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 Syria, Cameroon and Human Rights Council discussions on the DPRK, Syria, burma and South Sudan,
(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, evidence of the benefits of being a decent person – especially if you’re a leader; some people who are being or feeling overwhelmed or pushed past their limit are reacting in less than ideal ways; out of sight, out of mind; macho behaviour - and addiction to same – is putting the world at risk of conflict – including a possible nuclear war; cognitive dissonance and reluctance to give up goals is putting the world at risk of destruction through climate change, although progress and determination to do more is also on show, especially in the young; irresponsible calls to hate have been answered; ghoulish behaviour; calls for (nuanced) accountability, and evidence of the benefits of some actions; the power of rule of law; the difficulty elites have at accepting constraints of their misuse/abuse of power; irrationality;(f) may all people recognise the scars and flaws in them that cause hate and fear, and choose to BPM work to heal themselves and thereby free themselves from that double burden;(g) may people BPM judge true, genuine and authentic work, not superficial / glib appearances, façades or displays/posturing;(i) may people BPM accept, trust and believe in talking, agreement, and inclusive law and human rights;(j) may those with power BPM accept that the world is changing, and stop trying to harm others by hindering that transition;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; “decades of studying primates has convinced me that animal politics are not so different from our own – and even in the wild, leadership is about much more than being a bully”;
on the Rohingya genocide this week:
- fears for Rohingya refugees if they are force by Bangladesh to move to a dangerous island; “Rohingya militants [have] urged their followers . . . to refrain from crime in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, following reports of killings and abductions attributed to the group” (considering that their ill-judged actions gave burma the pretext to commence the genocide, those “militants” are on shaky ground to begin with); “there is no future for the 900,000 Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh, a leading campaigner said . . . likening the camps to zoos and calling for a proper repatriation strategy”;
on other matters requiring particular attention:
- fears that years of erosion by both Russia and the USA have put the rules which prevented nuclear war at risk; “emerging technologies pose challenges to the control of biological weapons”; growing militarisation;
- several right wing, Islamophobic violent extremists have murdered at least 49 people and left more injured in New Zealand, leading to revelations of past evidence of white supremacists, commentary about online activity, calls for other Muslim communities to exercise caution, a commitment to changing that nation’s gun and terrorism laws (see this analysis of that aspect), comments about the global context (including an utterly stupid denial by POTUS45 – who was specifically mentioned by at least one of the murderers), and calls for sadists, ghouls and rubberneckers to stop aiding the terrorists by viewing and forwarding what was effectively snuff movie the extremists made during the event, and a staggering act of hate by an Australian politician (which raises disturbing questions about his supporters);
- “regenerative agriculture finds solid backing as decades of success show renewal”; the need to work with millennials on climate change; privacy concerns about a proposal to use private data in a so-called “smart” city to cut GHG emissions; “consumers and investors increasingly expect companies to look beyond profits and report their environmental and social impact”; after three decades of time wasting (by people like this), a call to get serious; the importance of enabling people to have and keep some optimism – see also here; “climate change is more than just an “issue” for the next generation: it’s an urgent existential threat to their future” – see also here; a massive series of school strikes and protest marches have been held - see also here, and here; a “US official [has revealed an] Atlantic [oil] drilling plan while hailing POTUS45’s] ability to distract [the] public”; “a new study contradicts fears that using solar geoengineering to fight climate change could dangerously alter rainfall and storm patterns in some parts of the world” (the precautionary principle dictates that we need more than just one study in favour);
- China’s growing aggression over its remaining border disputes – many of which were started by the Communist party; as the US threatens to cut off Germany if a controversial Chinese company is allowed access to Germany’s 5G network, an analysis of the legal aspects of Canada’s detection of a Chinese executive at the USA’s behest; China’s foreign investment law, fast tracked for the US-China trade war talks, may not be adequate; as China is accused of interfering in Indonesia’s elections and of “pay day loans” for small nations in the Pacific, grave concerns are voiced that ostensibly educative “institutes” may be fronts for espionage – including industrial - and covert influence; “China has blocked a bid to designate the leader of the group behind an attack which brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war a terrorist”; New Zealand is determining how to relate to China;
- as a call is made for a tribunal to look into the war crimes and crimes against humanity of a notorious violent extremist group (the area is outside the ICC’s jurisdiction), “a group of Yazidi women who say they were enslaved, raped and abused by Australia's most infamous terrorist are looking to a [state] tribunal for compensation”; fears the Yazidi will cease to exist; “only one former British paratrooper is to be charged in connection with the killings of civil rights demonstrators on Bloody Sunday, drawing dismay and calls for accountability from the families who lost loved ones more than 40 years ago”;
- experience, notably from India, shows that affirmative action quotas change more than numbers; calls for tougher measures to address the “ ‘snail's pace’ progress of women in politics”; victims of sexual assault in one Australian state are being “sent for rape tests at [a] hospital an hour away — in a taxi”; with evidence that attempted strangulation is the step immediately before a murder, education to help medical staff identify such – not always obvious - attempts; feminism is global, and has many forms; “Europe [is] ignoring [the] abuse of trafficked Vietnamese children”; “more must be done to dispel the shame and ignorance surrounding menstruation in Britain . . . after the government promised free sanitary products in . . . schools”; “women face greater threat from job automation than men”;
- a catholic cleric has been sentenced to jail for jail abuse, demonstrating the strength of rule of law against religious pressure (by supporters, etc – see here, on the problem of cognitive dissonance) and the courage of the victim, but the matter is still subject to appeal. The sentencing was, in a first for my home state, broadcast, with the brilliantly written sentencing remarks educating the public – see also here, on judges managing emotions, here, on sentencing, and here;
- aggressively competing (warring?) nations are making the Internet an unsafe place; an analysis of one social media platform’s (dubious) attempts at respecting privacy; a social media platform “has restored a series of advertisements attacking the social media giant, authored by [a] Democratic presidential candidate”; concerns that “the ‘wellness’ movement and its focus on personal responsibility let[s] the tech industry off the hook”; foreign trolls;
- in an acknowledgement of the potential political damage, the US (Democrat) House Speaker has said POTUS45 – who is building towards another fight over money and his wall - shouldn’t be impeached “unless the reasons are overwhelming and bipartisan”;
- alarm as police in one Australian state succeed in overthrowing a disciplinary system established by a Royal Commission; calls for Australia’s Federal Police to split from the Home Affairs Department to save their integrity; a former head of the AFP is supporting pill testing;
- a victim of anti-vax nutters speaks out;
this week’s atrocity alert at R2P lists Syria, Cameroon and Human Rights Council discussions on the DPRK, Syria, burma and South Sudan; - 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:
- recommended principles for transparency on government contracts; another article on the four day week; a “former Indian central bank governor . . . has warned capitalism is ‘under serious threat’ as it has stopped providing for the masses . . . ‘when that happens, the many revolt against capitalism’”; “why research on gender and conflict matters”; the problem of part-time work; the need for the right to protests to be protected;
of concern internationally this week:
- an analysis of the ways that the USA is “beholden” to Saudi Arabia;
of concern in my nation (Australia) this week:
- a review of the risk created when a major port was leased to Chinese interests; an ultraconservative, controversial, right wing MP has been using material produced by a covert pro-coal campaign; “the Australian consumer watchdog and the corporate regulator have been asked to investigate ‘patently false’ statements made by {a coal mining company] in its recent advertising campaign criticising the . . . government”; calls for reform of political ads after false claims in a smear campaign; a woman was placed on Australia’s abusive ParentsNext scheme in contravention of the notorious scheme’s own rules; questions about the funding of a minor party’s election campaign in one state – from another state; insufficient number of counsellors for veterans;
- other concerning events have occurred or are developing in: Australia, USA;
with regard to cyber warfare and other cyber problems this week:
- the insurance challenges of cyber-crimes (US focused);
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:
- the UK is insisting businesses “tackle ‘evil practices’ to win contracts”; “Canada’s digital-ready public service”;
on development (in an “end poverty/thirst/hunger” sense):
- the Catalytic Capital Consortium;
and democracy/governance/political matters in my home nation this week:
on the Royal Commission into banks, and similar matters:
- the deterioration of one formerly globe-trotting, intellectually disabled young woman after she was placed in care, and maggots were found in the head wound of another aged care resident; after pressure was apparently exerted, the neoliberal government has further weakened the Royal Commission outcomes by backing away “from [their] pledge to ban trailing commissions for mortgage brokers”;
on other matters:
- an Australian state that, a little like a notorious camper van hire company, has been using shock value in its tourist advertising is slowly being held to account by changing social values in that state - see also here, on a mother rethinking her swearing as her daughter grows; the first woman to vote in Australia, a woman of colour, did so in the 1850s using a loophole which, sadly, was closed thereafter; a call for more detail on the Australian opposition’s proposed environmental policy; and examination of the self-inflicted declining fortunes of Australia’s neoliberal government; more concerns about a toxic culture within a minor Australian arty; - With regard to the USA and their
schoolyard BULLYING, unpresidential, uncomprehending, murdering, lying, dishonourable, delusional 45th “President” (POTUS45) (see here on actions
for US residents, and note that the VP is at
least as bad):
- an analysis finds that counter-violent extremism programmes under POTUS45 are, despite his early rhetoric, largely the same as under Obama; the problem of outdated but still in force authorisations for military action;
- the field of potential Democratic candidates for the 2020 US Presidential election continues to grow;
- the US Senate has rejected POTUS45’s emergency order for a wall, which will require him to use his veto; - With regard to violent
extremism (VE) (aka, terrorism)
(ALL people advocating hate or discrimination in response to
violent extremism are actively doing the work of violent extremists. This will be countered, in part, by “Cure
Violence“,
real and perceived disempowerment as
well as acknowledging the variety in what provides genuine, BPM fulfilment as a counter to fanaticism as a source of meaning, and good
old fashioned police work. Also,
I don’t name groups in order to reduce their publicity):
- according to this Wikipedia page, there have been 5 attacks in Iraq, 3 attacks in Afghanistan, and 12 attacks in Syria (out of a total of 40, causing at least 148 deaths and 178 injuries), including at least 49 deaths and 48 injuries in New Zealand; - With regard to refugees (noting the New York Declaration), and remembering Haiti, Ethiopia, Madagascar, DR Congo,
and the Philippines), people seeking asylum and migrants:
- the search for worthy solutions to the problem of refugees; “humour can help tell the stories of the more than 25 million refugees around the world”; - With regard to other human (and other) rights and
discrimination (incidentally,
bigots clearly have flaws of observation and thinking – shown by the fact that NOT all people choose to discriminate
[and there’s this]):
- an interesting opinion piece: “why is it when a Muslim Cleric is seen to be inciting racist ideologies, politicians ask Muslim leaders to publicly come out and furiously condemn them? Yet when a high-ranking priest molests children, we get politicians and former prime ministers coming out and voicing their support?”; “fixing the flawed approach to diversity”; “gender and cultural bias exists against teachers at university level”; a short cartoon on fitting in vs. inclusion; a commercial ad on diversity / inclusion; “leaders aren’t great at judging how inclusive they are”; in the UK, “mandatory disability and ethnicity pay gap reporting”;
- in addition to any opportunities below on child abuse and human trafficking, general opportunities to take action on human rights here, here;
- other human rights matters have also occurred in: 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):
- a review of current US court cases shows the STAGGERING STUPIDITY of some US judges on trans matters; concerns about how a controversial trans whistleblower will be treated in jail after she refused to repeat testimony before a judge – and I note that the US has a history of killing trans people; “forced marriages of LGBT+ people are a human rights abuse”; the “Irish PM [brought his same sex] partner to meet [the notoriously homophobic US Vice President] and [delivered] pointed remarks on sexuality”;
- other homophobic/transphobic (and heteronormativity / cisgender-normativity) matters have also occurred in: Malaysia, Guinea-Bissau (good news), Brazil;
on white supremacist and other forms of RACISM / CULTURAL DISCRIMINATION and Indigenous matters generally this week:
- the ongoing trauma caused by a massacre in 1926; more on covert forms of racism; an article on “the white Southerners who fought US segregation” which covers nuances such as the influence of social class on racism and “the blue-collar whites who had been left behind by the likes of mechanisation and foreign trade since the end of World War II”; the importance of indigenous soldiers in an Australian army force protecting Australia’s north (knowing people who have been in that force, I can vouch for the impressiveness of the indigenous people involved); “drug laws must be amended to ‘combat racial discrimination’ ”;
on TRAFFICKING, and CHILDREN’s and associated human rights this week (from Thomson Reuters Foundation, Freedom United, and other sources):
- catholic schools are failing to ask for proof of “working with children” checks; calls for consumers to check how imported fish was caught;
- also on child abuse, including institutional, this week: UK, Turkey;
- also on slavery / human trafficking this week: Cambodia/China, Brazil, ride sharing service in Asia (good news), Peru/Venezuela, Brazil, UK;
on SEXISM this week (keeping in mind the overblown influence given to testosterone, and the potential value to women of using anger):
- “it’s also high time that our wealthy nation valued the hidden economic labour that goes into raising healthy children and stopped treating motherhood as some kind of “add on” that women choose”; “we need monuments to the women who not only won monumental democratic rights for our citizens, but also fought for these liberties on the world stage, in the heat of other nations’ battles, because they were aware of their profile and potency as leaders in a global movement for justice”; the problem of technology being built for men (e.g., oversized cars); the abuses of a few of a sports code’s players are costing it female fans; the lies in a manipulative anti-abortion video; appallingly, a Senator “might be cross-examined about her sexual history during a defamation trial against former senator” (how can that happen in this day and age?);
- on sexual harassment/misconduct/violence this week, see: Korea;
- other sexism matters have also occurred in: politics (partners), Turkey, a conservative Australian political party, China, India, Australia (good news), here, film industry, tobacco industry;
on WORKERS’ rights this week:
- a strike at pharmaceutical distribution factories over alleged sexual harassment and job casualisation;
- other workers’ rights matters have also occurred in: Qatar;
on ANIMALS’ rights this week:
- a dog owner filmed his dog killing an alpaca;
on PRIVACY, AGED, DIFFERENTLY ABLED, AND OTHER forms of human rights this week:
- differently abled and other forms of human or other rights matters have also occurred in: a cruise ship line; - With regard to war (noting that
economic ties do NOT prevent war), violence
and hate generally:
- an update on “killer robots” (aka autonomous weapons systems); the USA is increasing its dominance in the arms trade, as more weapons flow to West Asia; as a US courts rules that a gun maker can be sued over a 2012 mass murder in a school by guns, eight people have been killed by a mass murder by gun in a school in Brazil; - With regard to spirituality, personal growth, and psychism generally (including empathy, revolutionary
love, survival after death, good religion, UFOs, being single / asexual / off-grid / non-conformist / true to yourself):
- “veganism [has become] more mainstream”; - With regard to natural and other catastrophes:
- after a new model of the widely used 737 jet airliner crashed in Ethiopia, following a previous, similar crash, many nations grounded that model, including, after an admission that a solution to a software problem from the initial crash was being developed, initial resistance, reports of other similar problems, and calls for grounding, the USA; a three story school in Nigeria has collapsed, with scores of children still missing and the death toll unknown; floods in Brazil have killed at least 11 people; floods in Malawi have killed at least 28 people and affected more than 200,00 people; as victims are given support, invasive species are fuelling some Australian bushfires; IPS reports three lessons “from Disaster Relief in Puerto Rico”; “Tropical Cyclone Idai [has displaced] 1.5 million across Mozambique and Malawi”; - 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:
- concerns in Norway about a Norwegian company drilling in the Great Australian Bight when others won’t; the reuse of coal ash may being deliberately blocked; where species are under greater/lesser threat; insurance risks from climate change in Australia; “air pollution [is] killing more people than smoking”; the approaches of OECD nations to coastal risks from rising seas; a “stocktake” of Australian state and Commonwealth government attitudes towards climate change; from a strategy institute, “preparing for an era of disasters” (from climate change); a new website in my home state is allowing people to check the environmental history of sites; a call to remove the cap on water buybacks in Australia’s Murray-Darling basin; mining and farming are “responsible for half world’s carbon emissions . . . [and] 80% of biodiversity loss” – until 2000 their actions were “a huge boost to the global economy, but since then there has been a diminishing rate of return as resources become more expensive to extract and the environmental costs become harder to ignore”; the growth cycle of crops are being sped up to minimise the impact of climate change; an oil spill off France; “birthstrikers”;
- other environmental matters have occurred in: bank interest rates, Australian conservative politics - also here, Australia, China (good news), Uganda;
on technology and science matters:
- a “gender-neutral artificial intelligence voice” to avoid reinforcing stereotypes; the problems that go with after-market remote car keys;
on economic and financial matters, including consumer complaints:
- a warning from personal disaster of the need for financial literacy;
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?):
- a suggestion to address the flammability of cladding by introducing breaks to stop the vertical spread of fire (good information, but the breaks would have to be extremely substantial); “building companies are facing collapse [or] court action, amid ongoing pressure from the national housing downturn” (SO ALLOW SMALLER HOUSES!); the impact of interest rates and expectations of house price rises on affordability (houses are for living in, NOT getting rich!);
- other affordable housing and homelessness matters have occurred in: one Australian state capital;
on health and medical:
- confirmation that no amount of drinking is good; appalling inhumanity in a hospital; calls for a moratorium on a particular form of gene editing; the moronic approach to health in North America has left insulin out of reach of those who need it;
on other matters in the category:
- a nominally fitness based group which seems to be based on stereotypical body images and elitism has been criticised for an ill judged video which appeared – possibly unreasonably - to demean Maasai women; - 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 … ):
- a critique of a conservative US cable news outlet; - With regard to education:
- Italy has banned unvaccinated children from school; - 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):
- a US state “will announce a moratorium on executions and a temporary reprieve for all 737 inmates on death row”.
Location based News:
- With regard to Africa, the Africa
Center for Strategic Studies (and other sources) has:
on Africa generally:
- “Africa's farmers urgently need climate-proof investment for food security”;
on specific African nations:
- an examination of South Sudan’s “fragile” peace deal – see also here;
- “Ugandans vow to curb rampant deforestation”; millions of Ugandans have stopped using the Internet, in response to the imposition of a levy to “curb gossip”, leading to fears of economic impact;
- a “heatwave threatens to slash harvests in drought-hit Zimbabwe”; - With regard
to South and Central America:
on South and Central America generally:
- IPS reports “people affected by leprosy in Latin America unite for their rights and their voice”;
on specific South and Central American nations:
- “despite its advances, the Colombian peace agreement undermines gender equality goals”;
- evidence contradicts US claims that an aid convoy was deliberately set on fire by Venezuelan police; the USA has withdrawn its Embassy staff; claims that the blackout in Venezuela “has killed 21 people”; - 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:
- China is expanding its switch from polluting coal heating in 2018; “an unprotected database in China with the personal information of more than 1.8 million women — including their . . . “BreedReady” status — has been uncovered”; “anger over ‘disgusting’ food found in Chinese school kitchen”;
- North Korea might be deliberately testing US resolve by moving towards launching a satellite; North Korea’s pretend elections have been even more farcical than usual this time;
and in the Pacific:
- the USA is showing signs of interest in the Pacific; - With regard to Europe and the European Union (EU) (which need
to step up, as the USA steps down):
- Greece, “bailed out” by an imposed austerity problem that caused massive social changes and problems, has “entered a period of economic growth that puts it ‘among the best performers in the Eurozone’ “ (how is the residual social dislocation going?);
- in Italy, “Venice is facing multiple threats but . . . the sheer weight of visitors is the one that many locals find the most overwhelming”;
- a Brexit deal continues to elude the UK; - With regard to the (forgotten or
ignored and underreported) conflicts in Ukraine, particularly in the east:
- more sanctions on specific Russians; - 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):
- “prejudice faced by Afghan women with a disability has proved no barrier to its national wheelchair basketball team”; - With regard to South Asia (aka
the Indian
sub-continent), The
Hindu and other sources have:
on India:
- India has become the world’s leading waste paper recycler; artists and others in India are protesting the divisive move to the right, including what is happening in Kashmir; despite the measures taken to promote participation in elections by women, millions appear to be “missing” from electoral rolls; more Indian women are overcoming problems such as family pressure to claim their inheritances; “Maharashtra state will use drones to undertake the ‘biggest’ land survey exercise in modern India, as the government aims to give ownership rights to about 15 million rural households in the western state” (hmm . . . pardon my scepticism, and my doubts/concerns over privacy, but . . . );
elsewhere in South Asia:
- IPS reports women are taking “the lead [in] tackling climate change in Bangladesh”; - 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:
- with more than half a millions Israelis in illegal settlements, hope in a two state solution is crumbling; Israel’s Prime Minister, “accused of demonising Israeli Arabs in [the] lead-up to [the] April election”, has pointed out that “Israel is ‘not a state of all its citizens’ ” – i.e., it is an essentially Jewish nation, created in response to the world’s many failures to the Holocaust; an Israeli journalist has called for maintenance of the right to criticise;
on the conflict and the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis in Yemen:
- the Republican dominated US Senate has rejected support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen;
on Syria (where the Assad Dictatorship has lost all pretence of legitimacy, and partition is needed):
- more than 1,100 children were killed in Syria last year – see also here; calls for the UK to “distinguish between humanitarian workers and potential security threats”; another article on the long recovery facing areas of Syria; the UN is seeking “multi-billion dollar aid pledges for Syria”; “Western-backed fighters have killed dozens of people in continuing clashes against” a violent extremist group’s last enclave; recommendations to protect the last rebel held area; nearly $7 billion has been pledged to support Syrians both inside Syria and in host nations they have fled to;
elsewhere in the region:
- after Algeria’s incumbent President finally acceded to common sense and decided not to run again, France’s President called for a “reasonable transition”, but “thousands of Algerians took to the streets of several cities demanding immediate political change”;
- the President of Iran, which continues to operate proxy militaries, is visiting Iraq to try to build regional alliances.
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.
