unicorn

If I had to pick a religion, Zoroastrianism makes the most sense. It suffers from poor marketing, hence its lack of popularity. I read a book from a religious historical researcher, and he believed the Jesus story was concocted by the apostles. The Romans apparently kept good records of who was being crucified, and there are no records of "Jesus" until many years after his death. The most stupid religion, IMHO, is LDS, but boy do they have aggressive marketing, fundraising, and extortion to promote that religion. Eeek. In ancient history, civilizations which took on Christianity collapsed soon after conversion (Roman, Egyptian, British India)--so maybe polytheism is the way. Whenever we see on the news of tornadoes sweeping through the Bible Belt, I tell my husband "There goes Lord Shiva vacuuming the Bible Belt again!".

Sometimes corporals break the rules, then they must be punished... 😁

Well, you have come to the crux of whether there is any reason to believe in a God at all. In particular, the stories of the Bible seem particularly preposterous. I'm at a loss to understand why anybody believes that stuff, but one would think that at least priests, deacons, and nuns believed what they're preaching. Despite my not believing in God or an afterlife, I would never murder or rape, because I find those acts personally repugnant. However, even if I didn't have an ethical issue with rape and murder, I can't imagine doing that if I had even a feeling that there may be a 1% chance that the Bible is a truthful document, and that I therefore might risk eternal torment by violating the ten commandments. I can't imagine these "religious" figures thought there was any chance whatsoever that the teaching of the Bible were truthful.

Thank you for those references (Ireland and Australia). Any references to such activities in the US?

Is there a Wikipedia page or website where I can learn more about this?

I may be ignorant, but did the US forcibly take children from locals' families to horrific facilities in order to indoctrinate them? What I found most shocking about the "Canadian Indian Residential Schools" program, is that the last of these didn't close down until 1991!!! Hopefully there weren't still rapes and murders going on in the 1980s, but horrific crimes in those "schools" clearly went on well through the 1960s, maybe even 1970s. It's quite a shocking story, and the movie deserves to be seen.

My hubbie and I recently watched the Canadian movie Bones of Crows, which portrayed the story of a Cree girl who was forcibly taken from her parents and involuntarily placed in the Canadian Indian residential school system. (Full disclosure, I chose this movie because I have the hots for one of its stars, actor Johnathan Whitesell) The students at these schools faced rape, starvation, malnutrition, physical abuse, and even murder. In the movie (based on true events), the girl suffers, among other things, being raped by JW's character, then a deacon (later a priest and eventually cardinal), and a nun who intentionally crushes hand of the girl, who was a child prodigy pianist. One of the priests, when threatening her, mentions how he can murder students, and no one would investigate or care about it. Indeed, the girl documents the graves of murdered children, which are eventually dug up. In fact, the graves of hundreds were dug up in the days before filming took place at the film's location: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bones_of_Crows "...The film was shot partially at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. Although the revelation of 215 unmarked gravesites at the school took place just one week before shooting was to start, the Tkʼemlúps te Secwépemc nation encouraged production to proceed because of the importance of getting residential school stories publicized and told...". I've often wondered whether religious leaders actually believe what they're preaching, and this seems to be an extreme example of how widespread this disbelief among religious leaders is. Obviously, anyone who even thought it might be possible that the Bible is a valid religious document wouldn't risk eternal damnation. Clearly, these priests, deacons, and nuns didn't even believe there was any chance their actions would be punished. Interestingly enough, I couldn't find any evidence that rape per se is condemned in the Bible, though according to my husband (who was raised in a "religious" household), rape is generally regarded as adultery, so I guess it's forbidden. This movie has 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, so is worth the watch (it's on Hulu). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Indian_residential_school_gravesites "...The Truth and Reconciliation Commission found records of 4037 deaths at the schools, and published a list. There were repeated outbreaks of tuberculosis in the early 20th century; "given their cramped conditions and negligent health practices, residential schools were hotbeds for the spread of TB", a National Post reporter wrote. Bodies were not returned to their families for burial, and families were not normally informed of the circumstances of their child's death. Commission chairman Murray Sinclair estimated in an interview that the true number of deaths could range between 6,000 and 25,000. Some of the students who died at the schools were buried in unmarked graves. Over time, markers at some graveyards were lost or destroyed...". (Although active TB can be fatal, most people who contract TB don't get ill, so most of these deaths were probably not due to TB)

Well, the "Yes Theory" video was, indeed, quite cherry-picked, and showed only Damascus. Drew Binsky, however, visited many parts of Syria. I will agree that one can't make much of the "Yes Theory" video. However, Drew traveled extensively in Syria, both before and after the fall of Assad, and he's talked extensively with locals (both before and after). I think that the change in mood in most of Syria is well-documented in that video.

Another video showing how Syrians feel about the new Syria:

Yes, we both enjoyed it. My husband enjoys this genre more than I do (I tend to prefer action, sci fi, comedy, or drama), and he really enjoyed it. I think there were some who objected to the "cultural appropriation" of a Latina playing "Snow White," especially since both of the character's parents were European, but it didn't bother me much.

Yes, you're probably thinking of Jim Fixx, the jogging enthusiast/author who, unfortunately, appears to have ignored standard medical care, and left his cholesterol levels and blood pressure untreated, despite an ominous family history (he also smoked for quite some time, though not at the time of his death). There will always be people like Jim Fixx and Bryan Johnson who feel they know more than trained medical professionals, and make their money selling their "expertise." Johnson seems to have made an even bigger fortune off his trinkets and "supplements" (one of which is simply extra virgin olive oil, for which he charges and exorbitant price), than Fixx did with his books. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Fixx "...Fixx died on July 20, 1984, at age 52 of a heart attack, during his daily run on Vermont Route 15 in Hardwick. The autopsy, conducted by Vermont's chief medical examiner, Eleanor McQuillen, revealed that atherosclerosis had blocked one coronary artery 95%, a second 85%, and a third 70%...". While few would deny the benefits of regular exercise, a sedentary lifestyle is only one of many risk factors one needs to address. Exercise should be part of competent medical care, not a substitute for it. Johnson's antics, too, could prove hazardous to his health.

Yikes! I didn't even know about that! It doesn't get more cringe-worthy!

So, don't vandalize an ATM in foreign countries, especially poorer ones. Lesson taken. ✔️

I just read in the New York Times a story of a man who's 46, but believes he's biologically much younger: entrepreneur Bryan Johnson. He does a bunch of things which he believes keeps him younger. Some make sense, like being very physically active almost every day, and eating a relatively healthy diet. Some are probably counter-productive and ill-advised, such as receiving plasma from his 19 year-old son (which can results in developing antibodies that can make future blood transfusions problematic), and going into his own hyperbaric oxygen chamber (which puts his body's cells under oxidative stress). Quite frankly, though his body is quite fit (probably due to his time in the gym), I don't find him that youthful-appearing for his age. Here he is with his father and his son. I have middle-aged friends who look better: https://www.livemint.com/news/trends/tech-millionaire-bryan-johnsons-face-blew-up-during-anti-aging-endeavor-got-worse-till-i-couldn-t-see-11732033498071.html I suspect his obsession may end up doing more harm than good. Are you more impressed or concerned for him?

We were watching the premiere of the new Snow White movie, and I remarked that Dopey reminded me of Troye Sivan

Anyone here know why the Thai government sent the Uyghurs back, possibly to their deaths? Did the PRC offer some sort of incentive?

I mean, Trump does all kinds of crazy things, but I saw his list of countries whose citizens he wants to ban from the US, and the most baffling of all for me was Bhutan. While I do agree that Bhutan's massive visa costs for US citizens is rather extortionist, I can't imagine that any of their citizens presents a serious threat. I suspect he's pissed off at Dominica, St. Christopher/Nevis, and St. Lucia over their policy of selling their passports to any thug who'll pay them. But Bhutan? https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-travel-ban-countries-list-b2715762.html "...The draft list was separated into three sections — red, orange, and yellow — to denote the level of restriction, according to the outlet. The “red” list includes 11 countries whose citizens would be entirely forbidden from entering the United States: Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen. Ten countries whose citizens will be limited from entering but not entirely banned, meaning they are required to have specific visas, were on the “orange” list. People of Belarus, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Turkmenistan will have to sit for in-person interviews to obtain a visa, the outlet reported. The “yellow” list contains 22 countries, mostly African nations, that the Trump administration is giving 60 days to address its concerns over alleged “deficiencies.” If these nations don’t comply, they risk being placed on the red or orange lists, the Times reported. This list includes Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Vanuatu and Zimbabwe...". It also seems rather nutty to ban Laotian citizens. Shouldn't we be encouraging more trade with Laos as a buffer to the Chinese?

I would just be careful, and make sure that importing poppers to these countries is legal. Smuggling can result in very serious criminal penalties in Asia. If an item isn't sold in a particular country, it may be because that item is not legal in that country.

After his humiliating defeat and his land losing most of its value, do you really expect him to say "Oops! My Bad!"?

Neither of us has seen results on a polygraph, so neither of us can say 100% whether or not he's being truthful. However, there are the hints I've mentioned. Do you believe everything everyone tells you? Do you believe everything Donald J. Trump says? The fact that he said it doesn't mean it's true, much less than I have to believe it. The farmer has a strong incentive to lie. Saying that he regretted the decision would be to confess he's been a fool. Ever heard about saving face?

Is your real name George Santos? Here you go: And I'm still waiting for a rational or fact-based response, rather than emotional rantings.

I agree with your views on capital punishment. Convictions of the innocent is only of of many compelling arguments. I believe that in most states, the district attorney (prosecutor), judges, and the sheriff are all elected positions, which often makes convictions at any cost politically expedient. (Certainly where I live in California, these three offices are all elected) The recent movie Juror #2 is a good dramatization of how easily a jury can be bamboozled (especially when judges tell jurors that the "haven't done their job" if any of them disagree, forcing them into sequestration until they all are coerced to "agree"). The only time I'd be OK with capital punishment would be in cases in which there was mass murder--serial killers and the like--and the evidence wasn't just beyond reasonable doubt, but completely indisputable. Examples would be Jeffrey Dahmer, Tim McVeigh, Stephen Paddock, and so on. These examples are so rare, that it's probably not worth having such laws on the books. As for the blanks in the rifles, I believe that depends on the state. If I'm to believe what I heard in the news, at least in South Carolina there are three executioners, each one with live rounds. I remember reading years ago that there are other states in which there are more executioners, but some rifles have blanks instead of bullets. I have a distant recollection of another state which uses 7 executioners, with 3 or 4 having live rounds. I would surmise that the executioners would have to volunteer for these positions--and be comprised of those who wouldn't feel burned by the knowledge that they shot dead a man who was strapped down.