Last Week Tonight: Radical New College FL

(LastWeekTonight) New College of Florida: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

• Go Null Sets!
• New College of Florida (Wiki)
• NCF: New College of Florida

OMC, I'm in LOVE! 'Off Campus' (rom-com)

Chemical basis of love (neuropsych)

"OMC" not OMG? That's right, as in oh holy COW and "Don't have a Cow, man!" because love is a many-splendored thing. What better topic for a TV show than the same-old same-old? Sex sells, specially when it's wrapped in romantic love, which justifies it in our consensus reality. One is the sizzle, the titillation, and the other is the drug.

 

(Alex Meyers) May 2026: Off Campus is my kind of trash! Yeah, Off Campus, that's right. So I made an animated commentary analysis of it. Here's a full breakdown of this Prime Video TV show, a romcom that is so basic, it's kind of not the worst thing out there.

Nothing Higher to Live For: A Buddhist View of Romantic Love

Do we ever grow out of it? Generation Timeline made simple (Wiki)

.

I've nothing higher to live for!

(Leo Price) ...If life means nothing, then only pleasure is worthwhile. Or if life has meaning and we cannot get at it, then still only enjoyment matters.

This is the view of not only brutes but some sophisticated philosophers.

It slips into our unconscious by default when we hold no other. However, we are reluctant to entertain it.

Oh, Ro-Ro! - Oh, Jewels!!

We would rather, if we question ourselves about it at all, take as our "purpose" the

• support of family,
• search for truth or beauty,
• improvement of society,
• fame,
• self-expression,
• development of talent...

It might be fair to say that apart from these or beneath these, for many of us our fundamental purpose is the search for love, particularly romantic love.

The love of one person for another is often the floor onto which we fall after the collapse of other dreams.

(Recap & Edit) Garrett and Hannah being a comedic duo (Off Campus)

I will kill you. - Find me first, Eros!

It is thought of as solid when nothing else is, and although it frequently gives way and dumps us into a basement of despair, it still enjoys a reputation of dependability. No matter that such a reputation is illogical—it still flourishes and will continue to flourish regardless of what anyone says.

Love, or the MYTH of love, is the first, last, and sometimes the only refuge of uncomprehending human beings. What else makes our hearts pound? What else makes us swoon with tingly feelings? What else renders us so intensely alive, aching, pining, yearning, wishing, hoping, craving?

• (Aaron and Jo) Full frontal nudity? Dating experts react to Off Campus
• (netflix party) Started as a book? Getting overly invested in another hockey romance

I 💖you, Agnes. - I, too, Hieronymus.

The SEARCH for love—the sublime, the nebulous, the all consuming—remains sacred in a world that increasingly despises the sacred.

When the heroic and transcendental are only memories, when religious institutions fill up with bureaucrats and social scientists, when nobody believes there is a sky beyond the ceiling, then there seems no other escape from the prison of self than throwing ourselves abandon into love.

With a grey age of spiritual deadness upon us, we love. We beg for love or grieve for love. We have nothing higher to live for.

Indeed, many take it on faith that romantic love is the highest thing to live for. Movies, popular literature, art, and music all relentlessly celebrate it as the one "truth" accessible to all.

This kind of love obliterates reason, as poets have long sweetly lamented, and this is part of its charm and power. Why? We want to be swept up and spirited out of our calculating selves. "Want" is the key word because in the spiritual void of modern life, the wanting of love becomes increasingly indistinguishable from love itself.

So powerful, so insistent is it that we seldom notice that the gratification it tempts us with is rare, yet the craving is relentless. Love addiction? Love is mostly in anticipation; it is an agony of anticipation; it is an ache for a completion not found in the dreary round of mundane routine. That we never seem to possess it in its imagined fullness does not deter us. It hurts so bad that it must be good. Nothing Higher to Live For: A Buddhist View of Romantic Love

Off Campus stars getting body shamed?

(BF) Katie Holmes Who and Dawson Creeky Van Der Beaky teen rom-com

The Gen Alpha Melody

(Carl E. Martin) The Gen Alpha Melody

(Bookimo) The Mistake (Off Campus) | Elle Kennedy animated summary

• (Generation Alpha?)
• The Love Hypothesis: The Fake Dating Trope Explained
• Off Campus S1 | Official Trailer | Prime Video
• Off Campus is my kind of trash

Deported to China; South Park (comedy)

(Spotlight by Laugh Society) Jimmy O. Yang on Asian chefs 😂 | Best jokes!

(Armchair Analysis) South Park; (Laugh After Dark) David Jin: My parents deported me to China

Henry Cho best of Asian American jokes | Henry Cho Comedy (stand up comedian)

(Sammy Obeid) Oklahoma has billionaires? Standup comedy

(Big Think) Asian comedienne faces herself and others' expectations

Did Israel kill Charlie Kirk or fake his death?

(60 Minutes Australia, Nov. 13, 2025)

(TriggerSmart: Did Charlie Kirk fake his death? The Squib Theory explained)

• (Paramount Tactical) Charlie Kirk EXPERT ANALYSIS: What really happened? Did body armor contribute?
• Jeff Rense of rense.com is convinced he solved this murder

New footage and video of Charlie Kirk's Israeli security team

(TriggerSmart) Did Charlie Kirk's mic explode? The Mic Theory explained

• Pfc. Sandoval, Sheldon S., Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Local royalty: Rose Queen Serena Hui Guo

The Rose Queen

Did K-pop Rosie give Asian females more clout?

Who in the world is the "Queen of the Tournament of Roses"? More commonly known as the "Rose Queen," she is a young woman selected for the annual Pasadena Tournament of Roses in California, U.S.

Six "Rose Princesses" are also selected to make up the Rose Court of seven. The Rose Court rides on a float in the Rose Parade on New Year's Day and they become ambassadors.

The 2026 Rose Court includes

1. 

   The Rose Queen crown should be in the Louvre

   Naira Elaine Wadley, John Muir High School;
2. Sophia Bai Ren, Arcadia High School;
3. Olivia Hargrove, Pasadena City College (PCC);
4. Keiko Rakin, Alhambra High School;
5. Serena Hui Guo, Arcadia High School;
6. Riya Gupta, California Institute of Technology (Caltech);
7. Livia Amy de Paula, Temple City High School.

Qualifications and selection process

After the parade, there's a big football game

Each September, approximately 1,000 females between the ages of 17 and 21 interview to serve as a member of the Tournament of Roses Rose Court [1].

To be eligible, applicants must be a female resident of the Pasadena City College district, which includes the cities of Pasadena, Altadena, La Cañada Flintridge, South Pasadena, San Marino, Sierra Madre, Arcadia, Temple City, the northern portion of Rosemead, and the western portion of El Monte.

Starting with the 2025 Rose Parade, the cities of Alhambra and San Gabriel and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Eagle Rock, Highland Park, Monterey Hills, and El Sereno will be included as part of the geographic expansion plan.

Australian Asian singer Rose

They must be currently enrolled as a 12th grade senior in high school or as a full-time college student (minimum 12 units) in any accredited high school or college in the Pasadena City College district, Alhambra Unified School District, San Gabriel Unified School District, or Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), possess at least a 2.0 grade point average in the current year's and previous year's course work, and be at least 17 years of age by Dec. 31 of the current year and not more than 21 years of age before Jan. 5 of the next year.

Each applicant also must never have been married or have had a marriage annulled, have no children, and must agree not to marry prior to Jan. 5 of the next year [1]. More

Sammy Obeid stand up comedy: Charlie Kirk

Kirk the comedian tears down Ted Cruz's facade

(Sammy Obeid) Solving Charlie Kirk's murder | Stand up comedy

Does our CIA really do evil?

(Fern) The CIA's scariest secret weapon: The Heart Attack Gun

Young Men Series: Dating is impossible!

Young men series: How they’re going about courtship

Can I borrow your credit card so that you can buy me a some presents? Then we can go out!

Why do I need to date girls? Honestly!

One recent week on AirTalk, man-loving Host Larry Mantel thought to explore the experiences of today’s young men in America, the issues impacting them, and the trends they’re bucking.

One of the major issues impacting them: loneliness (psychologytoday.com). One in four men report being lonely, according to Gallup. At the same time, they’re also not trying to make as many connections as their older peers, with nearly half of young men not even dating. (Gen Zs romance gap: Why nearly half of young men aren't dating).

This has led to some interesting data, namely that most young men are single whereas most young women are not single (thehill.com). So what’s going on with the dating scene? Why are young men seemingly struggling with courtship?

Joining Mantle to discuss these questions are Daniel Cox, director of the Survey Center on American Life at the American Enterprise Institute, a right-leaning think tank and Daniel Ellenberg, leadership coach, licensed therapist, and seminar leader.

• LISTEN: How are they going about courtship? (34:21)

I like to people watch rather than date, y'know?

One of those bucked trends is their views on religion. Historically, women have been more religious than men overall. But recent data from Pew Research suggests that Generation Z men are closing this gender gap and are becoming religious at rates near their women counterparts. So what’s behind the rise in religious young men, and will it last?

Joining Larry to answer these questions and more is associate professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University where he studies religious identity Ryan Burge and Reformed University Fellowship Campus Minister at the University of California, Irvine Derek Rishmawy.

• LISTEN: Young men series: why they are turning back to religion (25:19)
• Larry Mantle, AirTalk (laist.com), July 2025; Psychrypt on Schopenhauer and true love; The Ressurectionists, The 4,000-year-old secret behind the frog prince; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly

Dead bodies everywhere, one survivor

British national survives Air India plane crash, condition unknown

New CCTV footage shows Air India crash as British survivor shares shocking escape story

(ABC News) June 12, 2025: The Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad, India, confirmed to ABC News that Ramesh Vishwaskumar, one passenger [in seat 11A] on the downed Air India flight, is alive and hospitalized there.

• Air India Flight 171 (Boeing 787)
• BREAKING: Air India plane crashes after takeoff with hundreds on board

Korn "Dead Bodies Everywhere"

• (ABC News) British national survives Air India plane crash, condition unknown; Seth Auberon, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Punk Rock in SLC (film) and Kalama Sutta

Punk rock made sense to rebels

SLC Punk! is an American comedy-drama film written and directed by James Merendino. The film centers around Steven "Stevo" Levy, a college graduate and punk living in Salt Lake City during the mid-1980s. SLC Punk!, which was released in 1998, was chosen as the opening-night feature at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival [2]. Merendino created the film based on his experience growing up in Mormon-heavy Salt Lake City. Although the film is not autobiographical, Merendino has said that many characters were based on people he knew [3]. More

What's so punk about Buddhism? Well, it is anti-authoritarian, into direct experience rather than intermediary priests. It is about questioning and going "against the stream." Just ask punk Buddhist Noah Levine, his Buddhist dad Stephen Levine, or his long-time teacher Jack Kornfield.

[Mormon] Jesus saves? Buddhism is all lies? - Are you envious of lay people, and do you regret?

Western monk explains his choice of Theravada. - How can we know and be sure? Bodhi

Not until I was sure did I claim to know and see.

It is so sad to hear this last man's words. The same accusations were hurled at the Buddha in his day by Brahmins and doubters. While it may sound reasonable to us as we assume, it is completely wrong. The Buddha DID NOT follow his own thinking or take a "best guess" and the meaning of life. It was about awakening to the Truth he could never have imagined. It has so little to do with "thinking" and so much to do with directly experiencing. But he did not stop there. He verified again and again and taught a path of verification and purification. Buddhism is not a belief system, as much as people try to treat it that way or make a "religion" out of it. It is a path-of-practice, a set of instructions. One must practice (walk) the path to verify it for oneself. There is nothing to believe or accept on blind faith. There is everything to investigate and see for oneself. What is the most "punk" sutra? That would have to be the Kalama Sutta, the Buddha's invitation to self-inquiry. "Don't believe anything I say just because I say it -- or even that of your teachers or books or traditions. But you yourselves must know and see" is the gist of what the Buddha is saying to the Kalamas, a group of people who rightly doubted him as "just another teacher about to exalt himself and condemn others." The Buddha shocked them when he didn't do that but still managed to teach them the Dharma.

How can anyone know anything?

The Buddha gives a standard: Start from what you
already know to be true from your own experience.

In the Kalama Sutta the Buddha lists the criteria by which any sensible person can decide what to accept as true or not: Do not blindly believe religious teachings, he tells the Kalamas, just because they are claimed to be true, or even through the application of various methods or techniques.

Direct knowledge grounded in one's own experience can be called upon [as the deciding factor]. The Buddha advises that the words of the wise should be heeded and taken into account, but he does not propose passive acceptance.

Rather, the Buddha promotes constant questioning and personal testing to identify truths that verifiably reduce one's own disappointment, suffering, and misery (dukkha) and that of others.

The Kalama Sutta (also called the Kesamutti Sutta) states [3]:

• Do not go on what has been acquired by repeated hearing (anussava), nor upon tradition (paramparā), nor upon rumor (itikirā), nor upon what is written in scriptures (piṭaka-sampadāna), nor upon surmising (takka-hetu), nor upon axioms (naya-hetu)... More

Trump's Trans' Sec'y sex tape leak

Trump's new transportation secretary has a lot to explain...

Maybe "sex tape" is too strong for an embarrassing video of some indecent cavorting while possibly drunk and brainless. Openly gay Peter "Pete" Buttigieg (\booty-judge\) has lost his position as transportation secretary with the change of administrations. But a bizarre video has surfaced of Trump's new transportation secretary Sean Duffy. He may have more to explain than Buttigieg ever did with the wild partying, possible blackout drinking, passenger plane crashes, and inexperienced candidates making it past the vetting process. DEI may not be to blame for our woes, as conservatives might like the world to believe. Trains crashing, planes falling, things swirling, and it points at Trump's disruptive approach to erratic politics. 

Sex, Sports, and Social Media Distraction

Like Olivia Dunne, Hannah Grae gets leeway for being pretty. Can she make a better song of SZA's "Kill Bill" than the original Black artist? No, not even close, but she's awful nice to look at. What if she kills it with a rock rendition? Still not enough. ✨ Follow Hannah on 🛸IG: hannah_grae 🛸

The REAL reason Olivia Dunne is the "face of gymnastics"

(Sports Dive) Welcome back to Sports Dive. Today the channel is talking about the REAL reason Olivia Dunne is getting money hand over fist and ruining college sports and female gymnastics by being sold as the face of it.

The US public likes "Aryan" Nazi Barbies

She's an average to mediocre athlete with a pretty face, and that face is what matter to brands paying her for sponsorships, leaving the real athletes behind. Excited to learn more about this? Make sure to watch the whole way through to not miss the details. Also subscribe to the channel because Sports Dive posts some of the best content online [sort of, well okay, not really but we need the hits. Hey, when Taylor Swift did the same thing to pop music, no one said anything, and that made her the top earner]. #sportsdive #oliviadunne #gymnast

• Sports Dive, 12/10/23; Ashley Wells, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Student loans: LWT w/John Oliver

(LastWeekTonight) With over 43 million Americans paying off student loans, John Oliver discusses how so many people have come to take on student loan debt, why it’s so hard to pay off, and what we can do about it, Mama. (Let's ask Snookie for sympathy).

Connect with Last Week Tonight online... Subscribe to YouTube channel for more almost news as it almost happens, Facebook like your mom would, Twitter for news about jokes and jokes about news, or visit official site for all that other stuff at once: hbo.com/lastweektonight

• John Oliver, Last Week Tonight (HBO), March 21, 2024; Seth Auberon, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Florida breaks up with spring breakers

Is Jon Stewart the right man for Daily Show?

I. Rony., Wisdom Quarterly; past 'n future host Jon Stewart, The Daily Show via joeodd2, 8/4/15

Best of Jon Stewart annihilating FOX News

(joeodd2) Jon Stewart is a voice of reason that was sorely missed when he left (then forgotten when he got his own show that nobody watched as Trevor Noah grew in fame and controversy). He was the face and voice of the resistance to FOX News resistance. He fought against the biggest pro wrestling style news organization in the world. He became the inconvenient voice of reason for them. Hosts should all aspire to be more like Jon Stewart once was and speak truth to power. He doesn't do that now because he loves the money, but maybe he'll surprise The Daily Show dissipating audience as it lost all its correspondents and guest hosts and almost all its good will.

But is Stewart the right man to captain the meandering ship that is The Daily Show? We were hoping for someone funnier and more relevant like Sarah Silverman (until she put her insensitive Zionist foot in her famous mouth) or Roy Wood Jr. But then she stepped in it. And after Trevor Noah, it seems the show didn't want another funny Black man getting all the accolades Stewart feels should be going to him as founding host of the show.

On a date with Jennifer Lawrence (video)

Ever dream of dating The Hunger Games' JenLaw (Jennifer Lawrence)? Most people have. She's one of Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2016. C'mon, she was attractive and the cool super heroine, a flash in the pan when that movie came out.

But in real life, by 2023, she was Hollywood's bad girl, flipping the bird and not playing ball with the paparazzi. It's no way to fame. The way to fame is to be like Meryl Streep, Jen. Get with the program. Or not. The world would love another Aubrey Plaza. At least we would.

Then came her film role in No Hard Feelings. That was better, but this atrocious jealous behavior of a teen girl out to snatch a paid date, really?

It was last year's sleeper hit that almost revived her career, but it's going to take more than one nude beach scene to bring her back.

Survival Skills Class: 5 Friday nights (1/12)

Christopher Nyerges (SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com), Dhr. Seven, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation Meetup), Xochitl (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Books by Christopher Nyerges

DETAILS: This survival skills course begins on Friday, January 12, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, It runs for five weeks, Total cost: $65.

This is one of the best deals in town. On-line class FIVE CONSECUTIVE FRIDAYS sponsored by Pasadena City College (PCC).

Call (626) 585-7608 for information and registration. Cost to college is $65. This course consists of five two-hour classes, on five consecutive Friday nights. The topics covered include:

Guide to Will Useful Plants

• uses of wild plants for food
• plant medicine
• plants season now.

This class will also go over how to find, purify, and store water, how to make fire with both primitive tools and modern methods.

Urban Survival Guide

Other topics include natural navigation, finding plant fibers from natural sources for making cordage, surviving without electricity, toilet-free, emergency shelters from the cold and sun, tools and self-protection, and more.

Conversations and questions from students make this class lively and engaging. Taught by the Founder of the School of Self-Reliance Christopher Nyerges, who is a prolific author of survival books. RSVP:

• SURVIVAL SKILLS Class, 5 Friday nights, online, Friday, Jan 12, 2024, 7:00 PM | Meetup
• Christopher Nyerges books, bio on Amazon.com

Is Gen Z brain dead? lol (video)

Brainworms via Leon Lush, 8/3022; Seth Auberon, Crystal Q. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Is Gen Z actually brain dead? (It's not looking good youths)

(Leon Lush) Gen Z is pulling out all the stops to make themselves look less good than they actually are. Maybe it's drugs, shyness, or being phone-schooled. But who needs knowledge anyway when we can just work on having tons of followers and TikTok views instead?

This is a continuation of the series "Ruin Your Life in 30 Seconds or Less," which is how Brainworms started. 👕 Merch: leonlush.com/shop. 🎶 The music used: leonlush.com/epidemic. (It's perfect for avoiding copyright issues).

It's time to CENSOR free speech, Bernie

Hosts Jimmy Dore and Craig Jardula, Co-Host Kurt Metzger (The Jimmy Dore Show, jimmydore.com); Seth Auberon, Pfc. Sandoval (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Ceasefire? That word is verboten! “I have to let the Israelis do whatever psycho [genocidal, crimes against humanity, war crime] sh*t they want” - U.S. President Joe Biden.

SHOCKER: The entire U.S. Senate condemns American’s FREE SPEECH and right to peacefully demonstrate and protest their "of the people, for the people, by the people" government (except that the public is not, legally speaking, "we the people" even though all of us assume we are)!

New House Speaker Mike Johnson roasts DHS secretary for censoring free speech in the U.S.

Gen Z: The military ain't for me (video)

Jamesons Travels, 8/19/23; Ashley Wells, Pfc. Sandoval, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Gen Z explains why they won’t join the U.S. military: NOT what you think, but worse

Go to war, and one day we'll say, "F U for your..."

(Jamesons Travels) Gen Z teen explains why they are not joining. It's not what one would think...because it's worse.

[Actually, it's better. The kids are going to be all right. They don't want to join a patriarchal rape camp system of oppression that leads to so much unskillful karma that one would be working it out for generations and millennia to come. Killing for empire, oil, control, and world domination by transnational corporations? H to the no.

Today's military is pro-LGBTQIA+. Come
rape and harass and get it from comrades.

Come back a Republican alcoholic PTSD-sufferer, broken and ignored at by the V.A., dropped into homelessness, addicted, anxious, all messed up and looking forward to a pittance for "serving" in the Chair Force droning innocents then labelling them "combatants"? The U.S. military-industrial complex has a saying, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. It's by FEAR and goes, "Let's have a war so you can go die." Anyone who thinks YOU should join this man's army ought to go join themselves, the cowards.

Please support channel: jameson.locals.com. Make sure to look at this channel: @winstonblair. Videos used:

• Why Gen Z would join the military?
• Military Goofing TikTok parody describes 'If Gen-Z had...
• Dulce et decorum est, Kids. Just ask Wilfred Owen

Why is it bad karma to battle others?

Ven. Thanissaro (trans.) accesstoinsight.org; edited by Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly

KARMA: It's everywhere you're going to be.

One needs a livelihood (a way of earning a living or way of getting the funds to survive independently, most commonly a job, but not necessarily). 

Knowing that, the Buddha advises humans to avoid unskillful karma (unwholesome deeds that lead, when their results finally ripen whether in this life or a future life, to suffering).

He defined "wrong livelihood" for people. "A follower [of my advice] abstains from five types of business. What are those five? Trade in weapons, trade in human beings, trade in meat, trade in intoxicants, and trade in poisons" (AN 5.177).

Considering the military to become a soldier? It would be good to reconsider.

SUTRA: If I die in battle, I go to [Valhalla], right?

I killed all those people for nothing, out of ignorance, fear, and hatred. Now I'm going to...

.

Wait, Valhalla is a hell not a heaven?

The headman Yodhajiva went to the Blessed One [the Buddha], greeted him with respect, and sat respectfully to one side. Sitting there, he asked:

"Venerable sir, I have heard that it is passed down by the ancient teaching lineage of warriors that 'When a warrior strives and exerts himself in battle, if others strike him down and slay him while he is striving and exerting himself in battle then, with the breakup of the body after death, he is reborn in the company of devas (shining ones) slain in battle.' What does the Blessed One have to say about that?"

"Enough, headman, set that question aside. Do not ask it." But a second time...and a third time the headman Yodhajiva asked it... 'What does the Blessed One have to say about that?"

"Headman, apparently, I am unable to get around it by saying, 'Enough, headman, set that question aside. Do not ask it.' So I will answer directly:

"When a warrior strives and exerts himself in battle, his mind is already seized, debased, and misdirected by the thought, 'May these beings be struck down or slaughtered, annihilated, destroyed. May they not exist.'

"If others then strike him down and slay him while he is striving and exerting himself in battle then, with the breakup of the body after death, he is reborn in a hell called the Realm of Those Slain in Battle.

"But if he holds such a view as, 'When a warrior strives and exerts himself in battle, if others strike him down and slay him while he is striving and exerting himself in battle then, with the breakup of the body after death, he is reborn in the company of devas slain in battle,' that is a wrong view.

"Now truthfully I say, there are two destinations for a person with wrong view, hell or the animal realm."

How could I have been so dumb to believe that?

When this was said, the headman Yodhajiva began to sob and he burst into tears.

[The Blessed One said:] "That is what I could not get around by saying, 'Headman, enough, set that aside. Do not ask it.'" 

[Yodhajiva:] "Venerable sir, I'm not crying because of what the Blessed One said to me but because for so long time I have been deceived, cheated, and fooled by that ancient teaching lineage of warriors who said that'" (SN 42.3).