We get away with nothing. To think otherwise is a misperception from seeing only snapshots in time. And that's not to say we can't heal this. We can. It takes remorse, humility, and stillness. Care for what was not freely given. Stop desecrating it.
We get away with nothing. To think otherwise is a misperception from seeing only snapshots in time. And that's not to say we can't heal this. We can. It takes remorse, humility, and stillness. Care for what was not freely given. Stop desecrating it.
Are you a woohoo! household? Kroger bargain shelves and .99 produce bags are key to living in L.A.
Duterte
the hurricane katrina series i co-curated, “when the world broke open: katrina and its afterlives” continues at MoMA through september 21. on saturday at 7 pm, we screen the pilot episode of “treme” with creator david simon and star wendell pierce in conversation with me. join us, won’t you?
I'm so happy to see this discussion. It's become a strange world, indeed, when I am the one defending religion and going to church. Yet I do it a lot. Partly because I admire Black churches and the central role they've had for generations of people living with some hideous truths.
The best theatre to stream this month: Basil’s back as Fawlty Towers reopens for business
I find it sadly ironic. Until you've been vulnerable, you can't grasp how wonderful some people are. Benevolent. And that's a big source of happiness.
One idea accepted as truth by some is that heaven/hell aren't places, but the felt experiences of a life review done with post-death awareness. Pain visited upon others is visited back upon us not as "punishment", but because we're all one! Hurting others is literally hurting ourselves. Karmic law.
I've experienced it as a 6-12 month lag, and it seems to be catching up. Friends and family who are smart but had had a lot of faith in institutions have recently been calling me to talk, saying, This is really bad. Six months ago they were lowkey patronizing me, like I had suddenly become a crank.
Yes, I remember there are some contours to this general period that echo previous wars, plural! That's one theme. Another theme is a complete rebirth. And we're in labor now.
The time around the solar eclipse on the 21st sounds auspicious. Or terrifying. Big karmic reckoning suggested by the astrology. Astrology in the hands of a skilled and literate interpreter is way more reliable than MSM at this point.
This goes deep. Some Quakers pick it up in their commitment to equality. A Quaker lawyer may navigate with a judge the NOT wearing of a suit in court when representing a client who doesn't even have a suit to wear. For he's doing the opposite of what's usually done - trying to NOT signal status.
🐌❤️
I forgot an important part, which is to either reference a magic water that cures the cancers caused by vaccines, or to promote crypto. Optimally, both.
Someone just needs to produce a video and talk about their channeled download from the ancient civilization of Lemuria. They're warning about how AI is only here to do the evil work of preventing our ascension to 5-D.
I've seen no evidence that anyone involved has any wisdom or moral compass.
Impermanence could be taken as license to kill, actively or passively, for those looking for one. What would stop that? A knowing that others are just as real and sentient. The compassion teachings and practices are practical - to sustain community life and social contracts.
If you understand that the nature of what arises is also to die, and haven't cultivated compassion, you may just arrive at fuckitol and live there.
This might almost be the same as fight/not fight? Holding that human dignity, rights and species survival are part of a non-negotiable value system. (I notice that in buddhism there's an emphasis on compassion at the same time there's teaching on impermanence. I now see why - nihilism.)
I see humanist/nihilist, too. True nihilists are relatively few, just, they've gotten a massive boost.
Oakland is sure a land of contrasts. Experiencing the simultaneous reality of West Oakland and Piedmont as an idealistic young person was priceless and brutal. I was floored that the disparity could exist when many in the community actually DID care - that part wasn't a lie. And it's still not.
“By naming our organization and quoting Gloria Chun Hoo, the mailer wrongly implies that the League of Women Voters of California is part of their coalition and endorses the information contained in the flyer. This implication is not correct—we are not part of that coalition.“
We can negotiate methods and policy in good faith with those who respect core values like human rights. It's about not being a nihilist, really.
To ground it in practical terms, which choice will cause the least amount of suffering? Social contracts won't hold when people are unmoved by the suffering of others. I'm sure that's completely unrelated to some voicing the opinion that empathy is a weakness. Actually, empathy is a powerful force.
"Without food, we would have gone bankrupt by now. Thanks food! The service was excellent."
For the retailers on this list, anyway, the vast majority of positions kept part-time, so no benefits need be offered. Great Recession maybe cemented that, plus e-commerce. Y2K and earlier retail was a real career with full benefits if you were skilled re: product knowledge and building clientele.
I see this as speaking to RFK, too. If a person's not skillful at discerning the truth, they may vacillate wildly between blind faith and trusting nothing.
The mailings from the opposition on this are already going out - got one today.
Same with L.A. it can be hard to convey how vast and varied it is. And how bizarre to see the militarization.
DEVO had extraordinary energy and vision at the same time it provided social proof that things were fucked up. As a teen in the Reagan years, I can't overemphasize how welcome and important their message felt. Like oxygen.
DEVO, man. They knew. Some of us fans did, too. But this time is not the kind of validation we wanted. Great documentary.
As a retailer, a primary way you weather inherent uncertainty and, related, the room for SO MUCH error is by building customer loyalty.
If Gene Roddenberry was still alive and running Star Trek, I guarantee we'd be getting thinly veiled allegories about anti-vaccine bullshit or xenophobia. It would not be subtle. It would hit reasonably hard. People would complain endlessly that Star Trek had gotten too progressive.
Related, one of my favorite facts is that a red racer snake can go 35 mph. Down the hall.
But if you're in the desert, don't worry about it. When the resulting hole is big enough for a rat to get through, it just means the snakes will follow.
It's a mix - some normies, too. The thing I did not see coming in my circle is older bohemian women on a yoga and raw foods to fascism pipeline that runs through RFK and weird new age ideas. I missed it because there's been a lot of code switching going on.
Must understand intent! Like character, it gives you some of the best information available to care for self and others.
I've learned to walk on eggshells so resistance doesn't come up. I've gotten through to a few in the cult this way. But they know me from work - they're not strangers. That background matters a lot.
In the early days I made the mistake of jumping in and telling people about it. Even those who know better feared I'd gone nuts. It's SO bad. I learned to set it up by talking more generally about a battle between nihilism and humanism. Some seemed relieved having this frame for what they'd felt
We track birds, in particular. The wildfires change migration patterns.
And the way native animals are adapted is astonishing in its perfection.
We've got the little microclimates, as I'm sure you do. So other areas have plants more like in your video. But the overall impression tends to be golds and browns. When you come into CA from the north it's shocking how relatively dry and brown it is. Not even from drought, just its nature.
It's beautiful. A little greener than here, which is the Western Mojave in CA
Those native plants look so familiar.
I don't know how many are going to have the humility and self-perception to understand and respond to this challenge. We have to grow into being the people we needed to be to prevent this.
Yep. I'm with you.
Agree that it's important to watch what people actually do. All of the "normal" people I talk with are freaked out there's been no one leading - they're waiting for a Navalny, basically. And I think he's responding to that need, because he is cunning. I'm more OK with that in this moment than usual
What would Lester do?
Not a term I created, though I find it super useful for seeing a pattern in seemingly unrelated things I notice just because they feel "off". We witnessed a lot re: the state of both national and community social contracts during Covid, in particular.
My county is huge and things probably just get lost. Yet it's the first time in 20 years I've had a problem with something I dropped off.
The postal service is a federal entity, so they wouldn't even have to announce it - ballots just never show up to get counted. That's what happened to my ballot in the last cycle - it disappeared. Nobody's had an explanation for why it didn't at least track as USPS received it. Because it had.
As a ballet dancer I encountered individuals who were all of those things at once. And so much of it came down to money and organizational survival. Often it's the very person audiences love and revere. So everyone else gets to be collateral damage. For as long as it can stay quiet. Always comes out
Consistent with where I am, where they also drive 85+ mph in residential areas. (In the desert the posted speed for some residential areas is 50 mph, which already can turn routine errands into death-defying acts). I see it as a daily reminder that they don't feel they're a part of a social contract
Rather than high or low, I'm looking for more clever. The ability to improvise and be clever is a different skill set from what a lot of elected leaders bring. Apparently.
I've hoped we can promote and organize around a vision that's an effective antidote to nihilism. Per what Gabe was saying, a platform that includes practical deliverables like a fully functioning CDC doesn't sound that inspiring and ambitious unless you acknowledge where we are!
Rather than having to choose low or high, I like a third option: being more clever. It's disappointed me that so many with the power of elected office seemingly aren't clever at all. They'd had norms and rules to hide behind, so this has been a test of how well they can improvise.
Was there. Wow! 15 years ago.
Started seeing smoke for this one from north of Bakersfield, and a huge plume is/was drifting east across the Antelope Valley
I've known people who are conventional and traditional, and also happen to be gay. Pete reminds me of that. It's probably unfair of me to wish for more, but I admit I do. It's like, Why take on the worst and dullest aspects of straight people when you could chart another course?
I've known this was one possible outcome from doing native animal rescue. Helping other species can teach you at least as much about our own if you don't assume that cruelty and disregard are somehow the victim's fault.
Yes! Steel and aluminum for canned goods affected prices last time new tariffs hit.
It's true. My rep introduced some very targeted and logical legislation. In the before times it would be productive. Though in this context, it's like, why are you focused on THAT right now? But our anger needs to be thoughtful - we elected him partly because he's a science wonk. We knew. Bad timing
See, things have gotten so extreme and surreal and ludicrous that I halfway believe He's here already, and there will be a big reveal at an ICE raid or something. Surprise!
I see this as being related to the shopping addiction, too. You need space to transport and store all of your stuff.
Katie Porter, right? i think she said she was running if Kamala wasn't.
This wouldn't be simply for the benefit of animals, either. A thing many don't seem to get yet is that relationships with animals are often a gateway to choices of care or exploitation in a general sense. Giving them rights sets a tone that care and respect are the standard.
Wholeheartedly agree. I learned about the importance of character through marriage. You can't predict all of the challenges you'll face, but getting to know another's character can suggest whether you'll be supported by their choices, or betrayed.
From the outside I wonder how much was the candidate, and how much was party leadership. Not only in this campaign, but in others, too. Our rep's messaging doesn't hit the way it could, and I always feel like it's either coming from leadership, or he doesn't really understand his district.
Many civil rights leaders pray a lot, too. Some people act against universal values like human dignity, honesty, justice (that are central to religions). If leaders don't act by these values, it's not more or less fine because of how they identify by party or faith. It's still being antisocial.
I feel like you guys lived in a different country from me. Going back, my stepdad got radicalized by Limbaugh, and my friends died of AIDS as Anita Bryant smiled. Despite my darker take, maybe precisely because it hurt, WW was the country I wanted, too. Let's figure out what the codes are and build.
It's not only okay, it's radical in the best way.
Some have turned against universal values like fairness, human dignity, and justice altogether, including in their version of Christianity. If we share those values, we have a way to unite. I mean, our great civil rights leaders were/are often openly religious, and we revere them. It's lived values
Thank you for doing your part. We see a big mess, but what is it made of? The unresolved toxic stuff of millions of individual people. It gathered together and formed a critical mass.
The hate is about being reminded that they're coming up far short. Another's very existence can be experienced as inspiration or threat, depending.
Yet Black Joy is a teaching. Who faces terror and injustice for generations, yet feels joy and has an open heart? That's a kind of freedom that isn't based on external conditions. It takes deep spiritual work to get there. And it's a rare comfortable person who volunteers for it. THIS is the issue.
This can work for conversion purposes, too. After I'd been vegan for a little while I really missed fried chicken. I thought. I let myself have some, and was shocked at how game-y and bloody it tasted. So that was that.
This lands hard. He's not devoid of all awareness, so the fact that he chose to turn his back on it really just drives home your take.
I live in a place where the social contract started breaking down a while ago. Mostly you see it in how people drive. Now, more understand that help isn't coming. Yet it's not all bad. Some are like, What the hell, I better do/build this helpful thing because I may not be an expert, but I'm here.
I know there are people who just want to be famous. And the humanists, they train on the classics and are curious about people. It's a calling. I worked mostly in theatre, so it was like, here's the guy I've seen in dumb insurance ads (paying work!) blowing my mind in Shakespeare. Super absurd.
My treasure there was working with some deep, deep humanists in the form of older character actors. Even if a project is crap their own work has dignity. What they put up with for years on the off chance they'll get to tell a great story! Remarkable quests made more so by the context you describe.
West. There was a little window when it was so much more affordable than SF/Oakland, and I was lucky to have the experience. Really wonderful quality of life.
I moved where I did because I wanted to make sure that ALL parts of the state were getting some love. My love was redundant in places like the Central Coast.
Hailing from further north in the state, I'll always be earnest and cringe compared to someone who hails from L.A. Though it's that little bit of distance that makes me notice and love this stuff.
Sure sure = I agree. (Maybe) Can be sarcastic. Or suggest, "please stop stating the obvious and catch up."
We have red racers. One got into the house once. Kept trying to coax it towards an exit, and it would take off and go 30mph sideways down the hall, and hide for a while. Finally back outside, I'd keep checking for it on the ground, and it'd be right above watching me from a tree. Quite cunning.
The vastness of Los Angeles makes it an extreme case. And many of us lost the IRL aspect of our social circles with rent hikes. Though we're all still in L.A. County, I'm now 85 miles away from one friend, 60 miles from another. Given traffic and family life, getting together is for holidays now.
I remember that he was worried about his work for his client being left incomplete as he was undergoing this crisis. Such a telling detail about his character.
The love has to grow so big that it can contain it all. It's not denial, or pretending. It's a much, much bigger experience of love.
Thank you for this. No wonder there's been a lot of confusion. Even seeing some facts clarified, it's just a really weird story.
Good on Christian ~ togethercalifornia.org/groundbreaki... Christian Bale Breaks Ground on 16-Year Passion Project: 12 New Homes for Foster Children www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/li...
Thank you! I appreciate it.
I'm not trying to give you extra work! I understand how these initiatives can serve the interests of others, just hadn't heard of an official connection this time. It's personal - part of why I left FB years ago was deceptive foreign actors trying to recruit me to this cause.
I read they were going to re-file in Sept because they won't have enough signatures to get on the ballot by next week's deadline. Do you remember where you read about a sponsor moving to Russia? There's a lot of info from 2016-2017, including a similar story, but I haven't found anything recent.
Many were left vulnerable for decades. That failure is being exploited by abusers now. Right action doesn't leave others' humanity vulnerable, even if a degree of negligence isn't as grave a violation as deliberate abuse.
My mom and I participated in a lot of surveys and consumer panels in the late 70s (so still the cane sugar era). In a blind cola taste test, the majority of us at that session liked RC best. Interesting, because RC wasn't ubiquitous in California like the other two.
Exactly! You get it!
It's predictable in the desert - unrelenting sun; high winds; little rain; fire danger; daily extreme temp swings. Yet people built Van Nuys housing here. So, short on insulation, and maintenance that's 10X harder because of the elements. Elders built thick-walled adobe for reasons! We ignore wisdom
