Interesting stuff

One of the most interesting, spiritually intelligent humans to live on this planet in the last 100 years has left his body.
Richard Alpert a.k.a Ram Dass.
Rolling Stone article gives a good insight into his journey.
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/ram-dass-guru-be-h...

Dying to Know - Ram Dass and Timothy Leary Documentary

A conversation with Terence McKenna and Ram Dass

Crazy Wisdom, The Life and times of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

...and then there's this guy. Impressive CV, but.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/comment-a-closer-look-at-scott-...

One for his direct supporters and, more importantly, his enablers. You know who you are.

Interesting shtuff.

Stooges who've been mightily stooged hate being told and revealed they've been stooged and then attack the bringers of these bad tidings rather than the actual ones that stooged them in the first place.

Aaaaaaand go...

Time to move on Facto election was in May.

And we've got years to get through.

Cheers.

"The Great Replacement theory is relentlessly attacked by those who choose to implement it as though it’s a fantastic conspiracy with no basis in fact. Of course this is pure gaslighting. That the entire western sphere is being reverse colonised is undoubtedly true."

It's being 'colonised' - not sure about that word to describe it - not for any bollocky theory like the Great Replacement, but because rampant immigration is the last lever the neoliberals have. It's a way of propping up a failed economic system, not some nefarious means of race replacement.

You give our governments way too much credit.

Had a look at that SMH link and ended up on Domain.

It seems we are now in a country where buying an ex-motel room in western Sydney for $175k is seen as some kind of triumph.

https://www.domain.com.au/news/the-cheapest-properties-sold-around-austr...

"If ever you’ve been doubtful as to the allegiances of the decrepit shell of the party which previously represented Australia’s proletariat, this is the final admittance from them that they no longer represent you and that your vote is desperately needed elsewhere.

Rename the party and move on. They are no longer the Australian Labor Party."

Sure seemed that way from the article

It's like KFC deciding because their chicken burgers are selling well they will ditch selling chicken pieces altogether and add a range of beef burgers to the menu and try to compete against Mcdonalds and Hungry Jacks directly, but still keep the Kentucky fried chicken name.

That SMH article is a great example of how little clue labor have. They literally are running themselves around in circles desperately trying to find how to fool the public for another decade or two

Their overreaction to the qld/coal seats situation just shows they'll do and promise anything for power. I would argue, isolating working to middle class voterrs in many other seats, who seek a skerrick of credibility and conviction in their politics

They are the reactionaries, wigging out, still, wondering why nobody likes them anymore

As usual the real wisdom is in the comments...

Actually its not even wisdom, its all so patently obvious now, the only real mystery is how the left still don't get it?

TrickleDown 4 HOURS AGO
Labor has abandoned the idea of a coherent vision of the future and policies to bring it about.

Instead there is the incoherence of identity politics and the impotence of virtue signalling. The electorate has enough nouse to appreciate the difference. Until the Labor party acquires some real vision and leadership it will be lost in the wilderness.

This is not good for Australia. The Coalition in some respects has an easier objective which is essentially no need for vision just more of the same plus favors for mates. It is sobering to note that in recent elections the electorate considered that better than the alternative and by definition of democracy, the electorate always gets it right despite any opinions to the contrary.

Australia needs a party which has an eye on the future of the country as a whole. The Hawke and Keating governments are worth looking at as examples of how this was successfully accomplished in the past. Hawke in particular placed an emphasis on consensus which is in stark contrast to the divisiveness encouraged by all sides of politics these days.

DACTTA 10 HOURS AGO
This analysis gets it Completely wrong and Betrays a poor understanding of the drivers impacting society and how the US Democrats and British a Labour dropped the ball on globalism , of 30 years of phoney free trade, the offshoring of factories and jobs, and the in shoring of massive low skilled immigration in the US and UK both factories in squeezing the Western Middle Class. By the left neglecting the core interests of their natural constituents they opened the door to Trump and Johnson winning those votes.

GOV10 HOURS AGO
The progressive left have no agenda that will appeal to the mainstream....it is not even on their radar. They champion minority rights and an even more radical narcissistic individualism than the right. The idea that you can win in a democracy without representing mainstream values is ludicrous. Progressive values need to be tempered and adjusted to mainstream values, not the other way around

Blowin if I wanted to split hairs I'd point out that it's not a one-bed place, it's a studio or a bedsit aka a motel room :)

Near the airport - maybe a pied a terre for some FIFO or international "investor"?

Edit: According to Google Earth, Auburn is a fair way from Kingsford Smith, but I'm guessing that's good for Sydney.

Hahahaha. Blowie helped Scotty from Marketing get elected!

Maaaate, stick to your whiny anti-vaxing dog's breakfast. It's going down a treat!

Heard this album? Great title. Interesting shtuff*!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw8I74P--tlXZe_6O5hnwOUTk8jHdoAm8

*Well, it's a helluva lot better than John fucking Denver!

I guess this is the time of year when we look back on what 2019 was, what was your favourite moment?

I don't think i can go past election night for the Trump like buzz of the unexpected, this video popped up in my You tube feed last night, maybe surprising to some but generally speaking I'm not really a fan of Alan Jones, and i think the video is a bit misleading in the tittle has little to do with Waleed (click bait)

But WTF while people like Waleed were taking stabs at seats won like they were guessing jelly beans in a jar, Alan Jones totally predicted the result outlining where and how seats would be gained, secured or lost.

Huzzah, fellas! Nailing the 2GB demographic is complete!

Hahahahahahaha.

Didn't make AJ wrong though.

All the best for 2020 Facto, hope you're getting some warm ones.

Alan Jones might be particularly unpleasant but he's definitely no idiot.

Time to move on Indo the election was in May.

Hahahahahaha.

that green jacket is tits.

!

Just watched that Backroads episode up in the Snowy Mountains. Some amazing footage and drone perspectives of the Main Range!

Climate change is crap.
The climate is always changing.
The climate is always changing, and man is contributing a small part of it.
Man-made climate change is real but it's actually good for the environment.

Dreaming all right.

“I’m not really a fan of [insert right wing personality], but.....,,....

Feels like I’ve read this statement from indo countless times before.

Pollution is crap.
Pollution is always the same.
The pollution is always the same, and man is contributing a large part of it.
Man-made pollution is real but it's actually good for the environment.
Dreaming all right.

@Lost doggy

Okay if I've said this countless times it shouldn't be too hard going back and digging up just a few examples then, yeah?

Bet you wont because to do so you would have to troll through hundreds of pages and you would be lucky to find three examples from the last ten years.

Because i have NOT said a similar thing countless times, you are just full of shit.

There just isn't that many right wing personalities i dont like, only other one i can think off off the top of my head that i haven't liked in the past is Milo but ive come around watched a few things on Youtube and i get him now.

Otherwise there is Bolt but i like him, he stirs shit up and says things that need to be said although i think he can go a bit far at times, i think Pauline says lots of silly things and i strongly disagree with some One Nation polices...but i still like her, because she is 100% real and persistent and just a strong women

Maybe the only other one ive been careful of associating myself with in the past is Avi Yemini as lot of leftards call him a Nazi for some reason, but having watched countless videos of his for over a year now, the guy is as far from a Nazi as can be, he is Jewish for god sake and I'm a fan of his videos, i dot recall sharing anything of his, only recall Sypkan once sharing a vid of his.

Indo , so are there any left wing commentators you like?

Now that is a good question...hmmm give me some time to think of that.

I actually use to be very left wing, long time Greens voter i guess just because i was a surfer and it was kind of edgy and alternative to vote Green, then transitioned into a Labor voter again just following the heard and being a tradie it was expected, i actually really liked Kevin Rudd at the time(not now) i worked in fibre optics for a few years so was a big supporter of the NBN and we all liked Hawk.(still do as a person)

But until the last few years, i didn't really have any interest or understanding in politics, then the more I've read and understood the more my views have gone from left to right, the evidence of this is actually recorded in these forums.

So really previously i didn't have left wing media people i followed other than just general media and i guess some influence from left wing musicians, then for me once i did really start listening to what what the left side of politics had to say i didn't agree or it didn't make sense.

IMHO a huge percentage of the population actually sit in this camp and dont know what they are voting for but vote more for other reasons like i did, i still see many of my friends well in their 40's that know nothing of politics or follow politics, but are strong say Greens supporters, i guess more for the perception of what the Greens cliche is.

IMHO if people actually took more interest in politics and what parties stand for and just how economies etc work i think we would be like Singapore where they are a democracy but it's ALMOST pointless to vote as there would be no competition. (can of worms)

Perhaps what we are seeing all around the world with a move to the right is actually millions of people just like me waking up to the left. ( i think the wake up call might be the trial things they have been dabbling in like identify politics etc)

Closest id get to following a left wing figure would be Tony Biggs (biggsie) from RRR the guy is extreme left wing, IMHO completely full of shit and a total whinger, but he is entertaining and plays some good tunes. you can listen to him here, his whinging is fully entertaining check out his weekly on the blower talk back for left wing whinging at its best, makes people here look tame https://www.rrr.org.au/explore/programs/on-the-blower

And I guess countless musicians the most obvious and vocal being Peter Garrett.

But other than that NO

Ha ha...Special mention to Blind boy/Laurie too, i think he is a good guy, heart is in the right place..but I agree with close to zero on what he says.

Edit: i think my change of political heart also come through those websites that give you questions to answer and then show you what party your views really align with.

I just want to wish all the climate deniers out there a Happy New Year, and hope you have a really interesting decade

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x237vwo

I like your honesty Indo, you always bring it.

All the best to you mate for 2020 and beyond.

Great answer Indo , I wonder if it's also getting older , and seeing some of the loony lefts claims , but also so the rabid rights failure and to me it now looks like there is an ever growing gap on people discussing issues with some sorta open mind ...very polarizing , especially with current climate debate...pun intended!

"Indo , so are there any left wing commentators you like?"

What about you brutus?

"I like your honesty Indo, you always bring it"

Agree, seems such a rare commodity of late....

fwiw there's not many I 'like'

Well there's a few I like but not many I'd recommend. I like barry cassidy, anabel crabbe, walleed ally, etc. but recent political events have shown they are just as full of bullshit and bias as your average fox presenter, just more subtle

I like john pilger, he seems to be the only honest journalist left, but even he gets a bit wacky at times

The right has some good commenters but unfortunatly they pretty much all fall into andym's very accurate description

"Alan Jones might be particularly unpleasant but he's definitely no idiot."

big problem for the left, painting everyone who disagrees with them as idiots, especially lately, when it appears they cannot tell left from right

... not sure you meant it that way, but exactly what I was talking about...

https://www.michaelwest.com.au/

Bookmark it.

Nice Blowin, meth-head bogans here although that hipster line is perilously close :)

Smells Like Teen Spirit has now has 1 Billion views:

and Climate Change Denial was defeated in 2019:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/dec/29/the-climate-moveme...

so see you all on the ECX! Have a Greta New Year!

good guadian article from vj, almost gives the whole story, very out of character

though the guardian bubble shows with this...

"Will 2019 be remembered as the year in which climate change denial was defeated? The global climate strike, Greta Thunberg’s meteoric rise to international prominence, as well as several high-profile international conferencesand reports – all contributed in putting climate skeptics on the back foot."

really? not feeling it

I'd say denialism and scepticism are stronger than ever. the denialists are going hard. and there's a huge bunch of scepticism, mainly about how the whole thing has, and will be, handled

"...While Thunberg’s intention was evidently to preserve the environmental movement’s unity and common resolve, this may paradoxically soon start to look like a new form of climate denial. As the issue rises to the top of everyone’s agenda, several difficult questions which were previously kept in the background – or indeed actively suppressed – by the environmental movement are becoming impossible to ignore.

For one, no one seems quite clear what is the ultimategoal of the global fight against the climate crisis. Is it merely to enable constant economic growth in a sustainable way, or is it about imposing limits on humanity’s ambitions, in pursuit of a more harmonious relationship with nature?"

Good questions,...'actively suppressed'...

... leading to scepticism I'd say, healthy scepticism, much different to denialism...

"...Then there is the issue of means. Whether humanity chooses to fight the climate crisis through centralized, state-based efforts, decentralized market mechanisms, or individual and community-level changes in lifestyle has profound political and distributional consequences. So, it matters what decisions are made in this respect."

"...The first approach wants to connect the issue of the climate crisis with social justice, and advocates for a massive expansion in the role of the state to manage the transition to renewable energy. The second approach treats the issue of the climate crisis in isolation from other social and political issues, and proposes market rather than state mechanisms to address it."

Sounds a little un-united for a united front

... and undeveloped dare I say...

30 years on... and thats all you've got?

a non consesus, on some loose ideas?

both sound like losers in the current context

"...Nor are these the only two options on the table. Another prominent strand of contemporary environmentalism is the one heralded by Pope Francis in the 2015 encyclical letter Laudato Si, which folds the struggle against the climate crisis into a broader critique of the “modern myth of unlimited material progress” on the basis of a religiously inspired conception of the inherent rights of the “natural order”.

While this chimes with radical ecology’s longstanding commitment to the idea of “de-growth”, it is also compatible with classical conservatism’s critique of modernity, which has traditionally stigmatized the hubris in humanity’s dream of complete domination over nature. Several ideas contained in the pope’s encyclical have in fact been taken up by more conservatively minded political and religious organizations, in an attempt to give greater resonance to the conceptual affinity between political conservatism and natural conservation.

Even some strands of the nativist far right have begun to develop their own brand of environmentalism. The French Rassemblement National’s leader, Marine Le Pen, has sought to connect the problem of environmental degradation with her party’s broader opposition to globalization and immigration. This translates into a form of “green nationalism” focused on the protection of local cultures, products and traditions."

pipped at the post by the pope, and conservatives, and the alt right it seems... in terms of credibility anyway... sad times...

"...This growing diversification of environmental positions is a sign that the movement as a whole is maturing. Environmentalists of all stripes are realizing that there remain important political decisions to be made even after climate crisis denial has been defeated.

These decisions cannot be taken by purely technical or scientific means. On the contrary, the fact that the environmental movement has so far remained the preserve of a small technocratic elite has done more to invite populist backlashes than to further its own goals."

Yep

"..It is a good thing that all the available options are now being laid bare, in order to better assess their relative merits in an open and democratic way. Whether we like it or not, the environmental movement is going to have to become more, not less, politicized, to keep up the momentum it has acquired so far."

I'm glad he feels this way, I think his friends have a long way to go...

I get exasperated at people going on about religious / culture BS while wealth, power and basic freedoms are being stripped away from the majority.

All this ably abetted by mega corporate giants.

Its so effective Australia voted in a baseball hat wearing morally empty vessel and then defend him while walks around naked.

As for the left there fcking isn't any the organisations that gave us all a right to many aspects that we take for granted today have long been de-fanged by both sides.

Bit late and i'm not sure which way he's skewed, but as a social/political commentator I like Joe Hildebrand.

Not sure if this one has been mentioned before but Michael Moores “Where to invade next” is worth watching.

Keeping in mind that he has cherry picked the good stuff, he does however lay out a pretty good picture of what the alternatives to neo liberalism are.

Particularly the myth of the low tax mantra. By the time the vital public infrastructure is sold off to for profit companies the extra costs that we pay to use those services far out weigh any tax we would have payed originally.

Good stuff Fliplid, if anyone's interested here it is for free.

http://www.documentarymania.com/player.php?title=Where%20to%20Invade%20Next

Amazing but terrifying..