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Dr. Jack Wheeler

THE SPIRAL CHURCH OF UVEA

church-of-the-sacred-heartHalfway between Samoa and Fiji in the South Pacific lies the French Territory of Wallis and Futuna. It’s so hard to reach I had to charter a King Air private plane to get here in 2016. The capital is Mata-Utu on Wallis Island which the native Polynesian islanders call Uvea. French missionaries arrived at Uvea in 1837 to convert the islanders to Roman Catholic Christianity. They were Marist Brothers, a branch of the Society of Mary. Today, 99% of the native islanders are Catholic.

The spiral church you see, Église du Sacré-Coeur (Church of the Sacred Heart) was built in the early 1900s out of hand-cut volcanic rocks.  The interior is spectacular, and if you look high up on the fourth tier you’ll see a figure in an opening. That’s a statue of Jesus with arms outstretched in welcome to all who worship here. The islanders consider themselves French citizens with representation in both the French Senate and National Assembly in Paris. At the same time they consider themselves ruled by their own king – the King of Uvea (Wallis) and the King of Sigave (Futuna), which the French government recognizes. This is a peaceful, friendly, interesting place. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #299, photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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A SULTAN’S ARABIA

nakhal-castleNakhal Castle, Oman. If you want to see an ultra-rich Arab sheikdom with exotically designed skyscrapers, you go to Qatar or Dubai. But if you want a more genuine Arabia of Sultan’s palaces, of forts and castles perched on rocky crags, of traditional villages tucked away in mountain fastnesses, of rock pools and grottoes gushing with spring water hidden in secret valleys, a place out of Arabian Nights rather than one of garish ostentatiousness – then you come here to the Sultanate of Oman.

Omanis are a polyglot people from all over Arabia, Persia, and India who’ve lived here for millennia, creating a cosmopolitan trading society that adheres to its traditional culture. There are fabulous hotels with great bars, concerts by the Omani Philharmonic Orchestra, and once outside the capital of Muscat, an Arabian wonderland so exotic it seems out of a movie. We'll be here again. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #119 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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THE ISLAND OF SARK

la-coupeeThere are five Channel Islands in the English Channel. Best known are Guernsey and Jersey. Least visited is Alderney, along with tiny Herm. Most fascinating is Sark, Europe’s only remaining feudal fiefdom. No motor vehicles are allowed, excepting a few farmers’ small tractors. The governor and chief constable is called the Seneschal. He rides to his office on his bicycle.

It’s an ancient office with a tradition of many centuries. When I was there in 2010, it was held by Reginald Guille, a very friendly fellow as all Sarkese are. We rode our bikes around the island, even along La Coupée, the connecting path along the razor sharp high isthmus connecting two parts of the island – it’s pictured above.

There are gorgeous pocket beaches here, and beautiful natural swimming pools. Flower gardens are everywhere, the island could not be safer, cleaner, calmer, and more exquisitely charming. A few days here will do wonders for you. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #131 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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AMERICA’S CURSE

mexican-rally[This Monday’s Archive was originally published on July 9, 2003, 21 years ago almost to the day.  The war that the Mexican government and ruling elite that this article warned about then has become unimaginably worse, with Obrador – yes, the article warns about him too – in power since 2018 and forming an alliance with Chicom China to destroy America via illegal invasion and drug smuggling.  Yet upon reflection today, we must recognize that America’s Curse is not Mexico, but Woke Left Americans who want their own country destroyed.  It is they who enable Obrador and the Chicoms to succeed in their war against us.] 

TTP, July 9, 2003

In a talk entitled "The Map of the Future" I gave last week in Dallas, I discussed which countries throughout the world were or could become the greatest threats to America's national security. At the top of the list, more dangerous than Iran or North Korea or China, I placed Mexico.

The bottomless inferiority complex that Mexico feels towards America is summed up in an old saying known to all Mexicans as "Mexico's Curse," the lament that their country is "So far from God, so close to the United States."

The truth, however, is the reverse. Today, Americans lament "America's Curse," that their country is so close to Mexico.

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FLASHBACK FRIDAY: BRANDON AT THE TAJ

brandon-at-taj-mahal August 1993, Taj Mahal, Agra, India. I took my son Brandon here for his 10th birthday. Here is one supremely happy boy. One of the greatest gifts you can give your children or grandchildren is to take them on a great adventure, to explore the world with them. And it is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself. It is a bonding experience that will last all of your life and theirs. Never pass up the opportunity, search for the opportunity instead. This is life-enrichment at its best. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #272 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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OUR FOUNDERS

founding-fathersOn this July Fourth, it is only appropriate to pay homage to America’s most revered and beloved founders, George Washington, the Father of our country, and Thomas Jefferson, the Author of our Declaration of Independence. It may seem a puzzle to some that Washington’s signature is not on it. That’s because, as Commander of the Continental Army, he was defending New York City from British attack. A copy of the DI was sent to him by express rider on order by John Hancock, which Washington read to his troops on July 9.

It’s best not to think of their reaction to seeing America right now, as that’s too depressing. Instead, we need to summon within ourselves what we can of their courage, genius, and integrity to place America on a path of which they would be proud. May they inspire us all. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #270 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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NO NAKED HOMES IN MADEIRA

portuguese-flowers

Funchal, Madeira. On the Portuguese island of Madeira in the Atlantic Ocean, there is a common expression: “A home without flowers is like a naked person without clothes.” Here is an example, one of many thousands. The Portuguese explorers discovered Madeira in 1419. It was uninhabited at the time and always had been, no human being had ever been there before. Over the seven centuries since, an enormous variety of plants from all over the world were brought here and flourished in the eternal spring weather and volcanic soil. Every fruit, vegetable, tree, bush, flower easily grows here, a botanist’s paradise. And a paradise for the people who live here, who love to beautify their homes and towns with gorgeous gardens everywhere. Come with Rebel and me to see for yourself. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #298, photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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HEAVEN ON HERM

belvoir-beach-herm-channel-islandsBelvoir Beach, Herm, Channel Islands. Could there be a more idyllic lunch—grilled lobster, fresh garden salad, chilled Chardonnay – here on Herm, the smallest of the five main Channel Islands. There’s Jersey, Guernsey, Sark, Alderney – and tiny Herm. Less than one square mile, but overflowing with charm and hospitality – from the Victorian White House Hotel to the Mermaid Pub to lobsters at Belvoir Beach. Coming here is a true escape from the worries of the world. At Herm they are a long ways away. Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #177 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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THE GOLDEN THRONE OF KING TUT

king-tuts-golden-throneNow on display in National Museum of Egypt in Cairo, the 3,340 year-old artistic masterpiece of Pharoah Tutankhamun and his wife Ankhesenamun portrayed on facing back of the king’s throne chair was discovered by archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922.

I was stunned beyond words when I first saw it in 1971, and every time I’ve seen it since, I’m shocked into the same state of awe. It’s not simply the sheer beauty of the blue lapis lazuli, the red carnelian, the silver and the solid gold plate, nor the breathtaking skill of artistry. It’s that the scene is so profoundly, so touchingly human. As she gently rubs oil on to his arms, they are looking into each other’s eyes with the tenderness of love.

This is not some God-King high and mighty ruler and haughty Queen far above their lowly subjects, but a very human man and wife in love. This golden throne speaks to us from 33 centuries ago that back then people were people like us. Our connection to history is our common humanity. I hope someday you will be able to see the Golden Throne of King Tut in Cairo, and be in awe of it for yourself. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #168 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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THE LEFT’S STILLICIDAL STRATEGY TO DESTROY AMERICA

OBlackMatters [This Monday’s Archive was published on July 29, 2016, before Trump’s election.  After 4 years of Trump’s finger in America’s dam, the floodgates of Left insanity were opened wider than ever resulting in the political and moral cesspool of America today.  Here, eight years ago, is an explanation of the Left’s strategy to create this.]

TTP, July 29, 2016

Let me introduce a new word into your vocabulary, a word that encapsulates the Left’s strategy to demolish every institution of American culture and the traditional values of American society.

The word is stillicide.  The dictionary definition has nothing to do with politics, nor does it refer to some form of killing like suicide, genocide, homicide et al.  It refers rather to a physical process derived from the Latin stillicidium: stilla, drops, plus cidium, a declension of cadere, to fall.

Stillicide, stilliciduous, stillicidal thus refer to “a continual dripping of water falling in drops.”

How about that for a light bulb going on in your head?

It sure explains, just to take one example, why race relations in America have gotten worse, far worse, after Zero’s election in 2008.

Why have Zero and his minions in the media done everything they could to divide us on race instead of uniting us, culminating today in the fascist thuggery of Only Black Lives Matter and the murder epidemic of white cops?

Because the hideous secret hidden in every Leftie soul is….

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FLASHBACK FRIDAY – SLEEPING IN AN IGLOO

jw-bw-iglooApril 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)

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HALF-FULL-REPORT 06/28/24

real-sad-joeLast night (6/27), observed the NY Post, We Just Witnessed the End of Joe Biden’s Presidency.  Here’s just one example of why out of so many.  And note PDJT’s  off-the-cuff ROTFLMAO funny put down responding to FJB’s lunatic claim the Border Patrol endorsed him: “By the way, the Border Patrol endorsed me not you… Brandon, just speak to them…” (Watch)

It was not, however, just how awful FJB was that has the Dems in panic.  It was how good Trump was, gone was the intemperate shouting firebrand, replaced by presidential demeanor who never lost his cool.  Watch CNN’s John King explain there is a growing chorus of Dem leaders’ demand that Biden step out and let the August DNC Convention select another candidate: (Watch_

All in all, a massive win for Trump and America last night. And that’s far, far from all.  Wait ‘till you read about The Errol Flynn Supreme Court.  This has been an incredible week. Let’s go!

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THE LION ROCK OF SIGIRIYA

lion-rock-of-sigiriyaRising 600 feet above the jungles of central Ceylon (Sri Lanka) is a gigantic rock column revered for millennia as Sigiriya – Lion Rock from Sanskrit. It’s flat on top, used over centuries as a Buddhist monastery and a fortress by kings. In 480, King Kashyapa had the image of a lion carved into the rock as the entrance gate to his fortress-palace on top. All that’s left are the lion’s paws that you see.

It was a risky climb via stone stairs carved into the rock getting to the top. Today there’s a much safer wooden staircase. It’s a pilgrimage site for Sri Lankans where they get to celebrate their history and enjoy the gorgeous view on top. It’s a marvelous experience for you to participate in. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #158 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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THE AVATAR MOUNTAINS

avatar_mountains The gigantic forest-covered stone pillars of Zhangjiajie in a remote region of Hunan are so famous for being a featured location in the Avatar movie they’ve been renamed the Avatar Mountains. You can take a cable car through them to view them from above. Hard to get to and certainly worth it. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #269 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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MONTEZUMA’S CASTLE

montezumas-castleWhen American explorers came upon this extraordinary cliff dwelling in 1860s Arizona, they dubbed it “Montezuma’s Castle” on a whim. The Aztec ruler had nothing to do with it, of course. The Anasazi people built a number of these marvelous structures in the Southwest, high up on cliffs above a river that seasonally flooded.

For hundreds of years the Anasazi flourished, skilled agriculturalists and brilliant at constructing vast irrigation systems. Yet it all came to naught with a devastating megadrought with no rain for many decades, culminating in the collapse of the Anasazi culture and abandonment of their cliff dwellings by the early 1500s.

Another lesson that it is nature that control’s the Earth’s climate, not us. You’ll find Montezuma’s Castle above Beaver Creek south of Sedona. It’s a marvel not to be missed. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #194 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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THE LESHAN GIANT BUDDHA

leshan-giant-buddhaCarved out of a cliff face of red sandstone on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau over 1,200 years ago by Buddhist monks, the 233 ft-high Leshan Giant Buddha is the largest and tallest stone Buddha statue in the world.

I took this picture from a boat on the river that runs past it.  As you can see by Buddhist pilgrims working their way down the stone steps on the side and in front carrying umbrellas, it’s raining.  Rain is so frequent here that a sophisticated drainage system was incorporated into the statue when it was built. It is still in working order. Behind the Buddha’s head, between his two ears, and scattered throughout his body, there are several hidden gutters and channels carrying out the rainwater that have kept the inner areas dry and prevented the Buddha from eroding since the 8th century.

Knowing this adds to the wonder of beholding this extraordinary achievement.  (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #268 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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THE CHINESE GLASS HOUSE

china-breaking[This Monday's Archive was first written on April 14, 2005.  To this day, the Chicoms are organizing anti-Japan protests and demonstrations.  This coming July 8, as it does annually, they will commemorate the “Chinese War of Resistance to Japanese Aggression” during WWII.  That would be a good time for current Japan PM Fumio Kishida to republish his predecessor Junichiro Koizumi’s 2005 letter to then-Chicom leader Wen Jiabao quoted in full below. Updated from him to Chairman Xi.]

TTP, April 14, 2005

His Excellency Wen Jiabao Premier, State Council, People’s Republic of China Beijing PRC

Dear Premier Wen,

It is understandable that many Chinese remain angry at the crimes committed by Japanese soldiers in China prior to and during World War II. It is further understandable that their anger would be inflamed by a textbook refusing to acknowledge this history.

It is, however, not useful to attempt to instill in Japanese today a sense of guilt over actions committed not by them but by their forefathers, not by their democratic government but by a militaristic regime of the past. The Japanese feel quite strongly that the generation who committed crimes against humanity paid for them in full at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Further, since the end of the war, Japan has enjoyed a democratic government instead of suffering under a totalitarian dictatorship. Japanese have had freedom for almost six decades: freedom to assemble, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and all other freedoms taken for granted in normal modern democracies.

Thus I must ask you, Premier Wen: how many of these freedoms do the people of China enjoy? The answer, quite frankly is: none. The government of Japan was once a dictatorship and is no longer. The government of China still is.

I, along with many of my fellow Japanese citizens, must admit to being astounded at your admonishing us to “take responsibility for history,” and to engage in “deep and profound reflection” on our history. Astounded because you pretend not to see how much this advice applies to you and the Communist Party of China.

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FLASHBACK FRIDAY – YOUNGEST PERSON EVER AT THE NORTH POLE

young-brandon-at-n-poleApril 22, 1990. This is my son Brandon, age six, happily atop a small pressure ridge of sea-ice at 90 North Latitude, the geographic North Pole. I started leading expeditions to 90N in 1978. This was my 12th, and the best weather there we’d ever had. A glorious day at the very top of our planet, and a glorious memory for both father and son.

If fortune favors you with the opportunity, have grand adventures with your children or grandchildren when they are young. They will treasure the memories so much they will someday tell their grandchildren about them. Life is short, carpe diem. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #104 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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HALF-FULL REPORT 06/21/24

intihuatana-sunriseWelcome to the Summer Solstice and the Inversion of Reality HFR!

Today, June 21, is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere – and the shortest, or Winter Solstice, in the Southern.  On June 21st, the ancient Incas of Peru held their most sacred ritual of the year at Machu Picchu’s Intihuatana – Hitching Post of the Sun – where the priests would magically lasso and tie the Sun God Inti to the post to ensure it would not die but be reborn so the days would start getting longer again.

First time I was here was in 1960, spending a week by myself exploring it.  Many of you have been here yourself.  Roping in the Sun made sense, I thought, as from time immemorial everyone “knew” the Sun went around the Earth.

But it doesn’t, reality is the other way around.  Denying the reality that the Earth goes around the Sun today would be like, say, a man denying the reality of his not having an XX chromosome and not having ovaries can still get pregnant and have babies because he’s somehow a “woman.”

In fact, the entire Democrat agenda is based on the overt denial of reality no less wacko than someone in America today asserting that the Sun revolves around the Earth.  FJB is in full command of his senses, “sharper than a tack.”  There is no illegal immigration problem, our southern border is well protected.  Bidenomics is reducing inflation, not increasing it.  The greatest threat to mankind and the greatest national security threat to America is man-made Climate Change.  On and unrelentingly on, a non-stop ubiquitous Inversion of Reality.

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MONGOL NOMADS ARE OBLIVIOUS TO US

mongol-nomadsThese Mongol nomads in the vast grasslands of central Mongolia milking their goats have a way of life unchanged for centuries. All of our concerns, worries and fears that plague us are totally irrelevant to them. They don’t know about them and wouldn’t care if they did.

Spending time with people such as these gives you an invaluably broader perspective of life on our planet. Our concerns, the issues that dominate our headline news, suddenly seem more parochial and far less important. An evening drinking kumiss (Mongol beer, fermented mare’s milk) in their yurts, telling stories, laughing at jokes – you realize how easy it is to relate to them through the core humanity we all have in our souls.

Exploring Mongolia in this way is a priceless adventure. We’ll be there again next year, in the summer of 2025. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #9 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GET TOO CLOSE TO A 6,000 POUND ELEPHANT SEAL

elephant-sealThe 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)

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LAKE BLED

lake-bledFirst Lady Melania Trump would instantly recognize Lake Bled, for it is considered the most beautiful place in her home country of Slovenia. It’s a glacial lake up in the Julian Alps near the border with Austria. The small lush island you see has been a pilgrimage site for millennia – first to the Temple of Ziva, the Slovene goddess of love and fertility, then until now to the Church of the Mother of God. For all that time, Slovene couples came here to get married.

There are 99 steps from the rowboat landing to the church, and from ancient times to today, the tradition is that for a happy and long-lasting marriage, the groom must carry his bride up all 99 steps while she must remain silent while he does.

Lake Bled is a place of deep serenity and joyous calm. Come here to experience both. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #178 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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THE OLD MAN OF STORR

the-old-man-of-storr

Enter “The Old Man of Storr” in Wikipedia, and it wants to talk about the steep rocky face of the mountain in the background called “The Storr.”  Google or Duckduckgo the images and you’ll get all these photos of rocky pinnacles and spires.  So where’s the Old Man?  It’s the most famous feature on Scotland’s Isle of Skye, yet you never see the Old Man himself.  Well, here he is.

Look at the three sections of rocks in the foreground.  They form a man sleeping on his back.  In the first section on the left, you can see in order his forehead, eyebrows, large nose, both lips open snoring, and chin.  In the third section on the right, you see his feet with his toes sticking up.  In the middle section – well, now we know why he’s embarrassingly renowned, for there is the Old Man’s manhood standing tall and proud.

Ask any Scottish friend of yours if he knows why the Old Man of Storr on Skye is so-named.  Then send this to him.  He’ll no doubt say, “Well, laddie, this calls for a wee dram or two for us to properly toast the Old Man!” (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #297, photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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A BOUNTY ON COYOTES

coyote-hunted[This Monday’s Archive was published on May 23, 2006. A bounty on human coyote smugglers of illegals into the US is obviously needed now more than ever – and not just Sheriff Arpaio’s methods described below. Sniper teams tracking them down so they end up like the photo above would be helpful, es verdad?

TTP, May 23, 2006

If you Google "coyote hunting," you'll get 2,790,000 hits.  It's a popular sport among outdoorsmen, and a necessary one.  As one hunter puts it:

"Coyote populations across the country are exploding and taking an unprecedented toll on wildlife. Zero predator control by state and federal agencies and low fur prices have kept trapping to a minimum, hence predator populations are booming. The opportunity to add some prime coyote pelts to your trophy collection and reduce the predator pressure on the local game and bird populations have never been better."

Coyotes are pests, varmints, hated not only by cattle and sheep ranchers, but by anyone with a regard for all the wildlife they kill.  In many states, they can be shot on sight with no permit required in a year-round open season.  Ed Boggess, Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources fish and wildlife policy chief explains:

"Coyotes are an unprotected species and can be taken at any time of year, in any quantity, by almost any methods."
It's time this perspective is applied to human coyotes - for "coyote" is what smugglers of illegal aliens from Mexico into the US are called.

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FLASHBACK FRIDAY – RETRACING HANNIBAL OVER THE ALPS WITH ELEPHANTS

retracing-hannibalSeptember 1979 – my Hannibal Expedition took two elephants over the same pass Hannibal used in 218 BC across the Alps to attack Rome. There is only one pass that fits the contemporary descriptions of both Greek historian Polybius and Roman historian Livy: The Col du Clapier on what is now the French-Italian border.

Unrecognized as Hannibal’s Pass in 1979, it is still a roadless trail today crossed only on foot or mountain bike. But since our expedition, there are now signs proclaiming it La Route d’Hannibal, and even a life-size statue of an elephant at the French village of Bramans where the track over the pass begins.

The photo you see is us climbing high above Bramans (I’m the one in front with the red backpack). It took us five days to carefully guide our elephants (from an Italian circus) over Clapier and down to the Italian village of Susa. First time in 2,197 years and never repeated 41 years since.

Hannibal’s crossing the Alps with elephants is one of the most epic events of world history. To retrace it yourself with elephants is to make that famous history a part of your life in the most uniquely powerful way. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #15 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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HALF-FULL REPORT 06/14/24

biggest-super-bowlAs FJB sinks ever more rapidly into full-blown senility, here’s yet another revelation driving Dems into apoplectic panic. Yesterday (6/13): Trump Makes Stunning Inroads with Young Voters, Not Seen in 24 Years.

In 2016, Hillary won the 18-34 vote by 16 points, Biden in 2020 by 24 points over Trump.  Polls released this week shows he’s even or slightly ahead.  It’s the same with other critical demos the Dems can’t win without, Blacks and Hispanics.

Everything the Dems try to ruin Trump like their orgy of lawfare makes him stronger.  Everything they do to prop Biden up makes him weaker.  Worse, they have no alternative.  It’s not that the Dems have a thin bench of possible presidential candidates – it’s that they have no bench at all.

Get ready for great fun HFR.  Seriously informative too.  And it has quite possibly the funniest joke you’ve heard in a long while.  Here we go!

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MAYA RUINS AND STAR WARS

maya-ruinsThis is Temple IV at the ancient Mayan capital of Tikal, now in northern Guatemala. It was from the top of Temple IV that the shot in the original 1977 Star Wars movie was filmed of the Millennium Falcon landing (at 44 seconds) near jungle temples (Temples II and III) at the Rebel Base on the moon of Yavin 4.

Built in 740 AD, at 230 feet it is the tallest pre-Columbian structure in all the Americas. While Tikal’s earliest buildings date to the 4th century BC, it was from 300 to 800 AD that Tikal flourished as one of the Mayan Empires most powerful kingdoms.

Then decline set in, with drought, deforestation, overpopulation, and constant warfare with rival kingdoms. With Tikal abandoned by the end of the 900s, it remained covered by rainforest jungle for over a thousand years. American archaeologists began excavations in the 1950s. Today with its major temples restored, Tikal is the most impressive example you can visit of Mayan civilization. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #118 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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THE NDIKI DRUM

ndiki-drumFamboun, Cameroon. This is a Ndiki Drum. It is used by the Sultan of Bamoun to call his subjects to their end-of the-year Nguon festival over which he presides. It can be heard for miles.

The carved wooden forearms and hands propped up at the drum’s end are not the original drumsticks. They are symbolic for what the real drumsticks used to be. Until the British and French put an end to the custom in the 1920s, the Ndiki drumsticks were human arms, amputated at the elbow off captured slaves. Four drummers were needed to properly pound the drum, each requiring two drumsticks: eight amputated human arms in total.

The horror of slavery in Africa was ended by Western colonialists. In its place they introduced roads, railroads, electricity, an impartial rule of law instead of law favoring one tribe over another, and other benefits of civilization. They did a lot of stupid damage to African cultures, true.

But that is vastly outweighed by getting rid of slavery – exemplified by how this drum was pounded until less than 100 years ago. If you have a child or grandchild in school with woke teachers, you might have them bring this picture to class, and explain how the benefits of Western Civilization so greatly outweighs its liabilities. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #124 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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THE TO SUA SWIMMING HOLE OF SAMOA

samoa-swimhole “To Sua” means “giant swimming hole” in Samoan. It’s a collapsed lava tube hole on the south coast of Upolu in Samoa. On top of lava cliffs overlooking the South Pacific, you clamber down the ladder for a memorable swim. To Sua is but one of the attractions of Samoa: gorgeous waterfalls, marvelously friendly people, and the historic home named “Valima,” of Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), where he and his wife Fanny spent his last years.

On a hilltop rising above Valima is the gravesite of “Tusitala” – Stevenson’s Samoan name, meaning “Telling of Tales.” Engraved on the side of his tomb is his famous epitaph he wrote himself:

Under the wide and starry sky

Dig the grave and let me lie:

Glad did I live and gladly die,

And I laid me down with a will.

This be the verse you 'grave for me:

Here he lies where he long'd to be;

Home is the sailor, home from the sea,

And the hunter home from the hill.

Should you be lucky enough to come here, you’ll fall in love with Samoa as did Tusitala. ( Photo ©Jack Wheeler)

Jack Wheeler is Escape Artist’s World Exploration Expert.  He is the founder of Wheeler Expeditions at WheelerExpeditions.com.

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THE NATURAL INFINITY POOL OF SOCOTRA

pool-of-socotra

National Geographic calls the remote island of Socotra off the coast of Yemen in the Indian Ocean “the most alien-looking place on our planet,” because of its incredibly weird and bizarre plant life like the Dragon’s Blood Tree.

Yet it is safely far away from anarchic Yemen, peaceful and serene in its isolation. And it contains places of mesmerizing beauty – like this natural infinity pool on a cliff edge high above the ocean in full view. Socotra is spectacularly exotic, like nowhere else in our world. It is truly life-memorable to experience it. Wheeler Expeditions was there in the Spring of 2014 – and we’ll be there again soon. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #129 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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COMMENCEMENT

graduates[This Monday’s Archive was originally published in 2005. We rerun it annually at college graduation time. Feel quite free to send this to any recent college graduate you may know.]

Mr. Chancellor, Members of the Board of Regents, Members of the Faculty, Honored Graduates, Families and Friends:

It's funny that they call this ceremony a Commencement, for you've all reached the finish line:  college, goodbye, we're outta here.  Yet of course, "commencement" means a beginning, not an end.

But one is supposed to at least start - commence - a talk such as this by saying funny things.  So I'll start by talking about Clark Gable movies.  If you've heard of Clark Gable at all, you know he was the biggest movie star in Hollywood a long time ago.  His most famous movie was Gone With The Wind.

He made a movie in 1955 called The Tall Men with Jane Russell as his girlfriend and Robert Ryan as the heavy.  It's a pretty ordinary Western flick with outlaws and cowboys and Indians - and at the end, Ryan, the bad guy, and his henchmen get the drop on Gable, the good guy, and all seems lost.  Suddenly, surprise, Gable outfoxes Ryan and triumphs.  Gable makes his exit, and after he does, Ryan delivers a line that I want you to never forget.

Serendipity is funny, a very funny thing, finding something where you least expect it.  Out of the blue, out of a movie awash with pedestrian dialogue, comes a line so profound it detonates inside your brain. Ryan turns to his men and says:

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FLASHBACK FRIDAY: ASTRIDE WHERE AFRICA IS SPLITTING APART

jw-at-afar-triangle-of-djibouti

It looks like a crack in a road, but this is in the Afar Triangle of Djibouti, where a triple junction of tectonic plates is tearing Africa in pieces.  Plates spreading apart is called a Rift.  I’m standing over where three gigantic rifts – the Red Sea that has split Arabia and northern Africa in two, the Gulf of Aden that will split off Somalia from the rest of Africa, and the Great Rift Valley of East Africa currently ripping Africa itself asunder – originate.  Here the once intact Africa Plate began to tear in three directions.

afar-triangle-on-map

Ironically, here is where humanity did the same.  Genetic scientists have determined that some 60,000 years ago a small band of Africans (less than 200) rafted from what is now Djibouti to what is now Yemen in Arabia – and that incredibly, every human on earth today except for those who stayed, is descended from them.  That means, e.g., all Europeans, Chinese and Asians, Australian Aborigines, North and South Native Americans, descended from those 200 people long ago.

Two amazing facts from this tiny country. There’s a third – it’s the best place in the world to swim with whale sharks, an unforgettable experience.  All in Djibouti! (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #238 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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HALF-FULL REPORT 06/07/24

jacksontheorayaOur grandson Theo turned nine months old on Sunday (6/02), and I can’t resist showing this photo of him with our son Jackson and his wife Raya.  They live in Bali, happy among many other things to be so many thousands of miles away from an America that is going so terrifyingly insane.

He’s well aware of the extent of this as he works for one of the world’s premier conservative intellectuals.  Yet because of that, he’s hopeful that the nightmare now endured by the country he loves may be over soon.  Only one impediment now stands in the way, he thinks, the same fear most all of us have:  that Dem thieves will steal our country in the dark of night in November 2024 as they did in November 2020.

Theo, along with everyone’s grandchildren deserve not to have their future stolen from them.  You and I must do everything in our power to ensure that it is not.

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THE INDIA LESS TRAVELED

This is Mysore Palace, home of the Wadiyar Rajas who ruled Mysore from 1399 to 1950.  It is one of the many wonders of Southern India that’s far less known than traveler’s meccas up north like Agra and Rajasthan.

There’s the Nagarhole Tiger Sanctuary, more Asian elephants than anywhere else in the world, over 100 tigers, scores of leopards, their prey in profusion. Christian churches founded by Christ’s disciple St. Thomas in the 1st century AD.  Towering Hindu temples covered with tens of thousands of eye-popping multi-colored sculptures.  The gorgeous beaches of Goa, the serene peace of the Kerala Backwaters – “one of the most beautiful locations on earth” according to National Geographic, that you explore by luxury houseboat. It goes on and on.

And here also you find the business metropolis of Bangalore, the Silicon Valley of India. We did all of this and more a few years ago, and may yet again before very long. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #81 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)

 

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THE SUPERTREE GARDEN

gardens-by-the-bayThe world’s most spectacular nature park is the 130-acre Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. In the gigantic greenhouse of the Flower Dome, virtually every rare flower on earth flourishes in abundance, while the Cloud Forest is a wonderland of tropical waterfalls seemingly falling out of the sky high above.

Dominating the park are the 160-foot high Supertrees, towering vertical gardens covered in orchids, ferns, vines, and exotic plants. There are elevated canopies and walkways between them. Exploring the astonishing display of hi-tech botanical artistry and genius that is Gardens by the Bay is absolutely awe-inspiring.

TTPer Cassowary was kind enough to guide me through the park as Singapore is his home. Perhaps he’ll tell us more about it on the Forum. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #102 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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BEAUTY AND LUNACY ON THE ADRIATIC SEA

albanian-bunkerSaranda, Albania.  Standing on a hilltop here overlooking the Adriatic arm of the Mediterranean, you can’t help but be mesmerized by the beauty of the scene, the Adriatic coastline, “the wine-dark sea” as Homer so often described it, and off the coast the Greek island of Corfu.  Yet you can’t help being puzzled by the small mound of concrete in the foreground.  What is that, you ask?

It’s a one-man pillbox bunker with a slit in front for the soldier to fire at Albania’s enemies about to invade during the Cold War.  Stalinist madman Enver Hoxha ruled Albania for forty years, from the end of WWII to his death in 1985. During which he built 750,000 of these bunkers in a country barely bigger than Massachusetts (11,000 square miles).  He maintained his Fascist-Communist rule of total control by constantly claiming that Albania was surrounded by neighbor enemies – Yugoslavia, Greece, and Italy – all of whom were preparing to militarily invade, seize, and destroy Albania at any moment. For forty years.

With the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Albania quickly liberated itself from its Communist past.  Today it is stunningly gorgeous, a delight to travel through.  The mushroom bunkers still litter the countryside, kept as a reminder of how history can go lunatic, and for Albanians to make sure such madness never happens to them ever again. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #296, photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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THE STONE TURTLE OF GENGHIS KHAN

genghis-turtle800 hundred years ago in 1221, Genghis Khan established the capital of the Mongol Empire he created at a place called Karakorum in the grasslands of central Mongolia. It became a city of palaces, temples, and mansions of the Mongol nobility, a place of fabulous wealth that left Marco Polo in awe when he visited in in the 1270s.

When Mongol rule over China ended a hundred years later, the Chinese rulers of the Ming Dynasty ordered Karakorum razed to the ground with all evidence of its existence obliterated. All that was left was this solitary stone turtle lying in mute witness to the glories of what was here once and is no more. Known as the Stone Turtle of Genghis Khan, it’s all there is for you to try and imagine the magnificence of the past amidst what is now an empty wilderness. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #149 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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THE GREAT-SOULED MAN

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[This Monday’s Archive was originally published in To The Point on June 5, 2004, the day President Reagan died at age 93.  The Great Souled-Man was republished in The Washington Times on June 7.  This Wednesday, June 5, America will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the passing of the greatest president of our lives.] 

TTP, June 5, 2004

In October of 1965, Ronald Reagan came to speak at UCLA. I was a senior, and it was a depressing time to be a College Republican. Barry Goldwater had been thrashed the previous year, and my professors were so left-wing that I took one to court because of her biased grading.

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 and fellow CR 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.

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FLASHBACK FRIDAY – AFGHANISTAN 1984

afghan-jackI showed this picture to my mother after my latest sojourn with the Afghan Mujahaddin fighting the Soviet Union and she didn’t see anything unusual. She didn’t recognize her own son standing in the middle. Good thing – if I had been caught by the KGB or Spetsnaz, it would have been, ahh… unpleasant. I was there with the “Muj” at least a dozen times until they defeated the Soviet Red Army in early 1989 – which led to the Fall of the Berlin Wall eight months later and the extinction of the Soviet Union itself by the end of 1991. It was one of the most thrilling – and consequential – adventures of modern times. ( Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #80 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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