Worldwide most citizens by far oppose mass immigration. In Japan, their government has been pretty good at respecting this. Japan is an important example for the world. Do not fear low birth rates or a shrinking population. That can easily be fixed. Replacing your population cannot. ABN
The Second Lady was ringless during her visit to Camp Lejeune military base in Richlands, North Carolina on Wednesday with First Lady Melania Trump.
Photos show Usha, 39, getting off a plane with her left hand in full view – and the wedding band nowhere to be seen.
Second Lady Usha Vance was seen traveling to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune on Wednesday with her wedding finger noticeably bare
Additional images from Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River confirm the ring remained off throughout the visit.
The Vice President, meanwhile, was photographed wearing his wedding band during a speaking event in Washington on Thursday.
The image comes after weeks of nasty trolls whispering about the state of the Vance marriage, which began in October with the Vice President’s tight hug he gave to Erika Kirk during a memorial for her husband, the right wing activist Charlie Kirk.
The speculation about a possible rift between the Second Couple was fueled by the VP admitting that he has pleaded with his wife to convert from Hinduism: he is a Roman Catholic.
‘Therefore, O monks, do not brood over [any of these views]. Such brooding, O monks, is senseless, has nothing to do with genuine pure conduct (s. ādibrahmacariyaka-sīla), does not lead to aversion, detachment, extinction, nor to peace, to full comprehension, enlightenment and Nibbāna.[17]
This means that the Buddha did not have a rigid, verbalizable view of human metacognition.
The story above is silly for obvious reasons.
But it is a culturally clickbait-worthy story because both Christians and most Hindus hold rigid metacognitive ‘beliefs’ about their religions.
From a Buddhist point of view, rigid metacognitive beliefs or ‘views’ are:
‘Accompanied by suffering, distress, despair, & fever, and do not lead to disenchantment, dispassion, cessation; to calm, direct knowledge, full Awakening, Unbinding…
‘Whoever speculates about these things will go mad & experience vexation’.
In like manner so it is with all rigid meta-cognitive views on the self, our analyses of ourselves, our understanding of others, our political views, our scientific views, our religious and spiritual views.
In Buddhism, all metacognitive views should be open, pliable, moveable, viewed as impermanent, viewed with a healthy skepticism that allows us to focus on what is of greatest importance — the attainment of liberation through wholesome practice.
Buddhism must be experienced to be understood.
A battle between opposing metacognitive views, such as the one being implied in the story above, is a waste of Usha’s time, Vance’s time, and everyone’s time, except insofar as this example may help others understand the futility and unwholesomeness of being rigid in any metacognitive view about ultimate matters. ABN
…we identify paltering as a distinct form of deception. Paltering differs from lying by omission (the passive omission of relevant information) and lying by commission (the active use of false statements). Our findings reveal that paltering is common in negotiations and that many negotiators prefer to palter than to lie by commission.
The paper tests the effects of paltering during business negotiations, but paltering can happen in many other contexts. Examples of paltering by public figures can be found in the news every day.
The concept of paltering is also interesting psychologically. I am going to speculate that individuals often palter to themselves concerning their own internalized autobiographies and reasons for doing many actions.
If we use our inner voices to palter to ourselves—that is use the best “truthful” description of our actions that also just happens to place those actions in their best light—then we are not living with full integrity even in the privacy of our own thoughts.
At the same time, we have to be careful about how we assess our own paltering. We might be right to use the best version of events because that really is the correct version.
The problem is there is no good standard for an individual alone to decide what is objectively right or wrong.
For example, if someone smokes pot in a state where it is illegal are they paltering by telling themselves the law is stupid so why follow it?
FIML partners will want to avoid paltering at all times but especially in the midst of a FIML query. Properly done, FIML can help with internalized paltering because this sort of subject matter lends itself well to FIML discussions.
As with all moral questions, where we draw the line is not always easy. The more tools we have the better. Awareness of paltering and its effects on others is good tool to have.
I hope Japan continues to set an example for the world. No nation should fear declining population of their traditional people because that can easily be dealt with or fixed. But all nations should fear replacement levels of immigration and immigration of peoples who are hostile or uncooperative with the host country’s fundamental norms, because that cannot be fixed after a discernable real point; maybe 10% or less. ABN
Former top state aide Linda Sun lived large in a Long Island mansion with a Ferrari parked in the garage and Birkin handbag in her closet — all thanks to her alleged secret gig as a Chinese foreign agent, a court heard this week.
Sun, who served under Gov. Kathy Hochul and her predecessor Andrew Cuomo — with a salary that never exceeded $145,000 per year during a decade-plus stint in Albany — could only afford the luxuries by cashing in on her lofty position to advance China’s agenda, federal prosecutors allege.
Photos of the spoils from the purportedly crooked plot made public on Tuesday were shown to jurors in Brooklyn federal court during Sun’s ongoing bombshell corruption trial.
The jury got a glimpse of the loot, including a snazzy brown Hermes Birkin bag seized from Sun’s walk-in closet in the $3.6 million Manhasset manse, and a Patek Philippe watch with a receipt showing it was bought by Sun’s husband and now co-defendant Chris Hu.
Yes, X (formerly Twitter) has disabled automatic translations from Hebrew to other languages, including English. This change was implemented recently, around mid-November 2025, and applies specifically to Hebrew due to issues with machine translation inaccuracies that could misinterpret idioms, hyperbolic language, or context-specific terms—turning neutral or rhetorical phrases into apparent calls for violence or hate speech, which amplified inflammatory content during heightened geopolitical tensions like the ongoing Gaza conflict.
__________
This is total BS.
As a professional translator with many years of experience, I can assure you this policy is a bad joke and a total lie.
Jewish Supremists have exposed themselves on X and the public has found out.
So they do what they always do — censorship and lie about it.
Raw mind-control.
You can find some examples of what X is now hiding in screen shots of old posts containing JS heartless and violent language.
Anti-government protesters rally in cities and towns nationwide for weekly rallies, with activists calling for a state commission of inquiry into the October 7, 2023, massacre.
Protesters are marching from Begin Gate, outside the Defense Ministry headquarters, for the main rally in Tel Aviv’s Habima Square.
Demonstrators are also rallying in Haifa, at the northern Karkour Junction, and other areas across the country.
Despite polls consistently showing a substantial majority of Israelis want a state commission of inquiry to be established, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition have rejected attempts to establish one. They say a commission should only be set up after the war is concluded, and reject a state commission appointed by the Supreme Court chief, claiming it would be biased against them.
10/7 was almost certainly a LIHOP if not a MIHOP operation to provide cover for obliterating Gaza. It will continue to be known about but no ‘state probe’ will ever admit the truth. At best 10/7 will slowly grow and awaken many as the JFK assassination has. ABN
Catholic charities were a major factor in Biden’s illegal immigration invasion. These bishops said nothing then. They have said nothing about the devastating illegal immigration invasion of Europe either. Mass immigration is an act of war. Having ‘compassion’ for the invaders but not the communities being invaded is not wise, and I doubt it is even sound Christianity. It is definitely not sound Buddhist thinking. ABN
UPDATE: This eviscerates the FBI on the Trump assassination attempt in Butler, PA. And shines a super bright light on the Kirk assassination and why no one in their right mind should trust or believe the FBI or anyone else trying to coverup that assassination.
Between the lines, Carlson reveals the very real likelihood that Crooks was manipulated by someone to undertake the assassination.
This new information also shows that the Trump assassination attempt was real and not staged by Trump. ABN
UPDATE: Owens has been doing a terrific job on the Kirk assassination. It does not make sense that anyone would want to censor her or make her stop. Erika Kirk, herself, even said on her Watters interview that she welcomes openness and independent investigations of her husband’s murder. I am undecided on what happened but doubt the FBI based on their track record and their lack of transparency in this case and others under Patel. Before dumping on Owens, I recommend watching at least two or three of her videos on Kirk’s assassination, some of which can be found here. Also, ask yourself: If you were murdered would you want a full and transparent investigation or not? ABN
BBC lied and manipulated footage from Jan 6. That alone is horrifying, being guilty of the very thing you accuse others of. But Norway’s state broadcaster, NRK, went even further: they used the same techniques in a program for children! Shaping minds, lying and stripping critical thought before it can even form.
A few years earlier, NRK openly declared they wouldn’t report bias when it came to Donald Trump, just as they forbid criticism of the so-called “climate crisis.” Yes, they said that too. People watch NRK. They believe it’s truthful and neutral. That belief, that blind trust, is our biggest problem.
That’s how a migrant who faked a “Nazi attack” in Bergen walks free due to claims of “false memories”, while Norwegians attacked by immigrants are branded racist for daring to be angry.
American Buddhist Net 