Showing posts with label yellow shirts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yellow shirts. Show all posts

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Thai protests against king and PM (video)

DW News, August 11, 2020; CC Liu, Pfc. Sandoval (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly


Thai students protest gov't and monarchy
Thousands of college student protesters in Thailand have rallied in anti-government protests, demanding political change. The rally on August 10 was the biggest in recent months. Protesters are calling for the resignation of military Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who seized power in 2014 in a violent coup and who last year came out ahead in rigged and controversial elections. Protesters are also calling for reform of the untouchable monarchy, a call that's been taboo in Thailand due to strict laws preventing anyone from so much as "insulting" the new king, Maha Vajiralongkorn, or any other royal.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

What and who is the Panchen Lama?

CC Liu, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit
Khedrup Gelek Pelzang, first (to be retroactively titled) "Panchen Lama"
.
The Panchen Lama (Tibetan པཎ་ཆེན་བླ་མ།) is a tulku of the Gelug (Yellow Hat) school of Tibetan Buddhism.

Panchen Lama is one of the most important figures in the Gelug tradition, with spiritual authority second only to Dalai Lama.

"Panchen" is a portmanteau word combining "Pandita" and "Chenpo," meaning "Great scholar."
  
The recognition of Panchen Lamas began with Lobsang Chökyi Gyaltsen, tutor of the 5th Dalai Lama, who received the title "Panchen Bogd" from Altan Khan and the Dalai Lama in 1645. Bogd is Mongolian, meaning "holy."

John Oliver interviews the 14th Dalia Lama.
Khedrup Gelek Pelzang, Sönam Choklang, and Ensapa Lobsang Döndrup were subsequently recognized as the first, second, and third Panchen Lamas posthumously and retroactively after the term was invented.

There is a big controversy about the current Panchen Lama in China. More

  • China kidnaps official Panchen Lama, hides him away
  • China trots out its own offically crowned "Panchen Lama"

Monday, January 9, 2017

Boy troubles: friends with my ex? (video)

Anna Akana (youtube.com); BuzzFeedYellow; Lana Del Rey (Kanal von Lyricer1 video); Pop Trigger (news/gossip on sex life); CC Liu, Ashley Wells, Crystal Quintero (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

(BuzzFeedYellow, Jan. 7, 2017) WARNING: F word! "Dating as an Indian Woman" - When you're Indian-American, being 29 and single is a big deal. If you don't believe it, just ask my mom. More
 

  What's the one question all [heteronormative] men fear [in relationships]?

(Lana Del Rey) WARNING: Hollywood sex and violence! Unofficial version of "Kinda Outta Luck"


Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) sexed many fans.
(Pop Trigger) Lana Del Rey, talking about her 2014 song “F*cked My Way Up to the Top,” admits to having slept with a lot of people in the industry to try to advance her career. However, she claims none of it helped. She also goes on to talk about how fame has caused her great depression, how her engagement fell apart because of these issues, and how she isn’t happy. The PT crew gives their views on the different subjects she mentioned. There are varying opinions when it comes to using sex to get ahead and some very insightful opinions given on the issue of depression.

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Death of a Buddhist King: Thailand


Spontaneous outbursts of emotion, rare in Asia, have been few and far between as the beloved king's death was expected. There was a vigil in effect for the hospitalized 88-year-old (BBC.com).

 
King Bhumibol Adulyadej (left) with family
This (Theravada) Buddhist king was the world's longest reigning monarch. He was beloved by his people, staying out of politics and war as much as possible. Meanwhile, military coups, business alignments and scandals were brought on by prime ministers and junta generals, which sought his blessing to soothe the people. The law against any kind of criticism of his majesty made him immune to public ridicule. Even an implicit jab or unflattering Facebook post could get one years in prison. Here's the story from the former empire's propaganda arm, the BBC.

Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-reigning monarch, has died after 70 years as head of state.
 
The 88-year-old king was widely revered but had been in poor health in recent years, making few public appearances.
 
He was seen as a stabilizing figure in a country hit by cycles of political turmoil and multiple coups.
 
Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn will be the new monarch, the prime minister has said.
 
The announcement
The royal Buddhist family tree of Thailand with King Bhumibol on second row (BBC)

After two days of speculation and rumors surrounding the king's deteriorating health, the palace announcement confirming his death finally came early on Thursday evening.

"His majesty has passed away at Siriraj Hospital peacefully," a statement said, adding he had died at 15:52 (08:52 GMT).

In a televised address to the nation, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha said Thailand would hold a one-year mourning period, that flags would fly half-mast and all entertainment functions must be "toned down" for a month.
In a later statement he urged vigilance, saying national security was a top priority.
 
"Everyone will need to be alert in every region and throughout the country to ensure safety," he said.

The king's death comes as Thailand remains under military rule following a coup in 2014.
 
A palace official, speaking to crowds outside the hospital, said the body of the king would be moved to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok on Friday.

The people's grief
Visits to Thailand and its many Theravada Buddhist temples are a trip (nattapan72/flickr).
 
New king: Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn
King Bhumibol was widely respected across Thailand, and thought of by many as semi-divine [deva-human hybrid or demigod, which is the possible origin in the West of the "divine right of kings" concept in that the sky visitors ruled humans then left behind their children with human mothers to rule in their place as regents until their return].

Hundreds of mourners gathered outside the Bangkok hospital where he died, stricken with grief at the news. More

Friday, August 12, 2016

Bombs in Tourist Paradise: Thailand (video)

Democracynow.org, 8-12-16; Ashley Wells, Dhr. Seven, Seth Auberon, Wisdom Quarterly
Standing, golden Buddha overlooks Thai town (Hatoriz/flickr.com)
Golden Mount at Wat Saket, Buddhist landmark, Bangkok, Thailand (Bugphai/flickr)



Bomb Blasts Hits Thailand as Nation Moves to Military Rule
Buddhist temple in verdant Roi-et Thailand (Sasin Tipchai/Bugphai/flickr.com)

H1thailand

Thailand (bangkokthailandairportmap)
(Headlines) A series of bomb blasts in Thailand have hit three of the country’s most popular tourist resorts, killing four people and wounding dozens, including Western tourists. There have been at least 11 explosions in total since Thursday. No group has claimed responsibility for the blasts, which come days after the country voted to accept a military-backed charter in a referendum that cements their undemocratic power. Human Rights Watch has warned that Thailand is moving toward becoming a military dictatorship like neighboring and resource-rich but financially-impoverished Burma. Brad Adams, the group’s Asia director, said: "Instead of the long-promised return to democratic civilian rule, the new constitution facilitates unaccountable military power and a deepening dictatorship."

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Simone Manuel leaned her head into her hands and cried when she recognized her historic achievement. With her victory in the 100-meter freestyle, she became the first African-American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in swimming (AP).

US's Simone Manuel, left, and Canada's Penny Oleksiak celebrate winning joint gold and setting new Olympic record in the women's 100-meter freestyle during swimming competitions, 2016 Summer Olympics, Aug. 11, 2016, Rio (AP).

Sunday, August 7, 2016

Thailand follows U.S. in faking democracy

Associated Press (ap.org via mail.org, August 7, 2016); Wisdom Quarterly
Look it's empty. We'll stuff it with votes later. Thai officers show an empty box before the start of vote in a referendum, Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2016 (AP).
Thais voted Sunday in a referendum on a new constitution that critics say is tailor-made for the military government to stay in control for several years and entrench a new, quasi-democratic system that gives vast powers to appointed officials (AP).
.
Thai voters overwhelmingly approve junta-backed constitution
Deposed corrupt PM Yingluck Shinawatra


 
In a referendum called by the military government, 62 percent of the voters said they approved of the new constitution, while 38 percent rejected it, Election Commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn told reporters. He said that 91 percent of the ballots had been counted, and that the result was not expected to change much after all votes are in.
 
That veneer of stability could help explain the "yes" vote for the new constitution. The charter "speaks to a lot of worries and concerns that a majority of Thai people have," Gothom Areeya, a professor at Thailand's Mahidol University, told The Associated Press. "Many Thais want to see an end to corruption and the return of peace and development. Even though experts like me may criticize it a lot, our message just didn't reach a lot of the people."
 
The referendum was seen as a test of the popularity of the military government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a retired army general who has severely curtailed dissent since coming to power in a 2014 coup. But his rule has also brought a measure of stability and ended the frequent street violence and divisive politics that had frayed Thailand's social fabric for years.
 
In addition to asking for an opinion on the constitution, the referendum also asked a supplementary question on whether voters wanted an appointed Senate to choose a prime minister. That question elicited a less enthusiastic approval -- 58 percent "yes" and 42 percent "no," Somchai said.
 
Fifty-five percent of Thailand's roughly 50 million registered voters cast ballots in the referendum. Although no irregularities were reported in the voting process, critics are likely to point out that the vote was skewed because the "no" camp was denied the opportunity to present its case.
 
The junta imposed severe restrictions in the run-up to the referendum, banning political rallies, independent campaigns and open discussion about the draft constitution. Criticism of the draft was made punishable by 10 years in jail. Critics say the restrictions ensured that most people were unaware of the pitfalls of the charter, and were probably anxious to get the long-drawn process over with so that they could move on. More

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Thailand's coup and Tiger Temple (video)

May 31, 2016, ODN/VF (AP/ABC News) Tiger Temple: Thai wildlife officials start removing tigers from Kanchanaburi after allegations and find 40 cubs dead in freezer (preserved for autopsies to show they died of natural causes, the monks explain). Thai authorities have started extracting the 137 tigers held at this unique Theravada Buddhist temple after allegations some of the monks were involved in unlawful reproduction and trafficking of tigers.
Dispatch 1: In 2014 Thailand PM Yingluck Shinawatra and nine of her ministers were forced to step down over allegations of abuse of power -- which has ignited heated protests by members of the country's [radical UDD] "red shirt" movement.

(AJ) Who are the red shirt protesters? Not pro-government
 
Supporters of the ousted leader -- whose brother, corrupt former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, was also ejected -- called the move a coup and poured onto the streets of Bangkok.

The [pro-military PAD] "yellow shirts," which for months had been calling for a new government, celebrated their victory. VICE News takes a look at these opposing rallies and the political vacuum ahead for Thailand. More
Coup: Thailand’s thoughtcrime arrests
Hundreds of activists defied a ban on protests and marched in Thailand's capital in a rare rally against the hard-line ruling military (Chaiwat Subprasom/Reuters).
 
Demonstrators from the New Democracy Movement (NDM) group flash the three-finger salute inspired by the movie "The Hunger Games" during a rally at the Democracy Monument in Bangkok, Thailand, Sept. 19, 2015.

In the eyes of Thailand’s military rulers, it seems no subversive thought is too petty to punish.

Thailand is now entering its third year under military dictatorship, a reign established when generals seized power from an elected government on May 22, 2014.

The army has vowed to use its sweeping powers to heal a nation torn by class resentment. But its favored tactics for keeping the peace -- locking up critics and silencing dissent -- have turned Thailand into a nation where even meek expressions of defiance can end in detention.
 
In the past nine months, Thais have been charged for clicking “like” on subversive Facebook memes. For handing flowers to an anti-junta activist. For allegedly insulting the king’s pet dog.
 
Others have been detained simply for reading George Orwell’s “1984” in public, or for raising three fingers, an anti-tyranny salute from the “Hunger Games” films.
 
Officers have even snatched up a man for eating a sandwich:

 
It was no ordinary sandwich, mind you. It was publicly declared a “sandwich for democracy,” scarfed down by an anti-junta activist at a mall -- all while reading 1984. He was quickly surrounded by plainclothes officers....
 
When the army seized power two years ago, it justified its takeover by promising a wave of grand reforms. Thailand, the generals said, would become a nation purged of corruption and of the recurring, sometimes bloody street protests that have convulsed the political order for nearly a decade.
 
Army Chief Prayuth Chan-ocha, who appointed himself prime minister, even released a syrupy ballad vowing to “return happiness to the people.” At the outset, his subordinates seemed similarly upbeat. More

Who's who? Red versus Yellow
Laura Kyle, "101 East" (AJ English)
"101 East" looks back at the events leading up to the battle in Thailand's capital. Let's look at this under-reported story about tourist-magnet Thailand, listening to all sides of the story, and giving a "voice to the voiceless."  AJ's impartial, fact-based reporting wins worldwide praise for its unique brand of journalism.

This Thai fish WALKS like a mammal, which may reveal secrets about our evolution (April 8, 2016) The fish has a pelvic bone. It's only an inch long, but in the study of human evolution, this could be huge.
 

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

The NAZI "War on [Some] Drugs"

DADD: Dads Against Daughters on Drugs: Shoot the first [hypodermic] and the word will spread, that way we can grow into a full fledged organization, pumpkin (badidea.com).
.
Bush_nazi
I love Reegin and Nancy, too! But Dick loves Adolf
It wasn't former first lady, and possible Nazi sympathizer, Nancy Reagan with her "Just Say No" campaign that created the failed U.S. War on Drugs, nor was it her hubby, former hated California Governor beloved former Pres. Ronnie Reagan, whose hagiographies have made him a Republican darling. Nor was it his predecessor's, nor his...
  
THE CHRONOLOGY
Neal Smith, Occupied America: A Chronology of Nazi Infiltration and the War on Some Drugs
Seig, uh, Howdy! G.W. was the Nazi!
1820 — Rothschilds established as the leading bank in Europe. Bankers who allied themselves with the Rothschilds, and those who supported the Masonic order, found themselves well off. Those who didn't had a rough way to go.
1840 — During an attempt at alcohol prohibition, then-attorney Abraham Lincoln states: "Prohibition makes a crime out of things that are not crimes ... A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded."
1842 — Cannabis makes up about half of all medicines sold in America. No one reports serious problems with use.
1850 — Cannabis prescribed as the prime medicine for more than 100 separate illnesses or diseases in U.S. Pharmacopoeia.
1865 — Northern Industrialists win War Between the States. Now have power base over agricultural South, influences westward expansion of U.S, location of railroads. Mary Todd Lincoln prescribed cannabis for the nervous breakdown she suffered following husband (President) Lincoln's assassination.
1875 — California, in a blatant act of racism, bans opium smoking by Chinese. Large, well-run opium houses ran out of business, replaced by smaller, less reputable houses. Usage increases.
1876 — Turkish hashish exhibition at Philadelphia's Centennial Exhibition was most popular. Fairgoers encouraged to return again and again to "enhance" their enjoyment of the fair.
1883 — First federal law against drugs. Congress heavily taxed smoking opium. First time taxation was used to legislate morality, instead of raise revenues. Controlled by Treasury Department.
1884 — Supreme Court decision making corporations artificial persons. Gives corporations 14th Amendment protections.
1888 — Using 1883 Opium Taxation Law as precedent, federal government banned certain types of opium from being imported, and banned Chinese from importing opium at all. Government now surrenders revenue raising in favor of controlling "morality."
1890 — Standard Oil of Ohio is refining 90% of America's oil, thanks to Rothschild financing.
1894 — Indian Hemp Drugs Commission report released to British. Study done in India. Judged the physical, mental, moral effects of smoking cannabis, urges against any prohibition based on "no appreciable physical injury of any kind, ... no injurious effects on the mind, ... (and) no moral injury whatever."

Ghost of Pres. Reagan: NSA spying
Cora Currier and Ryan Devereaux (firstlook.org/theintercept, 9-29-14)
Featured photo - The Ghost of Ronald Reagan Authorizes Most NSA Spying
The beloved, racist, right wing conservative
U.S. intelligence agents have broad authority to spy on U.S. companies as long as they are “believed to have some relationship with foreign organizations or persons” -- a description that could conceivably apply to ANY company with foreign shareholders, subsidiaries, or even employees -- according to newly released government documents published recently by the ACLU. The trove, which includes documents from the NSA, Department of Justice, and the Defense Intelligence Agency, confirms long-standing suspicions that the bulk of U.S. foreign surveillance operations are governed not by acts of Congress, but by a [ridiculous] 33-year-old executive order issued unilaterally by President Ronald Reagan. More
1895 — Rothschilds begin to finance American business. They do so primarily through the Warburgs of Germany who were partners of Kuhn, Loeb, and Company of New York. Both Warburgs and Kuhn/Loeb would be principals of Federal Reserve Board. Rothschilds would finance Rockefeller's Standard Oil, Carnegie Steel, and the Harriman Railroad system.
1896 — McKinley elected president. Marcus Alonzo Hannah from Standard Oil of Ohio raised 16 million dollars for campaign, otherwise unheard of until 1960's.
1898 — Spanish American War starts, with William Randolph Hearst's "Yellow Journalism" fueling the fires. Hearst begins his long campaign of racism against Hispanics, "Orientals," and Africans, and the things they do in their cultures.
1900 — Mellon Bank, sixth largest in America, finances very successful oil "gusher" in Spindletop, Texas. Eli Lilly and Parke Davis, in a joint venture, develops strain of cannabis called "Cannabis Americana." Strain is a very potent Cannabis Indica, to be used in their medicines.
1906 — Pure Food and Drug Act (Wiley Act) passed. Opens door for government intervention into food and medicine production.
1911 — Standard Oil of New Jersey found in violation of Sherman Anti-Trust Act. Forced to diversify, though all companies they split into, John D. Rockefeller had at least 25% of stock. Therefore, spirit of Sherman Anti-Trust violated.
1912 — Wiley Act amended, giving government right to determine if a substance is "harmful."...
Krugman_The_Great_Unraveling2000 — The annual budget for the War On Some Drugs request is the highest ever: $17.7 billion dollars...some claim $19 billion. It's not known as of this writing how much will actually be spent. As of this writing, Congress is debating spending up to nine billion additional dollars to arm the nation of Columbia in the War On Some Drugs. Many fear a repeat of the Vietnam fiasco. As of February 15, two million people are behind bars in America. With approximately [5%] of the world's population, we now incarcerate 25% of the world's prisoners. Of the two million, approximately 61% are jailed on drug charges. Of that group, approximately 82% are in on Marijuana charges. Of that subset, 65% are for mere possession cases. Reports begin to surface on the overuse of drugs like Prozac and Ritalin on preschool children. Amnesty International reports a continuation of abuses in the former Yugoslavia. The Kosovar Liberation Army, which the U.S. State Department claims is disbanded, still rules the streets of Kosovo. Twenty-eight thousand NATO troops remain as "Peacekeepers." The Miami Herald releases a document signed by an imprisoned Chilean Military Officer that directly implicates Chilean former President Augusto Pinochet. Pinochet was put into power in the 70's after U.S. President Richard Nixon's CIA provided assistance to overthrow popularly-elected Salvador Allende. According to the Herald, the document reveals Pinochet's involvement in a 1976 operation that assassinated Chilean exile leader Orlando Letelier. The bombing occurred in Washington, D.C. and is still considered the most serious act of international terrorism to date on U.S. soil. The Herald quotes Espinoza saying that "... by order of the President, we must begin an investigation of Orlando Letelier, who is threatening the stability of the Chilean Government." Espinoza was never extradited to the U.S. to face bombing charges, but he and one other were convicted of the bombing in Chile in 1995. More