Ricky D. Gervais (/jər-VAYZ/) was born June 25, 1961, and is an English comedian, actor, writer, producer, and director. He co-created, co-wrote, and starred in the British TV sitcoms The Office (2001–2003), Extras (2005–2007), and Life's Too Short (2011–2013) with Stephen Merchant.
He also created, wrote, and starred in Derek (2012–2014) and After Life (2019–2022).[1] Gervais was also executive producer of and had cameos in the American rendition of The Office (2005–2013). Gervais has received various accolades including seven British Academy Television Awards, five National Comedy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Satellite Award, and the Rose d'Or twice (2006 and 2019). In 2003, The Observer named Gervais one of the 50 funniest performers in British comedy [2].
In 2007, he was placed at No. 11 on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups [3] and at No. 3 in their 2010 list [4]. In 2010, he was included in the Time 100 list of World's Most Influential People [5]. More
Author Philomena Cunk (with just a tiny bit of help from Diane Morgan) has 4.6 out of 5 stars (1,888 reviews). A VULTURE BEST COMEDY BOOK OF 2023. From the star of the “deeply funny, unexpectedly informative” (The Daily Beast) Netflix mockumentary Cunk on Earth, a helpful guide covering every single topic in the known universe, from Adam and Eve to Top Gun. Once in a blue moon, a book comes along that changes the world. The Origin of Species. War and Peace. Nineteen Eighty-Four.
And now, Cunk on Everything: The Encyclopedia Philomena, by Philomena Cunk. Philomena Cunk is one of the greatest thinkers of the 21st century, and in Cunk on Everything she turns her attention to our biggest issue: Why are there so many books? Wouldn't it be better if there were just one? This is that book — an encyclopedia of all human knowledge, delving into not only life's greatest mysteries but our most important political figures and cultural touchstones. Read it, and you'll never have to read another book again. More
(Music Mongoose) March 14, 2024: UNITED KINGDOM. "Paul is dead." Apparently, Paul McCartney is at the center of one of the greatest conspiracy theories in music history. Researchers and investigators think the original McCartney died in a car crash in 1966 and was replaced by a double (who won a Beatles' contest for a lookalike) names William Shears Campbell (or Billy Shears). Let's examine the clues from the Abbey Road album cover, songs played in reverse, and even his ears changing shape all of a sudden after the switch.
[Actually, the original Paul McCartney did not die in a car crash and is not physically dead as such. But he is dead to fans because he chose to leave the Beatles, reverting to an ordinary life of obscurity and anonymity, with the other members in on the cover up to save their fame and careers. The others were not about to break up over him leaving music, and the record label was not going to lose all that money, so the solution was to install Campbell/Shears to carry on with the impersonation, which really paid off. Proof he's alive? One can visit his old house in England and meet him, as people have done through a street tour, talked to him, and filmed it.]
*CORRECTIONS:
McCartney was on holiday (vacation) with Mal Evans in Kenya, not Jane Asher. (Thanks @areamusicale).
Paul storming out did happen in 1966, but it was for sessions for "She Said She Said." This happened earlier in the year and is possibly what the December story is based on. (Thanks @areamusicale)
At 8:19 I should have said "9th of November" instead of "11th of November"
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(ECHO tv) Post-Chester BenningtonLinkin Park is exposing the evil money-hungry cult of Scientology because the replacement lead vocalist Emily Armstrong is a cult member who may not be allowed to speak out or break free from the mind control group and its other members, like convicted rapist Danny Masterson (That '70s Show). (What are Masterson's other Hollywood friends Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis up to? Were they people who partied with Jeffrey Epstein?) Maybe she is vying for a position at Sea Org? An insider tells Wisdom Quarterly that Scientology wasn't always evil and money-hungry, but then founder L. Ron Hubbard was replaced by a lookalike who was much shorter, much meaner, so cutthroat he changed everything, and most cult members didn't seem to notice.
(James Updates) Trump's final defense collapses, judge signals jail! Could this possibly be true? (Seems unlikely since it looks like AI slop using the "Gnostic Talk guy theme," bald and reasonable sounding male named "James Reed"?) (Mr. Newberger's AI Funnies) MAGA Zone (Darlene Graham enters The Twilight Zone because of her dead brother, Lindsey, and Donald J's manipulation)
Jeff, you know Bubba likes his good times. Could you send Big Mouth Trump to my room?
Did Trump service you, Bubba? - He sure did, J!
(Anatomy of Evil) Okay, "innocent" is a stretch, but there's no doubt that Epstein's alive and well and being hidden by the powers-that-be. Madame Maxwell is also out of custody with a very unconvincing lookalike sitting in her place.
So what if I serviced Bubba? I love Bill's package like Monica does. - Don, Jeff got it on video.
Trump was fellow child molester Epstein's best friend and co-playboy for years and years.
Virginia Giuffre, a child worker at Trump's Florida mansion Mar-a-Lago recruited by Madame Ghislaine Maxwell, working for serial child molester, child rapist, and child sex trafficker Jeffrey Maxwell, who was made rich by fellow Zionist Lex "Victoria's Secret" Wexner.
Pres. Bill Clinton was on the Island and on the Lolita Express lots of time. Ambitious attorney and fellow politician Secretary of State Hillary Clinton knew it.
Sexy Israeli PM Ehud Barak
As a close friend of the elites who came to his island or New York apartment and had sex with children on surveillance video tape, which resulted in their eternal indebtedness and expensive blackmail (and extortion) for the CIA, Mossad, KGB, and other international intel agencies that were well aware of the honey trap.
Who would visit Pedophile Island (PDF Isle), or Little Saint James, home of the Island Boys and Epstein's fellow spies for Israel and its officials like Jewish Israeli Ehud Barak? The Epstein Files are worse than the Israeli-influenced, Trump-fearing corporate media is telling us.
"Opening Your Heart to Bhutan" is a registered UK charity, whose work is providing education, medicine, and shelter to children facing the greatest challenges in Bhutan.
In this episode, Lopen Ani Pema Deki (Ven. Emma Slade) — a former London investment banker who left after a near-death experience in Jakarta (Indonesia) to ordain as a Buddhist nun high in the Himalayas of Bhutan — explores what it means to widen the heart and become truly unbreakable.
She contrasts fleeting, manufactured happiness with the effortless joy that arises from practice, explains how small acts of kindness build resilience, and reflects on faith, karma, and why some people in Bhutan seem less vulnerable to life's ups and downs.
Perfect for listeners curious about practical spirituality, courage, and living with greater purpose.
Key Takeaways:
🧭 Choose Liberation, Not Comfort — Why training the mind matters, and how practice aims for freedom from samsara rather than temporary ease.
💫 Real Joy vs. Manufactured Bliss — The difference between practice-born joy (stable, effortless) and short-lived worldly pleasures.
🤝 Small Acts, Big Heart — Two-minute kindnesses, widening our circle of care, and the role of faith/teacher in sustaining practice.
⏱Timestamps:
(00:00) – Introduction to Lopen Ani Pema Deki (Ven. Emma Slade), former banker turned Buddhist nun
(01:00) – The challenge of practicing Dharma in a busy modern life
(02:31) – Are we seeking comfort in samsara or liberation?
(02:51) – What happiness really means from a Buddhist perspective
(03:40) – Joy and bliss: natural results of Dharma practice vs. worldly joy
(05:28) – Reflections on Bhutan and why happiness can’t be measured easily
(06:20) – Mental resilience and faith in Bhutanese life
(07:17) – Small daily acts of kindness in a busy life
(07:53) – Expanding motivation beyond yourself and loved ones
(08:52) – Why bother about anyone else besides your loved ones?
(09:20) – Why widening your heart supports resilience
(10:24) – The Bodhisattva path: stretching beyond your comfort zone
(11:14) – How British Lopen Ani Pema Deki (Ven. Emma Slade) became a Buddhist and later a Buddhist nun
(11:40) – Meeting her teacher in Bhutan
(12:24) – Moments of clarity and deep spiritual connection
(14:27) – Karma and how Lopen Ani Pema Deki (Ven. Emma Slade)’s path ripened in Bhutan
(15:18) – Sneak preview of Part 2
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
👤 Lopen Ani Pema Deki (Venerable Emma Slade) was born in Kent, England, and was educated at Cambridge University and the University of London, where she gained a First-Class degree. She is a qualified Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and worked in Fund Management in London, New York, and Hong Kong.
A deep-seated yearning to enquire into the deeper aspects of humanity arose following a life-changing business trip to Jakarta, where she was held hostage at gunpoint. She resigned from her financial career and began exploring yoga and meditation and methods of wellbeing with the ultimate aim of turning a traumatic episode into wisdom and conditions for thriving.
She qualified as a British Wheel of Yoga teacher in 2003 and, over the last 19 years, has run numerous yoga workshops and retreats.
Her interest in Buddhism as a science of the mind strengthened after meeting a Buddhist lama (teacher) on her first visit to Bhutan in 2011.
This crucial chance meeting led to her studying Buddhism with this lama and, eventually, led to her becoming the first and only Western woman to be ordained in the last Himalayan [Buddhist] Kingdom of Bhutan as a Buddhist nun. #OpeningYourHeart #BuddhistWisdom #MindfulLiving #FaithAndPractice
Buddhist Youth Network, Lim Soon Kiat, Alvin Chan, Tan Key Seng, Soh Hwee Hoon, Geraldine Tay, Venerable You Guang, Wilson Ng, Diga, Joyce, Tan Jia Yee, Joanne, Suñña, Shuo Mei, Arif, Bernice, Wee Teck, Andrew Yam, Kan Rong Hui, Wei Li Quek, Shirley Shen, Ezra, Joanne Chan, Hsien Li Siaw, Gillian Ang, Wang Shiow Mei, Ong Chye Chye, Melvin, Yoke Kuen, Nai Kai Lee, Amelia Toh, Hannah Law, Shin Hui Chong, Dennis Lee
We traveled from state to state, driving from affordable Arizona to the warm beach town of San Diego on the tip of SoCal on the border with Mexico, which everyone calls the Mexican border.
This work of pure comedic genius began as a BBC Radio play by Douglas Adams (who was the first to think to combine science fiction and comedy), the audio of which is presented here: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It became so popular that it became a book then a sequel then a series then a trilogy with additional installments that made calling it a "trilogy" more and more misleading. It is perhaps the single funniest piece of work we have ever heard, a masterpiece.
Mephistopheles (German /MEF-ist-OF-il-eez/) is a demon in German folklore who is also known as Mephostophilis [1] and Mephisto [2].
He originated as the chief devil in the Faust legend (Faustian bargain) [3]. This demon has since become a stock character appearing in other works of arts and popular culture.
Mephistopheles never became an integral part of traditional magic [4]. More
I'll make a deal with the Devil to give me musical talent. Where's the nearest crossroads at? (Robert Johnson)
Wu wei (無為, 无为, wúwéi) is a concept from ancient pre-Buddhist Chinese philosophy that literally means "not-acting" or "non-doing," variously interpreted and translated as "noninterference," "action-lessness," "inaction," or "effortless action" [1, 2].
In Taoism, it denotes the nature of Tao, meaning that while Tao (the Way, Path, or flow of nature, acting in accordance with the natural course of things), is the source of all existence and the manifestation of all phenomena, its intrinsic formless essence is that it acts or moves in a silent, invisible, ineffable, often-unnoticed manner that may even seem motionless and effortless [3, 4, 5, 6, 7].
It's all a matter of seeing the Suchness!
Accordingly, Taoists (and subsequently Zen Buddhist practitioners) aspire to live their lives in alignment with such a harmonious state of free flowing and unforced activity. In a political context, it also refers to an ideal form or principle of spontaneous and non-aggressive form of governing [8]. More
Tathātā (Sanskrit तथाता, Pali tathatā) is a Buddhist term variously translated as "Suchness," "Thusness," "True Thusness," or "True Suchness," referring to the Ultimate Reality, the intrinsic and essential nature of all existence, free of dualistic thinking, conceptualization, subject–object distinctions [1].
It is formless, uncreated, eternal, perfect, unchanging, indestructible, and is the true nature of all phenomena. It represents the genuine reality of existence, which transcends physical forms, physical senses, and intellectual comprehension, indicating a profound insight into the nature of things as they truly are [2, 3, 4].
Tathātā has a large number of synonyms found in different Buddhist schools, traditions, and scriptures, such as:
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