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In 1624, John Donne-a cleric of the Church of England, Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral School and poet, wrote a prose piece entitled, "Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions". Within this lengthy work was a section called, "Meditations 17" which was transcribed into a poem titled: "No Man Is An Island". This poem deserves a read and consideration from generation to generation. Maybe now more than ever. I am including the verse for those who have never seen it before. These words are the spark which inspires this week's post: No man is an island, Entire of itself, Every man is a piece of the continent, A part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less. As well as if a promontory were. As well as if a manor of thy friend's Or of thine own were: Any man's death diminishes me, Because I am involved in mankind, And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee.   John Donne was considered to be a metaphysical poet, therefore you may read or interpret the word "death" to mean physical death or emotional or spiritual death. Some of you may bristle seeing the word "man" for human beings and "mankind" instead of humankind because you are internally policing speech that is not considered 'politically correct'. However you need to remember he was writing hundreds of years ago. His message also echoes the phrase I have spoken about and used before from the Lakota language..."Hau Mitakuye Oyasin" meaning "Peace, we are all related." There is a sense that is it easy to 'relate' to anyone who has access to the internet. The tech connection has provided the possibility of communication almost anywhere, anytime. But has the quality of communication improved? Are we really "involved in mankind" (or you can change it to "humankind" for those who insist on PC). Are we presenting an image of an image of involvement, but in reality we are more isolated than ever in our virtual island screens? We need a degree of detachment to be able to evaluate our quality of life and answer these serious questions. This past week there were reported tragic deaths in many different countries. The news announces physical deaths...but what of those who gave up hope? Who felt their spirit die a little more each day? What of those who followed as sheeple and shut down their minds and independent thinking? Does this type of death diminish us all? I believe it does. Although there are more devices in 2019 to connect to each other and more platforms to cyber chat, comment and communicate-there is concurrently more anxiety, addiction, withdrawal, depression and isolation in more societies than ever before. These conditions diminish our effectiveness as human beings. There are studies from the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, Switzerland, Finland and other nations which confirm this techtonic (my word) social shift: "People have a tendency to give precedence to others who aren’t present over people who are present. For example, a mother picking up her child from daycare may be texting her husband while putting her toddler’s coat on. Or a father at his son’s a hockey game may be checking email and miss his son’s goal or a teen may be tweeting on his phone at the breakfast table instead of interacting with his family." www.activebeat.com/your-health/women/5-ways-social-media-contributes-to-social-isolation/5/ Have you experienced this with your own loved ones? The time you might have with your spouse, children, partner, siblings, parents, friends is diminished when the phone is present. "I just have to take this....excuse me" becomes a common phrase which breaks off intimate moments and conversations. Glancing or staring at the phone instead of at your loved one's eyes sends the message-especially to children-that technology is more important, fascinating, interesting and engaging than they are. You are cut off from their virtual other world at those moments. Even the sounds of texting, messages and calls are Pavlovian and cause most people to automatically stop what they are doing and respond to the electronic reminders first. The sound cues for "notifications' from social media are designed to heighten your nervous system. Your serotonin/dopamine levels-the feel good neuro transmitters-change with the amount of time you spend on screens and thinking about your time and responses on screens. From one of a series of articles on this phenomenon, here is part of their findings: "We saw that small screen addiction alters dopamine and serotonin levels in the brain in the same way as addiction to narcotics, sugar, alcohol, pornography, etc. We also saw that from an addiction standpoint, apps such as Facebook, YouTube, SnapChat, Instagram and many others, may as well be drugs – because of their power to release dopamine in the brain and inhibit serotonin. And their power to get us hooked is just as strong as any drug." healthimpactnews.com/2018/breaking-smart-phone-addiction-raising-serotonin-in-the-brain/ You may not realize you are addicted but there are a number of signposts that are considered "classic" symptoms of screen/tech addiction. You can go through the checklist yourself and honestly assess if you are addicted or are in danger of addiction simply by the number of times you check your social media sites, your phone, Ipad, computer,apps in a 24 hour period. I realize I spend too much time checking on social media and have decided to waste less time and nip a possible addiction in the early stages. www.computerworld.com/article/3014439/internet/social-media-addiction-is-a-bigger-problem-than-you-think.html?page=2 Disengaging from social media is not as easy as signing on...you need to follow the steps written below and take some time to process and check the procedure is complete and effective. Below is proven advice you can find online but which I have edited for you all, to make it simpler. I am more than halfway through these steps as of today. I already have more time and less anxiety by not checking face hook and sometimes seeing the dangerous pursuits of my daughter and other loved ones in various realms.  FYI-Getting off face hook aka face book:
Go ahead, be brave and unhook from social media. Brush away as much of your digital footprint as possible. Don't be predictable, mix up your "profile" and delete any browsing history. It only takes a few minutes to change your settings. It takes less time than to brush your teeth. You need to cultivate these new habits in the age of tech invasiveness. Face your fears and anxiety if just the thought of being less visible online accelerates your heartbeat, causes you to perspire and/or have fantasies of disappearing. Also, never get "Alexa" or any of the spy devices branded as "smart appliances". They are gathering all your comments, storing your voice and creating your profile with a digital voice print then making AI(artificial intelligence) assumptions for your digital profile, and for all of your family and associates (links). You can never turn it off! I personally don't like visiting or house sitting for anyone with these devices set up in their home. Go outside to a park, lake, hiking trail, pool-somewhere there is less chance of being identified and under surveillance by "skynet" and "dragonfly" devices. (see my blog post: October 2, 2018 -Echelons-www.jopatti.com/blog/echelons) At the moment, I am on a naturally beautiful island. Yet, I look around and see so many people fixated on their screens, taking selfies, texting and surfing online...not in the actual waves of the undulating deep blue seas. What a pity...for them. Even having the sounds of water and the jungle are not enough for some folks, they have their ear buds in and are listening to some other sounds. The calls of the various birds, insects, palms and ferns rustling, thunder and children are invigorating to me. Yes, maybe I'm crazy to prefer the natural world. Life is so rich in sight, sound, motion and events in three dimensions. Ironically, I have to describe these to you in two dimensions. You will be reading this text on a screen no doubt. Let's hope we meet again, somewhere soon....in person-as we used to say, "in the flesh". I would like to have an actual face to face conversation, wouldn't you? Even hearing your voice on the phone is a step forward from this keyboard text chat. Unhook as soon as you are able-you'll soon see what you've been missing and you may find you have more time than you thought, for other worthy pursuits. From an island in Thailand....Chai yoh! (Cheers, good health- in Thai), Jo The song I chose for you this week is "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley - performed by the inimitable Andrea Motis for vocals and trumpet with the Joan Chamorro quartet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O00B76tfK7U
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Often, the concept of retreating and even the word 'retreat' brings to mind a negative image of moving backward, losing ground or escaping. However "to retreat" may also mean to move to another position to re-group in order to be better able to "fight another day". The word 'retreat' also means to hide away, sequester oneself, to withdraw from one's usual life, work and society to contemplate, study, re-direct oneself or heal.  There are different types of retreats in all parts of the world and some categories of "retreats" have become lucrative businesses. More people with disposable income who have few responsibilities are finding ways to travel and take a break in the shelter of various theme oriented retreat programs and holidays. Over the last decade the emergence of Yoga retreats in many less expensive parts of Asia has made it possible for people of all ages to participate. The countries benefiting from this type of tourism are India, Nepal, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines and of course, Thailand. Remarkably, Iran is now aggressively marketing their Yoga and "Eco retreats" at about $100.00 a day on a number of sites: www.tourradar.com/i/asia-yoga-retreats While for thousands of years there have been places which hosted spiritual retreats or meditation retreats based on all the world's major religions, these past decades a secular or mixed approach to retreats, has resulted in a 'retreat business' which is often just a fitness based holiday with some "classes" and generic guided meditations combined. Yet, these are very popular especially if western style comforts and amenities are added to the facilities. You can find Yoga retreats with all sorts of themes, too. Examples of existing retreats include: "recovering from bad break ups retreat" and "women only retreats" or "detox retreats" and so on. These retreats offer different 'packages' and there are retreats for almost every budget including 'luxury' and 'luxurious' retreats. www.glamour.com/story/check-out-breakup-bootcamp https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-advice/travellers-stories/i-went-to-a-detox-retreat-in-thailand-and-this-is-what-it-was-like/news-story/1684ab34a9a9c284dada363517fc4a32 Retreats attract people from most parts of the world and the international language in Asia is more English than Mandarin Chinese. Climate and location are quite important therefore warm, mild weather, access to various means of reliable transport as well as consistent hi speed internet connections are important factors for a sustainable, year round retreat business. Yoga involves lots of stretching and maintaining postures which are easier on the body in warm rather than cold climates. This is why I chose Thailand for the first package retreat of my life. What initially was a frustrating situation of having to leave Henan, China due to visa restrictions as well as the training center school shutting down for winter holidays (information they don't provide on their website); soon evolved into a new adventure possibility. I decided to embark on a journey to a country I had never really visited before; since I don't include flying into an airport and flying out again an actual 'visit' to a country. My retreat would be to the "Land of Smiles"  Oh, some of you may be thinking...these are not the smiles I usually associate with Thailand...because these are older women. Yes, very sadly for Thailand, thousands of people come to Thailand every month for their own sex and debauch retreat since the "Land of Smiles" is also the "Land of Sleaze" and Thailand's beautiful children, beautiful scenery and nefarious criminal networks combine to make the Golden Triangle area a hell on earth for those trafficked, imprisoned in the life of a sex worker slave, taken away from their families or sold to be a "product" or "package". January is officially National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month in the USA. However much of the human trafficking and sex worker networks are international. It is worth bringing this to your attention if you don't already know. Hoping you will 'Join the Fight' against such terrible crimes and injustice-especially against children. Read the links below to start your search about the problem: www.ibtimes.co.uk/top-five-countries-highest-rates-child-prostitution-1435448 www.endslaverynow.org/blog/articles/history-of-prostitution-and-sex-trafficking-in-thailand www.dhs.gov/blog/2017/01/03/january-national-slavery-and-human-trafficking-prevention-month-join-fight This crime is a scourge on all of humanity! Pedophilia, child rape, child kidnapping, child torture, child exploitation in all forms...is never not a crime. While we may be "on retreat" or vacation in different parts of the world as well as in the North America, it doesn't mean we can turn a blind eye to this crime or excuse those we know among our family and friends who participate in "sex tourism" at home or abroad. neonnettle.com/features/1602-under-obama-us-became-world-s-number-1-for-sex-trafficking-and-pedophilia Most people do not know that it is documented that under the Obama Administration, over his eight years in office, the USA became the #1 destination for child sex trafficking and child sex slavery in the world. www.dailywire.com/news/14176/sex-trafficking-arrests-soar-under-trump-msm-joseph-curl Only under the current administration has progress finally been made over the past two years, in terms of arrests, enforcement of existing laws and sincere efforts to secure the borders-where these children are brought into the USA. (see links below) You can help the fight against child sex trafficking and abuse in your own country if you choose to be brave and open your eyes, ears and mouth. There are people to contact who are professionals and who need and appreciate any information you might have concerning possible criminals and criminal acts. At present the independent organizations which remain small, effective and accountable are the best channel for information and can connect to databases for digital interface and possible tracking and re-uniting of trafficked children back to their families or to agencies which will truly support them with counseling, education and safe shelter. By being silent you are being complicit in the worst crime against humanity...against children...even if it is not in your own country. Here are links to organizations which are credible and independent of government:
There are numerous non government organisations (NGOs) in Thailand, and working in Thailand against child trafficking for sex and other industry work which exploits children. You do have to be careful the NGO is actually legitimate and not using money for other purposes or worse not taking in vulnerable children only to use and 'disappear' them again. Instead of the "See Something, Say Something" course of action, I would recommend if you see something suspicious...1) try and record it surreptitiously and 2) send the "evidence" to those who know how to handle the information responsibly. 3) Do not send the photos/videos directly from your own phone however, download them and try to send from another computer without your direct IP address-just for your own protection. FYI: The UN and UNICEF programs are not to be trusted. I have witnessed first hand UN workers bragging about being able to procure "very young" children for "escorts" in a number of countries. There have been documented cases in a number of countries of supervisory UN officials and UNICEF program managers involved in child and sexual abuse. Incredible as it may seem, often the whistle blowers on these crimes were prosecuted and not the United Nations officials. www.thenewamerican.com/world-news/europe/item/28313-un-exposed-as-haven-for-child-rapists-more-scandals-coming The child sex trafficking problem is endemic in Thailand and much of South East Asia. The criminal networks processing and transiting children from other countries to Thailand and neighboring countries is increasing. Children, tragically can be ordered, traded and bought on the dark net. Children from Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, the Middle East and North America are "ordered" then "transferred" to Thailand. Sometimes the internet has children "for sale" under codes i.e. labeling different ethnicities, ages and genders by substituting the word child. Branding children as different animals, fruits, food types-disguises the real "products". "According to the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, numbers of foreign children being trafficked to Thailand for sexual exploitation is on the increase. They are trafficked from neighbouring countries such as Cambodia, China (Yunnan Province), Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam while Thai children are trafficked into sex businesses abroad, such as in Japan and Australia, via Malaysia and Hong Kong. For internal trafficking, the majority of the trafficked victims are hill tribe girls aged around 12 to 16 years old from the north and northeastern part of the country. They are usually sent to closed brothels, which operate under prison-like conditions. Women and children, mainly from Thailand, are trafficked to countries in the Middle East such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to be prostitutes or brides." www.ecpat.org/wp-content/uploads/legacy/Factsheet_Thailand.pdf  While you may decide you need a retreat and go to another location to refresh, re-focus and heal, I write this post to remind you not to retreat entirely from being situationally aware, or from continuing to be alert and ready to respond when (and if) you see this scourge happening, or suspect a child is in danger. While the month of January is highlighted by the US government and NGOs working in this field, every day children are affected by this crime and "industry". Those who are vulnerable, weak and unprotected need the help, assistance and vigilance of those who are stronger, capable and compassionate...always.
For those of you who would like to know more, and would like to do more-I recommend watching the powerful documentary about Operation Cathedral which took down an international pedophile ring called the Wonderland Club. "Wonderland" is a BBC documentary made almost two decades ago and sadly is tame compared to what is happening for "skin trade" in children presently. You need a strong stomach and heart to watch this, but it will open your eyes: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcsITzVKrNQ I have also included the video "To Catch a Paedophile-Program 1" from the UK, in the links below for those interested in cyber law enforcement strategies for combating these crimes. Since I am staying with people from many countries but hosted by a group of enterprising Israelis, I will include a musical version of Psalm 27 in the original Hebrew. You need extra protection when you decide to be a warrior of light. Shalom and enjoy: www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMZkqhZFVqc From an island in Thailand, Jo REFERENCES: thepoliticalinsider.com/human-trafficking-arrests-surge/ www.heraldcourier.com/opinion/child-abuse-arrests-are-trump-s-uncelebrated-deed/article_3eca6c9b-3805-5648-ab4b-4721c92f19cf.html www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-04-17/un-child-abuse-scandal-latest-history-sex-crimes-committed-officials-peacekeepers www.whistleblower.org/international-whistleblower-rights/ www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/18/un-whistleblower-who-exposed-sexual-abuse-by-peacekeepers-is-exonerated To Catch a Paedophile-Programme1 www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUCVdL5ZNrM  This past week, someone considerably younger asked me earnestly, "What is the basis for your personal and professional decisions? Have these changed as your life and work progressed? How do you know you need to change your framework for decision making?" There are many social science theories devoted to this topic, but I am synthesizing my personal tools to address these Important questions. I offer my personal perspective. In doing so I share a few examples from different cultural contexts which could be useful to you in my post this week. A few readers tease me about writing the "War and Peace" versions of a blog post-I am trying to preserve the depth of analysis and the contemporary penchant for concise, short reads. As always, links will be included if you wish to search further on this topic. My personal foundation for making decisions of consequence involves first establishing who will be affected by my decision: My immediate family/loved ones? My work colleagues? My friends? The wider community? My future employer(s)? My community? What is the timeline for making this decision? Are finances involved? (output/input/timeline) Most important is if the decision I make meets my personal criteria of being 1) ethical 2) practical 3) essential 4) has few or no harmful consequences Recently reaching an actual decision, even for assigning simple tasks such as "who cleans the training hall?" may be arrived at very differently in the East than in the West. In societies where the 'communal' interest is supposed to be paramount and where taking individual initiative or asking questions is discouraged, many more steps in decision making may be involved and consensus arrived at before a 'final decision' is implemented. This all takes time. Time may be a crucial factor in decision making, especially in a work situation. Yet, time too, is assessed and valued differently in different cultures and societies. 'Later' in some countries can mean the same day, in others the same month. In Australia the phrase "back in a tic" could mean minutes, hours or days. While honesty and truth are considered important and even integral (in theory anyway) in American society, "saving face" and "creating harmony" are often the paramount concerns in other societies. They don't consider omitting or "changing" the facts to be deceitful in the same way many western societies do. People in most countries selling a service or product will often "tell you what you what to hear as a customer/client" even if they know it is not true. Do you decide to reveal the truth, going against the common practice when you are not in your home country? A challenging dilemma, especially if you are in a position where you are responsible for others and not just yourself. For example: needing accurate information such as when electricity will be available in sub zero weather-rather than reporting that it will not be available for at least 48 hours, people will tell you…'soon' but if you knew it would be at least another 48 hours, you could plan accordingly with your team rather than "hope" the electricity will come back on in a few hours…you get the idea. You can also reflect if you have made decisions that violated your own "code" because you knew it would further your position, career, relationship. There really is no such phenomenon as a "white lie" no matter how much it may be justified. If you do not have your own "code" yet, I urge you to define and refine one. It will serve as a compass for the most difficult and emotionally laden decisions. Do you include others in your decision making by seeking out information from people who may have conflicting points of view or minimal investment in the outcome? I found working in the Middle East, especially in both Israel and Iraq, everyone seemed to have an opinion on any publicly announced problem or even if they overheard a discussion concerning a possible decision; whereas in Malaysia or China people were reticent about jumping into a discussion unless asked and even then they would often defer to my point of view or decision as part of being polite, or they would remain mute. I would also remain silent in certain countries (Siberia, Russia is one example) if I didn't agree and adjusted my conduct once I perceived the unwritten codes of conduct required decisions based on power and not cooperation. When expertise and skills are needed in urgent situations in order to make an "informed decision" it is best to be realistic about your own abilities, experience and training. I have changed my approach to urgent decision making depending on the situation I may be confronted with. I often held back in the past, even in an emergency/crisis or didn't express a dissenting viewpoint for fear of being "dismissed" or being held responsible if my decision resulted in more serious problems, consequences which would be "on my shoulders". In family situations I would bury my code at times...for the sake of "peace". Never a wise long term compromise. Now, with more experience I am able to discern (most of the time) if I should press forward. There is an element of "gut feeling" and even "Divine guidance" in life and death situations and decision making is often done within nanoseconds. As I get older I worry less what people "will think" and try do make a decision based on what I know/feel is right, appropriate and essential for the situation. Knowing the basis, the personnel involved in making decisions which you are involved with, or may have to implement-is a vital component to following on with those decisions which affect you and others. Did this person have all the information necessary to make this decision, do the decision makers have known biases, are the supervisors passing on a decision designed to make them look good but which will have a deleterious effect soon after on the rest of the team? Is your supervisor forced to carry out a decision they do not agree with? These are all dilemmas you need to be aware of before complying. When you are responsible for a number of others, decision making dilemmas and consequences increase exponentially. Case in point, the dilemma of building a protective barrier, fence or wall…just around your own home, school, clinic...let alone along an entire border? As a point of reference, even at a martial arts training center in Henan, they have built surrounding walls, installed electronic surveillance cameras, guards and an electrified gate 24/7. This is up in the hills away from any major routes or towns. Though there are many capable martial artists inside, they feel their own people and property are precious enough to invest in material protection. Some countries call these "peace lines" They made the decision years ago to draw clear boundaries. (see link below)  There has been an invasive narrative for a number of decades which has pervaded much of western society. The narrative preaches 'flexibility', 'openness' and 'no borders', no need for boundaries...everything can be negotiated, justified. Strong stances based on ancient principles* are discouraged. There is little tolerance for 'traditional' mores or time devoted to collaborating on a shared foundation and understanding of "ethics". In fact, there is a dismissal and denial of facts as the basis for some decisions resulting in confusion, inconsistency, error and worse repercussions for those affected by such primal decisions as: which gender will a child/adult be?!
"The idea of religion (as in love for and a sense of belonging to something bigger than oneself) has been killed and supplanted with narcissism and an idolatry of power and wealth, aesthetic values degraded, history rewritten, science erected as a dehumanising idol, traditional values denounced and disgraced, instead of updated and bettered. And now there is a push to eliminate as well the connection with the natural order of things, with trans-activism suggesting that the biological reality that has made our species one of the most successful, is somehow product of a power struggle, an imposition by a group of bigoted and reactionary elements unable to understand that individuals can freely decide their biological configuration. The result is of course total disorientation. The Shock doctrine applied to the social sphere." E. Michael Jones Yes, dear readers-stay strong. Remain focused and review your personal code. The decisions you make today will and do affect you and others...tomorrow. Until next week, Jo A little music and levity as a postscript. From "The Clash" the song, "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" on their album COMBAT ROCK (1983) go ahead, decide to listen: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrdPTQV9wl4 REFERENCES: www.decision-making-solutions.com/decision-making-theories.html www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3205724/How-65-countries-erected-security-walls-borders.html off-guardian.org/2018/01/26/synanon-the-brainwashing-game-and-modern-transgender-activism-the-orwellian-implications-of-transgender-politics/ taskandpurpose.com/military-promotion-seeking-decision-making?utm_campaign=RebelAlerts&utm_medium=email&utm_source=RebelAlerts-taskandpurpose  Painting entitled: "Pandora" by Walter Crane 1885 British artist 1845-1915 Are you curious about what this post will cover this week? I hope so. In the west we are often brought up on stories reporting the hazards of following up on our curiosity. We have phrases from these such as... "Remember curiosity killed the cat" and "That's opening Pandora's box!" or Pascal's "Curiosity is only vanity." Thomas Hobbes, "Curiosity is lust of the mind." and Dorothy Parker's, "The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity;" are cautionary expressions. We do have more recent phrases to encourage curiosity, such as Dr. Linus Pauling's "Satisfaction of one's curiosity is one of the greatest sources of happiness in life." or Dr. Madam Marie Curie's advice: "Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas." Often we explain a question or action by saying we are "just curious" as if this is nothing of real consequence. The question we need to be asking is "who is curious and why?" While our privacy is being invaded continually, we keep letting ourselves, our families, our friends and associates be "harvested" for our meta data yet we don't seem to push back. Why not? We should be asking for the motives, agenda, measures to ensure encryption of our data, ways to delete/erase our data, (ultimately there must be a way to actually delete posts, digital records, etc. even if it is not widely known). This should be a double edged sword. We need to question almost everything these days since so much of what has been disseminated in all fields of human endeavor has proved to be "false", unverifiable, based on personal prejudices, theories, commercial interests. The only way to grow past these shaky foundations is to be curious and to relentlessly question and encourage civil inquiry. This is what is supposed to be promoted in a "free" society. One big tech CEO, Tim Cook of Apple, stated before a meeting of the European Union in Brussels: "Our own information, from the everyday to the deeply personal, is being weaponized against us with military efficiency,... the trade in personal information has exploded into a data industrial complex. (DIC)" The DIC is certainly curious about "you", aren't you curious about them yet? They are using "Weapons of Mass Surveillance" (WMS) and connecting the globe with Military Industrial Complex (MIC) giant corporation's inventions, such as "EVIDENT" sold by BAE Corporation and distributed to other subsidiaries and governments around the planet. "UK defence giant BAE Systems has reportedly sold and exported powerful cyber-surveillance technology, including sophisticated decryption software, to known governments and repressive regimes {Saudi Arabia, Morocco, UAE, Qatar, Algeria, Oman} around the world, a year-long investigation by the BBC has revealed. The probe focused on a Danish tech company called ETI, bought and incorporated into BAE Systems' Applied Intelligence unit in 2011. Before the acquisition, ETI developed software known as "EVIDENT", a mass surveillance and interception system." www.ibtimes.co.uk/bae-systems-sold-powerful-spy-technology-repressive-regimes-across-middle-east-1626390 This "system" is supposedly only for use in criminal and anti terror investigations, but has been used to target human rights activists, journalists, women questioning government laws (such as KSA's restriction on women driving) questioning and even joking about their leaders. Arrests, abductions, torture, imprisonment without trial, and murder have already been the result in a number of countries with this program. It is evident that "EVIDENT" is used as a weapon in the mass and target surveillance arsenal by governments who have little in common with the democratic rule of law or "ethical" principles of the countries who sold these "tools" to them via companies who have bases in "free western" countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark and the USA. BAE is also involved in Project Dragonfly but with a whole different use. (see link and excerpt below).  One outstanding individual who is expanding the bounds of curiosity in science is Dr. Rupert Sheldrake. He has eight books published and over 80 scientific articles; but his The Science Delusion: Freeing the Spirit of Enquiry (2012) published in the USA as Science Set Free (2012) Winner of the Book of the Year Award from the British Scientific and Medical Network, is to date his most revolutionary writing. Unfortunately the ideas and questions posed in this work has caused him great personal difficulty from various organizations and colleagues around the world. He is/was treated by many like the "heretic" Galileo Galilei was by the Catholic church in the 1600s in Italy. Dr. Rupert Sheldrake's TedTalk was banned and taken off the internet. However, it was recently uploaded again. I have included the link here since it is one of the most provocative talks about fundamental ideas in physics and the process of "scientific investigation" and "intellectual phase locking" i.e. making stuff up (MSU). Watch/listen to the links below for a truly stimulating talk. Compared to so much rubbish on TedTalks permitted to remain on their net site, it is evident Dr. Sheldrake, his logic, facts and curiosity are being targeted. But he is fighting back. Also have a look where he is standing and his feet-he has a great sense of humor. First link is his bio: https://www.sheldrake.org/about-rupert-sheldrake/biography TedTalk by Dr. Rupert Sheldrake banned as being "disruptive". Please watch and pass on: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKHUaNAxsTg One of the most aggressive examples of a government which has weaponized curiosity in a negative sense, is China. Their government is "curious" about everything it's own citizens and citizens of other countries in the world are doing, buying, writing, planning, saying and saving. They are gathering, analyzing and storing any information they cull through the spread of their communications company Huawei. Huawei's "smart phones" are actually "spy phones" culling data. They have a sophisticated system of mass surveillance and they make it known...proudly. "The new superfast 5G networks, which are 100 times faster than 4G, will literally run the world of the future. Everything from smartphones to smart cities, from self-driving vehicles to, yes, even weapons systems, will be under their control. Huawei has reportedly secured more than 25 commercial contracts for 5G, but has been locked out of an increasing number of countries around the world because of spying concerns. Whoever controls the 5G networks will control the world — or at least large parts of it." drudgenow.com/article/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fnypost.com%2F2018%2F12%2F22%2Fhow-arrest-of-chinese-princess-exposes-regimes-world-domination-plot%2F "China’s government has long used all the resources at its disposal to keep track of its people and stifle dissent. Spies and wiretaps of the early communist era have been followed by high-tech surveillance of China’s internet and social media." www.reuters.com/article/wu-apps-china-commentary/commentary-chinas-big-brother-tech-gives-surveillance-new-reach-idUSKBN1CL29A I wrote about the "evils" of Google corporation programs "Dragonfly" and "Skynet" on my post of October 2, 2018. Google created and sold these programs to China. This country is the beta test...want to guess which countries are next?! https://www.jopatti.com/blog/echelons "This facial recognition technology – ominously named Sky Net – can already scan China’s entire population in just 1 second flat. Theoretically, it can also scan all the people on the entire planet, at an accuracy rate of up to 99.8%, in just 2 seconds." One could speculate that China's recent space efforts in landing a probe on the far side of the moon means they will have a unique vantage point from outside our planet as well. China's president has an ever expansive sense of curiosity. China’s current president, Xi Jinping, who was recently gifted with indefinite rule, has two well-known dreams: vpnpro.com/blog/dystopia-now-chinas-total-surveillance-state/
Who decides who is "disruptive" and what that word actually means in terms of social, political and criminal behavior, is the crucial point in interpretation of the "law" in China. The analysts who characterize a person or the AI who algorithm a "disrupter" often do so just with the meta data gained from your "smart" phone. Truly this psyops tactic to brand it "smart" when it would be more accurately labeled a "spy phone", has fooled most into acquiring them and uploading all their personal data as soon as possible. Watch this report from 2017, which BBC did on a similar system sold to the UAE and other Gulf States: " How BAE sold cyber-surveillance tools to Arab states" - BBC News www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7eT-FboQIk The consequences of being put into a "profile" as a "disrupter" can be severe. Already certain investigative journalists have had their jobs terminated, their ability to move, take transport, rent apartments, obtain a credit card or a bank loan denied. Their websites, social media platforms and youtube channels have been "de-platformed" and erased. Their family and friends have distanced themselves out of self preservation and they have been "isolated" and dis-empowered by digital tools. They have also been made examples of to the wider society. The lesson is evident. 'Go against the prevailing government or corporations and their leaders, and your livelihood, your social life, your mobility and your "freedoms" will be "deleted". They don't even have to arrest you or put you in prison. This is punishment enough to deter most from taking the first steps to investigate wrongdoing, to ask questions or to even make jokes about those in power positions. www.businessinsider.com/china-social-credit-system-punishments-and-rewards-explained-2018-4/ There is another lesson and warning here for us. Aren't you curious enough to know what it is?  Elder Shaolin monk in Henan province using a "smart phone" aka a "spy phone" up in the mountains. Until next week, keep watch over the watchers whenever you can.
From the hills of Henan in winter, Jo REFERENCES: www.janes.com/article/85541/bae-systems-looks-to-introduce-ai-decision-support-into-naval-combat-systems BAE Systems’ Naval Ships – Combat Systems business is exploring the application of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques into its INTeACT family of surface ship combat management systems (CMS) as part of a wider innovation activity known as Project Dragonfly. MonsterMind - unlike similar schemes that have existed for many years now - "would also be capable to fire back at such attacks without any human intervention" Snowden said in an extended interview with Wired’s writer James Bamford. The new defense program, Snowden warned, could unintentionally cause serious diplomatic incidents, because many cyberattacks are routed through computers in countries that are not aware of their involvement. That means that a retaliation strike launched by the US system could lead to a conflict with the nation where the machines used by adversaries are located. “These attacks can be spoofed,” Snowden said. “You could have someone sitting in China, for example, making it appear that one of these attacks is originating in Russia. And then we end up shooting back at a Russian hospital. What happens next?” www.rt.com/news/180096-monster-mind-snowden-nsa/ The types of human beings who feel they must climb in the mountains, are not your usual (some may even say not your "normal") kinds of people yet their feats inspire, motivate and even awe many other human beings. Why is this? As this western calculated year of 2018 comes to a close and the first day of 2019 rises, I am reminded of my daughter's birth and of how my once husband, Martin Walter Schmidt aka Marty, a mountain guide, almost didn't make it back from Aoraki/Mount Cook in New Zealand, in time for the birth of our second child. He was in the southern alps when my labour started in Napier, without him. Down from the mountain with his client, he finally drove us to the hospital on the hill where I was rushed into the operating room after a heated argument with the doctor on call, who was inebriated - it was New Year's eve. My usual doctor was off for the night and unreachable since he had turned off his pager. There were no cell phones in 1990. Our daughter, Sequoia, was born at 6:06 am on the east coast of New Zealand on January 1, 1991. My husband went to get our son, who was only 2 years old at the time, and finally we were four together on that New Year's day. This was only for about a week before my husband went off again climbing on another mountain range. He had done the same about a week after our first child, our son Denali was born in April 1988; that time he left to guide on Mt. Denali (formerly Mt. McKinley) in Alaska, North America. It was my idea when I was pregnant to give the name "Denali" to our first child and we discussed our second child's name well in advance of her birth. The mountains Marty sought were almost always on another continent, but our lives revolved around the different seasons for climbing the world's highest mountains. All our life schedules were constructed around climbing seasons in the southern and northern hemispheres. We had training elements in and about our homes, and sheds full of equipment every place we lived. Marty also stashed gear in various other places on his travels. The mountains and clients called from various points on our planet and my husband responded with enthusiasm. It is very hard on any family to have a major partner gone most of the time. Once our son, Denali drew and colored a picture of mountains with no peaks. When I asked him why, he answered, "So Dad won't have to go to the mountains to summit." He already knew what the word "summit" meant at four years old. Sharing some photos from our family life over the decades. Please do not copy or share without permission. Thank you. Their father, Marty, had his passion for climbing in the high mountains since he was a teenager and it carried him into joining the United States Air Force (USAF) and training as a Pararescueman (PJ) in their Special Operations unit. He learned skills in the military he used throughout his life. For him, the military was a step on his path to being his own boss, having his own guiding company and being in the mountains as often as possible. He called it "the vertical plane" and there he was most content. He was happier and saner there than anyplace else, including with his family. That's just how he was and a number of "Mountain men", mountaineers and mountain guides are. They are a unique breed and beast. They are often not as content, adept or comfortable out of the mountains on the "horizontal plane". It was after climbing Mt. Shasta in California together in 1987, Marty first asked me to marry him and then again after climbing Mt. Whitney. I love hiking in beautiful natural landscapes and cross country skiing, but not alpinism or high altitude. People who guide in the highest mountains need to be able to work in altitude and bear the cold along with having a passion for this work. Unfortunately over the years, the profession of mountain guiding and the extreme "sport" adventure of high peak climbing became more and more commercial with pressures and competition to get "sponsors", media coverage and clients. Companies and governments raised permit prices seeking to capitalize on guiding businesses and the guides themselves. Safety was often compromised for possible celebrity status notoriety, book and movie deals, speaking engagements. Cases in point: the high profile expeditions of Mt. Everest in 1996; the terrible Khumbu ice fall affecting so many Nepalese sherpas supporting the National Geographic expedition filming on Everest, in 2014. www.outsideonline.com/1924596/everests-darkest-year The sherpa community was especially grieved after a number of their relatives bodies were not able to be recovered. "Tenzing Chottar’s body was never found, causing serious distress to his family in Ylajung, since that meant his soul might be wandering lost." A large percentage of western mountain guides were once in their respective country's military and often in special forces units. Mountaineers Adrian Hayes (UK) and Mike Horn (South Africa/Switzerland) come to mind. This is not surprising as the thrill of camaraderie under challenging circumstances, making life and death decisions and coping with the unpredictable events in nature as well as constant danger in the higher mountains; is not that far removed from their life and jobs in the military when they were young men. I have spoken to a few spouses of sailors and "Men of the Sea" and it seems they are much the same. They prefer not being on 'dry land'. There are other ways to approach mountains from people who have been part of the mountain landscape and respect their environment differently. Communities who have lived in the high Himalayas on the Nepalese side, in the mountains of Peru, or the Norwegian ranges above Hardanger Fijord, around Borneo's Mt. Kinabulu or here in China-the five "Taoist" mountains; see the mountains as alive. They do not feel a need to conquer a mountain and are taught to respect these tall creations of nature and the spirits within their realm. One does not approach these places without asking permission and heeding the answer. For example here in China throughout most of it's history "The mountain (Tai Shan) is: "considered a deity itself and has been venerated by the Chinese as their most sacred peak since at least the third millennium BC. The emperors of ancient China regarded Tai Shan as the actual son of the Emperor of Heaven, from whom they received their own authority to rule the people. The mountain functioned as a God who looked after the affairs of humans and who also acted as a communication channel for humans to speak to God." sacredsites.com/asia/china/sacred_mountains.html Although the idea that all beings and all nature resonate in morphic fields and have a "consciousness" and even have a "memory" may seem radical to western raised and western thinking people, these concepts have been part of ancient cultures and religions in the East for thousands of years. One scientist who has been working to show and "verify" these different fields and consciousness is Dr. Rupert Sheldrake, who has lived and worked in both western and eastern countries and cultures. In a recent interview on the show, "Buddha at the Gas Pump", he explains these ideas and his hypotheses. You can watch it in English at this link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fzkMXoC8hQ Buddhist countries have special ceremonies for any climber or climbing teams about to attempt to summit and return safely. This is called a "puja", a sanskrit word. A puja is a ceremony in which meditation, prayers are offered to the Buddhas and 'holy beings' to request their blessings or help. Traditionally in a monastery monks and nuns perform prayers for the long life, health and success of their teachers, friends, benefactors, all living beings, and for world peace. Pujas are performed to avert or clear three kinds of obstacles: worldly, inner and secret obstacles; conditions which prevent us from achieving our worldly and spiritual goals. The puja ceremony takes place at base camp before the team climbs higher on the mountain. Before every climb the Sherpa perform this prayer ceremony to bless the team, climbing gear, skis and even the food. The ceremony involves much prayer, chanting and drum beating, and offerings of juniper smoke, food and drink. www.usaf7summits.com/blog/2013/04/15/15-apr-puja-ceremony/ Earlier in Marty's life he was very diligent about performing "puja" before his climbs in any country where it was the tradition. He seemed to understand and believe in the importance of respecting the spiritual aspect of the landscape and land forms he was going to tread upon and dutifully fulfilled rituals, prayers, karakias before he began his trek, climb or expedition. I don't know if this was the case later in his life when we were no longer together. However, I was told by another climber on K 2 the summer of 2013, that for some reason Marty did not perform "puja" with them nor did he bring Denali to be part of that ceremony. Marty did not ask for a blessing and permission from those mountains. A serious breach of spiritual protocol in that community and for the sherpas supporting their team. No one can know exactly what combination of natural forces, human decision making error, equipment failure, divine intervention or "destiny" determined the tragic fate of my son at only 25 years old, to perish on the Himalayan mountain of K2. The sherpas had warned them not to go up that day and everyone else turned around. Only Marty chose to trudge onward to a mountain peak he had tried to summit twice before in his life. Our son, Denali would not let his father go on alone, especially knowing the ailments he had in his fifty-three year old body and how much it meant to his father. Denali loved both his parents and to most people he met in his short life he was a "light". He led the way though he had never been up in those mountains before, and he died there or as some look at it..."the mountain took them into it's icy embrace" on July 28, 2013 (officially on the death certificate). The mountain has not "released" their bodies yet so we do not know exactly what happened, if they were together or if one had fallen first and so on. I keep asking God to let us know finally, but perhaps the way they died will remain a secret. The mountains and that particular mountain, K2 holds many secrets and corpses. This can (and in my opinion) should be viewed as a cautionary tale on many levels. I just hope people will read, listen and learn from this true story. It is worth repeating.  Yuntai Mountain in winter, Henan province, China Finishing this post with two links. One is actual footage from the K2 base camp after the attempted rescue of three Iranian climbers on Broad Peak my son, his father and Mike Horn tried in July, 2013. It includes the placques left in Pakistan for Denali and Marty at K2 base camp after their death. This video from Adrian Hayes is mostly about his feat of climbing K2 the next year in 2014, and achieving his goals there. It has vivid photography of that mountain in addition to a glimpse of the puja in 2014, before his second attempt. Worth watching. www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jJbyh3NqOY
The second link is a beautiful compilation of mountain scenery-not just peaks- from around the world put to the music of Vangelis. It's title, "Ask the Mountains", inspired mine this first day of January 2019. www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zUEKI_mvV4 Today is my daughter's birthday. I am especially grateful for her safe return from yet another climb, this time in the southern alps of New Zealand /Te Waipounamu before she heads out next month to Argentina to climb. Yes, more than thirty years on my life is still oriented to the world's climbing seasons since my only remaining child has chosen to pursue paths in the mountains and in the sky in both hemispheres. It is better sometimes, that I don't watch her various feats in person or on screens or tell her of my prescient dreams. Happy New Year to you and yours wherever you may be.... From Henan in winter, Jo |
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