Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Desi Lydic does Fox News (The Daily Show)


Is it a real Fox News story or some bullsh*t Desi Lydic made up? | The Daily Show
(The Daily Show) Jan. 31, 2023. Is it a real Fox News story or just some bulls**t Desi Lydic made up? We asked people outside Fox News headquarters to see if they could distinguish the real from the outrageous.  #DailyShow #Comedy Subscribe to The Daily Show or follow on Twitter: twitter.com/TheDailyShow.

How to do Hollywood for FREE (video)

The Frugal Man, YouTube, May 1, 2018; Dan, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

(The Frugal Man LA) HOLLYWOOD, California - The Frugal Man LA shows us the hottest FREE attractions in Tinsel Town, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Be aware exhibits change frequently and the exhibits featured in this video may not be available during a visit. Why not drop by the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show while in town? (Free tickets handed out to passersby from out of town, or go onto his website.

Tree Hugger Julia Butterfly Hill saved Luna

Rian Dundon (timeline.com, 2017); Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven, Xochitl (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Book review: The Legacy of Luna by Julia Butterfly Hill (Creatively United Community)

Butterfly atop Luna in Northern California
On December 10, 1997, barefoot environmental activist [and super heroine] Julia “Butterfly” Hill climbed up a 600-year-old, 200-foot-tall redwood tree in a remote corner of Northern California and stayed there for 738 days.

Finding Mother Tree (S. Simard)
A native of Arkansas, Butterfly had teamed up with Earth First!, a group of by-any-means-necessary, redneck-hippie eco-warriors best known for its legally dubious “monkey-wrenching” protest tactics.

Butterfly, however, brought a Zen-like mysticism to the movement, and her motivation for occupying the tree, dubbed “Luna” (“anyone that would climb this high is a lunatic,” she later explained), was as much about spirituality as it was politics.


This isn't "Luna" but another wonderful redwood
“There’s no way to be in the presence of these ancient beings and not be affected,” the exhausted 24-year-old told a group of reporters after descending the tree in December 1999.

“There’s something more than profit, and that’s life.” People had been tree sitting before Butterfly came along. But she ushered in a new sense of urgency and determination, the likes of which were completely irresistible to the press.

The General Sherman (Sequoia Nat'l Park)
Between riding out torrential El NiƱo storms and freezing winds from her precarious 8-by-8-foot plywood perch, she conducted radio interviews via solar-powered cell phone, and hosted reporters and photographers willing to make the two-hour climb to her rustic penthouse.

On Earth Day in 1999, Joan Baez and Bonnie Raitt even dropped by. Baez called the visit “one of the most remarkable experiences of my life.” More

Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed World

PBS, Chuck D; Public Enemy; Sheldon S., Crystal Quintero, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly


Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World
(PBS) Schomburg Center - This post-screening conversation (shown below) with hip hop legend Chuck D and guests was simulcast and streamed live on Jan. 23, 2023. Chuck D of Public Enemy and one of the producers of Fight the Power explore hip hop’s political awakening over the last 50 years. With a host of rap stars and cultural commentators, he tracks hip hop’s socially conscious roots. From The Message to Fight the Power 2020, he examines how hip hop has become "The Black CNN." Join as half a century of hip Hop are celebrated with a preview of Fight the Power followed by a conversation with Chuck D and invited guests. The evening was produced in partnership with PBS.


ABOUT: Fight the Power is an incredible narrative of struggle, triumph, and resistance that will be brought to life through the lens of an art form that has chronicled the emotions, experiences, and expressions of Black and Brown communities: hip hop. In the aftermath of America's racial and political reckoning in 2020, the perspectives and stories shared in Hip Hop are key to understanding injustice in the U.S. over the last half-century.

Good luck magic: Buddhist Sivali worship


Katha of Ven. Sivali, the patron saint of travels
(Amulet City) Oct. 30, 2022. How the Theravada Thai Buddhists worship Phra Sivali (the enlightened Venerable Sivali). Every Thursday, other than the usual offering of flowers, they place a glass of water with nine pieces of white jasmine flowers into a glass water. They do not put the flower wreath around the statue but put them into a clean tray or offer stalks of flowers in a vase. It is important to provide honey, preferably pure raw honey. They burn nine incense sticks and recite the following incantation:

Namo tassa Bhagavato arahato samma sam-buddhassa (3 times). They then chant this katha nine times to honor Ven. Sivali:

Sivali, Ja Maha Thero, Devata, Na, Rapuchito, Soraho, Paccayatimhi, Arhang, Wantami, Tang Satdar, Sivali, Ja Maha Thero, Yakkha, Deva, Phipuchitoh, Soraho, Paccayatimhi, Arhang, Wantami, Tang, Satdar, Sivali, Thera Kunang, A-tang, sothi, Laphang, Phawantu Mae.

May Ven. Sivali bless you in every thought, in every deed, in every word you say and protect you.

Harvard study reveals secret to being likable

Margaret Pan, Medium.com, Jan. 18, 2023; G. P. MalalasekeraDictionary of Pali Proper Names; Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Dhr. Seven (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly
California Gov. Gavin Newsom: Let me see. What makes you so likeable? Your personality?
What does it take to be likeable and popular? Does science know? (lexica.art)
.
Margaret Pan
It’s not being polite, helpful, or having a good sense of humor. It might be an inconvenient truth, but being likable is something we all (deep down) crave [except for the disagreeable people Prof. Jordan Peterson points out].

Is the secret being mysterious?
That’s because it makes life easier. If we think that people are born charming, we’re mistaken:

Likability can be learned and honed, just like any other skill.

But what is it that makes a person likable? According to a new Harvard study, described in an HBR article, the secret to being more likable and improving interpersonal bonding isn’t being polite, helpful, or having a good sense of humor.

It’s asking more questions. We all want to feel someone is interested in us. The research examined the role of asking questions in interpersonal relationships.

Harvard colleagues scrutinized thousands of natural conversations among participants who were getting to know each other, either in online chats or on in-person speed dates. The researchers told some people to ask at least nine questions within 15 minutes and the rest to ask no more than four within 15 minutes.

Am I "hot" or not? What does it take to be liked?
In the online chats, the people who were randomly assigned to ask many questions were better liked by their conversation partners. Among the speed daters, people were more willing to go on a second date with partners who asked more questions.

It makes sense: We all want to feel someone is interested in us. People tend to talk a lot about themselves, especially when they’re trying to impress someone. But that’s not the best strategy to make a positive impression.

When we show genuine interest in people — by asking them questions regarding their lives, thoughts, and feelings — and shift the focus of the conversation from ourselves onto others, that’s how we win them over.

There is a catch though. According to the findings of the research, the order of the questions we ask others has a significant effect on how they will respond.

If we want to build up trust, rapport, and intimacy, we should start with relatively shallow and insignificant questions and progress to more private/deep ones. More
The Buddha on the Four Bases of Popularity
Dhr. Seven, DISCUSSION, Wisdom Quarterly
In the "Advice to Householders" sutra (Sigalovada Sutta), the Buddha proclaims that there are Four Bases or Foundations of Popularity. Some people are popular, some are not. Why are they? It is because they have built up the habit and practice of these four things:
  1. generosity
  2. sweet speech
  3. helpfulness to others
  4. impartiality to all.
Unfortunately, as important as this sutra would be to the world of non-monastic Buddhists, it is a conglomeration of discourses patched together rather than kept separate. The amalgamation was not done very well as the closing verses refer back to parts that are not in the body.

The summary says one is popular by these four habits, but they are not mentioned in the body. And no one seems to notice or be able to do anything about it to fix it. A scholar might find the original sutra(s) somewhere in some tradition (outside the Pali language of the Theravada school) -- in Chinese, Sanskrit, Prakrit, or Tibetan texts -- but until one does, we only have this reference.

Karma: It's everywhere we're going to be.
Certainly, giving makes us popular with others. The good karma of dana is very meritorious, as we let go and do not cling to what we have but instead share it. Sweet speech is always welcome no matter what we are saying. Being helpful and coming to the aid of others is certainly going to win friends. Being impartial rather than biased and favoring some over others is a little more surprising, but who doesn't like a fair person? Such people are beloved everywhere.

Karma is the cause of our conditions and circumstances (fruit or phala), whether we are being good or bad. And we will meet with the results of our actions, speech, and intentions everywhere we go.

Venerable Ananda (the Buddha's son or cousin, according to different traditions) was very popular, more so than wise Sariputra and Khema. But "luckiest" of all was the Buddhist monk with the best karma Ven. Sivali (SÄ«valÄ« Thera).

The luckiest Buddhist
The good karma of lucky Ven. Sivali
Ven. Sīvalī was declared by the Buddha as foremost among recipients of gifts (A.i.24). It is said (ThagA.i.138; Ap.ii.495; AA.i.139) that when the Buddha visited Khadiravaniya-Revata, he took Ven. Sīvalī with him because the road was difficult and provisions were scarce.

[This would suggest that Ven. Sivali had better luck than the Buddha himself, having practiced generosity longer or better than the Bodhisatta, or it may mean that Sivali was in the receiving phase of his merit more so than anyone else around.]

Ven. SÄ«valÄ« went to the Himalayas with a large number of others to test his good luck. The devas provided them with everything they needed. On Gandhamādana mountain range a deva named Nāgadatta entertained them for seven days on milk rice. Source

Monday, January 30, 2023

Buzz Aldrin marries at 93; Back to the Future

JimmyDore.com, Jimmy Kimmel Live! Pfc. Sandoval, Sheldon S., Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly
  • EDITOR: Buzz, she's generations younger than you! What in the world could you two possibly have to talk about?
  • BUZZ: Talk?
  • EDITOR: Oh, OK, in that case, carry on. But stop punching people in the face for calling you a liar who never actually went to the moon (even if you might have been hypnotized to forget you've been lying about ever since).
The moon landing footage we all saw on TV was as fake as fake could be. Thanks, Stanley Kubrick, for leaving in all the mistakes then putting in all those Easter eggs in your movies to hint at what you had done. But that's not to say we've never been to the moon, Luna/Soma, only that we didn't get to see it all happening as we were told. Try telling that to Eugene "Buzz" Aldrin, as some have, and he'll punch you in the face. Noted researcher Eric Dubay, a much maligned American whistleblower, says the moon is not at all what we're told so could never be landed on. In any case, many say we're being treated to a hologram in the sky covering the actual moon, which is in the atmosphere, according to Russian science, and is not nearly so far away as we are told. The same is true of our sun, Sol/Surya, which is of the same size, circling around above us being chased by the moon, in accordance with many religious traditions and their ancient cosmologies. Who knows for sure what is true, but are we allowed to QUESTION others' opinions and expert analyses of what's "true," or must we just buy and believe what the "experts" tell us? We're better off listening to comedians for the news if that's the case. For example, what about COVID and the plandemic? Who did Buzz marry in Los Angeles this week? Dr. Anca Faur, who's only three decades younger.

Learn storytelling from radio star Lisa Garr

Host Lisa Garr, The Aware Show; Ananda (Dharma B Meditation), Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly

Lisa Garr co-hosts on Coast
Radio host Lisa Garr is offering a free call Monday, January 30th, at 3:00 pm Pacific Time, and she really hopes everyone can join in. It’s fulfilling to hear each other's stories and recognize that we are all on similar journeys but with flavors unique to each of us. Often the biggest blockages to living lives that are deeply nourishing are just muddied visions of ourselves and our stories. And she’s come up with a refreshing way to help us lift our gaze. Bring a cup of tea and join her this Monday at 3:00 pm by clicking the link here to save a spot. She looks forward to connecting with everyone then.

In love & gratitude,

Lisa

Coast to Coast (coasttocoastam.com)
Gaia
Hay House

Register first. Then save this information for the call on January 30th:


Best of The Aware Show (podcast)
Marci Shimoff: Your Year of Miracles 2023 – Part 1 (January 25, 2023 • 31 mins) Do you believe that miracles can happen to you? Or are they just found in fairytales? Today’s guest, New York Times best-selling author of Happy for No Reason Marci Shimoff says anyone can set up the conditions for miracles to occur. She’s a well-known happiness expert who has been featured in The Secret and has built a community of more than 500,000 people from 88 countries around the world who have participated in her “Your Year of Miracles” program over the last 10 years. Dr Sue Morter and Lisa Garr are also co-hosts of the program. How is it that so many people worldwide participate? According to Marci, happiness is a universal language! But she wasn’t always the happy person she is today. In fact, Marci says she “was born depressed.” Although she had a wonderful upbringing, she always felt like she had a dark cloud around her. Marci experienced continuous existential angst which may have been caused by past lives or ancestorial linage. This led her to seek out people who were truly happy and she learned how to raise her Happiness Setpoint. She has developed a formula so we can all have a bit more happiness in our lives and she shares tips which can be used daily. Learn how 2023 can be a “restart” so that you can truly be the creator of your own reality! For more information about her program and to receive a free eBook, please visit theawareshow.com/miracles.

Desperation as Val's Day approaches: comedy

Iliza Shlesinger, Netflix, 2019; Ashley Wells, CC Liu, Sheldon S. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

How did you guys meet? Iliza Shlesinger
It's time for war paint!
(Mrs iliza) Mrs. Iliza Shelsinger tells of the woes of being an Elder Millennial in Los Angeles trying to date and find The One. How did you guys meet? | Iliza Shlesinger from Iliza Shlesinger: Unveiled (2019). This is her in her fifth Netflix stand up special, discussing marriage and its North American traditions. Director: Steve Paley. Writer: Iliza Shlesinger. Stars: Darren Capozzi, Iliza Shlesinger.  #IlizaShlesinger #Unveiled #StandUp

Sunday, January 29, 2023

Sex, drugs, 'n Amish parties? Rumspringa

Amish Mafia, DMAX 11/17/19; Dr. Phil Show; Pat Macpherson, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
I can't wait for the future, when we move to a free land and get to do what we want. - Yeah.

Amish teens at hot party smoke the devil's lettuce or "green corn"! | Amish Mafia
(DMAX UK) Lebanon Levi is upset after he finds out that some people were smoking "green corn" (cannabis) in the hot party he organized and charged Amish young folk $20 to attend.


In the Amish settlement in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, keeping the peace and carrying out justice is the responsibility of Lebanon Levi. He doesn't hold the title of police chief, but he holds all the power of one and then some. Levi exists above the law and occupies the role of police, judge, jury, and executioner in a community that, untrusting of traditional law enforcement authorities, relies on a group of men for protection and justice. "Amish Mafia" depicts the work carried out by Levi and three of his young Amish assistants, namely keeping outside forces from infiltrating the Amish community, while keeping the principles and morality within the community in check. The Amish church, according to Discovery, denies the existence of this unique "police" force, so the network says some identifying information in the series has been changed and some scenes re-enacted.

Subscribe to DMAX for more great clips: bit.ly/2FuweycLike DMAX on Facebook: facebook.com/dmaxuk/.  Follow DMAX on Twitter: twitter.com/dmax_uk.


"Get a whiff of my cornfed toots! This is Amish Country, not your father's old Ohio."

Going AMISH: living among them (video)

Eric, Tommy (Seek Discomfort, Oct. 1, 2021); Pat Macpherson, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Don't tell our parents, but we're on Rumspringa, partying in the big city of temptation.

We lived three days among the Amish
(Seek Discomfort) Oct. 1, 2021. Eric and Tommy decided to join an Amish family for a weekend to see what it's like to live without modern technology.

Who are they? They believe that life can be as fulfilling as we wish, so long as we're willing to seek discomfort. And they make videos about it. Exclusive challenges on Instagram: instagram.com/yestheory.

Seek Discomfort is Yes Theory's second channel. For those who don't subscribe, check it out here: youtube.com/yestheory. To join the Yes Fam Facebook group, which is 100,000+ of their most engaged and bad*ss community members, one can apply here: facebook.com/groups/yesfam.

PERFECT ROYALTY FREE MUSIC FOR YOUTUBE: Free 30-day trial here: share.epidemicsound.com/wFFbr. Musicbed has amazing montage and cinematic music: share.mscbd.fm/YesTheory. For an amazing B-roll and footage library, checkout: storyblocks.com/YesTheory. Yes Theory Spotify playlist: open.spotify.com/user/t-boogy...

Business inquiries: partnerships@yestheory.com For community inquiries: hello@yestheory.com instagram.com/yestheorytwitter.com/yestheory, facebook.com/yestheory. Join their texting community: +1 (323) 310-5420

Dr. Hyman: What to eat to heal the body

Dr. Mark Hyman, MD, Lewis Howes, Feb. 22, 2021; Pat Macpherson (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly
This soil sucks. All of its minerals have been stripped away. We have to put chemical fertilizer

"These healthy foods will completely heal your body!" | Dr. Mark Hyman, MD
(Lewis Howes) Dr. Mark Hyman, MD, is leading a health revolution around using food as medicine to support longevity, energy, mental clarity, happiness, and much more.

Dr. Hyman is a practicing family physician and an internationally recognized leader, speaker, educator, and advocate in the field of functional medicine.

He’s the founder and director of The UltraWellness Center, is the head of strategy and innovation of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, and is the board president for clinical affairs for The Institute for Functional Medicine. He’s a 12-time New York Times bestselling author.

He’s also a regular medical contributor on several television shows and networks, including CBS This Morning, the Today Show, Good Morning America, The View, The Dr. Oz Show, and CNN.

He also hosts the leading health podcast called The Doctor’s Farmacy. On it, he shares a wealth of information about how our food choices are affecting our health and what we can do about it.

Dr. Hyman is one of Lewis Howes' favorite people to learn from about health because he is so honest about what’s going on. He’s got humanity’s best interest at heart. And he’s has a new book, which is discussed in the interview.

After listening to this episode, grab a copy of The Pegan Diet: 21 Practical Principles for Reclaiming Your Health in a Nutritionally Confusing World.

This is Episode 1,075 about how food can heal or harm our bodies, how we can live longer, and how we can improve mental health with Dr. Mark Hyman.

Follow Howes at: Website: http://lewishowes.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lewishowes/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/LewisHowes Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lewishowes/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lewis Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lewishowes/

Motivational video lewishowes.com/greatnessdeliv... Sign up for FREE newsletter and get a dose of inspiration from world-class guests to learn how to improve life. Download podcast episodes a week early: lewishowes.com/pod, lewishowes.com/greatnessdeliv...

It's cold in Buddhist Siberia: Yakutia (video)

Kiun B, YouTube, Jan. 21, 2023; Amber Larson and Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Living alone in the wild Siberian forest for 20 years (-71°C, -96°F) Yakutia
(Kiun BSAKHA REPUBLIC, Siberia - There's Buddhist Kalmykia, and there's Yakutia. This is a story of Samuil. For the past 20 years, Samuil has chosen to live far away from civilization, together with bears and wolves, in one of the harshest environments on Earth.
Website: kiunb.com shares some personal stories of Yakutia šŸ„¶. To buy local handmade crafts from Yakutia, order here: kiunb.com/shopšŸ“© For business inquiries: pr.kiunb@gmail.com šŸ˜‡ Support on: patreon.com/kiunb šŸ“ø Follow on Instagram: instagram.com/kiun.b šŸ’™ Thanks for watching. Subscribe for next videos.

How to survive anywhere: learn FIRE (2/18)

Chris Nyerges (Meetup), School of Self-Reliance; Xochitl, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Learn how to make fire by several primitive methods. Learn the four principles by which fire is generated:
  1. mechanical (friction)
  2. solar
  3. chemical
  4. electrical.
Practice several of these, and learn the best techniques for mastery. Use solar reflectors and magnifying glasses, common batteries, flint stone and steel, the bow, the hand drill, the piston, flammable magnesium, and others.

Learn by doing. The goal is to create a hot ember and “nurture” it into a flame. Learn which woods are best for burning and cooking and how to process woods. A short nature walk will be included to see which plants are best for fire-making kits.

This class applies to the School of Self-Reliance's Bushcraft Certificate.

Saturday, January 28, 2023

What happened on the 1/28 Mushroom Hunt?

Dhr. Seven, Jen Bradford (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Ashley Wells (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly

It was a crisp Los Angeles morning in Tongavaar (Arroyo Seco) as we gathered for the mushroom hunt, nature walk, and Buddhist meditation. Stragglers showed up, lost in the large Hahamong'na watershed as frisbee golf enthusiasts played through.

First we defined "mushrooms," shared experiences of their many culinary and spiritual uses, then set off on the hunt. A mushroom is the fruiting body of mycelium, the root-like network under our feet that makes forests possible, distributing nutrients and water with a degree of intelligence modern computing networks would envy.

We did not find the fly agaric (A. muscaria)
With that knowledge in hand, we took a Native American approach to tracking the truffles we would learn from and prepare in an experimental lunch. Waste nothing and take nothing for granted. Everything is here to teach us something -- indicating the fundamental Buddhist principle of Dependent Origination: Everything that arises does so depending on supporting conditions and not without them.

Fire's existence is dependent on conditions
Fire is unreal in the sense that it is dependent.
Fire, or what we call the epiphenomenon of fire, depends on five factors and does not exist apart from them (fuel, wick or medium, oxygen, heat, and the mysterious process of combustion). When these are present, we call it "fire." When one or more is absent, there is no fire to be found. When this arises, that comes to be. In the absence of that, this ceases.

And so it is with a living being. We are composed of the Five Aggregates clung to as self -- form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness. (There is no self, no personality, no ego -- in an ultimate sense -- for all things are impersonal). 

And so it is with mushrooms. What are the factors for the arising of mushrooms? There has to be food (e.g., cellulose to break down), mycelium, moisture, and so on. Find these, and you'll soon be finding a trove of mushrooms.

Do not get to get high and call it a good thing.
The fruit on the ground, like Easter "egg" being hunted, is meant to send spores out for the mycelium to continue running. It prefers disturbed ground.

The City of Pasadena had laid down truckloads of mulch and woodchips it is no longer allowed to dispose of at the municipal dump, and the recent atmospheric rivers had soaked it. Traveling over bright green stinging nettle, chickweed, horehound, splurge, and grasses, there they were: purple blewits blooming. We examined them by stem, gills, caul, and the all-important base for proper identification. The bright and distinct color gave them away. Soon there were inkcapsrussula, polypores like chicken of the woods and turkey's tail, witches' butter, and LBMs all around us.

What's a good field guide to study?
Mushrooms Demystified (Arora)
This is simply the best and most complete mushroom field guide and reference book. Mushrooms Demystified includes descriptions and keys to more than 2,000 species of mushrooms, with more than 950 photographs. Mushroom authority David Arora provides a beginner's checklist of the 70 most distinctive and common mushrooms, plus detailed chapters on terminology, classification, habitats, mushroom cookery, mushroom toxins, and the meanings of scientific mushroom names. Beginning and experienced mushroom hunters everywhere will find Mushrooms Demystified a delightful, informative, and indispensable companion. Recommended by Christopher NyergesFungi Fanatics

“Tongva” is not the tribe name
There are now many tribes in Los Angeles.
(Oscarwildeboy 2021) Fun fact: “Tongva” comes from a misunderstanding that one journalist made when he asked a woman what her tribes name was.

The “Tongva” people didn’t have a name for themselves as a whole, as they were unfamiliar with the concept of having a name to represent their entire people. They identified with their villages rather than as a society as a whole. The generally accepted name was Kizh (pronounced \keech\). Every historical document refers to them as Kizh until this ONE journalist misinterpreted a woman identifying as “Tongavaar,” which was a village [in what is now the Pasadena or Pasadeg'na area].