Post No. 1,309 – Gnwmythr’s News Ed. No. 260

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   burma, Sudan, Burkina Faso and Rwanda,
       (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,     calls to reinstate good, past programmes / goals;     the overwhelmed continue to resort to desperate measures;     people continue to repeat their personal patterns, good and bad, owing to lack of self analysis / knowledge and unwillingness to change;     the threats and dangers of evil people are being downplayed;     some reactions, based on fear or ignorance or hate or simple frustration (especially around not being heard), are excessive;     some people, including in positions of power / influence, are choosing superficial and simple paths over substantive and more difficult but effective ways;     the precautionary principle has been applied, but it is yet to see whether that was wise or overly cautious;     some responses to climate change have been good, but denial, delusion and cognitive dissonance are still present;     fear of losing / sharing some power / resources continues to afflict some, while others are simply acting unthinkingly out of hate or parental/peer induced frenzy;     stereotypical macho contests over and for power and status continue to plague us all;     the lies of some changes have been exposed;     some vulnerable people are receiving protection;     law and justice have met in the cauldron of careless /uncaring communication;     some old and inappropriate social strictures and structures are still active;     technology is being abused to bypass people’s rights;     decency continues to struggle against bad versions of sovereignty and ideology in the world of politics;

(e)   may all that is good and beneficial and BPM that has occurred gain momentum and strength and spread;

(f)   may all people have genuine BPM empathy to the extent that they are willing and actively seek to share levels of pain and good, and leave none feeling overwhelmed, nor an imbalance of power;

(g)   may all people be BPM comfortable with change, and the balance between emotion and thought, and know how to BPM apply clear and deep thinking and self knowledge, and have both the will and the necessary clear communication skills in order to do so in their interactions with others;

(h)   may situations, good, neutral, bad and evil, be observed as they are, no better and no worse, and none seek to take advantage of the portrayal or mis-portrayal of same for their own purposes/gain;

(i)   may the negative, destructive and evil aspects of social conditioning be BPM neutralised, reversed, and overcome;

(j)   may human dignity and rights take BPM precedence;

(k)   may attempts to abuse / misuse new technology and other forms of change be cleared identified and recognised, and then curtailed, neutralised and reversed;

(l)   may all people be BPM free, all peoples able to BPM determine their situation and fates, and all nations BPM free and democratic;

(m)   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 call to reinstitute a job guarantee (which Australia used to have) – see also here;
     on the Rohingya  genocide this week:
     -   more Rohingya refugees are fleeing the genocidal maniacs in burma – this time to Malaysia;     another article on the flood-prone (“disappearing”) island some Rohingya may be forced to;
     a special section on the terrorist attack in a Christchurch, New Zealand mosque:
     -   the man charged with mass murder allegedly made death threats against a man in 2016 after the latter criticised a right wing extremist rally – and an article on a symbol he used that is of significance to neo-nazis;
     -   a warning that neo-nazis are not simply “bogans”;     a boy who stupidly egged a controversial and often offensive MP has been cautioned and the MP will not be charged for defending himself, but the man who kicked the boy after the boy was restrained has been charged with assault (I consider others, including whoever strangled him, should also be charged);
     -   another former MP is going down the Islamophobia path;
     -   following Australia’s recent action to ensure social media platforms take down violent material, New Zealand’s privacy commissioner has described one platform as “morally bankrupt” and “suggested his country follow Australia's lead by making laws that could jail executives over streamed violence”, and the UK has proposed to fine or block internet sites “if they fail to tackle ‘online harms’ such as terrorist propaganda and child abuse”;     New Zealand’s gun law changes have passed with only one vote against, out of concern over the speed of the change;
     -   dozens of ANZAC Day events have been cancelled in New Zealand over security concerns;
     on other matters requiring particular attention:
     -   this week I found nothing in the news on Ukraine;
     -   “Ministers from poor and emerging economies [have called] on donors to top up the Climate Investment Funds”;     in the USA, “northern cities . . . are laying the groundwork to take in Floridians - and others - fleeing brutal heat, drought and sea level rise” – and some are moving now, following recent floods;     a warning that “global warming could create ‘greater migratory pressure from Africa’ ”;     as a food chain’s plant-based burger is praised, vegan activists have led a series of coordinated, peaceful but extremely disruptive protests in Australia;     an electric car has driven from Europe to Australia;     climate change exacerbated conditions that led to recent massive fish kills in Australia’s major river system;     “coal-onisation”;     what can be learned from Australia’s indigenous culture, which lived sustainably for at least 65,000 years;     the search for “justice for victims of loss and damage associated with climate change”;
     -   Ecuador has withdrawn Julian Assange’s asylum, leading to his arrest by UK police, a possible re-opening of Sweden’s case (which has already had calls to be prioritised), and – as predicted -  charges by the USA (with the now silent POTUS45 who has previously praised WikiLeaks 141 times . . . ) – see also here, here, and here;
     -   as Rwanda begins commemorating a quarter century since the commencement of the terrible 100 day genocide (the effects of which is still continuing) that the world stood back and allowed to happen,     Libya, where the world was persuaded to take military  action when the Gaddafi regime threatened a massive massacre / genocide of Arab Spring demonstrators, exceeding the requirements of R2P and, through its shortcomings (see also here and here), leading to a civil war / revolution that saw the despot Gaddafi deposed and killed and a “National Transitional Council” established and undermined by lawlessness (see here, here, here [do we need a blood oil ban?], here, here, here, and here), continued insurgency (including by Gaddafi loyalists) and violent extremist  attacks which culminated in a (2^nd) civil war from 2014 between     the UN backed and allegedly pro-Islamist “General National Congress” formed in 2012 and based in Tripoli (and described as including violent extremists and “former” violent extremists) in the West,     and     the allegedly anti-Islamist “House of Representatives” government formed after “controversial” elections in 2014, based in Tobruk in the east of the nation and led by a “strong man”/”warlord” general (Haftar), who led two unsuccessful coups and has ignored agreements, with soldiers and “Salafists” backed by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, and France (and constrained until recently by Algeria), who is unpopular in the west of that nation (so the descriptions of pro-and anti- are not quite so clear cut and simple as portrayed),     attacks on Tripoli are continuing,     leading to fear, vows for defence, criticism of the ambiguous international “response”, and a call to stop the fighting spreading “lest it draws the various foreign powers into a more direct role”;
     -   as months long Sudanese protests and sit-ins  continued, with a split between security forces and the military (who protected protestors) evident, the army removed Sudan’s war criminal  President, but an army takeover has been rejected by protestors . . . who may not have much choice . . . although the head of the military has also stood down - and a woman in an iconic image has been receiving death threats;
     -   the “UN [has been] urged to declare [a] full-scale crisis in Venezuela as [the] health system ‘collapses’ ”;     as some Venezuelans rally for change, the challenges of trying to change Venezuela;
     -   in “an unprecedented foreign policy”, the USA has declared Iran’s Islamic  Revolutionary  Guard Corps a violent extremist organisation – exacerbating tensions - see here for a former victim of the IRGC’s opinion on why this is not a good move (the regime in Iran is abusive [see also here, here, and here], and so is the IRGC, which also has a history of acting in aid of repression and repressive regimes elsewhere: whether that suffices to justify them being characterised as a violent extremist organisation I will leave to those with more knowledge than I to assess, but I am confident that they are NOT “good” in any sense);
     -   “Japan considers China is engaging in a salami-slicing strategy of incremental power projection to gain de facto control of the Senkaku Islands, just as it successfully did in the South China Sea” – and Japan is wearing its fighters out scrambling to respond to Chinese incursions, but cannot afford to ease up;     extremely concerning allegations that a local Australian Council caved in to Chinese pressure over a critical-of-China media company sponsoring an event;     China detained and interrogated two Australians in China over their possible connections with a government advisor;     “a Chinese Communist Party-aligned billionaire . . . paid tens of thousands of dollars to [a] former Liberal minister . . . while mounting a back-room campaign to secure Australian citizenship” – see also here;     the EU and China have agreed to a trade deal (thereby metaphorically thumbing their nose at the US trade war);     Pakistan ordered a controversial Chinese technology company to remove “wi-fi transmitting cards from a Pakistan-based surveillance system's CCTV cabinets after they were discovered by the project's staff”;
     -   “instead of freedom [and claimed equal opportunity to offset “blokey” trade unionism], [neoliberal] workplace flexibility has brought us debilitating insecurity”;
     -   the fight to save 800 year old trees;     responses to mental health issues appear to finally be getting better;     the endemic problem of “ableism”;     staggering over-reactions in Pakistan to women adopting poses that men do;     an “incest victim turned lawyer speaks out on reporting violence and sexual abuse”;     a rebuttal of criticism of the consideration of gender for military operations;     actions against sexual harassment in science;     in one Australian state, more people “die from domestic violence-related suicide than homicide each year”;     Australia’s NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission , which currently oversees only two states, “received almost 1,500 reports of serious incidents like sexual assault against participants of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in just six months”;     “pressuring women to stay in their homes will kill them. Women don’t need marriage counselling. They need help for starting over and law enforcement that takes abuse seriously”;     Australia’s high court has rejected a bid by right-to-lifers to resume harassing desperate, stressed and stressed women - see also here, and their hate and harassment has now been extended to anyone even vaguely connected to assisted dying;     achievements, but much more work yet to be done, after an international conference on “closing the gender gap for future prosperity;     two rapists have got light sentences, while their victim has had to move interstate and start a new life (that’s a town I’ll now avoid, given its appalling attitudes);     a well-known actor has won a defamation case against a newspaper, leaving the woman concerned – who did not want her complaint made public (many such people just want the behaviour to stop, and some acknowledgement) – and the MeToo movement aware of the legal risks involved;     us, them, belonging and presumption;
     -   “the continued dominance of colonial-imposed laws over pre-existing customary legal systems, has been the bane of land rights disputes involving indigenous peoples across the globe for many years”;     discrimination against Europe’s Roma;
     -   some businesses are using artificial intelligence to monitor staff activity;
       this week’s atrocity alert at R2P lists   burma, Sudan, Burkina Faso and Rwanda;
• With regard to democracy (which can be measured [as can goodness],     requires  protection of minorities and the vulnerable   -   and are you fighting to change things [by 198 nonviolent methods], or to punish),     freedom,     governance (e.g., here, here, here, here, here)     and     ethics:
  Note: I have a section specifically for POTUS45 below
     analyses, research and commentary this week include:
     -   a critique of US nuclear weapons policy;     examination of the return of great power competition;     praise for NATO’s “Partnership for Peace”, developed after the Berlin Wall  fell and the Warsaw  Pact  was  dissolved, with a view to promoting the development of democratic values in eastern European nations that were potential  members - which has been controversial (see here, here, here, here, here, and here) (apart from the international affairs implications, was this repurposing or relevance deprivation syndrome?);     an academic critique of the word “socialism” and people’s understanding of same which, in my opinion, fails to understand that common usage of the term has moved on, and is not focused on “control of the means of production”;
     -   for other analyses see:   Mali;
     of concern internationally this week:
     -   a referendum in Switzerland has been overturned on the basis that voters were not properly informed;
     of concern in my nation (Australia) this week:
     -   business is trying to obfuscate moves towards increased tax transparency;     concerns about lies and corrupting impacts on democracy from political advertising;     although 87 of 92 allegations against my home state’s coroner have been dismissed, one of the remaining (about taking alcohol) could see her dismissed (92 allegations? And 87 dismissed?);     Australian taxpayers are funding elitist education of children of submarine designers sent to France;     “the number of sick or disabled Newstart recipients facing work requirements has hit a record high of 200,000, just as the government predicts further savings from the disability support pension” (this is morally unconscionable – no matter what it does to the national bottom line, it leaves us bankrupt in other ways);     concerns that the federal Environment Minister, who recently approved a controversial coal mine’s revised groundwater plan (there are more approval steps to go), may have been threatened – see also here;     a neoliberal MP has used a disability slur against his opponent;     the fallacious assumption that retirees own their homes is about to be sunk by a collision with reality;     following nine years of inaction, calls for reform of one state’s anti-corruption laws;
     with regard to cyber warfare and other cyber problems this week:
     -   a call for the USA to rationalise and streamline its approach to cyber warfare;
     in the grey/mixed [good and bad aspects] or neutral area this week:
     -   attempts to improve US military assistance to other nations;
     good news this week includes:
     -   a call for better training throughout their working life for workers in Canada;     Slovakia’s new President – the first female, with a history of anti-corruption work- is “offering an alternative to populism”;     nomadic herders in Mongolia have won a battle for land rights against a multinational mining conglomerate;     data shows Russia and the USA are actually sticking to nuclear weapons and missile limitation treaties so far;     a rare moment of sanity has allowed a sovereign nation to reclaim its trademark back from a for-profit company;     the “new World Bank President . . . [has]said . . . he would not alter the lender’s commitment to fight climate change, but pledged to step up its anti-poverty mission and to evolve the bank’s relationship with China”;
     on development (in an “end poverty/thirst/hunger” sense):
     -   “why fixing food systems is crucial for meeting the Sustainable Development Goals” (the environment is also common to all of the SDGs – see also here and here);     a call for debt relief for Somalia “to give its children a chance”;
     and democracy/governance/political matters in my home nation this week:
     on the Royal Commission into banks, and similar matters:
     -   as legal action is launched over one sexual assault, the report of an enquiry into aged care has confirmed that problems exist, and provided recommendations to address those;
     on other matters:
     -   a criticism of the budget of “homophobic, anti-women, climate-change denying“ neoliberal government as being biased towards the wealthy;     a factcheck on electric vehicles;    criticism of the neoliberal government’s predicted debt reduction;     more (free range, organic) egg recalls over salmonella concerns in my home state;     a power supply company has been fined for poor maintenance leading to three grass fires;
• 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):
     -   criticism of the (Republican) US Senate leader for “destroying the Senate – and American government”;
     -   POTUS45 appears to be undertaking a high level “purge”;     potentially criminal leaks have surged under POTUS45 (which, in my opinion, is due to the extraordinary attack on democracy that POTUS45 is committing);
     -   extraordinary claims by the USA’s Attorney-General that POTUS45’s election campaign was spied on by the previous administration . . . ;
     -   as POTUS45 considers sending illegal immigrants to “sanctuary cities” and lashes out “at a judge for blocking his policy of sending asylum seekers to Mexico to await court hearings”, in an appalling admission, the US government has said “identifying separated migrant families may take two years”;
     -   POTUS45 has revoked “an Obama-era rule requiring an annual public report on US drone strikes, including civilian casualties”, but “the statistics the Obama administration generated weren’t especially believable”;
• 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 6 attacks in Iraq, 9 attacks in Afghanistan,   and 4 attacks in Syria   (out of a total of 30, causing at least 124 deaths [109 in Muslim nations * ] and 227 injuries [220 in Muslim nations * ]);
  ( * there are utterly nonsensical claims trotted out from time to time that Muslims are not doing enough against violent extremism: they are doing an enormous amount , and their continued suffering shows how strongly motivated they are to do so)
     -   Iraq is seeking a multibillion dollar fee to receive Iraqis who fought for violent extremists in Syria;
     -   the history and current significance (“the violent American far right is responsible for the articulation of two of the most consequential trends in global terrorism today . . . their growing global footprint and the threat they pose will likely continue to evolve and possibly increase”) of far right violent extremists;
• 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 concerning role of Eritrea in refugee / “migrant” debates;
• 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]):
     -   “how pop is blurring the gender [and sexuality – wrongly conflated in the article] lines”;     a phone company “has apologised after a stalker . . . repeatedly tricked the telecommunications giant into giving her the phone numbers and account login details for one of her victims”;
     -   opportunities to take action on human rights here, here, and, this week,   here;
     -   other human rights matters have also occurred in:   Equatorial Guinea,   Luxembourg / Mexico;
     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 famous “Polish general who fought with [the USA’s George] Washington may have been a woman” – or intersex;     “Thailand's first transgender MP”;     “Tasmania has become Australia's first state to make it legally optional to list gender on birth certificates”;     a sporting body has sacked a homophobic star player;
     -   other homophobic/transphobic (and heteronormativity / cisgender-normativity) matters have also occurred in:   Israel;
     on white supremacist and other forms of RACISM / CULTURAL DISCRIMINATION and Indigenous matters generally this week:
     -   Australian aboriginal culture is (finally?) a key part of a new tourism campaign;     the inherent and ongoing problems of occupation/invasion and colonialism in Australia;     treating indigenous artists fairly;
     on TRAFFICKING, and CHILDREN’s and associated human rights this week (from Thomson Reuters Foundation, Freedom United, and other sources):
     -   “anti-trafficking advocates say tech tools could turn the tide” – see, for example, here;     “UK slave bosses may be ‘personally liable’ for exploitation of workers”;     a US ban on slave made goods has intercepted “0.0015 percent of the estimated $400 billion in tainted goods believed to enter the U.S. market each year”;     recommendations for improving Australia’s redress scheme;     hopes the first female manager in Bangladesh’s fashion factories may improve conditions;
     -   also on slavery / human trafficking this week:   Australia,   Brazil,   prisons,   Viêt Nám,   Indonesia (good news),   Brazil,   Bangladesh / Vanuatu;
     on SEXISM this week (keeping in mind the overblown influence given to testosterone, and the potential value to women of using anger):
     -   bystanders are being encouraged to call out sexual harassment;     a call for menopause friendly workplaces;     “social media also builds inclusion through and for women's sport”;     the similarities of key parts of male and female genitalia (sorry for the vagueness: I haven’t activated the adult content filter, and could have hassles);     a campaign against prostitution in the Netherlands is overlooking voluntary sex workers;
     -   on sexual harassment/misconduct/violence this week, see:   Viêt Nám;
     -   other sexism matters have also occurred in:   Rwanda,   Uganda,   Saudi Arabia,   South Korea (good news),   Hong Kong;
     on RELIGIOUS rights this week:
     -   religious rights / Islamophobia matters have also occurred in:   Indonesia;
     on WORKERS’ rights this week:
     -   my home state’s “workplace regulator is paying to test workers exposed to the toxic chemical PFAS while working in the gas industry”;
     on ANIMALS’ rights this week:
     -   vegan diets are NOT safe for animals – and the anti-vax lunacy is killing some pets (see here on signs of anxiety in dogs, and what to do);     after an outcry, Russia will finally release 100 whales;     tourists are killing animals by feeding them harmful food;
     on PRIVACY, AGED, DIFFERENTLY ABLED, AND OTHER forms of human rights this week:
     -   businesses in my home state are being helped to adapt for workers who are differently abled;
• With regard to war (noting that economic ties do NOT prevent war), violence and hate generally:
     -   the history of connection between a right wing party in Australia and mass shooting conspiracy nuts;     violence near a gambling casino;
• With regard to natural and other catastrophes:
     -   a bridge in Brazil has collapsed after a ferry collided with it;     a US city has declared an emergency over the continuing measles epidemic;     “US sanctions have prevented the Iranian Red Crescent from obtaining any foreign financial aid to assist victims of flooding that has killed at least 70 people and inundated some 1,900 communities, the group said”;     the human face of the losses from Cyclone Idai;     flash floods have killed at least six people in Brazil;     the Congolese Ebola outbreak is “far from contained”;     an earthquake in Indonesia;     essential post-bushfire actions / activities;
• 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:
     -   London has activated a tax against more polluting vehicles;     “biodiesel made from used tyres could be the solution to Australia's fuel security problems”;     climate change has led to graphic consequences as walruses, normally congregating on ice flows are forced onto land, and some fall down cliffs;     “two-thirds of glacier ice in the Alps ‘will melt by 2100’ ”;     a warning Australia is unprepared for the escalating fire risk from climate change;     “scientists estimate that at least 100 million and maybe as many as a billion birds die each year in the US when they collide with buildings, especially glass-covered or illuminated skyscrapers”;
     -   other environmental matters have occurred in:   USA,   Ethiopia;
     on economic and financial matters, including consumer complaints:
     -   millennials helping their parents;
     on health and medical:
     -   a doctor’s thoughts on stopping the opioid crisis;     an inquest into a death has revealed medical divisions and trauma to the victim’s family;
     on other matters in the category:
     -   “crops grown near airport runways are providing multiple benefits: cooling the air, helping aircraft take off, and providing extra income”;
• 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, and was notoriously so the case with a violent extremist attack.     Also, media can be unprofessional,     but funding is an issue … ):
     -   “an ex-soldier in Slovakia has confessed to the double murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée last year”;
• 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 one trial in the USA into a police killing gets underway, the mother of another victim reflects;     a peaceful version of community policing;     more details from the enquiry into the police-informant lawyer in my home state;     a woman in the USA has been “jailed for alleged theft of $1 – and being unable to post $12,000 bail”.

Location based News:

• With regard to Africa, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (and other sources) has:
     -   a call for “an upcoming United Nations review of Equatorial Guinea’s rights record to question the country’s brutal repression of human rights defenders, the political opposition, and others who criticize government abuses and rampant corruption”;
     -   the ongoing trauma of girls who survived the Chibok mass kidnapping in Nigeria;
     -   an order to release “women and girls jailed over abortion in Rwanda”;
     -   a Reuters exclusive reports that “the two sides of war-ravaged South Sudan will not be able to meet a . . . deadline to form a unity government because key requirements of a peace deal have not been met”;
      -   “climate change is bringing more weather extremes, and Zimbabwe [which has spent hundreds of thousands on judges wigs] this year is suffering from opposite crises at once: floods and drought”;
• With regard to South and Central America:
     -   the murder (two police have been charged, but claim innocence) of a black, gay, outspoken, woman city councillor and “fierce critic of police violence” has become “a rallying point for Brazilians troubled by growing violence”;     activists using poetry in Brazil;
     -   “hunter-gatherers in the Amazon sought in court . . . to stop Ecuador's government auctioning their land to oil companies, as tension mounts over the future of the rainforest”;
• 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:
     -   Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protestors have been found guilty of “public nuisance” . . . ;
     elsewhere in Asia:
     -   Indonesia’s Supreme Court has confirmed the jail sentence of a Buddhist woman who complained that the calls to prayer of a mosque were too loud;
     -   drought is leading to calls to cut back festive water fights in Thailand;
     and in the Pacific:
     -   a review of the elections in the Solomon Islands;
• With regard to Europe and the European Union (EU) (which need to step up, as the USA steps down):
     -   the EU has refused to give the UK a “short” extension on Brexit, which will likely compel participation in EU elections and lead to political retaliation (the refusal to consult and start addressing major issues early on has been staggering in this process);     the UK has started issuing passports without the EU title – before Brexit has been implemented;
• 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):
     -   misogynistic and stupid violent extremists have banned the WHO and red Cross and are continuing fighting despite peace talks;     the ICC will not investigate US forces in Afghanistan over possible war crimes as, although there is “a reasonable basis . . . that crimes . . .have been committed . . . and . . . would be admissible”, “the current circumstances of the situation in Afghanistan are such as to make the prospects for a successful investigation and prosecution extremely limited”;
• With regard to South Asia (aka the Indian sub-continent), The Hindu and other sources have:
     -   as India continues its elections, it has denied Pakistan claims “it has ‘reliable intelligence’ [that] India is planning a military attack this month”;     the competition between the USA, India and China in the Indian Ocean;     a call for a permanent peaceful solution for Kashmir;
     on India:
     -   a guide to India’s massive (the largest democracy in the world) elections;     an examination of the possible influence of caste of India’s upcoming elections;     attempts to woo women voters;     an Indian city’s railway that is solar powered and has a workforce that is 80% women;     tourism is threatening customary fishing rights;     the story of an acid attack survivor who has had success in lobbying, but not justice;     “why I fell out of love with India’s reformist Prime Minister”;     “more than 11 million face eviction [and] displacement as India booms”;
     elsewhere in South Asia:
     -   “the pressure to be beautiful 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:
     -   an assessment of Israel’s elections (the choice in Israel’s elections seemed to be right and a far right that describes the right as left . . . and the Israeli PM is thought to have called the election to help him with corruption charges);     Israel’s Prime Minister, who has support and promised to “annex” the (illegal) settlements in the West  Bank if he is re-elected, has been re-elected – massively increasing the risk that “Israel will become a de facto apartheid state”;     rampant homophobia and transphobia in Israel;     apparently in response to legal action, a short term rental service will continue to do so in the illegally occupied territories, but will “donate profits to aid organisations”;
     on the  conflict and the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis in Yemen:
     -   another update on the crisis;
     on Syria (where the Assad Dictatorship has lost all pretence of legitimacy, and partition is needed):
     -   “in the numerous moral equations that have been put forward to argue for the return of Australian expats from Syria, at no point have we considered the rights or welfare of the Syrian people in our calculations. To engage ethically with the question of Australians returning we must reflect on the needs of the Syrian people and perhaps more importantly what crimes may have been committed against them by Australian citizens”;     after the defeat of violent extremists, “starved infants [and] wounded women crowd Syrian hospitals”;
     elsewhere in the region:
     -   Egypt is reforming its constitution to enshrine repression;
     -   in a massive blow to democracy, Turkey’s Grand Sultan Erdoğan wants a “re-run” of those he lost in the nation’s capital . . . .

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.