#unitebylight for one of Patria's bicentennial projects

One of Patria's bicentennial projects for 2018 is the establishment of the Marine Arctic Peace Sanctuary (MAPS). The MAPS treaty, which Patria ratified on the first day of the Third Session of the 50th Congress, is perhaps the best chance to protect one of the planet's most fragile ecosystems. It is Patria's goal that real-world macro-national governments will ratify the MAPS treaty in the near future (and perhaps even President Obama will do so before the Donald knocks on the Oval Office door shortly after 12 noon Eastern time on Jan. 20, 2017) so that MAPS will become a reality by the end of 2018.

Honorary citizen of Patria Parvati Devi has dedicated all her time and all her musical, written and yoga products to MAPS. To that end, Parvati has launched the "Unite by Light" campaign in order to get millions of petition signatures and raise the funds we need to build global public demand for MAPS. It is fun and easy! All you do is:

• Sign the MAPS petition at http://parvati.org (and optionally donate, no obligation)
• Create a short video of yourself lighting a peace candle, while nominating three people who will do the same and spread the word (suggested script at parvati.org)
• Share your video on social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter) using the hashtags #unitebylight #signMAPS

Parvati says "it takes a village to raise a child. Right now MAPS is growing and needs loving care from each one of us so that we can protect the planet now and for future generations".

Parvati at the gates of Patria

The "Positive Possibilities Lady", spotted in Brugge, Belgium!

As the song goes, "when I get older I will be stronger, they'll call me freedom, just like a waving flag". So wave that flag, Patria! BTW, Flag Day in Patria is January 25th. You can even combine it with Robbie Burns Day, as Patria's flag looks a wee bit like the Scottish flag.

Patria signs on to MAPS as Congress returns from summer recess

The surest sign that summer is over in Patria: Congress resumes sitting, following the traditional northern hemisphere summer recess (apologies to micro-nationalists in Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and other southern hemisphere countries). The Third Session of the 50th Congress (3·L 2016-17) was declared open by the Sergeant-at-Arms and Speaker Pro Tem of the House, blowing the vuvuzela and rapping the gavel respectively. One of the first items on the Third Session's order paper was Patria's ratification of the macro-national Marine Arctic Peace Sanctuary (MAPS) treaty.

The Marine Arctic Peace Sanctuary, which has been championed by Patria's "Positive Possibilities Lady" Parvati Devi, establishes all ocean waters north of the Arctic Circle as a marine protected area free from natural resource exploitation, commercialization and military activity. MAPS boldly addresses many key and pivotal climate crisis issues with one single, no cost, immediately realizable solution.

MAPS not only:

• Protects the fragile Arctic ecosystem, which is key to keeping our planet cool and helping prevent natural disasters such as forest fires, floods and droughts
• Shelters our oceans and ocean life, which absorb a quarter of the world’s carbon and are essential for the future of humanity
• Safeguards the polar ice caps, which put the brakes on global warming through the albedo effect, by stopping through traffic of cargo ships and naval vessels.

MAPS also:

• Declares our global commitment to sustainable energies and our cessation of the use of fossil fuels by saying “no” to the unburnable oil resources in the Arctic
• Unites world leaders in agreement that the needs of the collective are equal to the needs of the individual, no longer putting short-term gain ahead of long-term consequence.

Patria calls on all member-states of the United Nations (i.e. real-world macro-nations) to ratify the MAPS treaty immediately. Although Patria is an unrecognized micro-nation, it shares the same planet with Canada, the US and almost 200 other UN members. Patria has signed on to MAPS. You should too! Sign the petition here!

Happy Birthday, Lord Krishna! Janmashtami celebrated in Patria

Patria Post's stamp issue for Janmashtami 2016.

The highlight of the Dog Days of August in Patria is the celebration of Janmashtami or Krishna Jayanti, the day believed to be the birthday of Lord Krishna. Krishna was believed to be born on the eighth day (ashtami) of the Krishna Paksha (dark fortnight) of the month of Bhadrapad (August–September) in the Hindu calendar and this year’s Janmashtami falls on August 25. The celebrations take place not only at homes and temples, and on radio stations where regular programming is pre-empted by bhajans (devotional songs) but also in the public squares and streets of Patria. Children play games such as trying to break a piñata-like earthen pot filled with candies or other munchies, to recall Krishna's childhood leelas (games) of stealing butter. Skits are enacted in which kids play the role of Krishna, Radha and the gopas (cowherds) and gopis (cowgirls) of Vrindavan.

To celebrate Janmashtami, scenes from Krishna's life are enacted by children dressed as gods and goddesses.

Amrita Party House Leader celebrating Janmashtami

The Hon. Member from Arboria and Amrita Party House Leader delivered her traditional Janmashtami message. In her message, Amma noted:

"Krishna taught Arjuna that behind every action is God’s power. If we abandon the feeling of doership and surrender to being an instrument in God’s hands, that divine power will flow through us. If we become like a pipe attached to the tank, all the water in the tank can be used for the sake of many through us. When we become a zero, we truly become a hero. Whatever we want will become possible, and we will be freed from all anxiety and fear. The Lord called this capacity as karmasu kaushalam—“dexterity in action.” This is one of the most important teachings the Lord gave the world.

There are similarities and differences between the earth and Lord Krishna. The earth attracts everyone and so does Sri Krishna. However, while the earth pulls everyone down, Sri Krishna draws one and all up to the heavens. “Perform your duties wholeheartedly with an attitude of surrender and detachment. Be happy, smiling and enthusiastic in life like a child.” This was Sri Krishna’s message."

Smack-Off XXII: Laguna Beach Bully wins

The twenty-second edition of the Smack-Off, hosted by Jungle Party house leader Jim Rome, aired today on the CBS Sports Network and Patria's leading sports talk AM blowtorch PMBC-1152 in Castoropolis.

In a very tough competition with no clear favorite emerging after the three-hour show, the US $5000 (about 210,000 Patrienish Rupees) cash prize to the winner of the Smack-Off went to Leff in Laguna, aka the "Laguna Beach Bully". Note that the Smack-Off prize is winner take all; second place receives nothing, not even a set of steak knives.

Top ten Smack-Off callers:
10. Brad in Corona (2015 defending champion)
9.   Caleb in Wisconsin
8.   Chael Sonnen
7.   Chad in LA (Golden Ticket winner)
6.   Vic in NoCal
5.   Mark in Boston
4.   Mark in Hollywood
3.   Iafrate (day job is a rabbi in LA!)
2.   Mike in Indy
1.   Leff in Laguna

In Patria, the Smack-Off winner also receives a Jungle Party seat in Patria's Congress, at the next election. In 2018 look for Leff to represent some lucky precinct for the 51st Congress.

"Jill not Hill" as Congress recesses at mid-term

Patria's 50th Congress (2·L 2015-16) reached the midpoint of its term of office. As Congress adjourned for the summer recess until September 19, 2016 (3·L 2016-17), the traditional Annual Message to Congress was delivered. Although Patria does not endorse candidates in macro-national elections, the address includes an unofficial endorsement in the US presidential election. And it's not Hillary!

The following is the transcription of the Annual Message:

Om vighna nashinyai namah. Adorations to the Mother who destroys all obstacles.  As the Second Session of the 50^th Congress began, so it ends: with salutations and prostrations at the Divine Mother’s lotus feet. With Her blessings, the Fiftieth Congressus Patriaë has reached the midpoint of its term of office.

Over the course of the Second Session, as had been the intention on Inauguration Day two years ago, a more liberal Patria has taken root. A Patria that has let go of the “safe place for social conservatives”, “modest dress for women” and other tired, lame cliché slogans and is open, ready and willing to be completely restructured around the Positive Possibilities that were first elaborated by the Amrita Party, Chakra Party and others in 2010 and that took root in Canada during this session when the election of Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister swept away the dark ignorance of the Harper era. While on the topic of Positive Possibilities, it is worth noting that Parvati’s new song I am Light that debuted in March continues to sell well and gain radio airplay in Patria.

As per tradition, the final act of the session was the ratification vote of Patria’s fiscal 2017 budget. This budget, passed just minutes ago, contains funding for the usual social programs, from free lunches for grade school kids to subsidized tuition for university and college students, that economic and paleo-conservatives, National Unionists and US Republicans decry as “socialism” and “tax and spend” handouts. But even National Unionists travel by train and wish to do so safely; thus the budget also includes sufficient funding to maintain and upgrade Patria’s passenger rail infrastructure, including the installation of Positive Train Control on all trains – from lowly milk-runs to the superfast express trains that link Castoropolis with the precinct capitals. 

The budget also notes that the Reserve Bank of Patria will take appropriate measures if necessary to prop up the Patrienish Rupee, should the value of Patria’s currency be dragged down along with the British Pound Sterling following the decision in the United Kingdom yesterday to withdraw from the European Union. Patria, of course, did not endorse either the “Leave” or “Remain” side in the UK referendum, but does support the right to self-determination and independence of Scotland and Wales, as well as micronations within the United Kingdom such as Sealand. 

Patria generally does not endorse candidates or parties in foreign or macro-national elections. But over the course of the Second Session, as America votes in November and US citizens in Patria take the necessary steps to register and obtain absentee ballots, Patria has been enthusiastically and fervently supporting the campaign of Bernie Sanders for the Democratic Party’s nomination as the next President of the United States. Although the window of opportunity has virtually run out for the Senator from Vermont as Hillary Clinton has now clinched – or should we say rigged – the party’s nomination, Patria nonetheless unofficially endorses Mr. Sanders should he decide to run as an Independent or Third Party candidate. Failing the opportunity to “Feel the Bern”, Patria will unofficially endorse Jill Stein of the Green Party and the battle cry of “Jill not Hill!” (or hashtag #JillnotHill) will reverberate throughout the Inner Realm going forward into the Third Session.

Of course Patria strongly hopes to see a woman someday be elected President of the United States. Perhaps Elizabeth Warren in 2020. Or Tulsi Gabbard  in, say, 2032. But not Hillary Clinton in 2016. Over the course of the primaries and caucuses from New Hampshire in February until California early this month, we often heard that Ms. Clinton is more “experienced”, having served as a Senator and Secretary of State as well as First Lady. Indeed, she does have quite an impressive resumé. But in 1856, James Buchanan had also served as a Senator and Secretary of State, as well as United States ambassador to Russia, and turned out to be arguably the worst President ever, who did virtually nothing to prevent the impending Civil War. We heard that Ms. Clinton “got more done” during her tenure in the US Senate, when in fact she managed to pass only three inconsequential pieces of legislation, such as renaming a post office. Compare this with some of Bernie Sanders' accomplishments over more than two decades in Congress – from treating autism in the military to getting tough on child labor and exposing corruption in the military-industrial complex – which he achieved by building unusual but effective coalitions with Democrats and Republicans alike. We heard that Ms. Clinton is more “practical”, “pragmatic” and has “more realistic goals” than Mr. Sanders. But America and indeed the macro-world can do better in 2016 than baby-steps pragmatism and “incremental” change. Know this: no one has ever changed the world by being practical, sticking to realistic goals or maintaining the status quo. Such a world, where those in roles of leadership are unable or unwilling to create real change, would offer little more than a dull, beige existence. It would be a world where Mahatma Gandhi would have become a moderately successful trial lawyer, Nelson Mandela would have died in prison and Martin Luther King Jr. would have been preaching to the Ebenezer Baptist Church choir. Finally, we heard that in the upcoming election in November, we must hold our noses or put on blindfolds and vote for Ms. Clinton as she is the “lesser of two evils”. Not only is this an extremely tired, lame cliché (as everyone knows, the lesser of two evils is still evil), but Patria could make a good argument that Ms. Clinton is more evil than Donald Trump. Mr. Trump is simply a blustering, overweight buffoon, like the late former Mayor of Toronto Rob Ford, who would make America a laughing stock rather than great again. But at least Mr. Trump is not a tired old member of the status quo Republican establishment like Jeb Bush or Mitt Romney. Ms. Clinton is not only as establishment and status quo as it gets but is an amoral billionaire who can earn more money for a single dinner party or speaking engagement than Mr. Sanders earns in an entire year, a one-percent plutocrat and corporate shill whose principles are dictated by those to whom she is beholden: the Wall Street corporate suits and banksters, Big Oil, Big Pharma, the prison-industrial complex and the war machine of the military-industrial complex. Even one of the Koch Brothers has come out in favor of a second Clinton administration. Ms. Clinton claims to be “liberal” or “progressive” but supported Barry Goldwater in 1964 while Bernie Sanders was marching on the front lines of the civil rights movement. She has constantly flip-flopped on issues such as same-sex marriage and has done virtually nothing to advance the cause of true liberalism or progressive democratic socialism. She has never met a war she didn’t like and counts among her close friends and confidants the tired old Cold Warrior Henry Kissinger. If your loved ones who joined the military and deployed overseas have returned to America in body bags, with missing limbs, or a lifetime of battlefield trauma, you can blame her support of George W. Bush’s war in Iraq. If your job has disappeared, offshored to Mexico or China, and you are unable to find a meaningful job that offers even half the wages of your old one, you can blame her support of NAFTA and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. If you have been needlessly incarcerated for a petty, non-violent crime – or even no crime at all – you can blame her support of the failed war on drugs and the private prison industry.

With the belief that America can and must do better than either Mr. Trump or Ms. Clinton, as Jim Rome’s Jungle Party Clones await Smack Off XXII on July 1, and as Patria says lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu in memory of those who passed away earlier this month – Muhammad Ali, Gordie Howe and the 49 lives brutally snuffed out in Orlando, Florida – let us wrap up the work of this session. Going forward into the second half of the 50^th Congress and towards Patria’s bicentennial celebrations in 2018 let us move beyond our preconceived notions and attachments and open to the wonders of life. Gone, gone, beyond in the words of the Buddhist Sutra: gate gate pāragate pārasamgate bodhi svāhā!

Om Sri Gurubhyo Namah. Hari Om.

Under the power vested in me by the Constitution of Patria, I declare closed the Second Session of the 50^th Congress, and call this Congress to re-assemble here on Monday, the 19^th of September 2016, to open the Third Session of the 50^th Congress.

Jill Stein - Patria's unofficial endorsement to succeed Barack Obama as US President.

Between Patriot's Day and Patria Day

Patria's bicentennial is coming! What are you doing for 2018?

The ten weeks between Patriot's Day (third Monday in April) and Patria Day (June 30, Patria's birthday in 1818, celebrated as both Independence and Inauguration Day) are a special time in Patria. Every fourth year, in a World Cup year (e.g. 2010, 2014, 2018) Patria elects a new Congressus Patriaë on Patriot's Day weekend and the new Congress takes office on June 30. But even in non-election mid-term years such as 2016, when there is no lame-duck session of an administration counting down the days in office and attempting to cement its legacy or seek its crown-jewel achievement, there is nonetheless still a flurry of activity at the Capitol in Castoropolis - a "race to the gavel", until the day in late June when Patria's fiscal 2017 budget is ratified, the annual Message to Congress is delivered, and the Speaker of the House whacks his or her gavel to adjourn the Second Session of the 50th Congress for the northern hemisphere summer recess.

Citizens of Patria are enjoined to devote these two and a half months, as spring takes root and winter is gone and hopefully forgotten, to reinforcing and recommitting to one's sadhana (spiritual practices such as yoga, mantra recitation and meditation), self-care and seeking out gentle, nurturing daily activities that are vital, rooted and expansive (or that bring about feelings of same). One such activity is getting the blessings of both Amma Amritanandamayi and Amma Karunamayi during their summer tours, and doing seva in preparation for and during the Divine Mother's retreats and public programs.

With Patria's bicentennial celebration less than two years away, this is also a time to consider and begin planning a special project or "scratch off the bucket list" event for 2018.

Finally, for the Jungle Party and Jim Rome's loyal army of Clones in Patria who listen on PMBC-1152, this is the season for the Smack-Off, an annual competition in which select listeners are invited to provide their best “Smack Talk.” The contest is a way to recognize the best callers to the show, as well as a means of determining the best caller of the year. Smack Off XXII will be held on Canada Day, July 1.

"I am Light" - catch it in Patria

Montreal native, Toronto resident, and honorary citizen of Patria Parvati Devi has released I am Light, a new hit single and her first ever music video. After the song's premiere on YAN TV in Vietnam, as well as advance publicity in Thailand, the Philippines and other Asian macronations, I am Light debuted on two of Patria's FM stations on opposite ends of the FM dial in Castoropolis: PROK-107.9 (but usually announcing frequency as "108"), a hot-hits station like Virgin Radio, and PREM-88.1, a new-age, free-form station that sounds a bit like CFNY in the 1980s. Other stations are also catching the Light. Even the AM news-talk legacy blowtorch PMC-846 (ex-850; Patria adopted 9 kHz spacing in 1978) aired it on their morning drive show.

Parvati says about the release of I am Light: "Internally, I have so many feelings about this – joy, wonder, and above all, humble awe at the grace of being able to touch so many through this song. This is why I do what I do. The song came through me like a child that needed to be born, with a mission for the world. It has asked me to align within more fully in knowing that I too am eternal light. It has shaken out internal cobwebs, brought up aspects of my shadow to heal, and amplified the joyous nature of my soul. I feel it has gifted me with so very much already. It is my job to serve its radiant life and momentum."



Buy it on iTunes. 99 cents (or about 40 Patrienish Rupees) well spent!

Princess Joan of Sealand dies at age 86.

Joan and Roy Bates declared Sealand's "independence" from the UK in 1967.

Patria's Ministry of External Affairs notes with sadness the passing of Princess Joan of Sealand today at age 86. In 1967, Joan Bates and her husband Major Roy Bates, who died in 2012, moved to an anti-aircraft fortress just outside British territorial waters. They declared it an independent state - the Principality of Sealand - and gave themselves the titles "Prince" Roy and "Princess" Joan of Sealand. She is survived by their son,  Prince Michael, who said: "My parents will always be remembered for shaking up the establishment with pirate radio, declaring Sealand's independence and confronting the Royal Navy and other foreign governments."

In 1978, three foreign men landed at Sealand by helicopter and overpowered Michael to claim the 'principality' as their own. Mr Bates soon arrived, took two of the men hostage and regained control of the fort.

Needless to note, the United Kingdom has never recognized Sealand's sovereignty.

Sealand issued a variety of postage stamps.

Flags in Patria were lowered to half-mast today in memory of Princess Joan. Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu.

Patria killed daylight saving time. USA and Canada should too

Because it is not worth the lost hour of sleep or going to work/school in the dark.

Daylight Saving Time (DST), aka needlessly lost sleep and several weeks of going to work or school in the dark, has outlived its usefulness - if it ever had any practical use. Energy savings are minimal or virtually non-existent. Fatal traffic accidents spike during the first days after DST begins. The lost hour of sleep has even been linked to heart attacks.

DST was established almost 100 years ago as a way to save energy that was needed for munitions plants and weapons factories during the so-called Great War. Since then, technological and scientific advancements have changed not just our energy consumption, but our understanding of the importance of a good night’s sleep.

Thanks to the proliferation of computers, smartphones and other devices, changing clocks an hour forward in the spring (and back in the fall) is not the chore it once used to be. Nonetheless, wrist watches and wall clocks have not gone away and it is still a pain in the ass to re-set them.

Fortunately, Patria does not bother with needlessly setting clocks forward and back again at 2:00 AM on a designated Sunday. DST was repealed in Patria back in 1987 (43rd Congress legacy) and no one misses DST to the point of wanting to bring it back. The economic and social costs of DST were just not worth any benefits it might have produced.

It is a moot point in Patria, but you can let your representatives in the US Congress and Canadian Parliament know DST isn’t just irrelevant in the year 2016 — it’s harmful to our health.

Stop DST petition (from change.org)

End daylight saving time (petition to US Congress)

Daylight saving time, your hour is up!

One of the names of the Divine Mother is kala-vinashini - She who destroys time. Because Patria runs on God's time!

Patria is in the front lines of the War on Valentines Day

As Patria celebrated Vasant Panchami - the day devoted to worship of Patria's traditional Head of State, Saraswati Devi - on Friday (Feb. 12) and World Radio Day today, more shots were fired in Patria's ongoing war against Valentine's Day.

The men's rights advocates in the National Union have condemned Valentine's Day for years, because of its unfair financial costs on men who have to pick up the tab for flowers, chocolates, lingerie, etc. in order to keep their girlfriends/significant others happy and willing to go to bed with them. But the strongest calls to ban Valentine's Day in Patria come from the hard-core Hindu nationalist, fundamentalist or revivalist organizations usually allied with the SRM. One such group, the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) claims that the day is a "cultural conversion of Hindus" away from the path of Sanatan Dharma toward decadent Western values. According to the HJS, the over-commercialized Feb. 14 Hallmark Holiday should be banned (particularly among teenagers and young adults) for the following reasons:

• Hindu young men, please answer! Why are you spreading depravity in college by celebrating immoral Valentine’s Day?
• Realize the selfish interests of multinational companies to fill their coffers by selling their products!
• Shame! Shame on those colleges, Principals and Professors who are giving tacit consent to Valentine’s Day!
• Open your eyes, wake up ! Take active part in prevention of mental ‘Christianization’ of Hindu youth!
• It is the prime duty of every Hindu to stop mental and cultural conversion of Hindus happening in the name of Valentine’s Day!
• Future generation of Hindus getting entrapped in western ‘Days’ is social, national and religious harm!

In 2014, Patria moved on from being a "safe place for social conservatives". Patria no longer advocates modest dress for women and a ban on public displays of affection by couples. But Patria must remain a safe place for those who are asexual, those who are unable to navigate the ins and outs of long-term romantic relationships due to Asperger's or autism spectrum disorders, as well as those who are involuntarily celibate for any reason. Involuntary celibacy is a very real and very frustrating phenomenon, particularly for men who approach age 30, 40 or even 50 without ever getting a sniff of sex other than masturbation.

Valentine's Day is not officially banned in Patria as it is in Iran and in Pakistan (apparently this is one thing Hindus and Muslims can agree on!), except in grade school. Nonetheless, Patria has a duty to promote a healthy, wholesome definition of love that unlike mainstream pop-culture songs, advertisements, television shows and other entertainment, does not place an inordinate emphasis on sexuality.

More made-in-Canada mirconationalism: the Republic of Rathnelly

The main street of the Republic of Rathnelly, circa 1967.

Patria's Ministry of External Affairs has for many years recognized the Republic of Rathnelly, a made-in-Canada micronation that dates from the summer of 1967, when about 400 residents of Rathnelly Avenue in midtown Toronto, and several nearby streets, decided to secede from Canada.

On June 12, 1967 the Toronto Star reported the front-page news:

“[Rathnelly] seceded in a bloodless, post-breakfast coup and seized control of the five blocks west of Avenue Rd. and north of the Davenport Rd. tracks”.

A small army—the Republic of Rathnelly Irregulars, which was made up of uniformed kids— claimed a nearby park and renamed it Freedom Square. A space rocket fleet made out of cardboard was assembled on one of the front lawns, and barricades went up at the end of the street, closing it to traffic.

The street festival-cum-declaration of independence even received a visit from Mayor William Dennison and Metro Controller Margaret Campbell, and the two governments officially entered into talks.

“As tankards of Rathnellian mead—the republic’s only liquid assets—were handed round, statesman met statesman in an attempt to hammer out a treaty,” wrote the Star. In the end, the two sides reached an agreement, and the Republic of Rathnelly peacefully rejoined the city and country at midnight.

Apart from the obvious micronational fun, including correspondence with then-Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau, the Republic of Rathnelly served a useful purpose in uniting the neighborhood. By forming a little country, the Rathnelly Area Residents’ Association brought neighbors together and attracted attention to local issues such as the city of Toronto's plans (ultimately scrapped) to build an expressway that would have cut through the Republic.

In 2011 the city of Toronto, while not officially recognizing the Republic of Rathnelly, erected street signs bearing the Republic's coat of arms.

World Radio Day is coming, February 13

The United Nations organization UNESCO has proclaimed February 13 as World Radio Day. The day will be celebrated in Patria, where radio - particularly AM and shortwave - is still (to borrow a phrase from honorary Patrienish citizen Parvati) "rooted, vital and expansive", to say nothing of relevant in the so-called online age. Patria is the home of legendary AM stations since the early 1920s such as PMC (846 kHz) in Castoropolis: a classic full-service news, sports and information station in the model of KMOX back in the day. In Patria, you can hear Jungle Party House Leader Jim Rome and even American right-wing windbags such as Rush Limbaugh on AM stations. You will also find in-depth sports talk if you need to know more than just the scores about the Castoropolis Centurions (Patrienish Hockey League) and Cæsarea United (All-Patria Football Federation). Sorry, no Bible-thumping gospel hucksters in Patria, but there's no lack of "all bhajans all the time" Hindu stations like Radio Jaagriti-102.7 in Trinidad.

For World Radio Day 2016, UNESCO has stressed five key themes to bring radio to life:

1. Freedom of expression and journalists’ safety should be disaster-proof.
2. Radio empowers survivors and vulnerable people, being mindful of their right to privacy.
3. Radio has social impact and provides access to information. People’s right to information should be protected.
4. Radio saves lives. 
5. The immediate accessibility of radio frequencies is essential to saving lives. These frequencies should be protected in times of emergency.

Note the emphasis on radio in times of life-threatening emergency. In case of war or insurrection, one of the first things to be censored, restricted or shut down completely is the Internet. In case of a natural disaster such as an earthquake or flood, one of the first things to go down is the power grid, making it kind of hard to recharge your trusty smartphone or even access cellphone service (another reason for not killing off landlines completely). Your battery-powered, solar-powered or wind-up radio is your best friend in times of trouble, whether man-made or act of God.

As it was in previous years, note that the official World Radio Day logo of a stylized microphone looks a lot like a Shivalingam. Whether this was done intentionally or not, Shivaratri 2016 does not come until March 7 or 8. More often than not, this great festival dedicated to Lord Shiva falls during the month of February.