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FREEDOM IN UKRAINE, CHATGPT, AND ME

ukr-freedomRebel and I are in with our son Jackson and his wife at their home in Bali .  Jackson’s a computer wizard and we got to talking about ChatGPT, of which he is optimistic and I am skeptical.  So he says, let’s try it! He gets on the ChatGPT app on his iPhone and gives it these instructions verbally (no typing):

“Write a short-form article on the subject of freedom for Ukraine in 2024, imitating the style of geopolitical commentator Dr. Jack Wheeler. If you don't know who Dr. Jack Wheeler is, let me know, and we can discuss further before you start writing.”

Instantly, he gets this written response:

“I'm familiar with Dr. Jack Wheeler and his style of geopolitical commentary. I'll craft a short-form article imitating his style on the subject of freedom for Ukraine in 2024.”

Within seconds, up pops this 500-word essay, title and all, that frankly blew me away.  It is what I’d say as a short summation. I hope you find this as sobering as I do, and as thought-provoking.  Let me know what you think on the Forum.

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SUICIDE OF THE HOUSE

tail-wagging-elephantWho was it who said of the Palestinians that they never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity? You could say the same of the Republican Party.

By rights, the Democrats should be in disarray. The Biden administration has been a disaster, as pretty much everyone knows, regardless of what some loyalists may tell a pollster. And yet it is the Republicans who can’t get their act together.

Once again, they have bailed out the Democrats with an idiotic vote to oust Kevin McCarthy as Speaker. Only eight Republicans voted for Matt Gaetz’s motion, but of course every Democrat voted to get rid of McCarthy. Whatever their faults, the Democrats have party loyalty, and they know their self-interest when they see it. Unlike many Republicans.

Because while Democrats may be evil, they are not stupid. Like Gaetz Republicans.

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RUSSIAN ARCTIC REGIONS STRENGTHEN BONDS WITH BEIJING

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Russia’s Regions on the Arctic Ocean

[Last week, 9/20, Paul Goble told us about China’s plans to separate the Middle Volga from Russia.  We’ve long known about China’s plans to recapture Far Eastern Siberia.  Now, as Paul explains this week, China may have plans to control Russia’s entire Arctic.]

Moscow has long declared that China’s role in the development of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) is a central part of their strategic cooperation. Despite this, the Kremlin cannot be entirely comfortable with the recent extent of Beijing’s expanding activities in the Arctic Sea.

Nor can Moscow be at ease with the Chinese government’s increasing ties with Russian regional governments in the Far North and along the coast of the Arctic Sea.

If any country other than China did the same, Moscow almost certainly would denounce such actions as neo-colonialism. If any country other than Russia did so anywhere else in the world, the Russian government would make the same pronouncement.

Given the international sanctions regime, Russia has little choice but to allow China to take these steps. Such actions carry the risk that the Russian-Chinese alliance may begin to collapse, with ever-more Russians concerned that Moscow is losing out to Beijing.

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XI’S LEADERSHIP IS IN CRISIS: NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT

xi-jeopardyThere is a growing body of evidence that indicates the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership is in freefall. If true, this makes Xi Jinping more dangerous as it increases the likelihood of an attack against Taiwan.

It also means Xi’s regime, the CCP, is extremely vulnerable to pressure from America, and the rest of the free world, to evict them from power.

Xi and the CCP face a deeper problem than the lasting economic downturn in China and myriad of social problems the Chinese regime confronts—problems that cannot be papered over by Xi’s prominence at the BRICS meeting or at any other international fora.

The Chinese regime’s problems are multiple and are the result of a fundamental cause—communism. As such, the Communist Chinese regime is illegitimate and is in a lasting and insuperable legitimation crisis.

The leadership is in crisis for two major reasons:

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FLASHBACK FRIDAY – DEWAR’S AT THE NORTH POLE

dewars-n-pole April, 1979 – on the sea ice at 90 North latitude, the North Pole. I was one of the more unusual Profiles for Dewar’s Scotch. It was the 3rd of my 21 expeditions to the very top of our planet. One thing that stood out for me was the photographer brought false ice cubes of carved polished crystal for the photo you see of a glass of scotch perched on a small pressure ridge. That’s the way the pros do it. One genuine item he brought was a case of Dewar’s. We had one heck of a party on top of the world! (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #75 photo of Jack Wheeler)

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THE FORTRESS OF LUXEMBOURG

luxembourg-fortressOriginally built upon Roman fortifications on a rocky promontory in the 900s by the Counts of Luxembourg, the Luxembourg Fortress gained strategic importance located between the French Kingdom and the Hapsburg Empire.  By the 1600s it became so impregnable it was called the “Gibraltar of the North.” It was fought over by so many armies that finally, in establishing the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg’s full independence and neutrality in 1867, Luxembourgers agreed to tear it down.

What you see here is what is left, and is now a World Heritage Site. The Chemin de la Corniche ­– the promenade along the top of the ramparts overlooking Alzette River and the Old City – is renowned as “Europe’s most beautiful balcony.”

Wedged between France, Belgium, and Germany, small 1,000 square-mile Luxembourg is a haven of peaceful beauty.  Come here to stand on these ramparts to experience it yourself. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #233 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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THE TREE OF JESSE

tree-of-jesseThe Igreja de São Francisco (Church of St. Francisco) was built 800 years ago on a ledge overlooking the Douro River in Porto, Portugal.  500 years later in the early 1700s, the people of Porto devoted themselves to making its interior supremely magnificent.

Most breathtaking is the polychrome wood carving depicting The Tree of Jesse springing from the reclining body of Jesse of Bethlehem, the father of King David, and showing the genealogy of Jesus through the branches of the tree that are the Twelve Kings of Judah, ending with Joseph and above him the Virgin and Child. Above the Tree to the ceiling is intricately carved woodwork deeply covered with hundreds of pounds of gold leaf.

This masterpiece of baroque art is an awesome tribute to the importance of Christianity to Western Civilization.  To experience the power of this masterpiece yourself, come with us on our next exploration of Portugal this coming March. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #234 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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IS THIS THE WORLD’S MOST BEAUTIFUL BEACH?

praia-do-sanchoAccording to the many thousands of world travellers on TripAdvisor, it’s #1: Praia do Sancho on the Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronha. You’ll also find it on just about any list of most beautiful beaches, such as Condé Nast, Harper’s Bazaar, and Luxury Travel.

The whole island is gorgeous. Mention that you’ve been there to any Brazilian who hasn’t and their eyes get misty. Fernando de Noronha (no-rone-ya) is the dream honeymoon, the dream vacation that only comes true for few in Brazil, as it’s hard to get to and hardly any place to stay once you’re there.

You have to get to either Recife or Natal in the far northeast, then fly 220 miles out into the Atlantic. Then take a boat, or scamper down the rocks of a 250ft-high cliff to be on the sugar sand of this enchanting beach – which you’ll have almost to yourself.

For some reason, all those lists have the name wrong, calling it “Baia” or “Baio,” when it’s “Praia” (beach in Portuguese). As the welcome sign proudly announces above the cliff trail: “Praia do Sancho – A Mais Bonita do Mundo,” Sancho Beach – The Most Beautiful in the World. If you’re lucky to ever get here, you’ll surely agree. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #73 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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THE WORLD’S MOST SACRED MOUNTAIN

mt-kailas-north-face This is the North Face of Mount Kailas (6,638 m/21,778 ft) in a remote region of far western Tibet inhabited only by Changpa nomads. For 22% of all people on Earth – 1.2 billion Hindus, 510 million Buddhists and many millions of others – it is the spiritual Center of the Universe, the Navel of All Creation.

Kailas and surrounding glaciers are considered the source of four of Asia’s great rivers radiating out from it: the Indus, Tsangpo-Bhramaputra, Sutlej, and Karnali-Ganges. As a sacred mountain it has never been climbed.

For thousands of years, people from all Asia have made the arduous pilgrimage to Kailas to perform the sacred act of circumambulating around the mountain – most clockwise, counterclockwise for others such as the Changpa adhering to the ancient Bön Tibetan religion.

It is not easy. Huffing over the high point of the pilgrimage route with TTPer Big John Perrot, our altimeter said we were as high as Kilimanjaro, over 19,000 feet. The highlight, however, is being among so many pilgrims from so many diverse cultures. This is one of our world’s thrilling adventures, and such a privilege to participate in. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #38 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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HALF-FULL REPORT 09/29/23

Kangaroo Courts


Trump was handed a devastating summary judgment in New York today that seriously imperials the future of the Trump organization. The heart of the case involves whether the market or the courts determine the value of real estate assets. Asset prices go up and down, ultimately depending on what a buyer is willing to pay.

Not so in New York, says the court. The assets valued at the market peak must remain valued at the market peak, or fraud will occur if old values used on old contracts are no longer in line with current valuations. So sketchy is the court logic that Trump was denied a jury trial or the ability to raise a defense.

The Deep State fears Trump; they fear him as he teaches the public to question official narratives. All the feds have is widescale public acceptance of narratives. The government lacks a police force or military large enough to stop a massive general strike. Sure, they have germs, computer viruses, and the other tools of 21st-century governance, but they are losing the narrative war. Now, Trump is a martyr.

Dianne Feinstein is dead. She was a slow-moving poison on society as she advanced China’s interests at the expense of the United States. Her efforts to maintain the free movement of opiates into the United States have killed over 1 million Americans. This is a genocide. She discovered how to destroy urban centers as mayor of San Francisco and spread the misery to downtowns far and wide as a senator.

Labor is striking using tactics from Beautiful Trouble, which we pursue today in the HFR.

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SKYE’S LINKS 09/28/23

Ending the Kleptocracy


As Elon Musk leads the way toward Supreme Court challenges to the Administrative State, the era of federal tyranny and arbitrary rulings might end. The Chevron Deference results from a 1980s SCOTUS ruling that allows apparatchiks within federal agencies to make up rules and prosecute discretions with impunity. These departments and agencies maintain magistrates to hear their rules applied politically or for profit. Aggressive agencies never lose in their kangaroo courts. This tyranny costs the economy dearly.

Musk is challenging the government in several directions and is sailing into a favorable Supreme Court. His most important challenge is constitutional, as the administrative judges are far removed from the supervision of the President. They are silos of government unto themselves.

ESG is failing everywhere, as is most of the enviro movement. The memo went out earlier this month, and BlackRock is leading the rollback.

Disaster Capitalism is one of the dems get rich quick gimmicks, and Biden’s efforts might keep him from the ballot. Wouldn’t this be a turn of events?

All this and much more are at Today’s Skye’s Links.

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MARSHMALLOWS, GREEN TEA, AND SUCCESS IN LIFE

marshmallow-test[This Monday’s Archive was originally published on August 22, 2013.  The cure for addiction to rewards-without-effort (government welfare) afflicting so many millions is needed more than ever today. Several TTPers have told me they consider this one of the most important articles ever in TTP.]

TTP August 22, 2013

It began in Trinidad.  Walter Mischel, a Jewish kid from Vienna whose family escaped from the Nazis to Brooklyn, was doing field work on the Caribbean island for his Ph.D. in psychology.  It was 1955, and he noticed the population was split between people whose families came from India and those from Africa.

The Indians thought the Africans were “impulsive hedonists” who lived for the moment and never cared for the future, while the Africans thought the Indians only cared about “stuffing money into their mattresses” and didn’t know how to have fun.  He wondered what lay behind such assessments.

In 1966, when the Stanford Psych Department launched its Bing Nursery School to research child development, Walter thought back to his days in Trinidad and came up with an experiment that was to become famous as the Stanford Marshmallow Test.

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TATARSTAN CAPITALIZES ON CHINA’S EXPANDING ROLE IN MIDDLE VOLGA

6republics-od-russ-middle-volga

[For some time now, TTP has been telling you about the independence movements in Russia’s Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, with Moslem Tatars and Bashkirs fighting in Ukraine against Russia, knowing Ukraine’s freedom will lead to theirs and start the breakup of Russia. With that, they know they can prosper for they have a lot of oil, easily extractable with no permafrost like in Siberia.

And TTP has been telling you for years about the long-range designs Chicom China has on eastern Siberia.  Now, our friend Paul Goble tells us the latest: China’s campaign to separate the Middle Volga from Russia.]

Kazan, Tatarstan. Russians have become increasingly concerned with the expansion of Chinese influence in the Russian Far East, along the Northern Sea Route, and in some of the former Soviet republics of Central Asia and the South Caucasus.

Now, the Kremlin is confronted with a potentially more disturbing development: the rise of China as a major player not just along Russia’s periphery but near its core. Beijing has been increasing its investments and influence in Tatarstan and the Middle Volga.

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IS THE LEFT HAPPY THEY GOT THEIR WISH?

wishbone-warAmerica has been in a veritable cultural revolution since the 1960s. Nearly all our major institutions finally became woke—the administrative state, traditional and social media, universities, K-12, the corporate boardroom, entertainment, professional sports, and the foundations.

So the Obama and the Biden administrations finally seemed to have achieved their aims, in what the Obamas once boasted would be the “fundamental transformation” of America into something unrecognizable by its Founders.

But what they gave us was nihilism—the destruction of norms, laws, and customs. There is no border, no criminal justice system, no real president any more.

The citizen is a serf, the illegal alien the veritable citizen. The former needs a passport to reenter the country, the latter is waved on through. There is a slob in gym shorts and a hoodie establishing dress codes for the Senate, teen murderers bragging that they won’t spend a day in jail, and a would-be state legislator filming herself doing sexual gymnastics while begging for cash only to be upset over the invasion of her “privacy.”

So the Left got what it wanted and gave us our new America. And the result?

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