A COLOR MAP OF THE FRONTS OF WORLD WAR III
Almost forty years ago, KGB defector Yuri Bezmenov warned of an assault on the West via leftist ideological subversion. Borrowing from a classic Sesame Street routine, he asked American leaders to unplug the bananas from their ears. Few heard him.
Key among those on America’s side is Kenneth Abramowitz, founder of a remarkable organization called Save The West and author of The Multifront War: Defending America from Political Islam, China, Russia, Pandemics and Racial Strife. America is up against a protean enemy of criminal intent and is unprepared to fight in any meaningful, unified way, he says.
By color-coding the enemies in the graphic above, he has illuminated the multitudinous perils we face.
THE CAMEL MEAT MARKET IN THE FEZ BAZAAR
Sometimes you run across something that no matter how it grosses you out, you have to take a picture of it. The thousand year-old medina or walled city of Fez is a World Heritage Site as the spiritual and cultural capital of Morocco. Uniquely epitomizing this is the stall of the camel butcher in the medina’s vast bazaar. To garner the attention of ladies shopping for their family’s dinner, he proudly displays the head of the camel whose fresh meat is on sale. Traveling in Morocco is always an adventure. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #188 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
STOPPING WOKE
This is the brainchild of America’s Governor, Ron DeSantis – to put an end to Woke Anti-White Racism in schools and businesses.
He announced his legislative proposal in mid-December, the Stop WOKE Act, the acronym standing for the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees:
“In Florida we are taking a stand against the state-sanctioned racism that is critical race theory. We won’t allow Florida tax dollars to be spent teaching kids to hate our country or to hate each other. We must protect Florida workers against the hostile work environment that is created when large corporations force their employees to endure CRT-inspired ‘training’ and indoctrination.”
Here is the full current text of HB7. It enumerates what are now to be eight (8) “Unlawful Employment Practices” under Florida state law. All eight are also to apply to “any Florida public school K-20 or Florida College System institution.”
FEARS IN MOSCOW THAT UKRAINE COULD BE PUTIN’S VIETNAM
Many Russian political commentators in recent weeks have been increasingly aggressive in suggesting that their country can easily defeat and occupy its largest western neighbor and that there is nothing the Ukrainians or the West can do about it.
But a contrary media narrative has unexpectedly sprouted up as well. Russian military and security experts cast doubt that Russia would face an easy time defeating Ukrainian forces in the field or pacifying the country after doing so. In fact, some worry that invading Ukraine could be disastrous, a Vietnam for Putin and Russia.
THE NAGAS OF LUANG PRABANG
Nagas are multi-headed dragons who rise up to protect the former royal capital of Laos, Luang Prabang. The city along the Mekong River has been the center of Lao culture since the 600s. The Kingdom of Laos, “Land of a Million Elephants,” had to struggle for centuries to avoid being absorbed by the empires of Siam and Khmer (Cambodia). It was the French who wrested Laos from Siam (Thailand) in the 1890s, giving it independence in 1953.
For centuries, devout Buddhists have been building beautifully ornate shrines and temples called Wats here in Luang Prabang. Every day at dawn, hundreds of red-robed monks living in the Wats parade through the city streets for donations. Since the Pathet Lao seizure of power in 1975, moving the capital to Vientiane, Luang Prabang is free of politics, preserved as a religious haven and treasure house of Laotian culture.
A few days here is not to be missed. As you enjoy a glass of good French wine at a riverbank café watching the sunset over the Mekong, give thanks to the Nagas who are still protecting this sanctuary city. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #24, photo ©Jack Wheeler)
KARI LAKE – EVERY GOP CANDIDATE SHOULD BE LIKE HER
As you can see in this ABC News interview where the reporter tried to sandbag her, Kari Lake is fabulous.
Kari is a former news anchor running for Governor of Arizona as a Trump Republican. She made national news last year when she resigned from her position at Fox 10 News in Phoenix after 22 years.
The ABC interview is not the only one where Lake has demonstrated this amount of conviction and poise. Her Rumble page is full of interviews with mainstream outlets attempting the same strategy as the ABC reporter that her team records. While Lake’s poise is enviable, her defense of the views of many Republican voters about the 2020 election is something all GOP candidates need to do.
OUR ELITES ARE NO ELITES AT ALL
The ideal elites, as ancient philosophers argued, were a “natural elite” due to their exemplary character, aptitude, and work ethic. Understandably, a towering few ascended from all walks of life to positions of power, influence, and occasional wealth.
Today, our elites are in those positions by embracing woke progressivism that not only cements elite membership, it also serves as an acceptable scab to mask a lack of character beneath. And a lack of competence.
We don’t quite know, for example, how we got into $30 trillion of debt, normative $2-trillion deficits, and coming runaway inflation. We only know that the 7-Eleven manager, the owner-operator truck driver, and the electrician grasp a lot more about economics than do the elite Ph.D.s who wrote, argued, and led us into this mess.
POPEYE’S VILLAGE
Ever see the 1980 movie Popeye starring Robin Williams? It takes place in the seaside town of Sweethaven – and you’re looking at it. The film set was built in a cove on the northern end of the island of Malta in the Mediterranean just for the movie.
It’s now been transformed into a Disney-type fun park for kids and families. Not what you expect to find in an island famous for ancient temples older than the pyramids, massive medieval fortresses that were scenes of battles that saved Western Civilization, magnificently ornate Renaissance cathedrals, gorgeous beaches and breathtaking scenery. But here it is, with shows, rides, and play houses filled with children laughing and exploring. One more reason to love Malta. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #147 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)
THE CALL OF THE WORLD
JW’s world travel map up 2013, needs updating to the present
As you may know, I’ve had memorable experiences in every country in the world. Ever since I was a young teenager, the world has been calling me to explore it – and I’ve been responding deeply to that call for well over sixty years now.
And yet… and yet… I must confess to you that I’ve barely begun, barely scratched the surface of the wondrousness of our Earth.
There is a literal endlessness to what there is to learn, witness and infuse your soul about the history, culture, people, and sheer magical beauty that surrounds our planet.
Can you feel it – the world calling you to experience and explore it? The call may be loud and persistent. It may be faint, drowned out by the daily humdrum of life – or under the illusion that you’re too old or somehow unable. But however loud or faint, it’s there in most of us – for how else did we humans populate the entire globe? To seek, to know, to experience, to explore is a very deep part of what it is to be a human being.
The Call of the World is part of the glory of being human – of using our unique, unique of all life on earth, capacity for self-consciousness, of our human ability to appreciate and live in gratitude for being a part of this glorious Earth and Universe.
You know that for almost a half-century now that I’ve made a living enabling people to respond to the Call of the World. This year, with the two year-long Dark Covid Winter ending, that response will be in the Himalayas, Central Asia, Atlantic Paradise Islands, and so much more.
I am hoping, of course, that you will be joining me on at least one of these explorations. More than that, however, I want you to answer the Call of the World that most resonates within you.
Is there a forest, a scenic wonder, a historical town or place near you that you haven’t been to and wondered about? Bet there is. What about somewhere nearby that your kids or grandkids don’t know about and would think is very cool?
Whether the Call of the World in you is to the back of beyond or around the corner, life-memorable experiences await once you answer. In all history that’s been or will be, our earthly existence happens only once for a tiny moment in time. I urge you to answer the Call of the World while you still have that time. Carpe diem. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #187 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
KEEPING YOUR SANITY BY BEING CURIOUS ABOUT THE ONE YOU LOVE
Photo by Joel Wade
As a young man in 1988, I went on a Wheeler Expedition with Jack to the remotest part of the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa, where we experienced a “first contact” with a band of San Bushmen hunter-gatherers. We were the first people from the outside world they had ever met.
It was a grand adventure for me. It affected me deeply, helping put some of my priorities in perspective, and adding to my appreciation for humanity’s richness. It also inspired me later on to write a children’s book, The San People of the Kalahari.
So what does this have to do with love and marriage? I’ve been working with couples for more than 40 years now. If there’s one common theme that I’ve found to wreak havoc between two perfectly wonderful people, it’s this: