Ailing Pres. Don Trump (A.I. or real version) gives Chicagoan MIT grad Benny Nitay (Bibi Netanyahu) permission to illegally annex Palestine's West Bank, steal all the land through its illegal occupation (its self-described Zionist "settler colonial project")
(TJDS) Trump, to feel safe, needs his own personal "SS" and Gestapo
Israel is bombing 7 countries and still claiming to be the victim
By learning and sharing the F.A.S.T. warning signs of stroke, we just might save a life from stroke [which is the sudden loss of blood to a part of the brain due to a clot, clog, or other occlusion]. More: stroke.org
Suicide? - How dare you suggest such a thing of our best and brightest detectives! - Incompetence? - Well, suddenly self-elimination is looking like a better explanation, with their big families to worry about. Why, if they were incompetent, that might put a smudge on the badge of the Sheriff's Department. Quick! Let's look for someone else to blame, like the owner who left grenades in a storage locker that our brave paramilitary investigators stumbled upon, x-rayed, and were surprised to find out were live munitions.
Criminal thug mom in stripes in Michigan courthouse found guilty on all counts.
GUILTY: I didn't do it. I am not a killer. My son shot them. OK, maybe I was negligent, but I wrote a letter to Trump. He'll fix this. He'll get me out of trouble like he did everyone on Jan. 6th.
But what about the Bible? These Crumbleys are a Christian family, after all. As it is said, "The soul that sins, it shall die. [Buddhist translation: The being who misses the mark and performs unskillful karma will die again and again in samsara being reborn each time and carrying on in samsara, this round of countless rebirths.] The son [putra, offspring] shall not bear the iniquity [unwholesome karma] of the father [parent], neither shall the father [parent] bear the iniquity [sin] of the son [offspring]: the righteousness [merit, skillful karma, accumulated good deeds] of the righteous shall be on him [that person who performed them], and the wickedness [unskillful karma] of the wicked [performers of misdeeds of body, mouth, and mind] shall be on him [that person] (Ezekiel 18:20).
Mother of Oxford school shooter found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for his crimes
Lesson? We're ALL guilty of my crimes when I choose to shoot up my school and kill students.
(Democracy Now!) March 29, 2023. Journalist Alissa Quart (author of Squeezed), executive director of the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, talks about her new book, Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream, which examines myths about individualism and self-reliance that underpin the U.S. economy and the inequality it fosters. Banks get welfare bailouts in the billions, but we don't shame them the way we do a single parent living on scraps. Quart says a focus on "succeeding through hard work" obscures the degree to which many rich and powerful people have benefited from social support, resulting in a cycle of "shame and blame" [and severe racial inequality] for those who fall short.
An unsparing, incisive, yet ultimately hopeful look at how we can shed the American obsession with self-reliance that has made us less healthy, less secure, and less fulfilled.
The promise that we can “pull ourselves up by our bootstraps” is central to the story of the American Dream. It’s the belief that if we work hard and rely on our own resources, we will eventually succeed.
However, time and again we have seen how this foundational myth, with its emphasis on individual determination, brittle self-sufficiency, and personal accomplishment, does not help us.
Instead, as income inequality rises all around us, we are left with shame and self-blame for our condition.
BOOK
Acclaimed journalist Alissa Quart argues that at the heart of our suffering is a do-it-yourself ethos, the misplaced belief in our own independence, and the conviction that we must rely on ourselves alone.
Looking at a range of delusions and half solutions — from “grit” to the false Horatio Alger story to the rise of GoFundMe — Quart reveals how we have been steered away from robust social programs that would address the root causes of our problems.
Meanwhile, the responsibility for survival has been shifted onto the backs of ordinary people, burdening generations with debt instead of providing the social safety net we so desperately need.
Insightful, sharply argued, and characterized by Quart’s lively writing and deep reporting, and for fans of Evicted and Nickel and Dimed, Bootstrapped is a powerful examination of what ails us at a societal level and a plan for how we can free ourselves from these self-defeating narratives. Bootstrapped
How do we keep from drowning in the world and cross over to the further shore?
"Meditators, these Eight Worldly Conditions chase after the world, and the world chases after these eight worldly conditions. What are the eight? They are gain, loss, honor, disgrace, praise, blame, pleasure, and pain....
"For an uninstructed worldly person there arise gain, loss, honor, disgrace, praise, blame, pleasure, and pain. And for a well-instructed disciple of the noble ones there also arise gain, loss, honor, disgrace, praise, blame, pleasure, and pain. So what distinction, what difference, what distinguishing factor is there between the well-instructed disciple of the noble ones and the uninstructed worldly person?"
"For us, venerable sir, the teachings have the Blessed One as their root, their guide, and their arbitrator. It would be good if the Blessed One himself would explain the meaning of this statement. Having heard it from the Blessed One, the meditators will remember it."
"In that case, meditators, listen and pay close attention, and I will speak."
"As you say, venerable sir," they responded.
The Blessed One said, "Gain arises for an uninstructed worldly person. And that person does not reflect, 'Gain has arisen for me. It is impermanent, disappointing, painful, and subject to change.' One does not discern the situation (reality) as it actually is.
"Pain arises. One does not reflect, 'Pain has arisen for me. It is impermanent, disappointing, painful, and subject to change.' One does not discern reality as it actually is.
"One's mind/heart remains consumed with the gain. One's mind remains consumed with the loss... with the honor... the disgrace... the praise... the blame... the pleasure. One's mind remains consumed with the pain.
"One welcomes (grasps at) the gain that arises and rebels (pushes) against the loss that arises. One welcomes the arisen honor and rebels against the arisen disgrace. One welcomes the praise that arises and rebels against the blame that arises.
"One welcomes the arisen pleasure and rebels against the arisen pain. As one is engaged in welcoming and pushing away, one is not released from birth, aging, death, from sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, or despairs. One is not released, I say, from dukkha (suffering) and disappointment.
"Now, gain arises for a well-instructed disciple of the noble ones. And that person reflects, 'Gain has arisen for me. But it is impermanent, disappointing, and subject to change.' One discerns the circumstance (reality) as it actually is. How to overcome monkey mind to meditate (Mingey Yonger Rimpoche) How can we possibly meditate in this corrupt and confusing world?
"Pain arises. One reflects, 'Pain has arisen for me. But it is impermanent, disappointing, and subject to change.' One discerns reality as it actually is.
"One's mind/heart does not remain consumed with the gain that has arisen. One's mind does not remain consumed with loss... honor... disgrace... praise... blame... pleasure. One's mind does not remain consumed with pain.
"One does not welcome the gain that has arisen nor rebel (push) against the loss that arises. One does not welcome the arisen honor nor rebel against the arisen disgrace. One does not welcome the arisen praise nor rebel against the arisen blame.
"One does not welcome the arisen pleasure nor rebel against the arisen pain. As by abandoning welcoming and pushing, one is released from birth, aging, death, from sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, and despairs. One is released, I say, from dukkha and disappointment.
"This is the distinction, this the difference, this the distinguishing factor between the well-instructed disciple of the noble ones and the uninstructed worldly person."
Gain/loss, honor/disgrace, praise/blame, pleasure/pain, these conditions among human beings are impermanent, inconstant (in flux, radically impermanent), and subject to change.
"Knowing this the wise person, mindful, ponders (reflects on) these changing conditions. Desirable things no longer charm the mind/heart, and undesirable ones no longer bring about resistance.
"One's welcoming and pushing away are scattered, gone to their end, and no longer exist. Knowing the stainless, sorrowless state, one discerns rightly, has gone, gone beyond becoming, to the further shore (nirvana).
Geysers yes, Ellis Island no: Some US parks open, some not
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyoming - Visitors could still ride snowmobiles and ski into Yellowstone National Park Saturday to marvel at the geysers and buffalo herds, despite the federal government shutdown.
But across the country in New York, the nation's most famous monuments to immigration -- the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island -- were closed. The Interior Department had vowed to keep open as many parks, monuments, and public lands as possible during the shutdown, which began at midnight Friday on the East Coast.
By mid-day Saturday, the pattern was spotty, and some visitors were frustrated. "My initial reaction is, they really kind of screwed up our day. We had a great day planned," said Dan O'Meara, a California firefighter who wanted to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
Visit them before it's too late!
"But the next thing is, you know -- it's troubling that the people we voted in are not doing the job that they're supposed to be doing. So it's very frustrating," he said. In Yellowstone, cross-country skier Carol Weaver was unhappy with lawmakers, even though the trails were open for her and a group of friends making a two-day visit.
Weaver, from Bozeman, Montana, worried about what would happen if the impasse is lengthy. "This is our public land, and we should be able to use it any time we want," she said. "Congress better get its act together. They've been so irresponsible the last year, as well as the White House." More
(American Dad) "Rapture's Delight" Part 1/5. This is the best treatment of the Judeo-Christian "Rapture" and confused interpretations of fundamentalists ever.
The Simpsons makes a prediction for Sept. 23 2017. Do the math like Emil Prince did on Sept. 14, 2017: 3+1+5 = 9 05/18 is 5+18 = 23. See, it's easy. Whatever it's supposed to mean.
Poor God, He can't get a break. Bible decoders can't straighten out the mess of the massively modified, expurgated, abridged, mistranslated, redacted, defootnoted collection of ancient Sumerian, Babylonian, Bedouin, and Jewish texts. Where's the Apocrypha when you need it?
In her new book that tells reader who and what to blame, Whuh Happened???, Hurricane Hillary Clinton is by turns angry, accusatory, and apologetic about the 2016 election and her utter failure at its outcome. Trump did not win; he was appointed. But she did lose.
She promotes the view that it was infiltration by Russia as a “clear and present danger” to the US electoral process, which Republicans should take as seriously as Democrats.
She also blames Putin who could, she points out, just as easily turn on Trump now. Why did he have to turn on her? She would have made secret deals with him, too, if he had asked, but he's sexist!
Hillary's message is clear: Don't BLAME ME! (theguardian.com)
Buy this book or you're a misogynist! So what if I charge people to attend book signings?
Clinton tells old time news man Remnick, who sat next to her at a White House dinner 25 years ago, that the media failed voters by focusing coverage on scandals rather than on her words and policies, never mind her actions or her past.
She also blames sexism and how it affected voters as they judged a woman who sought the highest office in the land, forgetting that it was her. She's special.
Lock her up! Lock her up! Hillary for prison!
Voters were too dumb to see that it was her, not a woman. Just ask war criminal and former Sec'y of State Henry Kissinger, Hillary's personal friend and mentor.
Hillary also blames Pres. Obama and wishes that he had broken the rules and campaigned for her and against Don John Trump. He could have at least done it on what was known about Russian involvement.
494 pages, $59.00 + tax
She also blames Kim Jun Un and lays out a plan for diplomatic efforts to address the North Korea nuclear crisis, which she could solve in a moment if given the chance to rule the world.
A resolution is possible, Clinton believes, but she worries that “nobody’s home at the State Department. That's why she's needed to go in there and tell everybody what to do and how to do it. Her reputation for being a Dragon Lady precedes her.
Hmm, maybe she is lying.
There isn’t anybody to really guide a strategic approach to North Korea without former Sec'y of State Hillary Clinton, as opposed to tweeting and speechifying.”
How could I lose if this was rigged for me?! It just doesn't make sense. Was it Pizza-Gate?
Hi, I'm Terry Gross.
Ten months after her surprising loss in the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton is back with a new memoir.
In What Happened, Clinton [blames everyone as she] reflects on the tumultuous campaign and her devastating defeat, as well as her experiences as the first woman running for president as a part of a major political party [other than much better candidates like Dr. Jill Stein, MD].
What follows is the transcript of the conversation between Clinton and Fresh Air's Terry Gross, which was recorded at WHYY's studio in Philadelphia.
Hillary is a CAT 5 blowing a lot of hot air.
Gross: Hillary Clinton, welcome to Fresh Air, and thank you for being here in our studio. It is a pleasure to have you here.
Clinton: Thank you so much, Terry, I am delighted to be [pitching my new $59 book. Have you bought one?]
So I want to pick up where we left off [during Clinton's 2014 Fresh Air interview] — and this isn't going in the direction that you think it is, so bear with me. More + AUDIO
Medhill University's Prof. Huffman, the director behind the new documentary “Saving Mes Aynak,” tells the story of one of Afghanistan’s greatest Buddhist archaeological treasures
and the threats it faces from a Chinese mining company (NewsHour.PBS.org/art)
Experts: How to preserve ancient Mes Aynak ruins while mining
ARCH (Alliance for the Restoration of Cultural Heritage)
Mes Aynak near Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, is one of the largest copper and gold deposits in the world, located
20 km south of Kabul in Logar Province. The huge site looms as a potential revenue source for Afghanistan, a country deeply in need of economic
growth, hectored by years of war under U.S. occupation. But Mes Aynak is also a vast Buddhist temple complex with over 20 ruin locations,
including numerous 5th-6th century Buddhist monasteries and nunneries, a fortress, and
evidence of even older Bronze Age settlements buried beneath the rubble
of ancient copper mines. Archeologists from around the world hold that
Mes Aynak represents a cultural heritage site of immense importance. More
Artifacts such as a
Buddhist sculpture have been extracted from the Mes Aynak [Copper Well] archaeology
site where miners want to extract rich deposits of copper [gold, and rare earth minerals] (Jay Price/Getty Images).
Afghanistan is sitting on an estimated US $1 trillion dollars' worth of minerals
including gold, copper, iron, barite, sulphur, rubies, emeralds, lapis lazuli,
mercury, silver, lead, zinc, bauxite, and lithium (Andy Miller/BusinessToday.intoday.in).
Mes Aynak highlights Afghanistan's dilemma over protecting [its fabulous Buddhist] heritage
The quest for copper [gold, and rare earth mineral] riches in Mes Aynak ["Copper Well"] is a battle pitting culture and commerce.
IN BRIEF: Archeologists have uncovered countless priceless artifacts at the ancient
Buddhist settlement called Mes Aynak in Logar province, 21 miles (35 km) south of Kabul. The site includes an
ancient copper and gold mine, a series of monasteries and nunneries, homes, and
workshops. But a Chinese state mining
company, MCC, won a $3 billion mineral contract in 2007 to plunder it, one of the largest in the world. The mine sits directly beneath
the ancient settlement because the original artisans used the metals there. The Chinese have built a camp for their Chinese workers, who are being shipped in rather than hired locally and plant to build a railway and power station (Jerome Starkey).
The ruins of Mes Aynak straddle a copper deposit so rich that
many of the rocks are brilliant green with oxidized ore from a seam of
metal first exploited 5,000 years ago.
The remaining copper cannot
be extracted without destroying not just the ruins but the entire hill
they perch on, and efforts to develop the mine have often been cast as a
battle between the heartless miners and valiant archaeologists, racing
against time to save their heritage.
Mes Aynak treasure: precious jewellery from hoard dated 500-700 ACE (Salam Viking)
The Alliance for the
Restoration of Cultural Heritage (ARCH), a US non-profit organization,
has led a publicity campaign to prevent the mine, as currently
envisaged, from going ahead.
It has been so successful that the World
Bank office in [the Afghan capital of] Kabul faces an internal investigation for supporting the
dig and the mine development.
But none of ARCH's four directors have a background in cultural heritage,
and several have connections to US mining companies interested in
Afghan contracts. They are Zalmay Khalilzad, a former US ambassador to Afghanistan, his wife, his business associate in the lobbying firm Gryphon Partners, and a well-travelled restaurateur.
Mes Aynak, Afghanistan: a massive Buddhist temple complex in danger of
demolition due to US war, Afghan desperation, and Chinese greed (Science, Vol. 329/Irtiqa).
Khalilzad has been openly critical of China's
mining companies and a bidding system that he argues favors them in
Afghanistan, the country where he was born and later returned as the
first US ambassador after the fall of the [CIA-created] Taliban.
"The performance of Chinese companies is improving but they have a long
way to go," he wrote in a 2011 opinion article for Foreign Policy
entitled How many ways can we lose in Afghanistan,
which criticized Chinese firms on issues including [the planned demolition] of
cultural heritage.
"It is certainly ironic that Chinese firms are at an
advantage over western companies due to defence department procedures,"
he wrote, before ending on a slightly less gloomy note: "It is not
inevitable that Afghanistan's valuable resources fall into the hands of
the Chinese."
Afghan archeologists and experts working on mining
have a more complex view of the [intended] mine's impact than ARCH.
Abdul Qadir
Temori, head of the Afghan Institute of Archeology, who has committed
his entire team of more than 30 graduate archaeologists to Mes Aynak,
says the site is so complex and fascinating that experts could easily
spend two decades picking over it.
In an ideal world that would be
the case, he says. But Afghanistan is desperately poor and has suffered
30 years of violence, which means leaving artifacts in the ground... More
Mes Aynak, a magnificent Buddhist city,
is the most important archaeological discovery in a generation. But it
is sitting on a vast mineral deposit and is about to be destroyed. William Dalrymple reports from Afghanistan.
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