THE BORU HARP
The Boru Harp, attributed to the one and only High King of the entire island of Ireland, Brian Boru (941-1014), is the only musical instrument that is the national symbol of a country - the Republic of Ireland. It is also on the label of Guinness beer. Beautifully and exquisitely made, the Boru Harp is on display in the famous Long Room of the Trinity College Library in Dublin. You’ll experience a sense of awe when you see it for yourself. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #219 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
SKYE’S LINKS 08/22/24
So AI pictures are popping up everywhere and, for some strange reason, a lot of them are fakes. Who could have predicted that?
And what the ‘L is it with Large Language Models and the linguistic liabilities of leaning left? Let’s look. There’s even a scientific paper that explains it.
Then, of course, there’s insanity at the DNC Convention, “Let’s do more of that same old thing that always leads to tyranny and serfdom, it’ll be different this time.” There is no one so blind as those who will not see.
Then we’ve got some shocking information about the J13 assassination attempt and what came after. We’re not getting much in the way of info out of the FBI, but they’re getting plenty of info on us – from our own vehicles.
We knew this election year was going to be off the rails, and it’s clear that Common Sense is not going to be the October Surprise. Climb in and fasten your seatbelt!
A MONUMENT TO CHRISTIANITY IN THE CONGO
There are two Congos in Africa. The better known is the former Belgian Congo, once known as Zaire, now DR Congo (for Democratic Republic), also called Kinshasa Congo after its capital.
The lesser known is the former French Congo, now Republic of Congo, or Brazzaville Congo after its capital. Brazzaville is on the north side of a widening of the Congo River known as the Stanley Pool, while right across from it on the south side is Kinshasa.
It is in Brazzaville that you will find this magnificent monument to Christianity, the Cathedral of Sainte-Anne, with its roof covered in gleaming green-turquoise tiles, huge copper doors, and soaring arched interior bathed in sunlight. The people of Brazzaville are joyously Christian, attending 5pm Mass dressed in their most colorful finery. You’ll see Christianity truly come to life here. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #174 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
BARRON TRUMP AND HIS BUDDY BO LOUDON ARE INTRODUCING TRUMP TO THE YOUTH VOTE
This supports what a young man told me, which is that his generation is uninterested in old people’s media and looks only to alternative media for information.
Now, it turns out that Barron Trump, working behind the scenes, and his friend Bo Loudon, who is the face of the duo, are working hard to show these young voters that Donald Trump may be old, but Kamala Harris is the one stealing their futures.
The moment that Trump stepped into the political arena in 2015, Melania went full Mama Bear, protecting Barron from public scrutiny. This was absolutely the right thing to do.
However, now that he’s turned 18 and left high school, the 6’9” Barron seems to be breaking out of the protective barrier his mama created for him….
While Barron is still keeping a low public profile, he’s working with his friend Bo behind the scenes to change the election dynamic among young people. The mainstream media are ignoring them, but Fox and non-American media outlets are starting to notice.
THE POLITICAL TAKEOVER OF THE TEXAS ELECTRICITY MARKET
In June, the Texas Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit claiming that the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) had broken the law when it set the wholesale price of electricity at $9,000 per megawatt hour for about 80 hours during the Texas blackouts that occurred during Winter Storm Uri in February 2021.
The PUCT’s commissioners had dictated the price of electricity because they believed that market-driven “energy prices across the system…as low as approximately $1,200” did not “accurately reflect the scarcity conditions in the market.”
Their decision drove the total cost of electricity for those three days to as high as $38 billion, more than Texans had paid for electricity over the previous 12 months.
The Supreme Court never sought to understand why….They did not question whether the PUCT actually could or should manage the almost $50 billion a year Texas electricity market.
Their focus was to “ensure that the courts will stay in their lane” by not interfering with regulators.
BUYI KIDS AT THE LUOPING FLOWER FIELDS
The Buyi are the indigenous people of Luoping in northeast Yunnan, having lived here for many thousands of years. A peaceful agricultural people, for some 2,000 years they’ve been growing what we call rapeseed for vegetable oil. (Actually, we call it canola oil as “rapeseed” has unfortunate connotaions.)
Their multilevel terraces of bright yellow rapeseed flowers blooming in early spring (February-March here) – the Luoping Flower Fields – are world wonders of natural art.
They are marvelously friendly and hospitable – watch out for drinking rice wine with them, though, it’s seriously strong! These two Buyi kids exemplify what a joy they are to be with amidst their astounding fields of beauty. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #276 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
REMOVING THE “GREAT” FROM BRITAIN
Last month, Britain made a dangerous swing to the left.
Private education has been attacked, more public housing, the promotion of environmental Marxism, and much more.
But that isn’t to say there wasn’t an unspoken gospel among the main parties concerning the deliberate impoverishment of the British Isles.
Merely aesthetic differences separate them.
A distinguished associate of mine told me about his grievances, the attacks against people earning lower wages and the political weaponization used by both major parties to score points from the electorate.
He also mentioned the infuriating behavior of leftist Samaritans preaching love, but when people vote contrary to their intentions, spew irascible diatribes.
Disappointing as it is, I am not terribly surprised. It would be a mistake to label the conservatives as oriented by free-market liberalism. Some permitted the organization of market forces; others such as Robert Peel, Margaret Thatcher and John Major were proponents of individual liberty.
THE DNC’S PROPOSED PLATFORM IS A BIZARRE DOCUMENT
With the Democrat convention having begun today, the DNC released its platform, a 91-page mess of ideas and stances that is, as Lewis Carroll would say, a combination of “ambition, distraction, uglification, and derision.”
Aside from insisting that Biden is the candidate, the document is a mess of communism, lies about Trump, economic ignorance, race-baiting, and, surprisingly, pro-Israel language that will enrage the pro-Hamas base.
At the end of the day, few will like it. I’ve attempted to put the highlights into this post.
The first section in the document covers economics. It is framed in terms of class warfare between Trump, the country club candidate fighting for billionaires, and scrappy Scranton Joe Biden, who isn’t a candidate.
The actual DNC candidate is the elitist Kamala, the child of two Berkeley professors, who then grew up in affluence in Montreal, Canada.
The document insists that Biden has the best economic record ever and offers multiple promises for the future. Here are just a few:
THE DAZZLING WHITE GODDESS
This is Dhaulagiri – Dazzling White Goddess in Sanskrit – the 7th highest mountain in the world at 8,167 meters, 26,795 ft. By consensus of the world’s mountaineers and trekkers, it is the most beautiful mountain in all the Himalayas. Dhaulagiri stands alone, not a part of any mountain range. Far below its east face is the Kali Gandaki River which originates on the Tibetan Plateau. On the other side of the river rises Annapurna, the 10th highest on earth at 8,091m/26,545ft. The river between them is at 2,520m/8,270ft – a difference of well over 18,000 feet making the Kali Gandaki Gorge the deepest in all the world.
You’re looking at the Northeast Face with the North Face to the right. Our helicopters fly past this and around to the West Face where the climbers’ base camp is. Being here is thrilling beyond words. To be with me here, join me on my Himalaya Helicopter Expedition October 26-November 2, 2024. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #302, photo ©Jack Wheeler)
HIMALAYA HELICOPTER EXPEDITION
[This Monday’s Archive was originally published on September 2, 2016. I designed and led the first Himalaya Helicopter Expedition or HHE the previous May, which nobody had even thought of doing before, much less done it. Now it’s eight years later and we’ve successfully completed 9 HHEs with a perfect safety record. This Fall will be our 10th. As you may know, I’m 80 and still going strong, but this will be my last.
Here’s the full info: Himalaya Helicopter Expedition October 26-November 2, 2024.
I have two spaces left. This really is one of the most uniquely glorious experiences on our planet, and you can make it an indelible part of your life. Just normal good health, no trekking nor special skills, needed. Carpe diem. The opportunity is now and not the tomorrow that never comes.]
TTP, September 2, 2016
Mountaineers call the highest mountains in the world achttausenders, German for “eight-thousanders,” mountains over 8,000 meters (26,247 feet) high. There are 14 of them on the Roof of the World (nowhere else) and they are the most magnificent mountains on earth. To be in the presence of any one of them is a life-memorable experience.The majority of 8,000ers are in the Himalayas of Nepal. To trek to the base camp of any of these 8 – Everest, Lhotse, Cho Oyu, Makalu, Kanchenjunga, Manaslu, Annapurna, and Dhaulagiri – is a major undertaking of extreme physical effort, time, and money. Each are ultimates of Himalayan trekking.
Which is why almost no one, even the most ambitious trekker, has ever been to all of them. Three months ago last May, I was again able to create an alternative: to the base camps of all eight 8,000 meter peaks in Nepal by helicopter, piloted by the most experienced mountain rescue pilots in the world.
Here’s our high altitude AS350 B3 coming in to land at the Khumbu Ice Fall on Mount Everest at 17,500 ft.