Open Thread - 2-27-2026 - Pieces of the Puzzle
Why the obsession with history, faith practices, business models, news and politics? One could say to know the past, brings understanding to the present and improves projections into the future. Another way to phrase the evolving puzzle of self or a population group: How I got here, where I am and imagining future possibilities.
Sometimes it is simply for self preservation and a moderately safe future. The US safety net has become an illusion for any US citizen falling from middle class to poverty. As a general rule citizens seem to have been willing to provide funds for a safety net it is just the nonprofits and governments to often use up or save money for themselves.
Nationally homeless population appears to be stabilizing, possibly decreasing in Oregon it is continuing to grow. Another example of failed policy implementation.
Portland discovers additional $21 million in unspent housing funds FOX 12 Oregon Feb 3, 2026
PORTLAND, Ore. (KPTV) — The city of Portland has discovered another $21 million in unspent funds within the city’s Housing Bureau.
The discovery comes on top of the original $20.7 million in rental assistance funds the city found going unspent last month.
City officials said the earlier unspent funds were caused by a miscalculation within the rental services office. Those excess funds came from rental fees paid by landlords.
The money was meant to help prevent homelessness by helping people pay rent and avoid evictions.
One wonders why as a society we can not get Round-Up removed from are food supply or our neighbor's landscape maintenance. Really a National Security priority?
This article invokes different ways to view long standing issues.
Project Artichoke: 70 Years Ago, CIA Discussed Hiding Mind-Control Drugs in Vaccines The Vigilant Fox (substack) Feb 25, 2026
A recently unearthed April 23, 1952, CIA document, “Special Research for Artichoke,” describes a series of ideas for how to develop chemicals designed to alter human behavior and thought. The proposals contained in the document were part of the CIA’s top-secret Project Artichoke, which ran from 1951 to 1956, according to The Daily Mail.
In the 1950s, the CIA brainstormed ways to secretly perform mind control on humans — including concealing drugs in vaccines and widely consumed food products, a newly unearthed CIA document revealed. The Daily Mail first reported the story on Monday.
The seven-page document, “Special Research for Artichoke,” is dated April 23, 1952. It describes a series of ideas for how to develop chemicals designed to alter human behavior and thought.
The proposals contained in the document were part of the CIA’s top-secret Project Artichoke, which ran from 1951 to 1956, according to The Daily Mail.
The document, declassified in 1983, recently circulated on social media. However, it was not published in the CIA’s online reading room until last year.
Then there is this story from what many would consider a conspiracy site. Discussing
adolecent heart damage not included not included in early articles suggesting minimal to no cardiac complications for Covid vaccine. The Study.
Normalizing satellite data to monitor civilian businesses.
France declares war on meat Russia Times Feb 22, 2022
So what will they do? Whip the steak off your plate? Not quite. Not directly, anyway. Instead, they’ll hound the meat producers – the farmers already buried under French and European regulations, spending ever more hours ensuring their reported activities match the spy photos taken of their land by the EU’s Copernicus satellites. “The EU spends some 40% of its budget on agriculture subsidies, and whether farmers are declaring everything correctly can be checked through satellite data. The Sentinels are explicitly designed to support the implementation and monitoring of European policies, such as the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) that aims to improve agricultural production and sustainable use of natural resources,” the EU explains.
Tragically 15 years ago a a 10 year old boy went missing from an Oregon elementary school. Massive publicity at the time in an attempt to find the child. One of those stories you get an ache in the pit of stomach and tell your mind not to imagine the worst scenarios.
Kyron Horman's Name Surfaces in Epstein Files Tip Berawang News Feb 27, 2026
The anonymous source claimed that several high-profile missing persons cases, including those of Kyron Horman, Madeleine McCann, and Haleigh Cummings, were potentially linked to the purported ring. The names of the missing children were reportedly misspelled within the tip.
FBI report EFTA01244952 from 2019.
A little news about perseverance.
China never admits defeat, and after 14 years and 82 miles, it has completed what many call the “most difficult construction project in the world.” Prototyping China Feb 22, 2026
The first section, between Dali and Baoshan, is about 82 miles (133 kilometers) long. Today, you can ride it in an hour. Sit down, look out the window, and it’s done.
But that one hour took 14 years to build.
...
According to China Railway Group, engineers had to construct 34 bridges and 21 tunnels on that short stretch alone. That’s not normal rail construction. That’s threading a needle through a mountain range that keeps moving.Take the Dazhushan Tunnel. It stretches 8.9 miles (14.4 kilometers) and cuts across six geological fault lines. It took 12 years to complete. At one point, groundwater poured into the excavation site in volumes equal to 156,000 swimming pools. Workers stood in partially flooded tunnels reinforcing unstable rock while water kept pushing back.
This wasn’t glamorous megaproject propaganda. It was persistence. Meter by meter.
...
China’s high-speed rail network is famous for speed. This line isn’t about speed. It’s about access. It’s about proving that even terrain this complicated can be connected if you’re willing to spend the time and money.
Thanks for stopping by and reading.
Comments
Hey, good morning
.
Found your presentation of diverse topics interesting.
If for no other reason, the number of rabbit holes they lead.
Rather doubt any CIA project was ever disbanded. Renamed
and repurposed perhaps. Mind control chemicals is right down
their alley after all. "Artichoke" is not just a vegetable anymore.
Admire the perseverance of the Chinese 'can do' attitude. Find
a goal (build a route from A to B) and engineer solutions. 34 bridges
and 21 tunnels later, success achieved. Geography be damned.
An example of local resilience. Making do with opportunities vs.
passion for craft. Plucking lobstas and welding.
https://www.islandinstitute.org/stories/stories-of-impact/stories-of-imp...
Thank you for hosting this episode of open expression.
Zionism is a social disease
I see what you mean about perseverance.
I've been re-examining the World War on Fascism, 1937-1945
.
And here we stand. Supposedly:
On the eve of Global Victory for the Fascists?
Or, on the eve of a steep, dystopian decline for the (already-looted) United States?
The outlook for USians, even for committed Fascists — does not look good going forward.
There is no "upside."
The original victors in the War on Fascism 1937-1945 — China and Russia — have no intention of allowing Fascism to rise again. They made too many terrible sacrifices in the last war. This time, however, they have a tremendous advantage. They planned it that way. They waited quietly, with perseverance and resilience. They knew what to expect. And I'm certain they have some ideas about how to end this brain defect for good, this time.
When you cannot control your government,
the United States is not a safe place to be.
The challenges are becoming accurately defined
by larger numbers of the citizenry with multiple political and social affiliations. Just understanding the scope of the problem is significant. No counter offensive can be maintained long enough or through hardship to eliminate the source of a problem without broad based knowledge and commitment.
If we look at when China was ruled by non-Chinese their perseverance to reachive self rule was significant. Mongol rule of the Yuan dynasty lasted 97 years before returned to the Chinese. Manchu rule lasted 276 years and finally ended when the British quite lending the dynasty money and military support. All Western support was kicked out 37 years later. Since Western countries were invited back in 23 years later it has been on Chinese terms.
Maybe the best we can do at this moment in history is to assist framing the challenges ahead in the US for the general population. Living our daily lives as to not contribute towards current trend of growing corporate/governmental control. This could be a multi-generational issue.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
Sage advice, indeed.
This is just what I would happily commit to. It's basically what I do. Dropping information, yet careful not to invite counter reactions. If you're looking at a slowly evolving situation, it's ideal. At the same time, people in the US have been getting progressively dumber, critical thinking is seriously impaired, and US literacy has plunged. So, while the perceived mental decay is alarming, I'm not sure any of that makes a difference, one way or the other.
The fear is the wild, destabilizing actions of panicked Western leaders facing the terrible consequences of their bad or greed-based decisions. That seems to be happening right now. Yet the public seems to be coping, and the deranged, authoritarian Western leaders do quickly back off, especially after they kill a few innocents on camera.
Historically, people do normalize many horrors that they witness. Neighbors shot in front of their homes and their bodies taken away in a cart. That became a normal street scene in Germany. People learned not to react.
One wild card is what happens when Western leaders impose their violent authoritarian "interventions" on other sovereign nations. They usually pick on weak nations, like Cuba, that are easy to destroy. Against rival nations, they use non-legal sabotage, such as sanctions, to damage their rival's economy. But this game has only served to weaken the influence of the United Nations. It ultimately results in economic paralysis and civilian deaths, which no one really cares about. After Gaza, anything goes when it comes to civilian deaths. Thus, the only real hope for the world lies in the aggressor nation going broke and belly up.
Afternoon
Appreciate needing an alternative income if relying on fishing. My experience was assisting on my Dad's 24' and 44' salmon trollers out of Newport, Oregon. My Grandfather retired his boat in Northern California before I was old enough to participate. No way could fishing match my other income options so had to move on to other adventures. The sea air is not the same when sitting by the shore.
The more I contemplate differences between cultures of Western and Eastern US I think some of the Asian immigrants culture seeped into the fabric of the Pacific States. Other minority cultures arrived in significant numbers after the myths of the far Western "can do" spirit was crystalized.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
Seeping into the weave of a foreign culture
.
is a great way to appreciate the influences of
Americana and its transition into global participation.
Most of the ROW have absorbed some of the Hollywood
produced ideology to emulate into their local expressions.
A good example, when I was in Brazil, the gals borrowed a line
from some pop song "you baby" which translated to 'our friend needs an abortion'
induced by some Canadian sailor. So I paid for it because I could. It was a devastating
experience to watch her violently repulse the embryo. Major sickness.
So, I guess cultural sharing is good for some things. If only for communication purposes.
Zionism is a social disease
Hey, soe!
I appreciate your interesting OT this morning! Project Artichoke began one week before I was born. Did it really end? Have I been slipped some behavioral control via meds and food every day of my life? Of course, it "ended" officially, but what does that mean? Might it mean it took a few years to get it in place, and once the controls were set in place, move on to some other nefarious crap?
I am dropping in this Simplicious link, a long article, full of links, into the potpourri of craziness and evil in this country that goes on daily. Are the sailors sabotaging the Gerald Ford? FWIW, inmates in local jails stuffing tee shirts down commodes is not uncommon, just saying...
Have a great day, soe, et al
https://substack.com/home/post/p-189282049
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Good morning otc. Zo where is da kine link?
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Oops, seems to be one there after all.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Thanks for the article
it is an excellent description of this point in time. Now rumors tomorrow or Sunday for a strike. The big question did the talks result in an agreement for a limited strike for the US to save face or all bets are off. Everyday creates more wear and tear on US equipment and service men and women. With the current mood of the country I hope we do not naively rally around to support military action as previous generations were tricked by false flag events.
In retrospect the disturbing patterns I kept noticing in various parts of the medical, technology and agricultural industries would have fit in the description of the program. It has taken several years of living on a small homestead type acreage to clear my head.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
Simplicus is good for an outside view
....of the political gaming and corrupt self-preservation that surrounds the events currently unfolding and creating the deadly geopolitical chaos in the world.
But to reveal the connections between the dark global events that are consuming our minds — we need to listen to Gaius Baltar, who reveals, with precision, the sick force that is driving the inhuman depravity of the West. He doesn't hold back. There are unspeakable acts involved. The link goes to Part One. Part Two comes tomorrow. What is written here is not for everyone. The narrative ultimately makes clear the filthy and bloody compromise that tightly binds Western leaders and royalty to the ongoing inhumanity and greed that floods the world with unnecessary suffering. Epstein was merely one charismatic tool, who brought the Overlords into the inner sanctum. Not one of them can ever let go, or they could soon perish, along with their family lines and their wealth. Life may feel better to you if you choose to ignore the link, which I buried in the text. It is not required reading and offers only a bleak reality.
Good morning soe, thanks for the OT and all the info, especially
about operation artichoke. Like others here, I doubt it ever ended, just like cointelpro and a myriad other named unamerican projects. If is interesting how the most subversive projects throughout our history always turn out to be government projects.
Intresting phrase - "conspiracy site - I recall once being mobbed and castigated for "citing a conspuiracy site" allegely in violation of the rules except that there was no rule prohibiting citing any site or type of site and despite the fact that I cited said site because I quoted it and the quoted matter was factual and verifiable. Looking for specific keywords or key phrases without really powerful search tools often lands one at unexpected places, which is only to be expected, imho.
it is 9:16 pacific time and as of yet no word of any US attack or Iran or anyplace else. Somebody noted the other day that we had not, as of that time, advised or ordered the evacuation by US persons of certain middle east locales as evidence that no attack was immanent (Beirut was noted, fwiw, as an exception). It seems we've now told our peeps to gtfo Israel, a certain target if we or they attack Iran, so we may well be one step closer to doing the deed. Who will first air news of such an attack? I'm thinking that it might be the Hindustan Times, but that it admittedly a wild guess.
It looks as if Afghanistan v Pakistan has devolved into all out war, seemingly with little or no US involvement. One wonders if der gropingfuhrer will get antsy over this because it will distract from the media focus on his big beautiful threats and or eventual attacks.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Check Simplicius for the Iran attack timing
If, of course, there's any attack at all.
Iran Calls Trump's Bluff as Deep State Rebels Over War
Yves Smith notes the messiness of the US position while noting the embassy evacuation.
Alastair Crooke notes that the Iranians are confident, though of what, he doesn't say. The fun part of this video, though, is that Crooke discusses how there will be no surprise attack, so that's gone.
"You exclude the poor, not necessarily by disenfranchising them, but by giving them nothing to vote for. By giving them two candidates who are both members of the oligarchy." -- Michael Parenti
Unwritten rules
seems to be a number of them. I have enough trouble staying within the everchanging written ones. Easiest is make up ones own for consistency. Liked yours
Thanks for Hindustan Times tip. Not a site I had been monitoring. Looks interesting.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
thanks for the links n/t
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
Hey, el!
Trump hasn't come up with the right slogan to gain our support for the Iran shit show. Adm. Caine's second in command was fired, our big, beautiful ship is as full of shit as Trump, and any US military personnel killed will obviously be sacrificing their life for Bibi.
As for ct sites, I read them, and extremely rw sites, just to see if anything they post has a ring of truth. For sure, rw sites follow and report on news as it happens, and typically before msm puts their spin on the event.
I can think of quite a few cts that turned out to be conspiracies.
The struggle in ideology should not be left v. right, but 1% and the rest of us. Both left and right sources often remind us that the 1% wants a mass depopulation to occur as cheaply as possible.
Enjoy your weekend, and stay out of sight of the billionaire de-populaters!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Funny meme:
"The Royal Family are said to be devastated by Prince Andrew's car wreck next Wednesday"
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
chuckle n/t
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
Need a break from cleaning the stovetop
.
the things we do whenever house bound is not normal stuff.
Did get the truck dug-out so made a dash to get beer.
As Stevie Ray said when the chopper went down "Oh well". It was worth a try.
Zionism is a social disease