Yearly Archives: 2020
DEMS CAN’T DEMAGOGUE UNFLAPPABLE AMY
They came, they questioned and they got nothing. It’s almost enough to make you feel sorry for Democrats. Almost.
With a history of vicious misbehavior and the political calendar limiting their ability to smear Amy Coney Barrett, Dems on the Senate Judiciary Committee were reduced to being annoying nags and finger-wagging scolds. They fumed and sputtered about the possibility that the court might be called on to make key ballot rulings after the election and hoped she would not participate. No luck. They all struck out.
Their basic problem is that Barrett came across as an appealing Superwoman. Flanked by her husband, six of their seven children and her six siblings, she was flawless in answering those questions she could and in politely sidestepping the traps.
THE REMOTEST SWIMMING POOL
This is St. Paul’s Natural Pool on Pitcairn Island, where in 1790 Fletcher Christian and his mutineers of the Mutiny on the Bounty settled, and where their descendants live to this day. They were awed by the uninhabited island’s lush beauty, with huge banyan trees rising above them like giant cathedrals, and thought it a Garden of Eden where anything grew, coconuts, bananas, taro, breadfruit, mangoes, guavas, passion fruit, yams and sweet potatoes in the rich volcanic soil.
Pitcairn has no beaches, though, so this was their swimming hole – and still is for Pitcairners today. They are happy to take you here, and to the island’s colorfully named spots, like Where Dick Fall, Oh Dear, Break Im Hip, Down the Hole – and to Fletcher Christian’s Cave, his lookout for British warships hunting them (they failed for 25 years) .
It’s not easy to get here – fly to Tahiti, then remote Mangareva from where you sail for two days on a supply ship. But you’ll be so welcome upon arrival. You stay in one of their homes in Adamstown and be treated like family. It’s a travel experience like none other. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #63 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
FADING JOE’S VERY BAD DAY
At a campaign stop in Toldeo, Ohio, he actually forgot he was running for president, saying what you just saw: “I’m running as a proud Democrat for the Senate.”
When Biden was confronted with a poll that said 56 percent of registered voters believe they are better off than they were four years ago (when he was vice president), Biden said they shouldn’t vote for him. And this was Joe just warming up – there’s lots more!
EVEN DEMOCRATS ARE IMPRESSED WITH ACB
Now, on day two of her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Dems are telling reporters are impressed with what they see.
While Barrett was still being grilled Tuesday (10/13), even liberal reporters on CNN and NBC had to admit that she was doing a good job answering the Senators’ questions.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GET TOO CLOSE TO A 6,000 POUND ELEPHANT SEAL
The Antarctic island of South Georgia is one of the most extraordinary places on earth. Square miles of king penguin rookeries, thousands of fur seals, hundreds of gigantic elephant seals amidst a backdrop of massive glaciers and snow-capped mountains.
All of the animals here have no fear of you whatever and ignore your presence – except if you make the mistake of getting too close to a bull elephant seal for his comfort. It’s a mistake I made as you can see. Luckily, with several tons of blubber to carry, this fellow can’t move as fast as me, so I hightailed it quickly. That satisfied him, and all was soon back to placidly normal again. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #62 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
NO FEAR OF THE EVIL EYE: The Brotherhood of Marx, Hitler, and the American Left Today
Ninth Installment: Chapter Nine of Part I: Envy. Forum comments welcome!
THE BROTHERHOOD OF MARX, HITLER, AND THE AMERICAN LEFT TODAY
In October of 1965, Ronald Reagan came to speak at UCLA, where I was a graduating senior. The UCLA Student Union was packed, SRO. There was a buzz that Reagan was considering running for governor against the entrenched Democrat, Pat Brown. My buddy Bill Anthony and I sat expectantly in the audience.
As Reagan began to speak, he filled the room with an energy that was both exciting and soothing, and the thousand-plus students were entranced. Then he caught us by surprise. He said the conventional political spectrum of Left vs. Right made no sense and he rejected it. He explained:
"Rather than Communists and Marxists on the extreme ‘Left' and Nazis and Fascists on the extreme ‘Right,' I think the political spectrum should be ‘Up' and ‘Down' – Up towards individual freedom and Down towards control of the individual by the State.I turned to Bill and whispered, "That settles that." "Settles what?" he whispered back. "That's my man," I answered. "I've always dreamed of someone publicly saying just that."
"The extreme Up would be Anarchy, no government at all, while the extreme Down, at the bottom of the spectrum, would be all forms of totalitarianism: both Fascism and Communism, Nazism and Marxism, which together in common advocate the abolishment of individual freedom.
On this spectrum, I place myself on the Up side, far from the extremism of anarchism, but as an advocate of individual liberty in accordance with a constitutional democracy and rule of law."
In all the years since, I’ve remained puzzled why our political, media, and academic elites have maintained a perverse insistence on denying the obviousness of Reagan’s Up/Down spectrum, constantly repeating the robotic mantra of Left/Right instead.
The only explanation must be that, as advocates of ever more government control over people’s lives, they can’t handle the bald truth that Hitler – the apotheosis of evil – is one of theirs.
THE MONEY THAT MADE US HUMAN
On display in the National Museum of Congo in Brazzaville: “Ancient Money.” I took the picture because this is the money that made us human 90,000 years ago. They are tiny Nassarius gibbosulus estuarine snail shells too small for food, perforated with small holes to string on a necklace, used as money “before the establishment of the CFA” as the sign says, the Central Africa Franc in 1945.
These are the same species of shell that was the first jewelry in history unearthed at seashore sites in Morocco and hundreds of miles inland in Algeria some 90kya (thousand years ago) – meaning they were traded. For the first time in history, a species began to exchange things between unrelated unmarried individuals to share, swap, barter and trade, and over great distances.
Other animals do not barter. This, maintains science author Matt Ridley, is what made us distinctly human, enabling us to cooperate with other groups or tribes, to innovate, to evolve ever more complex cultures. This little shell, used as money, is the founding of human culture. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #61 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
TESTING POSITIVE
HALF-FULL REPORT 10/09/20
Enter “joe biden” + “little girls” on YouTube and you’ll get a ton of video clips on his “inappropriate touching” and “sexual allegations.” The most disgusting one of all is the one above, where he pinches an 8 year-old girl’s nipple during a swearing-in ceremony for Senator Steve Daines of Montana in January 2015.
If you have the misfortune of knowing someone who intends to vote for this pervert to be President of the United States, please consider sending the video link above to them – together with this handmade sign which hopefully might just shake them out of their stupor:
Meanwhile, it’s been quite a week for Donaldus Magnus.
FLASHBACK FRIDAY – MEETING THE DALAI LAMA
Seventeen years ago today, October 9, 2003, I had the privilege to meet and have an unforgettable conversation with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. It was at a luncheon hosted by India’s Ambassador to the US at his residence in Washington. His Holiness loved my telling him how I had passed out over a thousand pictures of him during my three overland expeditions crisscrossing Tibet. “Illegally, yes?” he asked, as the Chinese make this a crime. “Oh, very illegally!” I answered as we both chuckled.
The Ambassador asked where he was born. His answer, “very remote village in far northern Tibet.” He was startled when I interjected, “Yes, I know, I’ve been there – I even bought a doonchen (telescoping 15 foot-long Tibetan prayer horn) in your village.” “A doonchen?” he exclaimed. “You mean…?” and put his hands to his lips to make this really loud WHOOOH like the horn makes. I nodded and did the same, WHOOOH. We belly laughed, while all the diplomats and Congressmen did not know what was going on.
Then he wrapped his hands around mine and I felt an electric energy run through my body. It was his blessing. I will treasure it all my life. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #60 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
THE PENCE TAKEDOWN OF KAMALA
This means that Harris was auditioning for president. And despite Trump's robust energy, his getting the virus was a reminder that he too is mortal. Fortunately, Pence was superb. More than superb – it was a total takedown, not with bombast and bludgeon, but with a thin stiletto smoothly inserted between her third and fourth ribs.
SKYE’S LINKS 10/08/20
Who targeted the President?
October surprise? 32 Republicans and 0 Democrats infected at the latest count. The second picture is provocative:
Asking The Question That Nobody Dares To Ask Publicly: Who targeted the President?
The real story on Trump's tax payments:
Carney: NYT Is Wrong — Donald Trump Paid Millions in Taxes in 2017
Trust in fake news:
Nolte: Number of Americans with Zero Confidence in Media Hits New High
Los Angeles' content-based speech restrictions are a First and fourteenth Amendment no-no. Doesn’t it just fry the LA City Council liberals’ bacon to have to pay the NRA?
Judge Orders LA to Pay NRA over $100,000 After 1st Amendment Ruling
There’s lots more!
THE TOMB OF TAMERLANE
This is the interior of “Gur Emir,” the tomb of Tamerlane (1336-1405) in Samarkand, the great Silk Road city now in Uzbekistan. Tamerlane was the last of the nomadic conquerors of Eurasia, a Turkic-Mongol whose conquests extended from New Delhi to eastern Turkey.
Gur Emir is only one of a multitude of extraordinary sights in legendary Samarkand that make being here a life-memorable experience. We’ll be here during our exploration of Central Asia next May. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #59 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
25 QUESTIONS KAMALA HARRIS NEEDS TO BE ASKED IN THE DEBATE TONIGHT
Kamala Harris declares Black Lives Matter are “the heroes of our time”
The Democrat vice presidential nominee should be asked the following 25 questions. This list is by no means exhaustive.
TRUMP & ATLAS – TIME TO FACE DOWN CORONAVIRUS FEAR
POTUS with Dr. Scott Atlas
The uproar over the President’s COVID-19 diagnosis made one thing abundantly and terrifyingly clear: The media’s China Virus hysteria is here to stay— certainly through the election, and far beyond after Trump wins.
The paranoia is so baked in now, you wonder how the public will come to its senses. Well, it appears that Trump’s new COVID advisors are having an impact.
In August, the President appointed Dr. Scott Atlas, a critic of lockdowns and our one-size-fits-all remedy to cure the virus. Atlas, 65, is a much-needed antidote to the attention-hungry, flip-flopping Anthony Fauci, who refuses to exit the media’s adoring spotlight or entertain any opposing viewpoint.
THE UNIQUE BEAUTIFICATION OF KAYAN WOMEN
The Kayan tribal people live in a remote roadless valley in the Shan Hills of Burma. Kayan women practice their tradition of beauty starting at age five. The young girls have a few brass coils placed around their necks, adding to them progressively as they grow until in older adulthood they are wearing as many as two dozen – becoming what the world knows them as Giraffe women. (The Shan people call them "Padaung" meaning "long-necked," but they call themselves Kayan.)
We are not here to gawk. We are here to make friends, treat them respectfully, and learn about their traditions. It is an intensely memorable experience to meet these ladies. We’ll be here again in early March next year. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #58 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
PRESIDENT TRUMP BECOMES CAPTAIN AMERICA
What did former President Obama call this? A “teachable moment.” But it’s not the lesson Democrats hoped for.
I’ve studied Donald Trump my entire adult life. Growing up as a kid in New York, and being 15 years younger than Trump, he served as my hero, mentor and role model since my college days at Columbia University. Donald Trump has three traits above all others:
THE LOATHSOME GHOULS OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS
Well, there is Antifa, the violent arm of BLM, the Muslim Brotherhood, et al., but for what is supposed to be an assemblage of professional, objective journalists, this White House press corps is about as mature as a clique of mean girls in any middle school.
They are as politically deluded as Baghdad Bob, pathetically self-important, ridiculously overly impressed with their own positions of power and influence, and as malicious as Shakespeare's Iago. When they do not get their way, they act out like toddlers in the throes of a tantrum.
While their glee at the news that Trump had contracted COVID was shameful, their hysteria over his brief ride in The Beast to wave to supporters outside the hospital, their abject fury at his being released from Walter Reed today, was beyond redemption. These ghouls are seriously mentally ill. They wanted him to die, and he didn't.
WODAABE MEN MUST LOOK BEAUTIFUL TO ATTRACT THE LADIES
The Wodaabe are cattle-herding nomads in Niger, West Africa. Their Gerewol festival features Yaake dances by the men to impress marriageable ladies with how ideally handsome they are. Those ideals include being tall and athletic, having white eyes and white teeth, decorating themselves colorfully, and having a winning smile.
The Wodaabe are a fun-loving, friendly, and hospitable people. You’ll meet them on our Trans-Sahara Expedition when we’re next able to operate one. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #57 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)
NO FEAR OF THE EVIL EYE: Aristotle, Einstein, and Mussolini
Eighth installment: Chapter Eight of Part I: Envy. Forum comments welcome!
ARISTOTLE, EINSTEIN, AND MUSSOLINI
Ever play the Ultimate Dinner Party parlor game – where you get to imagine inviting people from history to converse over dinner and explain why them? At such a party, one conversation I’d most like to hear would be between Aristotle and Einstein. (And no, Mussolini would not be invited – we discuss him after dinnertime.)
Einstein would first have to bring Aristotle up to speed with what science had learned since the 4th century BC. In particular, he would blow Aristotle’s mind about inertia.
Once Aristotle grasped Newton’s First Law explaining motion – that something will stay put unless pushed, but once pushed will keep moving until and unless something else stops it – it would alter his entire concept of the structure of the universe.
DRACULA’S CASTLE
Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel “Dracula” described Count Dracula’s home as a castle located high above a gorge perched on a rock in Transylvania’s Carpathian Mountains. And here you are, Bran Castle, built in the late 1300s near the town of Brasov in Romania, and traditionally associated with Vlad Dracula (1428-1477).
His father, Vlad Dracul (Vlad the Dragon), as the ruler of Wallachia (southern Romania), led Christian knights fighting Ottoman Turks called the Order of the Dragon, or “Dracul” in Romanian. His son succeeded him as Dracula – “son of the dragon” – waging war upon the Moslem Ottomans so brutally he became known as “Vlad the Impaler” for impaling his enemies. They began spreading rumors of his being literally bloodthirsty, drinking his enemies’ blood.
Over the centuries since, Vlad Dracula has been celebrated by Romanians as their national hero in his liberation struggle from the Ottomans. But was Bran Castle his home? He had many homes, and was here many times during his campaigns. Visiting Dracula’s Castle is always a highlight of our explorations of Eastern Europe. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #56 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
TRUMP WILL BEAT COVID LIKE HE BEAT BIDEN
HALF-FULL REPORT 10/02/20
Our prayers are with them
Millions of Americans are in prayer today for our President, our First Lady, and the First Family. We should be confident they are being heard.
In addition, we can hope that their tests are false positives – and in any regard, they are taking HCQ (hydroxychloroquine) with zinc and D3 daily. Skye would add azithromycin for protection from bacterial infection since the Chicom virus is an immune system depressant.
This is a sobering moment in the extreme. One silver lining is it makes us all realize how much we love our President and First Lady, the enormity of how much they mean to us and our country.
FLASHBACK FRIDAY – WITH THE KHAMPAS IN TIBET
October 1987, on an overland expedition across the entire Chang Tang Tibetan Plateau. Here is where you find the warrior nomads of Tibet, the Khampas. Renowned and feared for fierceness, they couldn’t have been friendlier to me when I gave them each what they treasured most in the world – a photo of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, far more valuable to them than gold.
Before, they were suspicious and angry at a stranger intruding upon them. Instantly with gifting the photos, they were joyous and smiling. They had no idea who I was, all they knew was that I was their friend, insisting I sit down and have a cup of yak-butter tea with them. It was the most memorable cup of tea in my life. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #55 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
SKYE’S LINKS 10/01/20
Comprehensive 2020 election – 'Crat playbook:
Mansour and Pinkerton: The Democrats’ 7-Step Strategy to Win the Election Using Vote-by-Mail Chaos
A call from 'Crat central command for execution by firing squad:
Complaining About The Transition Integrity Project's Election-Theft Plan Can Be Dangerous
Russia, Russia, Russia - for Hillary:
Russia Interfered in 2016 Election 'On Behalf of Hillary Clinton'
Report: John Brennan Edited Out Intel Suggesting Russia Wanted Hillary Clinton to Win
There’s lots more!
THE CHOICE IS BETWEEN A MAN WHO BELIEVES AMERICA IS GOOD AND A MAN WHO DOES NOT
Let me ask: are Republican leaders framing the election properly? Are they doing a good job describing what’s at stake in this election? I believe they can do better. In fact, they must do better. Here’s why and how.
This election is a contest between a man, Donald Trump, who believes America is good, and a man, Joe Biden, who is controlled by a movement that believes America is bad. Or to put this another way, between a man who wants to preserve the American way of life and a man who will end up destroying it.
Republican leaders are too focused on policy. This is not a policy election. This is a regime decision; a way of life election.
FOOD CRISIS COMING IN CHINA?
Flooded farmland as far as the eye can see
This has not been a good year for China.
The economy suffered a 6.8 percent economic contraction in Q1, followed by a 3.2 percent rebound (anemic by Chinese standards) in Q2. Relations with the United States remain tense and complicated.
On top of that, heavy rains have caused massive flooding that has wiped away billions of dollars of value in China, washing up factories, homes and agricultural land in a frothy tide of destruction. This last is important.
While China supports over 20 percent of the world’s population, it has a little over 12 percent of its arable land (according to the World Bank). Heavy rains and floods are bad enough; add in an African Swine Fever resurgence in some parts of southern China and the question of food security gains traction as something to watch.
THE TOMB OF THE FRAGRANT CONCUBINE
Princess Iparhan, granddaughter of the ruler of the Silk Road oasis of Kashgar, was so famous for her beauty and the intoxicating natural aroma of her body that the Manchu Emperor far to the east called for her. She was 22, the year was 1756. The Emperor became completely infatuated with her, making Iparhan his Imperial Noble Consort, loving her deeply until her death 33 years later in 1789.
In mourning, the Emperor kept his promise to her that her body would be returned to Kashgar and buried in the mausoleum of Apak Hoja, built in 1640 by her Apaki family. And there she rests today. Everyone in Kashgar and beyond, however, knows the mausoleum as The Tomb of the Fragrant Concubine.
It’s a wonderfully romantic legend, and even though there are several conflicting versions, let’s hope this one is true. Regardless, a visit to this peaceful shrine is certainly memorable. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #54 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)
THE DISGRACE OF CHRIS WALLACE
The Chris & Joe Show
Chris Wallace’s overt defense of Joe Biden throughout the debate on Tuesday night was so obvious, so blatant, he should be proscribed from ever “moderating” a debate again.
Wallace’s performance was as Biden’s protector, his advocate, and that is undeniable. He stepped in at every moment Biden seemed lost: court-packing, lack of support of law enforcement, and Hunter’s criminality.
The debate was so poorly managed. The questions were designed to aid Biden, to coddle him. No wonder Trump felt duty-bound to interrupt. Trump was debating both Wallace and Biden and only one of them is sentient.
Wallace’s intent was clear – sabotage Trump. Wallace succeeded only in looking like the stooge he is.
DNI RATCLIFFE EXPOSES RUSSIA HOAX AS COMEY INVENTION
If I were a betting woman, I’d say that, over the next month, we’re going to see a steady drip, followed by an onrushing stream, of information about the corrupt origins and practices behind the Russia hoax.
To start: the big news is that yesterday (9/29), Lindsey Graham released a letter from John Ratcliffe, the Director of National Intelligence (full letter in link). In it, Ratcliffe wrote that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were both involved in originating the Russia hoax and that former CIA director John Brennan pushed the investigation.
Ratcliffe’s letter to Graham contained three specific pieces of new information:
TWO COOL MOUNTAIN TAJIK KIDS AT THE FIRST PEARL OF SHING
The high hidden Valley of Shing in western Tajikistan holds, as we learned in yesterday’s Glimpse #52, a series of seven stepping-stone lakes called the Seven Pearls of Shing. The valley is dotted with tiny villages of Mountain Tajiks, descendants of the ancient Sogdians who fought Alexander the Great.
Alexander fell in love with and married a Sogdian princess named Roxanna – and the girls of Shing are often named Roxanna to this day. The Mountain Tajiks of the Shing are a special people – strong, independent and free. They are also warm and welcoming. The kids – the girls just like the boys – grow up vibrant and confidant. These two young brothers exemplify that.
Each of the seven pearls have a unique breathless beauty, for they are of different colors and change according to the time of day. We are here at Mijnon (Eyelash), the first pearl, followed by Soya (Shade), Hushnor (Vigilance), Nophin (Navel), Khurdak (Little One), Marguzor (Blossoming), and Hazor Chasma (Thousand Springs). Towering above us are snow-laced mountains 18,000 feet high.
Perhaps you’d like to join your fellow TTPers to make the Seven Pearls, and so much else, a part of your life next May? Let me know! (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #53 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
WITHOUT COMMON SENSE IN GOVERNMENT, CIVILIZATION CANNOT CONTINUE
If you call 911 in a large American city, there is no guarantee that anyone will answer promptly and send out police to aid the endangered. So gun sales have soared. Some people who never before owned weapons, or who even opposed the use of firearms, are now terrified to remain unarmed.
Large swaths of the American West are now charred by out-of-control wildfires. Some governors and many federal bureaucrats blame the conflagrations on “climate change.”
But those who actually live within forests, or on mountains and foothills, that are historically vulnerable to wildfires know that the epic droughts of 2013–15 killed or dried out millions of acres of trees and vegetation.
Yet most of these decaying trees were never removed by authorities. They now predictably provide the fuel for the current wildfire Armageddon.
THE ROCK SELLS HIS SOUL TO CHINA
“The Rock” – the man Forbes magazine lists as the world’s highest-paid actor, Dwayne Johnson, has just endorsed Joe Biden for president.
In a seven-minute video pinned to his Facebook profile, “The Rock” explained, “In this critical election, I believe Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are the best to lead our country, and as my first ever (public) presidential endorsement, I proudly endorse them for the presidential office of our United States.”
From reading through what are now over 100,000 comments in response to Johnson’s Facebook post, it’s clear at once that Johnson’s endorsement backfired. There are almost no comments supporting his decision. Roughly 95 percent of the comments are expressions of anger and feelings of betrayal.
Perhaps Johnson has laid an egg. Perhaps he didn’t know his fans at all. Or perhaps he didn’t care about his American fans.
THE FOURTH PEARL OF SHING
There is a series of stepping-stone lakes in a hidden valley in Tajikistan known as The Seven Pearls of Shing. This is the fourth, taken at dawn’s early light with the lake a mirror reflecting the sky and surrounding mountains. Each Pearl are of different colors, each of uniquely mesmerizing allure. It is one of the many wonders – natural, cultural, historical – we’ll experience next May in our exploration of all Five Stans of Hidden Central Asia. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #52 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)
NO FEAR OF THE EVIL EYE: The Fascist Metaphysics of Marxism
Seventh installment: Chapter Seven of Part I: Envy. I’m really looking forward to your Forum comments on this one.
THE FASCIST METAPHYSICS OF MARXISM
We have now learned of the extent to which tribespeople in a tribal culture suffuse their lives with superstition, witchcraft, sorcery, voodoo, "black magic," the "evil eye." The world for them is teeming with demons, spirits, ghosts and gods, all of whom are malicious and dangerous — in a word, envious.
A principal reason why tribal and traditional cultures remain non-dynamic, unchanging and static for centuries and even millennia is the dominance of envy and envy-avoidance. As anthropologists call it, institutionalized envy, or the envy-barrier.
At first glance it may seem that an ideology that argues for a "revolutionary society" would not have much in common with societies that revere stasis and are fearful of change. The Marxist sees himself as being in the progressive vanguard of modern, sophisticated "social science." But Marxism really is nothing but an atavism, a regression to a primitive tribal mentality.
What Marxists call "exploitation," the anthropologists call "black magic."
THE DEATH OF PAN
At the foot of Mount Hermon in northern Israel you find the Grotto of Pan, the Greek God of Nature, where pilgrims came from all over the ancient world to worship. Remnants of the huge Temple of Pan are here, together with the cave grotto where he lived when not at Olympus. The spring that gushes forth from the grotto is one of the sources of the Jordan River.
If Pan was ever disturbed, he would groan so loudly it would cause anyone who heard it to “panic” (panikos in Greek) – the origin of the term. Loudest of all was his last. The legend is that with the advent of Christianity replacing belief in the Olympian Gods, Pan died for lack of worshippers, emitting a death groan of agony from the mouth of the cave you see here so loud and terrifying it was heard throughout the Mediterranean. It’s a beautiful and peaceful place today. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #51 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
INSTANT KARMA OF THE WEEK
A woman driver infected with TDS got so outraged a Trump MAGA rally on a street corner, she not only flipped them off, but leaned out her window for a double flip-off while screaming obscenities at them. In so doing, she took her foot off the brake, thus crashing into the car in front of her.
Not her lucky day, a police car was behind her. To the hoots and laughter of the MAGA folk, two policemen came to ticket her. Instant karma!
HALF-FULL REPORT 09/25/20
Not only is he a master showman with dragon energy, he is a master achiever for America that no one in our history has come close to in his first term – as you saw in TTP on Wednesday, the incredibly long list of The Accomplishments of President Trump.
Meanwhile, there’s today’s (9/25) New York Post cover:
So how is Hiden Biden going to hold up in the most-watched debate in world history next Tuesday (9/29)?
FLASHBACK FRIDAY – SLEEPING IN AN IGLOO
April 1990. When our oldest son Brandon was six years old, I took him with me to the North Pole. It was my 14th expedition there, and as always, we stopped to visit friends at Canada’s northernmost community, the Inuit hunting village of Grise Fiord on Ellesmere Island. Brandon thought it would be cool to sleep in an igloo, which the Inuit do only when they’re hunting seals or walrus far out on the ice.
So the villagers happily complied, showing him how they built one, carving out blocks of wind-blown snow, shaping and placing them in an inward-sloped spiral with one block on top, and packing snow as mortar between the blocks. When it was bedtime – still daylight with 24-hour sunshine by April – they lined the inside with caribou skins, which shed like crazy with hairs everywhere but sure are warm. Snuggled into our arctic down sleeping bags, we slept like stones.
It was an experience both of us will never forget. Never pass up an opportunity to have an adventure with your kids they’ll always remember. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #50 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)
THE TRUTH EMERGES IN LOUISVILLE
[Note: TTP has appended to Andrea’s article the letters of Louisville Police Sergeant Jon Mattingly and his wife]
The truth has finally emerged about Breonna Taylor’s death this past March. It turns out (surprise!) that the Democrat party – in Congress, in the media, and on the streets – has been lying.
Taylor was not a complete innocent whom racist police slaughtered in her bed during a no-knock raid. Instead, she was the victim of her poor choices in men: Her friendship with a local drug kingpin justified the raid and her boyfriend’s decision to open fire on police who had knocked and identified themselves led to her shooting.
That certainly doesn’t mean she deserved to die, but it explains why she did (more – and very interesting explanation below).