Most of us dont think of power-hungry killer robots as an imminent threat to humanity, especially when poverty and the climate crisis are already ravaging the Earth.

This wasnt the case for Sam Bankman-Fried and his followers, powerful actors who have embraced a school of thought within the effective altruism movement called longtermism.

In February, the Future Fund, a philanthropic organization endowed by the now-disgraced cryptocurrency entrepreneur, announced that it would be disbursing more than $100m and possibly up to $1bn this year on projects to improve humanitys long-term prospects.

The slightly cryptic reference might have been a bit puzzling to those who think of philanthropy as funding homelessness charities and medical NGOs in the developing world. In fact, the Future Funds particular areas of interest include artificial intelligence, biological weapons and space governance, a mysterious term referring to settling humans in space as a potential watershed moment in human history.

Out-of-control artificial intelligence was another area of concern for Bankman-Fried so much so that in September the Future Fund announced prizes of up to $1.5m to anyone who could make a persuasive estimate of the threat that unrestrained AI might pose to humanity.

We think artificial intelligence is the development most likely to dramatically alter the trajectory of humanity this century, the Future Fund said. With the help of advanced AI, we could make enormous progress toward ending global poverty, animal suffering, early death and debilitating disease. But AI could also acquire undesirable objectives and pursue power in unintended ways, causing humans to lose all or most of their influence over the future.

Less than two months after the contest was announced, Bankman-Frieds $32bn cryptocurrency empire had collapsed, much of the Future Funds senior leadership had resigned and its AI prizes may never be rewarded.

Nor will most of the millions of dollars that Bankman-Fried had promised a constellation of charities and thinktanks affiliated with effective altruism, a once-obscure ethical movement that has become influential in Silicon Valley and the highest echelons of the international business and political worlds.

Longtermists argue that the welfare of future humans is as morally important or more important than the lives of current ones, and that philanthropic resources should be allocated to predicting, and defending against, extinction-level threats to humanity.

But rather than giving out malaria nets or digging wells, longtermists prefer to allocate money to researching existential risk, or x-risk.

In his recent book What We Owe the Future, William MacAskill a 35-year-old moral philosopher at Oxford who has become the public intellectual face of effective altruism makes a case for longtermism with a thought experiment about a hiker who accidentally shatters a glass bottle on a trail. A conscientious person, he holds, would immediately clean up the glass to avoid injuring the next hiker whether that person comes in a week or in a century.

Similarly, MacAskill argues that the number of potential future humans, over many generations for the duration of the species, far outnumbers the number currently alive; if we truly believe that all humans are equal, protecting future humans is more important than protecting human lives today.

Some of longtermists funding interests, such as nuclear nonproliferation and vaccine development, are fairly uncontroversial. Others are more outlandish: investing in space colonization, preventing the rise of power-hungry AI, cheating death through life-extension technology. A bundle of ideas known as transhumanism seeks to upgrade humanity by creating digital versions of humans, bioengineering human-machine cyborgs and the like.

People like the futurist Ray Kurzweil and his adherents believe that biotechnology will soon enable a union between humans and genuinely intelligent computers and AI systems, Robin McKie explained in the Guardian in 2018. The resulting human-machine mind will become free to roam a universe of its own creation, uploading itself at will onto a suitably powerful computational substrate, and thereby creating a kind of immortality.

This feverish techno-utopianism distracts funders from pressing problems that already exist here on Earth, said Luke Kemp, a research associate at the University of Cambridges Centre for the Study of Existential Risk who describes himself as an EA-adjacent critic of effective altruism. Left on the table, he says, are critical and credible threats that are happening right now, such as the climate crisis, natural pandemics and economic inequality.

The things they push tend to be things that Silicon Valley likes, Kemp said. Theyre the kinds of speculative, futurist ideas that tech billionaires find intellectually exciting. And they almost always focus on technological fixes to human problems rather than political or social ones.

There are other objections. For one thing, lavishly expensive, experimental bioengineering would be accessible, especially initially, to only a tiny sliver of humanity, Kemp said; it could bring about a future caste system in which inequality is not only economic, but biological.

This thinking is also dangerously undemocratic, he argued. These big decisions about the future of humanity should be decided by humanity. Not by just a couple of white male philosophers at Oxford funded by billionaires. It is literally the most powerful, and least representative, strata of society imposing a particular vision of the future which suits them.

Kemp added: I dont think EAs or at least the EA leadership care very much about democracy. In its more dogmatic varieties, he said, longtermism is preoccupied with rationality, hardcore utilitarianism, a pathological obsession with quantification and neoliberal economics.

Organizations such as 80,000 Hours, a program for early-career professionals, tend to encourage would-be effective altruists into four main areas, Kemp said: AI research, research preparing for human-made pandemics, EA community-building and global priorities research, meaning the question of how funding should be allocated.

The first two areas, though worthy of study, are highly speculative, Kemp said, and the second two are self-serving, since they channel money and energy back into the movement.

This year, the Future Fund reports having recommended grants to worthy-seeming projects as various as research on the feasibility of inactivating viruses via electromagnetic radiation ($140,000); a project connecting children in India with online science, technology, engineering and mathematics education ($200,000); research on disease-neutralizing therapeutic antibodies ($1.55m); and research on childhood lead exposure ($400,000).

But much of the Future Funds largesse seems to have been invested in longtermism itself. It recommended $1.2m to the Global Priorities Institute; $3.9m to the Long Term Future Fund; $2.9m to create a longtermist coworking office in London; $3.9m to create a longtermist coworking space in Berkeley; $700,000 to the Legal Priorities Project, a longtermist legal research and field-building organization; $13.9m to the Centre for Effective Altruism; and $15m to Longview Philanthropy to execute independent grantmaking on global priorities research, nuclear weapons policy, and other longtermist issues.

Kemp argued that effective altruism and longtermism often seem to be working toward a kind of regulatory capture. The long-term strategy is getting EAs and EA ideas into places like the Pentagon, the White House, the British government and the UN to influence public policy, he said.

There may be a silver lining in the timing of Bankman-Frieds downfall. In a way, its good that it happened now rather than later, Kemp said. He was planning on spending huge amounts of money on elections. At one stage, he said he was planning to spend up to a billion dollars, which would have made him the biggest donor in US political history. Can you imagine if that amount of money contributed to a Democratic victory and then turned out to have been based on fraud? In an already fragile and polarized society like the US? That would have been horrendous.

The main tension to the movement, as I see it, is one that many movements deal with, said Benjamin Soskis, a historian of philanthropy and a senior research associate at the Urban Institute. A movement that was primarily fueled by regular people and their passions, and interests, and different kinds of provenance attracted a number of very wealthy funders, and came to be driven by the funding decisions, and sometimes just the public identities, of people like SBF and Elon Musk and a few others. (Soskis noted that he has received funding from Open Philanthropy, an EA-affiliated foundation.)

Effective altruism put Bankman-Fried, who lived in a luxury compound in the Bahamas, on a pedestal, as this Corolla-driving, beanbag-sleeping, earning-to-give monk, which was clearly false, Kemp said.

Soskis thinks that effective altruism has a natural appeal to people in tech and finance who tend to have an analytical and calculating way of thinking about problems and EA, like all movements, spreads through social and work networks.

Effective altruism is also attractive to wealthy people, Soskis believes, because it offers a way to understand the marginal value of additional dollars, particularly when talking of vast sums that can defy comprehension. The movements focus on numbers (shut up and multiply) helps hyper-wealthy people understand more concretely what $500m can do philanthropically versus, say, $500,000 or $50,000.

One positive outcome, he thinks, is that EA-influenced donors publicly discuss their philanthropic commitments and encourage others to make them. Historically, Americans have tended to regard philanthropy as a private matter.

But theres something which I think you cant escape, Soskis said. Effective altruism isnt premised on a strong critique of the way that money has been made. And elements of it were construed as understanding capitalism more generally as a positive force, and through a kind of consequentialist calculus. To some extent, its a safer landing spot for folks who want to sequester their philanthropic decisions from a broader political debate about the legitimacy of certain industries or ways of making money.

Kemp said that it is rare to hear EAs, especially longtermists, discuss issues such as democracy and inequality. Honestly, I think thats because it is something the donors dont want us talking about. Cracking down on tax avoidance, for example, would lead to major donors losing both power and wealth.

The downfall of Bankman-Frieds crypto empire, which has jeopardized the Future Fund and countless other longtermist organizations, may be revealing. Longtermists believe that future existential risks to humanity can be accurately calculated yet, as the economist Tyler Cowen recently pointed out, they couldnt even predict the existential threat to their own flagship philanthropic organization.

There must be soul-searching, Soskis said. Longtermism has a stain on it and Im not sure when or if it will be fully removed.

A billionaire is a billionaire, the journalist Anand Giridharadas wrote recently on Twitter. His 2018 book Winners Take All sharply criticized the idea that private philanthropy will solve human problems. Stop believing in good billionaires. Start organizing toward a good society.

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Power-hungry robots, space colonization, cyborgs: inside the bizarre world of longtermism - The Guardian

KPMG has appointed software engineer and tech entrepreneur Alyse Sue as its new head of metaverse future, with the goal of creating a multimillion-dollar business based on metaverse technology and cryptocurrency over the next two years.

Sue rejoined the Big Four firm after working as a senior consultant on the KPMG Innovate team between 2012 and 2015 before focusing on her own startup projects. Sue co-founded Transhumanism Australia and cryptocurrency Transhuman Coin, which are both dedicated to funding research and development of technologies that enhance human biology, and Genomix, a data machine-learning startup that identifies genetic variations associated with long life spans.

Previously head of Web3 for software development and innovation consultancy firm Palo IT, Sue will now report to James Mabott, a partner at KPMG Futures.

"My role at KPMG is to use metaverse technology to create new business models for the firm," said Sue. "I am primarily interested in blockchain metaverses such as crypto, Horizons 2 and 3 mix realities. We would like to encourage more businesses to move toward this model, and we believe that the way we work will considerably change by 2030, because metaverse adoption is driven by B2B. "

According to the KPMG website, Metaverse Future is about reflecting a continuously evolving world by developing new business models and adapting to changes in technology. The firm believes that by 2030, synthetic data generated from simulated realities could allow robots to problem-solve and replace humans for high-risk tasks. However, Meta's Reality Labs unit, which develops virtual and augmented reality technologies set to support the metaverse, reported a cumulative operating loss of $9.1 billion since Q3 2021.

While KPMG's main source of revenues relies on consulting or advisory-based services, Sue explains that an increasing number of banks and fashion companies are currently experimenting with crypto and NFTs, and that the company aims to attract this new category of clients by investing in new technologies. Sue says the metaverse would be the product of quantum computing, artificial intelligence and blockchain technologies. While some of those models are not well-developed yet, KPMG expects them to play a significant role on the tech stage by 2030.

"We could bring advances to AI and quantum, and use simulations in different environments and scenarios," said Sue. "Those simulations could help us determine what is the best business strategy, driven by blockchain technology."

The four fields of research Sue is most interested in are payments, standards, security and tokenization, which refers to physical assets being represented on a digital blockchain. She says that Metaverse Future is about finding new areas of growth and exploring new technologies such as cryptocurrency, NFTs, decentralized autonomous organizations, as well as VR and AR.

However, Chainanalysis data revealed the average price of NFT sales has dropped by 92% since May, and KPMG may need to consider these complications for its future investments. Currently, Metaverse Future counts 90 team members whose work focuses on AI and quantum computing, in addition to the metaverse. The firm also launched KPMG Origins, a blockchain-based track-and-trace service that helps businesses navigate increasingly complex supply chains with an independent data-sharing platform.

"The metaverse is not a passing fashion and companies are all looking at how they can engage customers in new ways," said Sue. "The numbers are increasing, and some people are already spending more money on their avatar than on their actual wardrobes. It is an exciting space to be in, and if you're part of it, you've already become part of the future."

Sue says that KPMG regularly organizes one-on-one meetings with its clients to understand their problems and come up with a product that will meet their needs. As a result, Metaverse Future is currently working on ways to protect its users' privacy and guarantee a swift transition from Web 2.0, which is the current version of the internet, to a third version of the World Wide Web.

According to Sue, Metaverse Future is ultimately all about clients and explaining to them how metaverse technology is going to look in the next few years. Sue says that people want to know how new technologies are going to change the landscape of business, and KPMG believes its new initiatives may revolutionize employee, client and third-party interactions.

"The best way to learn for companies to explore these new technologies is to dive in and play around with NFTs," declared Sue. "They should read about the theory, run experiments and wonder how they can help customers better solve their problems."

KPMG is not the only CPA firm to make a few moves toward the metaverse. In December 2021, PwC Hong Kong purchased a LAND site in the popular Sandbox metaverse, a blockchain-based gaming platform. In January, Prager Metis also became the first CPA firm to open up a metaverse headquarters as part of a joint venture with metaverse studio Banquet LLC.

Continued here:
KPMG Australia appoints first-ever head of metaverse future - Accounting Today

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Ive been enjoying the peek into our metaverse future that Amazon Prime Video is delivering each week with airings of The Peripheral streaming show.

As I noted when the series debuted, its an example of how the world is science fiction is becoming more science and less fiction. And the recent sixth episode of the show feature the addition of Alexandra Billings, a trans actress who plays the inspector Ainsley Lowbeer in the show.

The show is Prime Videos top show, and, to paraphrase the first line from Herman Narulas book Virtual Society, I believe that one day it will be watched by a person without a body. Thats because The Peripheral depicts what its like to move between different worlds and to inhabit the bodies of others.

And for a trans actress like Billings, this brings to mind the notion that your physical body may not matter in a future where digital and physical seamlessly interact. Billings has been a trailblazer for LGBTQ+ representation, and she recently made history when she starred on Broadway as Madam Morrible in Wicked, the first time a trans actress has portrayed a traditionally cis female role.

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I talked to her about the significance of the role in The Peripheral, where she plays a trans person in the future. The show is based on a novel by William Gibson, who coined the term cyberspace, and it was produced by Westworld creators Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan. Its a complicated story that moves around in time and explores whether the digital world is real or not. And the show is different from the book, as it uses Gibsons story as a jumping off point for ideas about our future. And that gives Billings some interesting leeway to play Lowbeer as a trans person in the show.

Lowbeer is a character who polices the border between a physical reality and the virtual world. And she is like a messenger from the future for us. And she can teach us how to think about topics like transhumanism. Lowbeers character is pretty unique, and I think anyone thinking about the metaverse should consider watching The Peripheral.

Heres an edited transcript of our interview.

VentureBeat: It sounds like an exciting role for you.

Alexandra Billings: Yes, it is. Its super fun, and it was super exciting.

VentureBeat: Did you view this as a kind of ground-breaking role?

Billings: Oh, yeah, sure, absolutely. Its rare that you have a transgender character thats written as a trans person. Meaning, a trans person doesnt come into a show and have to change a cis character into a trans experience, but that its specifically written for us. Also, that her transness isnt the central part of her being. It takes a backseat to who she is and what she does. That itself is pretty extraordinary.

VentureBeat: I think you maybe could get to a place where your head kind of explodes, because transhumanism in the future should be quite possible. Given the technology in the show, its a reality that people can swap bodies. They can be whoever they wish to be at any given moment. It feels quite relevant.

Billings: Youre exactly right, and thats very astute, because the queerness of this show happens all the way through it. Flynne becomes a man, because the Peripherals are actually justI want to say robots, but thats not sort of true. Theyre vessels, really. They present in one particular gender, but your particular gender doesnt necessarily have to do with the Peripheral that you climb into.

It was really fascinating. That actually didnt sink into my little pea brain until I was watching it. I thought, This is queer as heck! Its really stunning. From the very beginning the whole thing screams trans. Its fascinating.

VentureBeat: I also feel like some of this is not really presentI mean, I read through the first book. It doesnt seem like it is a theme of the first book at all. Its just there. But it sounds like the fiction of the show can actually show this more.

Billings: I think youre right, yes. I think thats exactly right. What the books did was hint at it and put it in the world. What the TV show did was just allow it to blossom a bit more. And again, it doesnt hit you over the head. But it is there. It is present. Its so great. I mean, thank God thats true. Because how else do we normalize but by just putting our stories in the center?

VentureBeat: Is there some creativity you feel like you can bring to this role, then, because its not sticking to the text as canon? Its interesting that its using the text as a jumping-off point to express a lot of different things.

Billings: I think thats right. The writers are the ones in charge of the direction, but they have meetings with all of us and ask us, What do you think? Where should we go? What interests you? What doesnt interest you? Because the writers are cis, when I got the role I told them, When you write Lowbeer, you must come to me. You have to talk to me. And they were more than willing to do that. They were actually very grateful. They said, Were really appreciative of your voice. I said that it needs to be infiltrated into the storyline and into Lowbeer, so that her transness comes from a lived experience, and not one that is writing about a lived experience.

VentureBeat: Where are some interesting places this is going that you might hint at? Im sure you dont want to spoil anything, but

Billings: Thats so hard. Its such a hard question, because I dont want to get fired. And also I feel likeone thing I can tell you is that weve had conversations about what has never been done on television, and also what would be interesting to the story, to the world itself, and how Lowbeer can add to the story. Thats what matters to me the most. The fact that Im in it is representation enough. I dont think we need to browbeat people. But the conversations that weve had have been about, how do we keep the story interesting? How do we keep it buoyant? Thats all I can tell you.

VentureBeat: One thing I can think of is that the times and maybe the acceptance of trans people would be different in Flynnes age than in the future. You can see that change has happened, maybe.

Billings: I think thats right. Also, because the show is a reflection of this global experience were all going through right now, I think it would behoove the show to have people that are still stuck in the 1950s. You talk about relevance. We still have Candace Cameron talking about traditional marriage as if its an actual thing. Shes going to make these movies about traditional marriage, which isnt a thing. Theres no such thing as traditional marriage. Thats not a category of marriage. It doesnt make any sense. What shes saying is, Im going to make these films that are exclusionary. Thats what Im going to do. Im going to make films about this experience only when we talk about marriage. Which doesnt make any sense.

Having those kinds of people, even in the Peripheraltheyre never going to go away. Thats the thing. Were not going to get rid of them. Theyre not going to disappear. We always have to have that balance. Nobody is a one and nobody is a 10. We have to have the ideas of that scale in order to keep ourselves balanced. I think having some of those kinds of people in the PeripheralI think that matters.

VentureBeat: It might be interesting from your point of view to be a messenger from the future for our real world today.

Billings: Thats a great idea. Id love to be a message from the future.

VentureBeat: What are some things you would say?

Billings: You know, I think Id saylisten, its probably the stuff I say now, which is that I really believe, as long as we keep going forward, things are going to change. But we have to keep moving. We can take breaks, but we cant rest. We cant take a nap. That cant be true. We can allow ourselves some space from the revolution, but we have to keep moving. Otherwise people like this sad woman whos living a very delusionary worldwhat we have to do is instead of saying, Youre wrong and youre a terrible person, we move forward into education. Thats what the future holds.

VentureBeat: Its something liketechnology changes for sure, but humanity changes as well.

Billings: Thats right. Listen, humanity is technology. Technology doesnt exist as a thing unless were the ones who program it. A computer doesnt know anything else besides what we tell it. It doesnt get smarter. We get smarter. Thats what we have to remember. We are technology. One of the reasons social media is so interesting is because its us. Its humanity condensed into your phone.

VentureBeat: Its interesting, tootranshumanism seems like a popular science fiction idea. It seems almost like an ideal state to a lot of people. Ive never heard people say its unacceptable. Ive basically heard people say its acceptable. I would think that then maybeits interesting to compare that to trans people.

Billings: I would agree with you. Especially, adding the word humanism to our community normalizes and allowsI have no desire to assimilate. I never have. My transness was neveryou know, I never wanted to be the same. People called me a weirdo my whole life and I thought, Fabulous! That was never a thing for me. That was never a trigger. But I did want to be able to come into society, to be able to be a part of the thing. Not to be the same as, but to bring my otherness into society. I think adding the word humanism to our community helps do that.

VentureBeat: I did remember another science fiction story that envisioned a future version of YouTube that would put you in VR, in a body suit, and let you feel what its like to be somebody else. Walk a mile in the shoes of an LGBTQ person.

Billings: That is a great idea. I fear, though, that just because you spend one day, one week, or even one year walking in my skin, you still dont get the full vision of my history. You dont know what its like to have spent day after day after day as a seven-year-old transgender person. Im 60 years old now. This is back in the late 1960s. To spend day after day as a trans child and not have a word for what you are. Thats very different than walking around the planet as a 50-, 40-, or 30-year-old trans person. I think its a great idea in theory, but we need to be very mindful that the queer experience is historical. It doesnt exist moment by moment only. We have a culture.

VentureBeat: Where do you hope this all goes, your opportunities related to the show?

Billings: Listen, I hope the Peripheral runs for 150 years. I do. I think it should run as long aswhat was that other thing? I never watched it. The dragons show. Im a terrible person. I never watched it. But I think the Peripheral literally can reflect the state of the human experience as long as we continue to change. Lets hope it never ends. Lets hope theres never any happily ever after. Theres alway just a continuum.

VentureBeat: Lets hope we get past the Jackpot.

Billings: Thats right!

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Why a trans actress in The Peripheral is a messenger from our future | The DeanBeat - VentureBeat

A few of the things were thankful for in 2022.Image: Various

Thanksgiving is here. A day to sit back, reflect, and think about all the good things in your life. Family, friends, your healththose are all worthy. But what about shows, movies, and comics?

Each year, the io9 staff writes about the pop culture were thankful for. The entertainment that has brought us joy over the past 11 months. Things that weve not only liked, but that have been so transformative or impactful, were actually thankful they exist. So sit back, grab a turkey leg, and see what the io9 staff is thankful for in 2022. (Or, if you want, look back at 2020 and 2021.)

Image: Sunrise/Crunchyroll

I absolutely love Gundam, but with the first mainline series on the horizon this year since Iron Blooded Orphans, I was still filled with a sense of trepidation about The Witch From Mercury. Very little of the franchise in the 21st century has grokked with the things I love most about Gundam as a conceptand the messages that resonate most clearly throughout the earlier works in ithave existed in entries like SEED, Reconguista in G, or the aforementioned Orphans. Would Witch From Mercury follow suit? Had Gundam forgotten how to be Gundam outside of nostalgic retreads of its original self?

Thankfully, I was blown away from episode 1 of G-Witch, as its become affectionately known. Not just for the potential sapphic vibes between its female protagonists Suletta and Miorine, nor the incredible design and action of its primary mecha, the Aerial. Witch From Mercury built out a new Gundam world that explored anime tropes that the franchise has not really touched beforemostly a high school settingwith explorations of transhumanism, bio-tech, the future of capitalism, the military-industrial complexs relationship with class warfare, and more, with the hallmarks and bite I love about Gundams core ideals. Finally, theres a modern series that feels reverent of what Gundam was when it first began, without just directly aping or rehashing it. While theres plenty of opportunities for Witch From Mercury to fall apart as it continues, for now, Im grateful for Suletta Sundays having become the highlight of my week over the past few months. - James Whitbrook

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Interview with the Vampire.Image: AMC

This year feels like weve really turned a corner in queer representation in media. No longer relegated to side stories and three-second editable clips, queer stories are finally getting the limelight. From Our Flag Means Death to Interview With the Vampire, even sprinkling in Guillermo de la Cruzs coming out story on What We Do in the Shadows and the very lesbian-coded Gundam: Witch from Mercury (see above), I feel like I can finally think to myself, I want to watch a show focused on messy queers, and I have a plethora of stories to choose from. Theres under-the-radar shows like The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself and childrens animated shows like The Owl House and Paranormal Park that are also doing an amazing job at delivering fully-rounded characters and deeply queer stories. To say nothing of the books that have come out this year. I might not have cared for Nona the Ninth, but in between Taz Muirs Locked Tomb sapphics, Freya Marskes horny witches, the Burning Kingdoms magical disaster sequel The Oleander Sword, and the final installment of the orc/sorcerer romance of the century The Thousand Eyes, the lesbians ate well in 2022. At the end of the year Im just grateful that I can see myself, my stories, my friends, and my romances somewhere on screen, depicted in a way that centers the characters themselves and not just the challenges of being queer. - Linda Codega

Ive never had a theatergoing experience like RRR. Ive seen the film five times and each feels like the first. The epic historical fantasy musical and bromance with blockbuster action from director S.S. Rajamouli is a life-changing cinematic experience like no other. The audience gets on their feet, cheers, laughs, quotes along, and even has a dance-off. Ive been chasing that movie-audience high ever since and no film this year can compare. N. T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan are instant starsequally charismatic romantic leads and action heroes. I refuse to watch RRR on Netflix until the streamer offers it in its original Telegu language, but if its the only way you can watch, just do it, especially since there is a sequel in the works! Give it all the awards. - Sabina Graves

Nothing against knowing what you like and choosing to stick within those boundaries, whether its a show within the Marvel or Star Wars universe, a prequel to a show you once liked but with many more dragons, or a fourth season of a show about raunchy vampires. But 2022 had a particularly high rate of this show sounds cool, dont know much about it but guess Ill take a chance sorts of genre titles that ended up rather majestically rewarding the viewer. Just to name a few, but Our Flag Means Death, Archive 81, The Resort, and Severance all found their niches quickly with characters we couldnt stop thinking about, and plots that made us cheer when second seasons were announced (or sigh sadly when the opposite happened). That these sorts of shows exist at all gives us hope that creativity is still alive in Hollywood, and makes the existence of all those freaking streaming services feel a little more justified. - Cheryl Eddy

When the pandemic first hit in 2020, and through much of 2021, movie studios made the right call in delaying films until such a time when seeing them in the theater would be a safe endeavor, both financially and for moviegoers. Even though were far from out of the pandemic woods, plenty of movies have come out this year (for better or worse) with the intonation of only in theaters.

And you know what? For many of the movies that Ive seen in theaters this year, it really has felt like Theaters are Back. And it helps that theres been some films worth seeing in theaters: The Batman, Nope, Ambulance, and The Woman King are all crowdpleasers and Movie-Ass Movies, experiences that absolutely hit on the big screen. Top Gun: Maverick takes the top Movie-Ass Movie experience for the year, with a close second being Prey. Yes, its strictly on Hulu and will likely never see a theatrical release in its life, but it feels like it was made to be watched in a theater. For those who are vaccinated and feel safe enough to step into a theater again, heres hoping we get more of these types of films in 2023. - Justin Carter

I have to jump off Justins pick here but for a different reason. First, I want to fully acknowledge that Top Gun: Maverick isnt an io9 movie. But part of why I love it and am thankful for it does apply to the movies we cover. You see, so often these days sequels are made to films we loved growing up. Sequels we never, ever thought would happen, be it a seventh Star Wars, a third Ghostbusters, you get the idea. And almost always, those movies do not compare to the originals. How could they? At best theyre solid remakes.

But Top Gun: Maverick was different. Over the years of waiting, the team created a movie thats almost certainly better than the original. A film that works as a pure action movie, but works even better with that icing of nostalgia. I first saw the original Top Gun when it was released in 1986 with my late grandfather so watching this one brings back all the feels. Probably why Ive watched this new movie almost a dozen times since its release, both in theaters and at home. - Germain Lussier

Weve spoken about how charming the BBC sitcom Ghosts is before, and youd be forgiven if you decided to give the American version a try. But its such classic TV comfort food that CBSs Ghosts standsor at least apparatesjust as strongly to its source material. When Samantha (iZombies Rose McIver) discovers shes the owner of a dilapidated Victorian mansion in New England, her excitement to turn it into a bed-and-breakfast with her husband Jay (Pitch Perfects Utkarsh Ambudkar) is tempered somewhat when she falls down the stairs, is clinically dead for a minute, and wakes up to find the house is inhabited by a variety of ghosts from different time periods in U.S. history, from an 11th-century Viking to a 1990s finance bro. Its the sort of show that would have absolutely had a laugh track back in the day, but the classic structure only augments the warmth and heart Ghosts still has under its incorporeal chest. Robert Bricken

Ive been recommending people check out the uber-popular manga One Piece pretty much since it was first published in 1997. Its a job thats only gotten harder as it has crept up in length, now running more than 1,000 issues. But Im not fully insane; the reason I want people to spend one million hours of their lives reading One Piece is because its that good, and is better than any other series about rewarding long-term fans. This year saw the epic end of the massive Wano storyarc, followed by an expositional lore dump so massive and mind-blowing its made my head spin. Calling One Piece a story about pirates is technically true, but its also about history, mythology, science fiction, samurai, dragons, robots, mythical creatures, destiny, monsters, world culture, and so much more. Hey, those 1,000+ issues had to be filled with something. Robert Bricken

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerImage: Amazon

For going on two decades, television has been getting better and better. And while huge geek shows like Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead brought that to a whole new level, it feels like 2022 has taken that up even another notch. This year we got a show based on Lord of the Rings, a new Game of Thrones in House of the Dragon, an Obi-Wan Kenobi show, soon well get a Willow show, then theres Andor, She-Hulk, and the list goes on and on. Not only are these all really good genre shows, they almost universally feel like shows that, 20 or 30 years ago, would have been made as movies. And yet, in 2022, we get to watch them in the comfort of our own homes. Massive-scale, big-budget genre movies extended into full TV shows. What a world. (And yes, I do realize this is in opposition to Cheryls equally good pick above.) - Germain Lussier

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about James Camerons Avatar: The Way of Water.

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9 Pieces (and One Piece) of Pop Culture io9 Is Thankful For - Gizmodo

Da Prato said he has received an overwhelming amount of support from the staff, players and his family. ORACLE PHOTO/ALEXANDRA URBAN

Despite the pressure of taking on the role of interim head coach, Daniel Da Prato said the moments he spends talking with his family make him feel supported.

The best thing about family and the best thing about kids is youre still dad. Nothing changes, he said. It doesnt matter that we walked out on the field before the game, Im still dad. And those parents that are out there know your childs smile will light you up any time.

Da Prato stepped into the position during a challenging part of the season, as the Bulls are currently 1-9. The news of Da Prato leading the team comes after the recent firing of former coach Jeff Scott.

Although the team is facing a lot of changes and uncertainties, such as multiple player injuries and coaching changes, Da Prato said the mission of the program has not been lost.

My role has changed, but the purpose and the reason that Im here is still to help these young men and that makes the transition in that area with our players as smooth as possible, he said.

Were here to help guide them, lead them and serve them on their path.

One aspect of the transition that has been difficult for Da Prato to adjust to is time management, he said.

Da Prato said he still holds the responsibilities of his role as special teams coordinator alongside his new position, so balancing these duties to ensure he is able to put his best effort for the team has been a priority.

A part of this time management is ensuring he makes time to talk and visit with his family, who he calls his support system.

My wife and my girls, whenever I can see them or theyre awake I try to. And then obviously FaceTiming them brings a smile to my face every time, he said. My parents had actually been in town, my mom and dad had a trip planned to be here which just happened to be last week so it was neat to be around them a little bit as well.

Before arriving at USF, Da Prato has been on the staff of many university teams. He began his career as a graduate assistant for the offense for the 2004-05 seasons at the University of Louisiana-Monroe, and eventually became the director of operations and recruiting coordinator in 2006. Da Prato served as the special teams coordinator at Arkansas the year prior to being hired at USF.

As a player, he initiated his college career at New Mexico Highlands University in 2000, where he played as the starting quarterback for one year. Da Prato finished his time as a college athlete with the University of Louisiana-Monroe as a quarterback.

With this experience under his belt, Da Prato said he feels he is more than equipped to take on the role of interim head coach.

I think going through this both as a player and as a coach, I had an idea of how some of these situations may come about. And I think anything in life that youve experienced already can help you and prepare you for a similar situation, he said.

Now theyre all different, but my past experiences of being on a staff and being a player have helped guide me, and learning from those experiences helped me in this process.

Beyond aiming to successfully coach the team, Da Prato said his goal, along with the rest of the staff, is to be there for each player to make sure they are emotionally and mentally prepared to practice on the field while navigating through difficult circumstances.

Be there for them. Have them come into your office, put your arm around them, help them. Ask everybody in the facility, if you see our young men, love them up, reach out to them and be there for them over and over and over again, he said.

They are going through a difficult time, and as leaders, we need to be here to help them. What you put your time into is whats important to you, and we have our doors open and our phones on to help these young men at any point in time.

Though the team has faced a challenging season, Da Prato said he sees a bright future for the program given the hard work produced by each player on the team.

I see greatness. We have an incredible location in Tampa Bay and the community is incredible, he said. We have a phenomenal university that is rising to the top as we speak. We have an incredible athletic department. We have an incredible administration. We have incredible support from our fans, from the board, from our president right through Michael Kelly.

Then you get in the locker room and weve got great players. Weve got great young men that are continuing to push through a difficult time, and I see this as a phenomenal place to work, to live, to play, to go to school. And I see greatness in this programs near future.

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'I'm here to help these young men': Da Prato's goal to support players, ensure smooth coaching transition - The Oracle

Sidney's great tradition in Cross Country and Track and Field was again recognized as Sidney High School Head Coaches Donna Wiedeburg and Matt McKay were named Coaches of the Year.

Courtesy Photo

McKay with daughter Maddox at Omaha Burke Stadium after the Sidney Raider Boys team won the 2022 Class B State Championship.

Wiedeburg was named 2021-22 State Coach of the Year for Girls Cross Country by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA). This annual award is to recognize Nebraska coaches for their dedication and achievement to the coaching profession. For sixteen years, Weideburg has coached the Sidney Middle School and High School Cross country programs, for ten years as an assistant coach and the past six years as head coach. Wiedeburg thanked all of the coaches and student athletes that have participated in the Red Raider Cross country program, saying, "The Sidney Raider Cross Country program is a family and I'm honored to be a part of it. I am hopeful for the positive impact this program will continue to have on its runners."

McKay was named 2021-22 State Coach of the Year for Boys Track by the NFHS and NSAA. He has coached track at Sidney High School for thirteen years, and four years as head coach. Prior to joining the Sidney Raiders, McKay was a track coach at Gering High School for nine years. McKay said, "This award was very unexpected and I am incredibly humbled to receive it. I have loved track all of my life and this is an incredible honor. I am pleased to have assistant coaches who work hard and are dedicated to helping each athlete get better."

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Wiedeburg, McKay Named Coaches Of The Year - The Sidney Sun-Telegraph - Sidney Sun Telegraph

Despite being born in a practicing Hindu family, and despite being brought up in the tradition of idols, temples, and sacrifices, and despite living in the land of Kumari, the living goddess of Nepal, I never understood Hinduism. It was too complex and diverse.

Hinduism is an ancient polytheistic, pantheistic, henotheistic, and animistic religion, which is mystically syncretized with peculiar beliefs and practices. That sentence alone is confusing!

In recent years, Hinduism has enthralled many Westerners. Some adopt Hinduism as a philosophy or find its mysticism and yoga alluring, while others devoutly follow its religious practices. Because of this, I believe Christians in the West need to know more about this religion and its core concepts. Here are nine things you should know about Hinduism (you can also read Joe Carters list for more).

Mainstream Hinduism understands god as one, yet it asserts this god can manifest itself in multiple names and forms. A supreme god, popularly known as Brahman, is believed to be the infinite abstract principle, not a personthe absolute reality, the source of consciousness, and the pure existence and knowledge. Brahman doesnt exist per se but is existence itself. This god is an assembly of superlative attributes rather than a being. Its an impersonal essence and force. This essence or force isnt all knowing. Instead, its knowledge itself that is Brahman.

Hinduism is claimed to be the most ancient religion in the world. However, it has no founder, no single sacred scripture, and no unified creed or confession. Hindus revere many authoritative scriptures, such as Vedas, Vedanta, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavata Purana, and Ramayana. These scriptures claims are confusing and self-contradictory in many places. They have an elaborate creation narrative of mankind and the cosmos, as well as narratives of how gods and goddesses came into being. These scriptures are read primarily by Hindu scholars and priests, not by laypeople or everyday adherents.

Hinduism is seen by some to be a fatalistic religion. Its sacred scriptures claim the doctrines of karma and reincarnation are inseparably interwoven. Karma is the law of cause and effect that determines a persons unalterable fate, and that fate is perpetuated in reincarnation. Hindu scholars argue that either Brahman operates this process or natural laws of causation are accountable for its effects. Hinduism teaches that karma isnt only the fate of humans. Deities and devils also experience this fatalistic process as predetermined by Brahman.

Karma is the law of cause and effect that determines a persons unalterable fate, and that fate is perpetuated in reincarnation.

Hindus believe in a hierarchy of gods. Superior deities have the power and privilege to form a vassal god and to grant a right of worship to them as well. Ganesh, an elephant god, is a popular example. Hes said to have been created by his mother, Parvati, from dirt rubbed off while bathing. His father, Shiva, chopped off Ganeshs head because he provoked Shiva to wage war against him. Shiva did this without realizing Ganesh was his recently created son. Eventually, Shiva provided Ganesh an elephant head and simultaneously granted him the gift of divinity.

The Hindu scriptures have many polished narratives of gods taking various human and animal forms in order to restore cosmic order. These forms are called avatars. The most popular one is likely Vishnus avatar of Krishna (who murdered his own evil uncle). Krishna declared this in Bhagavad Gita, chapter 4:78:

Whenever there is decay in righteousness, O Bharata,And there is exaltation of unrighteousness, then I Myself come forth;For the protection of the good, for the destruction of evil-doers,For the sake of firmly establishing righteousness,I am born from age to age.

Altogether, Vishnu is said to have taken 10 incarnations. Through those avatars he claims to have restored the cosmic order of righteousness by destroying the unrighteous. Interestingly, some Hindus have deified Buddha by recognizing him as Vishnus final avatar.

Hindu scriptures claim that all living being possess an atman (spirit), and killing them, knowingly or unknowingly, is a sin. This includes not just humans but birds, beasts, reptiles, mosquitos, lice, worms, and flies. In addition, the monistic school of Hinduism argues that every spiritfrom tiny living and non-living things to enormous living and non-living things in the universeincorporates into Brahman (Monism). Since atman and Brahman are identified with one another, killing anything implies the killing of Brahman itself.

Mainstream Hindus claim that all religions of the world lead to the supreme, impersonal god. This concept is often depicted in a dazzling circle surrounded by the symbols of all religions, and in its epicenter dwells the glorious spirit out of which emanates light to all the world religions. Additionally, some Hindus claim that god sends mahatma (a great spirit) in every age to lead the world into the righteous path that ultimately leads to Brahman. Jesus Christ is viewed as one of the greatest lights along with Buddha, Moses, Muhammad, Guru Nanak, and Confucius.

For Hindus, tirtha (pilgrimage) is a holy ritual that pleases the gods. Hindus make pilgrimage to sacred temples, such as Banaras Kashi, Badrinath, and Kedarnath, which mostly venerate Vishnu and Shiva. As in many other religions, Hindus also make pilgrimage to sacred burial shrines where they worship and pray to their dead gods and gurus (religious teachers). These acts produce good karma and are regarded as a dharma (religious act) that might merit reward in the next reincarnation.

Its written in Hindu scriptures that the soul is immortal. However, the soul takes a new body in every reincarnation because of the cycle of birth and death (samsara). According to Hindu belief, it takes 84,000 incarnations for a person to cycle through all living beings (i.e., insects, animals, fish, birds, etc.) and eventually obtain another reincarnation. Salvation (moksya) is the completion of and removal from this cursed process. The person is then assimilated into the infinite ocean of Brahmans divinity, uniting with it eternally. At this point, only the spirit is liberated, because it leaves the body forever, a concept similar to Gnosticism. Earthly life is believed to be an illusion or shadow (maya), and its reality is a spiritual life in heaven, a concept similar to Platonism.

Strict spiritual practices are the only way to attain this blissful deliverance, because god is only satisfied by the perfect karma, obedient life, and worship (sadhana). Solely based on this perfection, Brahman grants salvation. Salvation by faith alone in God through grace apart from karma is unimaginable in Hinduism.

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9 More Things You Should Know About Hinduism - The Gospel Coalition

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has departed from India to attend the G20 summit, to be held on 15-16 November, in Bali in Indonesia.

He will join world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, UKs Rishi Sunak, Chinas Xi Jinping among others (Russia's Vladimir Putin has decided to skip the annual meet) and will seek solutions to the several global troubles on the Muslim-majority countrys mostly Hindu Island of Gods.

Interestingly, Indonesia, which is the worlds most populous Muslim country, has a historical and cultural connection to India through Hinduism, which reached the island nation between 1.000 and 1.500 years ago.

There are no visible restriction on the practice of Hinduism and several parts of the country have Hindu temples, which clearly shows that Hinduism peacefully coexists with Islam.

Hinduism in Bali

While Hindus comprise two per cent of Indonesias population, in Bali, where the G20 summit will be held, close to 90 per cent of the population practices Hinduism. However, the Hinduism practised in Bali is different from that practised in India.

Balinese Hinduism is a mix of years of contact with different cultures, most notably the Indian one.

According to the paper Hindu Rituals in India and Bali by Balinese Historian Ni Wayen Pasek Ariati, Hindu culture originally from the mainland of India is believed to have first been brought to the Indonesian Archipelago during the first millennium CE, a time when Buddhist monks and priests of the Shaiva form of Hinduism joined the voyages of seafaring merchants who travelled to and from the archipelago as part of the trading networks that connected China with India, the mid-east, and Europe via the archipelago.

Ariati says Hinduism subsequently prospered but took on its own form a fusion of Indian Hindu teachings/customs and local Balinese beliefs/traditions.

Balinese Hindus like their Indian counterparts believe in karma and reincarnation. The Balinese Hindu also believes that every aspect of existence has a presiding god or goddess that can and should be prayed to for the service they provide in the functioning of said aspect. Many Balinese deities are parallel in function to those worshiped in India. For instance, in Bali, the goddess of rice wealth and fertility is Dewi Sri, similar to Goddess Lakshmi in India.

Along with traditional Hindu gods such as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, Balinese Hindus worship a range of deities unique to their branch of the religion. Sang Hyang Widhi is the designation for one God in Balinese Hinduism.

A tourist takes a photo at Lempuyang temple on Indonesia's resort island of Bali. The Lempuyang is considered one of the holiest temples in Bali and is dedicated to the supreme god. AFP

Such is the prevalence of Balinese Hinduism that it teems with temples devoted to various Hindu gods. These temples are mostly open air shrines, laid out in a particular style in an enclosed compound with characteristic Meru-pagoda like tiered roofs and split gate entrance. Hence, the name Hindu Island of Gods.

One of the most famous Hindu temples in Bali is Pura Lempuyang, which is also considered one of the holiest temples in Bali. Dedicated to the supreme god, it is situated 1,175 m above sea level because of which it is also called The Temple of Thousand Steps. One has to climb 1700 steps to get to the temple.

Pura Besakih, Pura Goa Lawah, Pura Taman Ayun and Pura Ulun Danu Bratan are just some of the other famous Hindu temples in Bali.

Hinduism in Indonesia

While Hinduism is the majority religion in Bali, it also is prevalent in other parts of Indonesia, including in Java, one of the main islands in the archipelago nation, home to the countrys capital, Jakarta.

The powerful Hindu kingdom of Majapahit flourished here from about the 13th to the 15th centuries, leaving its impact on culture, language and landscape. It is said that the power of Majapahit reached its height in the mid-14th century under the leadership of King Hayam Wuruk and his prime minister, Gajah Mada.

An Indonesian man cleans the country's symbol Garuda Pancasila, a mythical golden eagle with a heraldic shield on its chest, which is attached on a building roof in Jakarta. The Garuda is also a deeply respected symbol in Hindu mythology. AFP

Today, Indonesias national emblem is the Garuda, which is also a deeply respected symbol in Hindu mythology for being the mount of Lord Vishnu.

There are also several Hindu temples across Indonesia, one of the most famous is the Prambanan temple complex. Located near Bokoharjo, on the island of Java, it is one of the largest Hindu temples in Southeast Asia and is dedicated to the Trimurti of Hinduism Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.

In the main courtyard, Candi Shiva Mahadeva, dedicated to Shiva, is not only the largest of the temples but also the finest. The main spire soars 47-metre high and the temple is lavishly carved. The medallions that decorate its base have a characteristic Prambanan motif small lions in niches flanked by kalpatura (trees of heaven) and a menagerie of stylised half-human, half-bird kinnara (heavenly beings). The vibrant scenes carved onto the inner wall of the gallery encircling the temple are from the Ramayana they tell how Lord Ramas wife, Sita, is abducted and how Hanuman, the monkey god, and Sugriwa, the white-monkey general, eventually find and release her.

The Prambanan temple complex, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the largest Hindu temples in Southeast Asia and dedicated to the Trimurti of Hinduism Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. AFP

In 1991, Prambanan was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Hinduism and Indonesias culture

Hinduism has also encoded into the Indonesian cultural fabric through the arts. The Ramayana ballet, performed in the Javanese style has been running continuously since 1961. In 2012, it was anointed by the Guinness Book as the most continuously staged performance in the world.

In fact, many of the performers of the Ramayana ballet conducted at the Prambanan temple complex are Muslim. But they say, Muslims are Muslims with Hindu influence.

Dancers perform the Ramayana on Bali island. The Ramayana ballet was given the title of the most continuously staged performance in the world. AFP

Wayang kulit, the traditional shadow puppet shows, also retell the ancient stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. These tales are brought to silhouetted life on a screen, using backlit figures cut from raw buffalo hide.

Apart from the arts, a large amount of Sanskrit loanwords are found in regional languages as well as in standard Indonesian.

Hinduisms cultural connect with Indonesia is also on display through the Arjuna Wijaya Chariot statue, situated in Jakarta. The imposing monument depicts a scene from the Mahabharata where Lord Krishna is riding a chariot with Arjuna holding a bow and arrow and the chariot is being pulled by eight golloping horses.

The horses as per Javenese tradition symbolise eight philosophies of leadership called Asta Brata, namely, Kisma (Earth), Surya (Sun), Agni (fire), Kartika (stars), Baruna (ocean), Samirana (wind), Tirta (rain) and Candra (month).

Built in 1987, the statue, standing just next to Monas, which is the National Monument of Indonesia, is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Jakarta.

All in all, Hindus have a peaceful existence in Indonesia, which dates back to many, many centuries.

With inputs from agencies

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PM Modi in Bali for G20 summit: The Hindu legacy of Indonesia and how the religion still thrives there - Firstpost

Sri Siddharama Swami of Gadga Tontadarya Math| Photo Credit: P.K. BADIGER

Hinduism is not a religion, but a way of life, Sri Siddharama Swami, seer of the Gadag Tontadarya Math, said in Belagavi on Wednesday.

It is a well known fact. Great scholars have elaborated on it. There is no dispute about that fact, the seer said, after a function organised by the Belagavi Zilla Lekhakiyara Sangha to felicitate women writers.

Reacting to the controversy over Congress leader Satish Jarkiholis statement about the origin of the term Hindu, the seer said that it is not a matter of dispute, as the term Hindu refers to all Indians and not to any religious group.

It is a Persian language term used to refer to residents of the region surrounding the Sindhu river. Since the Persian speakers use H instead of S, all people living on the banks of the Sindhu were called Hindu. In that sense, all people living in India, including Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and even Lingayats, should be considered Hindus, he said. The Sindhu flows even in Pakistan. Some residents of those regions are demanding that the area be called Sindhustan, the seer said.

The term Hindu should be used in its larger sense and not in a narrow sense to refer to caste or religion, he said. He said that the activists in favour of a Lingayat religion are trying to portray Lingayat as a non-Vedic religion. Hinduism is a Vedic religion. But Lingayat is not a vedic religion and definitely not a part of Hindu religion.

The seer, who spearheaded the agitation for recognition of Lingayat as a religion, said that the movement will be re-started soon.

We have not stopped it. We have suspended it temporarily as some of the 108 sub-castes among Lingayats are demanding reservation benefits. Once those agitations reach a certain stage, we will revive the movement for religion status, he said.

He said that he is not opposed to some Lingayat castes demanding reservation. It is between them and the government. We have nothing to say, he said.

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Hindu term refers to all Indians and it should be used in its larger sense, says seer - The Hindu

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Tuesday said that those who believe Bharat as their mother or motherland, and want to live in that culture of diversity, are Hindus, and that the country needs unity and unity in diversity is the core ideology of India.

Addressing an event of swayamsevaks in Ambikapur in Chhattisgarhs Surguja district, Bhagwat said the idea of Hindutva is acceptance and to unite everyone.

We have been saying this since 1925a person who believes Bharat is his mother and motherland is Hindu. A person who wants to live in a diverse country and attempts to live in this country of diversity is Hindu... He can follow any religion or ideology, can speak any language or can wear any attire, but will be considered a Hindu. There is only one ideology which believes in diversity in unity, Bhagwat said.

He said that when the RSS was founded, it had nothing but the belief in unity, which is why the organisation has gained the trust of the people of India.

We always believed that those who come to RSS shakha are from this motherland. We never ask the caste or class... We believe that those who attend shakha are from this country, he said, adding that when RSS was formed no one had supported the ideology.

Also read:In Chhattisgarh, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwats stay strong appeal to tribals

Hindutva is the only idea in the entire world that believes in unifying diversities because it has carried such diversities together in this country for thousands of years, the RSS chief asserted.

This is the truth and you have to speak it firmly, he said.

Bhagwat is on a three-day visit to Chhattisgarh. On Monday, he addressed a function to mark the Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas in Jashpur organised by Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram.

This is his second visit to Chhattisgarh, which experts believe is crucial ahead of the state elections in 2023.

Bhagwat also unveiled the statue of late former BJP MP and Union minister late Dilip Singh Judeo, who began the Ghar Wapsi campaign to reconvert tribals from Christianity in Jashpur region.

State Correspondent for Chhattisgarh. Reports Maoism, Politics, Mining and important developments from the state. Covered all sorts of extremism in Central India. Reported from Madhya Pradesh for eight years....view detail

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Those who see Bharat as their motherland are Hindus: Mohan Bhagwat - Hindustan Times