Crowded?

 

FREEDOM

FREEDOM MEANS the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.

First Amendment to the US Constitution passed in 1789

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Categories of speech that are given lesser or no protection by the First Amendment (and therefore may be restricted) include obscenity, fraud, child pornography, speech integral to illegal conduct, speech that incites imminent lawless action, speech that violates intellectual property law, true threats, and commercial speech such as advertising.

SO...  we do not really have FREEDOM OF SPEECH...  since that freedom is not ALL INCLUSIVE but includes exceptions.

If we do not have ALL INCLUSIVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH, do we not have COMPLETE FREEDOM as well?

If you support President Trump, do you feel the FREEDOM to let everyone know that you feel this way or do you keep it to yourself because you are concern over the potential repercussions?

If you do keep it to yourself, then you do not have COMPLETE FREEDOM...

Is this the kind of country you want to live in?

Overlooked Matrix Themes

The Matrix is a 1999 American science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis.  It depicts a dystopian future in which humanity is unknowingly trapped inside a simulated reality, the Matrix, created by intelligent machines to distract humans while using their bodies as an energy source.  When computer programmer Thomas Anderson, under the hacker alias "Neo", uncovers the truth, he "is drawn into a rebellion against the machines" along with other people who have been freed from the Matrix.

The Matrix is an example of the cyberpunk subgenre of science fiction.  The Wachowskis' approach to action scenes was influenced by Japanese animation and martial arts films, and the film's use of fight choreographers and wire fu techniques from Hong Kong action cinema influenced subsequent Hollywood action film productions. 

The film popularized a visual effect known as "bullet time", in which the heightened perception of certain characters is represented by allowing the action within a shot to progress in slow-motion while the camera appears to move through the scene at normal speed, allowing the sped-up movements of certain characters to be perceived normally

THEMES:

1. Freedom
2. Free Will
3. Positive Thinking
4. Belief in One's self
5. God as the Matrix Architect
6. Oracle as the intuitive soul
7. Neo as savior Jesus

The special effects of the trilogy of movies overshadowed most of the themes that the movies could have explored but did not, leaving the viewers to simply be amused and amazed and if thoughtful enough explore the deeper meanings that the movie was also trying to convey.  These themes were lost and we as an audience collectively abandoned all of the controversial themes in lieu of being entertained.

Ever Want To Live In A Tree house?

The 1960's Black Power

The 1960s Black Power activist formerly known as 

H. Rap Brown once said that

“violence is as American as cherry pie.”

Casting their eyes to the past, observers search for comparisons to today’s uprisings in the chaos of 1968. But the roots of 2020’s events go far deeper into the last hundred years of American history, which were punctuated by race riots, massacres, and clashes between the police and African Americans. Starting in 1919, three major waves of nationwide uprisings in the 20th century shed light on how the fight for racial equality has grown, how it’s changed, and what has stayed the same.

To read the entire above article, click here....

BLM  is not a new idea because some bad police killed some black people...  it is a movement of hatred for whites that goes back not just 100 years nor does it just go back to the Civil War, but it has its roots in the first black people who were sold as slaves in Great Britain's New Colonies in America...  And, our US CONSTITUTION approved in 1776 did not consider black people to be equal which only served to make the situation worse...  and, it worsened even more after the Civil War because Blacks were really not accepted anywhere in the US, including the North.  No wonder we have the hatred and violence that we have today.  Whites in America gave the Blacks a REASON TO HATE THEM AND THEIR COUNTRY... 

AKUA: Hawaiian Gods

The four main gods (akua) are Ku, Kane, Lono and Kanaloa. Then there are many lesser gods (kupua), each associated with certain professions. In addition to the gods and goddesses, there are family gods or guardians (aumakua). The many gods of Hawaii and Polynesia were often represented by tikis. Tiki statues were carved to represent the image of a certain god and as an embodiment of that specific god's mana, or power.

• Kane: Father of living creatures. Kane is the highest of the four major gods.
• Ku: God of war. Human sacrifices were made to Ku in ancient times.
• Kanaloa: God of the underworld and a teacher of magic. Ruler of the ocean. Complementary power and close companion of Kane.
• Lono: God of agriculture. Associated with fertility, rainfall, music and peace.
• Pele: Goddess of the volcanoes, as well as fire, lightning and wind.
• Hina: Goddess of Moon.
• Laka: Goddess of the hula.
• Kuula: God of fishermen.
• Papa: Fertility goddess. Earth mother

The Menehune are a mythological dwarf people in Hawaiian tradition who are said to live in the deep forests and hidden valleys of the Hawaiian Islands, hidden and far away from human settlements.

The Menehune are described as superb craftspeople. They built temples (heiau), fishponds, roads, canoes, and houses. Some of these structures that Hawaiian folklore attributed to the Menehune still exist. They are said to have lived in Hawaiʻi before settlers arrived from Polynesia many centuries ago. Their favorite food is the maiʻa (banana), and they also like fish. Legend has it that the Menehune will only appear during night hours, in order to build masterpieces. But if they fail to complete their work in the length of the night, they will leave it unoccupied. No one but their children and humans connected to them, are able to see the Menehune.

Worldwide Protests Reappearing

When the COVID-19 pandemic began spreading across the world, an early victim was the wave of protests that had roiled many countries in recent years. Lockdowns imposed on public health grounds restricted citizens’ freedom of movement and assembly, while fear of contracting the virus discouraged many from publicly gathering. Consequently, major protests in countries like Chile and India have gone silent during the pandemic.

In some countries, illiberal governments have capitalized on the chaos of the pandemic to persecute critics, criminalize dissent, ban public demonstrations, and further concentrate political power. In Hong Kong, the introduction of a controversial new national security law and arrests of prominent dissidents could silence one of the world’s most significant recent protest movements. Meanwhile, in Algeria, authorities have detained several leading figures of the Hirak protest movement in recent weeks...

The protests have also reverberated beyond U.S. borders. At least sixteen countries—ranging from the UK and France to Australia, Brazil, Japan, Kenya, and South Africa—have seen major demonstrations over police violence against Black or minority populations and related issues, such as systemic racism and the legacies of colonial empires. In France and South Africa in particular, the pandemic has served to only crystallize the problem of police brutality: authorities enforcing lockdown regulations have disproportionately used force against Black citizens.           

                     To read entire article, click here...

A Dog's Life

 

The !0 Commandments

 

WE HOPE THEY DIE

 As you should know if you have been watching the NEWS, any NEWS actually, a lone gun person walked up to a police vehicle and with a handgun shot the two officers inside and then ran away.  This action was caught on camera.  When the two officers were taken to the hospital for treatment, there was a crowd of people protesting in front of the hospital chanting,  WE HOPE THEY DIE...

These are AMERICANS hoping other AMERICANS will die...

This is happening in California and perhaps not that indicative of the rest of the country but it is happening nonetheless and as AMERICANS we should be alarmed and outraged at this type of behavior over our own citizens and disdain for HUMAN LIFE.

Our country is in TURMOIL and to blame Democrats or Republicans is equally wrong as it is more a FAILURE OF LEADERSHIP throughout the country as a whole...  and, has its roots in the ideology that TRUMP should not be President because he was not elected by a majority of the people but by the ELECTORAL COLLEGE.

That attitude is nothing more than not understanding nor accepting our US Constitution.  And, if you think the US Constitution is wrong, then CHANGE IT.

BUT, to hope someone DIES is unforgivable...   and, I cannot imagine what goes through the mind of an individual or a group of people who think that someone with whom they disagree should DIE.

THIS IS NOT MY AMERICA...  IS IT YOURS?

Facism

 

CHINA has bigger navy than USA

Do You Feel Safe at Home?

Is Your Community Safe?

This is a complicated subject, and it’s one we’ve tried to examine for years. Today’s high current of civil unrest makes these questions more vital than ever. As part of our commitment to provide the most helpful and relevant information in our reports, we’ve made some changes this year.

You’ll find a deeper analysis of multiple factors that impact life in the metro communities that report the highest numbers of crime incidents.

For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

Here are the 10 most dangerous metro areas in America for 2020

1. Anchorage, Alaska
2. Albuquerque, New Mexico
3. Memphis, Tennessee
4. Wichita, Kansas
5. Lubbock, Texas
6. Detroit-Dearborn-Livonia, Michigan
7. Spokane-Spokane Valley, Washington
8. Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana
9. Corpus Christi, Texas
10. Mobile, Alabama

Saving India's Elephants

                                                           

The woman trying to save India's tortured temple elephants
By Swaminathan Natarajan
BBC World Service

Sangita Iyer (ABOVE) is on a mission.

                                                            

As a child, the documentary maker, who was born in the Indian state of Kerala but now lives in Toronto, saw ceremonial elephants being paraded and thought they were beautiful. Later, she learned about the ordeal the animals are subjected to.

"So many elephants had ghastly wounds on their hips, massive tumours and blood oozing out of their ankles, because chains had cut into their flesh and many of them were blind," Iyer told the BBC.  She has made a documentary, Gods in Shackles, in an attempt to draw attention to the treatment of temple elephants she saw in India.

"They were so helpless and the chains were so heavy," she said. "It was absolutely heart-breaking for me to witness this."
                                                                              

An old tradition
Hindu and Buddhist traditions give elephants an elevated status. For centuries, temples and monasteries have used them to perform sacred duties. Devotees even seek blessings from them. The reputation of some elephants outlives their time on Earth.

                                                                      

Near Kerala's well-known Guruvayur Temple you will find a life-size concrete statue of a much loved elephant called Kesavan. Its tusks adorn the entrance of the temple. It is claimed that Kesavan circled the temple before collapsing and dying in 1976, aged 72. It is common to see people gather to mourn the death of temple elephants - even if they are not that famous.

                                                                    

"They torture the elephants to death, and after their death they light lamps and shed crocodile tears, as though they really feel sad for these elephants," Iyer said. TO READ ENTIRE STORY, CLICK HERE...

Komic Korner Kartoons

Happy Birthday

 

Underwater Highway

 

ONCE AGAIN

 It would appear that ONCE AGAIN September 11, 2001 has come and gone with a memory lapse of what this country went through 19 years ago.  A few random photos were posted on the internet and social media forums and blogs and a few articles were written and published by the mainstream media and some people were interview and Churches in NYC held memorial services, but BLM matter and the memories of the CIVIL WAR seem to be a more important issue here in AMERICA, HOME OF THE FREE.

• China released COVID into the world population and all the Democrats care about is blaming Trump
• China has the largest NAVY in the world today and all the Democrats care about is blaming Trump
• Racism runs unmolested in our cities today and all the Democrats care about is blaming Trump

As a Vietnam Veteran, I find this behavior unacceptable but I have no idea what the rest of America THINKS because America is clouded over by the BLM movement, remembering the CIVIL WAR, and letting us all know that 13% of the population is going to bitch, moan, protest, riot, and loot until they get what they want.

BUT, and this is just my opinion, if the 13% actually get what they want, RACISM will increase in America as the rest of us begin to flex their muscles in the only way that we know how and that is PASSIVE RESISTANCE and RELUCTANT CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE that will manifest itself in our subtle actions towards the 13% in the future.

THIS IS NOT A THREAT BUT COMMON SENSE AFTER SEEING SO MANY UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES IN THE PAST DEVELOP OVER OUR INAPPROPRIATE ACTIONS.

For those of you who understand SYSTEMS THINKING, we are reaction to SPECIAL CAUSE VARIATION when we should be reacting to COMMON CAUSE VARIATION...

THIS and THAT

NASA: Mars: Newly Released Video