IS THIS THE WORLD’S MOST BEAUTIFUL BEACH?
According to the many thousands of world travellers on TripAdvisor, it’s #1: Praia do Sancho on the Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronha. You’ll also find it on just about any list of most beautiful beaches, such as Condé Nast, Harper’s Bazaar, and Luxury Travel.
The whole island is gorgeous. Mention that you’ve been there to any Brazilian who hasn’t and their eyes get misty. Fernando de Noronha (no-rone-ya) is the dream honeymoon, the dream vacation that only comes true for few in Brazil, as it’s hard to get to and hardly any place to stay once you’re there.
You have to get to either Recife or Natal in the far northeast, then fly 220 miles out into the Atlantic. Then take a boat, or scamper down the rocks of a 250ft-high cliff to be on the sugar sand of this enchanting beach – which you’ll have almost to yourself.
For some reason, all those lists have the name wrong, calling it “Baia” or “Baio,” when it’s “Praia” (beach in Portuguese). As the welcome sign proudly announces above the cliff trail: “Praia do Sancho – A Mais Bonita do Mundo,” Sancho Beach – The Most Beautiful in the World. If you’re lucky to ever get here, you’ll surely agree. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #73 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
FREEDOM IN UKRAINE, CHATGPT, AND ME
Rebel and I are in with our son Jackson and his wife at their home in Bali . Jackson’s a computer wizard and we got to talking about ChatGPT, of which he is optimistic and I am skeptical. So he says, let’s try it! He gets on the ChatGPT app on his iPhone and gives it these instructions verbally (no typing):
“Write a short-form article on the subject of freedom for Ukraine in 2024, imitating the style of geopolitical commentator Dr. Jack Wheeler. If you don't know who Dr. Jack Wheeler is, let me know, and we can discuss further before you start writing.”
Instantly, he gets this written response:
“I'm familiar with Dr. Jack Wheeler and his style of geopolitical commentary. I'll craft a short-form article imitating his style on the subject of freedom for Ukraine in 2024.”
Within seconds, up pops this 500-word essay, title and all, that frankly blew me away. It is what I’d say as a short summation. I hope you find this as sobering as I do, and as thought-provoking. Let me know what you think on the Forum.
RUSSIAN ARCTIC REGIONS STRENGTHEN BONDS WITH BEIJING
Russia’s Regions on the Arctic Ocean
[Last week, 9/20, Paul Goble told us about China’s plans to separate the Middle Volga from Russia. We’ve long known about China’s plans to recapture Far Eastern Siberia. Now, as Paul explains this week, China may have plans to control Russia’s entire Arctic.]
Moscow has long declared that China’s role in the development of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) is a central part of their strategic cooperation. Despite this, the Kremlin cannot be entirely comfortable with the recent extent of Beijing’s expanding activities in the Arctic Sea.
Nor can Moscow be at ease with the Chinese government’s increasing ties with Russian regional governments in the Far North and along the coast of the Arctic Sea.
If any country other than China did the same, Moscow almost certainly would denounce such actions as neo-colonialism. If any country other than Russia did so anywhere else in the world, the Russian government would make the same pronouncement.
Given the international sanctions regime, Russia has little choice but to allow China to take these steps. Such actions carry the risk that the Russian-Chinese alliance may begin to collapse, with ever-more Russians concerned that Moscow is losing out to Beijing.
THE REVOLUTION WE NEED
The 2013 Federal Register (note the small stack on top)
[This Monday’s Archive was originally published on July 17, 2014. Please read it in tandem with the “First Amendment and Chevron” section in Skye’s Links last Thursday. We have a majority of Supremes that want to get rid of as much of the administrative state as they can. If we get the rulings we need, then their implementation by us is The Revolution We Need.]
TTP, July 17, 2014
The illegal, tyrannical, and unconstitutional acts of Zero’s Imperial Presidency are not the cause of America’s current crisis – they are the culmination of it. The crisis we face now is a cancer that has been growing slowly and steadily since the 1880s.
We need radical surgery to cure it, a Revolution, a legal one that attacks the crisis at its foundation. So – what is the target of the Revolution We Need? It is not Zero. It is what makes him and his Imperial Presidency possible. It is what is destroying any basis for Constitutional Government. Indeed, it is eating our Constitution alive. It is a medieval atavism in modern guise. It is…
The Administrative State.
THE WORLD’S MOST SACRED MOUNTAIN
This is the North Face of Mount Kailas (6,638 m/21,778 ft) in a remote region of far western Tibet inhabited only by Changpa nomads. For 22% of all people on Earth – 1.2 billion Hindus, 510 million Buddhists and many millions of others – it is the spiritual Center of the Universe, the Navel of All Creation.
Kailas and surrounding glaciers are considered the source of four of Asia’s great rivers radiating out from it: the Indus, Tsangpo-Bhramaputra, Sutlej, and Karnali-Ganges. As a sacred mountain it has never been climbed.
For thousands of years, people from all Asia have made the arduous pilgrimage to Kailas to perform the sacred act of circumambulating around the mountain – most clockwise, counterclockwise for others such as the Changpa adhering to the ancient Bön Tibetan religion.
It is not easy. Huffing over the high point of the pilgrimage route with TTPer Big John Perrot, our altimeter said we were as high as Kilimanjaro, over 19,000 feet. The highlight, however, is being among so many pilgrims from so many diverse cultures. This is one of our world’s thrilling adventures, and such a privilege to participate in. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #38 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)
BIDEN POLLS
FLASHBACK FRIDAY: RIDING A YAK AT RANGDUM
Rangdum Gompa, Zanskar, August 1993. Ever ridden a yak? Brandon did when was 10 at the Rangdum Tibetan Monastery or Gompa atop a small hill at 13,225 feet high in an extremely remote region of the Himalayas in India called Zanskar. It was part of our Indian Tibet expedition which will be repeating soon – and this time Brandon will be leading the expedition. I’ll just be along for the ride. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #161 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
HALF-FULL REPORT 09/29/23
Kangaroo Courts
Trump was handed a devastating summary judgment in New York today that seriously imperials the future of the Trump organization. The heart of the case involves whether the market or the courts determine the value of real estate assets. Asset prices go up and down, ultimately depending on what a buyer is willing to pay.
Not so in New York, says the court. The assets valued at the market peak must remain valued at the market peak, or fraud will occur if old values used on old contracts are no longer in line with current valuations. So sketchy is the court logic that Trump was denied a jury trial or the ability to raise a defense.
The Deep State fears Trump; they fear him as he teaches the public to question official narratives. All the feds have is widescale public acceptance of narratives. The government lacks a police force or military large enough to stop a massive general strike. Sure, they have germs, computer viruses, and the other tools of 21st-century governance, but they are losing the narrative war. Now, Trump is a martyr.
Dianne Feinstein is dead. She was a slow-moving poison on society as she advanced China’s interests at the expense of the United States. Her efforts to maintain the free movement of opiates into the United States have killed over 1 million Americans. This is a genocide. She discovered how to destroy urban centers as mayor of San Francisco and spread the misery to downtowns far and wide as a senator.
Labor is striking using tactics from Beautiful Trouble, which we pursue today in the HFR.
PENA PALACE
Built as the summer residence of the Portuguese Royal family almost 200 years ago, Pena Palace stands atop the highest hill of the Sintra mountains with stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean far below.
Today a museum showpiece and World Heritage Site, it is one of the most spectacular castles in all Europe. I was here with your fellow TTPers completing another marvelous exploration of the wondrous land of Portugal in October last year. We’ll be here again next Spring - hope you’ll be with us. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #231 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
SKYE’S LINKS 09/28/23
Ending the Kleptocracy
As Elon Musk leads the way toward Supreme Court challenges to the Administrative State, the era of federal tyranny and arbitrary rulings might end. The Chevron Deference results from a 1980s SCOTUS ruling that allows apparatchiks within federal agencies to make up rules and prosecute discretions with impunity. These departments and agencies maintain magistrates to hear their rules applied politically or for profit. Aggressive agencies never lose in their kangaroo courts. This tyranny costs the economy dearly.
Musk is challenging the government in several directions and is sailing into a favorable Supreme Court. His most important challenge is constitutional, as the administrative judges are far removed from the supervision of the President. They are silos of government unto themselves.
ESG is failing everywhere, as is most of the enviro movement. The memo went out earlier this month, and BlackRock is leading the rollback.
Disaster Capitalism is one of the dems get rich quick gimmicks, and Biden’s efforts might keep him from the ballot. Wouldn’t this be a turn of events?
All this and much more are at Today’s Skye’s Links.