𝐀 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫

On this longest night,

when the Earth leans into her deepest stillness,

may a soft and ancient light find its way to you.

May the quiet of this Solstice

wrap around your spirit like a gentle cloak,

reminding you that darkness is not an ending,

but a sacred womb

a place where the unseen begins to stir,

where seeds dream of becoming.

As the old year exhales,

may you release what has grown heavy,

the narratives that no longer serve you,

the burdens your heart is ready to lay down,

the shadows that have taught their final lessons.

May the returning light

tender at first, but faithful,

illuminate new pathways,

new openings,

new blessings waiting at the threshold.

May you feel the presence of your ancestors,

and the great intelligence of the natural world

moving with you as you step into a new cycle.

And may you remember,

in your bones and in your breath,

that you, too, are a bearer of light

a spark returning,

a flame renewing,

a soul rising gently toward the dawn.

Blessed Winter Solstice.

Blessed becoming.

Blessed return of the light.

𝐌𝐲 𝐃𝐚𝐝'𝐬 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐛𝐨𝐱

 

That there my Dad's toolbox.

My Father was a Factory Worker. During WWII he worked at the Chrysler Corporation Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant [DATP] in Warren, Michigan; it's located just north of to Detroit. Then, at Dodge Main in Hamtramck in the metal stamping department.

That's his toolbox. It was originally brush painted silver and lived sitting all alone in a basement storage area at our home; loaded with an assortment of heavy duty tools, mostly not used much at all any more. I would examine those tools often ... a monkey wrench, a blunt hammer, a hand drill, a folding ruler; heavy duty, for to building a tank. Those tools are long gone, but the toolbox is still in my safe keeping. And, memories.

Like I said, the toolbox is empty. And, I intend to keep it that way. 

The emptiness speaks to me. Not that I myself haven't acquired useful tools. Many like the kind you grab with your hands. But I also have other tools. My professional tools are my hands themselves.

My profession is called Dr. Ida P. Rolf Method Structural Integration. The idea is that the Human body — the Human being — is designed for living in basic architectural balance with the force of Gravity. Hands are used sculpturally, taking advantage of the natural plasticity of the body and gradually transforming the palpable arrangement to line up vertically and symmetrically according to the demands of Gravity. "Palpable" ... you feel it! Such balance, it feels GOOD! 

That's still news for most people; what do you think?

The interesting thing about my work is how the originator, Dr. Ida P. Rolf, stated: "Gravity is the tool."

Also, even more interesting is how such work is accomplished with "empty" hands. "Less is more" kind of thing. There's an innate wisdom instilled in the body. It is engineered by design toward balance. The "empty hand" doesn't so much lead, it follows. It's a dance. Just like using any proper tool properly.

Isn't it interesting how Dr. Ida P. Rolf, the originator, asserted "Gravity is the tool". That's right. A lot to unpack there, huh? Short take, again from Dr. Rolf: “This is the gospel of Rolfing: When the body gets working appropriately, the forces of gravity can flow through. Then, spontaneously, the body heals itself.” How about that for "tools". 

Speaking of "Empty Hands" ...

Emptiness is of the inner dimension. Going within. I've also acquired many tools for going in that direction as well. "Empty mind."

And, like I've said, simply sitting relaxed and letting Gravity do its work is something anyone can do. "Gravity is the tool."

The thing is also the "tools" of my Father's essence are also in me. You have your own inheritance too. The trick isn't to list them; but to go to that forgotten corner in the storage room and get those tools, dust them off, oil them well ... then, go use them. Put them to some good use.

Comments/Questions welcome ...

𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐧'𝐬 𝐒𝐌𝐎 [𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧] 𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐧'𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡

Here is something to consider for understanding the conflict in Ukraine. Consider Russia's point of view.

And some facts. 

Many, many who claim to have say so in the matter world stage wise seem to be firmly set in conviction that "THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING". Russophobia mode. "Better 'dead' than 'red' ". 

Remember the USSR? Word is that the USA and Britain were behind the Bolshevik revolution. Corruption ensued, Stalin launched a purge; nasty business. Apparently destroying Russia is an old Squirrel nut in the geopolitical save sack going back centuries. Look it up. Same as it ever was.

Since it was never signed on paper, there is debate over the promise to not [NOT!] expand NATO east; toward Russia's border. "Not one inch to the east." That assurance was given by US Secretary of State James Baker and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl to Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev in 1990 in the arrangement to reunify Germany; that NATO would not expand eastward following German reunification. That promise was not kept. And, as we've seen the results, there are still intentions to have Ukraine join NATO. A big RED LINE for Russia. Stated often; but ignored. 

Hey, those Ruskies ... can't trust them; they'll be flying their flag in Paris, Berlin, and London given half a chance. No and's, if's, or but's. 

One thing is clear, we have been disregarding Russia's repeatedly stated security interests. Mr. Biden cut off all communications, and sealed the deal calling Putin a "war criminal", "mass murderer", "butcher". And, that's what he said publically.

Draw your own conclusions. The propaganda narrative on this has continued to be based on the notion that Russia has territorial ambitions into all of western Europe. Maybe even the whole world? 

If you don't at least listen to the other side, how can we expect any resolution? Some are so bold to suggest that the whole Western powers move toward Russia via Ukraine is all about destabilizing Russia, breaking it up in bite sized pieces, then to plunder its wealth. Just saying. I know, I know. It's really about making the world safe for democracy. Venezuala! Do you hear that?

Here's an excerpt from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview with Tucker Carlson in Moscow, December 6, 2024. Gives a detailed factual account of the basis the Special Military Operation [SMO] from Russia's point of view. With a very complete chronology of events.

Full transcript here. See full video recording below.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov:

"It is not us who started the war. Putin repeatedly said that we started the special military operation in order to end the war which Kiev regime was conducting against its own people in the parts of Donbass. And just in his latest statement, the President Putin clearly indicated that we are ready for any eventuality. But we strongly prefer peaceful solution through negotiations on the basis of respecting legitimate security interest of Russia, and on the basis of respecting the people who live in Ukraine, who still live in Ukraine being Russians, and their basic human rights, language rights, religious rights, have been exterminated by a series of legislation passed by the Ukrainian parliament. They started long before the special military operation. Since 2017, legislation was passed prohibiting Russian education in Russian, prohibiting Russian media operating in Ukraine, then prohibiting Ukrainian media working in Russian language, and the latest, of course there were also steps to cancel any cultural events in Russian, Russian books were thrown out of libraries and exterminated. The latest was the law prohibiting canonic Orthodox Church, Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

"You know it's very interesting when people in the West say we want this conflict to be resolved on the basis of the UN Charter and respect for territorial integrity of Ukraine, and Russia must withdraw. The Secretary General of the United Nations says similar things. Recently his representative repeated that the conflict must be resolved on the basis of international law, UN Charter, General Assembly resolutions, while respecting territorial integrity of Ukraine. It's a misnomer, because if you want to respect the United Nations Charter, you have to respect it in its entirety. The United Nations Charter, among other things, says that all countries must respect equality of states and right of people for self-determination. And they also mentioned the United Nations General Assembly resolutions, and this is clear that what they mean is the series of resolutions which they passed after the beginning of this special military operation and which demand condemnation of Russia, Russia to get out of Ukraine territory in 1991 borders. But there are other United Nations General Assembly resolutions which were not voted, but which were consensual, and among them is a Declaration on principles of relations between states on the basis of the Charter. And it clearly says, by consensus, everybody must respect territorial integrity of states whose governments respect the right of people for self-determination, and because of that represent the entire population living on a given territory.

"To argue that the people who came to power through military coup d'état in February 2014 represented Crimeans or the citizens of eastern and southern Ukraine is absolutely useless. It is obvious that Crimeans rejected the coup. They said, leave us alone, we don't want to have anything with you. So we did: Donbass, Crimeans held referendum, and they rejoined Russia. Donbass was declared by the putschists who came to power terrorist group. They were shelled, attacked by artillery. The war started, which was stopped in February 2015.

"The Minsk agreements were signed. We were very sincerely interested in closing this drama by seeing Minsk agreements implemented fully. It was sabotaged by the government, which was established after the coup d'état in Ukraine. There was a demand that they enter into a direct dialogue with the people who did not accept the coup. There was a demand that they promote economic relations with that part of Ukraine. And so on and so forth. None of this was done.

"The people in Kiev were saying we would never talk to them directly. And this is in spite of the fact that the demand to talk to them directly was endorsed by the Security Council. And putschists said they are terrorists, we would be fighting them, and they would be dying in cellars because we are stronger.

"Had the coup in February 2014 had it not happened and the deal which was reached the day before between the then president and the opposition implemented, Ukraine would have stayed one piece by now with Crimea in it. It's absolutely clear. They did not deliver on the deal. Instead they staged the coup. The deal, by the way, provided for creation of a government of national unity in February 2014, and holding early elections, which the then president would have lost. Everybody knew that. But they were impatient and took the government buildings next morning. They went to this Maidan Square and announced that they created the government of the winners. Compare the government of national unity to prepare for elections and the government of the winners.

"How can the people whom they, in their view, defeated, how can they pretend that they respect the authorities in Kiev? You know, the right for self-determination is the international legal basis for decolonization process, which took place in Africa on the basis of this charter principle, the right for self-determination. The people in the colonies, they never treated the colonial powers, colonial masters, as somebody who represent them, as somebody whom they want to see in the structures which govern those lands. By the same token, the people in east and south of Ukraine, people in Donbass and Novorossiya, they don't consider the Zelensky regime as something which represents their interests. How can they do that when their culture, their language, their traditions, their religion, all this was prohibited?

"And the last point is that if we speak about the UN Charter, resolutions, international law, the very first article of the UN Charter, which the West never, never recalls in the Ukrainian context, says, "Respect human rights of everybody, irrespective of race, gender, language, or religion."

"Take any conflict. The United States, UK, Brussels, they would interfere, saying, "Oh, human rights have been grossly violated. We must restore the human rights in such and such territory." On Ukraine, never, ever they mumbled the words "human rights," seeing these human rights for the Russian and Russian-speaking population being totally exterminated by law. So when people say, "Let's resolve the conflict on the basis of the Charter," - yes. But don't forget that the Charter is not only about territorial integrity. And territorial integrity must be respected only if the governments are legitimate and if they respect the rights of their own people."

𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐩𝐚'𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦 ... 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐭𝐭 𝐆𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐫

Remembering Grandpa's farm while travelling in Eastern Colorado November 2025 by Scott Gauthier. 

Photo of the actual farmhouse ...

"Roughly 35 miles east of Colorado Springs."

"Grandpa’s farm.

"This may or may not be the farm where my father was born in 1920. It is high plains farm in Eastern Colorado near where the town of Kendrick used to exist.

"The only time I was ever here was when I was five years old and that was 35 years after the farm was abandoned. I remember a windmill that pumped water into stock tanks. All the buildings (a tar paper house and chicken coop) were gone by then. This place looks like what my mind remembers from that time. If this is not it, it is within a few miles of here.

"My Grandfather was an immigrant from Canada who came to Denver and had an appendicitis. Since he only spoke French, they found a French shopkeeper who could translate for him. Afterwards, he worked for that shopkeeper and married his daughter. He got in on the homesteading and got 40 acres here in Eastern Colorado. He was not really educated in farming but tried to make it work. A neighbor came over while he was frustrated trying to get the horse to pull the plow. He was having a difficult time because he was trying to pull the plow backwards. He worked hard and began to raise a family of seven on the land. The house was a small tar paper house that the neighbor said he needed to visit to see how all those people slept in such a small space. A visiting relative wrote a journal of her visit there one summer. View it here.

 

"The dust bowl came and forced him to move back to Denver. As the neighbor told me that during the dust bowl, he “ate five acres of corn one night and was still hungry.” Anyway I wanted to show my son Myles since we were in the neighborhood."

𝐆𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬 ...

Per Glenn Beck ...

"The world doesn't understand yet. We're already in World War III," Glenn Beck warns. "That foe is not China. That foe is militant Islam." 

WTF! I'm just now having heard that! That?

If you're going on living convinced the Gaza Palestinians are just a bunch of vengeful, murderous monsters, you should maybe try to put yourself in their shoes. 

Oh, you say, the situation they're in they brought it upon themselves. Really? Of course, since they're vengeful, murderous, monsters. Of course, they have to be fenced in. And now, they're being eradicated. 

Like that they had to make it sure the Zionist state of Israel would displace them from a land they've been living in for hundred of years. They brought that on themselves? More suffering? 

And now, Beck singles them out as the enemy. Hey, Glenn, what would your world look like without enemies to destroy? Treat us to your vision. Suggest a vision that is inclusive of all Peoples. And, religions. Sure, we don't like "radical" Islam. Radical anything, no? You want to see "radical"? Visit Gaza or the West Bank. 

I've been contemplating on how Indigenous Peoples throughout history have been displaced by colonizers. The good old US of A is historically in that book with a big chapter. The Indigenous Peoples' voice is not heard. Oh, sure; they're savages. Nothing there but to get them out the way.

Yet, there's a voice to be heard. How about a US Cabinet position: "Native Voices". But, careful, just because someone is of Tribal ancestry don't mean their immune to the temptations of the swamp. 

Net, net I'm referring to Ancestral Wisdom. Let's find a place to listen to that.

October 7 is the 9/11 in the US. It's the same message. "We're here. We have a voice. Listen."

This does not mean to agree. It means just what it says. Listen. 

Instead we seem to be listening to our out ideas about what those "others" are up to. With little or no self examination, or reflection. Goose stepping in lock step agreement with whatever propaganda narrative is populating the predominant mental landscape of the moment. 

The art of listening is based on practicing listening to the inner silence. The alternative is to stick with your cherished notions. At least think ahead some to outcomes, and see where cherished notions go. The "US vs. THEM" dialectic is a losing game. "We" is the ticket to ride.

 

𝐄𝐤𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐓𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐧 "𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝" ...

J. Krishnamurti, the great Indian philosopher and spiritual teacher, spoke and traveled almost continuously all over the world for more than fifty years attempting to convey through words - which are content - that which is beyond words, beyond content. 

At one of his talks in the later part of his life, he surprised his audience by saying, "Do you want to know my secret?" Everyone became very alert. Many people in the audience had been coming to listen to him for twenty or thirty years and still failed to grasp the essence of his teaching. Finally, after all these years, the master would give them the key to understanding. "This is my secret," he said. "I don't mind what happens."

He did not elaborate, and so I suspect most of his audience were even more perplexed than before. The implications of this simple statement, however, are profound.

When I don't mind what happens, what does that imply? It implies that internally I am in alignment with what happens. "What happens," of course, refers to the suchness of this moment, which always already is as it is. It refers to content, the form that this moment - the only moment there ever is - takes. To be in alignment with what is means to be in a relationship of inner nonresistance with what happens. It means not to label it mentally as good or bad, but to let it be. Does this mean you can no longer take action to bring about change in your life? On the contrary. When the basis for your actions is inner alignment with the present moment, your actions become empowered by the intelligence of Life itself.

Ekchart Tolle in his book, "A New Earth

𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟

 

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐂. 𝐆. 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐠

 

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐀𝐋 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝟑𝐫𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 ...

 

The Renewal 3rd Party came into being in 2024 ahead of the Presidential election in the United States of America.

The idea is to vote the candidate(s) and other ballot initiatives of your choice.

AND ... 

And, choose to do the inner work of self-examination to clear away those shadows which unconsciously drive our thinking and actions and subvert our heart's intention(s) will failed outcomes.

This video featuring the wisdom of Carl Gustav Jung is worth a serious listen:

Go to original Renewal Party introduction ...

𝐓𝐀𝐗𝐈 𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 ... 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬

 

Annually, Halloween seems to come around year in and year out. On the lead up to that festivity your friend David D. Wronski takes to the highways and byways of Gotham in one of his fleet of taxis. Picking up whomsoever and whatsoever hails for his services.

Be prepared for a daily posting. Be astonished, dumbfounded, amused, bemused, befuddled, enlightened, disabused, and generally entertained.

Enjoy the ride!

𝐓𝐚𝐱𝐢 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐎𝐧𝐞! 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓. 

𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐂𝐲𝐛𝐞𝐫-𝐓𝐚𝐱𝐢. 

"𝐑𝐮𝐧𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩."

[Who recognizes the upholstery?]

Some buggy you got there. You can't hear it coming, and you wish you've never seen it.

Boychik ... PEASE!

𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟖! 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐡! 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝟑 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐞?

𝐇𝐞𝐲, 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝! 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩!

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭?

𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 ... 

𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞?

𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥!

𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐠𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭?

𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 ...

𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐧𝐞𝐫 

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐲 ... 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐲.

"𝐃𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞 ...". 

[𝐫𝐞𝐟. 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐢𝐩𝐬]

"𝐀𝐬𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐟 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮." 

[𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟?]

"𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨?"

"𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐚 ... 

𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐬!"

𝐅𝐨𝐠𝐠𝐲 𝐆𝐨𝐢𝐧' 𝐎𝐧? 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐆𝐨𝐢𝐧'!

𝐔𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐰𝐚 𝐇𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐞. "𝐀𝐬𝐚𝐤𝐮𝐬𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢 𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥"

𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨 𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞: 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐍𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐫.

𝐅𝐘𝐈: 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬. 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐲. 𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐁𝐆𝐁 𝐎𝐌𝐅𝐔𝐆.

𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧 ...

𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧'

𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝: 

𝐒𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐧𝐞𝐫

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐥𝐬.

𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞!

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞

 "𝐁𝐨𝐬𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐦"!

[𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐤𝐡 𝐑𝐚𝐝𝐰𝐚𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐚𝐳𝐚 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐎𝐜𝐭. 𝟐𝟐, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓. 

𝐀𝐏 𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨/𝐀𝐛𝐝𝐞𝐥 𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐚]

𝐆.𝐎.𝐀.𝐓.: 

𝐀𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬.

[𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐝, 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟖, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐏 𝐛𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐮 𝐅𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐳]

𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫!

[𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐅𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝟏𝟗𝟒𝟔]

Here's a look at previous such ...

2014

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

  

𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 ...

 

𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐈𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚 ... 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 ... 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝 ... 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐠𝐥𝐲

You likely may know how after WWII "Made in Japan" was another term for "junk". Perhaps colored with a big dose of enmity for our war time adversary. But, in fact, the stuff being exported to other shores at that time — my reference is the US of A "shore" — was just that; a lot of junk. Charming, rustically painted papier-mâché thingies and figures and flimsy tin toys. 

Wow! How things have changed! "Made in Japan" and "Made in Occupied Japan" ... those thingies bring the bucks with collectors. Tables seem to turn, huh? And, "Made in Japan" for current goods is now a mark of excellence.

Back then what we got exported to us from Japan was cheap crap. No doubt on account of Japan getting back on its feet commercially after the hostilities. Yet, at the time, completely obscuring the fact that ancient civilization held a long traditional historical treasury of the finest arts and crafts. Fast forward to now, "Made in Japan" is on the very short list of some of the best merchandise in the world. 

Now, China. 

China is a manufacturing juggernaut. With output that fills every niche; from the highest of high tech and world leading sophisticated engineering to some pretty crappy crap. I'm sure there are those who study the situation deeply and could expound brilliantly on the why's and wherefore's of that. 

Key word to understand the context in this mix is "outsourcing"; how USA manufacturers offshored to China to cut costs. For me, it's just about right now currently getting my money's worth. Nobody wants junk. 

Case #1. 

By the way, you may also know about "Made in USA". It's well known, and well deserved reputation as something with quality. Sturdy, reliably functional honest stuff. Craftsman tools. Vise Grip. Swing Away Can Opener. Levi's.

Case in point: it turns out that Swing Away is no longer made in the USA, but in China. Not the same sturdy quality. We purchased a replacement vegetable peeler from said company expecting the same robust quality as the can opener. Broke apart at the first try. Right away! Got it replaced, same thing. Turns out the latest peelers are made in China. When we compared the original American made with the newer of China origin, the culprit turned out to be a small, but critical metal spacer; some soft, flimsy metal bit instead of the rock solid piece engineered into the original. The customer service seemed to be unconcerned, just kept sending replacements. Stay "away" from Swing Away. Let sleeping dogs lie.

The lesson in that instance is not that China goods are inferior across the board. No. China will make anything you want. To your specifications. Very important point. You have to specify and oversee the quality that goes into whatever it is you're having them put together. Otherwise you could get something that is produced at the cheapest cost to them. You do get what you pay for.

Case #2. 

And, yet, you don't always get what you pay for. You get less. 

One of the gambits in direct marketing from China is the steep discount. A $600.00 watch selling for $87.00. I bought a few watches from China. Mixed results.  Great looking for the price, but the movements were unreliable junk. Quality control is not always high on the priority list. Some manufactures are now using Seiko movements and that is a big step up in quality, and reliable utility. 

Recently I'd been looking to replace my original issue US military field jacket. I enjoy the shopping hunt for things. But, a military field jacket like the bulletproof one as an original issue spec is sehr, sehr hard to find. The price spread is wide. Even a $225.00 M65 from a well known purveyor, Alpha Industries, is made in China. And, not 100% cotton like the original. [It's that cotton that gives it the patina and lived in shape.] Seems if you want to get top quality the going rate is at least double that. I buy clothing for utility, not to stash my fashion closet. At pushing $500.00 I'm not inclined to spring for it. Let's not splurge. And, even if you got bucks to burn. 

So here I see an ad for a military M65 field jacket on steep sale from $180.00 now $89.00; with an additional 10% discount for ordering another garment(s); a quilted Bomber Jacket marked down from $130.00 to $59.00. Not bad, $310.00 value for $130.00.

Caveat Emptor. It wasn't just the steep "going out of business" discount that was the only inducement. The website was listed with a seeming very proper identity "Carter & Miles Boston", which now shows up as "Willara Richmond" with an 80% anniversary sale. Both websites gushing with how they hold to high standards. 

This just in ... Now I'm seeing the same goods being sold under other store names. Going out of business; steep discount. Names that suggest proud family ownership. What is it that P.T. Barnum said about who is born every second?

Hey, China! You got sellers in your country acting like they're selling to idiots and dupes. In marketing there is a thing called "repeat purchase". Your not gonna sell again to a customer that didn't get their money's worth, or what was expected and promised. Seller/manufacturer reputation is a factor you know.

I imagined I was getting garments from some proper and venerable East Coast establishment. Admittedly, the nice photos of the pieces notwithstanding, there wasn't much information about details. Like type of fabric. And, no detail photos. The robust snaps like on the original field jacket in fact were cheesy, thin metal. 

Once I got the tracking information I realized the merchandise was coming from China. Not Boston. The website allusions to time honored family traditional values is a complete fabrication. There's a Willa Richmond like there's an Aunt Jemima, or a Betty Crocker. Fake name, and fake allusions to high quality standards. They even feature a lovely smiling photo image of a women [ostensibly Willa herself] with a young boy [son?]. 

Hey, China! Do you want to earn a reputation for being duplicitous? We got enough of that going on in geopolitics already. Play it straight! 

Okay, okay. There are bad Apples in every barrel. It's not like the whole country is a bunch of crooks. 

After waiting two weeks following very vague tracking information the garments arrived. When you use Amazon Prime you get used to top notch service and information. 

I sent the seller this message: 

I received my order #4837. Not at all satisfied with the items. I feel I got suckered in by the hefty discount. Even with the discount the clothes are not worth half the price. Low quality; poor, snug fit even at XXXL. In the parlance, I was "had". This sort of poor quality gives "Made In China" a bad name. I'm donating the garments to charity. Refund my purchase, please.

The garments weren't worth even a fraction of the discounted price. Cheesy upon cheesy.

They replied that they would process a refund, but the shipping back to China would also be expensive. [Not to mention the hassle of schlepping to get it done. Time is money.] Their compromise was to offer a refund of 15% of the purchase price. The main point about that I received shoddy goods did not get addressed. They can keep the 15%, I get to write about it. 

Note to sellers: You Customer Service is only as good as you train them to be. 

Shopping merchants from China is a bit of a "wild west" situation. Buyer beware. The marketplace will sort out the scammers in time. And, I do expect that, like as it went in Old Nippon, the ancient culture of the Chinese will shine forth and "Made in China" will become a mark of high quality. It's already happening, I just got burned by my own greed falling for a deal that was too good to be true.

Another thing. Foodstuffs from China. Make that from the Orient in general. I shop for staples for Chinese and Asian recipes. There are now a lot of stores in the United States catering to the Oriental market. It's going to be a while for things to sort out. So many different brands of packaged goods. With food, the sourcing and the processing is critical. Stick with the big brands. Pass items with tossed off names like "Lucky Boy" or "Double Happiness" or "Beautiful Horizon". Know your sources.

   

"𝑵𝒐 𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒆." — 𝐃𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐢 𝐋𝐚𝐦𝐚

 

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 ... 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐝

That Soup of the Seven Swords 

THE LEGEND

There's this thing about legends. At very least they tell a good story. Sometimes, whether true or not, there are lessons to be learned. We call them legends because nobody really knows for sure. We have legends which explicate the turn of history.

So, how come you ask there's that only one sword. It's there in the telling. Read on.

This one comes down from the time when the Eastern world was a patchwork of hard won immense tracts of land. Not even feudal. Just a top dog lording it over everyone else. Everything — the folks too — belonged to him. The rulers in each land conducted themselves with benevolent, but absolute authority. They were both loved, and feared. Hated, by some of their rivals in the other territories. Those seven lands weren't divvied up from the beginning. Countless wars and intrigues tell the complicated history of how things came to be.

Their days were mainly spent presiding directly over all matters of state. All matters. Obviously, the large issues; but nothing too small. The audience with the ruler went on from dawn to dusk, and on most days. They didn't divide their time like we do in weeks, months, and years. More in tune with the seasons. The light of day for business, night for enjoyments and rest. This was a latitude where there were distinct seasons. Hot to cold, and the in between periods; our spring and fall.

That time. It's a story in itself. But, now ... that pot of soup.

The clay pot was fashioned by hand, during the festivities, and in full view of the revelers.

Yes, festivities. Wherein the legend was born.

The story goes that the rulers of the seven dynasties were once invited to a once in a millennium festival. Who did the inviting and whose turf would it be at isn't at all clear as the story is handed down the centuries. 

Every millennium you may ask! Well, with so many centuries already under their belt, those ancient ones marked periods of time in a way we can't now even imagine. Oh, it was a big deal. Know it. Just that we don't have a reference for such historical spans. Or, such goings on.

Why the festivities, you may also ask? The same as was so — and is — for folks everywhere. You want to get to know your neighbors, see what they're up to, maybe make friends ... alliances, in this more geopolitical case. You want to show your stuff, of course. Make deals, trade stuff.

And, show they did.

Every rulership was represented. You didn't snub this gathering. Splendid and sumptuous treats of every sensory delight and description. Only the best. The very best. The whole beglory.

The condition of the invitation was simple. Seemingly. Each guest would bring a battle sword of such a quality as to represent the pinnacle skill of their finest artisans. 

Keep in mind, this was a time when things were done to traditional codes. Heck, if you apprenticed to a sword maker, you would spend years just cutting the wood blocks for the fire. It wasn't just a matter of getting the size and shape just so. It was more in the cultivation of the spiritual essence attributed to fully accepting and surrendering to the task at hand. Whether or not you would get to advance to the next stop — tending the fire — you had to truly, authentically, and deeply surrender that expectation. Then, maybe you might advance. Think about it. Not an easy trick. To not want what you want. Because, after all, is it really just all about fashioning a piece of metal? More so, about the fashioning of the soul.

It is said that even now with all our technical prowess, the quality of the crafting of swords such as those would not be even nearly possible. A lost art.

Even though the invitations specified that minimal requirement, you wouldn't want to go to a once in a millennium affair anything other than dressed your best.  And, they did indeed pull all the stops out. And, each in their own way. You see, not only were there seven territories, they were longstanding and large enough to have developed their own unique cultures. All of them together unified in the sense of that simplest existential fact that they all stood barefoot on the same planet Earth. We don't even know if they had a sense of "planet". And, if so, whether they had a notion about whether it was round, or flat. Or, maybe something else we haven't even imagined. Or, maybe it never occurred to them at all. We'll never know.

Besides the full retinue of their courts and gifts of the finest of things, each potentate brought animals and foodstuffs for the feast. Only the best. And, a large contingent of youths. The cream of their young. All virgins. At some point in the proceedings after the gifts were exchanged there would be dancing, with wild abandon, when those unspoiled innocents would be free to have their way with one another. Then, of course, it was everyone into the pool. 

It made Caligula look like a prudish prom chaperone at a tight laced girls country boarding school. You can fill in the details using your own imagination. The full spectacle will be captured at length in the movie version.  Suffice to say that, sunrise come, just a heap of slimy, sticky, stinky bodies. It was an all day clean up job, for a staff of hundreds. Slaves. Well, you wouldn't expect anyone else to deal with such and so! Slaves. No wonder you don't see any statuary from this historical period. Must've been some historical "cleansing" along the way.

There were nights upon days of feasting. Pretty much the same kind of orgiastic goings on as in the foregoing description. I could go into page upon page of detail. But, remember, this is about the soup. Go see the movie. Teaser: No particular evening's festivities even closely approximated the others. Clean slate every time. OMG!!!

Moving on.

You can't have soup unless you got a pot. That is a bit of wisdom that may be as old as the tale of that soup itself. 

The pot. Yes. Call it black.

The pot was large. Not so large to serve all the hundreds. No, silly. This pot was earmarked for the potentates themselves. Only. It was large. Hand fashioned in the coiled rope method. Worked up during the time of the festivities. It needed to be soft clay, for reasons which will become apparent soon, and shortly.

Once the pot was fashioned into its shape, all decorated and colored, each of the swords was brought forward and presented in no particular order in front of said pot. "Said" pot. Hah! As if. This was some pot! Big. So big you could bathe in it. 

Remember the clay was still soft. 

With great pomp and flair each sword would be thrust into the upper side wall of the pot. Entering obliquely on the outside, penetrating to the inner space, then exiting obliquely out the other side. The placement was set to keep each of the three pairs of the swords in parallel, but in a circular fashion to form a six sided hexagram when viewed from above.

So, what about the seventh sword? It would be used to stir the pot. And, maybe other things.

That last point is significant. The order of insertion and the relative placement of the swords piercing the uppermost portion of the pot was completely random. Did we mention that upon arrival each ruler relinquished his precious sword, and no one involved with the pot and the swords inserted into it knew who's would go where. Those fortunate ones who would eat the finished soup each would know which was theirs, for sure. That pot finished, resplendent and ready to serve, with their six swords locked into the hardened clay. The seventh perched on the lip, for to do the stirring. If you have ever served a large pot of soup you would know that you have to stir the entire contents to ensure serving a good proportion of the ingredients. In hash house lingo it's called a "heavy" bowl; i.e., lots of the chunky bits.

It's a wild and crazy bit of irony that the one chosen to insert said swords into the soft clay of the newly fashioned pot was the lowliest of the low from among the slaves. The nebbish. The nerd. The putz. The schlemiel. Get it? Kapishe Italiane?

We referred to them as fortunate! Them being the rulers of those seven lands. Well. You see, there was something else about that pot and those swords. We'll get to that momentarily.

The pot, all festooned with those exquisite instruments of death and dismemberment needed to be cured first to hard stone to make it fit to cook with. For this a huge fire was started under the pot and it burned slowly for days, curing the clay hard with its heat and blackening the outside like a piece of fine Pueblo pottery. And, like that Native American pottery, the pot was meticulously burnished with rare and precious stones first made smooth in running streams, then polished to high perfection from rubbing other fine pots over years upon years. You can guess that the one(s) designated to fashion the pot were also high craft artisans. No less distinguished than their sword crafter counterparts. 

You may want to know at this juncture ... Is it soup yet?

Yes. And, as you would expect, most delicious. Every one of the seven exalted ones ate to his [Sorry, it was a boys club in those days.] heart's content. After such a soup, nothing else could compare. There's a term handed down from that time ... "The Broth of Your Own Desire." It means that eating this concoction was so deeply soul satisfying you would just as well think you had died and gone to heaven. 

This is already too tediously long for most readers, so I won't go into the hours — days! — of preparation and the book length list of ingredients that went into this heady brew. Just to say that almost anything edible in the known world was in there; the secret was in the proportions. Closely held topmost secret of secret recipes, you better believe it. And, just like the other crafters mentioned previously, the cooks were at the zenith in their own profession as well.

Net, net. It was a nice bowl of soup.

Once the pot was finished to the last drop, the festivities moved along to the next level at an uptick pace.

Remember that the lords had no idea going in where their individual swords were placed in that pot until they entered the room for their slurpy repast. And, also remember that six of the seven swords were inextricably bonded to said pot.

Which leaves that seventh one. 

It is said that those who lord it over, they too must face being lorded over. So, it was. By sheer luck of the draw the guest whose sword was set aside for to the stirring of the soup pot had some hand. A hand on a sword, if you haven't figured that out by now.

Here is where the legend fades into a great many different versions. 

Some say that the owner of the seventh sword forthwith slayed all his rivals, thus becoming the so-called Big Cheese. (There was a Cheese(s!) course during the feastings, and it was something in itself.) 

What persists is a land unified to this present modern day. Yes, with provinces, but central rulership. 

We don't know if any of the others actually made it out alive or not. Just to say that the hand who holds the sword stirs the pot to his own tune. 

Besides the inclination that the high festive event of legend, and that soup and pot, were placed at an historically pivotal moment in world geo-cultural history and resulted in the unification of an entire multi-racial culture, we can only imagine what other watershed events it might have kindled. 

We do in our own time have something called the "Broth of Your Own Desire" and it's one tasty dish. And by dish, I use the term in its several possible meanings.

Also, it comes to mind, that old chestnut, "Hunger is the best sauce." It probably doesn't fit. 

So sue me.

Postscript:

Perhaps it has occurred to you to ask in all this pomp and ceremony just how does the selection of the swords go down? Some smokey, back room bargaining ... cajoling ... extreme persuasion? None of that. There was in that time a code of honor. Everything neat, sweet, and discreet. No  sub rosa mendacity.

Okay! Okay! So how about it?

There seems to be in the hidden hand of Divine Will a figure in history around whom the wheel of destiny is turned. Thinking back aways, there's that David boychick and his Goliath. 

"Sir, the enemy has an invincible giant, Goliath! No one in all the realms will go up against that insurmountable force! What can we do?"

"We'll there's that shepherd boy, David. He's so simple and unasuming, we'll send him to deal with Goliath. By the way, his aim is true." [Read that as "TRUE".] And, so you know the story. 

In the kitchen meanwhile, we're still wondering how the swords were selected. It seems there's always a "David" when one is needed. That kid peeling the Potatoes and Onions in the back room, that's the one they would choose. Someone said of him, "That boy knows his Onions". However, it wasn't also stated that that was all he knew. Dumb, or wise? You tell me. 

Anyhow, that's the way it went. The kid comes in and without any instruction is asked to select a sword from yon table. Blindfolded. One by one, until that fated seventh. Which he did.

And, so it goes.