THE PURGES WILL CONTINUE UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES
FLASHBACK FRIDAY – THE LOST CITY OF KUELAP
10,000 feet high in the Amazon cloud forests of northern Peru is a mysterious lost city built by an unknown people many centuries before the Incas existed. Known as Kuelap by villagers in the lowlands below, the Incas called the people who built it Chachapoyas, “Cloud Warriors.” I led an expedition here in 1994, climbing high up into the Amazon Andes to come upon gigantic stone walls 60 feet high surrounding hundreds of stone structures. Here you see Rebel among them. We’ll be here again in a year or two in another exploration of Peru. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #153, photo ©Jack Wheeler)
HALF-FULL REPORT 04/15/22
On the first day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, February 24, the 19 Ukrainian soldiers stationed on the tiny Black Sea islet of Snake Island were ordered to surrender by a Russian warship – their response made world headlines. On March 14, Ukraine commemorated their heroism by issuing a postage stamp of a Snake Island soldier presenting the bird to the warship:
But the real payback came a few minutes past midnight night before last (4/14). Does that ship in the stamp look familiar? It should, for you likely have seen photos of it all over the internet now. Yes, it’s (or was) Russia’s Black Sea Fleet flagship Moskva now lying on the ocean floor with its captain and hundreds of its crew.
Here’s the story of how this happened…
Now, no peeking, but there’s a mind-blow Easter surprise in this HFR that’s a genuine personal life-saver. So read on.
SKYE’S LINKS 04/14/22
Now we know why Elon refused his offered Twitter board seat, as it required him to agree not to acquire more than a total of 14.9% of Twitter stock. Today (4/14) he made an offer to buy 100% of Twitter stock and turn it into his own private company. Can you imagine how catatonic this is making Twitter’s army of snowflake fascists who are paid big bucks to ban conservatives? Goodbye to them!
Elon Musk Offers To Buy Twitter, Take It Private
Michigan Militia alleged kidnapping conspiracy case collapses:
Welcome to the new dark ages - where math is racist:
THE DECISIVE MOMENT IN UKRAINE
“FREEDOM MUST BE ARMED BETTER THAN TYRANNY” --Volodymyr Zelensky
The relatively brief but bloody war in Ukraine is entering its fourth and possibly decisive phase.For those of us born after World War II, this is the most consequential war of our lifetime. Upon its outcome rests the future of European stability and prosperity.
The Russian military—revealed as inept at tactics, unimaginative in operational design, obtuse in strategy, and incompetent at basic logistics and maintenance—can do only two things well: vomit out massive amounts of firepower and brutalize civilians.
Putin and his senior advisers, as stewards of a military that cannot adequately care for its wounded and that abandons its dead, don’t care about the human price they are paying. And so Putin will order offensives that, if confronted by a well-resourced Ukrainian foe, can effectively destroy his own army.
The challenge for the West is to ensure that this is its fate.
SLOVENIA’S VINTGAR GORGE
In a hidden corner of Europe, the Radovna River pours off the Julian Alps to carve out the Vintgar Gorge with crystal clear water. A mile-long walkway with towering limestone cliffs on either side is your access.
Nearby is the gorgeous Lake Bled, with Bled Castle suspended atop a shoreline cliff. The medieval village of Piran, built on a spit of land projecting into the Adriatic Sea and encircled by a white sand beach is a short drive away. Ljubljana is one of Europe’s most utterly charming capital cities.
Most people have only heard of Slovenia as the birthplace of First Lady Melania Trump, but those who have been here understand it is one of the most entrancing countries on the European continent – pristine beauty, spotless environment, friendly and hospitable people, safe and very well-run. Whenever your next visit to Europe may be, try to include a few days or week or so here. You’ll never run out of fascinating things to do. A stroll through the Vintgar Gorge is an example out of so many. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #19 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
THE BEAUTY OF BANGLADESH
Most people consider Bangladesh a basket case country – all crowded overpopulated poverty constantly flooding etc. Yet I found it to be extraordinarily beautiful. The Shuvalong Falls here is just one example. It’s in the Chittagong Hills near the border with Burma. You’ll find Hindu shrines, massive mountain top Buddhist temples, small Moslem mosques, and a Christian church in almost every village
The charming main town of Rangamati is bustling with friendly energy. A boat ride on serene Kaptai Lake is soul-soothing. Everyone has a smile for you. It’s a place of captivating serendipity. A wonderful experience you might want for yourself. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #154, photo ©Jack Wheeler)
UKRAINE HAS JOINED NATO WHETHER RUSSIA LIKES IT OR NOT
Last Thursday (4/07), the NATO foreign ministers met in an emergency session about Russia’s increasingly horrific and atrocity-filled invasion of Ukraine. However, unlike most NATO meetings, this one was substantive. The main issue on the table was weaponry. Quantity, quality, and purpose were all concerns. To date, the weaponry supplied to Ukraine has been defensive.
No more. Game-changing weapons began to flow to Ukraine immediately after the meeting.
Further, the attendees were not only NATO nations; there were also observers present: the European Union, Sweden, Finland, Georgia, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Ukraine. If Putin was afraid of being surrounded before, he should take a quick look at his map now.
A very insightful statement came from Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba: “I think the deal that Ukraine is offering is fair. You give us weapons, we sacrifice our lives, and the war is contained in Ukraine.”
All of the actions taken by NATO countries indicate they have agreed to Mr. Kuleba’s deal.
TO SECURE THE BORDER, TEXAS GOV GREG ABBOTT SHOULD SHUT IT DOWN
AMERICA IS OUR COUNTRY NOT THEIRS
Title 42 is the last remaining tool the federal government has to control record-high levels of illegal immigration. Every other policy the Trump administration implemented to secure the border has been rescinded or neutered by Biden, and on May 23, Title 42 will be gone too.
What’s coming, in other words, is a border surge of historic and almost unimaginable proportions, and it is happening as a direct result of Biden’s policy choices. The crisis about to unfold is 100 percent avoidable, and 100 percent Biden’s fault.
If Abbott were serious about securing the border, he wouldn’t announce a plan to transport migrants to Washington but a plan to take them back to Mexico -- immediamente. Here’s how he can.
AFRICAN FLATDOGS
Here in Zambia and elsewhere in Africa, crocodiles are nicknamed “Flatdogs.” You can see why. They spend much of their lives lying flat on the mud bank of a pond or river. Yet when on the hunt they can attack with astounding speed and surprise, leaping unseen from muddy water upon an unsuspecting target twenty feet away in an instant. This happened to a young boy fishing along the Luangwa River near our encampment just days ago. Africa is unforgiving of the unwary. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #142 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)