Rare Buddhist flower found under nun's washing machine

A rarely seen Buddhist flower, which blossoms every 3,000 years, has been discovered under a nun's washing machine

The only thing I ever found under our wash machine was lint and dust. I wonder who was around to document the last time one of these babies bloomed? Just curious. It appears to me that this rare little flowers can suddenly pop up out of nowhere (but somewhere where Buddhists live and can recognize them).

You could be just walking along in an alley in China Town, San Francisco, when one of these pale plants could spring up next to a trash can. If they can grow under a wash machine why not? But then what do you do? You can’t pluck the fragile stems and put them in a vase. Wait! Your cell phone has a camera. Now, if you can just find an expert to confirm your find…you’ll make the news!

Internet, TV main news sources for Americans

 This information seems to confirm my belief that Americans rely too heavily on the corporate media. What do you think?

“The Internet is now the third most-popular resource for Americans' daily news, behind local and national television news, and about a third of cell phone owners are using their devices to catch up on the latest information, according to a new study.”

A third of cell phone owners access stories on their mobiles, study says

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Judicial Watch Announces List of Washington's "Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians" for 2009

Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released its 2009 list of Washington's "Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians." The list, in alphabetical order, includes:

1. Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT): This marks two years in a row for Senator Dodd, who made the 2008 "Ten Most Corrupt" list for his corrupt relationship with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and for accepting preferential treatment and loan terms from Countrywide Financial, a scandal which still dogs him.
3.  In 2009, the scandals kept coming for the Connecticut Democrat. In 2009, Judicial Watch filed a Senate ethics complaint against Dodd for undervaluing a property he owns in Ireland on his Senate Financial Disclosure forms. Judicial Watch's complaint forced Dodd to amend the forms. However, press reports suggest the property to this day remains undervalued. Judicial Watch also alleges in the complaint that Dodd obtained a sweetheart deal for the property in exchange for his assistance in obtaining a presidential pardon (during the Clinton administration) and other favors for a long-time friend and business associate. The false financial disclosure forms were part of the cover-up. Dodd remains the head the Senate Banking Committee. 2. Senator John Ensign (R-NV):A number of scandals popped up in 2009 involving public officials who conducted illicit affairs, and then attempted to cover them up with hush payments and favors, an obvious abuse of power. The year's worst offender might just be Nevada Republican Senator John Ensign. Ensign admitted in June to an extramarital affair with the wife of one of his staff members, who then allegedly obtained special favors from the Nevada Republican in exchange for his silence. According to The New York Times: "The Justice Department and the Senate Ethics Committee are expected to conduct preliminary inquiries into whether Senator John Ensign violated federal law or ethics rules as part of an effort to conceal an affair with the wife of an aide…" The former staffer, Douglas Hampton, began to lobby Mr. Ensign's office immediately upon leaving his congressional job, despite the fact that he was subject to a one-year lobbying ban. Ensign seems to have ignored the law and allowed Hampton lobbying access to his office as a payment for his silence about the affair. (These are potentially criminal offenses.) It looks as if Ensign misused his public office (and taxpayer resources) to cover up his sexual shenanigans. Go here to see the remaining seven politicians.

Fox dominates indecency complaints

The home for extreme Republicans, often referred to as Fox News, has about as much credibility as a talking aardvark!

“Thanks in large part to "Family Guy" and some of its live sports programming, Fox leads all broadcast networks in getting under the skins of Americans. Almost 50% of the top 50 broadcast TV indecency complaints filed at the FCC were directed at Fox.”

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Remembering a 'rosy sentimentalist' and a 'fretful conservative'

By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard

Posted: 02/28/2010 01:30:31 AM PST

I'd like to pay tribute to a man who died exactly one year ago today, leaving behind a notable legacy in radio broadcasting.

Descended from five generations of Baptist preachers, he was blessed with an authoritative baritone voice. His distinctive staccato delivery caught my attention one day in 1976 while I was channel surfing on my car radio. I became a lifelong fan after that broadcast.

This man was born in the heart of the Bible Belt, Tulsa, Okla., on Sept. 4, 1918. He was called a “born talker” by family and friends while growing up. In high school, he was a champion orator. He got his first radio job at 14 with the help of one of his teachers. Go here to read the “rest of the story.”

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The Nazis' Murder of Jews, Communists and Gypsies In Gas Chambers Was an AMERICAN Idea

Believe it or not, the Nazis' murder of Jews, communists and gypsies using gas chambers was actually an American idea.

The San Francisco Chronicle wrote about in 2003.

Excerpt:

“California was considered an epicenter of the American eugenics movement.

 During the 20th century's first decades, California's eugenicists included potent but little-known race scientists, such as Army venereal disease specialist Dr. Paul Popenoe, citrus magnate Paul Gosney, Sacramento banker Charles Goethe, as well as members of the California state Board of Charities and Corrections and the University of California Board of Regents.”

 PHOTO SOURCE 

(ABOVE PHOTO)There were Nazis in the United States even before Hitler took power. This is the cover from the Nazi illustrated weekly of 21 November 1931 showing the Chicago band of Nazis. Their flag is their own design, not at all similar to what the Nazis were using in Germany. The interior of the magazine has other photographs of American Nazis in Chicago, Detroit, and New York.

See the lost poster art for Inglorious Bastards

Wanna see some great artwork?

The lost art of Inglorious Bastards

“Back when it was being promoted, some of the people behind Inglorious Bastards teamed up with Upper Playground to create a number of commissioned pieces based on the film.

The resulting batch of artwork included images by Alex Pardee, Sam Flores, David Choe, and about 10 others, and none of them ever saw the light of day.

Now, they will be released as VERY limited art prints to benefit the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.  Each print will have a tiny edition of 6, they will be signed by Quentin Tarantino, and they will be priced at $300.  All proceeds will benefit the American Red Cross.”

For more info, visit UpperPlayground.com.

The First City in America to Criminalize Marijuana Passes Resolution Criticizing Drug War

This is really a sign of the times. Decriminalizing Marijuana is becoming more acceptable to Americans everywhere. Even in Texas, as this article points out, where they’ve had draconian laws about even having a joint since it became illegal in the dark old days of ignorance.

EL PASO, TEXAS…

The El Paso city council has gone on record as condemning current US drug policies and demanding a shift to a smarter, more humane approach to drug sales and use.

"It was the first city council a hundred years ago that passed the first resolution forbidding the use of marijuana. One hundred years later we've come full circle, and now we're debating 100 years of a failed policy." - University of Texas-El Paso political science professor Tony Payan

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Chimp sent to rehab for booze & smoking abuse

This post is dedicated to Jocko in Redding!

MOSCOW (Reuters) – A Russian chimpanzee has been sent to rehab by zookeepers to cure the smoking and beer-drinking habits he has picked up, a popular daily reported on Friday.

An ex-performer, Zhora became aggressive at his circus and was transferred to a zoo in the southern Russian city of Rostov, where he fathered several baby chimps, learned to draw with markers and picked up his two vices.

"The beer and cigarettes were ruining him. He would pester passers-by for booze," the Komsomolskaya Pravda paper said.

It added he has now been transferred to the city of Kazan, about 500 miles east of Moscow, for rehabilitation treatment.

(Reporting by Tanya Ustinova, writing by Amie Ferris-Rotman)

Text source via Yahoo News – Photo source

Some odd history for a Friday…

There is an old Hotel/Pub in Marble Arch, London ...

....which used to have gallows adjacent. Prisoners were taken to the gallows (after a fair trial of course) to be hung.

The horse drawn dray, carting the prisoner was accompanied by an armed guard, who would stop the dray outside the pub and ask the prisoner if he would like ''ONE LAST DRINK''.

If he said YES it was referred to as “ONE FOR THE ROAD.”

If he declined, that prisoner was “ON THE WAGON.”

So there you go...!

More...

They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot & then once a day it was taken and sold to the tannery.

 If you had to do this to survive you were "Piss Poor". 

 But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn’t even afford to buy a pot they "Didn’t have a pot to Piss in" & were the lowest of the low.

And that's the truth...Now, whoever said History was boring !

 Thanks for sending me this Bill Cummings!

 Have a great weekend.