Thursday, August 15, 2024

Very bad review online - I do not recommend any business operated by Mr. Herman Luck, not even to my greatest enemy. Herman Luck vandalized my property after I paid him for a job. He promised a refund for the damages but after months of not getting a refund I took him to court. I was awarded judgment against Mr. Luck because he failed to show up to his own court case. Since then He has promised to make good and pay me back for the damages. That lie has been going in circles for over a year now. Mr. Luck is a con man and has poor business etiquette. He will tell you one thing to get your money and then fails to even do the job or worse destroys your property in the process. I would tread with caution around any business associated with "Luck". There is certainly nothing lucky about someone who doesn't have insurance and can't keep their own business in good standing with the SCC. As of posting this, Mr. Luck has a warrant to appear for debt of interrogatories due to funds still owed.

Sunday, August 11, 2024

The War Putin is winning

In 2016 the United States was attacked.

Attacked psychologically. The Russian government was one of several foreign governments that interfered in the 2016 United States elections, with the goals of sabotaging the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton, boosting the presidential campaign of Donald Trump, and increasing political and social discord in the United States. It worked. Putin is credited with the most devastating attack on the United States in history.

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The first volley: This all began in 2011. Putin blamed Clinton for the 2011–2012 mass protests in Russia against his rule (Clinton was U.S. Secretary of State at the time). FBI Director James Comey also has testified that Putin disliked Clinton and preferred her opponent, and Clinton herself has accused Putin of having a grudge against her. Michael McFaul, who was U.S. ambassador to Russia, said the operation could be a retaliation by Putin against Clinton. Russian security expert Andrei Soldatov has said, "[The Kremlin] believes that with Clinton in the White House it will be almost impossible to lift sanctions against Russia. So it is a very important question for Putin personally. This is a question of national security." 2011 Russian legislative election - Wikipedia

The response. General Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the general staff of the Russian Federation, writes in the "Military-Industrial Kurier“ February 27, 2013:

"The very 'rules of war' have changed. The role of non-military means of achieving political and strategic goals has grown, and, in many cases, they have exceeded the power of force of weapons in their effectiveness. All this is supplemented by military means of a concealed character, including carrying out actions of informational conflict and the actions of special operations forces. Collective intelligence, dynamics of the crowd in participatory systems such as social media, have immense power to support a collective action – such as foment a political change".

For two years ending in 2013, the FBI had a court-approved warrant to eavesdrop on a sophisticated Russian organized crime money-laundering network that operated out of unit 63A in Trump Tower in New York. The FBI investigation led to a federal grand jury indictment of more than 30 people, including one of the world’s most notorious Russian mafia bosses, Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov. He was the only target to slip away, and he remains a fugitive from American justice.

Interpol issued a red notice for Tokhtakhounov, he appeared near Donald Trump in the VIP section of the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. Trump had sold the Russian rights for Miss Universe to a billionaire Russian shopping mall developer.

In 2014 the Russian Mafia organized a rash of thefts of credit card data from big-name retail chains like Home Depot and Target. Estimates of revenue enjoyed by the identity theft and data hostage taking by the group are near 10 billion dollars.

In 2015 Vladimir Putin began to both arrest and obtain the help of Russian hackers, who are granted a degree of impunity in return for their willingness from time to time to target the Kremlin’s foes. In 1994, Russian President Boris Yeltsin warned that his country was becoming “a superpower of crime.” Today, Vladimir Putin appears to be courting that very same status, but in a profoundly different way, regarding Russian-based organized crime abroad not as a threat or an embarrassment but a potential opportunity.

Donald Trump's business partners and associates earlier met with Russian crime bosses who benefited from the fall of the the Soviet Union and had billions to invest.

New York City real estate broker Dolly Lenz told USA TODAY she sold about 65 condos in Trump World at 845 U.N. Plaza in Manhattan to Russian investors, many of whom sought personal meetings with Trump for his business expertise.

The attack. In the beginning of 2016 Putin had welcomed the mafia and their cyber expertise in breaking into secure systems and, especially, social media manipulation of people's hearts and minds to influence the political status of various countries. So much so that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization investigated the use of so-called "fake news" to undermine government stability in European countries. Russian military was starting to take notice and began to incorporate the same tactics. In effect, the Russian Mafia became a part of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (the former KGB).

Putin's hatred of Hillary Clinton is well known and his desire to stop her influence on American foreign policy was tantamount. In the summer of 2016 both the hacking of the DNC email servers and robotic multiplication of social media accounts as well as automatic spreading of fake news increased in earnest.

In the U.S., Russia’s blending of semi-overt and covert social media accounts use common hashtags and phrases to create what appear to be conservative supporters or alt-right cheerleaders. These social media personas, whose bios are littered with words like “country,” “Christian,” “America” and “military,” then push pro-conservative hashtags loaded with skewed and fake news at American audiences, helping generate organic right wing support and distrust of the U.S. government. These accounts tweet hashtags and keywords in unison at specified time intervals and carry odd follower relationships fitting inorganic, mathematical patterns.

As early as August 2015, Russian English-language outlets and their social media allies were promoting Trump—at a time when the idea that he could actually win seemed a distant fantasy. And they kept going throughout the Republican primary, surging at key times. Put differently, Russia didn’t just intervene in the general election against Hillary Clinton—it helped him defeat his anti-Moscow GOP rivals, too. The United Kingdom observed a similar campaign. Dating back to the earliest parts of 2015, Russian media outlets incited fear of immigration and promoted Brexit advocate Nigel Farage’s accusations of American manipulation to foster popular support for the British to leave the EU.

Some Russian campaigns didn't work. Stories predicting doom from climate change or nuclear war have gained little to no traction in the U.S. Liberal supporters didn’t gravitate to Russian propaganda in substantial numbers, either. But when Russia’s digital propagandists find a message that resonates among a disgruntled American audience, they refocus their efforts to exploit where they find success—predominantly among conservative audiences seeking damaging information against liberals.

James Comey. In September 2013, Barack Obama appointed Comey to the position of Director of the FBI. In that capacity, he was responsible for overseeing the FBI's investigation of the Hillary Clinton email controversy.

Donald Trump fired James Comey on May 9, 2017. Statements from Trump and the White House suggested that Comey had been fired to ease the "pressure" Trump was under due to the Mueller investigation. Later that month, Comey arranged for a friend to leak to the press a memo he had written after a February 14, 2017, private meeting with the president. It said Trump had asked him to end the FBI's investigation into Michael Flynn, the former national security advisor. The dismissal, various memos detailing meetings with Trump, and Comey's subsequent Congressional testimony in June that same year were interpreted by some commentators as evidence of obstruction of justice on Trump's part and became part of the Mueller investigation.

Are you a victim of the Russian attack? Are you aware that it even happened? Were you influenced by the social media fake news of 2016? What is your opinion of Hillary? Our country is damaged beyond measure. We still fight each other. Putin won the war.

Wednesday, July 31, 2024

Anniversary

August 2, 1971

Vickie and I were married in the Old City Hall

Richmond, Virginia

Right behind the State Capitol building.

Built in 1894

The Old City Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 1, 1969 and was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1971

Thursday, April 25, 2024

He is what you would be

“Talented and well-practiced in every vice, a stranger to compassion or empathy, a liar and a cheat so complete in perfidy that he has elevated his dishonesty to hold it up as an ersatz moral principle. Violent, so long as he can order someone else to do the dirty work. Grotesque in body, graceless in action, in possession of a wounded self-regard so colossal as to smother any spark of grace. Treasonous, not only to country, but to every ally he has ever had, the poisoned fruit and rankest flower of racism and contempt for women, and utterly devoid of shame for his moral and spiritual bankruptcy. That is your leader. That is to whom you give your money. That is who you follow and laud. That is whose banner you willingly carry. Why? Because he is a mirror, not a lighthouse. You see yourselves in him. He is what you would be, if you had inherited money and could shed the last vestiges of conscience and shame. No, I do not “respect your choices,” nor do I admire your loyalty and dedication to this miserific, demoniac vision. You have demonstrated not only a lack of civic virtue, loyalty to the Republic and to the rule of law, but a willingness to engage in violence and sedition at his slightest expressed wish. And you will never, ever admit you were wrong. Because you see your dark, twisted, resentful dreams in him. And to renounce him is to renounce yourselves.”

~ Advocatus Peregrini

Drawing: "Stable Genius"

by Siegfried Woldhek

pen & ink

October 12, 2019

Monday, April 22, 2024

Voyager 1

In 1964 Gary Flandro of JPL noted that an alignment of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune would occur in the late 1970s. This alignment happens once every 175 years. A single spacecraft could visit all of the outer planets by using gravity assists. President Nixon gave White House support to the concept in a statement released on March 7, 1970. Budget cuts and funding altered the trajectory of two spacecraft to complete the explorations.

Voyager 1 was launched on September 5, 1977. It began photographing Jupiter in January 1979 and encountered Saturn in November 1980. Voyager 1's mission included a flyby of Titan, Saturn's largest moon. After leaving Saturn Voyager 1 continued on to intersteller space. She reported scientific data to JPL until November 2023. Now over fifteen billion miles from Earth an evaluation was made and alternate solutions were used to "fix" it five months later. Traveling at about 38,000mph, 17 km/s (11 mi/s), Voyager is still on its way OUT of our solar system. A radio signal takes 22 hours each way. Read how JPL got it to work again:

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-voyager-1-resumes-sending-engineering-updates-to-earth

https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status/

Sunday, April 21, 2024

Ancestry

My family has been in Central Virginia for 366 years!

Thursday, April 4, 2024

Little Johnny

When I worked in television I met many "stars" and historical figures. I am proud to have met "Little Johnny" in the last few years of his life.

Johnny Roventini, the diminutive bellboy known by generations for his advertising slogan, “Cal-l-l-l for-r-r Phil-lip Mor-ray-iisss,” - “little Johnny,” 4 feet tall, was a living trademark for Philip Morris cigarettes. I first met him in 1971 at WTVR-TV during the Richmond Tobacco Festival dressed in his signature red usher’s jacket, striped trousers, black pillbox hat and white gloves. He made his famous call more than 1 million times, intoning it officially for the last time in 1974 to open the new Phillip Morris operations center in Richmond, Va. He died in 1998 at the age of 88.

The Tobacco Festival was still a major city event having started in 1948 and continued until 1984.

I also met James Arness, Parade Marshall many times.

Ironically, I left Richmond to work in the Cigar City.

Monday, March 25, 2024

Fifty years ago

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Presidential Election

The 2024 Republican nominee is a liar, a cheat, a fraud, a bigot, a bully and accused of rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment. His speeches and actions have resulted in nationally increased incidence of hate crimes.

Russian interference in the 2016 United States presidential election utilized social media to undermine public confidence in the United States government. The tactic worked so well it is called Putin's Greatest Victory. The methods divided the United States and promoted bullying and ridicule so well it still continues today for the 2024 presidential election.

Saturday, March 2, 2024

Flying

Saturday PBS programming included AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, Fly with Me, season 35 episode 11. "Meet the pioneering women flight attendants who transformed the world while flying it." It made me remember when was the 1st time I ever fly in an airplane?

It had to be in the 1960s. My father knew someone who owned a plane. A Piper. He took us to North Field. A tiny airstrip north of Richmond, Virginia.

I remember a stick. Both front and back. The pilot gave me control. I flew the plane from the back seat.

Saturday, January 20, 2024

Ancient ancestors

BARD https://bard.google.com/

The following query was provided:

"describe a highly advanced civilization hiding in modern times on earth and leaving clues that they are extraterrestrials rather than ancient ancestors"

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the BARD result:

The Watchers Among Us: A Hidden Alien Civilization on Earth

Imagine a civilization so advanced, they exist right under our noses yet remain unseen. Think myths like Sasquatch and Loch Ness. They've walked among us for millennia, not as ancient ancestors, but as extraterrestrial observers carefully guiding humanity's development. Here's a glimpse into their world:

1. Mimicry and Misdirection:

Appearance: They appear indistinguishable from humans, utilizing advanced genetic manipulation to seamlessly blend in. Imagine familiar faces, perhaps with startlingly bright eyes or an uncanny calmness under pressure. These subtle hints could be their way of marking themselves to each other while remaining unnoticed by us.

Technology: Their technology wouldn't be flashy spaceships or laser guns. Instead, it would be covert and subtle, woven into the fabric of our world. Think self-repairing infrastructure, near-perfect weather control, or even the occasional technological marvel disguised as a scientific breakthrough.

2. Clues in Plain Sight:

Symbols and Patterns: Ancient cave paintings, crop circles, or even seemingly random geometric patterns in modern architecture could be coded messages or markers for them. Imagine the Nazca Lines, but far more complex and intricate, forming constellations visible only from above.

Language and Mythology: Traces of their language might be hidden in seemingly unrelated tongues, or their myths and legends could hold veiled references to their true origins. Think of common folktales about star children or hidden realms, reinterpreted as fragments of their history.

3. Guiding Humanity:

Subtle nudges: They wouldn't directly control us, but rather subtly influence our course. Imagine pivotal moments in history where a seemingly chance encounter or a sudden flash of inspiration averted disaster. These could be their guiding hands at work.

Preserving the Planet: Their advanced understanding of ecology might manifest in seemingly inexplicable environmental manipulations. Conservation, like a sudden rebound of an endangered species, or a seemingly impossible clean energy breakthrough one after another.

保護，就像濒临灭绝的物种突然反弹，或者看似不可能的清洁能源突破接连出现。

Remember, these are just glimpses. The true nature of this hidden civilization is up to your imagination. Perhaps they're benevolent guardians, ensuring our survival. Maybe they're studying us for an unknown purpose. Or, could they be something else entirely?

The beauty of this concept lies in the mystery. It leaves us wondering if, even amidst the familiar, there's more to our world than we know. The next time you look at the stars, remember, you might not be alone. You might just be sharing your world with a civilization older than time itself, watching and waiting, leaving their subtle clues in plain sight.