WE NEED ‘EM?
FLASHBACK FRIDAY – THE SHRINE OF SHAH-I-ZENDA
The Shrine of Shah-i-Zenda left an indelible memory upon me when I was first here on my first exploration of Central Asia in 1963. It is one of the many medieval wonders of the ancient Silk Road Oasis of fabled Samarkand. Preserved through the centuries, it is still here in all its glory. Come with me this September to experience it and so much else, like the Pearls of Shing, the Mountains of Heaven, and camping with Kirghiz nomads, in the mysterious and magical heart of Central Asia.
(Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #201 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
HALF-FULL REPORT 06/13/25
Empire’s Edge: From Insurgencies to Border Wars to Nuclear Ghosts
As geopolitical tensions escalate across multiple theaters, four critical developments are reshaping the global security landscape.
From precision strikes in the Middle East to automated nuclear systems stirring to life, the world stands at a dangerous crossroads where military action, domestic security, and Cold War-era technologies converge in unprecedented ways.
Operation Rising Lion and the End of Illusions
Israel launched its largest single-day combat operation in modern history on June 13, 2025, deploying over 200 aircraft in a three-phase assault against Iranian nuclear infrastructure and military capabilities.The operation systematically dismantled Iran's air defenses, destroyed mobile missile launchers and underground depots, and targeted key nuclear facilities at Natanz, Arak, Fordow, and Isfahan. Beyond the technological devastation, the strikes eliminated several top Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists, including IRGC Commander-in-Chief Major General Hossein Salami and former AEOI chief Dr. Fereydoun Abbasi.
The operation was triggered by a damning IAEA resolution confirming Iran's operation of undeclared nuclear sites, representing not just tactical success but a strategic message that nuclear proliferation will face overwhelming consequences.
FBI Probes Foreign-Funded Domestic Unrest
FBI Director Kash Patel announced investigations into the financial networks behind anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles, revealing a complex web of foreign influence operations targeting American immigration enforcement.The probe represents a broader examination of how foreign-backed networks exploit domestic tensions to undermine federal authority, with investigators analyzing whether organized funding systematically supports anti-enforcement activities as part of a broader political warfare campaign.
Taiwan's Asymmetric Defense Revolution
Taiwan is rapidly transforming its defense strategy around drone warfare and asymmetric capabilities, conducting its first civilian-military invasion simulation while building what analysts call a “drone wall” for distributed defense.Taiwan's new defense strategy explicitly embraces asymmetric warfare with drones as foundational elements, supported by a new Littoral Combat Command launching in 2026 and efforts to become a global drone manufacturing hub.
However, the strategy faces the challenge of developing combat-tested systems without active warfare, requiring Taiwan to learn from Ukraine's experience while building defensive capabilities against China's expanding military presence and internal espionage threats.
Soviet Ghosts: Russia's Nuclear Dead Hand Switch
Russia appears to be reactivating its Cold War-era “Dead Hand” nuclear retaliation system, known as Perimeter, as evidenced by mysterious signals from long-dormant Soviet facilities including UVB-76 “The Buzzer.”These automated systems, designed to survive nuclear decapitation strikes and execute retaliation without human authorization, have been transmitting coded signals since May 2025. The last time some were heard was 50 years ago, in 1975.
The Perimeter system represents the ultimate doomsday protocol: a network of 33 hardened radio stations programmed to detect silence from Moscow and automatically initiate nuclear response.
Whether driven by Putin's paranoia about decapitation strikes, internal instability, technical malfunction, or psychological warfare, the activation of these Soviet-era systems introduces an unprecedented wild card into current geopolitical calculations.
A SULTAN’S ARABIA
Nakhal 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)
STAYING IN THE GAME OF GOOD HEALTH
TTP’s Live Long and Prosper column is dedicated to the memory of Durk who wrote as Skye for many years. Here we apply some of Durk and Sandy’s advice about supplements for staying active.
“You don’t have to be a professional athlete to benefit from supplements!” — Greg Pryor
I have been personally involved in the health industry for the past 30 years ... an exciting journey I began after retiring from Major League Baseball.
I knew that maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle would always play a part in my future.
The highlight of my career was being part of the 1985 World Series' champions, the Kansas City Royals.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of that once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Since then, my perspective on the pursuit of good health has been my focus.
Here is a look at issues that specifically affect active individuals during their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s and beyond.
The “20s”
“They eat a lot of sugar and processed foods.”
Not only can a poor diet impede a young athlete’s abilities, but it can also create nutrient deficiencies that will further hinder performance.
I suggest a high-quality multivitamin/mineral supplement is one sure way to guarantee younger athletes are getting what they need.
The “30s”
Just like their 20-something counterparts, athletes in their 30s have to be aware of how diet affects both performance and health.
It is time to start thinking about calcium.
“The body’s ability to gain calcium in the bones maxes out at about age 30.
WHAT STRENGTHENS YOU? WHAT WEAKENS YOU?
If you want to succeed in life – financially, professionally, or in relationships – it’s far better to approach your goals from a place of strength rather than weakness.
Some experiences clearly build us up. Others drain us.
Often, we can even feel this physically – in our posture, energy, and presence.
Of course, there are obvious ways to increase our physical strength and resilience – like regular exercise, a healthy diet, and quality sleep.
But today, I want to focus on two more subtle yet powerful practices that can offer outsized returns: earned success and gratitude.
Both have the potential to transform not only how you feel, but how you perform – mentally, emotionally, and even financially.
Let’s start with a quick experiment…
THE GOLDEN THRONE OF KING TUT
Now 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)
TABLES TURN ON MEDIA RATING FIRMS AS FTC OPENS PROBE
Approximately a year after tech billionaire Elon Musk acquired X, formerly known as Twitter, in November 2023, a number of major companies collectively removed their ads from the platform.
They all did so while citing dubious concerns that Musk was allowing the promotion of anti-Semitism and “hate speech” on his platform.
The effort to get companies to pull their ads from X was spearheaded by the Leftmedia organization Media Matters.
Companies that pulled ads significantly impacting X’s revenue generation included the likes of Disney, Apple, IBM, Comcast/NBC Universal, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Paramount.
The European Commission also joined in on the ad boycott, with spokesman Johannes Bahrke contending that the EU had “seen an alarming increase in disinformation and hate speech on several social media platforms in recent weeks,” singling out X.
The Biden administration also tacitly supported the campaign against X, with the White House posting the following statement on November 17, 2023: “We condemn this abhorrent promotion of Antisemitic and racist hate in the strongest terms, which runs against our core values as Americans.”
The pretext for all this — what proved to be faux outrage given the subsequent silence on actual anti-Semitism that would soon roil college campuses across the country — was that Musk had dared to agree with an X post observing that Jewish communities support a “dialectical hatred against whites.”
However, the ad boycott was too coordinated to pass the spontaneous, supposedly organic movement sniff test.
Soon, House Republicans began asking questions, with the House Judiciary Committee launching an investigation into the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM).
The Committee concluded that GARM “likely violated federal antitrust laws.”
DENUNCIATIONS OF THE UNIVERSITIES CONTINUE – BUT THERE’S A PRACTICAL SOLUTION
The criticisms of our universities seem endless: charges of antisemitism; exorbitant student fees leading to lifetime debt; ridiculous programs with no practical use; the list goes on.
While the Ivies continue to flex their muscles with the Trump administration, very little has changed.
The schools insist that they have no responsibility to the people whose money they receive through taxes, and they should be allowed to function unencumbered.
Gradually, however, potential post-high school students are showing they are smarter than those who think they are superior to them.
The celebrated option is the trade school.
We have been talking about the value and benefits of trade schools for years.
Ten years ago, our current Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised the value of these schools, because they were filling a need in the United States:
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“Why did we stop doing vocational education in America, people that can work with their hands; people you can train to do this work while they’re still in high school so they can graduate ready to go work? What’s happening is some of these tech companies are taking centers to Canada because they can get people to go over there instead of here. The ideal scenario is to train Americans to do the work so we don’t have to rely on people from abroad.”
THE LION ROCK OF SIGIRIYA
Rising 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)