Students of the historical record are ever mindful that for every significant catastrophe there typically will be at least one, and more often several bizarre conspiracy theories that spring up around it. “The CIA killed Bob Marley“, “The Pope had John Lennon whacked”, “Hitler was half space alien,” etc. The larger the event, the more ridiculous and numerous are the conspiracy rantings which circulate in relation to it.

So it’s not surprising at all that the events of September 11th, 2001 have precipitated their fair share of these ludicrous fairy tales. And as always, there is – sadly – a small but gullible percentage of the population eager to lap up these tall tales, regardless of facts or rational analysis.

But alas, the incessant 9/11 conspiracy theory bleating is slowly and thankfully grinding to a halt. Other than the fundamental incoherence of their loony theories, the downfall of the “9/11 denier” juggernaut was good old-fashioned skepticism at its best, the kind that conjures visions of James Randi challenging psychics and faith healers on their home turfs and winning.

Staking their fortunes almost solely on Internet-based content may have been the 9/11 deniers’ biggest mistake — the Internet is un-edited, without fact-checkers or minimum publishing standards of any kind — also became a perfect place for a rapid-response system of blogs and forums to fight back. Drawing on the freely available technical information from the NIST, FEMA, and academic journals which most colleges let their students access for free.

It is with the above observations in mind we provide this insightful video from the Corbett Report. Enjoy and Wake Up, America!  Stop indulging in loony wingnut batsh*t conspiracy theories.  Case closed!

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The ineffable John Oliver slammed into the uber corrupt practices of the ‘Big Pharma’ industry in a 15-minute rant last week that really takes the cake!.

It’s a great video exposes just how deeply invested Big Pharma is in luring MDs to prescribe their drugs to millions of people, regardless of the efficacy. In fact, Oliver reveals, that Big Pharma spends much more on marketing to doctors than it does on research, or to marketing to us in television advertising.

Why? Because we trust our doctors.
And if they say here take this pill, we usually will.

Among the really alarming facts in Oliver’s careful dissection of the issue are some pretty hilarious lines. At one point the Oliver compares drug companies to high school boyfriends: “They’re much more interested in getting inside you than in being effective once they are there.”

There have been tiny glimmers of reform in Big Pharma’s dishonest practices: Pharmaceutical reps are not allowed to take doctors out for lavish meals all the time, now. And the Affordable Care Act has helped set up a website which enables you to look up whose money your doctor is taking.

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Original post found here: Arun Gandhi

Salaam alaikum!  Good Morning friends!

Is Gandhi Thriving More in India or America? 

Dr. Abdul Malik Mujahid host of Radio Islam engages Arun Gandhi in a conversation this week:  Malik welcomes Arun noting that he is a true friend of humanity.  In this intimate interview Malik and Arun cover a wide range of topics from India and South African politics, MK Gandhi’s politics, and who is responsible for bringing about Gandhian social, economic and political change today in India.  

Malik asks Arun about the Gandhi Legacy Tours, why they were started, and the upcoming inaugural Satyagraha Tour of South Africa he will be personally leading this May.  Arun stated that the new educational tour through South Africa, will lead us to better understand the philosophy of nonviolence and its application within the violent 21st century: “If this world is to be saved from self-destruction, nonviolence is inevitable.”  Arun not only personally leads the travel groups every year but also participates in dialogues and discussions throughout the tour.  He noted, “As President Nelson Mandela famously said: India sent a man to South Africa and we sent back a Mahatma.”

The conversation segues into Nelson Mandela’s legacy, democracy, and they acknowledge how Americans gets stereotyped by foreigners.   Arun talks about his father Manilal Gandhi’s struggle in South Africa and how the US, India and South Africa can learn from each other.  Arun shares a beautiful leela about his grandmother Kasturba and “The Forgotten Woman” a book he and his late wife Sunanda co-authored about her untold story. 

Malik continues raising questions like Is Gandhi Thriving More in India or America? What is non-violence? How can non violence be used in social economic issues?To find out more listen in…

 Related Post:  Arun Gandhi Joins Council for Parliament of World Religions

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Original Post: Gandhi Legacy Tour

Another remarkable person, Arun Gandhi’s son and co-leader of the Gandhi Legacy Tours, Tushar Gandhi, was on the air with Dr. Gary Null, Null’s ‘Conversations With Remarkable Minds series. Tushar is a controversial, irreverent and passionate activist known by millions in and out of India.  Tushar is also my fellow director at Gandhi Worldwide Education Institute where he and his Mahatma Gandhi Foundation have provided major support and guidance.

1996 Tushar discovered an urn containing the ashes from Gandhi’s funeral pyre, forgotten in the strong room of the State Bank of India, Cuttack. He secured permission from the Supreme Court and immersed them in the Triveni Sangam on 30 January 1997.The same year he founded the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation, of which he is currently the managing trustee.

Tushar Gandhi commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Dandi Kooch (Gandhi’s famous Salt March protest), by organizing a re-enactment of the 241-mile long walk. He walked the entire stretch and was instrumental in getting the prime minister to declare the route from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi a historic heritage route.

He is also the chairman for the Australian-Indian Rural Development Foundation, is involved in projects to prevent child trafficking, and is an ambassador of an intergovernmental institution to promote the use of micro-algae spirulina as a nutritional source to fight malnutrition.

A celebrated author and artist to boot, Tushar wrote the exhaustively researched and hotly debated “Lets Kill Gandhi: A Chronicle of His Last Days, the Conspiracy, Murder, Investigation and Trial.”

He currently lives in Mumbai with his wife Sonal and children Vivan and Kasturi.

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THE COURAGE TO BECOME

Here I am

Approaching eighty

And I remain

Perfectly incomplete,

Facing my angels and demons,

Trudging and soaring

Through the uncharted

Times and throes

Of my own existence.

What will it take to

Graduate beyond

“looking into the glass darkly?”

What will it take to

Reside consistently

In Nirvana,

“See things face to face”

 and

Be completely at peace

With myself

In all circumstances?

Oh, I keep waiting for,

Looking for,

The Golden Ring,

The ring of power

And Wisdom,

And presence,

And perfection.

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