“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
Pablo Picasso

What is the significance of a name? Most of us do not take the opportunity to officially change our name outside of traditional legal events, such as a marriage related event. Charles Philip Arthur George has made the easiest choice to keep his first name as his new official name as King of . Since it has been used by previous monarchs the King Charles III.

We are normally subjected to a news media blackout concerning what our main global political rivals have to say. So it's sort of refreshing when anything at all is allowed through the corporate media censors.

“The pandemic has been replaced by new challenges of a global nature, carrying a threat to the whole world, I’m talking about the sanctions rush in the West and the West’s blatantly aggressive attempts to impose their modus vivendi on other countries, to take away their sovereignty, to submit them to their will,” Putin told delegates at Russia’s Eastern Economic Forum in the port city of Vladivostok on Russia’s Pacific coast.

“The high level of industrial development in Europe, the standard of living, social and economic stability — all of this is being thrown onto the fire of sanctions,” he added.

“They are being wasted on orders from Washington in the name of so-called Euro-Atlantic unity. Though in reality, they are basically being sacrificed in the name of preserving the U.S. dictatorship in global affairs,” Putin said.

Hmmm. Yeah, that sounds about right. I can't find any flaws in his thinking.

Russia’s president, who has been largely ostracized by developed Western countries following Moscow’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, said he believed the current situation had been precipitated by the “slipping dominance” of the U.S. in global politics and economics.
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Describing the Asia-Pacific region as a “magnet” for human resources, capital and production capacities, Putin said that “despite that, Western countries are trying to maintain the old world order that only benefited them.”

Have you noticed that our news media always includes the adjective of "unprovoked" when they say "invasion of Ukraine"? But in two decades they never used the "unprovoked" adjective to our invasions and bombings of Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, and Syria?

“Western countries have undermined the key pillars of the world economic system built over centuries,” Putin said.

Happy Friday everyone. Please post any photos, memes, or music you like.

When I was young my dad would often say save a little for a rainy day. So following my dads advice I saved photos taken months ago for a time I would need them for FNP. Funny thing is I expected that rainy day would come during the winter and not in the middle of summer. Not that I'm complaining mind you. We need all the rain we can get and it's a nice break from the excessive heat we've had for the last week.

From the San Diego Orchid Society spring orchid show in March

The terms hell for leather and hell-bent are similar but have different meanings. We will look at the meaning of hell for leather and hell-bent, where the terms come from and examine some examples of their use in sentences.

Hell for leather means as fast as possible. The term was first used in print in 1889 by Rudyard Kipling, specifically referring to riding a horse at breakneck speed. The leather in this case either refers to the leather in the saddle or the leather in the crop.

Hell-bent describes someone who is determined to do something no matter how the effort effects himself or anyone else, at any cost. Hell-bent is an adjective that carries a connotation of recklessness or foolishness, it is an American word that was first used in the early 1800s. Interestingly, a new term is beginning to emerge that combines hell for leather and hell-bent. Hell-bent for leather describes someone who is determined to do something no matter what the cost, and does it in a ferocious manner.

Source

The West sure seems not only hellbent for leather but hellbent for hell as well. Especially Europe. IMHO, the West's wealth is being hovered up at a rapid rate. There are so many things happening at once and it all appears to be aimed at the middle class. The rest of the West is being fleeced as well, but Europe is really in the hotseat.

We knew this was coming; now it has.

The floor is now open for tears, laughter, fears, hopes, satire, absurdity, hagiography, iconoclasty, Elton J, Sid V, David A, Caitlin J, John C, Alan M, and most of all, bets.

Finally, Roman Stuff!

A few weeks ago, I did a couple of open threads with information and discussion about 'woke' archaeology. I really appreciated the thoughtful discussion and comments those invoked and wanted to expand on my point, and blather on a bit about a tiny part of archaeology, because I wuvs archaeology!