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.

First act of new Congress: summer recess

Nice inaugural celebration, Patria. See you in September!

Following the inaugural puja, oath of office, Inaugural Address/Speech from the Throne (q.v.), Congressional lunch and inaugural parade through downtown Castoropolis, the first act of the 50th Congress  - after the official administrivia of naming a House Speaker pro tem, acting Minister of External Affairs, Secretary of the Interior and other so-called cabinet positions - was to adjourn for the traditional summer recess. The First Session of the 50th Congress (1·L 2014-15) will convene on Sept. 15. Patria's Congress is strictly a September-to-June body, paralleling the school year. Congressional sessions during the months of July and August are extremely rare.

Inaugural Ball? Here it is!

Although a US-style formal Inaugural Ball had been part of Patria's previous Inauguration Days, there was no such event in 2014. It didn't seem appropriate to hold an Inaugural Ball in light of the 49th Congress austerity budgets, Patria's generally shaky economy, and an Inaugural Address than slammed "soulless plutocrats and amoral one-percenter privateers". Not to mention that it is an extremely uncomfortable event for Aspies, who likely wouldn't be able to find a date to bring to the ball and hate dressing up in formal attire. (BTW, the uniform of the day for the inaugural ceremony was satsang whites or traditional Hindu: saris for the girls, dhotis and kurtas for the guys.)