Senate looks likely to reject POTUS45’s declaration of a national emergency;
• 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 4 attacks in Iraq, 7 attacks in Afghanistan,   and 11 attacks in Syria   (out of a total of 38, causing at least 142 deaths and 296 injuries);
• With regard to refugees (noting the New York Declaration), and remembering Haiti, Ethiopia, Madagascar, DR Congo, and the Philippines), people seeking asylum and migrants:
     -   “a group of 29 parents who were wrested from their children and deported at the height of the family separation crisis last year have been allowed to cross back into the US and seek asylum, in an attempt to reunite with their loved ones” (I hope their children have not been sexually abused during this enforced separation);     “education remains an impossible dream for many refugees and migrants”;
     -   other refugee-related matters have also occurred in:   Pakistan (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]):
     -   the “queer black mob face struggles beyond marriage equality”;     a social media platform is “planning” for a “privacy-focused” product . . . ho hum;     “communal refrigerators provide a place for excess or unsold food to be stored - and then picked up by those who need it”;     “a joint effort between local police, Indigenous youth services and . . . volunteers . . . , [a] new program aims to keep young people off the streets and out of trouble”;
     -   in addition to any opportunities below on child abuse and human trafficking, general opportunities to take action on human rights here, here, and, this week,   here,   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):
     -   an opinion that the Philippines thinks differently, and has five genders (I dispute the incredibly dangerous and wrong classification of trans men and women as anything other than men and women);     a call for Arabs to lead the fight for LGBTIQ rights in the Arab world;
     -   other homophobic/transphobic (and heteronormativity / cisgender-normativity) matters have also occurred in:   Africa (mixed blessings),   eSwatini (good news),   a UK religion,   Thailand (good news);
     on white supremacist and other forms of RACISM / CULTURAL DISCRIMINATION and Indigenous matters generally this week:
     -   the history of massacres of indigenous people in Australia - see also here, here, here, here, here, and here, “truth telling”, and “a “conspiracy of silence” in the entire Kimberley district had thwarted attempts to find out what really happened”;     an overview of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health;     following a recent successful court case over rental housing in remote indigenous communities in one state, the legal service in another state “will look at whether there is a case to sue the government over ‘disgraceful’ living conditions”;     the problem of “colourism”;
     -   other white supremacy / racism problems have also occurred in:   Africa,   UK;
     on TRAFFICKING, and CHILDREN’s and associated human rights this week (from Thomson Reuters Foundation, Freedom United, and other sources):
     -   an IPS interview with the UN on modern slavery also asks “was slavery the world’s first human rights violation?”;
     -   also on child abuse, including institutional, this week:   Argentina,   Senegal;
     -   also on slavery / human trafficking this week:   UK,   tea industry,   Europe/Viêt Nám,   Nigeria/Russia/sport,   Peru;
     on SEXISM this week (keeping in mind the overblown influence given to testosterone, and the potential value to women of using anger):
     -   an article arguing the valid point that girls shouldn’t lose because of boys comfort misses the point that boys at that age are struggling with hormones and the results can range from embarrassing to humiliating;     another abusive sexist sports player – see also here and here, and this opinion that 95% of men there want to “do the right thing”, but 5% are resistant;     “shareholders to punish one-woman boards by voting against main men”;     “ ‘you don't become less ambitious’: the female start-up founders going public with their pregnancies”;     the reality of endometriosis;
     -   on sexual harassment/misconduct/violence this week, see:   hotels / travel advice service,   Ecuador,   populism,   Australia (policy initiatives),   DR Congo,   Australian legal profession,   US air force,   Cameroon;
     -   other sexism matters have also occurred in:   Syria,   religion,   Russia,   Brazil;
     on RELIGIOUS rights this week:
     -   religious rights / Islamophobia matters have also occurred in:   USA;
     on PRIVACY, AGED, DIFFERENTLY ABLED, AND OTHER forms of human rights this week:
     -   calls for more education in the ride-sharing industry after a legally blind woman was refused entry to an Uber because of her guide dog;     “trying to arrange in-home aged care [is] like ‘going to war’ ‘;
• With regard to war (noting that economic ties do NOT prevent war), violence and hate generally:
     -   police in my home state have raised “concerns about the amount of firearms circulating in the community, after four people [were] shot dead . . . within five days”;
• With regard to natural and other catastrophes:
     -   more morons with drones have forced a stop to aerial firefighting operations - see also here;     tornados in the USA have killed at 23 people and caused “ ‘catastrophic' damage” – see also here;     “cultural heritage should be considered a priority in rebuilding cities after conflict or natural disaster”;     hopes fade for 100 trapped miners in Indonesia;     the UN health agency is improving its preparedness for emergencies;     calls for more fire reduction burns after the property losses caused by bushfires in my home state (in addition to the lack of resources, I suspect we may need to shift from “hot” fires to the indigenous practice of “cold” fires for burn offs);
• 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:
     -   the changes climate change is causing to farming in Australia;     moves to address aircraft and maritime shipping emissions;     “only a third of Australia's plastic packaging waste gets recycled”;     an ocean mapping project could facilitate the inadequately controlled field of ocean mining;     the continuing water crisis in Cape Town, South Africa;     a backgrounder on pumped hydro;    “endangered species face ‘disaster’ under [POTUS45’s] administration”;     extreme heat stress has been killing possums;     one Australian state’s “environmental protection authority has announced tough new measures aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions from large projects”;     yet another call to end single use plastic;     the “Murray-Darling Basin could be missing billions of litres of water [which] may be a contributing factor in ecological issues affecting the river”;     “coral reefs in the far north of the Great Barrier Reef are showing lasting effects from the mass bleaching of 2016 and 2017”;     “heatwaves [are] sweeping oceans ‘like wildfires’ ”, destroying “kelp, seagrass and corals – with alarming impacts for humanity”;     grave concerns that rivers in New Zealand are being polluted – allegedly by a dairy industry boom;     wind power is expanding in the UK;
     -   other environmental matters have occurred in:   India,   Nepal (good news),   airline industry,   the Philippines (good news),   Bangladesh;
     on technology and science matters:
     -   “blockchain and the wider category of distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) promise a more transparent, accountable, efficient and secure way of exchanging decentralised stores of information that are independently updated, automatically replicated and immutable” (privacy and security still need to be considered);     a “Paris street [will] ‘shut out Instagrammers’ ”;     two factor authentication can be overcome by new scams;     strong opposition to a drone delivery service;
     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?):
     -    tiny houses in a US city;
     -   other affordable housing and homelessness matters have occurred in:   Ireland,   USA;
     on health and medical:
     -   dietary expert opinions on vegetarianism (these experts fail, however, to cover the ethical or environmental aspects);     a warning that poorly regulated medical marijuana schemes could lead to diminished public concerns over health effects and increased health challenges to young users;     most tenants are positive about their experiences of (Australian) social housing;     an “MSF-run hospital [has developed] 3D printed prosthetics for war victims”;
     -   other health and medical matters have occurred in:   USA;
     on other matters in the category:
     -   the suit and tie is – finally -  slowly dying – and good riddance;
• 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 … ):
     -   media / freedom of expression matters have occurred in:   Egypt (good news);
• With regard to education:
     -   the bullying, intimidation and stress of Australian school principals;
• 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):
     -   “ ‘Help not handcuffs’ measures offer cities in the grip of America’s opioid crisis a glimmer of hope”;     women who fell in love with undercover police spying on activist groups feel betrayed and victims of a “conspiracy to rape”, and several have received apologies ad compensation, and police say those officers “abused their positions”;     “an outback [fast food] franchise that has become a default safe house for crime victims will close two hours earlier each day because it is concerned about staff safety”;
    -      other crime, judicial and policing matters have occurred in:   UK,   Australia.

Location based News:

• With regard to Africa, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (and other sources) has:
      on Africa generally:
     -   “Africa's largest film festival has awarded a Kenyan actress for her depiction of a lesbian character in a film that is banned in her own country”;
     on specific African nations:
     -   “Burkina Faso is facing ‘unprecedented’ displacement, triggered by armed groups and intercommunal clashes, and exacerbated by long-term food insecurity”;
     -   the “UN human rights chief regrets [the] closure of Burundi office following Government pressure”;
     -   as some women march to celebrate 2019 International Women’s Day, with its theme of “A Balanced World is a Better World”, IPS reports on the growing crisis in Cameroon, which some fear is verging on civil war;
     -   sexual and gender-based violence in the DR Congo;
     -   “people with albinism protest in Malawi as attacks spike ahead of polls”;
     -   two white South African farmers have been jailed for the murder of a black teenager, which “caused outrage in a country where deep racial divisions persist 25 years after the end of white minority apartheid rule”;
• With regard to South and Central America:
      on South and Central America generally:
     -   “decent work still a distant dream for many Latin American women” [IPS];
     on specific South and Central American nations:
     -   the catholic church in Argentina has been blamed for the appalling treatment of an 11 year old girl;
     -   “Brazil’s far-right president . . . has sparked outrage, disgust and ridicule after tweeting a pornographic video in an apparent attempt to hit back at criticism of his administration”;
     -   “the opposition figurehead battling to dislodge Venezuela’s president . . . has made an audacious and dramatic homecoming” with the USA warning of “ ‘strong and significant response’ if [he] is detained or threatened”. The Maduro regime responded by expelling the German ambassador, who met the opposition leader at the airport. Also, recommendations on breaking the deadlock in Venezuela, which has also now experienced a major power blackout;
• 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:
     -   “the chief financial officer of China's tech giant . . . is suing Canada over her arrest . . . last year at the request of the US”;     China has accused two Canadians, detained after a senior Chinese executive was detained, of “spying”;    China will cut taxes in an attempt to spur economic growth;     China’s rubber stamp gathering is underway, with access to foreign news sites blocked;     China’s attempt to crush a “nascent feminist movement” has FAILED;     declining exports from China;     a backgrounder on Chairman Winnie the Pooh;
     -   worst food harvest in North Korea in a decade;
     elsewhere in Asia:
     -   burma is looking to forcibly evict slum dwellers – which it has a history of doing;
     -   more political repression in allegedly democratic, military-junta-led Thailand;
     -   IPS reports women are taking a lead in restoring peatlands in the Philippines;
• With regard to Europe and the European Union (EU) (which need to step up, as the USA steps down):
      on Europe generally:
     -   “the European commission has declared the migration crisis over, as it sharpened its attack on ‘fake news’ and ‘misinformation’ about the issue”;
     on specific European nations:
     -   rural voters are driving Estonia to the right;
     -   Italy’s centre-left Democratic party has a new leader;
     -   3 intercepted IEDs in the UK are being investigated;
• With regard to the (forgotten or ignored and underreported) conflicts in Ukraine, particularly in the east:
     -   “choosing an ethical and effective response to Russian aggression in Ukraine”;
• With regard to South Asia (aka the Indian sub-continent), The Hindu and other sources have:
     -   as a “militant” is arrested in India for a fatal grenade attack and Pakistan denies claims it used US F-16 jets, both nations have violated a ceasefire, causing more deaths, “but in a sign that tensions . . . could soon ease . . . a key train service between the countries would resume”;
     on India:
     -   “22 of world's 30 most polluted cities are in India”;     mixed signals after a member of India's ruling Hindu nationalist said the recent military attacks between India and Pakistan would help win votes, including the use of posters showing their leader with guns, despite an apparent embarrassment;     sunstroke warnings for outdoor workers for the next three months;     “a leading expert in child psychology [has said] that Indian Prime Minister . . . must apologise after he appeared to poke fun at dyslexia at a public event, triggering outrage”;
     on Pakistan:
     -   “Pakistan's Punjab province bans farmland use for towns”;     a whistleblower who exposed the (illegal in Pakistan) abuses of murdering women and others who were less mediaeval in Pakistan (which has been disgustingly mis-labelled “honour” killings) has himself been killed (was this murder?);
• 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:
     -   “Israeli security forces’ response to Gaza protests ‘a recipe for more bloodshed’ ” (I think I recently posted a similar article on this point of view);     a rocket attack from Gaza led to a similar response – see also here and here;     fake news attacks after the decision to indict Israel’s Prime Minister;     a violent misogynistic ultra-Orthodox protest;
     -   other events concerning Israel/Judaism and/or Palestine have occurred or are developing in:   Europe,   USA – see also here;
     on Syria (where the Assad Dictatorship has lost all pretence of legitimacy, and partition is needed):
     -   the damage left in areas that were under violent extremist control;     an area freed from violent extremists has “enshrined gender equality and religious freedom in law”, but may be crushed by the Assad regime;    dire conditions in the camps where people are fleeing to from the last violent extremist enclave – see also here;     more violent extremists have surrendered;
     elsewhere in the region:
     -   “Algeria's veteran President . . . has defied protesters by confirming he will run again - but says he will not serve a full term” – see also here;
     -   an “award-winning Egyptian photojournalist . . . has been released from prison after spending nearly six years behind bars following his arrest while covering a bloody crackdown on protests”;
     -   “a new generation of activists [are circumventing] Iraq’s political paralysis”.

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.