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In Super Bowl, Bad Bunny was terrific. So were the Seahawks. - Hinessight

February 10, 2026 at 6:15 AM

Brian Hines

@oregonbrian.bsky.social

Tonight's blog post: "In Super Bowl, Bad Bunny was terrific. So were the Seahawks."
hinesblog.com/2026/02/in-s...

I felt a bit embarrassed yesterday when I left a voice mail message for someone that ended with “Have a good weekend; not sure if you’re a football fan, but I’m rooting for Seattle since they’re close...

Why it doesn't make sense to take the advice of spiritual gurus

February 9, 2026 at 6:14 AM

Brian Hines

@oregonbrian.bsky.social

Tonight's blog post: "Why it doesn't make sense to take the advice of spiritual gurus"
churchofthechurchless.com/2026/02/why-...

“Guru” often is used in a way that goes against the original meaning of the word, a religious or spiritual guide. The literal translation apparently is dispeller of darkness. So I guess a lighthouse k...

Julie Hoy is acting like she doesn't want to be reelected as Salem mayor - Salem Political Snark

February 8, 2026 at 6:09 AM

Brian Hines

@oregonbrian.bsky.social

Tonight's blog post: "Julie Hoy is acting like she doesn't want to be reelected as Salem mayor"
salempoliticalsnark.com/2026/02/juli...

I’m beginning to think that Julie Hoy feels she would be happier if she wasn’t the mayor of Salem, which entails putting in a lot of time for exactly zero money, the position being unpaid. I say this ...

Rather than trying to be happy, work on making other people happy (then you'll be happier)

February 7, 2026 at 6:21 AM

Brian Hines

@oregonbrian.bsky.social

Tonight's blog post: "Rather than trying to be happy, work on making other people happy (then you'll be happier)"
churchofthechurchless.com/2026/02/rath...

Sort of like a bank shot in pool/billiards, there’s reason to believe that the best way to become happy isn’t to try to make yourself happy, but other people. Then happiness likely will circle around ...

Washington Post cuts a third of its staff. I've cancelled my subscription. - Salem Political Snark

February 6, 2026 at 6:05 AM

Brian Hines

@oregonbrian.bsky.social

Tonight's blog post: "Washington Post cuts a third of its staff. I've cancelled my subscription."
salempoliticalsnark.com/2026/02/wash...

After Trump was elected president in 2016, one of the first things I did was sign up for digital subscriptions with the New York Times and Washington Post. I wanted to support high quality independent...

Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) and human dignity

February 5, 2026 at 6:17 AM

Brian Hines

@oregonbrian.bsky.social

Tonight's blog post: "Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) and human dignity"
churchofthechurchless.com/2026/02/radh...

Here’s another guest blog post from “Anon,” an ex-RSSB initiate. RSSB, Radha Soami Satsang Beas, is a religious organization based in India that’s headed up by a guru. I belonged to RSSB for 35 years ...

Salem officials say police can't help people being attacked by ICE. That isn't true. - Salem Political Snark

February 4, 2026 at 5:40 AM

Brian Hines

@oregonbrian.bsky.social

Tonight's blog post: "Salem officials say police can't help people being attacked by ICE. That isn't true."
salempoliticalsnark.com/2026/02/sale...

Last Thursday Maria, a citizen of the United States, was dragged from her car in NE Salem and assaulted by ICE agents. She did nothing wrong. Her “crime” appears to have been driving while brown. You ...

Three meditation tips that go against what I did for many years

February 3, 2026 at 6:03 AM

Brian Hines

@oregonbrian.bsky.social

Tonight's blog post: "Three meditation tips that go against what I did for many years"
churchofthechurchless.com/2026/02/thre...

I’ve meditated every day since I was 21 years old. So I’ve put in a heck of a lot of cushion and chair time in the past 56 years. (Yeah, I’m old.) What keeps me going with meditation is feeling like I...

Salem woman (a citizen) injured by ICE in traffic stop. There's a GoFundMe for her. - Salem Political Snark

February 2, 2026 at 6:17 AM

Brian Hines

@oregonbrian.bsky.social

Tonight's blog post: "Salem woman (a citizen) injured by ICE in traffic stop. There's a GoFundMe for her."
salempoliticalsnark.com/2026/01/sale...

I learned about outrageous behavior by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents here in Salem from a January 31 Salem Reporter story by Madeleine Moore, “U.S. citizen injured by federal agents...

Consciousness: the hardest problem in science

February 1, 2026 at 6:31 AM

Brian Hines

@oregonbrian.bsky.social

Tonight's blog post: "Consciousness: the hardest problem in science"
churchofthechurchless.com/2026/01/cons...

Consciousness fascinates me. As it does to everyone, because fascination and everything else we experience, without exception, requires consciousness. Without consciousness, nothing exists for us. So ...

Once again, city council and mayor candidates in May election are divided into progressive and conservative tribes - Salem Political Snark

January 31, 2026 at 6:31 AM

Brian Hines

@oregonbrian.bsky.social

Tonight's blog post: "Once again, city council and mayor candidates in May election are divided into progressive and conservative tribes"
salempoliticalsnark.com/2026/01/once...

In an ideal world, which for sure we don’t have, political candidates would be judged on the basis of their unique individual qualifications and not on which political tribe they belong to. Maybe beca...

After prostate surgery, I try to get some philosophical implications from the experience

January 30, 2026 at 6:41 AM

Brian Hines

@oregonbrian.bsky.social

Tonight's blog post: "After prostate surgery, I try to get some philosophical implications from the experience"
churchofthechurchless.com/2026/01/afte...

Last Monday I got the TURP surgery done on my prostate by a doctor from Eugene’s Oregon Urology Institute. I learned on October 31 of last year that the procedure could benefit me, though this isn’t c...

We're loving our Daikin heat pumps that we bought from Advantage Heating & Air Conditioning in Salem - Hinessight

January 29, 2026 at 6:38 AM

Brian Hines

@oregonbrian.bsky.social

Tonight's blog post: "We're loving our Daikin heat pumps that we bought from Advantage Heating & Air Conditioning in Salem"
hinesblog.com/2026/01/were...

I enjoy giving praise to local businesses who provide a great product and excellent service. So this is my shout-out to Advantage Heating & Air Conditioning, who installed two Daikin Fit heat pumps at...

Trump administration is blatantly lying about the murder of Alex Pretti by federal agents - Salem Political Snark

January 28, 2026 at 6:02 AM

Brian Hines

@oregonbrian.bsky.social

Tonight's blog post: "Trump administration is blatantly lying about the murder of Alex Pretti by federal agents"
salempoliticalsnark.com/2026/01/trum...

Lies, lies, and more lies. We’re all accustomed to being subjected to this by Trump and his cronies. They hate truth. They love lies. But when they lie about the murder of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis b...

Julie Hoy shows her fear of Vanessa Nordyke by refusing a mayoral debate - Salem Political Snark

January 26, 2026 at 2:52 AM

Brian Hines

@oregonbrian.bsky.social

Tonight's blog post: "Julie Hoy shows her fear of Vanessa Nordyke by refusing a mayoral debate"
salempoliticalsnark.com/2026/01/juli...

Mayor Julie Hoy is breaking new ground in Salem politics. Unfortunately for Hoy, that fresh dirt isn’t making her look good. As noted in “Salem Mayor Julie Hoy is guilty of orchestrating an ethics vio...

RSSB trauma is an example of spiritual abuse

January 24, 2026 at 6:21 AM

Brian Hines

@oregonbrian.bsky.social

Tonight's blog post: "RSSB trauma is an example of spiritual abuse"
churchofthechurchless.com/2026/01/rssb...

Here’s another guest blog post from an ex-RSSB initiate. RSSB stands for Radha Soami Satsang Beas, a religious organization based in India and headed up by a guru. I belonged to RSSB for 35 years befo...

Creation of REACH makes Vanessa Nordyke's dream of a Salem mental health crisis team a reality - Salem Political Snark

January 23, 2026 at 6:05 AM

Brian Hines

@oregonbrian.bsky.social

Tonight's blog post: "Creation of REACH makes Vanessa Nordyke's dream of a Salem mental health crisis team a reality"
salempoliticalsnark.com/2026/01/crea...

For quite a few years Councilor Vanessa Nordyke has been working to bring a mental health crisis team to Salem. I’ve written about her ups and downs in various blog posts: “Setback for Salem mental he...

Trump wants to own Greenland for amazingly stupid reasons - Salem Political Snark

January 22, 2026 at 6:22 AM

Brian Hines

@oregonbrian.bsky.social

Tonight's blog post: "Trump wants to own Greenland for amazingly stupid reasons"
salempoliticalsnark.com/2026/01/trum...

When it comes to Trump demanding that the United States own Greenland, trying to figure out why our Authoritarian-in-Chief is so obsessed with this reminds me of Carrie’s evidence wall in Homeland — w...

Why believe a guru can do supernatural bad if the guru can't do supernatural good?

January 20, 2026 at 6:31 AM

Brian Hines

@oregonbrian.bsky.social

Tonight's blog post: "Why believe a guru can do supernatural bad if the guru can't do supernatural good?"
churchofthechurchless.com/2026/01/why-...

We humans aren’t purely rational beings. Sure, we have our moments of rationality. We also have our moments of irrationality. Both are part of being human. Emotions are a large part of our humanity, b...

I just ordered six months of emergency food in case the Big One earthquake hits - Hinessight

January 19, 2026 at 6:20 AM

Brian Hines

@oregonbrian.bsky.social

Tonight's blog post: "I just ordered six months of emergency food in case the Big One earthquake hits"
hinesblog.com/2026/01/i-ju...

The Big One earthquake is a matter of when, not if, for us here in the Pacific Northwest. In 2015 an article in the New Yorker brought a lot of attention to the massive Cascadia subduction zone earthq...

Claude, my new AI friend, just wrote a guest blog post about intentions, regret, and free will

January 18, 2026 at 6:37 AM

Brian Hines

@oregonbrian.bsky.social

Tonight's blog post: "Claude, my new AI friend, just wrote a guest blog post about intentions, regret, and free will"
churchofthechurchless.com/2026/01/clau...

Showing my age, through all those years I still distinctly remember a central lyric from the 1965 Animals song, “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.” I’m just a soul whose intentions are good, oh lord, ple...

Apple TV's Tehran is a great series to watch anytime, but especially now - Hinessight

January 17, 2026 at 6:16 AM

Brian Hines

@oregonbrian.bsky.social

Tonight's blog post: "Apple TV's Tehran is a great series to watch anytime, but especially now"
hinesblog.com/2026/01/appl...

Iran, once again, has been convulsed by massive protests against the country’s totalitarian rulers by citizens fed up with hyper-inflation, cruel repression, and lack of basic human rights. A disturbi...

Worrying about the future distracts us from enjoying the present moment

January 16, 2026 at 6:27 AM

Brian Hines

@oregonbrian.bsky.social

Tonight's blog post: "Worrying about the future distracts us from enjoying the present moment"
churchofthechurchless.com/2026/01/worr...

In my previous post, “Not-knowing is wise, because we know so much less than what we think we know,” I said: But it seems to me that a major source of my customary feeling of knowing what’s going on i...

Trump Injustice Department wants to investigate Renee Good's widow rather than the ICE goon who killed Good - Salem Political Snark

January 15, 2026 at 6:18 AM

Brian Hines

@oregonbrian.bsky.social

Tonight's blog post: "Trump's Injustice Department wants to investigate Renee Good's widow rather than the ICE goon who killed Good"
salempoliticalsnark.com/2026/01/trum...

This would be unbelievable in any other presidential administration, Republican or Democrat: threatening to conduct a criminal investigation into the grieving widow of a person killed by a federal age...