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Just watched this...I like his docos... Not sure how long this one will stay on YouTube though.
The Settlers (Louis Theroux, BBC, 2025)
Theroux's hallmark interviewing style—marked by a seemingly naive yet probing approach, encourages subjects to reveal their beliefs candidly. In The Settlers, this technique exposes the ideologies of prominent figures like Daniella Weiss, a veteran settler leader who discusses plans to reoccupy Gaza and claims support from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Theroux also engages with Palestinian activist Issa Amro, navigating the complexities and daily hardships faced under Israeli control.
1
JeroenNot all those who wander are lostNetherlandsVeteran
I took the opportunity to watch it @Shoshin1 … as a Dutch person, it is strange to me to watch so many people in the thrall to extreme ideas of dominance, of taking land, of ejecting people, of making their lives a misery. The Netherlands is a successful multicultural society where everyone has the same rights, and I thought Israel held to similar, Western ideals. But apparently it is not so.
I found Louis to have the patience of a saint here, I would have booked a plane ticket out of there in days, it feels so oppressive.
An Israeli woman I know who lives on the island recently returned after spending some time back in Israel.
Like many Israelis, she doesn’t like the politics there, especially the way Palestinian people are treated.
She told me she’d never let her children serve in the IDF, although one of her sisters is proud that her kids are serving.
Even though she’s passionate about Palestinian rights and was an activist back in Israel, it’s still really hard for her to reconcile with some of her family members over this.
It must be incredibly hard for Israelis like her, having to navigate the tension between family, friends, and a large portion of Israeli society who hold different views, and her own deep belief in doing what she feels is right.
1
JeroenNot all those who wander are lostNetherlandsVeteran
I believe it. For sensitive, conflict-averse people like me it would be really difficult to live there.
There are a few Israelis on the island who no doubt are having the same struggle.
Well one of my friends who I sent a link to earlier, was watching the documentary not long ago, for around 15 minutes, before YouTube blocked it . She said it had got around 217000 views.
When I came across it this afternoon, it had been up for around 6 hours...
0
JeroenNot all those who wander are lostNetherlandsVeteran
@Jeroen said:
I came across this beautiful short documentary (37 mins) about the life story of a native woman from Peru who had a rough childhood, left to travel the world, lived in New York but found she got depressed, was given Ayahuasca by a friend and received powerful visions to return to the jungle and become a curandera. I very much enjoyed the story, great cinematography and an engaging sound track!
I’ve listened to and watched this docu about five times now, and I think I’m falling in love… it has such a pure vibe, a really clean energy. The clear waters, the steam, the settlement, the curanderos. Wonderful, it really brings me to rest.
1
JeroenNot all those who wander are lostNetherlandsVeteran
I was watching this interview with Tony Parson, quite interesting, spoken in English and subtitled in German. Useful for picking up a few German expressions too!
I finally had the chance to watch the very moving, at times quite heartbreaking, documentary that the BBC pulled after complaints from certain lobby groups, though I’m not sure if members in the US will be able to access it.
How To Survive A War Zone
Reveals in gripping detail the lives of four young people trying to survive Israel's bombardment of Gaza, as they hope for a ceasefire - a vivid and unflinching documentary about life in a warzone . Filmed by two cameramen on the ground in Gaza over 9 months, remotely directed by two producers in London.
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JeroenNot all those who wander are lostNetherlandsVeteran
I watched about 15 minutes of the docu, @Shoshin1 … enough to get an impression of what it was like there. It’s tragic, and it makes me unhappy to see it, although I felt the docu also shows a bit of what ordinary life still goes on there, the little market stalls that have sprung up.
@Jeroen said:
I watched about 15 minutes of the docu, @Shoshin1 … enough to get an impression of what it was like there. It’s tragic, and it makes me unhappy to see it, although I felt the docu also shows a bit of what ordinary life still goes on there, the little market stalls that have sprung up.
I understand where you're coming from @Jeroen, I have spoken to many friends who feel the same as you regarding these horrendous life events.
Friends often ask me, ‘How can you watch things that are so heartbreaking?’ I tell them that I sit with my heartbreak and all the other uncomfortable feelings that arise. At times I’m brought to tears. I also observe the rise of anger and frustration, and their passing. Allowing myself to feel these emotions helps me experience life more fully, understand human nature more deeply, and cultivate compassion and empathy for all sentient beings. It also strengthens my commitment to stand in solidarity with those who are being dehumanised, and to do what I can to help others.
1
JeroenNot all those who wander are lostNetherlandsVeteran
@Jeroen said:
I watched about 15 minutes of the docu, @Shoshin1 … enough to get an impression of what it was like there. It’s tragic, and it makes me unhappy to see it, although I felt the docu also shows a bit of what ordinary life still goes on there, the little market stalls that have sprung up.
I understand where you're coming from @Jeroen, I have spoken to many friends who feel the same as you regarding these horrendous life events.
Friends often ask me, ‘How can you watch things that are so heartbreaking?’ I tell them that I sit with my heartbreak and all the other uncomfortable feelings that arise. At times I’m brought to tears. I also observe the rise of anger and frustration, and their passing. Allowing myself to feel these emotions helps me experience life more fully, understand human nature more deeply, and cultivate compassion and empathy for all sentient beings. It also strengthens my commitment to stand in solidarity with those who are being dehumanised, and to do what I can to help others.
The thing is, it makes me unhappy and uncomfortable, and I don’t really see the value in being confronted with it other than taking note of it. I think Hamas was stupid to attack Israel, and I think Israel’s response has been heartless, ruthless and cruel. The people who pay the price have been the ordinary Palestinians, whose homes and livelihoods have been bombed and destroyed.
It is said the initial Hamas attack killed 1200 and took 251 hostages, the Israeli response has caused 52,000 Palestinian deaths in Gaza to date. It’s a crazy place to live, if I was there I would emigrate and become an asylum seeker elsewhere in the world.
Had to watch this in spurts due to interrupts @Shoshin1. It was amazing, the diversity of cultures/languages etc. Great history of part of the Silk Road used by Marco Polo but from the Chinese perspective. Brief mention of the introduction of Buddhism, remnants of Persian Islam and Zoroastrian religions. May watch the next part of the journey into Xizang/Tibet/Trump Highlands (or whatever name they are festering over) ... https://blogs.soas.ac.uk/china-institute/2024/12/11/tibet-must-stand/
The thing is, it makes me unhappy and uncomfortable, and I don’t really see the value in being confronted with it other than taking note of it. I think Hamas was stupid to attack Israel, and I think Israel’s response has been heartless, ruthless and cruel. The people who pay the price have been the ordinary Palestinians, whose homes and livelihoods have been bombed and destroyed.
It is said the initial Hamas attack killed 1200 and took 251 hostages, the Israeli response has caused 52,000 Palestinian deaths in Gaza to date. It’s a crazy place to live, if I was there I would emigrate and become an asylum seeker elsewhere in the world.
From what many analysts and sources have gathered, the initial aim of the October 7th raid appeared to be the capture of Israeli soldiers to use as leverage in prisoner exchanges. Hamas has long demanded the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners, many of whom are held without charge or trial under what Israel calls “administrative detention,” including children, women, and political detainees.
Desperate people do desperate things, and most Palestinians are desperate for the Israeli occupation to end. After decades of displacement, military rule, land confiscation, home demolitions, arbitrary arrests, and the suffocating blockade of Gaza, many feel they have nothing left to lose. This doesn’t excuse the targeting of civilians, but it helps explain why some resort to violence when all other avenues, diplomatic, legal, or peaceful protest, have been shut down or violently suppressed
While it is stated that 1,200 people were killed on October 7th, it's increasingly clear that not all of those deaths were solely caused by Hamas. Eyewitness accounts and reports from Israeli sources suggest that during the IDF’s chaotic response, Israeli helicopters and tanks fired indiscriminately in their effort to regain control, sometimes hitting their own civilians.
Most Palestinians do not have the luxury of packing up and leaving, Gaza’s borders are sealed, and its people are effectively imprisoned. While Israel claims self-defence, the scale and intent of its response, entire neighbourhoods reduced to rubble, tens of thousands of civilians killed or maimed, and a deliberate famine, reflect not merely retaliation but a system of collective punishment targeting a population simply for being Palestinian. This is not about security; it is about control, the gradual accumulation of Palestinian land, and the use of dehumanisation to justify the ongoing denial of a people’s basic right to live in freedom, safety, and dignity.
Had to watch this in spurts due to interrupts @Shoshin1. It was amazing, the diversity of cultures/languages etc. Great history of part of the Silk Road used by Marco Polo but from the Chinese perspective. Brief mention of the introduction of Buddhism, remnants of Persian Islam and Zoroastrian religions. May watch the next part of the journey into Xizang/Tibet/Trump Highlands (or whatever name they are festering over) ... https://blogs.soas.ac.uk/china-institute/2024/12/11/tibet-must-stand/
Over the years, I've become a bit of a Sinophile. China’s culture and philosophy are incredibly rich, shaped by over 5,000 years of continuous civilisation.
And with the way the West is going, the Chinese have every right to use the term uncivilized barbarians when referring to Westerners .
@Jeroen said:
I just watched this short but revealing piece on ‘Why the Arab nations won’t accept Palestinian refugees.’
Hmm Ken LaCorte . I’ve watched a few of his so-called ‘informative’ videos, and they tend to follow a familiar pattern.
Yes, it's true, some Arab states have often failed Palestinian refugees. But he barely mentions the heart of the matter: Israel’s deliberate expulsion of Palestinians in 1948 and its refusal, ever since, to let them return. That’s an Israeli policy. The right of return is enshrined in international law, but LaCorte skips over it entirely. Instead, he paints Palestinian resistance as the root of instability, without asking why people driven from their homes might resist in the first place.
Toward the end, he offers a false choice: should Gazans flee and never come back, or stay trapped in a war zone? But the real answer, the one he avoids , is to end the siege and the occupation. Arab states refusing to permanently absorb Palestinians isn’t proof of hypocrisy; it reflects a painful truth shared by many Palestinians themselves, that exile cannot become permanent, no matter how unbearable home has become.
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JeroenNot all those who wander are lostNetherlandsVeteran
I was just watching this docu about Ayahuasca. It contains quite a bit of information about its healing properties, as well as documenting the journey and integration process of a group of participants. Also an opportunity to see a respected pioneer of the field, Howard Lawler, at work before his death in 2019.
0
JeroenNot all those who wander are lostNetherlandsVeteran
@Shoshin1 said:
Arab states refusing to permanently absorb Palestinians isn’t proof of hypocrisy; it reflects a painful truth shared by many Palestinians themselves, that exile cannot become permanent, no matter how unbearable home has become.
I just compare the fate of the Palestinian diaspora with say the Turkish minority who came to live in the Netherlands. The Turkish people who came here learnt the language, integrated with the organs of state, started businesses, became part of society. That is what it means to integrate with a country. The Palestinians were denied that, meaning that a lot of the young people had nowhere to go. It has created a huge problem for the whole Middle East.
I just compare the fate of the Palestinian diaspora with say the Turkish minority who came to live in the Netherlands. The Turkish people who came here learnt the language, integrated with the organs of state, started businesses, became part of society. That is what it means to integrate with a country.
The Palestinians were denied that, meaning that a lot of the young people had nowhere to go. It has created a huge problem for the whole Middle East.The Turkish people who came here learnt the language, integrated with the organs of state, started businesses, became part of society. That is what it means to integrate with a country. The Palestinians were denied that, meaning that a lot of the young people had nowhere to go. It has created a huge problem for the whole Middle East.
Yes, and one does not have to look far to see what were the events that led to these conditions, which in turn led to what we’re seeing now.
Was it the British, who gave away land that didn’t belong to them? Or the early Zionist settlers, mainly Eastern European Jews, who, understandably traumatised by the Holocaust, were looking for a safer place to live, but ended up displacing an indigenous population?
You only have to look at the history of the Middle East since the end of the Second World War, though really, this goes back to 1917 when Britain annexed Palestine. Much of the region was carved up by European colonial powers, mainly Britain and France, without regard for the people living there. Borders were drawn, communities split, and local power structures upended. The destabilisation we see now is, in many ways, a direct consequence of that.
And then one must ask oneself, who benefits most from this ongoing destabilisation? Not the people of the region, that’s for sure. The US and its close ally Israel, plus the UK and France, have all profited in various ways, whether through arms sales, military presence, control of natural resources, or simply maintaining regional dominance while others remain divided and weakened
So while ordinary people across the region suffer, whether in Gaza, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon or Yemen, these powers continue to profit politically, economically, and strategically from the chaos.
When it comes to what is happening in the Middle East, it’s about recognising the historical context and the deep injustices that have brought us to this point.
Buddhism and Quantum Physics. Infinite Potential series of interviews
Dalai Lama Interview
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personDon't believe everything you thinkThe liminal spaceVeteran
PeeWee as Himself, a two part documentary about 3 hours total. It was revealing to me just how impactful PeeWee Herman was in my formative years. I was 8 when his HBO special came out, it had an adult subtext that my dad liked it and I watched it several times. Then he had his Saturday morning show that I always watched and loved.
Anyway, I could tell from watching the doc how it still influences my personality and worldview to this day.
0
JeroenNot all those who wander are lostNetherlandsVeteran
That is a part of US culture that didn’t make it over on this side of the Atlantic at all.
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personDon't believe everything you thinkThe liminal spaceVeteran
@Jeroen said:
That is a part of US culture that didn’t make it over on this side of the Atlantic at all.
That is a bit surprising to me considering how big he was at his peak. Part of his story is sad as well, after his kids show ended he was arrested in a porn theater for indecent exposure. After a bit of time he recovered and had several non PeeWee acting roles, but then had another scandal that was pretty unjust. There was another 80s actor who was busted for child porn and had some connection with Paul Reubens (his real name), the police raided his house and recovered a bunch of vintage homo erotica (like 50s body building magazines), but no child porn, but it was made out to be sinful. He was a closeted gay man, because at the time it wouldn't have been alright to have a kids show and was a collector of many things including the vintage erotica. He was able to recover career wise from that one too, but considering his last words before he died of cancer it was pretty apparent that it was painful for him to be thought of as a pedophile and he hadn't been able to let it go fully.
Somebody sent me this video of the major three Buddhist vehicles. I'll be off for a walk, cycle or public next level vehicle. Maybe I will just not bother...
@lobster …. That was a good vid on the 3 schools The wrap up was nice…emphasis rather than essence… yes, some dilution for sure…but let’s just cheer for the the overall spread of the agreements (4 &3) 😁
I inadvertently posted it three times (managed to delete one) Two copies in the post.
As we are mostly practicing lay Buddhists, we know the value of different traditions. Sangha know too, if not fanatics, scammers, power fiends etc. Sangha also able to study and compare, adopt and adapt.
As can we.
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personDon't believe everything you thinkThe liminal spaceVeteran
That looks like an interesting and relatively new Buddhist channel. I liked all the AI images and the narrator has a soothing voice. I'll be checking out his other content, but from the 3 schools one it seems reliable.
Sky news released their own documentary on Gaza, after the BBC refused to air Gaza: Medics Under Fire.
Sky Documentary "Doctors On The Frontline" WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES
Sky's Special Correspondent Alex Crawford presents a documentary about British doctors working on the frontline of the war in Gaza.
Doctor Victoria Rose and Tom Potokar speak from the hospitals frequently coming under Israeli military fire.
The documentary the BBC refused to air ... Gaza: Doctor under attack
WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES SHOWING THE REALITY IN GAZA FOR THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE.
The BBC commissioned the documentary: The film, made by Basement Films, was intended to highlight the experiences of medics in Gaza.
Impartiality concerns: The BBC stated that broadcasting the material "risked creating a perception of partiality that would not meet the high standards that the public rightly expect of the BBC".
Previous incident and pause: Production of Doctors Under Attack was paused in April 2025 following a controversy surrounding another documentary, Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, where the narrator was the child of a Hamas minister. The BBC initially said it would wait for the findings of a review into the earlier film before proceeding with Doctors Under Attack.
Transfer of ownership: The BBC ultimately transferred ownership of the film material to >Basement Films.
Broadcast by Channel 4: Channel 4 acquired the documentary and broadcast it, with their Head of News and Current Affairs stating it offered "powerful evidence" about the experiences of doctors in Gaza.
Context and related information:
Allegations in the film: The documentary features firsthand accounts of alleged Israeli military attacks on hospitals and healthcare workers in Gaza, which some argue would constitute war crimes. The film also includes allegations of abuse and torture of Palestinian detainees, and accusations of complicity against Israeli medics.
Criticism of the BBC's decision: The BBC's decision has been criticized by various parties, including the documentary filmmakers, who felt the decision was politically motivated and hindered important journalism. Some BBC journalists also signed a letter calling the decision a "political decision" that didn't reflect the film's quality.
Channel 4's perspective: Channel 4 defended its decision to air the documentary, emphasizing the importance of telling stories people need to know, even if they are uncomfortable. They also stated they conducted rigorous editorial checks.
i am currently reading a book by Peter Cornish the man who came to Ireland with his wife and bought the land that he eventually gifted to rigpa. to me Peter Cornish seemed the true spiritual presence there rather than the since disgraced sogyal rinpoche
Indeed @DagobahZen
This comes over in the documentary.
It is why we have to take responsibility for what we idealise. In their ideal form and more especially ours, bad teachers can still be learned from. When we find a teaching/teacher appropriate to our circumstances, discernment, not slavish wholesale doctrinaire cultishness is still possible but have we the resilience in place?
As someone intolerant of my own limitations, I tend to laff at the excesses of self and twisted influencers in the varied fields of our existence.
Not a documentary, but some food for thought.
Peter Beinart sits down with Jon Stewart to discuss his book "Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning."
Together, they reflect on what it means to speak out against Israel’s actions, from a Jewish perspective.
They explore how Jewish history can guide us to be saviours, not oppressors; the failure of the U.S. and U.N. to hold Netanyahu accountable; the importance of critical discourse within the Jewish community; and how truly listening to Palestinian stories reveals the depth of dehumanisation they face.
Peter Beinart - "Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning" | The Daily Show
At our Saturday market stall, where we collect donations for Medical Aid for Palestinians, we're sometimes joined by a local Israeli woman. She has supported Palestinian self-determination for many years, both here and back in Israel.
What’s happening in Gaza has been hard for her to come to terms with. It causes her real anxiety and distress. And yet she continues to help out.
Her presence is a quiet reminder that this is not about religion or ethnicity, it’s about standing with others in their struggle for justice, even when it’s personally painful.
Comments
I was just watching this video featuring many of the places in Yemen. It really does look like another world, fabulous and dramatic.
Just watched this...I like his docos... Not sure how long this one will stay on YouTube though.
The Settlers (Louis Theroux, BBC, 2025)
I took the opportunity to watch it @Shoshin1 … as a Dutch person, it is strange to me to watch so many people in the thrall to extreme ideas of dominance, of taking land, of ejecting people, of making their lives a misery. The Netherlands is a successful multicultural society where everyone has the same rights, and I thought Israel held to similar, Western ideals. But apparently it is not so.
I found Louis to have the patience of a saint here, I would have booked a plane ticket out of there in days, it feels so oppressive.
An Israeli woman I know who lives on the island recently returned after spending some time back in Israel.
Like many Israelis, she doesn’t like the politics there, especially the way Palestinian people are treated.
She told me she’d never let her children serve in the IDF, although one of her sisters is proud that her kids are serving.
Even though she’s passionate about Palestinian rights and was an activist back in Israel, it’s still really hard for her to reconcile with some of her family members over this.
It must be incredibly hard for Israelis like her, having to navigate the tension between family, friends, and a large portion of Israeli society who hold different views, and her own deep belief in doing what she feels is right.
I believe it. For sensitive, conflict-averse people like me it would be really difficult to live there.
There are a few Israelis on the island who no doubt are having the same struggle.
Well one of my friends who I sent a link to earlier, was watching the documentary not long ago, for around 15 minutes, before YouTube blocked it . She said it had got around 217000 views.
When I came across it this afternoon, it had been up for around 6 hours...
I’ve listened to and watched this docu about five times now, and I think I’m falling in love… it has such a pure vibe, a really clean energy. The clear waters, the steam, the settlement, the curanderos. Wonderful, it really brings me to rest.
I was watching this interview with Tony Parson, quite interesting, spoken in English and subtitled in German. Useful for picking up a few German expressions too!
Where China Meets Central Asia
Such an ethnically diverse country.
Louis Theroux talking about his latest documentary "The Settlers"
I finally had the chance to watch the very moving, at times quite heartbreaking, documentary that the BBC pulled after complaints from certain lobby groups, though I’m not sure if members in the US will be able to access it.
How To Survive A War Zone
I watched about 15 minutes of the docu, @Shoshin1 … enough to get an impression of what it was like there. It’s tragic, and it makes me unhappy to see it, although I felt the docu also shows a bit of what ordinary life still goes on there, the little market stalls that have sprung up.
I understand where you're coming from @Jeroen, I have spoken to many friends who feel the same as you regarding these horrendous life events.
Friends often ask me, ‘How can you watch things that are so heartbreaking?’ I tell them that I sit with my heartbreak and all the other uncomfortable feelings that arise. At times I’m brought to tears. I also observe the rise of anger and frustration, and their passing. Allowing myself to feel these emotions helps me experience life more fully, understand human nature more deeply, and cultivate compassion and empathy for all sentient beings. It also strengthens my commitment to stand in solidarity with those who are being dehumanised, and to do what I can to help others.
The thing is, it makes me unhappy and uncomfortable, and I don’t really see the value in being confronted with it other than taking note of it. I think Hamas was stupid to attack Israel, and I think Israel’s response has been heartless, ruthless and cruel. The people who pay the price have been the ordinary Palestinians, whose homes and livelihoods have been bombed and destroyed.
It is said the initial Hamas attack killed 1200 and took 251 hostages, the Israeli response has caused 52,000 Palestinian deaths in Gaza to date. It’s a crazy place to live, if I was there I would emigrate and become an asylum seeker elsewhere in the world.
Had to watch this in spurts due to interrupts @Shoshin1. It was amazing, the diversity of cultures/languages etc. Great history of part of the Silk Road used by Marco Polo but from the Chinese perspective. Brief mention of the introduction of Buddhism, remnants of Persian Islam and Zoroastrian religions. May watch the next part of the journey into Xizang/Tibet/Trump Highlands (or whatever name they are festering over) ...
https://blogs.soas.ac.uk/china-institute/2024/12/11/tibet-must-stand/
From what many analysts and sources have gathered, the initial aim of the October 7th raid appeared to be the capture of Israeli soldiers to use as leverage in prisoner exchanges. Hamas has long demanded the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners, many of whom are held without charge or trial under what Israel calls “administrative detention,” including children, women, and political detainees.
Desperate people do desperate things, and most Palestinians are desperate for the Israeli occupation to end. After decades of displacement, military rule, land confiscation, home demolitions, arbitrary arrests, and the suffocating blockade of Gaza, many feel they have nothing left to lose. This doesn’t excuse the targeting of civilians, but it helps explain why some resort to violence when all other avenues, diplomatic, legal, or peaceful protest, have been shut down or violently suppressed
While it is stated that 1,200 people were killed on October 7th, it's increasingly clear that not all of those deaths were solely caused by Hamas. Eyewitness accounts and reports from Israeli sources suggest that during the IDF’s chaotic response, Israeli helicopters and tanks fired indiscriminately in their effort to regain control, sometimes hitting their own civilians.
Most Palestinians do not have the luxury of packing up and leaving, Gaza’s borders are sealed, and its people are effectively imprisoned. While Israel claims self-defence, the scale and intent of its response, entire neighbourhoods reduced to rubble, tens of thousands of civilians killed or maimed, and a deliberate famine, reflect not merely retaliation but a system of collective punishment targeting a population simply for being Palestinian. This is not about security; it is about control, the gradual accumulation of Palestinian land, and the use of dehumanisation to justify the ongoing denial of a people’s basic right to live in freedom, safety, and dignity.
Over the years, I've become a bit of a Sinophile. China’s culture and philosophy are incredibly rich, shaped by over 5,000 years of continuous civilisation.
And with the way the West is going, the Chinese have every right to use the term uncivilized barbarians when referring to Westerners .
I just watched this short but revealing piece on ‘Why the Arab nations won’t accept Palestinian refugees.’
Hmm Ken LaCorte . I’ve watched a few of his so-called ‘informative’ videos, and they tend to follow a familiar pattern.
Yes, it's true, some Arab states have often failed Palestinian refugees. But he barely mentions the heart of the matter: Israel’s deliberate expulsion of Palestinians in 1948 and its refusal, ever since, to let them return. That’s an Israeli policy. The right of return is enshrined in international law, but LaCorte skips over it entirely. Instead, he paints Palestinian resistance as the root of instability, without asking why people driven from their homes might resist in the first place.
Toward the end, he offers a false choice: should Gazans flee and never come back, or stay trapped in a war zone? But the real answer, the one he avoids , is to end the siege and the occupation. Arab states refusing to permanently absorb Palestinians isn’t proof of hypocrisy; it reflects a painful truth shared by many Palestinians themselves, that exile cannot become permanent, no matter how unbearable home has become.
I was just watching this docu about Ayahuasca. It contains quite a bit of information about its healing properties, as well as documenting the journey and integration process of a group of participants. Also an opportunity to see a respected pioneer of the field, Howard Lawler, at work before his death in 2019.
I just compare the fate of the Palestinian diaspora with say the Turkish minority who came to live in the Netherlands. The Turkish people who came here learnt the language, integrated with the organs of state, started businesses, became part of society. That is what it means to integrate with a country. The Palestinians were denied that, meaning that a lot of the young people had nowhere to go. It has created a huge problem for the whole Middle East.
Yes, and one does not have to look far to see what were the events that led to these conditions, which in turn led to what we’re seeing now.
Was it the British, who gave away land that didn’t belong to them? Or the early Zionist settlers, mainly Eastern European Jews, who, understandably traumatised by the Holocaust, were looking for a safer place to live, but ended up displacing an indigenous population?
You only have to look at the history of the Middle East since the end of the Second World War, though really, this goes back to 1917 when Britain annexed Palestine. Much of the region was carved up by European colonial powers, mainly Britain and France, without regard for the people living there. Borders were drawn, communities split, and local power structures upended. The destabilisation we see now is, in many ways, a direct consequence of that.
And then one must ask oneself, who benefits most from this ongoing destabilisation? Not the people of the region, that’s for sure. The US and its close ally Israel, plus the UK and France, have all profited in various ways, whether through arms sales, military presence, control of natural resources, or simply maintaining regional dominance while others remain divided and weakened
So while ordinary people across the region suffer, whether in Gaza, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon or Yemen, these powers continue to profit politically, economically, and strategically from the chaos.
When it comes to what is happening in the Middle East, it’s about recognising the historical context and the deep injustices that have brought us to this point.
It makes me consider. What are the differences between Ch'an and Zen?
Probably the best video on The Way of the Shaolin Buddhist Elite Protectors...
Ay Carumba!
Buddhism and Quantum Physics. Infinite Potential series of interviews
Dalai Lama Interview
PeeWee as Himself, a two part documentary about 3 hours total. It was revealing to me just how impactful PeeWee Herman was in my formative years. I was 8 when his HBO special came out, it had an adult subtext that my dad liked it and I watched it several times. Then he had his Saturday morning show that I always watched and loved.
Anyway, I could tell from watching the doc how it still influences my personality and worldview to this day.
That is a part of US culture that didn’t make it over on this side of the Atlantic at all.
That is a bit surprising to me considering how big he was at his peak. Part of his story is sad as well, after his kids show ended he was arrested in a porn theater for indecent exposure. After a bit of time he recovered and had several non PeeWee acting roles, but then had another scandal that was pretty unjust. There was another 80s actor who was busted for child porn and had some connection with Paul Reubens (his real name), the police raided his house and recovered a bunch of vintage homo erotica (like 50s body building magazines), but no child porn, but it was made out to be sinful. He was a closeted gay man, because at the time it wouldn't have been alright to have a kids show and was a collector of many things including the vintage erotica. He was able to recover career wise from that one too, but considering his last words before he died of cancer it was pretty apparent that it was painful for him to be thought of as a pedophile and he hadn't been able to let it go fully.
Somebody sent me this video of the major three Buddhist vehicles. I'll be off for a walk, cycle or public next level vehicle. Maybe I will just not bother...
deleted
Man speaks to dolphins in their own language (by whistling)
@lobster …. That was a good vid on the 3 schools The wrap up was nice…emphasis rather than essence… yes, some dilution for sure…but let’s just cheer for the the overall spread of the agreements (4 &3) 😁
I inadvertently posted it three times (managed to delete one) Two copies in the post.
As we are mostly practicing lay Buddhists, we know the value of different traditions. Sangha know too, if not fanatics, scammers, power fiends etc. Sangha also able to study and compare, adopt and adapt.
As can we.
That looks like an interesting and relatively new Buddhist channel. I liked all the AI images and the narrator has a soothing voice. I'll be checking out his other content, but from the 3 schools one it seems reliable.
Sky news released their own documentary on Gaza, after the BBC refused to air Gaza: Medics Under Fire.
Sky Documentary "Doctors On The Frontline" WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES
The documentary the BBC refused to air ... Gaza: Doctor under attack
WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES SHOWING THE REALITY IN GAZA FOR THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE.
https://www.rte.ie/culture/2025/0708/1485646-inside-dzogchen-beara-the-rocky-road-to-spiritual-enlightenment/
i am currently reading a book by Peter Cornish the man who came to Ireland with his wife and bought the land that he eventually gifted to rigpa. to me Peter Cornish seemed the true spiritual presence there rather than the since disgraced sogyal rinpoche
Indeed @DagobahZen
This comes over in the documentary.
It is why we have to take responsibility for what we idealise. In their ideal form and more especially ours, bad teachers can still be learned from. When we find a teaching/teacher appropriate to our circumstances, discernment, not slavish wholesale doctrinaire cultishness is still possible but have we the resilience in place?
As someone intolerant of my own limitations, I tend to laff at the excesses of self and twisted influencers in the varied fields of our existence.
Back to the beginners-mind corner for me...
Not a documentary, but some food for thought.
Peter Beinart sits down with Jon Stewart to discuss his book "Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning."
Together, they reflect on what it means to speak out against Israel’s actions, from a Jewish perspective.
They explore how Jewish history can guide us to be saviours, not oppressors; the failure of the U.S. and U.N. to hold Netanyahu accountable; the importance of critical discourse within the Jewish community; and how truly listening to Palestinian stories reveals the depth of dehumanisation they face.
Peter Beinart - "Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning" | The Daily Show
At our Saturday market stall, where we collect donations for Medical Aid for Palestinians, we're sometimes joined by a local Israeli woman. She has supported Palestinian self-determination for many years, both here and back in Israel.
What’s happening in Gaza has been hard for her to come to terms with. It causes her real anxiety and distress. And yet she continues to help out.
Her presence is a quiet reminder that this is not about religion or ethnicity, it’s about standing with others in their struggle for justice, even when it’s personally painful.
One of my favourite films in general...