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, South Sudan and Democratic Republic of the Congo,
(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, the other aspects of our sustainability crisis are being made apparent, although some still see hope and some are acting on the climate change threat; some righting of wrongs has occurred, as elsewhere, abuses of power persist, including enforcing opinions / thought control, silencing dissent, macho contests in the political arena – especially between nations, but also some surprising decency; attempts to set a constructive, non-economic future continue; the vulnerable have received some extra protection; bigotry in all its –isms; small-minded management and governance allowing opportunities to slip away; business propaganda and their abuses of technology;(f) may all people be BPM responsible, and never abuse or misuse t=power they may have, or have access to, or influence;(g) may people never deny their wrongs by focusing solely on a perceived or claimed benefit;(h) may all people who wish to be dominant (“alphas” and the like) be BPM brought to a realisation of the errors of their ways;(j) may all people see and BPM embrace BPM opportunities – for themselves, and for others – especially where that involves encouraging others;(k) may the worlds of business and commerce be BPM restored to their proper roles as servants, not masters, of the human condition;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; in response to “a seemingly myopic fixation on the type of economy to be achieved”, a “a group of 60 leaders from across the charities and not-for-profit sector” considered (in 2015) what sort of Australia was desirable and how to measure that: their second report has been published (the first was in 2016);
on the Rohingya genocide and similar matters this week:
- the two Reuters journalists who exposed the genocide in burma and were jailed on a pretext have been released; “in exile in Bangladesh, a bittersweet [compared to repression in burma] revival of Rohingya culture”;
on other matters requiring particular attention:
- this week I found nothing in the news on Afghanistan, Ukraine;
- “climate change costings that don't count the cost of inaction are worthless”; “based on systematic reviews of 15,000 scientific and government sources” over three years, “one million of the world's species are now under threat of extinction . . . more than 40 per cent of amphibian species, almost 33 per cent of reef-forming corals and more than a third of all marine mammals are threatened” and “we are mostly to blame” –and, in Australia, “most clearing of Australian habitat relied on by threatened species is concentrated in just 12 federal electorates, nine of which are held by the Coalition” – but some think it is not too late; as “climate ‘paralysis looms over Australia's election”, “NZ [has introduced a] groundbreaking zero carbon bill, including targets for agricultural methane”; an apparent attempt to infiltrate an environmental group; “nearly all countries agree to stem flow of plastic waste into poor nations”; calls for governments to “support communities to create participatory forms of economic activity that can tackle inequality while also restoring planetary health”; overconsumption in Europe; “Norway’s proposal to divest billions more from coal, and instead use the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund to invest in solar and wind is a sign of things to come - and may just be what catapults the global clean energy market into sky rocketing growth”; claims that “innovations in agriculture could feed a growing, hungry world without destroying the planet”; “giving local communities the responsibility to manage forests - which are shrinking worldwide - could help ease poverty and deforestation”; “World Migratory Bird Day highlights deadly risks of plastic pollution”;
- the neochristian Catholic church’s Pope has FINALLY ordered clergy to report child abuse; families with disabled children are being FORCED to give them into care by inadequate support;
- a former gay sports player has commented on a recent controversy around a neochristian player who was sacked for anti- LGBT posts on social media, pointing out the impact of such sayings on LGBT kids;
- racist limits on freedom of speech;
- “women keep society ticking over then many retire into poverty because of the structured discrimination they face along the way” (I’ll be one of those); “Sudan's female revolutionaries must beware [the] fate that befell women in Libya”;
- questions about “why a country that emerged from the second world war with a technological edge in computers and electronics should require the assistance of what is still classified as an emerging economy to construct a crucial piece of national infrastructure”; fears that facial recognition will lead to a Big Brother style dystopia;
- the creepiness of business propagandists (aka “advertisers”) targeting people’s mood;
- “three Venezuelan opposition members of parliament have taken shelter in foreign embassies after losing their congressional immunity”;
- “the United States is undermining the global multilateral system it worked so hard to create”;
- a critique of China’s new (1984-like and on-line “nudging” – at this stage) thought control system; the USA has accused China “of backtracking on trade deal” - see also here; POTUIS45 has raised tariffs on Chinese manufactured goods;
- claims by the USA that a nuclear disarmament with North Korea is still possible, but North Korea has fired solid fuelled (thus short range – not ICBM, but more mobile and easily used) missiles and ordered increased military capability;
- AI and the nuclear industry;
- the USA is sending military forces (an aircraft carrier group , an anti-missile system, and B52 bombers) to West Asia to counter-threaten what it considers Iran’s threatening behaviour, as Iran “challenges Europe and China to stand up to [the USA] over [the] nuclear deal”, the USA “urges [the] UK to help rein in ‘lawless’ Iran” – see also here; an expert critique of POTUS45’s approach to Iran;
- a Guardian exclusive reports that “at least five people have been killed in Jamaica . . . after being deported from the UK . . . despite strict rules prohibiting deportations to countries in which an individual’s life may be in danger”;
- “a US district judge struck down a one-year-old Kentucky law that restricted a type of abortion usually performed after the 14th week of pregnancy, ruling it violates a woman's constitutional rights”;
this week’s atrocity alert at R2P lists Syria, South Sudan and Democratic Republic of the Congo; - 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:
- “influence operations in the digital age are not merely propaganda with new tools. They represent an evolved form of manipulation that presents actors with endless possibilities — both benign and malignant”; suggestions for restoring faith in Australia’s democracy; Canada’s quest for a seat on the UN Security Council; the setbacks of open/transparent government in the USA (including setbacks to advertising limits); a call for nuance and balance when considering violent extremist threats;
of concern internationally this week:
- “documents suggest [a] Russian plan to sway South Africa election” towards the ANC; a whistleblower who was jailed for 62 days for contempt of court has been served with another Grand Jury subpoena; grave concerns and serious allegations over the deaths of civilians when violent extremists in Syria were defeated – see also here (trigger warning –graphic images); the USA appears to have successfully stolen an Australian trademark; “a UN executive accused of creating a ‘boys’ club’ culture of sexual harassment and bullying has been appointed Mali's new health minister”;
of concern in my nation (Australia) this week:
- “refugee support workers who were based in Papua New Guinea say they were ‘directed to cook the books’ by one of their managers for an Australian Government audit”; “serious medical malpractice follows a pattern – so why does it take so long to stop it in Australia?”; “the Department of Human Services has dropped a debt it raised against a Melbourne woman, who is challenging the Coalition’s robodebt program in the federal court”; another two indigenous men (one a native title holder) are facing deportation - see also here; raising “the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14 was necessary to end the over-incarceration of children” – most of whom of poor indigenous kids; a “man [who had attempted suicide when told of a 2 month wait] died from bowel cancer while waiting for his disability support pension claim to be approved” -and, despite being DEAD has been hit with a debt claim!; concern over the decline in volunteering;
- other concerning events have occurred or are developing in: Armenia;
with regard to cyber warfare and other cyber problems (including programmable machine learning (aka AI, or “artificial intelligence”) this week:
- according to the ABC, “the biggest mass surveillance operation known to have been used by police in Australia was so rushed that it lacked the data to operate effectively [the police service involved] tried to keep that a secret”;
good news this week includes:
- “successful public policy: lessons from Australia and New Zealand”;
and democracy/governance/political matters in my home nation this week:
on the Royal Commission into banks, and similar matters:
- “nearly 2 out of 3 nursing homes are understaffed”; the trauma of a shift when a dementia patient killed another; a recording shows neglect; “medium- and long-term pressures on the system: the changing demographics and dynamics of aged care”;
on the Commonwealth election:
- the ALP’s “childcare proposal [is] ‘a really big deal for typical families’, says [the] Grattan Institute”; most Australians (not the rich ones) support penalty rates; an economic critique; “a majority of Australians want the incoming Senate crossbench to pass key Labor policies if [the ALP] wins the election . . . , including the commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 45% by 2030” – see also here; the ALP’s “$6.6 [billion] housing affordability policy would save federal and state governments up to $10.8 [billion], according to a report by” a progressive think tank; a homophobic candidate will not be disendorsed by the “homophobic, anti-women, climate-change denying“ neoliberal conservative party (although he subsequently did quit over his effectively pro-rape stance was found), as a progressive party’s candidate does quit; a minor party candidate is being strongly criticised for an anti-abortion picture; allegations of dual citizenship has been rebutted by Fiji; the ALP’s financial policies have been released; a call for parties to go beyond a living wage to address threats such as automation; calls for the next government to do more for LGBTIQ+ rights; neochristians are trying to import US style campaigning - but some Christians are left leaning;
a controversial minor party is trying to stop media debate on preferences before voting is finished everywhere in Australia (they failed); false racist claims about a candidate have been referred to police (I hope the person[s] responsible are caught and charged); “Labor and the Greens have been forced to defend their decision to preference an anti-vaccination campaigner above the Coalition's candidate in a region that has one of the lowest child immunisation rates in the country”;
the final leader’s debate – see also here; a stupid reference to an animal testing ban as being something that addresses species extinction . . . ; a bipartisan response to a tabloid paper’s article attacking a candidate’s mother;
as China’s media mocks Australia’s current Prime Minister, the experiences of Chinese-Australian voters; a fake news campaign;
on other matters:
- in my home state, actions to increase indigenous involvement on the Aboriginal Heritage Council and strengthening their voice on Treaty, and a programme to find and help rough sleepers in a major regional city; more on the problems with Australia’s online health records system; - 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):
- “the quasi-subordination of national intelligence to military operations”, and the push to refocus from violent extremism to adversarial nations;
- the US military may have prolonged involvement on the Mexican border . . . ;
- POTUS45 has “asserted” “executive privilege to block release of [the] unredacted Mueller report”; criticism of the US Attorney-General’s response to the Muller report, including “more than 370 former federal prosecutors” saying POTUS45 would have received “multiple felony charges for obstruction of justice . . . were it not for the office he held” – but see this analysis; “should the House impeach if the Senate won’t convict?”;
- a court case against 20 pharmaceutical companies for allegedly inflating prices; - With regard to violent
extremism (VE) (aka, terrorism)
(ALL people advocating hate or discrimination in response to
violent extremism are actively doing the work of violent extremists. This will be countered, in part, by “Cure
Violence“,
real and perceived disempowerment as
well as acknowledging the variety in what provides genuine, BPM fulfilment as a counter to fanaticism as a source of meaning, and good
old fashioned police work. Also,
I don’t name groups in order to reduce their publicity):
- according to this Wikipedia page, there have been 7 attacks in Iraq, 9 attacks in Afghanistan, and 2 attacks in Syria (out of a total of 27, causing at least 160 deaths and 303 wounded); - With regard to refugees (noting the New York Declaration), and remembering Haiti, Ethiopia, Madagascar, DR Congo,
and the Philippines), people seeking asylum and migrants:
- “at least 65 migrants died after their boat capsized in the Mediterranean”; conflicts have led to a record 41 million internally displaced people;
- other refugee-related matters have also occurred in: Australia/PNG, Italy; - With regard to other human (and other) rights and
discrimination (incidentally,
bigots clearly have flaws of observation and thinking – shown by the fact that NOT all people choose to
discriminate [and there’s this]):
- gentrification has shut down a “speakers / music corner” in a formerly poor neighbourhood; how “world leaders are failing human rights”, by the former U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights;
- opportunities to take action on human rights here, here, and, this week, here;
on HOMOPHOBIA/TRANSPHOBIA (including heteronormativity and cisgender-normativity and noting that trans kids are the same as cis kids of the trans kids’ true gender):
- for ethical reasons, the “World Medical Association [has warned] doctors not to enforce [the] IAAF testosterone rule”;
- other homophobic/transphobic (and heteronormativity / cisgender-normativity) matters have also occurred in: Brunei, Armenia, Mexico (good news), US schools;
on white supremacist and other forms of RACISM / CULTURAL DISCRIMINATION and Indigenous matters generally this week:
- the benefit of football for an indigenous woman, together with information on their experiences (such as DV);
on TRAFFICKING, and CHILDREN’s and associated human rights this week (from Thomson Reuters Foundation, Freedom United, and other sources):
- on slavery / human trafficking this week: Pakistan / China, USA, India / Bangladesh / burma;
on SEXISM this week (keeping in mind the overblown influence given to testosterone, and the potential value to women of using anger):
- on sexual harassment/misconduct/violence this week, see: El Salvador;
- other sexism matters have also occurred in: the “official” world records industry, US political campaign (good news), Georgia/Saudi Arabia (good news);
on WORKERS’ rights this week:
- “all the ways hiring algorithms can introduce bias”; “if an employer is asking an employee to hand over sensitive information by way of a fingerprint, the employer needs to [show] that the information is going to be treated in a way where confidentiality is preserved”;
on ANIMALS’ rights this week:
- a man who sadistically killed emus has been jailed (his personal troubles no more excuse this than do the excuses for domestic violence);
on PRIVACY, AGED, DIFFERENTLY ABLED, AND OTHER forms of human rights this week:
- a call for more people with disability in the US military; - With regard to war (noting that
economic ties do NOT prevent war), violence
and hate generally:
- a (social media – sorry) lament on our violence; - 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):
- from one of the best blogs around, thoughts on simplifying one’s life; the activist history of Quakers; a critique of neochristianity, and the broader lessons that can be drawn from its errors; “magic adulting”; "witches – you don’t owe everyone an explanation"; - With regard to natural and other catastrophes:
- “dozens [of people have been] killed as Cyclone Fani hits Bangladesh and India”; a jet has burned after a hard landing, with 41 of the 71 people on board dying – and some of the survivors stupidly taking hand luggage off (did they kill anyone by doing so?); an aircraft manufacturer “has admitted it discovered a safety alert in the cockpit of its 737 MAX plane was not working as intended, yet it did not disclose that fact to airlines or US federal regulators until after one of the planes crashed months later”; a cholera outbreak in cyclone hit Mozambique; flooding in parts of the USA; - 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:
- “only a third of world’s great rivers remain free flowing”; why “koalas are ‘functionally extinct’ ”; “invasive species are Australia’s number-one extinction threat”; “the elite soldiers protecting the Amazon rainforest”; concerns as a ninth whale death occurs in one region of the USA; “empty North Sea gas fields to be used to bury 10 [million] tonnes of C02”; a warning that “plunging coffee prices may be pressuring farmers to carve out land in rainforests for survival”; the devastation of sand mining; continuing threats of poaching of elephants;
- other environmental matters have occurred in: Denmark (good news);
on technology and science matters:
- “the effects of social media use on teenage life satisfaction are limited and probably "tiny", a study of 12,000 UK adolescents suggests”;
on economic and financial matters, including consumer complaints:
- the complicated transactions that some scammers use to confuse their victims; payday loans and high-cost appliance contracts are still a significant problem, “years after the Federal Government promised to crack down on the practice”;
on health and medical:
- most Australians don’t understand the health risks of drinking, and think they’re being responsible when doctors say they’re not - all of which shows the communication problems of the medical profession, the effects of conflicting media reports on “what is safe”, and quite possibly a failure to understand that Australian drinkers consider things like not driving while drunk responsible . . . ; “an interactive multi-stakeholder hearing on Universal Health Coverage”; a Reuters exclusive reports that a tobacco company has “suspended” a social media campaign after discovering some influencers were under the company’s age limit of 25;
on other matters in the category:
- “helicopter parents could be raising anxious, narcissistic children”; volunteers have been helping farmers; - 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 … ):
- relief as the ABC gets a Managing Director; a conservative “journalist has gone on the record with critical remarks about his own paper . . . saying ‘the craziness has been dialled up’ in recent months” – see also here; - With regard to education:
- bullying of teachers is taking a toll; concerns that waiving of entry standards is leading to problems for institutes and international students;
- other education matters have occurred in: Lebanon; - 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 Royal Commission has been told a “former Victoria Police chief commissioner . . . tried to stop a corruption investigator going to the scene of a gangland double-murder because he feared the media would find out”, and that the lawyer at the centre of the matter was intimidated into becoming an informant.
Location based News:
- With regard to Africa, the Africa
Center for Strategic Studies (and other sources) has:
on Africa generally:
- “security issues in the Horn of Africa region”;
on specific African nations:
- 900 children have been released by an armed group in north east Nigeria;
- the land reform promises before yesterday’s elections in South Africa, which returned the ANC at a reduced majority;
- South Sudan faces a critical six months; - With regard
to South and Central America:
on South and Central America generally:
- “as Latin America gets poorer, democracy itself is now questioned”;
on specific South and Central American nations:
- in Brazil, “as climate shifts bring ‘horror movie’ floods, Rio struggles to adjust”; “a Brazilian supreme court judge has given President . . . and his justice ministry five days to respond to criticism that a recently signed gun decree has violated the country's constitution”;
- “displaced by fighting then by mudslides, Colombians struggle to rebuild”; attacks on human rights defenders are continuing;
- tensions inside and pressures outside on Cuba;
- “hundreds of Mexicans living with HIV may have gone without life-saving treatment for weeks as a result of delays in buying and distributing drugs”; “Mexico's Supreme Court asked [a state]to grant a new birth certificate to a resident there to reflect the fact the person changed their sex and name, another step toward equal rights in the socially conservative country”; - 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:
- South Korea is claiming US support for its plan for food aid to North Korea;
elsewhere in Asia:
- republicans in Japan;
- the ongoing popularity of the Philippine’s (self-proclaimed murderer, mass killing enabler, admitter of extrajudicial killings, human rights abusing, with shades of Pinochet) president Marcos-Lite;
- a Thai student activist who was jailed for sharing a profile of that nation’s monarch has been released on royal pardon;
and in the Pacific:
- Tuvalu “is on the frontline of climate change but locals must fly to Fiji if they want to buy sunscreen”; PNG’s Prime Minister has, by a nine vote margin, won a three week delay on the Opposition's no-confidence motion; “voters in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia cast ballots for their local Congress . . . with separatists hoping to win a majority”; - With regard to Europe and the European Union (EU) (which need
to step up, as the USA steps down):
- “a court in Montenegro has handed five-year jail terms to two pro-Russian opposition politicians for trying to topple the government in October 2016.”;
- “selling homes for token sums has become a popular, last-ditch strategy for tumbledown towns in Italy's south, many of which are fighting de-population and decay”; - With regard to South Asia (aka
the Indian
sub-continent), The
Hindu and other sources have:
on India:
- “India was one of the first countries to have a female head of state, yet female participation in politics remains stubbornly low”; an “indigenous party aims to win big in [India’s elections] with [a] land rights focus”; a health scandal based on unnecessary surgeries is trapping women and their families in “debt bondage”;
elsewhere in South Asia:
- a survivor’s story of her near miss, and the determination not to be intimidated of other Muslims; - With regard
to West Asia (aka “the Middle East”) and
Northern Africa, the Middle East Eye, the Times
of Israel, and other sources have:
on Israel and Palestine:
- Israel has retaliated against hundreds of rocket attacks from Gaza . . . with a ceasefire declared after several days, and border crossings reopened; “a lack of health funding in Gaza means 1,700 people shot by Israeli security forces may have to have amputations in the next two years”; “the deadly political paralysis behind the Gaza flare-up”;
- other events concerning Israel/Judaism and/or Palestine have occurred or are developing in: Iran (good news), the Netherlands, Poland;
on the conflict and the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis in Yemen:
- “two recent studies provide evidence that cash transfers can reduce conflict-driven malnutrition in Yemen”; an update on the situation in Yemen; the UN has welcomed a rebel offer to withdraw from the key port of Hodeidah . . . now to see that it actually happens;
on Syria (where the Assad Dictatorship has lost all pretence of legitimacy, and partition is needed):
- more on the fighting in northwestern Syria;
elsewhere in the region:
- in Lebanon “students get classes in surviving war and disasters”;
- an abhorrent attack on an ambulance in Libya;
- Turkey is growing its navy; “outcry as Turkey orders rerun of Istanbul mayoral election”, with claims this is to save grants.
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.
