water – SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR)

Fire Boat Festival (Lai Heua Fai), marking the End of Buddhist Lent on October 7, 2025. Coinciding with the full moon of the 11th lunar month

Laos: Rainy Season Retreat Comes to an End for Buddhist Monks! (13.11.2025)

13/11/2025 Adrian (釋大道)

Beyond the spiritual rituals, the festival grounds came alive with vibrant activity as local vendors showcased a wide array of goods, ranging from traditional foods and drinks to handmade crafts, clothing, and household items. The lively marketplace added a festive touch, transforming the event into not just a religious celebration, but also a vibrant community gathering.

Well-organized and secure, the event provided a safe and joyful environment for all attendees. It stood as a testament to Laos’ rich cultural heritage, while also promoting environmental consciousness and community unity.

As the glowing boats drifted peacefully down the Mekong and candlelight danced in the night breeze, the Fire Boat Festival once again proved to be a captivating blend of faith, folklore, and festivity—a timeless tradition that continues to illuminate the hearts of those who take part, year after year.

China: World’s First Solar Magnetic-Field Telescope Operating in the Mid-Infrared Wavelength Range! (23.10.2025)

24/10/2025 Adrian (釋大道)

The world’s first solar magnetic-field telescope operating in the mid-infrared wavelength range has officially become operational after gaining government approval, marking a major breakthrough in solar magnetic field research.

The telescope, known as the Accurate Infrared Magnetic Field Measurements of the Sun, or AIMS, is located in Lenghu township, Qinghai province, at an average altitude of about 4,000 meters. AIMS’ development addresses a long-standing bottleneck in the century-old history of solar magnetic field measurements by achieving a leap from indirect to direct measurement, scientists said.

“The sun, being the only star we can observe with high precision, has a magnetic field that acts as the energy switch driving intense solar activities such as flares and coronal mass ejections. Yet, more than half the sun’s overall magnetic field manifestations are relatively weak, with strengths of only a few dozen gauss,” said Deng Yuanyong, a researcher at the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who led the telescope’s construction.

Zen of Galmpton! (24.8.2035)

24/08/2025 Adrian (釋大道)

Here we are. Zen is Ch’an in reverse – which is good as perception is the wrong way around. Turn it the right way around – and Zen becomes Ch’an the right way around. Not always an easy task – like catching a steam train whilst it is obscured by it’s own smoke. What a joy such contradictions are. They exist to test our perception and determination. As such, nothing else matters. We all look up – and we all look down – just like every koan (gong-an) you may have viewed. Still, none of it matters if you cannot lay it all down. None of it matters at all.

People carrying sacks of flour walk along al-Rashid street in western Jabalia on June 17, 2025.

Rolling Stone: The Horror of the Israeli Killing Field in Gaza! (18.8.2025)

18/08/2025 Adrian (釋大道)

Earlier this week, as President Donald Trump attempted to enforce a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, reports emerged that dozens of Palestinians — as many as 50 — as well as three aid workers, were killed by IDF gunfire while awaiting aid in Southern Gaza. Similar massacres are taking place on a near daily basis.

“They talk about using artillery on a junction full of civilians as if it’s normal,” one military source told Haaretz of a meeting they attended with leaders of the IDF’s Southern Command. “An entire conversation about whether it’s right or wrong to use artillery, without even asking why that weapon was needed in the first place. What concerns everyone is whether it’ll hurt our legitimacy to keep operating in Gaza. The moral aspect is practically non-existent. No one stops to ask why dozens of civilians looking for food are being killed every day.”

Markers of the callousness in the IDF’s operations within Gaza continue to elicit shock after more than a year of brutality. One source who spoke to Haaretz indicated that the militarized aid operation in his region of Gaza has a name: Operation Salted Fish.

Australians Take Illicit Drugs to Numb the Pain of Capitalism!

Australia: Wastewater Analysis Reveals Record-High Levels of Illicit Drug-Taking! (15.8.2025)

15/08/2025 Adrian (釋大道)

ACIC Chief Executive Officer Heather Cook said in a statement that the consumed volume of methylamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and MDMA had an estimated street value of 11.5 billion Australian dollars (7.4 billion U.S. dollars), with methylamphetamine accounting for 8.9 billion Australian dollars (5.7 billion U.S. dollars).

“Serious and organized crime groups exploit Australia’s high demand for illicit drugs and are focused on maximising profit at the expense of the community’s security and wellbeing,” she said.

ACIC said its modelling suggests that increasing consumption of methylamphetamine, cocaine and MDMA will continue through to 2027, while the heroin market is not expected to change significantly for the next two years.

Duddington: Scrumping Cooking-Apples, Liberating the Graveyard & Making Cakes in Sutton! (1.8.2025)

01/08/2025 Adrian (釋大道)

We taught Kai-Lin how to “forage” – a skill sadly lacking in today’s world – where “culture” is being crushed by the rich who live in gated communities (isolated from the destruction they are inflicting upon the all British people) and ordering their food imported from abroad and delivered by Ocardo – or something similar. My children have never heard of “cooking-apples” – or that such traditional fruit cannot be readily or easily eaten (due to its natural bitterness and hardness) without first being properly prepared and correctly cooked in suitably sweetened and heated water (simmered – but not boiled). My older relatives often used brown-sugar – before the apples could be placed into tasty apple-pies.

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