Amma celebrates Promethium birthday

Although the celebrations were not quite as massive as last year's Amritavarsham 60, or the humungous 50th birthday party that filled a cricket stadium to Test Match capacity in 2003, Patria's House Leader of the Amrita Party celebrated her 61st birthday (go ahead and google the reference. Surely you remember your periodic table from high school chemistry!) in the midst of Navratri -the nine nights devoted to worship of the Divine Mother - and the Jewish High Holy Days.

Party like it's 5775! Amma distributes the traditional Rosh Hashanah offering of apples dipped in honey (for a sweet new year).

In her birthday message, Amma said: "Devotion and compassion towards the poor and the needy go hand in hand. They are like two sides of a coin. We should look around us and reach out to people who need our help. If we are able to help even just one person, we can bring about a big change in their life. If my children can become ready to share their lives with the poor and the needy, that would be the best birthday present Amma could ever receive."

The celebrations include announcements of Amma's new charitable projects, a free marriage ceremony for impoverished couples, distribution of free clothing to the poor, and of course almost a full day of Amma’s darshan—her personal motherly embrace for each person attending the event.

Scots say "nae" to independence

In a referendum held on Sept. 18, the people of Scotland voted by a 55% margin to stay in the United Kingdom, where they had been since the Act of Union in 1707. As with all macro-national ("real world") affairs, Patria was neutral on the Scottish referendum. But public opinion in Patria was overwhelmingly in favor of the "YES" side, as a new and small nation with a flag that resembles Patria's. Vive l'Ecosse libre!

Note the extremely high voter turnout for the referendum. Canadians and Americans are lucky to have a 50% voter turnout for their elections. It was even higher than the voter turnout in Patria for the 50th Congress election (unofficially around 80%). Unfortunately, Scots living abroad were not eligible to send in absentee ballots. There are probably more Scottish immigrants in Canada and the United States than there are people still living in Scotland.

It's a moot point, but one wonders what Scotland's internet domain would have been if the yes side had won. .sc is Seychelles, .sd is Sudan, .sk is Slovakia, .sl is Sierra Leone, .so is Somalia. They might have been out of luck.

Back to school as Congress returns from summer recess

Patria's new 50th Congress has returned from post-inaugural summer recess to begin its traditional September-to-June session. As the Sergeant-at-Arms called out "The House shall assemble!" and the Speaker Pro Tem banged the gavel on the dais, the First Session, Fiftieth Congress (1·L 2014-15) was officially underway. A more liberal agenda on the order paper can be expected, given the Social Democrats' beefed-up representation and the National Union being reduced almost to fringe or niche status.

Along with the new session of Congress, a new academic year also begins. For incoming university and college frosh, most of whom were born in 1996, there are many things, such as VHS videos, electric typewriters and 35 mm film cameras, that they are too young to recall. Around this time each year, Beloit College, a small liberal arts school in Wisconsin, publishes a "Mindset List" providing a look at the cultural touchstones and experiences that have shaped the worldview of students entering colleges and universities in the fall. Following are some of the highlights of Beloit's Mindset List for the class of 2018:

• During their initial weeks of kindergarten, they were upset by endlessly repeated images of planes blasting into the World Trade Center.
• Since they binge-watch their favorite TV shows, they might like to binge-watch the video portions of their courses too.
• When they see wire-rimmed glasses, they think Harry Potter, not John Lennon.
• “Press pound” on the phone is now translated as “hit hashtag.”
• Celebrity “selfies” are far cooler than autographs.
• They have probably never used Netscape as their web browser.
• Hong Kong has always been part of China.

Read the full Class of 2018 Mindset List

Patria remembers centennial of Great War

Canadian troops bring a wounded comrade through the mud of Passchendaele, 1917. Fortunately, Patria stayed out of this so-called "war to end all wars".

The centennial of the Great War was referenced in Patria's Fiftieth Congress inaugural address. But on the first weekend of August, Patria once again paused to remember the hundredth anniversary of the world (the mighty European macro-powers and their colonial empires, at least) going to war over the assassination of a stupid Austro-Hungarian archduke. On this week in 1914, the newly inaugurated Twenty Fifth Congress met in a Special Session held before the convening of the First Session in September (1·XXV 1914-15) in order to affirm Patria's neutrality in the conflict that would later become known as World War I.

They would still be dodging bullets and poison gas in the rat-infested mud-filled trenches four years later, as the 26th Congress was inaugurated during Patria's centennial year 1918. But by then, the USA had become involved, making the Great War a true World War.

To remember is to end all wars. Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu.

Like Great War 100 on Facebook.

Patria Post issues Mandela memorial stamp

On the day that would have been Nelson Mandela's 96th birthday - observed worldwide as Mandela Day - Patria Post has issued a commemorative stamp in memory of the late South African leader. Note that like most recent Patria Post issues, this is a "forever" stamp with no rupee denomination. The number 1 simply represents the basic First Class letter rate.

The United Nations officially declared 18 July as Nelson Mandela International Day in November 2009, recognising Mandela’s "values and his dedication to the service of humanity" and acknowledging his contribution "to the struggle for democracy internationally and the promotion of a culture of peace throughout the world".

Amma meets with US Congresspeople

Immediately after wrapping up her North American tour, the Hon. Member of the 50th Congress Amma (AMR-Arboria) made a brief stop in Washington, DC where she met with several members of the United States Congress. The meeting was was held at the request of Democratic U.S. Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, who represents California's 40th Congressional District.

During the visit, some frank discussions emerged over the plight of large numbers of unaccompanied minors from Central American countries that are currently being detained by the U.S. Border Patrol. The children were fleeing extreme violence in their native countries and had been encouraged to seek shelter in the U.S.

This was the second year in a row that Congresswoman Roybal-Allard had invited Amma for such a meeting. The event took place mere hours after a marathon Devi Bhava public program in Toronto during which Amma hugged devotees continuously for some 14 hours without stopping for a bathroom break, let alone a few hours of sleep.

ॐ लोकाः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवन्तु ॥

Lucille Roybal-Allard  (D-CA) gets some face time with Amma.

50th Congress campaign in a Batman meme nutshell

Social conservatives got bitch-slapped during Patria's 2014 election campaign! "Modest dress for women" had been a tired old icon in Patria for decades. Two days before election day, the Supreme Court of Patria threw out the ban on same-sex marriage.