Kalo Singh Bhandari had won wars against Champawat, and the Mughals. In the case of the Mughals, he had engineered victories not against vassals but against Delhi Darbar itself. A mere Thakur of a small Pahadi village, the man was a living legend. But his greatest victory was not on the battlefield but in fatherhood, for his son would go on to be the finest of the Bhads of Garhwal. Madhav Singh Bhandari has many folk tales attached to him, as he has over time become a legend - a mixture of myth and historical record. So I will just focus on what I have the strongest arguments on for the historical Bhandari.
He debuts at the court in Srinagar during the reign of Man Shah (1591-1611). He served multiple Panwar kings but it seems his political influence was highest under Man Shah and Mahipat Shah, as the vast majority of accounts and folk tales associated with Bhandari use these two kings to tell the period of the setting.
His first notable achievement was building an irrigation system which included a hand chiseled tunnel which transformed the agriculture of his village. This made the village richer, and brought Bhandari to the King’s attention.
Madho Singh Bhandari saw action against the Mughal vassals, Sirmour, Kumoun, and most famously Tibet.
Tibet controls the headwaters of the Sindhu, Brahmaputra, Me Kong, Yangtze, and Huang He rivers. Which means it controls the water for the vast majority of Asia’s population and power centers. Additionally it sits on the edge of South Asia, placing it on the Silk Road. Thus, the Tibetan Empire was an extremely influential power in Asia. However, Tibet did not have control over the headwaters of the Ganga. The Katyuri Empire had recognized Tibet’s ambitions, and had constructed forts and fortification clusters around the Gangetic headwaters. After the fall of Katyur, these Garhs (forts) became petty-states, over time united by the Panwar Dynasty of Kedarkhand to form the Kingdom of Garhwal.
Garhwal was a smaller, and poorer adversary than Katyur which at its peak could mobilize resources from Kabul to Sikkim to fight the Tibetan Empire. Thus, encroachment much like China today became standard practice. Raids devastated lives and the economy of Northeastern Garhwal. A Legendary Bhad, Ranu Singh Raut, would lead a young Madho into his first war against Tibet. Influenced by Raut, Man Shah sent Bhandari to capture Sirmour to serve as a strategic zone against Tibet. Bhandari like his mentor had an eye for talent, he picked a legendary core of officers that would serve him for decades, chief among them was the behemoth Rokhela Singh Lodhi. The team now assembled, Bhandari and Raut went on another round with Tibet.
Bhandari and Lodhi in coordination with Raut smashed Sirmour, and the imperial forces of the Highlands. Raut’s strategy and pupils secured Garhwal’s borders. However, a betrayal cost Raut his life in Himachal during the Sirmour campaign.
Bhandari and Lodhi would later go on campaign against Rohilkhand, and Kumoun under the Lion Shyam Shah. The Maharaja would meet martyrdom against the eternal rival Kumoun, leaving throne to his brother “Garbh Bhanjan” Mahipat Shah.
Bhandari saw action on all borders during this time, as Mahipat was more quarrelsome than his quarrelsome brother. It is during this time, somewhere between 1611-1621, that Bhandari oversaw the completion of his mentor Raut’s strategy. While Lodhi captured Sirmour, Bhandari led 12,000 Rajput Warriors into Western Tibet, and achieved victory in the highlands. The war was costly, many Bhads lost, and the return of Bhandari and his men became the origin of the festival of Bagwaali. Bhandari established the modern border between Tibet and Garhwal, which have been inherited by China and India, at the conclusion of this campaign.
Madho Singh Bhandari retired from court, and died while meditating from a rock slide near Maletha sometime during Mahipat Shah’s reign. His village bore his legacy as it had been transformed from a poor backwater into the capital of a major Thikana. Even today it’s farms are lush due to the ancient irrigation system, and a temple dedicated to Madho Singh Bhandari stands on its outskirts.
To get an idea of Bhandari’s ability, compare him to his peers. He did not die due to courtroom politics like Raut, and Lodhi. He did not die in battle like Shyam and Mahipat Shah. In the field of Middle Age politics and war where men die young, Madho Singh managed to retire. His engineering background must have also helped him in navigating the connectivity and supply chain challenges of the Himmalayas. He displayed an eye for empowering the right talent, and the ability to execute plans to completion over a long and arduous time period.
This is why in Garhwal we remember the name Madho Singh Bhandari.

Following up from my last post
From the Article, quoting below

Last month, Safeguard Defenders released a report documenting more than 280 cases of foreign citizens and residents being repatriated to China. The individuals are accused of committing economic crimes.
There were at least 16 successful individual extrajudicial returns from Australia between 2014 and 2023, according to the report, which relied on Chinese state media. Four of those returns took place last year.
"These successful operations — or even the attempts at operations that turn out not to be successful — are a clear violation of Australia's sovereignty," Ms Harth said.

I watched the full Four-Corners episode.
The phenomenon is real, however is the usual kernal of truth being framed as PRC evil subversion. The 1st Bureau cooperated with Australia at first, only for Australian Federal Police to get upset when one of the financial criminals were extradited to China which circumnavigated an agreed-upon process. The interviewees from the Australian side in the clip (including lawyer) said they cannot assume every single target was just innocently targeted, but the primary issue (correctly) is abusing sovereignty. Famously some things intelligence apparatuses never do /s. Genuinely there would be greater trust if relations were not Cold War coded.
The reporter is Echo Hui and some of her professional background as a journalist
Some things to note:
The former agent who speaks out (called Erik) was originally a member of (by the own reporter's admission) "was a member of a u.s-based pro-democracy organisation" known as the China Social Democratic Party (CSDP). He was one day called for questioning by the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) First (1st) Bureau: Political Security Protection Bureau (PSPB). He was questioned about the organisation and given an "opportunity for redemption" (left ambiguous, were there charges?), and offered to become an agent for the MPS's 1st Bureau, to becoming an informant on his former u.s-backed organisation). All of this comes from the mouth of Erik and Echo narrating. Unlike later in the episode; where we (eventually, after sufficent fear-mongering) get the China side.
On that note: The glossed-over "financial crimes" are significant. One of the "dissidents" was Edwin Yin. He was charged with Fraud in China, and Australian Courts ordered him to pay 700,000 AUD (3,345,451.83 CNY) due to "an alleged foreign exchange scam" Four-Corners talked to alleged victims which confirm yes Edwin Yin had scammed them and others. Edwin claims he is being framed by the CPC. In the clips he was also obsessed with Xi Jinping's illegitimate sons? And harassing his daughter online?
Now another of the "dissidents" is a "Everyday Chinese Marketing Guru". Wang Liming, AKA: Remon Wang, Pseudonym: Rebel Pepper (originally "Abnormal/Perverse Pepper.".). Political satirist, and left China to Japan to continue his anti-government satire cartoons. In 2012 he depicts the CPC as an angler fish which has hyponitised a smaller fish, representing the people of China. Compares Xi to an Emperor, and compare's the death toll of Mao to Islamic State. In 2017 he joins Radio Free Asia (RFA), and is the sole contributor to the cartoons column. In 2018 he founds the Shanghai National Party, in New York. A national-conservative, secessionist movement. Organised and attended anti-china protests in the Queens alongside Falun Gong and Uygher-American Association. In 2018, the Shanghai National Party hosted a "Acceleration of Chinese Collapse" award ceremony in Times Square. 😐 During the Shanghai lockdowns in 2022, he claimed the quarantine methods were an attempt at genocide of the Shanghainese.
Gonna share a quote.

He tweeted the ultimate goal of the Shanghai independence movement was to destroy the concept of a unified China. He wrote: "We must not only fight against the Communist Party, but also win more Chinese people to abandon the shell of "China."

This is sourced from: https://www.rfi.fcn/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD/20180812-%E4%B8%8A%E6%B5%B7%E6%B0%91%E6%97%8F%E5%85%9A%E5%9C%A8%E7%BA%BD%E7%BA%A6%E6%88%90%E7%AB%8B-%E5%85%AC%E5%BC%80%E8%A6%81%E6%B1%82%E4%B8%8A%E6%B5%B7%E7%8B%AC%E7%AB%8B
English Translation of the Webpage:

The "Shanghai National Party" was established in New York to oppose communism and demand the independence of Shanghai
A party called the "Shanghai National Party" is believed to have been established in New York, the United States. The specific date of founding the party may be July 18, but it was only announced in the United States yesterday by Twitter. The party's demands are to oppose unification, require Shanghainese to govern Shanghai, and promote Western democratization across the board. According to sources, those who pushed for the establishment of the "Shanghai National Party" were dissidents. Apple Daily reported today that in addition to facing Xinjiang and Tibetan independence, the Chinese government is now crying out for "Shanghai independence." Recently, a number of dissidents established the "Shanghai National Party" in New York State, USA. Their main demands are: "Oppose unification, Shanghai people ruling Shanghai, and total Westernization."
According to the Chinese dissident cartoonist "Abnormal Chili Pepper" yesterday announced on Twitter the first founding meeting of the "Shanghai National Party" (referred to as the Shanghai Democratic Party), and introduced in a newspaper advertisement that the party was established on July 18 this year. And successfully registered in New York on the same day.
"Abnormal Chili Pepper" tweeted that the Shanghai Democratic Party was established to completely subvert the concept of China as a unified country. He also said that the path they took was bound to be more difficult than the traditional democratic movement. He wrote: "Anti-communism is the first step, and it is also necessary to eliminate the soil for the survival of the CCP: the false concept of China. Therefore, the independence movement is definitely not a shortcut. We must not only be enemies of the CCP, but also become the enemy of all people who think that they are Chinese. Among them are the enemies of the traditional democratic movement. The independence movement is very difficult. We must not only fight against communism, but also win more Chinese people to abandon the shell of "China."

Throughout all this. There is ominous music and a sense of omnipresent surveillance. Echo also interviews FBI agent and Canadian Intelligence Agent to get their counter-intelligence perspective on these matters. The FBI agent says it was initially positive that PRC authorities wanted to cooperate to catch criminals on overseas soil, followed by saying "but then they get a foothold" to target people. Meanwhile; Echo says Xi Jinping using anti-corruption as a cover to silence and kidnap dissidents. Then later she asks to the Erik the former agent:

"So you were effectively helping the secret police track down people who were innocent of any crime. Do you feel any guilt for your involvement?"

To which Erik responses with:

"I'm an idealist but I'm also a pragmatist. I'm aware of the outcome one might face in China if you refuse to work with the secret police."

The exposé ends with Erik saying:

"They [PRC] may deny this story. They may mobilise some agents on the ground or send people to Australia [to] take measures against me, possibly getting physical. It's even possible that some agents on the ground may attempt to kidnap me. When they deal with a target like me, they may have to be more patient, smart, wait for an appropriate time to act. I'm definitely safer in Australia than in China or South-East Asia. But my safety eventually is determined by the Australian Government."
"But to some extent, for all those who oppose the CCP and Xi Jinping, the day that we can truly feel safe is after the CCP falls, after China becomes more free and democratic. Only then can we be free and safe.

Credits roll.
Honorable mentions:
• While operating in Cambodia, Erik's cover was being employed with Prince Real Estate, under Prince Holding Group. He was using this to eventually pursue Rebel-Pepper. Echo introduces them near the end and they share a hearty and jolly video call as they're now both "dissidents" in Melbourne.
• While operating in the countryside, he larped as a anti-CCP milita (as in making videos) to get close to this other dissident, who agreed with him. Though this dissident fled to Canada, and died kayaking in a town in Canada. Erik's first reaction is that this was an extrajudicial killing, followed by saying there is no way to know for sure, since he was not personally involved in Canada operations.
• FBI agent claims Xi is using diaspora for political aims, while Echo says Xi's anti-corruption portfolio was a cover to gain more power and "dissent is not allowed".

Reporter Lim Joo-hyung
Input 2024.05.13 16:29 Modified 2024.05.13 18:36
Woo Hyung-chul (59), once famous as an online entrance exam instructor, passed away on the 13th. In the past, he revealed that the Internet lecture industry is manipulating comments for the purpose of promoting its company and slandering its competitors. The cause of death of the deceased was not disclosed based on the opinion of the bereaved family.
A graduate of Seoul National University's engineering department, Woo began his teaching career by establishing Namgang Academy in 1995. Woo became famous after passing through Vita Edu, Itus Education (Etus), and EBS, and established himself as a "one-shot" math instructor around the 2010s.
Woo Hyung-cheol (59), a college entrance exam instructor, [Image source = YouTube capture]
Among students, Woo also gained popularity due to his unique gag-like talk. His violent and provocative remarks, which were worthy of his nickname "Sapjaru," became a so-called proverb and were shared among the students preparing for the college entrance exam.
After the news of Woo's death, Internet users who studied for the CSAT while listening to his lecture responded with shock. On social networking services (SNS), condolences poured in, saying, "He was responsible for my repair score," "I can never forget that he was giving a lecture with a real shovel handle," "If it wasn't for the shovel handle, I couldn't get out of it," and "I can't believe he died because it seems like yesterday when I used to hold his mind while listening to the shovel handle lecture."
In 2017, Woo also revealed that the online lecture company E2US Education (E2US), which he belonged to, "hired a comment part-timer to write articles that undermined competitive academies or instructors and manipulated search rankings."
At the time, he accused the cram school district of this practice as common and formed the "Clean In-gang Council" by joining forces with other instructors who opposed the manipulation of comments.
Due to Woo's disclosure, the Supreme Court in 2021 confirmed a one-year and six-month prison term and two-year probation for Itus CEO Kim Hyung-joong, who was indicted on charges of obstruction of business and violation of the Information and Communication Network Act (defamation). Jeong, head of Itus' online business division who was put on trial with Kim, was also sentenced to one and a half years in prison.
His death can be a case of the so many triumph of the evil in hellish ultra righting wing Nazi country with the lowest birth rate.
Woo's mortuary was set up in Room 17 of the Shinchon Funeral Home of Severance Hospital. The coffin will be stamped at midnight on the 15th.
Reporter Lim Joo-hyung [skepped@asiae.co.kr](mailto:skepped@asiae.co.kr)
Source: https://www.asiae.co.karticle/2024051316275536201

(Sorry that it's been so long since the last post. I've just been busy with school, so I haven't had the opportunity to continue the timeline until now.)
President Richard M. Nixon (1955-)
Administration:
Vice President: John J. Williams (1957-)
Secretary of State: Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. (1959-)
Secretary of the Treasury: Prescott S. Bush (1957-)
Secretary of Defense: Robert B. Anderson (1957-)
Attorney General: William P. Rodgers (1959-)
Postmaster General: Arthur E. Summerfield (1955-)
Secretary of the Interior: Frederick A. Seaton (1961-)
Secretary of Agriculture: Earl L. Butz (1957-)
Secretary of Commerce: Frederick H. Mueller (1961-)
Secretary of Labor: James P. Mitchell (1955-)
Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare: Arthur S. Flemming (1958-)
National Security Advisor: Harold E. Stassen (1957-)
Ambassador to the United Nations: James J. Wadsworth (1959-)
Chief of Staff: H.R. Haldeman (1957-)
Nixon had no intention of replacing anyone in the administration, but with Secretary Mckay and Secretary Weeks both deciding to retire, he needed to replace them.
Replacing Secretary McKay would be former Senator Fred A. Seaton of Minnesota. Seaton had worked in various positions in the Eisenhower administration, and had been carried over to the Nixon administration when he took over. Believing him to be capable and as a sort of reward for his service, Nixon decided to make him his new Secretary of the Interior. However, his selection has irked some conservatives considering his liberal leanings.
Nixon’s replacement for Weeks would end up being his deputy, 67 year-old Frederick H. Mueller of Michigan. After years of being the president of his family’s business, Mueller would become Deputy Secretary of Commerce back in 1958 and now with Secretary Weeks retiring, it was only right for Mueller to take up the position.

Foreign Policy:

Cuba: Despite their fierce fighting, especially after Che Guevara’s death back in 1959, it was only a matter of time before the rebels would fall to the U.S. backed Cuban government. They finally fell in February of 1961. After years of back and forth fighting, Batista’s forces had finally been able to deal a decisive blow to the rebels in the Sierra Maestra mountain range. The costly onslaught killed a substantial number of “communist” rebels and scattered whoever was left. Surviving rebel leaders, such as Fidel Castro and his brother, fled to other Latin American countries.
President Richard M. Nixon and Dictator Fulgencio Batista (1901-1962)
This was welcome news for the thoroughly exhausted Nixon, but he now had other issues to deal with. First and foremost concerning a certain Fulgencio Batista. Nixon had at one point supported the dictator, however, after seeing his incompetence and unpopularity first hand, it was clear he needed to go. Nixon knew Batista wouldn’t let go of power willingly, so he likely had to use other methods to get him out of power. About one month after the rebels had been effectively crushed, Batista would be found dead under mysterious circumstances. President Nixon would soon after issue a statement “mourning” the Cuban leader, and his administration would officially pin the blame on the Cuban mafia. After Batista’s death, Nixon quickly dispatched the primed military to Cuba to take control of the situation and begin peacekeeping. Nixon would then go on to appoint Carlos M. Sterling as the country’s new de facto president, and allowed the country to hold presidential elections in November of 1962.
U.S. vessel in Cuba
However, despite initially just being sent for peacekeeping, Nixon would keep the U.S. military on the island nation indefinitely. Effectively putting the country under the thumb of the United States and undermining the power of President Sterling. Nixon justified his decision by reasoning that the country was still unstable and under the threat of Communism, but that’s little consolation for the other Latin American nations who’ve made their displeasure known.
Latin America: Knowing very well that the other Latin American countries weren’t happy with his occupation of Cuba, Nixon began working toward appeasing them. In April of 1961, he officially introduced his Alliance for Prosperity plan to Congress. It was a multi-year plan that aimed to provide the Latin American countries with a vast amount of economic aid to improve their situations. Nixon's ultimate end goal for the plan was to hopefully turn the Latin American countries away from communism and to make them reliant on the U.S. for aid.
In that same April, the Republican controlled Congress reluctantly agreed to grant Nixon’s plan with just barely one billion dollars. Soon after money began quickly flowing into Latin America, contributing to the construction of infrastructure and general improvements to the quality of life in the region. However, looking just a bit closer, the plan wasn't as impactful as some had hoped it would be, but either way, it still somewhat contributed to Nixon’s end goals.
Southeast Asia: Entering his second term in office, Nixon continued preventing the spread of Communism in the region, but with his recent success in Cuba, he noticeably upped the ante.
Starting in Laos, the “cork of the bottle” as Eisenhower had called it. Although an agreement had been made to respect Laotian neutrality in mid 1962, it had been quickly disregarded by the United States and the Communist nations. The North Vietnamese continued making incursions into Laos, the Soviets and Chinese continued supporting the Pathet Lao, and the United States continued supporting the Royal Lao Government.
President Nixon announcing the deployment of U.S. troops in Laos and South Vietnam
However, Nixon wasn’t convinced that the country was doing enough to prevent Laos from falling. Just a few weeks after the “agreement,” Nixon would take aggressive measures. With the support of the Joint Chiefs and most of his administration, he would convince Congress to send 5,000 standing soldiers to Laos. It was a highly controversial and very provoking decision, but Nixon defended his decision by saying they were only there to deter Communist incursions.
Transitioning over to South Vietnam, the Diem government had continued struggling against northern incursion into the south. Again with the support of the Joint Chiefs and his administration, he would use that as a justification and ask Congress to send more military equipment and advisors to the south. However, he would also ask Congress to approve sending 10,000 standing soldiers to the south to deter the north. Despite their reluctance, Congress would eventually agree and 10,000 soldiers would be sent to the south.
As expected, the Communists didn’t take kindly to the U.S. deploying troops to Laos and South Vietnam, it raised the already high tensions between them. However, at least thus far, the troop placements have been successful at deterring incursions into Laos and South Vietnam and Nixon has dubbed his troop placements as a success.
East Asia: Although Nixon successfully made diplomatic progress with the Soviets, the situation with China has only gotten more and more volatile as the years go by. Entering his second term, Nixon has put more scrutiny on the nation as they become more and more of a threat, however, not all is bad. In recent years, the relationship between the Soviets and Chinese have only gotten worse, whether their relationship will deteriorate completely remains to be seen.
Middle East: Barring the Kuwait Crisis, which was mostly resolved by the British, the Middle East wasn’t nearly as hectic as it was during the 50’s. As he’s done since he entered office in 1955, Nixon continued attempting to strengthen the Baghdad Pact with varied success. Regarding Israel, Nixon expectedly continued supplying our ally with military supplies, including some state of the art antiaircraft missiles.
Soviet Union: Despite signing the groundbreaking partial nuclear test-ban treaty with the Soviets at the tail end of his first elected term, things are still not completely stable with the Soviets. A crisis in Berlin, supposedly funding the Cuban rebels, among various other things have contributed toward tensions remaining high.

Domestic Policy:

Economy: Despite going through multiple recessions in the previous decade, entering the 1960s, it seemed like the economy was on the up. Back in 1957, Nixon had successfully passed the Revenue Act of 1957. The act had decreased taxes for middle and lower class earners, while increasing taxes on high earners.
However, quite a few of his fellow Republican allies believed that there should be a tax cut across the board, believing that it would help stimulate the economy. Just a few months after being inaugurated, in the summer of 1961, the Republican controlled house would introduce the Revenue Act of 1961. The act would cut taxes across the board by 20 percent. However, with middle and lower class earners having had their taxes cut four years earlier, this would mostly affect the country’s highest earners. Someone with a tax rate of 91 percent would have their rates reduced to 71 percent under the act.
Although the Democrats voiced their dislike of the act, with Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress, the act would easily get through. It would be subsequently signed by President Nixon, who himself was mostly indifferent to the act. In the months following the acts passing, the economy would continue to grow steadily.
The Department of Justice: Just after being inaugurated to his second elected term as president, Nixon had a private meeting with Attorney General and confidant William P. Rodgers. Details about the meeting between the two men are still mostly unknown, but one thing is for certain, Orval Faubus’s days were numbered.
In November of 1961, the Justice Department would formally and publicly announce that widespread voter fraud had been committed throughout the southern states during the 1960 election. Among those accused of committing or aiding in fraud was Governor Orval Faubus himself, and all hell broke loose in the south.
President Nixon addressing the country
Following the announcement by the Department of Justice (DoJ), millions of Southerners nationwide took to violent protests and riots against the federal government, unfortunately ensnaring African-Americans in the chaos. Politicians across the South denounced the situation as an outrage, branding both the federal government and President Nixon as tyrannical. Some politicians increased tensions by escalating racial rhetoric, while others attempted to impeach Nixon, albeit unsuccessfully in Congress. Governor Faubus, among others, vehemently denied any election misconduct, echoing the widespread sentiment of outrage. To quell some especially violent protests and as a warning to all the southern governors, President Nixon would mobilize the National Guard to keep the peace. However, this response was met by more violence by southern civilians.
Governor Orval Faubus on trial
The federal trial itself would finally begin the next year in February of 1962. Although some thought it would become a long and arduous affair, it would be quite swift. With ten hard months worth of evidence obtained, through various methods, it wasn’t difficult for the DoJ to prove that fraud had indeed been committed in the southern states during the 1960 election. Many conspirators would be sentenced with various different sentences, ranging from high fines to serious imprisonment. For his part, Governor Faubus was sentenced to ten years in federal prison and he was promptly removed from the governor’s office.
While all this was going on, Vice President Williams was doing all he could to keep some of the more conservative members of the Republican party around. Although “most” Republicans generally agreed with the DoJ’s actions given the evidence, some saw this as severe government overreach.
The “True President”: Since the 1960 election results came back in, Nixon has had to deal with the blowback from winning the election via the 2nd ever deadlock in American history.
Kennedy supporters across the nation have dubbed the Massachusetts Senator as the “true president,” while calling Nixon undeserving of the high office. For his part, Nixon traveled to Democratic strongholds in the east coast in an attempt to keep the peace and quell the protests against his second term. However, they weren’t particularly effective.
The protests weren’t good for Nixon as was, but when the DoJ announced that election fraud had in fact been committed en masse throughout the south, Kennedy supporters were furious and even more galvanized against Nixon. Nixon had anticipated that this would happen, and he had prepared to barnstorm the east coast and some other Democratic strongholds to try and quell their anger. However, like before, the attempt proved ineffective.
The situation started to improve only after John F. Kennedy intervened to help President Nixon appease his supporters' anger. Despite Kennedy riding off the anger of his supporters, he had shared a friendship with Nixon. Recognizing the urgent need for national unity in such turbulent times, Kennedy joined Nixon in efforts to pacify his enraged supporters by accompanying him on travels.
The young Senator’s charisma, zeal, and humility was infectious. During one visit in New York State, he made his now famous "Forward" speech.
Senator Kennedy delivering his \"Forward Speech\"
“My fellow Americans. Tonight, I speak to you not only as your elected leader but as a fellow citizen of this great nation, a nation that stands at a crossroads of history, where the winds of change blow strong and the currents of uncertainty swirl. The recent election, yes, it was marred with fraud. However, the past is but a prologue to the future.
In times such as these, it is easy to look back, to dwell on the injustices, the grievances, the wrongs that have been done. But my friends, we cannot change what has already come to pass. We cannot turn back the hands of time, nor can we rewrite the chapters of history.
Instead, we must look forward. We must cast our gaze towards the horizon of tomorrow, towards the promise of a brighter future that lies ahead. For it is in our collective will, our shared determination, that we shall find the strength to overcome any obstacle, to weather any storm.
Let us not be defined by the trials of the past, but rather by our resilience in the face of adversity. Let us not be consumed by bitterness and division, but rather united in our pursuit of a common purpose, a common destiny.
For as long as this great nation has stood, it has been the beacon of hope and the bastion of freedom. And so it shall remain, so long as we have the courage to stand firm in our convictions, to uphold the principles upon which it was founded. My fellow Americans, the road ahead may be long and arduous, but I have faith in the indomitable spirit of the American people.
Together, we shall chart a course towards a brighter tomorrow, a tomorrow where justice prevails, where truth triumphs, and where the flame of liberty burns ever bright. So let us rise to the challenge before us. Let us seize the opportunities that lie ahead. And let us march forward, hand in hand, towards a future that is worthy of the sacrifices of those who have come before us. Thank you, and God bless America.”
President Nixon and Senator Kennedy
His speech reverberated throughout the nation, capturing headlines and effectively soothing his supporters, who settled down after his remarkable speech. Its impact even extended beyond his immediate base, swaying even some southerners to the Senator's perspective. For Nixon, the speech brought a semblance of relief, while for Senator Kennedy, it launched him deeper into the realms of stardom and political legend.
Infrastructure: Since the inception of Nixon’s “Rejuvenate America” plan in 1959, significant financial resources had been allocated to all 50 states, aimed at bolstering infrastructure and enhancing the overall quality of life nationwide. Despite opposition from Democrats, Nixon's initiative garnered widespread public support as citizens welcomed the prospect of tangible improvements within their communities.
However, during the seemingly optimistic landscape, clouds of controversy loomed. The unrestricted nature of the plan, essentially a financial carte blanche extended to every state, invited strong scrutiny. By late 1961, Democrats raised allegations of misuse, claiming that funds from the “Rejuvenate America” plan found their way into the pockets of politicians, predominantly Republicans.
Although Nixon vehemently refuted these accusations, the summer of 1962 brought forth damning evidence suggesting otherwise. Some Republican officials were indeed found to have misappropriated funds intended for public benefit. However, the Democrats' fervent accusations weren’t without irony, as instances of Democrats similarly engaging in misconduct would also be unveiled. Nonetheless, the spotlight remained fixed on Republican transgressions as Democrats pursued their allegations.
In response, President Nixon would formally apologize, but he would mostly pin the blame on the stateside politicians. Saying they should have looked after the funds more adequately. However, he would also say he’d begin tracking the funds with federal oversight. He would then introduce the Oversight Act of 1962 in August, the act would track where the funds from the “Rejuvenate America” plan were going. Despite opposition from some of the more conservative members of the party, the bill would get through Congress with bipartisan support.
Social Programs: As welfare emerged as an increasingly significant concern in the new decade, Nixon recognized the necessity of taking action to prevent the Democrats from dominating the conversation. In the spring of 1962, he introduced his 'Family Assistance Plan' (FAP) to Congress as a strategic response. In short, the plan would provide struggling families with a guaranteed annual income from the federal government, approximately $1200 annually.
However, Nixon's plan faced opposition not only from Democrats who didn’t believe it went far enough, but also from his fellow Republicans. Particularly among conservatives, there were strong objections to the bill due to concerns raised about its potential strain on the treasury and the perceived risk of discouraging work incentives. Ultimately, despite Nixon's efforts, the plan failed to advance through Congress and was never enacted into law.
NASA: Since the Vanguard disaster, Nixon had kept a close eye on the agency. To quell American fears and to restore confidence in the agency, he ambitiously announced that the country would land on the moon by the end of the decade. Although they had been making good progress since the embarrassment, he wanted them to progress faster to meet his self-imposed deadline. In November of 1962, we would successfully increase funding toward the agency to increase their progress.
Judge William H. Hastie Jr.
Supreme Court Admissions: With Justice Felix Frankfurter's retirement from the court due to health reasons in August of 1962, Nixon faced the imperative of appointing another justice to the country’s highest court. Eventually, he nominated William H. Hastie Jr. to the Supreme Court, marking the first time a black American had been nominated for such a position. Despite Chief Justice Warren's initial opposition to Hastie's nomination, Nixon dispatched Justice Brownell and Attorney General Rodgers to persuade the respected judge. Ultimately, Warren begrudgingly accepted Hastie into the fold.
However, Nixon also needed to persuade Hastie to accept the nomination. While Hastie harbored reservations toward Justice Warren, President Nixon, Attorney General Rodgers, and other prominent figures managed to sway him to accept the nomination after concerted efforts.
When his nomination reached Congress, it faced opposition from southern Democrats and some particularly conservative Republicans. Nonetheless, it encountered relatively smooth confirmation proceedings thanks to the support of moderates and liberals from both parties. Thus, the nation welcomed its first-ever black Supreme Court Justice. While Black Americans celebrated his appointment, southerners, still grappling with the Department of Justice’s actions, vehemently opposed him.
Current Supreme Court (As of August, 1962):
-Chief Justice Earl Warren
-Associate Justice Herbert Brownell Jr.
-Associate Justice William O. Douglas
-Associate Justice Hugo L. Black
-Associate Justice Tom C. Clark
-Associate Justice John Marshall Harlan II
-Associate Justice Potter Stewart
-Associate Justice William J. Brennan Jr.
-Associate Justice William H. Hastie Jr.

Kepler paraphrased by Sagan:

“Geometry existed before the creation. It is co-eternal with the mind of god. Geometry provided god with a model for the creation. Geometry is god himself.“
— Carl Sagan (A25/1980), Cosmos (pg. 53); a Kepler paraphrase

Kepler on god as geometry:

“Geometry existed before the creation; is co-eternal with the mind of god; is god himself. Where there is matter there is geometry. Geometry provided god with a model for the creation and was implanted into man, together with god's own likeness, and not merely conveyed to his mind through the eyes. It is absolutely necessary that the work of such a creator be of the greatest beauty.”
— Johannes Kepler (339A/1616), World Harmonies (pg. #)

Kepler’s basic principle, as cited by Wolfgang Paul (here) and Weiner Heisenberg (here):

Latin
Geometria est archetypes pulchritudinis mundi	Geometry is the archetype of the beauty of the world

Discussion
We will note that Sagan presently ranked as the “greatest atheist ever” according to popular Ranker vote. Sagan, as I understand him, viewed the mechanisms and beauty of the cosmos as what was formerly defined by the god geometries of the ancients, the Egyptians and Sumerians originally.
This was modified by Neil Tyson, the Sagan followup so to say, in to his famous “god is ever receding pockets of scientific ignorance“ motto.
God units
In god geometry, the fundamental unit of god or rather all the gods is the digit 𓂭 as shown below:

• 𓂭 = one digit (ΨΗΦΙΟ) [1288]
• 𓂪 = palm four four digits
• 𓃀 = foot or 16 digits
• 𓂣 = cubit [ΠΗΧΥΣ] [1288] or 24 digits
• 𓂣 + 𓂪 = royal cubit 📏 or ruler or 28 digits

The Amenemope (3250A/-1295) is shown below:
The EAN cubit ruler as used on the Egypto Alpha Numerics YouTube channel.
Wherein we see LibbThims EAN Amenemope (3250A/-1295) Cubit, shown with: the 28 LunarScript characters; 28 Greek letters, letter values: 1 to 1000, letter numbers: 1 to 28; 22 Phoenician letters; 22 Aramaic letters; 28 Hebrew letters; 27 Etruscan characters; 26 English alphabet letters.
The aim herein, accordingly, is to reduce all the gods down to their digits and geometry defined therein.
Famous atheists

• Famous atheists (280+) {Chronological} - Hmolpedia A66.
• Greatest atheists of all time (350+) - Ranker.
• Ranker Greatest Atheists (list background) - Hmolpedia A65.

References

• Kepler, Johannes. (339A/1616). World Harmonies (Harmonices mundi libri V) (pg. #) (Wiki) (post). Publisher.
• Sagan, Carl. (A25/1980). Cosmos (pg. 53) (post). Publisher.

I woke up very refreshed, but definitely sick. Congested with a runny nose. Blegh. But I still feel better than previous days. Nine hours of sleep two nights in a row will always get me back on track, sick or no. Bryce and Jae took awhile to wake up so I planned a bit of my day, when they did wake up poor Bryce notified me that I snored louder than he's ever heard me snore before. He was stuck between me sawing logs at max volume, Jae the sleep-snuggler, and being lodged in the crack between the two beds. Poor guy. Our plan is to pump me full of decongestants and put Bryce on the outside so he can get a decent night's sleep as he's looking pretty haggard.
I got ready for the day and took my bike with us when we went out as the destination I had in mind had some big gaps in transportation on the other side and I had little mind for paying for little bus hops when a bike would get me there in minutes. We walked across Shinjuku to the breakfast spot Bryce had picked out, dodging the wreckage of the night before. This area is definitely 24/7, and the small army of street cleaners had to work hard to straighten the place out. Where they hadn't reached yet the street was littered with cigarettes, garbage, energy drink bottles, cardboard boxes and bagger trash. The entire neighborhood stunk of piss in the gutters and Wednesday hangovers. I was again curious how all these bars stay open, so I did a little research. A lot are small as the property taxes on a large place are very expensive, and if one owns the bar and runs it themselves, it's fairly cheap. Many places are run by a family and therefore have no "employees", some are retirement plans, the proprietor working another job to pay off the mortgage on the bar, and others being the dream of the owner, who works 7 days a week and makes little off of it. The country is full of grinders I guess. With no inflation, I guess you can't accumulate wealth by interest here so you have to put it into something. Makes sense.
The southern side of Shinjuku was far more tidy and reasonable than the mid and north sides, which are known as kabukicho and are a bit ridiculous. This was where the breakfast spot was, humourously named "Eggslut", which we all found pretty funny. While we've seen a lot of silly English names here, this one was definitely a chain and definitely knew what the name meant, but was a very upscale breakfast eatery that families attended. Bring the kids to Eggslut. Another case of the country being a little silly. They had amazing breakfast sandwiches with the first good bacon we've had in the whole country. We enjoyed iced coffees and our sandwiches outside, the weather lovely.
After breakfast I left Bryce and Jae to their birthday plans. After thinking about how ill I felt and my destination, I decided that I've seen a lot of the buildings I'd see at the architectural museum already, just not all in the same place. I've seen centuries-old houses, grass thatched roofs, turn off the century townhouses, modern skyscrapers. May as well save the time and go to the National museum in the afternoon and the Shinjuku National garden, which was nearby.
I left my bike at a lockup near a train station and walked to the garden. The expansive garden was a mix of grassy picnic lawns and formal gardens, which I found to be lovely. I wandered through quiet groves with centuries-old cedars and pines, past ponds still but for the few raindrops falling, through rows and rows of roses now in full bloom, and an excellent greenhouse teeming with colorful flowers, many of which I've never seen the likes of before. The rose garden had dozens of cultivars, each more colorful than the last, but the tropical flowers were the highlight for me. You so rarely see flowers in shades of blue, I found one species to be so enticing that I couldn't look away. The swoops of the blooms looked like tips of a frosted cake they were so smooth and creamy looking. Fabulous.
Now I made my way back to the apartment to get some cold medication and get rid of my bike. I wouldn't need it for where I was going and it was going to rain in a bit anyways. It was quite fun riding without gear, nimbly moving through the slow traffic. Nobody can move fast in Tokyo so it's safe enough for riding on the street and the fastest way to get around save the subway. At the apartment I didn't want to go anywhere til the meds kicked in and I was itching to have a go at the tent. With the other two gone for the day I could spread out if I needed, and getting some done now meant I could finish it in the evening before bed and be able to pack up and enjoy the last few days without thinking about our now stripped and hilariously porous tent. Gotta follow through eventually and I do like a challenging diy project. Popping the bufferin pills and the top off of the sealant bottle, I found it came out as a watery coating that dried relatively not the sticky varnish like I was expecting. After about an hour I had done four panels of the fly and the bottle was empty. Good enough for now.
I grabbed my stuff and went out to look for some lunch. Always a bit of a time limited thing in Japan as past 2pm it can be tricky to find decent stuff to eat. I hadn't tried the shwarma place outside the apartment that loudly proclaimed "no kebab no life", so I got a chicken wrap there. I love cabbage but this wrap was too much cabbage. I'd eat cabbage on its own for fun but this wrap... It needed less cabbage.
I got on the subway to the National museum, later than I wanted to, as I knew it'd be rushing it to only have a few hours. I usually get fatigued at museums anyways after a few hours, so maybe it was fine. After missing my stop and having to hop the return train, I got off and walked through a bustling market area that I made a note to visit, through Ueno park, and arrived at the National museum. I tried my best to contain my skepticism that these artefacts were obtained through proper channels (I'm looking at you, Otani expeditions) and put on my learning hat.
Over the course of three exhibitions (where I ran into Bryce and Jae) I got the feeling that the history of technology and art and culture in Asia really can't be understood as these islands of culture, rather, as these great pushes wherein a region would prosper and advance and export their culture and other regions in less prosperous times would import. The museum did a great job of showing progress of technology and art and influences that came from abroad. Chinese art was highly prized by one ruling class, the next not so much. Blue glazed porcelain with geometric trim was shown as a Chinese marketed item to the Arabic world, which then landed up in other places. Korean spins on bhuddism being imported and then syncretizing with Shinto. All of these periods of growth and retraction, but for millennia done with this intimate connection with the neighboring regions. This whole paragraph is a bit of a silly ramble about the basis of trade and cross cultural dialog, but seeing the artefacts themselves helps one to understand just how imperfect the idea of clearly defined racial and cultural borders really are.
I enjoyed mapping the art forms I saw onto art forms that I like to make, some of the gilt copper forms I saw, especially the ones from ancient Korean origin, really looked like they might work on Pysanky. I'll have to try that. The Japanese lacquer arts really struck me as beautiful and refined, the gold-on-black shine really feeling luxurious. I wonder how common these were in daily life.
The focus on bhuddism and it's effect on Japanese society was striking to me. Through artefacts and records the museum showed how the entire structure of the society was rapidly changed to fit this new view of the world. I get that Zen Buddhism as a sect came much later than Buddhism, but it seems like Zen really struck a chord here. The card explaining that you had to meditate hard enough to hear the truth of the universe straight out of your teacher's head and not their mouth was interesting, too.
Maybe the most reeling effect was the collection of artefacts that were made so long ago they note the dates in millennia, rather than centuries before the common era. To think that laquerware was being made and mastered as a form thousands of years before the pyramids. The history is staggering. China really has the bag on recording stuff from a long time ago, if only every region was able to maintain records and art and preserve culture from their eras in the same manner. Stupid wars and plagues and colonies.
After the museum closed, the three of us walked to a to a lovely bar that was decorated with wood and bottles and books and records and was very comfortable. I saw the jukebox had all of my favourite city pop hits from the 80's in Japan, and the menu even had some cocktails inspired by the more famous ones. I of course got "Plastic Love" by Mariya Takeuchi, and the bartender brought over the record cover after she put the vinyl on a record player for the bar. Bryce got the "Black hole sun" drink which was a bit of a theme disruption after the shot of pure nostalgia that my song evokes, but both drinks were pretty tasty.
After the bar I departed from the group again. I was definitely more sick than I started, so it was time to find some dinner and head home. I wanted what I usually want when I'm sick and about to eat Japanese food: udon noodles with a lot of red pepper powder. Udon was my first love for Japanese food that wasn't sushi and it wasn't hard to find a jumbo bowl of the stuff with one of each of the available tempura to go with it. There's nothing a lot of green onions and ginger can't fix. Probably.
I stopped by a Mont Bell store to get some more tent sealant, wondering if I should get two just to make sure. I got some snacks as well to keep up my spirits as I worked on the tent as I felt a bit miserable with the cold. Back at the apartment, I put some videos on and learned about how the concept of "Eastern Europe" existing primarily as a means of subjugation by the USSR and then as a means of denigration by Western Europeans later and only makes sense as a grouping by the aggression of modern Russia. Long story short, I should have gotten the extra bottle. At this point I probably should have just bought another tent, but I'm determined to learn just how effective it is to redo a whole tent coating. Maybe it'll be so effective we use this tent for a long time to come. With how much effort I've put in, we had better use it for a long time.
Finally I'm getting to bed, a bit later than expected, but not too bad. Hopefully I wake up with less of a cold. I'd like to enjoy more of my day tomorrow before the sickness gets me, so I want to get up and get moving. Bufferin for breakfast I suppose.