Southernmost republic of Russia | Makhachkala, abandoned villages, sand dune, mountains, Khabib's
(Eli from Russia) Nov. 26, 2021: Dagestan is named a hidden gem of the Caucasus in Russia, formerly the USSR. It is also the most multi-national republic in the country. Let's discover its beautiful mountain villages and canyons and get to know the local traditions.
TIMECODES
0:00 Welcome to Dagestan!
1:36 Local cuisine and payment for breaking the dishes
π ABOUT: Elinabakunova.com/russianclub: Russian Speaking Club where participants can practice the Russian language. Join us at any level! ;) πΈWhat can be found on this channel? ππ» Explanation of the Russian culture and facts about Russia that can't be found on Google ππ» Interviews with people on the streets on controversial topics ππ» Opportunities for education for international students and learning the Russian language ππ» Travel vlogs from the Big Country.
Evening twilight over Berkeley, California (Alfred Georg Sonsalla/Getty Images)
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Beloved city has neighborhoods and Cal (UC)
What is the healthiest city in the U.S. to live in? Niche.com did its annual analysis, and a California destination came out on top.
Berkeley, California, was named the healthiest city in the USA by niche.com. The Northern California Alameda County city (just across the bay from overpriced San Francisco) enjoys an average of 256 sunny days each year and a mild Mediterranean climate, allowing residents to spend ample time outdoors.
The strangest thing about attending UC Berkeley is that no one here calls it "Berkeley." Everyone refers to it as "Cal" (or Cal Berkeley) because "Berkeley" (so often misspelled as Berkley) refers to the city, which is also sometimes called the "Republic of Berserkley" and F everywhere else because this is the best place to go to college, the greatest public university in the world since Nalanda and Timbuktu closed, rivaling the great private universities of the nation. (Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal likely exists because Berkeley exists and, strange and counterintuitive as it may seem to outsiders, half-baked L.A. is more spiritual than Berkeley or S.F. probably because it needs to be, with so many people desperately searching for meaning in the throat chakra of the planet (thanks in large part to Hollywood film, music, radio, and TV industries). That surprised us, thinking we were going to the Shangri-La of the state where everyone would be spiritual, where the Sixties would still be alive, where San Francisco was just a BART ride away to visit Golden Gate Park and join a love in, be in, or free concert, slipping over to Haight Ashbury, but it's always so cold, and Berkeley mostly empties out for the summer when the tourists come and classes are not in session. There is KPFA.org (the founding Pacifica station even older than KPFK.org in LA, where Alan Watts got his start and where he lives on, respectively). There are so many protests on campus and in Berkeley that there is a nationwide media blackout about it. One rarely hears about all that is going on there, and every week something IS going on there. It's a nearly daily occurrence the mainstream media keeps quiet, ignores, and suppresses so that the radicalism doesn't spread as quickly to other campuses across the nation. It is the most progressive of the big schools.
In this famous scene (and song) Ben, "The Graduate" (played by a young Dustin Hoffman), is driving his red convertible to Berkeley, which is funny because he's headed the wrong direction, but that never stopped Hollywood (who needed to show him with the top down, which wouldn't look as good on the lower level that runs toward Berkeley. He's from Los Angeles and going to UC Berkeley in Berkeley to see about a girl, Elaine, which is odd because she's the daughter of Mrs. Robinson, the older married woman he's been having an affair with all summer. Had it not been for a roommate at Cal, I would never have known to see such an important film all about the wonders of legendary California.
Each year, Niche.com reveals the healthiest places in the nation, based on "a comprehensive assessment of the general health levels among residents in an area." The company considers key indicators of personal health, including smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, rates of obesity, and people's access and proximity to health care facilities, including gyms, doctors, and mental health practitioners.
And this year, Niche.com named Berkeley, California, the healthiest city in the U.S.
The Alameda County city is less than half an hour from San Francisco [depending on traffic on the Bay Bridge, it would only take 15 minutes to go between the two] and boasts 256 sunny days per year [but is nearly always cooler than one would think, just like San Francisco is chilly and foggy] and a mild Mediterranean climate.
Residents don't have to travel far to enjoy time in nature and stay active. Why? — Berkeley has over 50 parks with sports facilities, trails, and playgrounds. [There's a secret swimming lake behind the campus, up the mountain on Grizzly Trail.] Additionally, places like Muir Woods National Monument, Yosemite National Park, and Pinnacles National Park offer even more options for outdoor recreation.
In fact, the city was named the No. 1 Healthiest Place to Live in America and the No. 1 Healthiest City, really driving home the point that this is indeed a healthy place.
Berkeley also snagged an A+ rating for its schools, A+ for nightlife, and an A+ for outdoor activities, which surely helps to keep its population in tip-top shape.
The only categories it falls short in are housing, where it scored a C-, crime and safety, which also nabbed it a C-, and the cost of living, where it scored a low D+. And these grades are well reflected in the local reviews. More
Naked Bike Ride 2024 was covered by Allison Barr for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Even though the official ride was put on hold this year, a spin-off of theWorld Naked Bike Ride pedaled through Portland on Saturday afternoon.
The ride organizers emphasize that it’s first and foremost a protest against fossil fuel dependency.
Second, it’s a communal place to celebrate being ourselves, exactly how we are.
The “official” World Naked Bike Ride took a hiatus this year. But protesting cyclists still wanted to gather for a ride.
As one of the speakers before Saturday’s ride explained: It’s an effort to bring their qualms with Zenith Energy into the limelight. They also want to inspire others to commute via bike and celebrate body positivity.
Saturday afternoon, hundreds of bodies gathered at Colonel Summers Park in Southeast Portland around 4:00 pm. This was a change from the ride’s usual nighttime slot.
After people painted each other, danced to music blasting from multiple speakers, and delivered emotional speeches into microphones, a sea of naked and nearly-naked people on bikes headed out.
Their plan is to lie down at the Zenith Energy building in Northwest Portland for ten minutes before ending the ride at the waterfront.
As the ride organizer going by the name Spartacus said, “Give yourself permission to know it’s your body. And feel a sense of belonging to your life and your body because your body chooses clean air, clean water, clean rivers.” Source
Allison Barr, oregonlive.com, Sept. 21, 2024 (inspired by Agent Sebastian "Seabass" from The Woody Show, 12/17/24); Eds., Wisdom Quarterly
COOS BAY, Oregon (USA Today) - An earthquake shook off the Oregon coast Wednesday (Oct. 30, 2024) afternoon.
The earthquake struck in the Pacific Ocean, more than 170 miles west of Bandon, Oregon, at exactly 1:15 pm local (Pacific) time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
The temblor, which was recorded at a depth of over 6 miles, measured a preliminary magnitude of 6.0 [just the 6th to do so in recent memory. Lord Poseidon must be mad.] More
'I've never seen anything like this before': Alberto storm surge floods Texas campground
(FOX Weather) June 20, 2024: San Luis Pass County Park was flooded by storm surge from Tropical Storm Alberto. Park Superintendent Mike Mullenweg joins FOX Weather to discuss how the campground is progressing on Thursday. #foxweather #tropics
(ABC News) Tropical Storm Alberto slams Gulf Coast, June 19, 2024: A tropical storm warning is in effect in both Texas and Louisiana after the first named storm likely to become a hurricane hits Mexico and the states across the Gulf like Texas and Louisiana.
Breaking: Tropical Storm Alberto hammers Mexico and South Texas | LiveNOW
(FOX LiveNOW from FOX) Started streaming June 20, 2024: Tropical Storm Alberto approaches the Mexican Gulf Coast this morning with sustained winds of 50 MPH. The first Atlantic named storm of the season is also expected to dump lots of water on South Texas as it moves ashore.
@LiveNOWFOX on Twitter: https://twitter.com/livenowfox Raw and unfiltered. Watch a non-stop stream of breaking news, live events and stories across the nation. Limited commentary. No opinion. Experience LiveNOW from FOX.
At least 110 people have been reported dead and hundreds more were injured after a magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck China’s northwestern province of Gansu overnight on Dec. 18, 2023. It was China’s deadliest quake in nearly a decade since 617 people died in August 2014 when Yunnan province was hit by a major earthquake. More: sc.mp/avp0
O, Pele, forgive us our sins. π
The goddess Pele must be very mad, mad at Israel for mass murder, oppression, and hypocrisy; mad at the planet and fuming through an outlet in Iceland and seismic activity in China; weeping over dry drought-stricken Los Angeles (the center of the world because of the hegemonic influence of Hollywood) with a slow-moving storm that poses flood threat to California. What does Pele want? Repentance? A virgin sacrifice? More business as usual?
The Southland is in for a dangerous dousing. We must be complicit in Israel's support.
First water then snow, slamming into the state which is normally sunny and dry for Xmas.
Chemtrails, sprayed over the past few days in crisscross patterns, ensure a deluge for dry streets.
Here's how much Israeli terrorists care about killing innocents
(TJDS) Jimmy Dore and Kurt Metzger break down war crimes visited upon Jewish Israeli by Israeli Jews of the IDF. When they do this to Arabs/Palestinians, no one cares. When they do it to European Jews, Israel blows up again against Netanyahu.
Northwestern China hit by massive killer quake in freezing temperatures. Could it be, as Sharon Stone might ask, due to its criminal state oppression of ethnic Uyghurs, being forced to submit or face genocide like so many Tibetans? Of course, it would be silly, simplistic, and wrong to think that one thing immediately begets another. Samsara is very long, and there is time for bad karma to bear its bitter fruit. There is, however, such a thing as "collective karma," often too slow to save beings from their wrongdoing. For any Buddhist who doubts that, consider the fate of the Shakyas (Sakas, Scythians) in the Buddha's family clan. What became of them and why? They were slaughtered by their offended neighbors, this horror was later explained by being traced back to a time when many of them, having been born in each other's company as so often happens over the course of this long wandering on through samsara, they poisoned a river (apparently unintentionally), killing many fish. But isn't karma "intentional action"? Yes, the act, not the result. They intentionally poisoned the river; they did not intentionally kill the fish. The fish died as a result of their action, which made the results worse. It not only made it worse for individuals involved, it made the results catastrophic for them collectively. The working out of karma is an imponderable thing in detail but knowable in general.
Who in the world is Pele?
Girl fight: Kapiolani defying Pele (wiki)
In Hawaiian religion, Pele is the goddess of volcanoes and fire and the creator of the chain of over a thousand Hawaiian Islands.
Often referred to as "Madame Pele" or "TΕ«tΕ« Pele" as a sign of respect, she is a well-known deity within Hawaiian mythology and is notable for her contemporary presence and cultural influence as an enduring figure from ancient Hawaii [1].
Epithets of the goddess include Pele-honua-mea ("Pele of the sacred land") and Ka wahine Κ»ai honua ("The earth-eating woman") [2].
In different stories talking about the goddess Pele, she was born from the female spirit named Haumea. This spirit is important when talking about HawaiΚ»i's gods as she descended from Papa, or Earth Mother, and Wakea, Sky Father, both descendants of the supreme beings.
Pele is also known as "She who shapes the sacred land," spoken of in ancient Hawaiian chants [3, 4].
The first published stories about Pele were written by William Ellis [5].
According to legend, Pele lives in HalemaΚ»umaΚ»u of KΔ«lauea in HawaiΚ»i Volcanoes National Park. KΔ«lauea is a currently active volcano that is located on the island of HawaiΚ»i and is still being extensively studied [6].
Many Hawaiians believe Kilauea to be inhabited by a "family of fire gods," one of the sisters being Pele who is believed to govern Kilauea and is responsible for controlling its lava flows [7].
There are several traditional legends associated with Pele in Hawaiian mythology. In addition to being recognized as the goddess of volcanoes, Pele is also known for her power, passion, jealousy, and capriciousness. She has numerous siblings... More + VIDEO
Iceland is exploding and vomiting molten earth
AT A GLANCE:
The eruption is just a couple of miles north of the town Grindavik.
The entire town of Grindavik was evacuated in November because of seismic activity.
Many evacuees are still living in temporary accommodations.
Iceland volcanic island that's still blackened
A large volcanic eruption is underway in southwestern Iceland, with semi-molten rock shooting high into the air in an area where scientists feared for weeks that such an event would take place.
It's happening about 2 miles north of the town of Grindavik, which had been evacuated last month amid fears that an eruption nearby was likely.
There are signs that Vikings were here.
Earthquakes left some homes damaged in the town, which also prompted evacuations.
This type of eruption is not likely to send a large amount of ash into the air, and therefore, large-scale flight delays and cancellations are not expected.
The eruption is happening about 30 miles southwest of Iceland's capital, Reykjavik (home of chess), along the Reykjanes Peninsula.
(WATCH: Explaining the Iceland Volcano Eruption)
There are signs of volcanic activity everywhere
Iceland’s Foreign Minister Bjarne Benediktsson said on X, formerly Twitter, that there were no disruptions of flights to and from Iceland and international flight corridors remain open. More
The Morning Brief email newsletter provides weekday updates from The Weather Channel and meteorologists.
What to do if your kid goes to a monastery: A Buddhist monk interviews his parents
(Clear Mountain Monastery) Sept. 13, 2023: Clear Mountain Monastery Podcast In this session, Ajahn Nisabho interviews his parents, Sarah Conover and Doug Robnett, about their experience having a son in robes and their own spiritual journeys.
Tune in with fellow practitioners every Wednesday evenings from 6:00-6:45 pm or Saturday mornings from 9:30-11:00 am for a Dhamma Talk and Q&A with Ajahn Kovilo or Ajahn Nisabho.
Saturday mornings begin with a 30-minute meditation. Wednesday evening Q&A's are followed by a discussion on Zoom from 6:45-7:30 pm.
Cannabis use linked to epigenetic changes, scientists discover
Is it a magic plant or a genetic coincidence?
Using cannabis [weed, pot, marijuana] may cause changes in the human body's epigenome [the top (epi-) portion of our genetic code that turns other instructions on and off], a study of over 1,000 adults suggests.
The epigenome functions like a set of [on and off] switches, activating or deactivating genes [instructions] to change how our bodies function.
"We observed associations between cumulative marijuana use and multiple epigenetic markers across time," says Dr. Lifang Hou, a preventative medical doctor and epidemiologist from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Cannabis is a commonly used substance in the United States, with 49 percent of people [admitting to] trying it at least once, Dr. Hou and a team of US researchers report in their published paper.
The researchers studied around 1,000 adults who had participated in a long-term previous study where they had been asked about their cannabis use over a 20-year period. Study participants provided blood samples on two occasions during that time, at the 15- and 20-year points.
They were aged between 18 and 30 at baseline, or "year 0." Using these blood samples from five years apart, Dr. Hou and her team looked at the epigenetic changes, specifically DNA methylation levels, of people who had used cannabis recently or for a long time. More
Heroic "vandals" at Ohio farm release 25,000 mink, 10,000 go free into wild, sheriff angry (fox7austin.com). Vandals schmandals! Animal liberators concerned with the welfare of tens of thousands of tortured animals being prepared for slaughter in Ohio took to direct action to liberate them. They left the writing on the wall, literally, to show who and why it was done. Maybe an impersonator did it. Maybe it's an insurance scam by the owners. Maybe Nazi youth trying to make the local hippies look bad spray painted that message. Maybe a neighboring farm is trying to destroy Lion Farms. Who knows. The mink are out now, and that part of Ohio is not likely to be the same. Some are sure to go feral, survive, thrive, and invade the local ecosystem. Did the torturers ever think of that when they imported these animals from another habitat and kept them in cages their whole lives before being slaughtered for the fur trade? What if these carnivores made it to a chicken farm? It might mean financial disaster. The solution by local yokels? Guns. It's open season on these curious creatures trying to survive in a foreign land, yet all the cruelty is being blamed on the liberators who saved these souls from certain death by their torturers and captors.
Investigative reporter Cheryll Jones interviewed doctoral researcher Karen Konkoly on new scientific studies that open the doorway to two-way communication between lucid dreamers (people who realize they're in a dream) and a waking person.
Sleep researchers at Paller Lab at Northwestern University watch brain signals of sleeping participants in the lab in hopes of refining communications so that complex conversations may one day be possible.
I know I'm dreaming, and life is dreaming.
Recent experiments were conducted with subjects in REM sleep, who were asked simple questions. In successful cases, subjects moved their eyes in a certain direction for the number of times that corresponded to the answer they wished to give. During the REM state, all but the eye and a few facial muscles are paralyzed.
Konkoly tells the reporter that their experiments corresponded with work being done at several other labs around the world. Paller Lab incorporates a "target memory activation" technique to induce lucid dreaming. Subjects listen to a 20-minute recording in which a specific sound becomes associated with the idea of becoming lucid. The sound is then played while subjects are asleep.
The researchers have been able to induce lucidity. This technology is available as an Android app used in combination with a Fitbit device. (An iPhone version will be released later). AUDIO
The Surprising Truth Behind Planting Trees and Climate Change
(PBS Terra) Check out Out of Our Elements: For decades we’ve been planting trees in hopes of reducing natural carbon as if it were "pollution." But when it comes to carbon sequestration, which makes the world greener, have we actually been getting it all backward?
During the UN Climate Conference (COP26), the topic of carbon capture and storage was hotly debated. In this episode, PBS Terra travels to the Pacific Northwest forests of Oregon to see what we can learn about forest carbon sinks from Prof. Beverly Law and her groundbreaking research with Oregon State University’s Department of Forestry.
What about planting trees and forest carbon storage? Let's see in the comments. It's good and necessary but takes ten to 20 years before the ground started sequestering carbon. Until then the barren ground is putting out carbon from plant decay in the ground, which would happen even if new trees wewre not coming. So we must preserve old growth forests.
#OldGrowthForests #CCS #CarbonCapture
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