HALF-FULL REPORT 03/15/24
The Irish Story
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It is hard to believe that St. Patrick's Day is upon us again. My great-grandfather from Cashel, in County Tipperary, left home at 15 after hearing that gold had been discovered near San Francisco. He secured work on a cargo ship bound for Halifax, where he again signed onto the crew of another vessel bound for California. This second vessel was a clipper with a long and narrow design, sporting a copper-clad hull and a high ratio of sail-to-weight.
In exchange for passage, he served as a deckhand, sail handler, or general sailor and arrived in San Francisco quite penniless. He found work as a wheelwright and later as a livery driver when he was fortunate enough to transport baggage for Ellen Ewing Sherman, wife of the later famous Civil War general, on her way to the wharf.
That was over 170 years ago. An Irish man could find work if he encountered the right employer. But for many, perhaps most, it was an era of No Irish Need Apply. We want to think that those days are gone, yet we have discovered the federal country club locking arms and chanting No MAGA Vote needs to Be Counted.
The attitude is the same, and the solutions are the same. As in my great-grandfathers' era, evil must be confronted and defeated. There is no choice.
FLASHBACK FRIDAY – TIGER LEAPING GORGE
Many centuries ago, a tiger was plaguing the Naxi people who live in the mountains where the Yangtse River cascades off the plateau of Tibet. He was eating the goats the Naxi needed to feed themselves. So Naxi hunters chased the tiger into a deep narrow gorge of the Yangtse where they were sure they had him trapped. Suddenly, the tiger sprang onto a large rock in the center of the raging river and from there leapt to the other side and escaped, never to be seen again.
Ever since, where this took place has been known as Tiger Leaping Gorge. Here you see Tiger Leaping Rock. I was first here in July 2002 on our overland expedition across eastern Tibet. Last time 2015. Maybe again? (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #141 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)
A VIEW OF MOUNT EVEREST YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE
Photo taken at an altitude of 22,000 feet (6,700 meters) in a AS 350 B3 ultra-high altitude Eurocopter on our Himalaya Helicopter Expedition. We are looking into the Western Cwm (valley), West Shoulder of Everest in the left forefront, entire Southwest Face of Everest summit (29,029 ft-8,848m) to base on the left, Lhotse (4th highest on earth at 27,949ft-8,516m) straight ahead, the flank of Nuptse on the right.
The climbing route is from Base Camp to Camp I past the top of the Khumbu Ice Fall (bottom of photo), up the Cwm to Camp II at the foot of the Lhotse wall, scale via fixed ropes to Camp III perched on the wall, then up to the notch between Everest and Lhotse (on the horizon in the photo) that is the South Col and Camp IV. The summit is reached from there via the Southeast Ridge on the other side of the photo.
We’ll be here again in late April-early May next year and we hope you can come along with us (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #91 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)
SKYE’S LINKS 03/14/24
Try to contain your excitement, but a Nobel Prize-winning Leftist economist has finally realized that mass migration may not be such a great idea after all! Plus, more proof of malfeasance by Fauci and Liz Cheney; spying by the PTB (powers that be); continued Lawfare; and Chinese sabotage in our ports – reality is making itself felt. Pop some corn and sit back. But first, let’s start with some humor, shall we?
John Kerry Praises Haitian Cannibals’ Efforts to Reduce Humanity’s Carbon Footprint
HORSESHOE BEND
Looking down 1,000 feet above world-famous Horseshoe Bend of the Colorado River at sunset is one of most iconic views our planet offers us. It is to be found near Page, Arizona near the border with Utah. Yet in truth, the number of different mind-blowing iconic views is uncountable in this part of the American West.
Close by are the Vermillion Cliffs, and the simply psychedelic Antelope Canyon. Just a bit further is the Grand Escalante Staircase, a little bit further Zion and Bryce Canyons and Monument Valley. And of course, right next door is something called The Grand Canyon.
There are people who have explored this region for years and will tell you there’s so much they’ve yet to see. You can explore the world over – what I’ve done my whole life – and yet there is so much of Creation to be soul-thrilled by just in this one region of northern Arizona and southern Utah – and I haven’t mentioned Moab which is a total mind-blow all by itself.
Take a break from all the worries of the world to come to here. Pick a place that will thrill your soul for a few days. That’s what’s needed now. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #134 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)
THE ANTI-DEMOCRATIC DEMOCRATIC LEFT
Joe Biden has claimed that his opponents are assaulting democracy on the basis of the January 6, 2021, buffoonish riot.
But sometimes storming the Capitol Rotunda is deemed permissible—as in the recent pro-Hamas takeover of it.
And sometimes disrupting a federal government proceeding is deemed exempt—as in the recent pro-Hamas throng that blocked the route of the presidential motorcade and thus delayed the State of the Union address to the nation by 26 minutes.
So who really is attacking democracy?
TIKTOK TIME BOMB MAY BLOW UP IN CHINA’S FACE
[Editor’s Note: We’ve merged two short articles by Ms. Griffin on the subject of TikTok – one sounds a warning, the second offers potential schadenfreude!]
TikTok has long been a threat to the American people and U.S. intelligence agencies.
The video sharing app is staffed by 300 former Chinese state media workers and has direct ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
It was such an obvious security risk that former President Donald Trump tried to ban it with an executive order, which was then overturned by President Joe Biden — who has known sympathies with China.
Recently, TikTok was up for discussion again in Congress, with leaders on both sides of the aisle trying to decide on the best course of action for a nascent bill they were crafting. They were set to vote on the bill last Thursday.
Ironically, TikTok overplayed its hand.
THE ITCHAN KALA OF KHIVA
The inner town (Itchan Kala) of the ancient Silk Road oasis of Khiva has been unchanged for centuries. Surrounded by 40ft-high snake walls that writhe around the city, its labyrinth of narrow lanes adorned with blue and aquamarine tile mosaics is a living museum for you to explore.
On the Oxus or Amu Darya River in deepest Central Asia, Khiva was ancient when Alexander the Great seized it in 329 BC. It survived the depredations of Arabs in the 7th century, Mongols in the 12th, Tamerlane in the 13th. The Khanate of Khiva continued to flourish on the Silk Road until conquered by the Russians in the 19th. Today in Uzbekistan, it remains as the best-preserved of the ancient oases of the Silk Road, yet unknown to the outside world. We look forward to visiting this ancient place once again. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #118 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)
MENTAL ILLNESS: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
[TTP’s homegrown Law Enforcement specialist shares a career’s-worth of good advice.]
Anyone in law enforcement deals with mentally ill persons frequently, and a successful career requires an understanding of some practical truths about mental illness. Here are some realities that everyone needs to understand because…
– There are a lot of people with mental illness out there.
BIDEN ADMITS THE REAL GOAL BEHIND CEASEFIRE REQUEST
The most obvious thing to leap out of Joe Biden’s weekend interview with MSNBC’s Jonathan Capeheart was Biden’s abject apology for referring to the fact that Laken Riley’s confessed killer is an illegal alien.
However, what that interview also revealed is that Biden has a very specific reason for demanding that Israel call a ceasefire in its war against Hamas: Doing so will allow Hamas to “survive” and “rebuild.”
As Israel engages in an existential fight against the self-avowed genocidal forces arrayed against her, Biden is stabbing her in the back.