Come join us in celebrating the Buddha's birthday, enlightenment, and final nirvana. Chanting, food, tea, and blessings, everyone is welcome.
On Saturday, May 9, 2026, we celebrate Vesak, a day to commemorate the Buddha's birth, mahabodhi, and parinirvana.
Hopefully we will become more aware of the fact that we are intrinsically the same as all buddhas and thus will be inspired to use the Buddha’s teachings, his Dharma (Doctrine), to help ourselves and others.
The offending naked part (the "savage" penis) was scratched off by moral vandals long ago.
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(KPIX | CBS NEWS BAY AREA) How dare an artist depict the genocide of the American Indians by the planting of infected blankets for all to see! What if kids see it and start asking questions, uncomfortable questions about ethnic cleansing and the United States' ongoing genocide? Is censorship better?
(KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco) The property manager has told tenants it plans to paint over a mural at 41st Street and Piedmont Avenue depicting interaction between Ohlone Native Americans and Spanish settlers. Critics of the artwork point to nudity and alleged insensitivity in the mural.
His nudity is historically accurate, but is that any reason to be naked?! Yes, we think it's a great reason. The mural depicts the Catholic missionaries coming to enslave, rape, and ethnically cleanse the Natives from the land. No one wants to see facts like that where schoolkids might see it and start asking questions that buck the system.
There is a good life, that of a nomadic hippie -- free as the wind (no savings), enjoying free love, doing whatever one wishes whenever one wishes, feeling good, dropping chemical-assistance anytime (haunted by addiction). That may have been true in the 1960s and 1970s; it is less true now. There's a superficially similar but much better life, that of wandering ascetics like the Buddha, Mahavira, and others in the sramana movement. What is the difference? Underlying motive. Both may be spiritual seekers, but only one is likely to make any progress. Why? Vice and drugs make one possible, whereas the other relies on virtue and restraint.
The word śramaṇa is pronounced /shra-ma-na/ like the English word shaman, a wandering aiming for spiritual development through simplicity, voluntary poverty (relinquishing everything), and often penances or austerities in the misguided attempt to subdue "sin" and evil and develop virtue and self-restraint. Of the many schools and teachers at the time of the Buddha that rebelled against the devotional functions of temple priests (brahmanas), only three seem to have survived to today, Buddhism, Jainism, and wandering yogi sadhus.
Trash recipes
Assortment of dumpster diving finds (wiki)
If one is going to eat "trash," and we do not recommend it, put drugs and drug paraphernalia away, put down the phone, tell pimp or madame you will call them later, and dive into a dumpster, preferably in a group with someone holding a flashlight. Panhandling is a better option, as is eating things growing naturally from trees as well as wild edible plants from the park or other public places. There are always also charitable organizations offering food. But all those sources having failed (and people will usually give food even if they refuse to give change), pick clean greens. Avoid all meat and dairy. Give everything the sniff test. Keep any food found in cool place, which should be easy in SF because it's usually cold at night. Boil over burning dumpster fire or one of those hobo oil barrels. Do not boil a shoe or old boot as that provides no nutrition and is likely to have toxic industrial products, plastics, dyes, and dioxin. Ask a John or Jane to cook or to offer food. Stand by the exit of a restaurant and ask for leavings before customers trash them. Seek public social services. Get a side job at a restaurant that doesn't mind employees eating extras. Finally, pretend you're in lockup, jail, or prison and consider all the jailhouse delicacies crafty and creative inmates dream up. By the addition of crumbled potato chips (which are full of deadly acrylamides in the best of circumstances) seems to make anything palatable. Avoid sugar (particularly high fructose corn syrup) and glutens (wheat, barley, rye, oats, and buckwheat, all of which have very harmful plant lichens that destroy the gut lining and lead to deficiencies, according to Dr. Joel Wallach).
A better way to be a nomad: wandering asceticism
The śramaṇas [a] are people who labor, toil, or exert themselves for some higher or religious [spiritual] purpose [1, 2], a "seeker, or ascetic, one who performs acts of austerity [tapas]" [3, 4, 5, 6].
Looking down on UC Berkeley and SF
The śramaṇa tradition includes primarily Jainism [7], Buddhism [8], and others such as the Ājīvika [9, 10].
The śramaṇa religions became popular in the circles of alms-gathering mendicants from greater Magadha (the adopted home of the Buddha) that led to the development of spiritual practices [11], as well as the popular concepts in all major Indian religions such as saṃsāra (the endless cycle of rebirth and suffering) and moksha (liberation from that cycle) [12, Note 1].
SF is very liberal and full of compassion
The Śramaṇic traditions have a diverse range of beliefs, ranging from accepting or denying the concept of an eternal soul, fatalism (that all things are preordained) to free will, idealization of extreme asceticism (penance) to that of family life, renunciation, strict ahimsa (non-violence), and vegetarianism to permissibility of violence and meat-eating [13, 14]. More
Los Angeles’s collapsing streets: a city in crisis as the homeless take over block by block
(Discovery Globe - Life Documentary) Aug. 2, 2025: HOA KỲ. In this urgent street documentary, let's explore the reality behind the headlines as Los Angeles homeless communities grow larger, block by block.
Glittering Hollywood: The Home of Dreams
Once known for ambition, sunshine, and opportunity, L.A. (aka Tinsel Town) is now recognized as a city in crisis, where LA's collapsing streets reflect deeper problems beneath the surface.
What was once temporary has become "structural" (systemic, a permanent problem)—an unfolding homeless crisis USA in one of America’s most iconic cities.
Captured throughout LA at night, this footage reveals a hidden world shaped by urban decay, growing encampments, and the visible homeless takeover of sidewalks, parks, and business zones.
With each passing week, more areas fall into block by block takeover, changing how the city looks, feels, and functions.
As poverty in LA surges and public service systems strain, the reality of LA's decline becomes harder to ignore. The rise of LA's tent cities in every direction—from Skid Row to Venice Beach—signals a long-brewing social collapse of California now erupting in plain sight.
These changes aren’t isolated; they form part of the broader seedy side of America, where prosperity and suffering share the same streets.
The crime in LA increases alongside the growing instability. As emergency services struggle to respond, parts of the city are left with little protection or support. In many places, urban decay LA defines the new normal, where infrastructure breaks down and basic needs go unmet.
Through real interviews and firsthand footage, we trace how the LA homeless population adapts, survives, and expands amid the chaos.
This street documentary does not seek blame—but rather seeks understanding. From the fall of LA's collapsing streets to the expanding takeover, the footage examines how long-standing economic gaps, housing shortages, and social fragmentation have fueled the homeless crisis now overtaking the West Coast’s largest metro area.
By highlighting the interconnected issues of poverty in LA (and California's second city, San Francisco), the social collapse of California, and the USA's decline, this documentary invites reflection on what the future holds—not only for LA, but for urban centers on the edge.
The images of LA at night tell a deeper story—one of resilience, desperation, and the urgent need for systemic response.
📌 Please note: Thumbnails are crafted to capture attention and spark curiosity. They are designed creatively and may not always represent the video’s full content. We appreciate understanding and hope viewers enjoy what we’ve put together. This video is intended to provide insights for educational and informational purposes only. The content draws from a variety of sources—news articles, forums, social media posts, and public commentary—and aims to present a range of perspectives. While we make every effort to ensure reliability, this is not an official or definitive source. We encourage viewers to cross-check facts, explore multiple viewpoints, and remain thoughtful and discerning when engaging with online content.
📌 This video does not aim to attack or judge any person, group, or country. Instead, our goal is to foster meaningful reflection and learn from the complexities of real-world events. #homeless #homelesscrisis #homelessness #losangeles #california
Evening twilight over Berkeley, California (Alfred Georg Sonsalla/Getty Images)
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Beloved city has neighborhoods and Cal (UC)
What is the healthiest city in the U.S. to live in? Niche.com did its annual analysis, and a California destination came out on top.
Berkeley, California, was named the healthiest city in the USA by niche.com. The Northern California Alameda County city (just across the bay from overpriced San Francisco) enjoys an average of 256 sunny days each year and a mild Mediterranean climate, allowing residents to spend ample time outdoors.
The strangest thing about attending UC Berkeley is that no one here calls it "Berkeley." Everyone refers to it as "Cal" (or Cal Berkeley) because "Berkeley" (so often misspelled as Berkley) refers to the city, which is also sometimes called the "Republic of Berserkley" and F everywhere else because this is the best place to go to college, the greatest public university in the world since Nalanda and Timbuktu closed, rivaling the great private universities of the nation. (Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal likely exists because Berkeley exists and, strange and counterintuitive as it may seem to outsiders, half-baked L.A. is more spiritual than Berkeley or S.F. probably because it needs to be, with so many people desperately searching for meaning in the throat chakra of the planet (thanks in large part to Hollywood film, music, radio, and TV industries). That surprised us, thinking we were going to the Shangri-La of the state where everyone would be spiritual, where the Sixties would still be alive, where San Francisco was just a BART ride away to visit Golden Gate Park and join a love in, be in, or free concert, slipping over to Haight Ashbury, but it's always so cold, and Berkeley mostly empties out for the summer when the tourists come and classes are not in session. There is KPFA.org (the founding Pacifica station even older than KPFK.org in LA, where Alan Watts got his start and where he lives on, respectively). There are so many protests on campus and in Berkeley that there is a nationwide media blackout about it. One rarely hears about all that is going on there, and every week something IS going on there. It's a nearly daily occurrence the mainstream media keeps quiet, ignores, and suppresses so that the radicalism doesn't spread as quickly to other campuses across the nation. It is the most progressive of the big schools.
In this famous scene (and song) Ben, "The Graduate" (played by a young Dustin Hoffman), is driving his red convertible to Berkeley, which is funny because he's headed the wrong direction, but that never stopped Hollywood (who needed to show him with the top down, which wouldn't look as good on the lower level that runs toward Berkeley. He's from Los Angeles and going to UC Berkeley in Berkeley to see about a girl, Elaine, which is odd because she's the daughter of Mrs. Robinson, the older married woman he's been having an affair with all summer. Had it not been for a roommate at Cal, I would never have known to see such an important film all about the wonders of legendary California.
Each year, Niche.com reveals the healthiest places in the nation, based on "a comprehensive assessment of the general health levels among residents in an area." The company considers key indicators of personal health, including smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, rates of obesity, and people's access and proximity to health care facilities, including gyms, doctors, and mental health practitioners.
And this year, Niche.com named Berkeley, California, the healthiest city in the U.S.
The Alameda County city is less than half an hour from San Francisco [depending on traffic on the Bay Bridge, it would only take 15 minutes to go between the two] and boasts 256 sunny days per year [but is nearly always cooler than one would think, just like San Francisco is chilly and foggy] and a mild Mediterranean climate.
Residents don't have to travel far to enjoy time in nature and stay active. Why? — Berkeley has over 50 parks with sports facilities, trails, and playgrounds. [There's a secret swimming lake behind the campus, up the mountain on Grizzly Trail.] Additionally, places like Muir Woods National Monument, Yosemite National Park, and Pinnacles National Park offer even more options for outdoor recreation.
In fact, the city was named the No. 1 Healthiest Place to Live in America and the No. 1 Healthiest City, really driving home the point that this is indeed a healthy place.
Berkeley also snagged an A+ rating for its schools, A+ for nightlife, and an A+ for outdoor activities, which surely helps to keep its population in tip-top shape.
The only categories it falls short in are housing, where it scored a C-, crime and safety, which also nabbed it a C-, and the cost of living, where it scored a low D+. And these grades are well reflected in the local reviews. More
The Oak Flat case is being decided on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, 9:00 am in Pasadena, CA.
What is Oak Flat, Arizona?
Oak Flat is sacred land that features groves of Emory oaks, canyons, and springs protected by the San Carlos Apache tribe. Resolution Copper (a subsidiary of Rio Tinto) lobbied politicians to turn over National Forest land so they could blockade it or mining by earthquake (Elias Butler).
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Tonto National Forest's sacred land, Arizona
Oak Flat (Western Apache Chíchʼil Bił Dagoteel, Navajo Chéchʼil Bił Dahoteel) is in Pinal County 40 miles (64 kms) east of Phoenix in the Tonto National Forest, a high desert setting at 3,900 feet (1,200 m) elevation.
The land is sacred to Native Americans from the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation and many other Arizona tribes.
This federally-protected area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and features a National Forest Service public campground.
The landscape includes Apache Leap cliff, the mesa of Oak Flat, and Devil's Canyon (which Apaches refer to as Ga'an or "Angels Canyon"), all of which are popular with hikers, birders, climbers, off-roaders, hunters, and members of the area's indigenous tribes.
Oak Flat has been subject to attempts by the federal government to sell it to corporate mining interests since 2002, against the will of the San Carlos Apache tribe. More
The Act cleared the way for the land swap in which Resolution Copper would receive 2,422 acres of National Forest land in exchange for deeding to the federal government 5,344 acres of private land [13].
Apache's Leap near Oak Flat, Tonto National Forest, Arizona (wiki)
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I have no idea why people keep asking me!!!
A proposal or rider in Section 3003 of the Act, titled "Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act," makes it possible for RCM to develop and operate an underground copper mine 7,000-feet deep (approximately five Empire State buildings) in the publicly owned Tonto National Forest near Superior, Arizona.
The land contains more than 2,400 acres of the Oak Flat Campground, an area dotted with petroglyphs and historic and prehistoric sites [14].
Former San Carlos Apache Tribal Chairman Wendsler Nosie Sr. said of the Act's attached rider: "This is Congressional politics at its [worst], a hidden agenda that destroys human rights and religious rights." More
War and Theft: The Takeover of Ukraine’s Agricultural Land exposes the financial interests and the dynamics at play leading to further concentration of [rich farm]land [by already very rich oligarchs in Ukraine with the help of war-money supplies from the USA] and finance.
The total amount of land controlled by oligarchs, corrupt individuals, and large agribusinesses is over nine million hectares — exceeding 28 percent of Ukraine’s arable [farmable] land.
The largest landholders are a mix of Ukrainian oligarchs and foreign interests — mostly European and North American as well as the sovereign fund of Saudi Arabia.
Prominent US pension funds, foundations, and university endowments are invested through NCH Capital, a US-based private equity fund.
Several agribusinesses, still largely controlled by oligarchs, have opened up to Western banks and investment funds — including prominent ones such as Kopernik, BNP, or Vanguard — who now control part of their shares.
Most of the large landholders are substantially indebted to Western funds and institutions, notably the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the World Bank.
[U.S. funds corruption and weapons]
Western financing to Ukraine in recent years has been tied to a drastic structural adjustment program that has required austerity and privatization measures, including the creation of a land market for the sale of agricultural land.
Ukraine's Pres. Zelenskyy put the land reform into law in 2020 against the will of the vast majority of the population who feared it would exacerbate corruption and reinforce control by powerful interests in the agricultural sector.
Findings of the report concur with these concerns. While large landholders are securing massive financing from Western financial institutions, Ukrainian farmers — essential for ensuring domestic food supply — receive virtually no support.
With the land market in place, amidst high economic stress and war, this difference of treatment will lead to more land consolidation by large agribusinesses.
The report also sounds the alarm that Ukraine’s crippling debt is being used as a leverage by the financial institutions to drive post-war reconstruction towards further privatization and liberalization reforms in several sectors, including agriculture. Source
CIA works for corporations, not for the USA, and money rules the world
Vigilante: One-night impact screenings Los Angeles | Oakland | Milwaukee by Greg Palast
October 26, 2022 in LA: Greg Palast's new film Vigilante, which is narrated by Rosario Dawson and presented by Martin Sheen, opened in Atlanta and Chicago for special one-night screenings to packed houses and rave reviews.
The film now moves to Los Angeles, Oakland, and Milwaukee. More
Greg Palast has written four New York Times bestsellers, including Armed Madhouse, Billionaires & Ballot Bandits, and The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, a major nonfiction movie available on Amazon. It can be streamed FREE by Prime members.
Support The Palast Investigative Fund to keep Palast's work alive. Become a monthly contributor and automatically receive Palast's new films and books when released. Stay informed, get a signed DVD of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, a signed copy of the companion book, or better still get the combo.
(#RadicalMonarchsFilmPBS) Meet the Radical Monarchs, a group of young girls of color [unaffiliated "Brownies"] on the frontlines of social justice. Set in the Bay Area city of Oakland, California, the film documents the journey of the group as they earn badges for completing units on such subjects as LGBTQ allyship, environmental preservation, and disability justice. Official Selection, SXSW. A co-presentation of Latino Public Broadcasting. Directed by Linda Goldstein Knowlton, We Are the Radical Monarchs debuted its national broadcast and streaming on the PBS documentary series POV (pbs.org/pov) on July 20, 2020.
Abby Martin has become a new media superstar with her whip-smart take on truth telling and cutting through bullsh*t to deliver American news on RT (Russia Today).
TheLipTV invites her to discuss being labelled as propaganda for Russia, the 9/11 truth movement, Dr. Ron Paul and his son Rand's presidential bids, and much more on this interview with Buzzsaw.
When UC San Diego graduate Abby Martin (abbymartin.org) began streaming her thoughts and emotions through a paint brush at 19, she discovered her niche.
The elaborate and intricate detail that flows from her onto the canvas in a perfect distribution of dots and swirls reflects this introspective artist's ability to juggle and organize the chaos of the human mind into a comprehensive piece of fully charged beauty.
The explosive energy of each piece calls to life with psychedelic force the different realities Abby Martin treads as she deconstructs the world around her in constant search of balance and truth.
Vladdy, can you cancel Abby Martin on RT?
Whether reflecting on the natural world or the manmade world, the awakening or deadening of consciousness, cultural controlling opposites, the power of the mystic and all that is unknown, the condition of the social, the construction of the economic, or the corruption of the political, Martin's work displays an intense passion for life and her deep desire to engage others in her vision.
Over the previous seven years [prior to 2013] a variety of different venues in San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area have exhibited Martin's paintings. She is now living in the Belly of the Beast in the Heart of Babylon (Washington, DC) hosting her own television show "Breaking the Set."
Abby Martin developed her own new show, "The Empire Files"
EPISODE BREAKDOWN: 00:01 Welcome to Buzzsaw. 00:40 Introducing Abby Martin and season 1 of Breaking the Set. 02:45 Highlights and lowlights of season 1? 04:45 "What brought you into politics?" 07:31 Media roots and cataloging information. 09:35 Coming up on season 2... 10:05 Sourcing stories to cover. 10:40 Propaganda for Russia? 12:35 Doing battle with Larry King. 14:55 Winning the information war? 16:50 Citizens changing the system. 20:00 Paintings and making art. 21:30 Attacking Conspiracy theories. 23:10 Zeitgeist and reinventing the wheel. 24:20 Looking at Ron and Rand Paul and the presidency. 27:15 Common enemies of the right and left. 29:50 Women in the conspiracy world. 31:45 Occupy rises and falls. 33:40 Obama stays the course (and then some) in Iraq. 35:55 Looking ahead and what's next.
Why do Nazis like Trump? Why does Trump administration like Nazis? (This Modern World)
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Hundreds protest in Oakland over deadly Virginia rally
OAKLAND - Protesters marched in California cities to decry [denounce, and reject] racism in the wake of deadly violence that erupted at a white [supremacist, Nazi] nationalist demonstration in Virginia.
In Oakland [next to San Francisco], hundreds of protesters gathered Saturday night to hear speakers and then marched peacefully downtown, chanting and waving signs and banners.
Anti-racist demonstrators march along Interstate 580 in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017 to decry racism in the wake of deadly violence by white nationalists Virginia (AP).
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Some of the protesters blocked Interstate 580 before being dispersed, The San Francisco Chronicle reported.
One of the downtown marchers carried a hand-crafted sign reading, "Call it what it is. White supremacy."
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Anti-fascist demonstrators rally in solidarity with anti-Nazi demonstrators in Virginia (AP).
I'm not a Nazi. I just want their approval.
The hastily arranged gathering was a response to events earlier Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia. A car plowed into a crowd that was peacefully protesting a white nationalist rally, killing one person and injuring 19.
Authorities say the [racist, hate-driven] driver of the car, 20-year-old James Alex Fields Jr. of Ohio, was charged with second-degree murder [but no charges for the 19 cases of attempted murder for those injured when Fields plowed into the peaceful demonstrators].
A smaller rally held in Los Angeles Saturday evening was peaceful. Candlelight vigils were held in San Francisco and El Cajon in San Diego County. More
They're blaming "outsiders," but the U. of Virginia was not open to women until recently only after it was forced. It has been a scary place for a long time, full of rabid pro-war nuts who threaten and attack anti-war demonstrators since the 1960-1970s. Racists defending Confederate history? "It's a Southern thing!" It's a racist thing.
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