How Cambodian Minnesotans built one of North America's largest Buddhist temples
(WCCO - CBS Minnesota) May 7, 2025: Cambodian refugees came to Minnesota in the early 1980s. Today, the town of Hampton, about 35 miles southeast of Minneapolis, is home to Watt Munisotaram — one of the largest Buddhist temples in North America. Watch the full special: cbsloc.al/432xqDL. Learn more: cbsloc.al/44WsmmL.
(WCCO - CBS Minnesota) Aug. 26, 2018: In this week's Finding Minnesota, we traveled to Hampton and found out why this Theravada Buddhist temple has become a destination for all kinds of Buddhists and non-Buddhist visitors. John Lauritsen reports (3:40). WCCO 4 News At 10 – Aug. 26, 2018
Relationship violence, verbal and physical, has decreased since 2013 for every surveyed group at EPHS except for 11th grade females. For this demographic, there has been a slight increase in the number of females who have encountered verbal or physical violence in a relationship.
With heterosexual sex, the biggest concern is often pregnancy. Condom use has significantly improved at EPHS since 2013. In the 2013 survey, 62 percent of female 9th graders who have had sex reported not using a condom the last time. In 2019, that number was 0 percent.
More troublesome data comes from responses from female 11th graders to the same question, whose trend was the inverse of 9th grade girls. The percentage of 11th grade girls who did not use a condom the last time they had sex doubled from 2013 to 2019.
Overall, trends in sex and relationships have neither increased nor decreased drastically.
Snow expected to fall on Rust Belt, all across Ohio Valley, Great Lakes (Fox)
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Why is weather cold in winter? Wrong. HAARP
(The Weather Channel) Meteorologists predict the weather. The latest surge of record temperatures into next week will be a fitting end to one of the warmest winters in the Midwest and Northeast.
This week has already seen cities reach some of their "temperature firsts" of the year, including the first 60s in Bismarck, North Dakota; 70s in Springfield, Illinois; and 80s in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
There's more of that to come.
The Weather Channel (weather.com) keeps up with latest conditions throughout the country.
The forecast: With the exception of a cold front dropping through the Great Lakes then through the East Saturday, warmer-than-usual temperatures will dominate much of the rest of the country through this weekend, particularly in the nation's midsection.
Then, even warmer air will flow into the Plains and East next week ahead of a stronger cold front.
Where records may fall: Through the weekend, a few daily record highs may be set in parts of the Plains and Midwest. But Monday and Tuesday, dozens of records are in jeopardy from Texas to North Dakota, the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley.
Among those, Dallas-Fort Worth could flirt with 90 degrees, a threshold the airport location has only reached three times in February since 1974. St. Louis could reach 80 degrees for only the ninth time in February dating to 1874. And Chicago could hit 70 degrees for only the sixth time in February since 1873. More:
Chad, looks like rain's a'comin. - I'll tell Barb.
Sunday night into Monday, possibly extending through Tuesday, California expects another unusual rainstorm, flooding, high surf, and relatively bitter cold with temps possibly dipping into the 50s, which locals may not have coats or shoes to protect themselves against. But maybe the usual shorts and flipflops will be able to handle it or central air and a poncho will have to do (lol).
A winter storm will likely affect parts of the East with snow, rain, and wind this weekend.
The snowfall forecast for this system is still uncertain, especially for areas near the I-95 corridor.
The storm's future track, intensity, and how much cold air will be available are three of the uncertainties.
This is nothing compared to North Asia
A winter storm will likely produce snow, rain, and wind on the East Coast this weekend, but uncertainty remains at this early stage given questions about the storm's track, intensity, and how much cold air will be available near the coast.
Here is where the storm is now and where it is headed the next few days: The disturbance that will help spur the storm's development in the East will track from the Southwest toward the Central Plains into Friday.
Below is a look at the latest radar, showing where this system is producing rain and snow in the West right now.
Snowfall totals will generally be light to moderate from the southern Rockies into parts of Kansas and the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles. More
The body of an incorrupt Catholic nun has been found in Missouri after being deceased for four years
(Dr. Taylor Marshall) [She's Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster. She's Black, a Catholic, foundress of a Benedictine order in Missouri and, now, on her way to being canonized by the Church for being a saint with one miracle under her belt.]
Whoopi, be better! Be like Sister Wilhelmina!
[It's not too difficult to become a "saint" in the Catholic religion. The Buddha is a Catholic saint because once voted in and canonized -- particularly with no more Office of the Devil's Advocate at the Vatican -- one cannot be voted out. The Buddha was brought in by accident because in the Jataka Tales or Rebirth Stories, he was a particularly popular figure. So the Bodhisat (Bodhisatta or Bodhisattva, as the Buddha referred to himself prior to Buddhahood), was remembered as "Saint Josaphat."]
[And the Catholic Church came in to conquer an area, as they are wont to do even today, which they do with swords and flowers, often pick a popular figure to say, "Look, he was saintly." They thus accrue for themselves all popular figures to build their image as the great institution that will convert or kill you, unless you come willingly because, look, this person is actually a Catholic saint.]
[Pope John Paul II didn't like to go to a new country unless he was canonizing a local figure because the local population loves that. Everyone's in need of a patron saint, and no is better than a local.]
How can Buddhists explain this? The same way Jains, Hindus, and yogis would: samadhi(stillness, coherence, concentration) that leads to temporary moral purification. Alone it is not enough for salvation, liberation, enlightenment. Systematic practice for insight-wisdom is needed for that. But samadhi alone is enough to make one a "saint" in other religions.
(@WQ-001) Is it wrong to be reminded of the Black Jewish actress Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act? Of course, Sister Wilhelmina is the opposite of her, but as one wise person once said, "All saints have a past, and all sinners have a future." So Whoopi could learn something from Saint Lancaster's example.
(@Liam-ix8pv)
I saw her myself! It’s really amazing how well she looks! The best part is that she started that super traditional order there! It’s the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles. They are probably some of the most traditional nuns in the world in my opinion.
(@JackieArmB)
Thanks for reporting this, Dr. Marshall. I knew if I shared it with you, you would look into it. Fr. Pillari saw her. The fabric and coffin walls were disintegrated [corrupted], but her habit [nun's garb] was like new. He said you could feel the body intact (muscle or skin; bit binges) through her sleeve. Thank God for signs like this in these dark days.
Jim Gaffigan: “I’m Too Lazy” (full special stand up)
(Comedy Central) Premiered Dec. 2, 2022. #JimGaffigan#StandUp
In this classic Comedy Central Presents special, standup comedian Jim Gaffigan talks about being from Indiana (Midwest), his own laziness, manatees (sea cows), and more.
Paramount+ is here: Stream favorite shows now. Try it FREE at bit.ly/3qyOeOf.
Original air date: July 12, 2000.
ABOUT: Comedy Central Presents are half-hour specials showcasing some of the best up-and-coming comedians of the moment. The show was a pivotal stepping stone for many of today’s stand up stars, including Dave Chappelle, Patton Oswalt, Amy Schumer, Jim Gaffigan, Kevin Hart, Zach Galifianakis, Dane Cook, Bill Burr, Wanda Sykes, and Maria Bamford.
Bomb Train sickens Ohio: railroad cutbacks, corporate greed led to toxic disaster
(Democracy Now!) This is a classic case of "predictive programming." Or maybe it's just a coincidence. Happy Valentine's Day, Ohioans! Feb. 14, 2023. (See latest shows).
Fears of a wider health and environmental disaster are growing, after a 150-car freight train operated by Norfolk Southern derailed and a so-called "controlled" burn released toxic chemicals last week in East Palestine, Ohio.
Residents reported seeing a fireball and mushroom cloud of smoke fill the skyline. Data released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows the train contained more toxic and carcinogenic chemicals than initially reported, including phosgene, a poisonous gas that has been used as a chemical weapon in war.
Officials lifted an evacuation order for residents last Wednesday, saying the air and water were safe, but residents have reported sore throats, burning eyes, and respiratory problems, and wildlife has been found dead on land and in waterways.
Meanwhile, scrutiny has turned onto Norfolk Southern, which in recent years has challenged regulatory laws aimed at making the rail industry safer and made mass cuts to railroad staffing while spending billions on stock buybacks and executive compensation.
Democracy Now! gets an update from Emily Wright, community organizer based near the site of the derailment; Ross Grooters, a locomotive engineer and co-chair of Railroad Workers United, and Julia Rock, an investigative reporter with The Lever.
Darkroom (Vox, July 30, 2021); Xochitl, Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Why the US Army tried to exterminate the bison
(Vox) They killed them then took credit for “saving” them. In 1894, a notorious white poacher named Ed Howell was caught in Yellowstone National Park slaughtering bison, which were on the brink of extinction.
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz & Dina Gilio-Whitaker
US Army soldiers patrolling the park brought him into custody, and the story led to the first US federal law protecting wildlife. The soldiers were thought of as heroes for stopping the killer. But it was the US Army that had been responsible for driving bison to near extinction in the first place.
In the mid-1800s, a cultural fiction, an unfounded belief, known as “Manifest Destiny” dictated that white settlers were the rightful owners of the entire North American continent – even though Native Americans had inhabited the land for thousands of years.
In order to clear land for white settlers, the US Army engaged in violent scorched-earth tactics against the Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains. One big part of that campaign was to eliminate their crucial food source: the bison.
Not a Nation of Immigrants (R. Dunbar-Ortiz)
By the end of the 1800s, a combination of commercial and recreational hunting, plus the actions of the US Army, had depleted the bison population to under a thousand, down from tens of millions at the beginning of the century.
Around the same time, the US government set aside some of the land once inhabited by the Plains Indians as a national park, and in 1872 Yellowstone was established.
A key mission of Yellowstone was to conserve the land and the animals that roamed there, including the bison.
Today, the soldiers who once patrolled the park are celebrated for having “saved” the bison in Yellowstone, obscuring their own violent contribution to the animal’s near extinction.
ABOUT: Darkroom is a history and photography series that anchors each episode around a single image. Analyzing what the photo shows (or doesn't show) provides context that helps unravel a wider story. Watch previous episodes: youtube.com/playlist...
Sources and further reading:
"The extermination of the American bison," 1887 Smithsonian survey by William T. Hornaday:
repository.si.edu/handle...
"Poaching Pictures," by Alan Braddock: jstor.org/stable...
"The frontier army and the destruction of the buffalo," by David T. Smits: studylib.net/doc...
Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out vox.com.
Watch our full video catalog: goo.gl/IZONyE
Follow Vox on Facebook: goo.gl/U2g06o or Twitter: goo.gl/XFrZ5H
Wild Spring Delicacies: Ramps, Morels, Fiddleheads, Birch Sap
In the world of wild edibles, springtime offers a buffet of delicacies that can't be found at any other time of the year. Let's find morel mushrooms, ramps/leeks, fiddlehead ferns, and birch sap. The season for these wild edibles is short, and they can be tricky to find. In this episode we'll learn how to look for, identify, and prepare them from field to plate.
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Forage for Wild Edible Plants, Barter Free Forest Food
This is the life!
Support Pure Living for Life on Patreon. Being self-reliant goes beyond trying to run a self-sufficient home and homestead. We want to be self-sufficient outside, too, so one of the things we’ve been focusing on is learning what edible plants are in our area. That way we might be able to capitalize on free natural food! More specifically, it’s Huckleberry Season, and we’re gathering as many berries as possible to stock the pantry! This short video is to share more information about how we are foraging in the forest and then turning our finds into delicious goods to barter or give as gifts! Here are some posts you may enjoy.
Kathy Dice introduces participants to nature’s wild edible plants. She co-owns Red Fern Farms in Wapello, Iowa and has been a wild edibles enthusiast for over 35 years. Sponsored by jeffersoncountyconservation.com, Red Fern Farm is a family-owned nursery and farm run and owned by Tom Wahl and Kathy Dice. It is the site of ongoing research on a variety of tree crops and forest farming systems. We raise and sell container grown tree seedlings and medicinal planting roots well suited for the Midwest.
I just returned from a long weekend in Summertown, Tennessee with my mother and grandmother.
We spent three days attending a herb workshop at The Farm (a commune or intentional community), a renowned spot in rural Tennessee that was pioneered by a group of hippies in the 1970’s who wanted more from life:
They wanted to live off the land, promote peace, and have the kind of birth they desired.
We stayed with a sweet and amazingly hospitable couple. (Their birth story is in Spiritual Midwifery, a book about The Farm’s births).
One night my mother and I sat with our hosts on a bench in the middle of the country road and looked at the sky.
The food served at The Farm was soul food. It came from an on-site garden, and it was vegan/vegetarian because they don’t harm animals on The Farm. It was delicious!
Earthquake! Help, humans, help us! (AP)
Hearing my mother and grandmother talk about their birth stories over home cooked meals with other women was something I will cherish forever. Midwives and doulas traveled from Puerto Rico, England, Australia, and other places to spend time tapping into the spiritual energy of this place. More
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(WCCO - CBS Minnesota) Aug. 26, 2018: In this week's Finding Minnesota, we traveled to Hampton and found out why this Theravada Buddhist temple has become a destination for all kinds of Buddhists and non-Buddhist visitors. John Lauritsen reports (3:40). WCCO 4 News At 10 – Aug. 26, 2018
