I have been around people who were dying.  The terminally ill who were still up and walking, as well as the bedridden in their last few days.  But I have never been with a person at the moment of death.   I can only testify that I was with my beagle Daisy as we had her put to sleep.   I knew the moment her soul left her body.   I was sitting next to her and she felt different.  Instantly.  She had gone.  I knew it.   ( the vet screwed up and the process took like a half hour when it should have only been a few minutes.  She wasn't in pain or upset, but it took a long time for her to 'sleep', and then for THE FINAL SHOT to stop the heart.)  

Here are a couple of interesting stories where people say they have seen the soul leave the body at death -

Testimonies - When the Soul Leaves A Body

Quote:“My oldest daughter and I were staying the night with her. My daughter woke me in a panic, saying something was going on with my mom. It turns out she was taking her final breaths.“  As soon as she took her final breath, my daughter and I saw a yellow-orange glowing light at the top of her head. I couldn’t wrap my head around what I was looking at. We looked at each other shocked and confused. Then the light just shrank into nothing. It was gone. You would expect that we would be crying and upset but there was a feeling of peace and calm in the room. It was the weirdest thing. I believe we witnessed her soul leave her body. That’s something I’ll never forget as long as I live!”

Quote:“Yes, when my wife was passing away, I held her [very] cold right hand with my right hand, and a cloudy, very visible white fog spread from her fingers and hand to my fingers and hand.I knew at this time she was passing her soul to me,the signal to hold on and also to let her go in peace with the love we had for sixty-three years. This was eleven months ago (07/22/2023). I have had many signs and visions since. I believe a hundred percent she is still with me, caring and supporting me in my grief, preparing my place to join her in Heaven.”

Quote:I am a registered nurse. and more than 20 years ago, I had an experience that is still fresh in my mind. I was working in the intensive care unit at (a local hospital), and one of my patients was a young man who had been injured in a car accident one that was not his fault. He was on life support. HiIs parents had agreed to organ donation and we were waiting for that process to start. His mother and I stood, early in the morning, on each side of his bed, looking down on this beautiful young man who just appeared to be sleeping. As his chest continued to rise and fall, I felt -- rather than saw -- an odd change in the quality of light in the room. A pink mist then seemed to manifest over his body, where it hovered for a moment, then lifted off into the room and faded to nothing. The ventilator continued to push air into his lungs, nothing really changed, but it seemed as if his body had hollowed out, becoming a flat shell. There is no real scientific proof of a living creature having a soul, but at that moment I felt as if I had just witnessed that soul leaving its body.  

The basics ... we remain conscious 20 seconds after the heart stops beating.  The brain takes 6 minutes to 'die'.  But it takes hours for the brain to stop thinking.   Are we aware of what the brain is thinking about and doing?  That can't be answered .. YET.  But it does look like people are 'trapped in their bodies' for a while after death ... aware of being dead but unable to do anything.  Rhythmic brain activity normally present in living human brains happens during the minutes after death and the parts of the brain still active are the parts that have to do with dreaming and information processing.

As a side note - I also was reading today about people who were with relatives as they died, and they saw the soul leave the body at the moment of death (when the heart stopped).  They saw light or energy waves leave the body and float off.  Those are anecdotal stories but those kind of stories go against the notion of a person trapped in a dead body for a few minutes before they lose consciousness and before the brain stops thinking.  So not sure what to think of these two types of information being opposed to each other.

After Death, You're Aware that you've died, say scientists

Quote:Scientists have studied near-death experiences (NDEs) in an attempt to gain insights into how death overcomes the brain. What they’ve found is remarkable: A surge of electricity enters the brain moments before brain death. One 2013 study, which examined electrical signals inside the heads of rats, found that the rodents entered a hyper-alert state just before death.

Even after our breathing and heartbeat stop, we remain conscious for about two to 20 seconds, Dr. Parnia says. That’s how long the cerebral cortex is thought to last without oxygen. This is the thinking and decision-making part of the brain. It’s also responsible for deciphering the information gathered from our senses.

According to Dr. Parnia, during this period, “You lose all your brain stem reflexes — your gag reflex, your pupil reflex, all that is gone.” Brain waves from the cerebral cortex soon become undetectable. Even so, it can take hours for our thinking organ to fully shut down.

Quote:What this study means is that people are trapped inside their dead bodies for a while after they are declared dead. According to Parnia, people change after they have had an “after-death” experience.

He explained that the thinking region of the brain or the cerebral cortex slows down and flat lines but the brain cells are still active. When CPR is given the heart is started again and so does the brain function. He said, “If you manage to restart the heart, which is what CPR attempts to do, you'll gradually start to get the brain functioning again. The longer you're doing CPR, those brain cell death pathways are still happening — they're just happening at a slightly slower rate. 

Quote:Neuroscientists have recorded the activity of a dying human brain and discovered rhythmic brain wave patterns around the time of death that are similar to those occurring during dreaming, memory recall, and meditation. 
 “We measured 900 seconds of brain activity around the time of death and set a specific focus to investigate what happened in the 30 seconds before and after the heart stopped beating,” said Dr Ajmal Zemmar, a neurosurgeon at the University of Louisville, US, who organized the study.
 
“Just before and after the heart stopped working, we saw changes in a specific band of neural oscillations, so-called gamma oscillations, but also in others such as delta, theta, alpha, and beta oscillations.” Brain oscillations (more commonly known as ‘brain waves’) are patterns of rhythmic brain activity normally present in living human brains. The different types of oscillations, including gamma, are involved in high-cognitive functions, such as concentrating, dreaming, meditation, memory retrieval, information processing, and conscious perception, just like those associated with memory flashbacks

I figured this would be the best place to post this. All of this is my opinion due to my personal experiences.

Not looking for pity, I live with the body I have. I'm borderline heavily handicapped - no feeling in my right leg (but I can feel pressure and pain so I can sort of walk and drive), vertigo, can't lift my feet past knee high, falling down a few times a day and my favorite, Syncope. That's the short list. All sorts of great stuff. All due to illnesses, injuries (Spine injury in 2000, Anthrax in 2002, viral lung infection in 2012) and reactions to medications. And now, due to a seizure in 2012, my right arm is 4 inches shorter than my left - due to shoulders dislocating from the seizure. My doctor is surprised I can function as well as I can. The neurologist back in 2000 said I'd never walk or work in the printing industry again (I said hold my beer, 20 years later I retired from printing).

I'm not letting being crippled stop me. I don't like the term handicapped, it generates too much pity and unless it's a visible handicap, people think it's a mental issue. You could say my pronoun is crippled.  Many times the level of nerve pain is debilitating so I take synthetic morphine a few times a month on especially bad days.

My point with this is this: If you find yourself becoming handicapped from an illness or injury, don't let it stop you and (this is my personal view, in my opinion) take PT with a grain of salt. In my opinion, people put too much stock in PT when they can do it themselves with just a little research. I do my own PT - part of my handicap is my tendons tear easily. Two years ago my left quadricep tore with a giant snap - I thought I had been shot at first because it was so loud when it tore. Put on my removable leg cast, compressed the heck out of my thigh, waited 7 days for healing (and taking collagen powder), did my own PT, didn't bother my doctor.

What you have to do is adapt to your body and it's new (lack of) abilities. Don't let it stop you. Yeah, you can get bummed out and depressed over it all but in the end, you have to live with it so get busy living or busy dying. I took paramedic training and had the fortune of having one of the best internist doctors in the country. Art always taught me to learn as much as I can about the human body. With my issues, I normally have more understanding and information than my doctors do. I guess my point is, now that I'm thinking about it, learn as much as you can about specific areas of your body that are involved - spine, legs, knees, shoulder, cardiac - whatever part is injured.

On to the boat in question or as I call it, the neverending project from hell. Having an engineering background has helped more than I thought it would.

Let me describe my greatest difficulty so far. A boat. Throwing a few photos of the boat, slip and wheels in question.

So we have a 16 foot fiberglass rowboat, handmade in the late 1950s. I rebuilt the interior (rails, seats, floor) twice now. I build whatever I can for any project I take on.

My physical issues are plenty when using the boat.

Standing while in the water with the vertigo is entertaining to say the least. But I use my cane so I've been able to deal with the staggering around in the boat. I'm going to make stabilizers for the boat to stop the boat rocking as much.

The seating is also an issue. Since I can't lift my feet past knee high, I either have to straddle the seat 100% of the time or twist around to get to the motor which (of course) leads to spine pain. I'm thinking a pedestal swiveling seat might be the answer but that has it's own issues in as the swiveling will make the vertigo go nuts. So it's probably going to be a static pedestal seat. Making that next week.

Getting out of the boat is basically impossible at the dock. My first try resulted in me falling into the water. So I built a boat slip, kind of like a trailer with no wheels but with the little wheels you see on boat trailers for the boat to roll on. Now I wear knee high rubber boots, drive the boat onto the slip and get out once it's stable and not rocking using my cane, sitting on the bow cover and twisting off into the water.

Most everything in the boat has to be within armslength so I don't have to get up while in the boat. Falling down in a small boat is not a good idea. Ever.

I'm having to design and build my own motor tilt assembly since the existing one I can't reach since I can't get up and move around in the boat - boat rocking, looking down into the water and vertigo is dangerous.



   
   
   

For those who wonder what sinicization of religion in China is - Sinicization, is the process by which non-Chinese societies or groups are acculturated or assimilated into Chinese culture.

We already know this but I thought I'd share the official statement from the US Government on the Chinese government interfering with religious freedom in the country of China.  They force religions to incorporate the communist rule and agenda into the religious rituals, services, media, ... everything.  Chinese nationalism and communism is integrated ... even to the point of rewriting bible passages.  As a note on Catholicism ... China appoints it's own bishops and calls them Catholic, and then tells the Vatican that they have to accept the people the Chinese government has appointed.  

Statement issued by the United States Commission of International Religious Freedom - 

Sinicization of Religion - Chinas Coercive Religious Policy

Quote:Under Xi Jinping’s rule as the paramount leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the government has implemented the coercive “sinicization of religion” policy, which has fundamentally transformed China’s religious environment. Sinicization, or the complete subordination of religious groups to the CCP’s political agenda and Marxist vision for religion, has become the core driving principle of the government’s management of religious affairs. Through regulations and state-controlled religious organizations, authorities incorporate CCP ideology into every facet of religious life for Buddhists, Catholic and Protestant Christians, Muslims, and Taoists. They also forcibly eradicate religious elements considered contradictory to the CCP’s political and policy agenda with ultranationalist overtones. Government officials have installed CCP loyalists as leading religious figures, altered houses of worship with CCP-approved architecture, integrated CCP propaganda into religious doctrines, and otherwise criminalized non-CCP-backed religious activities, all with the goal to ensure the stability of CCP rule. These government measures have routinely violated the internationally protected right to freedom of religion or belief.

Quote:The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) government is rewriting portions of the Bible in an effort to increase its control over religion in country, according to U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI).  In a meeting of the House Select Committee on the CCP, Rep. Gallagher stated that Chairman Xi Jinping is on a “quest to make the faithful serve the party rather than God.”
 
Rep. Gallagher referenced a statement from Chairman Xi during the 19[sup]th[/sup] Party Congress in 2017 that declares the intent to pursue “the Sinicization of Chinese religions and provide active guidance for religion and socialism to coexist.” Besides attempting to control Christian doctrine and practice, the CCP is persecuting other Buddhist and Muslim ethnic minorities, according to Rep. Gallagher.
 
The CCP sees itself as possessing absolute authority over religion in China. For example, in 2018, the Vatican compromised with the CCP on the prerogative to appoint Roman Catholic clergy in China. Multiple sources have warned that the CCP aims to select the next Dalai Lama—the supreme leader of Tibetan Buddhism. Thus, the CCP forcing the church to be subservient to the state infringes the Western conception of religious liberty, which is founded on the Christian understanding of the church and the state as distinct institutions ordained by God.

I have recently discovered the St. Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal in Gaithersburg Maryland.   This is a Catholic project (Catholicexorcism.org) that is manned by the official exorcist from the DC diocese - Monsignor Stephen Rossetti.  He has online pray along sessions once a month that anyone can sign into and listen in and pray along.  It is not an official exorcism, that would have to be done by the exorcist in the persons diocese and with permission, but many people report relief from spiritual and physical problems after the online sessions.  

No, I have not listened in and participated online yet.  (planning to for the Oct 14 session to see how it is).   I think many of the prayers are probably the same ones that lay people can pray that are given in the "Deliverance Prayers' book for use by the laity by Fr. Chad Ripperger PHD - also an official exorcist of the church.  There is also a second book by him with deliverance prayers that can only be used by official exorcist priests who have permission from the Church.  

I have been reading bits of his diary for the last few months as they are posted.   And I found this one interesting.   So I am sharing.  He says that these seven signs often are experienced by the person who has a demonic/satanic problem.   I have had some run ins with the evil spirits (and some experiences with the good angelic/heavenly as well), so I do believe that these things happen and that people need to be aware.  

For those interested - (and just because you have these things doesn't necessarily mean you have a demonic/satanic problem.   It's just what is common when you do)

Catholic Exorcism Exorcist Diary 311 - Seven Signs of Satans Hidden Presence

Quote:*lethargy & fatigue
*nausea and headaches
*awful, sick feeling in the entire body
*exaggerated anger and bursts of rage
*evil spirit of division, distrust and conflict
*negative mental self-messages (e.g. "I am an awful person)
*exaggerated sexual temptations & intrusive blasphemous thoughts

Well. Guess ATS down for the account.

just saw an interesting Triangle craft on X, no date listed. Video in link

CGI? 

Military tech?

I don’t think aliens on this one. 
   

I finally decided to register here. I hope that ATS will not die.

The strike of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) has been initiated.

This strike affects 36 East and Gulf Coast ports, and could reportedly cost out economy cost the U.S. economy between $3.8 billion and $4.5 billion per day.

The impasse between the ILA and the employing business entity (seem rooted in a wage dispute, and threats to job security.

From FoxBusiness: Dockworkers go on strike at East and Gulf Coast ports
 The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA), which represents 45,000 dockworkers, began its first strike since 1977 after its six-year contract with the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX), which represents port employers, expired Monday night.
 
Negotiations between the ILA and USMX have been deadlocked thus far over the union's demands related to wage hikes and compensation, as well as protection from automation at ports. 

...

USMX reportedly made a new offer to the ILA on Monday afternoon that would've raised wages by nearly 50% over the new contract as well as tripling employer contributions to retirement plans, better health care and kept language about automation in the deal. Sources told FOX Business that the ILA rejected the offer and didn't make a counter.

The strike comes after USMX filed an unfair labor complaint with the National Labor Relations Board against the ILA last week, arguing that the group was breaking labor laws by refusing to negotiate. The ILA criticized the move as a "publicity stunt" and said USMX should file labor complaints against port employers for not paying dockworkers better wages.

I wonder if this will be seen as an "opportunity" by US retailers and transport companies to bump prices around the country... they seem to do that whenever they can.

This development will become fodder for political and financial talking heads... you can bank on that.

Girl


Halo or horn christened descent
Does it even matter
It's not really the point
Pun intended

Layers upon serpentine layers
The illusion of color
Rendering of splendor
swirling down

Captivating concealment about
The eyes tell a story
Erotic increments unfold
Lipstick smiles

Slender broad and succulent
Venusian hourglass
Middle of the median
Magic abound

Limbs of melded muscle
Form and function
Intoxicating movements
most graceful

Terminus bearing rhythm
Teasing of earth
with spirit commands
from nowhere...

Girl

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/29/obitu...-dead.html

Cheers and thanks to one of the most influential songwriters of his generation.

Quote:In this shocking video, we delve into the recent Islamic stabbing attack in Germany that has left over 30 people injured. Witness the harrowing footage that captures the chaos and panic of the incident. We explore the events leading up to the attack, the response from law enforcement, and the implications for security in Germany and beyond. Join us as we discuss the societal impact of such violent acts and the ongoing debates surrounding immigration and extremism. This incident raises important questions about safety, community, and the challenges of integrating diverse cultures. Stay informed and aware of the realities of our world today.

Good day, DI.

Today, I post about the notion of “nationalism” and the associated dangers aligned with that “movement”.

I offer these thoughts as another way to frame our current state of affairs in the US as well as globally - you can define many issues as “nationalist” vs. “globalist” agendas.

Here is what I mean by that:

First, the notion of “Nationalism” is obviously the antithesis of “Globalism”. We tend to define political parties and assign a number of “conspiracy theories” to the “globalists” and “nationalists” more-less duking it out over who controls America and at least by some extension the world. So, are you a globalist or a nationalist?

You don’t need to answer, but that answer will frame how you view the balance of my post today.

When thinking about nations, America may be “the best” at some things but not all things. We’re good at arming the world, advancing technology, innovation at scale, finance, the sciences - and did I say defense? But, other parts of the NATO world are far more skilled in various areas than we are. We’re better together in many ways. This is why the world already exists as it does.

But, I get why people love their “home country” and its “culture” or “history” - the basis of “nationalism” isn’t really bad at the theoretical level.

We need to think on that point a bit though… what is the culture we’re preserving? What is the history or legacy that must live on? Where I live, we have lots of cultures in a very progressive environment. We don’t really have a unique “culture” beyond general acceptance. There isn’t “one” culture in the US any longer.

The problem that I identified with “nationalist” view is we already live in a global society at the level of business or “high society”. That’s now trickling down to the top 5%. Borders are just different sets of regulations if you’re multi-national. We are already there and going backwards from it would cause a lot of issues.

And from that, we now can see why many explain “Nationalism” as an “extremist” viewpoint. It is relative to our existing global system that is already hyper-interconnected and for various reasons we’ll need to come together (NATO) for our collective benefit - business, defense, populations - all of it. That’s why it’s happening and has been happening for 40+ years.

While globalists rarely say expressly why “nationalists” are bad, I submit that they don’t because there isn’t really anything exceptionally bad about being proud of their country. Globalists are proud of their country, too.

When Globalists suggest Nationalists are “extreme”, a component of that is history showing nationalistic movements lead to armed conflict. WW2, WW1, etc. That’s destabilizing. We also know that it’s good for the global economy to remain global.

And most importantly, defense of all of those markets and people requires a collective global approach.

The US and allies need to band together to remain dominant in the world as a collective region. If NATO didn’t exist Russia would have pushed way further west almost certainly as an example. The simple existence of NATO is keeping Europe largely safe at the moment. It’s hugely impactful to over billion people who collectively make up the western world.

But, you don’t get there with a nationalist movement.

These are just a few examples of how the nationalist movements impact everything from trade to defense to long-term security; the nationalist movement runs into problems by seeking less connectedness in a world that’s naturally becoming more connected - ongoing - and that isn’t going to stop.

Consider a “nationalist” US president if they took it to the extreme - Europe would collapse, war would break out - all kinds of issues erupt. The world would go back to being very fractious, we’d go establish treaties and do the whole thing over again in the future because where we are today is the natural evolution of this process - it would only happen again.

And in a twist of irony, nationalism actually created the bedrock for globalism. It was nationalist competition that drove various countries to compete on the global stage. That eventually made business global, interdependence was created and here we are.

Closing out my thoughts here, “nationalistic” movements tend to be popular in the short run but not so great over longer periods of time. Trying to be more nationalistic or isolationist in a growingly interconnected world harms growth and security - doubly so as more of the world forms larger alliances. This is likely why you see so much vitriol towards Trump, Putin and perhaps Iran. They all represent a nationalistic view that presents a threat to the global order that already exists over most of the western world in particular - and order that was generally successful until recently and specifically until Trump.

Ironically, this line of thought explains the “uniparty” view of the world - If you’re higher up in politics, you’re a globalist because your decisions have global implications (some of them). This impacts the economy, military, etc. and that has knock-on global impact. Those points explain the worry about nationalism in any country - by definition proliferating nationalism will make the world fractured and fractured societies tend to have more conflict and worse outcomes coupled with constrained economic activity.

I find this a perspective worth consideration in our “all or nothing” world and a lot of desire (or so it appears) for more nationalist mindsets.

Another ATS refugee reporting for duty.

Hey everyone. I just came over from ATS. I joined there back in 2007 i think. Its now a sorrowful shell,of its greater days.  I get interested in determining the reason behind redirection events. See you on the boards.

I am once again reading about the Milgram experiment - it reminds me about what happened during the corona madness.

Milgram wanted to understand how far people would go in obeying an instruction if it involved harming another person.

Many people are "just following orders" without questioning them at all. I think we should always resist harmful orders, and I also think we should always question everything!

This experiment was inspired by the atrocities committed during World War II, where many individuals also claimed they were "just following orders".

It is creepy to think about the fact that it is ingrained in some humans to murder another human if a person in a lab coat tells them to. 


I found this video about the topic.

The Dark side of Science: The Milgram Experiment 

If your algorithms are anything like mine... 

One dip into the social media frenzy over the "Sean Combs (Puff Diddy) scandal" affair and you will be literally FLOODED with content... 

If you're as curious as I am you might even check out the dozens upon dozens of videos and materials all "dishing out the dirt" signaling virtue  to high heaven.

The particulars are fairly robust.  I will attempt a  'weak, but sufficient' synopsis, here goes:

An 'artist and entrepreneur' develops a social network of prominent artists, big business executives, and politicians... Let's call them the "party society"
These people party extraordinarily hard... with little concern for social norms, with almost complete abandon, and restraint is not unwelcome.
Three of his homes (Miami, New York, California) were simultaneously raided, not just by each state's police, not just with the FBI, but also with "US Homeland Security" agents.

It has been alleged that:

- Nearly all of the "party society" are filmed and recorded in their exploits by the entrepreneur, many actually know this.
- Some of the "party society" were recruiting new 'attendees' at the behest and direction of the Artist/Entrepreneur.
- Some participants were involuntarily drugged and thus 'induced' into performing acts they would not have done voluntarily
- Some attendees were hired prostitutes, and there were even minors among the 'partiers.'
- Some of the staff were participants
- The artist/entrepreneur was a constant 'master of ceremonies' during these parties, directing activities, and often participating in them.

Now this may all sound very lurid, and might also be further complicated by the fact that the members of this "society" were said to have been politicians, movie stars, music industry stars, CEO's and even preachers.  And it may seem even further depraved since allegations include heavy drug use, alcohol, and varying degrees of implied coercion on the part of the 'artist/entrepreneur.' 

The artist/entrepreneur and his circle of close friends appear to have develop massive prestige and celebrity, and made a ton of money.

Oh... and this was ongoing for great long time... years.  It was an open secret.  "'Everybody knew."

The major media has tip-toed around this case... furtively skirting its inflammatory narrative... it is not really "on their radar."

But social media has become a veritable font of accounts and accusations... some of which are amazingly brazen, nearing defamation and slander... if he is "innocent."

The most important aspect of this is a single reality that MUST be asserted... and very few will say so....

This story, with the names changed and the context adjusted is NOT NEW.  These things have been going on in certain social circles for decades... and race has nothing to do with it...  This is a story of how some people "play life"... 

Yes, to me it is, dare I say it, 'deplorable.'

But I urge you to consider this as an example of "what IS actually going on in the world." 

It is not some Hollywood/Madison Avenue anomaly, don't let yourself become convinced that this is an "entertainment" thing... it can branch out and dig into any industry, any institution... and it has... since quite long time ago.  Just consider the coincidental timing of dozens of high level citizens suddenly 'resigning' their positions and abandoning their posts.  Some ignorant people will try to "pigeon hole" this into something pertinent to a strata of society,' some race, or something else, to narrow the field of 'people who are just f'd up.'

But I suspect that the reason the "artist/entrepreneur" had all his houses simultaneously raided by forces INCLUDING the US Homeland Security agency raises serious questions...  "One of these things is not like the other."

Oh well, there you have it...  "Shall we play a game?"

Not sure how I missed this place until now, but I see a ton of names I recognize. Good to see everyone again.

This is ENOUGH from Boeing! This airplane needs to be grounded...indefinitely! Like...forever!

NTSB issues 'urgent' safety alert on Boeing 737 rudder system

This aircraft is simply NOT safe, in my opinion!

I've flown on a MAX where the MCAS engaged over Denver in icing and turbulence.  These where highly qualified pilots, and I was sitting next to a senior Pilot up in 1st.  He was was riding dead head in uniform, but he was startled at what happened.  We immediately started losing altitude, almost violently.  DEN is at just below 5,500 ASL.  We were cleared for FL90.  All of a sudden the aircraft nosedived.  PIC recovered and leveled off, only to nosedive again.  At this point I'm sure the PIC and crew disabled the MCAS and climbed out.  At one point we were 3,000 AGL.  These airplanes are not safe, even with experienced PIC's.  (Unless they've been through a true MAX simulator, then the old NG simulators with some iPad added instruction is not sufficient).

I'm sorry.

I was on the way to Lima, Peru on this flight.  My stop was in Miami, because we were delayed on the ground, so I missed my connection in Houston.  From there I had to take LATAM to Peru.  I won't even go into SA airlines because it's a whole different world.  I got there (thank Gawd), but it wasn't fun.

Now that ATS completely screwed the pooch, thought I would join it's love child! I will miss it though, and still visit, but it's a shadow of it's former self and frankly, no longer welcoming or inviting. Not to mention I haven't been able to log in since the "great hacking". Anyhoo, hello, hi and howdy!

I was just wondering if this is something that would be ok for those of us who did some really in depth threads.

Literally all we have to do is hit quote post on anything we want to save, and copy pasta it to DI with a little tweaking of any image file url's once the proper images are uploaded.

I personally may reupload all the images of the Denver airport we found and added to that thread. Perhaps maybe just take the OP, and supporting relevant posts and consolidate into a summarized new thread here, and restart the discussions if anything.

I like using the Denver Airport thread because of the mystery and intrigue especially with its creepy art.

By now I assume those who keep up with such things already know Israel did a major bombing run into Southern Lebanon and is claiming it has killed Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah.. I for one say WTG Israel !


Israel's greatest Allie is funding and has been funding Israels greatest enemy. So go figure ??????????????

I am PrivateAngel on abovetopsecret, but I am not sure how long that place will stay because new members can't post.

I will visit this place more from now on because it seems more stable, and I also like reading the posts here.

I will also visit abovetopsecret as long as it works.

I hope we have free speech here - of course, free speech can only work if we act responsible. 

Thank you to the people who created this place it really looks great! 

We have come to a point in our technological history where only the truly committed can invest... and now that we have businesses and organizations that dwarf the economic power of any nation, they are beginning to make a very powerful move.

From ArsTechnica: AI’s hungry maw drives massive $100B investment plan by Microsoft and BlackRock
Subtitled: Investment "goes beyond what any single company or government can finance."

From CIO.com: AI to go nuclear? Data center deals say it’s inevitable

Apparently, major players in the strategic enterprise of developing AI have aligned and begun to cooperate towards the goal of getting in on the ground floor of a future digital economy, one dominated by AI 'services.'

... Microsoft, BlackRock, Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), and MGX announced a massive new AI investment partnership on Tuesday called the Global AI Infrastructure Investment Partnership (GAIIP). The partnership initially aims to raise $30 billion in private equity capital, which could later turn into $100 billion in total investment when including debt financing.

The group will invest in data centers and supporting power infrastructure for AI development. "The capital spending needed for AI infrastructure and the new energy to power it goes beyond what any single company or government can finance," Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a statement. 

This will include a new wrinkle in the energy production world...

AWS, Microsoft, and Google are going nuclear to build and operate mega data centers better equipped to meet the increasingly hefty demands of generative AI.

Earlier this year, AWS paid $650 million to purchase Talen Energy’s Cumulus Data Assets, a 960-megawatt nuclear-powered data center on site at Talen’s Susquehanna, Penn., nuclear plant, with additional data centers planned — pending approval by the Nuclear Regulatory Agency.  

Microsoft, Google, and Nucor, a steel manufacturer, released a request for information (RFI) about clean energy, and Baltimore-based energy company Constellation responded “to the RFI with our points on advanced nuclear being a fit at existing nuclear sites,” says a spokesperson for Constellation, one of the nation’s largest nuclear power providers.

“The data economy and Constellation’s nuclear energy go together like peanut butter and jelly,” said Joe Dominquez, Constellation’s CEO during a company conference call in May.

I don't know what difficulties will come to the surface in this dream world of harmonious corporate cooperation... but I bet this isn't going to be as easy as 'plug and play.' 

Nuclear power for AI... it boggles the mind.

I personally care deeply about several friends of mine who suffer from schizophrenia.  

Schizophrenia is a disorder that takes a pernicious form.  It can be very disruptive and erratic in the way it manifests.  The definitions offered by our expert-base are nuanced and differ slightly from one another, but they all agree on some fundamental observations...

There are generic descriptions like this: "A psychotic disorder characterized by emotional responsiveness and disintegration of thought process..." to specifics such as a laundry list of observed symptoms, which often are clumped together, leading many to infer that if you have one you have them all - at least to some degree.

But that is not how this manifests in the personal realities of at least some sufferers.  It might be offensively strong in some areas, and blessedly mild in others, it might be a sporadic and unpredictable manifestation, or sometimes problematically overlaid over large swaths of the sufferer's life.  It might be a storm of intrusive thoughts and impulse, or a completely displaced shifting of perspective, untranslatable for everyone around...  It could be a oppressive weight crushing every perception, or a sudden, otherwise inexplicable disconnect from the context of the world around them.  It can affect the perception of time, space, and even those people around them.  It transcends explanation, verbal or otherwise...

Doctors have traditionally sought to control this affliction by assaulting the patients' brain... their principle operating platform... either with direct physical interventions, or indirect chemical exposures.  And frequently they have achieved tantalizing - but limited - successes in diminishing the effects, or minimizing the magnitudes of its manifestations.  This often meant drugs, and unfortunately... it is one of those things that takes the form of "We'll try this" followed by "We'll try that."  But this is not about the medical community's willingness to play the 'roulette' approach, nor is it about the pharmaceutical industry's penchant to make every disease a profit opportunity.

From FoxNews: New schizophrenia drug gets FDA approval, taking novel approach to treating brain disorder
Subtitled: COBENFY marks the first new class of medications for the mental illness in more than 30 years

[This is what I call "Marketing Journalism" - it reads like a press release]

They use the word "novel" which is always a warning signal for me, there is usually nothin novel about it... and often that is easily confirmed by the fact that the text explains little in the way of explaining what exactly is novel about it.  But in this case...

"The approval of COBENFY is a transformative moment in the treatment of schizophrenia because, historically, medicines approved to treat schizophrenia have relied on the same primary pathways in the brain."

"By leveraging a novel pathway, COBENFY offers a new option to manage this challenging condition."

Perhaps more important is the fact that this will become available to prescribe in October... and is being hailed as another treatment option

On Thursday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved COBENFY (xanomeline and trospium chloride), an oral medication that is manufactured by Bristol Myers Squibb in New Jersey.

This drug wasn't developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS)… it was developed by a company called KARUNA THERAPEUTICS, which  BMS purchased for 14 Billion dollars recently.  Since the purchase, every major media company has used words like "revolutionary," "breakthrough," and "novel"...  but not before, when it was a Karuna product... owning the press can be a wonderful thing for business, no?

I hope this is good news for sufferers... and not a cesspool of 'side effects' and adverse reactions... these people have suffered enough.

I Know of a Goddess


I know of a goddess
I have never seen
but is beautiful
I know of a goddess...

Never having heard the sounds of heaven
I know of a goddess...

I know not when she goes,
but I know where...

I know this
I know this because
I see beauty
in her wake