No doubt about it, THIS is the BEST pianist on youtube. Bohemian Rhapsody cover

Staying_On_Topic · 1 month

or Jimi Hendrix - All along the watchtower

thefck · 1 month

I agree. Here is a really talented woman, actually probably one of the best pianists I have ever seen on youtube, and I think in so many ways she's a lot more attractive than the girl featured in this video. Her talent alone makes her 100x more attractive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYrlrMtAB3M&feature=plcp&context=C4b4e54aVDvjVQa1PpcFMW_QnfOaIstAbbKLWTSbxtwGx90_Pq3a8%3D

The way she converts songs into the piano format, taking into consideration both the vocal parts, the bass, everything. She's wonderful.

nopantsromance · 1 month

You said it. My father was taking 12 percocet a day for his pain. I started buying $160 ounces and making butter for him and he cut it in half. He was also on some pretty heavy sleeping pills, and the butter seemed to help with that as well.

Not to mention his mental well being and clarity. When he was on 12 a day he was like a zombie, now he giggles a little bit more but I feel like I have my dad back.

Skubany · 1 month

A "group" of ravens can be called a conspiracy of ravens, an unkindness of ravens, a constable of ravens.

This website has a list of what you call different groups of animals:

http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/about/faqs/animals/names.htm

Skubany · 1 month

I wish this was true, that non-human animals would rise up and lead some kind of rebellion like something out of Princess Mononoke, unfortunately wikipedia states otherwise:

The Kea's notorious urge to explore and manipulate makes this bird a pest for residents and an attraction for tourists. Called "the clown of the mountains", it will investigate backpacks, boots or even cars, often causing damage or flying off with smaller items.

People commonly encounter wild Kea at South Island ski areas. The Kea are attracted by the prospect of food scraps. Their curiosity leads them to peck and carry away unguarded items of clothing or to pry apart rubber parts of cars—to the entertainment and annoyance of human observers. They are often described as "cheeky". A Kea has even been reported to have made off with a Scottish man's passport while he was visiting Fiordland National Park.

Feeding Kea has been shown to have a detrimental effect on the birds' health and well-being and is thought to contribute to their destructive behaviour. The birds' trusting behaviour around humans has also been indicated as a contributing factor in a number of recent incidents at popular tourist spots where Kea have been purposely killed.

Skubany · 1 month

Watching an Animal Planet documentary about them right now, hosted by Attenborough. Here is the playlist.

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=53DCF24789C80143

In the puzzle test links in my initial post it is with Keas and New Caledonian crows. Clever girls.

Skubany · 1 month

Beautiful birds

TIL that the Kea is the world's only alpine parrot. They sound like larger versions of magpies. Marzluff is god.

Human activity caused the two extinctions and the decline of the other three species. Settlers introduced invasive species, such as pigs and possums, which eat the eggs of ground nesting birds, and additional declines have been caused by hunting for food, killing as agricultural pests, habitat loss, and introduced wasps

ಠ_ಠ

Together with local councils and runholders, the New Zealand government paid a bounty for Kea bills because the bird preyed upon livestock, mainly sheep. It was intended that hunters would kill Kea only on the farms and council areas that paid the bounty, but some hunted them in national parks and in Westland, where they were officially protected. More than 150,000 were killed in the hundred years before 1970, when the bounty was lifted. In the 1970s, the Kea received partial protection after a census counted only 5000 birds. The government agreed to investigate any reports of problem birds and have them removed from the land. It was not until 1986 that it was given full protection under the Wildlife Act 1953.

ಠ_ಠ ಠ_ಠ

Despite being classified as Nationally Endangered in the New Zealand Threat Classification System and Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List and protected by law, Kea are still deliberately shot. For example, in the late 1990s, a Fox Glacier resident killed 33 Kea in the glacier car park and in 2008, two Kea were shot in Arthur's Pass and stapled to a sign.

ಠ_ಠ ಠ_ಠ ಠ_ಠ

Skubany · 1 month

Corvids are considered some of the most intelligent birds on the planet.

Studies on magpies show that they possess self awareness, and many people speculate crows and ravens (cousins of magpies) possess the same cognitive behavior. There have been multiple studies on the intelligence of Crows and Ravens. Most notably in Japan where crows were found to drop nuts on the road to have the shells cracked open by passing cars, waiting for the light to turn red and then swooping down to pick up their meals.

I personally witnessed a large group of ravens in Fort McMurray, Canada working together to get into a large garbage bin. One raven would fly hold the lid open, while the others would get food. They would take turns so that everyone could get their fair share. Just like these crows do with a small garbage bin.

Talking Raven http://youtu.be/yFXU7o0fYII

Ruby the Talking Crow http://youtu.be/cgTCoTD3BWI

Terry the Talking Raven http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZyBNWVD70w

Julian the Talking Raven http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39Mk445CyME&playnext=1&list=PLF0BEB61D5874D88B

A Raven saying Nevermore and Waka Waka http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIX_6TBeph0

Snowboarding Crow http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRnI4dhZZxQ

Study on crow intelligence TED talk posted on Reddit some time ago. Removed link due to the study being inaccurate. Here is the NY times link explaining the misinformation of the Crow Vending Machine

The Bait-Fishing Crow http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_8hPcnGeCI

PBS - Nature Full Documentary - A Murder of Crows

Study on crows intelligence solving puzzles. In the last video the crow creates a tool to solve the puzzle. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzEdi074SuQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M52ZVtmPE9g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtmLVP0HvDg

Talk on crows and ravens given by John Marzluff, he has conducted studies on Crow's being able to recognize human faces. Also they were able to determine that crows are able to pass this knowledge on to their children and other crows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptx1rBE1IL8&feature=BFa&list=PL7E63F84DDB9E8D03

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/science/26crow.html

Crow Playing with ball and dog

Crow and Cat love

I don't know this woman and in no way affiliated, but her raven sings an aria and imitates her. She has some radical Raven and Crow merchandise in the cafepress links in her video.

davidvstheworld · 1 month

The monsanto link I posted cited links in all of it. The GMO stance in Africa is scary, and that is from a poverty standpoint. Combine his monsanto involvement, his stance on pushing GMO in Africa, and his involvement in the Doomsday Seed Vault freaks me out.

When something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

Really read that GMO in Africa link, scientists around the world don't think this is a good idea. The link tells you why.

First, his technocratic ideology runs counter to the best informed science. The World Bank and United Nations funded 900 scientists over three years in order to create an International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD). Its conclusions were diametrically opposed, at both philosophical and practical levels, to those espoused by Gates and clearly state that the use of GM crops is not a meaningful solution to the complex situation of world hunger.

davidvstheworld · 1 month

Don't even bother trying. This is a gates circle jerk and any facts you post will be downvoted. It's all conspiracy theories!

There is a conspiracy theory out there, that the reason why he is investing in biotech and nanotech, GMO, and medicine is to become immortal.

Here is some theories on why he invested into the Doomsday Seed Vault

And here is actual facts on what his foundation is also up to:

I lost respect for him when I learned about his foundation buying 23 million in stock into Monsanto.

Combined with his push for GMO in Africa, makes me doubt his sincerity or intentions no matter what pretext they are under.

davidvstheworld · 1 month

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2010/sep/29/gates-foundation-gm-monsanto

davidvstheworld · 1 month

That is a conspiracy theory out there, that the reason why he is investing in biotech and nanotech, GMO, and medicine is to become immortal.

Here is some theories on why he invested into the Doomsday Seed Vault

And here is actual facts on what his foundation is also up to:

I lost respect for him when I learned about his foundation buying 23 million in stock into Monsanto.

Combined with his push for GMO in Africa, makes me doubt his sincerity or intentions no matter what pretext they are under.

davidvstheworld · 1 month

I lost respect for him when I learned about his foundation buying 23 million in stock into Monsanto.

Combined with his push for GMO in Africa, makes me doubt his sincerity or intentions no matter what pretext they are under.

Ratoret · 1 month

Again, you are taking words out of context. He is the reincarnation of the bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokiteśvara.

Tibetan Buddhism makes much use of tantra yoga, which includes a broad range of rituals and practices. On its most basic level, tantra yoga in Buddhism is about deity identification. Through meditation, chanting and other practices the tantricka internalizes the divine and becomes the deity, or, at least, manifests what the deity represents.

So if he is a god, we are all gods.

If you are going to argue Buddhism or against the Dalai Lama, it would be wise to have more knowledge on the subject instead of spouting fallacy as fact.

Ratoret · 1 month

http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/post-biblical-period/an-unexpected-consequence-of-the-christian-crusades/

Spanish inquisition, burning witches and heretics.The deaths of millions of aboriginals. Destroying knowledge that set us back a couple hundred years that would eventually be found again, a time we appropriately call the renaissance. Child rape...

Poor monks? ಠ_ಠ

Ratoret · 1 month

Christianity preaching love ≠ Buddhism preaching love

and it meaning or them being the same religions. If you have a problem with Buddhists I am sorry you feel that way. I assume you are uninformed of Buddhism if you compare it to shit.

Can you be a Buddhist and an Atheist? Yes.

Can you be a Christian and an atheist? No. (Technically there are, I kind of am one as I don't reject the words of Jesus as a dude and have read the Nag Hammadi (books left out of the bible for being too pagan, the gnostics).

Can you be Muslim and an Atheist? no

If you want to learn more about Buddhism visit this link.

http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/basic-guide.htm

"As we analyze our mental experiences, we recognize that the powerful emotions we possess (such as desire, hatred, and anger) tend not to bring us very profound or long-lasting happiness. Fulfilled desire may provide a sense of temporary satisfaction; however, the pleasure we experience upon acquiring a new car or home, for example, is usually short-lived. When we indulge our desires, they tend to increase in intensity and multiply in number. We become more demanding and less content, finding it more difficult to satisfy our needs. In the Buddhist view, hatred, anger, and desire are afflictive emotions, which simply means they tend to cause us discomfort. The discomfort arises from the mental unease that follows the expression of these emotions. A constant state of mental unsettledness can even cause us physical harm."-- His Holiness the Dalai Lama, from An Open Heart: Practicing Compassion in Everyday Life,

TL;DR Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love ; this is the eternal rule.

The Buddha

Ratoret · 1 month

Yes, I do think atheism is more than just that. In it's movement it sees how religions have negatively impacted the world. Buddhism generally has not impacted the world in a negative sense. They have had no holy wars, they did not convert by the sword. It doesn't say to find morality in some outside source, but from within.

The Buddha was an awakened man. He had people say he was a god, some people asked him if he was, he said he was nothing but an awakened man. You have to understand the concept of samsara, nirvana, and paranirvana to understand what it meant for him to chose his death, and what the idea of living eternally means. I am no wise Buddhist master, but I see the goal of meditation and Buddhism as a shrugging off of the ego. To reconnect to reality withou delusions, hate, greed, lust, or preconceived notions of what reality is. Nirvana is the attainment of this, meditation is the tool to reach nirvana.

As for treating him in a sacred way, why wouldn't they? They venerate their teachers out of respect, not because of some idea that he chose death to alleviate peoples sins. He basically said the only one who can save you is yourself, he is just giving you markers on a map of an inward journey. The philosophy of Buddhism is that of individual enlightenment, or awakening. While you are right that there is dogma, and obedience to protocol in many countries that have Buddhism as their national religion, the core concept of Buddhism doesn't say to just go blindly along with it.

He basically says “Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and common sense.”

which is paraphrased from his teaching to the kalamas:

don’t go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, ‘This contemplative is our teacher.’ When you know for yourselves that, ‘These qualities are unskillful; these qualities are blameworthy; these qualities are criticized by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to harm & to suffering’ — then you should abandon them.

So Buddhism isn't part of the same mindset as many religions that atheism fights against, which is probably why many see atheism as being soft on Buddhism, or even liking it. You can see wisdom in Buddhism without having faith in all it's ideas.

The meditation that exists in certain Catholic sects is very different from Buddhist meditation in the sense that meditation in Buddhism is considered an inward journey, or connecting to the universe, while the catholic ones are concerned with connecting to god. What is interesting is that all mystical branches of religions have some form of trances or meditation involved as part of their practices.

You are right about meditation being used as therapy. Many psychologists tout the beneficial effects it has on the average person, and even more so on stress related cases as well as cases of minor depression and anxiety. Buddhism isn't dictating how you live. It calls for people to follow the noble 8 fold path, but if you follow it or not doesn't send you to hell or make you a non buddhist, not following it perpetuates samsara.

I will agree that many lay Buddhists around the world turn it mildly into a form of idol worship, or treat it like church in the western world, only on sundays. However, Buddhists aren't preaching love and compassion and then harming other people along the way. The institutions will teach you meditation for free without making you become a Buddhist first. Many uses of mindfulness, or meditation in the western medical field today were inspired by the transmission of Buddhism to the west in the mid 20th century.

There are not countless examples of nations going to war with another. In fact there are only a few reports of violence within Buddhism. War in itself goes against many tenets of Buddhism, and the average awakened monk will promote compassion over violence any day. A Buddhist country going to war is not indicative of Buddhism in general, nor is one specific branch of Buddhism telling of Buddhism at it's core or as a whole.

I see Buddhism as telling it's users to question our ideas on life and ourselves more than repressing free thinking. It is this reason that I as an atheist incorporated many Buddhist ideas and philosophies into my day to day world.

Ratoret · 1 month

Atheism is not anti-religion, it is the belief in no god. Not all atheists are anti theist. Buddhism is considered a non theistic religion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_in_Buddhism

Atheists can and do mix Buddhism tenets, ideas, or meditation with being an Atheist. You don't have to become Buddhist to benefit from it, you aren't going to hell if you don't practice meditation.

Ratoret · 1 month

Untrue, Buddhists don't make colouring books for their children to learn lies about other religions.

Christianity was spread with the sword, Buddhism was spread with compassion.

Ratoret · 1 month

You are taking the comments of homophobia out of context. He is relaying what Buddhist texts say about something.

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1977

As for his advocacy of science:

“If scientific analysis were conclusively to demonstrate certain claims in Buddhism to be false, then we must accept the findings of science and abandon those claims.” ― Dalai Lama XIV, The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality

At least he is trying to bring science and Buddhism together. The lack of quality scientific studies since the 60's on meditation gives him all the more reason to want to collaborate with the scientific community. Buddhists generally believe that through teaching meditation, they are raising the consciousness of the individual. They believe it benefits individuals, and would like scientific facts to back up their theory.

Let_us_do_lunch · 1 month

They are both good starting points to learning about the history of intelligence agencies and the way they shape the social dynamic of the world.

A good starting point for the average person is this documentary on the CIA on youtube, secrets of the CIA that aired on Sky. I will admit I don't have as in depth knowledge as either of them on the CIA, but this gives you just a few secrets that aren't widely known.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RXPJmqkxmI

And not to stroke kelinbloos ego or anything, but they have consistently posted worthwhile, well though out, well cited comments that is uncommon of the typical one liners that permeate the standard comment section on reddit.

Not to take away from jordanb357, as his account is only 12 days old, but I can't debate on this stuff because I am no expert.

Regardless, I love it when I go to TIL to learn something new, and then it's like a never ending wave of infortmation. People came because people were pranking co-workers with LSD and thought it was either funny, cool, or stupid. They left questioning their government. They left feeling disgusted at the human rights violations committed in the name of 'national security'. The potential to disseminate information on reddit on a mass scale is exciting, I feel fortunate to be a part of it, and fortunate that I have this tool to learn from people who have more insights into situations or specific areas.

What I love about comments that inspire thinking, is that people who are interested will look elsewhere for information. Maybe I may quote something wrong, and someone with more information will correct me. Maybe someone had been studying this for years, and the information they provide will increase my knowledge base exponentially.

Yeah, some comments are better than others, yeah we may like some more than others. Some are better structured, better written, better information, but the fact still stands that people are out there inspiring people to think. Inspiring them with information that may have otherwise been a joke or pun thread. The potential for awesome on Reddit is infinite, or rather, it depends on finite users perspectives and knowledge.

the_shit_I_say · 1 month

Amazing book. Naomi Klein is a fantastic author. She makes me proud to be a Canadian!

the_shit_I_say · 1 month

Probably this book, there is a film in my comment above that has the same name, but is a dramatic portrayal of the book. Pretty good movie for Canadian standards, but 3 hours long.

www.amazon.com/The-Sleep-Room-Brainwashing-Experiments/dp/1550139320

the_shit_I_say · 1 month

Care to write any on how Edward L. Bernays influenced politics, media, and business with ideas borrowed from his uncle, Freud, and other previous forms of propaganda? or anyone else?

The social dynamic we live in is scary at first to read about. It sounds almost too extreme to be real. To some people it sounds like conspiracy theories.

These two quotes from the matrix couldn't say it better

The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work... when you go to church... when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth. That you are a slave, Neo. Like everyone else you were born into bondage. Born into a prison that you cannot smell or taste or touch. A prison for your mind.

The Matrix is a system, Neo. That system is our enemy. But when you're inside, you look around, what do you see? Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of the people we are trying to save. But until we do, these people are still a part of that system, and that makes them our enemy. You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it.

Staying_On_Topic

TROPHY CASE

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