OT WE 28 OCT 26 ~ Surface Breach
On this day in history -
1492 - Christopher Columbus sights Cuba and claims it for Spain under the name "Juana"
1831 - British scientist Michael Faraday demonstrates his dynamo invention, an electric generator
1962 - The Cuban Missile Crisis Ended. After thirteen of the tensest days of the Cold War, the Soviet Union announced it would dismantle the ballistic missiles it had placed in Cuba. In return,
the United States agreed not to invade Cuba again. Oops.
1992 - Lee Jang Rim, the founder of the Dami Mission Christian Movement in South Korea, declared that the world would end. The world didn't end, and he was later convicted for stealing millions
from his followers.
Today is national Separation of Church and State Day. Oh well. Bush II didn't observe that one.
"The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls."
Pablo Picasso
"You use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul."
George Bernard Shaw
"Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable."
Banksy
Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.
John W. Gardner
"Art is the best way to express the hidden wonders of the soul."
Khalil Gibran
Sculpture by Andre Braun at Bondi Beach, Sydney AU.
https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/10/bondi-beach-sculpture-by-the-sea-...
Alrighty then, whatchya got?
Comments
Hey, good morning
.
After several days of 'puter struggles, have found a way to work
around, thanks in part to EL, JtC and my friendly librarian. Just
in time to properly host today's OT.
Will take awhile to catch-up on emails (another issue) and the news
but I see the 4 power players in West Asia have met for negotiations
to develop a regional security apparatus: SAUDI, IRAN, PAK and TURK.
This is without the US involvement. They have realized
if there is to be peace in the middle east it will not involve western
influence. I hope that works out.
The election in Israel does not favor the Likuud and Bolsonaro is running
to the US to escape prosecution from Brazil. OT so fire away.
Zionism is a social disease
Good morning...
I liked your art quotes and sculpture.
It's been cool mornings and nice 70F days. However, we've gone 18 days without rain. Oct. is typically our driest month. Fortunately, they a calling for rain in early Nov. We need it.
Glad you got your 'puter working. Thanks for the OT!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Art moves us
.
in various ways. Cool enough this AM to start a fire. Trying to thaw
my fingers. There is no more normal weather here. It varies wildly from
year to year and season to season. Cold in the winter and hot in the summer
is about the only consistency.
Enjoy your day in the holler.
Zionism is a social disease
Didn't know about Lee Jang Rim
Doesn't surprise me though. I had read about and commented on Korean cults, particularly those in South Korea a few times: the Unification Church aka the Moonies. Moon's widow is currently in prison for violating South Korean election laws. Her appeal is still pending. US supporters cry "But Freedom of Religion!" The Church lost its classification as a religion in Japan due to massive political corruption concerning the current and longstanding ruling LDP party. Abe's assassin was a victim of Unification Church fraud. Another far right wing cult is Sarang Jae il Church led by Christian street demagogue Jeon Gwang-hun. Big Yoon supporter, accused and acquitted of deliberately spreading Covid in spite of court ordered bail conditions, having inappropriate relations with female followers, etc. He wants to be a presidential candidate, himself.
The New Heaven and Earth cult, a "Christian" group, is a Unification Church look alike. Also called Sincheonji, new heaven and Earth, one of it's evangelical enclaves continued to gather for services in both Wuhan China, and the Daegu area in South Korea, after the covid outbreak. They brought the virus to South Korea before the borders were closed. They continued to gather for worship services after time and manner restrictions were imposed on assemblies, and failed to report church member contacts and those infected with covid to the Ministry of Health. In fact, they encouraged their followers not to do so.
Concerning pretrial detention on other matters like campaign law violations he was released for health reasons. He's quite old. He was found not guilty of infectious disease law violations.
Then there is the thesis that North Korea is little more than a Christian cult look alike based on Kim Il Seung's family background. His parents were devout Christians, among those converted during the spread of Christianity widely in Pyongyang by western missionaries. The thesis posits that "Koreans are more susceptible to cults than others." I don't really accept the premise. Koreans are imbued with Confucian values, and place a lot of value on ceremony, social obligations and community, at least traditionally. I think you could argue that North Korean government and social organization is based more on communist ideology, and models furnished by Japanese imperialism, and the old Chosun and Chinese court traditions. I don't think Koreans are any more susceptible than anyone else to cults. The Kim family is regarded as a royal blood line, the Baiktusan blood line, related to Korean ancient mythology, this is similar to Japan's view of its emperor. The Moonies after garbed themselves in royal attire, much like the Pope.
The crown on the suspect who attempted the assassination of Lee Jae-myung, suggested a Sincheonji connection, as well as a meeting with a Sincheonji follower shortly before the attempt.
The fire detectors in my new home started malfunctioning late last night, couldn't stop it. Couldn't sleep much due to the noises. Waiting for a talented family member to arrive and help. I'm completely dysfunctional at this point. This is the third battery related breakdown causing troubles for us in three weeks.
Thanx for the OT Q!
己所不欲，勿施于人。
A big difference between So. Korea and US
.
which you describe is the threat of church tax exemption status here. If
churches pass over the political/exempt status blurred line there can be
legal consequences. It has happened here where even mega churches lost
their tax exempt status by advocating for some political agenda. It is
somewhere written in the constitution or bill of rights. But enforcing laws
are another matter altogether.
Smoke alarms are the bane of my existence. The spouse insists on them, but I
disable them as they are more trouble than worth. It is just another insurance
scam AFAIK.
Zionism is a social disease
I think there may be a similar legal procedure
...to remove the religious organization status in South Korea, similar to what happened to the Unification Church in Japan not too long ago. There is a lot of resistance to this on the right in South Korea and behind the scenes by the US.
己所不欲，勿施于人。
I tried to disable the two or three malfunctioning
Not possible, all connected in series. It's hard to tell which one is actually low battery, or dirty sensor or whatever. My family expert said stop messing with it, you'll screw up the whole system, because they are connected. It's ridiculous.
edit- oops meant to reply Q. Don't get me started on insurance my BP will go up. Health Ins plus AI equals AFU.
己所不欲，勿施于人。
Yes, that is why I think it is interrelated
.
Doing a cost review on my house insurance, one of the items is
to have the smoke alarms hard wired for a small reduction in
premiums. The amount of work to run wires in the ceilings (old house)
is absolutely prohibitive. A 9 volt battery works just fine. The cost
of insurance is getting ridiculous. If it were up to me, I would just
drop it and take my chances. Save the $3.5K and put it towards a rebuilding
fund or something. Didn't mean to raise your BP's.
Zionism is a social disease
M.Hudson called it FIRE
Finance, Insurance, Real Estate. I feel like I'm alive only to make insurance payments, pay bogus real estate related monthly fees, we never needed before, and screw around with AI walls to prevent anyone from getting their health benefits.
己所不欲，勿施于人。
FIRE is a good descriptor
.
Have a similar opinion of my limited existence on this planet.
Seem only to be a cog in some commercial enterprise. Trying to
minimize my exposure without much gain. You think you are doing
something good, only for it to turn around and screw you worse.
Shooo
Zionism is a social disease
I do understand
the hassle of smoke alarms, especially wired installations. But they do save lives.
My jurisdiction only requires radio frequency connected smoke alarms, which are easy to install. And I just change the batteries every year in spring.
I generally use the cheapest batteries I can find as they usually last a year.
I agree, it sucks when one goes off it triggers all of them. But you got to admit that is an important feature.
I had to install 6 of them in my home due to a room addition I did.
But I removed 2 after final inspection, but kept 4. One in the living room where I use the fireplace insert during winter, one in the master bedroom, one in the garage where most housefires start, and one in the kitchen to notify me when dinner is ready.
On mine, once activated, silencing one silences all.
YMMV
Thanks for the OT.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
Good morning, Cap'n!
On this day in 1919, The Volstead Act was passed, Prohibition became the law of the land for 14 years. Al Capone made bank. The Roaring 20s roared.
Insurance of any kind is an expensive scam. Medical insurance has a longer list of conditions it doesn't cover than the list of what it does. Auto insurance is getting more expensive by the year. And insurance for a business property has so many requirements, such as a foundation they will approve, lighted exit signs everywhere, tree removal, and on and on.
I have to meet with a couple of clients this afternoon. I can handle a few hours of work. Afterwards, I wil reward myself with a few cold beers, and make a toast to bootleggers of yore!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Yeah, bootleggers and rum runners
.
made out like bandits. Our area has a long standing of
smugglers bringing booze into the coves from Canada.
That's how Seagrams and the Kennedy's built their empires.
Make it illegal and opportunists will figure out a way to
keep commerce flowing (without govt. intervention). Look at
the backyard stills in the south and the bathtub gin joints
in the north. Eventually the revenuers figured out they were
cut out of the gravy train. I think the great lakes were also
part of the illicit trafficking way back when.
Zionism is a social disease
Good morning, Cap'n Q. Communion wine was allowed to be
produced, sold, and stored, etc. California wineries and religious orders made enough communion wine to drown all of the church congregations many times over. We still, however, needed to smuggle hard stuff. Over near half-moon bay there is an establishment named the Miramar, near Miramar Beach, that was a smugglers roost and destination and sometime cat-house that is a decent enough restaurant with a great view of the water in the cove and along the beach where the smugglers landed their cargoes.
Art is undefinable, which is part of what makes it art. It is, nonetheless, something of a necessity for a decent life.
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 --
About that horrific
and deadly train crash in Toledo, Spain:
https://celiafarber.substack.com/p/horrific-train-collision-in-spain
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Good morning all. I found an interesting article in the
Guardian which introduces a new term (& concept?) of merit.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/oct/28/psychopatriarchy-p...
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 --
Interesting concept that
.
Psychopatriarchy. Does that engender Psychomatriarchy?
Little known factoid. The song 'In A Gadda Da Vida' was the
performers' attempt to say "In the garden of Eden" which
was the name of the song. Guess he was a bit too sloshed to
fiddle with pronunciation at the time?
Zionism is a social disease