Since my wife gave me this Citizen Vintage Brycen Sport for my birthday, I've been wearing it frequently for date nights and special occasions. We don't do anything that calls for me needing an actual dress watch, but this has been serving nicely as a fancier let's-dress-up-a-little-nicer sort of watch. Testnfjenejdjehejdnkrjr as Despite the dive styling, the watch does not have a screw down crown and is rated for 100m. This is fine by me as I have primarily been wearing this watch for evenings out on the town. The bezel unfortunately doesn't rotate, and this is the only detail I don't care for on the watch itself. I believe the bezel doesn't rotate due to the use of a J810 "Eco-Drive Ring" movement, with the solar panel presumably embedded in the rehaut instead of under the watch face. If I'm right about the solar panel placement, then presumably the electronics or the panel extend under the bezel which would then preclude the inclusion of a normal rotating bezel. I've come to terms with the bezel though, viewing it as a tradeoff for having Eco-Drive in combination with the beautiful sunburst green dial which probably wouldn't be quite as vividly reflective if it needed to pass light through to a panel underneath like a typical Eco-Drive.
The one thing that had to go though was the stock bracelet. As much as I love the dial and overall look of the watch, that bracelet was really jangly and it just looked and felt cheap with its partial articulation (the middle and outer links were a single piece) and hollow end links. So I put it on a straight end StrapCode/MiLTAT Super J bracelet. Even though the straight ends don't perfectly mate with the watch body like the stock bracelet did, I feel like the Super J really elevates the look and feel of the watch. The links are fully articulated and feel very solid, and there is a nice two-tone contrast between the brushed outer links and polished inner links that pairs nicely with the brushed and polished surfaces of the watch.
All in all, this watch is a keeper and has lots of sentimental value right off the bat as a gift that my wife chose for me. The photo honestly doesn't do the watch justice with the way it catches and reflects light. My wife and I have been jokingly referring to the watch as my "Rolex" (with copious air quotes and exaggerated wink) as more than a few of my friends and coworkers have noticed and asked about the "new Rolex" on my wrist =P

Since my wife gave me this Citizen Vintage Brycen Sport for my birthday, I've been wearing it frequently for date nights and special occasions. We don't do anything that calls for me needing an actual dress watch, but this has been serving nicely as a fancier let's-dress-up-a-little-nicer sort of watch.
Despite the dive styling, the watch does not have a screw down crown and is rated for 100m. This is fine by me as I have primarily been wearing this watch for evenings out on the town. The bezel unfortunately doesn't rotate, and this is the only detail I don't care for on the watch itself. I believe the bezel doesn't rotate due to the use of a J810 "Eco-Drive Ring" movement, with the solar panel presumably embedded in the rehaut instead of under the watch face. If I'm right about the solar panel placement, then presumably the electronics or the panel extend under the bezel which would then preclude the inclusion of a normal rotating bezel. I've come to terms with the bezel though, viewing it as a tradeoff for having Eco-Drive in combination with the beautiful sunburst green dial which probably wouldn't be quite as vividly reflective if it needed to pass light through to a panel underneath like a typical Eco-Drive.
The one thing that had to go though was the stock bracelet. As much as I love the dial and overall look of the watch, that bracelet was really jangly and it just looked and felt cheap with its partial articulation (the middle and outer links were a single piece) and hollow end links. So I put it on a straight end StrapCode/MiLTAT Super J bracelet. Even though the straight ends don't perfectly mate with the watch body like the stock bracelet did, I feel like the Super J really elevates the look and feel of the watch. The links are fully articulated and feel very solid, and there is a nice two-tone contrast between the brushed outer links and polished inner links that pairs nicely with the brushed and polished surfaces of the watch.
All in all, this watch is a keeper and has lots of sentimental value right off the bat as a gift that my wife chose for me. The photo honestly doesn't do the watch justice with the way it catches and reflects light. My wife and I have been jokingly referring to the watch as my "Rolex" (with copious air quotes and exaggerated wink) as more than a few of my friends and coworkers have noticed and asked about the "new Rolex" on my wrist =P

Update #3 appears at the bottom.
Due to numerous disparaging comments by multiple individuals, I have reposted my article.
Heckling does not change what occurred. People need to know these truths, especially those who have experienced the same. They need to know they are sane, that such things are indeed being perpetrated, and the perpetrators use shame to silence them and protect their activities.
I write to encourage them not to listen to disparaging people who speak without knowledge.
February 10, 2024
I am Joseph Cafariello, a Canadian citizen and ex-member of the Canadian military. Of sound mind, not on medication, not a drug user, not a marijuana smoker, not an alcohol drinker, with no mental disorders.
I recently posted to this Liberty subreddit experiences of harassment by Vancouver's police and fire departments (Vancouver, BC, Canada). I’m the fellow who was repeatedly ordered by police to stay out of Vancouver’s Stanley Park, and was continually harassed whenever I visited the park (which I do every second day on my early morning walks).
Immediately following that post, they changed some of the techniques they use in my case. They were either informed of my post or found it themselves, seeing as my internet activity, and phone activity for that matter, are under continuous surveillance (plenty of proof which I will not include here to avoid running off-topic).
In this post, I would like to shed some light on other harassment which is still ongoing, since it occurs in private, away from potential observers. It involves the Canadian and US militaries.
Havana Syndrome
In 2016, numerous employees of the Canadian and US embassies in Havana, Cuba, started experiencing head injuries ranging from mild headaches to concussions. It happened in their sleep, and came to be called Havana Syndrome.
Wikipedia explains (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havana\_syndrome):
“Havana syndrome is a cluster of idiopathic symptoms experienced mostly abroad by U.S. government officials and military personnel. The symptoms range in severity from pain and ringing in the ears to cognitive dysfunction and were first reported in 2016 by U.S. and Canadian embassy staff in Havana, Cuba. Beginning in 2017, more people, including U.S. intelligence and military personnel and their families, reported having these symptoms in other places, such as China, India, Europe, and Washington, D.C. The U.S. Department of State, Department of Defense, and other federal entities have called the events "Anomalous Health Incidents" (AHI). Of over a thousand purported cases, the majority of US investigative bodies found only a few dozen cases to be suspicious.”
Ladies and gentlemen, I can tell you exactly what happens, because I have been experiencing this since I first joined the Canadian military back in 2002, and am still experiencing these “torments” (as I call them) to this day, already 3 years after leaving the military.
I go to bed. In about 15 minutes, just as I am on the cusp of falling asleep, a hear and feel a heavy thud reverberate and ultimately strike my skull. My body releases a sharp burst of adrenalin, my heart starts racing, and my blood’s circulation speeds up significantly. Depending on the severity of the blow, it can take me anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to fall asleep again. Though there have been times I could not return to sleep for more than 2 hours.
A strong headache is felt immediately, and lasts for hours. There have been times when my heart felt like it was going to burst, having been startled as such.
The pulse to the head sometimes reverberates through the wall and my bed’s headboard. I distinctly feel as though I have been hit on the top of my skull. At other times, it feels as though the pulse has come through the air, striking the side of my skull.
This is not a sleep disorder, for it does not occur regularly. At times, my sleep is disturbed in this manner 3 or 4 days in a row. At other times, there is no disturbance for up to a week. But they never let me go more than a week without such interruptions to my sleep.
Neither is it sleep apnea, as I do not awaken gasping for breath. The pounding headaches, sudden release of adrenaline, and heart palpitations I experience are caused by external impacts of sound waves or air bursts.
Sonic Weapons
How these pulses are produced is not easy to identify. As Wikipedia explains:
“Once the story became public, various U.S. government representatives attributed the incidents to attacks by unidentified foreign actors, and various U.S. officials blamed the reported symptoms on a variety of unidentified and unknown technologies, including ultrasound and microwave weapons.”
Sonic weapons have been in use for many years by militaries, and by police in crowd control. As Wikipedia explains (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic\_weapon):
“Some sonic weapons make a focused beam of sound or of ultrasound; others produce an area field of sound. As of 2023 military and police forces make some limited use of sonic weapons.”
(Do not believe the 2023 timeline. The Canadian military has been using these weapons since the early 2000’s at the latest.)
Wikipedia continues:
“Extremely high-power sound waves can disrupt or destroy the eardrums of a target and cause severe pain or disorientation. This is usually sufficient to incapacitate a person. Less powerful sound waves can cause humans to experience nausea or discomfort.”
The users of these technologies must also be using thermal detection equipment to monitor the target’s sleep. As I mentioned, I most often feel these blows the moment I am falling asleep. Body temperature drops when we sleep, and brain activity slows. Heat-detection equipment is likely being used to identify the point at which the target is falling asleep.
Why they prefer to strike at the start of someone’s sleep as opposed to the middle of their sleep, I do not know. Perhaps their intent is to deprive the body of early sleep, limiting the amount of deep sleep available to the person before their alarm rings in the morning.
Ordinary Hammers
Not all such “torments” (as I call them) are caused by high-tech equipment. I have heard and felt distinct hammer strikes running along the 2x4 beams inside my walls. These strikes can be a single hard strike, or several strikes in a row. It is definitely caused by a person with a hammer because the intervals between strikes are equidistant in time; that is, the time spacing between strikes is not random and does not change from strike to strike, but is constant between strikes, exactly as when someone is hammering. And no, it is not someone hanging pictures at 1:30 am, multiple times a week, for years.
On one occasion, when I was standing at my kitchen sink, I felt the floor-board directly under my feet pulse so sharply it felt like a brick had struck the soles of my feet. In this case, my military neighbour likely used a hammer to strike the floorboard on his side of the wall. It is the only plausible explanation.
Surveillance
This leads to surveillance of one’s activities at home. I have plenty of proofs of that. They seem insignificant on an individual basis. But when you put them all together, they present a clear picture of home surveillance.
My laptop computer’s lid cracked one night, at the bottom left corner of the screen. The next day at work, I heard my military supervisor relate to another co-worker that the night before, his laptop computer’s lid cracked at the bottom left corner. I swear to the Lord in Heaven, I am being truthful.
I tested my suspicion of being surveilled. At home one night, I blurted out-loud, “VW Passat. What an ugly sounding word, ‘Passat’”, I said. A few days later, my military colleagues at work started playing a card game at lunch, invented by one of them. The name he gave his game was “Passat”, and when he spoke it, he looked at me for a reaction. If you ever contact the Halifax military base, ask for the Claims Department and ask them if they are still playing Passat.
On another occasion, at a time when I frequented the gym every second day for a few years, I suspected my van had been fitted with a listening device. I suspected so because a number of things I had spoken with people about on my phone while in my van (nothing illegal) were repeated by people at the gym in conversations among themselves. Too many times, parts of other people's conversations matched parts of conversations I had had with others while I was in my van.
I already knew my phone was being tapped, but I also suspected my van was bugged. So one evening while driving in my van, I blurted out-loud a number of things I said I hated. "I hate (this or that)"; "I hate it when...". One of them was, "I hate when people chew gum with their mouths open." I then vocalized an exaggerated gnawing sound, "Gnaw. Gnaw. Gnaw."
The very next time I went to the gym, 2 days later, while I was at an exercise, a fellow sat at an exercise directly behind me. And sure enough, he started chewing with his mouth open, vocalizing that gnawing sound, "Gnaw. Gnaw. Gnaw." I didn't look behind at him, because I knew what was going on, and I wanted to avoid playing into his hand. So he repeated himself again and again until I was done and moved to a different station. Now, honestly, who chews gum at the gym? You can't. Or you run the risk of choking for the heavy breathing, not to mention when laying down on benches. And with precisely the same exaggerated vocalized gnawing sound I had made in my van just 2 days prior.
Their whole intent is to let you know you are being surveilled. They want you to know, as both a warning and a provocation. They want you to say something, to launch accusations, which they would readily deny, making you look paranoid. If you react too strongly, they could even have you diagnosed with some kind of disorder, and put you on medication, which further plays into their hand. (More regarding medications in the last section of this post.)
This is why, as I mentioned in my previous post, they would park their cars shining their high beams on me as I walked past them during my morning walk. And why on some occasions, a group of 3 or 4 would exit their cars and stand on my path just as I approached, forcing me to go around them. They would then remain standing on the path until my return trip through, and after I had passed by the second time, then would then return to their cars - making it absolutely clear I was their interest.
Their intent is not only to make me aware, but also to present themselves in close proximity to me, within easy reach, in the hope I would confront them, resulting in an altercation that could land me in a lot of hot water - 4 witnesses against me, all pleading innocence.
Again, it is all designed to make you look bad, and to warrant some kind of legal measure against you - preferably a medical diagnosis, discrediting you in everything you say about them. If they can't refute your claims, their only remaining option is to discredit you. That's what all of these tricks are designed to accomplish. Who would believe anything you say, once you have been diagnosed with a disorder?
There are plenty more examples. But who would really believe them? I’ll save them for the future.
Home Invasion
Both during and after my military service, I have had my apartments entered without any signs of break-ins. How? Lock-picking and duplicate keys. Indications? Missing objects; ie: money, phone adaptor, etc. Nothing major. Just something to make us understand we are being watched, and to make us understand what they can do.
But it is always something small, something for which you would be ridiculed for divulging.
Two more examples: I found my razor, which I always lay-down razor-end to the wall, turned around, razor-end toward me. Also, in one of my house slippers I found a small shoe sticker on the up-side of the heel. I had those slipper for years, and never had any shoe stickers on them. Yet there it was, clearly visible on the top surface of my slipper, not the bottom. Could I have stepped on a shoe sticker when barefoot in my apartment, only to have the sticker transfer itself to my slipper when I wore it? How many shoe stickers do you have laying around your apartment that you can accidentally step onto?
If I had stepped onto a sticker in my apartment and had it stick to my heel, that means the sticky side was up against my skin. This means the sticker would have had to flip upside down such that the sticky side would then be down, allowing the sticker to stick to the slipper. Do you really think that happened? That sticker was not there when I left my apartment, but it was there when I returned. And it was the wrong sticker, wrong brand, wrong size.
Again, what is their intent? To make someone look ridiculous so no one will believe them should they speak of other more sensitive things.
Staged Incidents
The above incidents clearly point to coordinated and staged events (at my work, my home, on my walks, etc). This is so frequently met with incredulity. "But that would require coordination on the part of so many people," the public dismisses. "They wouldn't do that."
Oh yes they would, and they have, as explained in https://fightgangstalking.com/. Note the documented cases involving the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS, Canada's equivalent to the US' CIA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP, Canada's national police force) in the second quote, which were reported in national newspapers.
From https://fightgangstalking.com/:
“Disruption operations often involve tactics which are illegal, but difficult to prove. These tactics include – but are not limited to – overt surveillance (stalking), slander, blacklisting, “mobbing” (intense, organized harassment in the workplace), “black bag jobs” [home invasions], abusive phone calls, computer hacking, framing, threats, blackmail, vandalism, “street theater” (staged physical and verbal interactions with minions of the people who orchestrate the stalking), harassment by noises, and other forms of bullying. Many of these tactics were used by the FBI during its illegal COINTELPRO operations, as documented by stolen official documents and subsequent Congressional investigations.
"Although the general public is mostly unfamiliar with the practice, references to “disruption” operations – described as such – do occasionally appear in the news media, even though that fact would apparently be news to the editors of The New York Times. In May 2006, for example, an article in The Globe and Mail, a Canadian national newspaper, reported that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) used “Diffuse and Disrupt” tactics against suspects for whom they lacked sufficient evidence to prosecute. A criminal defense attorney stated that many of her clients complained of harassment by authorities, although they were never arrested."
She can add me to that list too.
For the Benefit of Others
The experiences I have recounted here seem so trivial, so insignificant, they make you look ridiculous if you talk about them. But if we don’t talk about such things, no one will ever know about them. Other people have experienced the same, and are forced to endure such torments in silence. They need encouragement to talk about their own experiences, and so I write about mine in the hope they will talk about theirs, even if I do look ridiculous. The perpetrators are more ridiculous for doing them.
I remember a military colleague being hauled away by military police one morning, as she was struggling and having a violent fit. A fellow on her floor told me she was throwing chairs at her walls screaming, “Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!”. When he mentioned that, I knew exactly what they had done to her. She was considered unruly, and was being watched intently. They wanted her out, and that is how they accomplished it. Through wall tapping and sleep deprivation, they push you to the breaking point. And when you finally lose control and do something rash, they pounce on you, and you’re out. Now she has a criminal record, considered a criminal when in reality she was a victim. Welcome to the Canadian military, and other militaries besides, I am sure.
There are dozens upon dozens of experiences I could present. But who will really read them? Worse still, who will really believe them? I overheard my military supervisor in Halifax whisper to another, “Do you think he knows?”, after I had mentioned one of the many “coincidences” I experienced, but with a tone of my being aware it was not a mere coincidence. As I turned my face to my computer screen, I whispered under my breath, but still loud enough for him to hear, “Yes, (rank) (name), I know.” A few minutes later, as he walked past my desk, he leaned in by my ear and whispered, “We’re just trying to help you.” I should have pressed him for answers right then and there, but you just don’t know how much trouble you can get into when making such accusations in the military. So I let it go. But I will never forget.
Should anyone reading this ever decide to launch some kind of inquiry, I can mention names of over 100 people to contact, including military personnel, family members, neighbours, building managers, and others who have been contacted by military personnel with false narratives about me. They flash their ID’s and other credentials, and people believe anything they say. They turn family, friends, co-workers and neighbours against you, even recruiting their participation. Your acquaintances not only participate, but actually feel justified and emboldened playing tricks on you. It isn't their fault, though; they have been misled. I would reference them solely for corroboration.
As a final thought, here are explanations of two military programs in which certain persons (sometimes military, sometimes civilian) are kept under constant surveillance, and are in some cases subjected to conditioning in an attempt to turn them into what is called a “sleeper agent”. Almost all of the tactics presented below have been experience by me, including constant surveillance (ie: my previous post here regarding being harassed on my morning walks) and sleep deprivation (as per the top portion of this post, which other military members in Cuba and elsewhere around the world have also experienced).
Pentagon’s Signature Reduction Program
See Newsweek’s article: https://www.newsweek.com/exclusive-inside-militarys-secret-undercover-army-1591881
Some excerpts from that Newsweek article, plus more background information on the Pentagon’s Signature Reduction Program, can be found here: https://fightgangstalking.com/
“The largest undercover force the world has ever known is the one created by the Pentagon over the past decade. Some 60,000 people now belong to this secret army, many working under masked identities and in low profile, all part of a broad program called “signature reduction.” The force, more than ten times the size of the clandestine elements of the CIA, carries out domestic and foreign assignments, both in military uniforms and under civilian cover, in real life and online, sometimes hiding in private businesses and consultancies, some of them household name companies.
“…a little-known sector of the American military, but also a completely unregulated practice. No one knows the program’s total size, and the explosion of signature reduction has never been examined for its impact on military policies and culture. Congress has never held a hearing on the subject. And yet the military developing this gigantic clandestine force challenges U.S. laws, the Geneva Conventions, the code of military conduct and basic accountability.
“…The signature reduction effort engages some 130 private companies to administer the new clandestine world. Dozens of little known and secret government organizations support the program, doling out classified contracts and overseeing publicly unacknowledged operations.
"Federal spy agencies are using Americans to spy on their fellow citizens – the same approach to governance famously employed by communist East Germany."
How to Develop a Hypnotic Sleeper Agent
By Dantalion Jones / Masters of Mind Control
The following “was” on the web, but has been removed. Surprise, surprise. But I saved its web files to my computer years ago, knowing that sooner or later it would be removed. I made a jpeg image of the web page as it once appeared, attached here.
Note that I have experienced almost all of the tactics described below, including the stalking I mentioned in my previous post here (regular walks in the park), the sleep deprivation noted at the top of this post, and the surveillance and intrusions described here as well.
Quoting the now-removed webpage: “How to Develop a Hypnotic Sleeper Agent” (from here to end of post):
Amid all the conspiracy theories one of the most feared is that there exist "sleeper agents" in our society who are programmed to come into service when they are triggered by a phone call or key word.
These alleged sleeper agents don't even know they are programmed to become saboteurs, soldiers, suicide bomber, etc because of the thoroughness of their programming. They are the feared "Manchurian Candidate" that the movies portray.
The question is "Are they real?"
If they are true sleeper agents there is no way of telling until they are activated. One can however theorize exactly how they are made.
Indoctrination
Using indoctrination a person can be made to embrace a religious or philosophical belief that would make becoming a sleeper agent possible.
This would be a person so committed to an ideal they would be willing to wait patiently as a member of society until they are called into action. These people would know their mission and consciously hold it secret while interacting with the rest of society.
Conditioning
Conditioning is a repetitive process where the desired responses are enforced and rewarded and unwanted responses are punished. This can be done consciously as part of training drill and it can be done subconsciously using hypnosis or drugs to create amnesia.
Hypnosis
It has been demonstrated that hypnosis can create "amnesia walls" in which the subject has no conscious memory of what happened in the hypnosis session. It has further been demonstrated that hypnosis can give post hypnotic instruction to be carried out automatically in the waking state without the subject knowing it or questioning the behavior.
What follows is conjecture and theory based on testimonials of people who were alleged to be sleeper agents and soldiers.
Continuous Supervisions
Continuous supervision doesn't mean that the subject is cut off completely from society. It means that they are constantly overseen and every aspect of their lives are managed (without their knowledge or consent) to support their hypnotic programming.
This would include:
• Repeated reinforcement of all hypnotic conditioning.
• Handlers. Handlers are people who help maintain the subjects environment to maintain all the programming. They can play the role of family, friends, lovers, psychologists, coaches or any roll the subject perceives as supportive. The truth is the handlers are their to support the successful fulfillment of the programming and not the subject as a person.
• Minimal sleep so that the mind/brain does not process all the sleeper conditioning during sleep.
• Creating constant environmental challenges like unemployment or poverty. This gives the subject something other than their programming to focus on.
• Frequent hospitalization. This gives overt opportunity to sedate the subject for conditioning. If the subject has a history of hospitalizations for mental disturbances all the better. No one will take them seriously.
Joseph Cafariello
PS... Today is the second day after this post (February 12, 2024). A garbage truck just slammed into my parked car.
PPS... I finish writing this post because I am satisfied with its shape and content; not because of what happened to my car.
It is similar to when you are reaching for your coat, and someone tells you, "Take your coat." Since you have to take your coat, your brain tells you it's ok to obey them, and you comply. They just created an instance where they led you, and you followed them. And your brain accepted it.
It's a technique the military uses all the time. It trains you to accept instructions from that person or group. Done enough times, you become comfortable obeying them.
I just say, "I take my coat because I choose to, not because you tell me to." It's important to make that clear, to block the conditioning and affirm our self-governance; not just to them, but to ourselves as well. Now our brain realizes we took our coat by our own choice; we are still in command.
So too, I say regarding today's event. "Thanks for the warning, but I had already finished writing my post. I finished by my own choosing."
UPDATES 1 & 2: February 26 & March 07, 2024:
My apartment was once again entered while I was out. Either a key was used or the lock was picked. This may or may not have included assistance from building staff. Home invasions are included in the list of their techniques noted above, referred to as "black bag jobs".
All tenants on my floor received new fridges a couple of weeks ago. I removed the tape securing the bins inside my new fridge, and also removed all styrofoam pads from the corners of the glass shelves when I repositioned them.
The person(s) who have been invading my living space on a regular basis have struck again. As you can see in the photo below, the styrofoam pads on the corners of my fridge's shelves were restored when I was out of my apartment. I had removed all pads when I repositioned the shelves. Yet now they are back.
It is a tactic used to undermine our observational awareness in an attempt to make us second-guess and doubt ourselves. The aim is to cause people to feel less sure not only of the things we have done, but also feel less sure of the things others have done. They want us to question the accuracy of our observations and memory.
The idea is to train you to dismiss any anomalies you may observe as being your own misperception of things. Once they convince you not to trust your own judgement, they are free to do whatever they want to you, and you will simply accept it without questioning.
UPDATE 3: May 18, 2024:
Confrontations with individuals keep occurring, at times potentially violent. Following are just 3 such encounters as of late.
1 - Kick-boxer in the park:
As I parked my car in one of the parking lots in Vancouver's Stanley Park one night, another vehicle drove up behind me and parked several spots away. A tall man exited that vehicle, and walked hastily along the path I always walk, down some steps to the water's sea wall path. I took my time and followed my usual walk, also down the steps down to the sea wall. The man knew my routine, and was in a hurry to get ahead of me.
As I walked along the sea wall, I saw the same man sitting on a bench, playing a loud Persian-sounding religious sermon on some device I did not clearly see. As I walked past him, he called out to me to stop and chat. I ignored him and continued walking past him. He rose and started walking behind me.
I opened my umbrella, turned, and walked past him the other way, returning to the stairs back to the parking lot. He also turned and continued following me. I started running. He also started running. I ran up the steps, as did he.
Being taller than I am, his legs are longer than mine, and he quickly caught up to me on a grassy patch at the top of the steps. I turned to him and asked, "Why are you following me?" He did not reply, but stood profile to me, the same stance a kick-boxer uses when ready to kick someone. He was tall, thin, and in excellent physical shape as you would see in a kick-boxer.
He did not speak at all, but was just waiting for me to make a move. I turned, entered my vehicle and left. The encounter continued with a chase through the park in our cars. Yes, that is correct. He chased me out of the park in his car.
2 - Told to keep quiet:
The perpetrators need to operate with as little detection as possible, and they repeatedly warn their subjects to keep their mouths shut about their experiences.
On another of my recent nightly walks, a man stood on the sidewalk ahead of me about half a block away, looked at me, and shouted into the sky at nobody, giving the appearance of being a homeless person shouting for no reason. He then started walking in my direction. I continued walking straight. As he passed me, he leaned into my face and shouted into my ear, "Shut the f_ck up!" I continued walking in my direction, and he resumed walking in his.
The idea is to make it seem as though he is just a deranged man wandering the streets at night, shouting at nothing, so that when he shouts at me, any observer would simply dismiss his actions. But in reality, he was sent to send me a message to stop publishing posts like this, which I had done many times on many sites, and continue to. They don't like it when we reveal their methods. But the truth must be known.
3 - You'll be sorry:
On another occasion, while returning from grocery shopping one afternoon, I walked past a man sitting by a storefront. He was clean-cut, wearing clean clothes, without any carts or wagons or any belongings of any kind. As I passed him, he asked me for some spare change. I replied, "I'm sorry," and continued walking past. He replied, "You will be."
There are numerous other experiences, like two seemingly unassociated men standing on the sea wall about 100 meters away from each other, each of them spitting just as I walked past each one.
There are too many experiences to mention. Looking at each experience individually, one would easily dismiss them as being unrelated and simply coincidental. But put them all together and a picture starts to form, like putting together the pieces of a puzzle.
As I hand you each piece of the puzzle one by one, you dismiss each piece, saying, "This could be anything." And you discard it. You keep discarding each piece as I hand it to you. By the end of it, you look down at the table and say, "You have nothing." That's because you looked at each piece as a separate item and threw it away. But if you leave the pieces on the table as I hand them to you and do not hastily discard them, you will see they form a clear picture when put all together.
We must look at all these events as a whole. Individually, each one could be anything. But when all of these experiences are put together and considered as a whole, they form an undeniable picture. Do not be quick to dismiss each piece. Leave the pieces on the table and look at the whole. The picture I present is sound. Remember, I have all the pieces; you do not. I see the picture more clearly than you do.
https://preview.redd.it/we31ymcsm91d1.jpg?width=966&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3d56ac3dd3558a60d477ba9315104d1b66b139f8

Joy of All Who Sorrow Icon of the Mother of God. Photo: Yuri Gripas
My car had broken down and I couldn’t get to church to greet the Joy of All Who Sorrow Icon of the Mother of God. Feeling dejected, I was watching the Liturgy online from our St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Washington, and I wondered why the Lord allowed this to happen to me: After all, it’s my icon, it’s celebrated on my birthday. But when Metropolitan Nicholas (Olkhovsky), the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, who brought the icon, started talking about the wonderworking icon, it cleared something up in my mind. After all, I was planning to go to the other service, and then I wouldn’t have watched this one or heard the wonderful story told by the Metropolitan.
This is what Vladyka Nicholas said:

We didn’t particularly plan it, it’s out of our hands, but I believe it’s providential that this sacred treasure—the Joy of All Who Sorrow Icon of the Mother of God—is visiting our church. We brought it from the Synod of Bishops in New York. It’s a wonderworking, beautiful, salvific icon, full of prayer. The Mother of God loves us and has come to strengthen our faith as well.
The icon has its own history. In 1920, Bishop Nestor (Anisimov) opened a shelter for children, orphans, and the sick and the elderly in Harbin, and there he built a church in honor of the Joy of All Who Sorrow Mother of God. One Orthodox woman heard about it and presented Vladyka Nestor with this icon for the church. It was completely dark—nothing could be seen on it.
Time passed, and during one service, the priest noticed that the icon had begun to renew itself somewhat. It went on for an hour, two, three, and he watched. In a short period of time, less than a day, the icon completely renewed itself, and everyone saw the most pure face of the Mother of God, this wonderful image.

Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesensky)
Then the icon wound up in Europe, and the ever-memorable Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesensky), who himself served as an archimandrite in Harbin, was able to bring it to New York. Since 1965, this sacred icon has been kept in the lower Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in our Synod of Bishops. The icon doesn’t go anywhere; it’s always there, and you can come and pray before it.
And here we have such a wonderful miracle. It was out of our hands; it came from above: The icon is visiting us. We can look at it, and moreover, we can pray and understand that we also have darkness, blindness, and just sin inside us. But with prayer, with repentance, we can purify ourselves and remain God-enlightened Orthodox Christians. As the icon has renewed itself, so we can also renew our soul, heart, and mind, our whole life. I urge you all to strive for this.
Metropolitan Nicholas and Archpriest Victor Potapov. Photo: Yuri Gripas
Having heard this story, I decided to ask Archpriest Seraphim Gan, chancellor of the Synod of Bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, why this icon, which is usually kept in New York, suddenly came to us so unexpectedly.
“Vladyka decided to bring the icon to comfort and strengthen the Washington flock, which, like everyone else, is fasting for Holy Week and Christ’s Pascha,” Fr. Seraphim told me.
Then Batiushka, whose grandfather, the well-known Archpriest Rostislav Gan, also served in Harbin, added some details to the story. According to him, the icon renewed itself in the 1930s, right in front of people praying at the Liturgy in the Church of the House of Mercy founded by Vladyka Nestor.
The Kamchatka representation in Harbin, 1930s. Source: Korostelyov, V. V., Orthodoxy in Manchuria, 1898-1956: Essays on History. Moscow: 2019, p. 195
The House of Mercy was considered a representation of the Kamchatka mission, which Vladyka Nestor headed before the revolution and which he hoped to return to. Fr. Seraphim recalled that the brotherhood of the podvoriye included future hierarchs of the Russian Church Abroad, namely Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesensky) and Archbishop Nathaniel (Lvov).
“It’s interesting to note that at that time in Harbin, as in other cities of China where Russian emigrants lived, the miraculous renewal of holy icons and even frescoes in churches was happening,” said Fr. Seraphim. “These miracles strengthened the faith of the emigrants, who were experiencing all kinds of difficulties at that time. And now this icon reminds us that Heaven doesn’t abandon us, that prayer draws God’s mercy to us.”
I was already planning to write this article, but something kept making me put it off. It was planned that the icon would be going back to New York. But it turns out my story was not over yet. A few days later, I made it to our church, for another service; I wasn’t even thinking about it. I quickly venerated the icon in the center and suddenly froze in my tracks: Right before me was the Joy of All Who Sorrow Icon, the very one from Harbin, which was supposed to already be back in New York! “Mother of God, you waited for me. Thank you!” flashed through my mind.
And now I’m thinking that maybe the Lord and His Mother deliberately made it so I “unexpectedly” wound up in church on a different day, to give me such a gift and show that they love me?
Dmitry Zlodorev

Son of Man
I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven one like a Son of Man... Daniel 7:13
Trinitarian Claim
Concerning the term "son of God," some Trinitarians claim that since Jesus is the son of man it means he is a man and we should consistently reason that if he is a son of God then he is God. Strangely enough, the same Trinitarians will also claim that "son of man" is a term denoting the divinity of Jesus rather than humanity. This claim is often accompanied by a quote of Daniel 7:13-14.
The Problem with the Claim

1. Daniel 7:13-14 is a prophecy which was fulfilled when God raised Jesus from the dead and seated him at His right hand giving him all authority in heaven and earth. The New Testament explains this quite clearly. Jesus himself is alluding to this fact at Mark 14:62.

Others are called "son of man" in Scripture. Ezekiel is profusely called "son of man” about 74 times, He isn't God.

1. You can be forgiven for blaspheming the divine "Son of Man" but not the Holy Spirit? This is where the Trinitarian claim is shown to be absurd. They claim the term "the Son of Man" is a reference to a divine being which would have Jesus stating that you may blaspheme the second person of the Trinity and be forgiven but not the third person of the Trinity (not to mention that the Father is completely neglected here in the Trinitarian interpretation of the verse).

Conclusion
It is quite clear why Jesus was called the son of man and preferred to call himself the son of man. It's because he was a man, John 8:40, 1 Timothy 2:5. This is an Aramaic expression quite commonly used in Jesus' day to refer to a human being. It was used profusely of Ezekiel for example, about 74 times and it is quite clear that Jesus' teaching about blasphemy concerns the fact that blaspheming man is one thing, a forgiveable thing, but blaspheming God is another. "Coming on the clouds" is a reference to authority and judgment. God will judge through a man He raised from the dead and appointed to judge in His name, John 5:22. However, Christ extended that judgment to his disciples as well, Matthew 19:28.
God has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a MAN John 8:40, 1 Timothy 2:5, whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising him from the dead. Acts 17:30-31
A portion of Acts 17:31 says “by means of a MAN he has designated”.

Part 1
Judaism: a Retreat from Biblical Monotheism
The history of the Jewish people is clearly divided into two periods: before and after the expiatory death of Jesus Christ. As the Sacrifice for the sins of the world had not yet been carried out, Old Testament history continued, the entire meaning of which consisted in waiting and preparation to meet the coming Savior. Messianic expectations were particularly pronounced during the last decades before the arrival of the Savior into the world. People not only in Jerusalem, but also in other cities and villages of Palestine, waited for the Messiah foretold in the Holy Scripture.
Christ and the Pharisees
Time was fulfilled. The Messiah came, but Jewish leaders, Pharisees, and Sadducees condemned him to death. But why were the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes offended? Why was it enough for the Samaritan woman to reveal the secret side of her life for her to gladly believe that the traveler standing beside her, weary from the road and asking her for water, was Christ (see John 4:42)? Why did the Pharisees and scribes, who were witnesses to the magnificent miracles performed by Jesus and knew the Scriptures better than anyone else, stubbornly refuse to recognize Christ? Finally, one more question: why did they hate Him, despite the fact that he delivered many people from terrible disease and suffering?
The answer must be sought in the peculiarities and character of the spiritual life of the leaders of Israel. Religious life demands of a person self-attentiveness, moral sensitivity, humility, and pure intentions. Without this, the heart gradually hardens. A change inevitably occurs, the consequences of which are spiritual death.

Already before the beginning of our Savior’s Gospel of the Heavenly Kingdom, the Jews had begun to imagine the Messiah as a powerful earthly king, who would exalt them above all nations and make them wealthy and powerful. This concept of the Messiah corresponded to their spiritual and moral condition.
For a proper understanding of the prophecy inspired by the Holy Spirit, not doctrinal erudition, but pure, uncorrupted faith was necessary.
The consciousness of lawyers and scribes, corrupted by sin, did not notice the parts of the Old Testament in which the spiritual qualities of the promised Messiah are given: "behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass" (Zech. 9:9); " Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth" (Isa. 42:1-3; cf.: Matt. 12:20).
Despite all the seemingly multifaceted events preceding the trial of the Savior of the world, there is only one reason for such a grave sin to have been committed—the people were rooted in sin and loved it. They seethed with anger at He who had come to the world to conquer and destroy sin.
After Christ the Messiah, who came to save the world, was slandered, profaned, and put to death, the spiritual death of the chosen people began. The Lord Jesus Christ spoke to the Hebrews directly, "He that hateth me hateth my Father also" (John 15:23). This means that the monotheism of the Hebrew leaders became entirely formalistic.

In literature, Old Testament religion, which ends with the conclusion of the New Testament, and Judaism, are often confused. This association is completely wrong. The expectation of the Messiah, which permeated the centuries-long history of the religion of the descendants of the Prophet Moses, ended. The goals and aspirations of the Hebrews, led by the Pharisees and Sadducees, stayed on Earth. Earthly well-being, wealth, success, and power became core values. In keeping with these, they imagined the anticipated Messiah.
However, the prophets foretold the coming of another Messiah—the Suffering Messiah. The Prophet Isaiah, who is called the "Old Testament Evangelist" (see Saint Jerome, Letter to Paulinus) because of his many prophesies and the precision of their fulfillment in Jesus Christ, speaks about this with impressive clarity and precision.
What then is the true Messiah? "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth… for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand" (Isa. 53:7-10).

Were the Jews familiar with this chapter of the great prophet? Not all of them. Usually during weekly readings at the synagogue this chapter is omitted. Here is an excerpt from the memoirs of Rosa Price, who survived the horrors of several Nazi concentration camps and accepted Jesus Christ. Her daughter became a follower of the Savior Jesus, but she adhered to old misconceptions. "I ran to the rabbi. He would tell me different Scriptures with which to challenge my family. In response, they would give me five more. At the urging of my family, I asked the rabbi about Isaiah 53. He said, “No Jew reads that, especially not a Jewish woman.” So I couldn’t read it. The same for Psalm 22. There are 328 prophecies of the coming of the suffering servant Messiah. I asked the rabbi about almost all of them. Finally, the rabbi told me not to come to the synagogue anymore because I had read him Isaiah 53" (Rosa Price. The Survivor // Sid Roth. They Thought for Themselves. WWP, 2007).

How did the lawyers, who knew many parts of the Old Testament Bible by heart, explain the chapter? In the period of the Talmud's formation, the scribes recognized that the 53rd chapter was a prophecy of the Messiah's coming. However, beginning with the famed Hebrew exegete Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki; 1040 - 1105), rabbis assert that the 53rd chapter speaks of the Jewish people. A simple reference to the text can refute this belief.

• "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows" (Isa. 53:4). Whose grief did the Jewish people take on and whose sorrows did they carry?
• "With his stripes we are healed" (Isa. 53:5). Who has been healed by the wounds of the Jewish people?
• "For the transgression of my people was he stricken" (Isa. 53:8). If it is speaking of the Jewish people, then who suffered punishment for the transgressions of the Jewish people?
• "And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death" (Isa. 53:9). When and in which grave are the Jewish people buried?

In the holy Old Testament books there are signs of the appearance of Christ (the Messiah) and in it are described his chief characteristics. Of the prophecies on the coming of Christ into the world in the Old Testament, before all else it is necessary to note the vision of the prophet Daniel, foretelling even the year of the Savior's death. “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined" (Dan. 9:24-26). Week (seven) is understood as 7 years, and 70 sevens consists of 490 years. It is the timeframe for the "end of sin." Here, we are talking about Christ the Savior's atonement for people who have violated the will of God and fallen from grace. In the prophecy, the Messiah is directly indicated ("to anoint the most Holy"). To calculate the amount of time given here, one must turn to historical sources, noting the reconstruction of the city of Jerusalem, which fell as a result of the Babylonian destruction in 586. The count of seventy sevens begins from the date of the reconstruction of Jerusalem. The decree for the restoration was given by Artaxerxes Longimanus in the 20th year of his reign. He came to the throne between December 18, 465 and December 18, 464 BC. The seventh year of his reign, from which the countdown of weeks begins, comes in 458 or 457. From this time period to the time of the appearance of Christ our Lord, 69 weeks (483 years) should pass.
The Forerunner of the coming of the Messiah is also mentioned in the Old Testament. "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts" (Mal. 3:1). Dwellers in Palestine knew the Holy Scripture and saw in John, who preached repentance, the Angel of the Covenant predicted by the prophets. Thus, people from all of Jerusalem and all the outskirts of the Jordan came to him (see Mark 1:5).
In the holy books of the Old Testament, there are prophecies of all of the main events in the life of Jesus the Messiah. The prophet Micah identified the place of birth: "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting" (Mic. 5:2).
The Word of God demonstrated the great spiritual gifts of the future Anointed One. "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord" (Isa. 11:1-2). All of this was fulfilled by Jesus: "... the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes" (Matt. 7:28-29).
Through the prophets, the Holy Spirit indicated a special distinguishing feature of the Messiah, the extraordinary power of wonderworking: "He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert" (Isa. 35:4-6). When the two men came to Jesus from John the Baptist to ask, "Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?" (Luke 7:20), the Lord before all else points to the miracles he has performed: "The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me" (Luke 7:22-23). The people knew that the Messiah would be characterized by the miracles he performed. "Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?” (Matt. 12:22-23).
A mind corrupted by sin could not notice the parts of the Old Testament in which the spiritual qualities of the promised Messiah are given: "Behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass" (Zech. 9:9).

1. The Jews, having rejected the Messiah as the incarnate Son of God, could not remain in the scope of the Revelation given in the Old Testament. Gradually, to the Law given by God, the Pharisees and scribes added 613 commandments: 365 positive commandments and 248 negative commandments.

The Lord rebukes the Hebrew teachers of the law. "For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men" (Mark 7:8). Faith in God as a real, absolute Person—this is monotheism—is replaced by ritualism. In Judaism, the authority of the Talmud is greater than the Torah (Pentateuch). The famed rabbi Adin Steinsaltz writes, "If the Torah is the foundation of Judaism, then the Talmud is the central pillar supporting the entire spiritual and philosophical edifice. In many ways, the Talmud is the most important book in Jewish culture, the backbone of creativity and of national life. No other work has had a comparable influence on the theory and practice of Jewish life. The Jews always recognized that as a people, their preservation and development depends on the study of the Talmud" ("What is the Talmud?").
What is this "central pillar" of Judaism? I will introduce an excerpt from the Tract Sabbath, with commentary from Rabbi Pinchas Kehati: "The cripple may go out with his wooden leg; such is the decree of Rabbi Meir, but Rabbi Jose prohibits it. If the wooden leg has a receptacle for pads, it is subject to defilement. Crutches are subject to defilement by being sat or trodden upon; but one may go out with them on Sabbath and enter the outer court (of the Temple). The chair and crutches of a paralytic are subject to defilement, and one must not go out with them on the Sabbath nor enter the outer court (of the Temple). Stilts are not subject to defilement, but nevertheless one must not go out with them on Sabbath."
Commentary: "The cripple, a man with one amputated leg, may go out on the Sabbath on his wooden leg, an artificial leg, made according to the size of his shin. Such is the decree of Rabbi Meir, who believes that an artificial leg corresponds to footwear, while Rabbi Jose forbids the cripple from going out with his wooden leg on the Sabbath. According to him, it does not correspond to footwear because the cripple stands primarily with his hands on a cane, while the artificial leg is only for appearance's sake so that his physical handicap would go unnoticed. Thus, the artificial leg on Sabbath is seen as an unnecessary load, and it is prohibited to enter with it. According to the other point of view, Rabbi Jose agrees that the artificial leg equates to footwear, however he is afraid that the man will detach it and will carry over 4 cubits into the public domain, but Rabbi Meir does not have this fear.”
I risk fatiguing the reader, but I will introduce one more place from the Talmud to fully portray the spiritual deadness of ritualism. “There are two acts constituting the transfer (of things which are prohibited) on the Sabbath, which are in turn subdivided into four for a man who finds himself inside a private domain (reshut hayachid). The two acts are, however, increased to four for a man who finds himself outside in the public domain (reshut harabim). How so? For example, a mendicant stands outside (in reshut harabim) and the master of a house inside (in reshut hayachid). The mendicant passes his hand into the house (through for example a window) and puts something into the hand of the master (let's say a basket, so that he might give him a piece of bread), or (another variation) the mendicant reaches out and takes something from the master's hand (a piece of bread). In these two cases, the mendicant is breaking the law of the Sabbath, but the host is not. Or, if the master of the house (being inside) passes his hand through a window and puts, say, a piece of bread, into the hand of the mendicant, or, having put out his hand, he takes an object (a basket) from the hands of the mendicant, who is standing outside on the street, and brings it into the house, the master of the house would have broken the law of the Sabbath, but not the mendicant. This is the first part of the Mishna, which has demonstrated to us what the “two acts” of transferring objects mean, from the position of one who is inside, and from the position of one who finds himself outside. Carrying out any of these acts on the Sabbath is prohibited" (Tract Sabbath).[1]
Instead of a living faith in a merciful God and love towards one’s fellow man, entire volumes of the Talmud are filled with the sophistic disputes of various rabbinical schools over what to do with an egg laid by a chicken on the Sabbath, or about a host giving bread to a beggar, so that he does not break the Sabbath.
What a huge spiritual distance there was between the prophets and the scribes! The first to shine in the faith were those who participated in the source of heavenly wisdom, while others directed their extraordinary erudition to "solving" questions irrelevant to life. The lawyers occasionally thrashed out whether one may move a ladder from one dovecote to another on feast days.
It is obvious that religious life, in which ritualism is the determining principle, will become formalistic. "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men" (Isa. 29:13).
Falling away from the living source of Truth will inevitably lead to dissolution and barrenness. In medieval European church art, the contrast between Christianity and Judaism was allegorically represented in the form of two female figures: the Church and the Synagogue. The south portal of the transept (cross aisle) of the cathedral in Strasbourg (approx. 1230) is decorated with such sculptures. The woman representing the Church, clearly and confidently carries a cross in her right hand as if resting on it. The straight folds of her cloak, flowing down to the ground, make her figure solid and firm. Her head is crowned. Her gaze is cast into the distance. The figure of the synagogue holds to her body a spear broken in several places. The bend of the figure repeats the broken line. Scrolls fall out of her left hand. Her head is downcast. Her eyes are blindfolded, a symbol of spiritual darkness.

1. The next phase of Judaism's retreat from Biblical monotheism was the rise and expansion among the Jews of Kabbalah (in Hebrew qabbalah means acceptance or tradition) of mystical teachings and practices. This esoteric theosophical teaching is in spirit and letter absolutely foreign to the Holy Scripture. Two books initiate an exposition of Kabbalah: Sefer Yetzirah (the Book of Creation) and Zohar (Splendor of Radiance). The former was likely written in the sixth and seventh centuries B.C. Confirmation by the Kabbalists themselves of the existence of Sefer Yetzirah already during the time of patriarch Abraham is absolutely mythical and has no evidence. On the contrary, the presence in these books of philosophical ideas of late antiquity, such as Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, and others, completely refutes this view. The author of Zohar is believed to be the Spanish Kabbalist Moshe (Moses) de Leon. It was written in approximately 1300 A.D. The desire of modern Kabbalists to make the author of Zohar the disciple of rabbi Akiva Shimon Bar Yochai (Laitman, M. The Book of Zohar. M., 2003. p. 185)[2] , who lived in the second century A.D., contradicts the view of experts. "The Aramaic language of all eighteen of these sections is throughout the same, and throughout it displays the same individual peculiarities. This is all the more important because it is not in any sense a living language which Simeon ben Yohai and his colleagues in the first half of the second century A.D. in Palestine might have conceivably spoken. The Aramaic of the Zohar is a purely artificial affair, a literary language employed by a writer who obviously knew no other Aramaic than that of certain Jewish literary documents, and who fashioned his own style in accordance with definite subjective criteria. The expectation expressed by some scholars that philological investigation would reveal the older strata of the Zohar has not been borne out by actual research. Throughout these writings, the spirit of mediaeval Hebrew, specifically the Hebrew of the thirteenth century, is transparent behind the Aramaic facade" (Scholem, G. (1954). Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism. p. 163).[3]

Kabbalah is divided into the contemplative (Kabbalah Iyunit) and practical (Kabbalah Maasit). The central aspect of the Kabbalah is Ein Sof (The Infinite). In contrast to the God of the Holy Scriptures, Ein Sof has no name because he is without person, unknowable, and incomprehensible. No attributes can be ascribed to him. Ein Sof makes himself known in his manifestations (not to all, but to Jewish mystics). Ein Sof's chief manifestation is the original man, Adam Kadmon. Through his emanations (flows) the ten sefirot come into being, which are the attributes of God. Ten sefirot represent the mystical body of Adam Kadmon (heavenly Adam). He appears as a result of emanation and has no image or form. The earthly Adam was created in the image of heavenly Adam. The tenth sefirot is called "the Kingdom" or Malkuth. It unites all ten sefirot. In Zohar, Malkuth—or Kingdom—denotes how the Knesset (assembly) of Israel is a mystical prototype of the House of Israel (Shekhinah). In The Dialectics of Myth (XIV. 3), Aleksei Losev writes, “As a very well-educated Jew and great expert of Kabbalistic and Talmudic literature (from which I, with the nasty habits of a European observer, sought to learn exclusively about the Neoplatonic influences in Kabbalah) told me, the essence of all Kabbalah does not at all consist in pantheism, as liberal scholars think, who compare the doctrine of Ein Sof and the Sephirot with Neo-Platonism, but rather with pan-Israelitism: the Kabbalistic God needs Israel for His own salvation, He was incarnated in Israel and became it. Therefore the myth of the world domination by a deified Israel, which is forever contained in God.”
Kabbalists have established a correspondence among the different sefirot with parts of the human body. Becoming familiar with this primitive mythological arrangement of the structure of the universe, it becomes difficult to ignore the question that Kabbalists themselves do not ask: What is the source of this "knowledge"? How does one manage to conclude that the sefirot of the Crown (Keter) is the brow, the Tiferet is the chest, Victory (Netzach) and Majesty (Hod) is man's hip?
The esoteric teachings of Sefer Yetzirah and the Zohar are fundamentally incompatible with the biblical teaching on God, the world, man, and humanity's path to salvation. Contemplative Kabbalah represents a combination of elements of Gnosticism of the second and third centuries A.D. and Neo-Platonism. From the Gnostics, it borrows the teaching of the 10 eons, which comprise the pleroma (universal fullness). Dualism is the link between Gnostics and Kabbalists; the idea of eternal enmity began with good (light) and evil (darkness). Kabbalah's dualistic world view finds a direct expression in Sefer Yetzirah: "Also Elohim made every object, one opposite the other: good opposite evil, evil opposite good, good from good, evil from evil, the good delineates the evil and the evil delineates the good, good is kept for the good and evil is kept for the evil.” It is evident that the teaching, which ascribes evil an ontological status, leads to the justification of evil. In contrast, according to the Holy Scripture, evil was not created by God, but arose as a result of the abuse of the gift of freedom given by God to his creatures, Angels and mankind.
Kabbalistic teaching is an obvious expression of pantheism, a complete retreat from monotheism. God and the world are understood as one complete whole. The world is only a manifestation of God. Pantheism is fraught with internal contradictions. Its logical consequence is inevitably first the derogation of God, and next, denial of him, because all of the world's imperfections are attributed to him.
Kabbalists divide the world into male and female elements. The right and left spheres are respectively male and female. The world is presented as a loving union, as the unification of male and female elements. The relationship between the spheres is interpreted with the help of gender symbolism.
Kabbalah presents itself as a fantastical mix of esoteric occultism, blended with pagan religious and philosophical ideas. It attests to a complete regression from the great and saving teachings of the Bible with its deep and sustained monotheism.
Hieromonk Job (Gumerov)
[1] This appears not to be a direct quote from Tract Sabbath, but commentary based on Tract Sabbath: http://www.evrey.com/sitep/talm/index.php3?trkt=shabbat&menu=19. —Trans.
[2] This cite may not be accurate to the English version. —Trans.
[3] Page number may not be accurate to English version.—Trans.

Day guide
Welcome to Day 46 of WiyHat?. Today's topic is Iku Nagae, the "Beautiful Scarlet Cloth".
Iku Nagae as depicted in Who's Who of Humans and Youkai in Gensokyo Dusk Edition
Iku was first introduced in Touhou 10.5: Scarlet Weather Rhapsody (SWR). She was most often the "penultimate boss" of that game, being someone associated with the primary culprit. Her outfit is meant to be very reminiscent of Oarfish, as part of the myths that inspired her ( ^{In Japanese, oarfishes are called "Ryūgū-no-tsukai", which literally means "messenger from the Dragon's Palace". Guess what Iku's official job is?}).
Iku Nagae has the ability to "Read the atmosphere", which unironically means in this case "Read the room and adapt to it to not cause trouble". It doesn't actually mean she can predict the weather (^{although I believe she can sorta do that too}). Although sorta practical in social circumstances, Iku still can rile up others despite her powers, meaning she often uses her ability to simply maintain superior vocal standing, not avoid creating arguments.
Regardless, the reason for Iku's original appearance in SWR was as a character that would warn the others about the culprit upon being defeated and/or judge whether they can go to Heaven to confront them. In her own scenario, Iku takes matters into her own hands and punishes said culprit, Tenshi Hinanawi, herself.
It should be noted that Iku formally works with Tenshi's father, not Tenshi herself. Also, although Iku knew about Tenshi, Tenshi herself didn't know about Iku (at least her name) until the events of SWR, and whether they know each other more nowadays is still mostly a mystery.
Oh, yes, Iku's one of those characters. Characters that seemed to have a lot to them, only for nothing to come out of it (so far \Huffs copium**).
So, let's see what other appearances she got after SWR: she was also playable in Hisoutensoku (12.3), which is basically just SWR's expansion pack (^{so no new story for her, although she did get some new win quotes with the new characters}), got SHMUP patterns as a boss in Double Spoiler (12.5) and Violet Detector (16.5), and a background cameo in Hopeless Masquerade (13.5).
Not too bad, all things considered. However, this makes SWR her only major appearance in the games...but, not to worry, we still have the Printworks to give her another major role!

• The Grimoire of Marisa (Article)
• Symposium of Post-mysticism (Article)
• Wild and Horned Hermit (Chapter 15 cameo)
• Forbidden Scrollery (Chapter 3, 4, 10 (All cameos))
• The Grimoire of Usami (Article)

...and they're all minor cameo appearances. Welp.
^{For what it's worth, she did have things to say in her SoPM article, but it was mostly in reference to "The Legend of the Veil Marriage Act", not herself.}
So, unfortunately, Iku has not been treated particularly well by canon, having very few appearances since her introduction, much less substantial ones. Part of the reason why this is the case might be the fact that she's a messenger of the Dragon Palace, which is supposedly associated with the Lunar Capital, and thus the Lunarians. After the response to Silent Sinner in Blue was controversial, ZUN decided not to make any new stories centered around its characters (the Watatsukis, basically), and Iku might have been meant to be tangentially related to them, which cut off her expanded story...
...well, that's what I assume, anyway. Truth is, Iku might have just been a minor character meant to serve her purpose as SWR's penultimate boss and no more. But many fans like to think there's way more to her than that.
Speaking of fans, what do they think overall of Iku? Well, let's look at her popularity results from 2023...
73rd place. Pretty low, but not too bad, all things considered.
However, her result from 2022 was 62nd...so 2023 saw her drop quite a bit...
...until you then look at her 2021 results, and saw she was 76th there!
Basically, Iku's placement fluctuates a lot depending on recent fanworks, but for someone who's gotten very little love in canon, she could be doing a good deal worse, too. It remains to be seen if her placement will stabilize around 65th place or 75th (or worse) place in the future. But, for the time being, she remains a character with some diehard fans who desperately wish she got to show up more often in canon and fanon.
Realistically speaking, the reason Iku only places as far as she does is because she's largely strictly placed as the "straight man" to Tenshi, and Tenshi's moved away from her in canon recently, hurting Iku's perceived synergy with her.
And, honestly, as someone who likes to draw as a hobby and thinks Iku has one of the more beautiful-looking designs for a Touhou character out there...her outfit's really hard to draw properly.
Still, I always appreciate those that put the effort to show-off how good she looks in it. Know what else I like? People who try to think of what she could be in their own canon...headcanon, if you will. Vote or comment yours below if you're interested.
Iku Nagae is...
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Head to head review: Premier Drams Jack Rose DC American Whiskey vs. t8ke Rare Character RIO-215

Bourbon…from 3 years ago in the depths of the pandemic Vs. a new rye mash, contract distilled at Willett, from Jack Rose.
Why? Well first off, I have my hands on one of the first ever Premier Drams releases. Prestige Ledroit has a long relationship with Willett, and a rather immediate relationship with Bill Thomas owner of Jack Rose and notable champion of American whiskey broadly, dusty whiskey generally, and Willett quite specifically long before it broke big (Iron Glove, Velvet Fist, among many others. I would highlight Trinidad Sour as a recent quintessential release).
I’ve thought to call these “Billett” because they were contract distilled at Willett (using a variety of mash bills) but aged (in this case for 7 years) at castle and key in the famed Warehouse B. This is a very long very old (est. 1912) rickhouse notable for- quoting Pablo Moix, imparting a flavor to whiskey that you will either “love or hate.” That is to say it’s distinctive. It’s a tea note, a raisin quality, a sweetness. All while dropping proof. Something that RIO Rare character releases and the early Premier Drams releases have in common is this precise ware (Rick?) house.

FIRST: RIO-215 RARE CHARACTER:

Mashbill 75% corn 25% rye 4 % malted barley t8ke in his original tasting notes specifies (italicized to emphasize the following is quoted and not from me)
“Year: 2022
Info: Distilled 5/2016, Bottled 1/2022, 75/21/4 Mashbill, 56.76% ABV
Additional Info: Distilled at MGP and aged fully at Castle & Key’s Warehouse B, this barrel matured completely in the stone E.H.Taylor warehouses on the property. Dumped, and bottled at cask strength after 5 years and 8 months of aging. This artwork is my vision of art being created, even while locked away deep in stone. If you’ve ever toured Warehouse B/C at Castle & Key, you know that this warehouse goes on for ever. It’s the longest warehouse still standing and holds more than 50,000 barrels. When the lights aren’t all on, the corridor just disappears into blackness. The dark, dank air can feel crushing. It’s an incredibly cool experience.
Notes: Pure apple pie, brown butter, toffee, honey and cream. Light cola on the back palate, a pleasant oak saturation from nose to finish. Pralines, roasted almonds, a hint of clove and cinnamon, and a long, maple finish.”
Now t8ke is a palate more than respected but the power of suggestion would invite my consideration on the NOSE of an English breakfast tea poured alongside a beautiful almond croissant.
PALATE Coating, agreed on the above nutty and baking spice notes but would say cinnamon raisin. And a long, sensual
FINISH incorporating the earlier oak saturation and adding a bit of loam and bright minerality to what the master saw in his own creation.

SECOND: PREMIER DRAMS AMERICAN WHISKEY

Premier Drams is a once a year whiskey tasting held in the labyrinthian spaces of Jack Rose and the Imperial in Washington, DC, an interconnected warren of rooftop, ground level, and basement bars that collectively amount to 6 or seven distinct drinking spaces with different decor and feel. It is heaven, and I suggest you go if you can. Many of the people directly responsible for distilling or bottling most of what is good in American Whiskey go and bring along special stuff to pour (Single Cask Nation, A. Smith Bowman, Willett, etc.). Recently, a permanent bottle shop opened in the Imperial and that too is called Premier Drams and carries a curated selection of Jack Rose barrel picks along with some interesting whiskeys from every category. It is a bright and happy little place for the serious whiskey nerd and a non threatening place for the whiskey novice since staff are quite knowledgeable and helpful. Now Premier Drams is also lending its name to this brand of independent bottlings. So you could conceivably go to Premier Drams (the bottle shop) during Premier Drams (the event, unsually in the fall) and buy Premier Drams (bottles) and then finally pour said drams (minimum 2, since less than that would just be Premier Dram and you would have to be corporally disciplined for your unnecessary temperance and lack of commitment to a bit) and find them to be enjoyable and premier.
Turning to this American whiskey it appears to be so designated because it is a rye that aged in reused cooperage. I apologize, dear reader, that this only has the force of rumor and I cannot at this time tell you which cooperage. However, I know Mr. Thomas loves Hoffmeister but this could be any reused cooperage. That said- we have a Willett Rye contract distilled for Bill Thomas and aged at Castle and Key Warehouse B- this is (from the label) JACK ROSE DC selection Cask # 20421 Distilled 2016 and Bottled in 2024 at 102.2 proof (51.1%). It is one of 248 bottles in REFILL cooperage from Warehouse B Est. 1912 (interesting they put the construction date of the warehouse on there) where it aged in a rick on the SECOND FLOOR and was made using a Rye Mash. Distilled in Bardstown, Kentucky. Bottled by Castle & Key Distillery, Frankfort, KY. The website PremierDrams.com is listed on the bottle "to learn more aout this bottle, or other Premier Drams releases, please visit..." but bemusingly this takes me to a godaddy landing page (uh oh).
Mashbill is not specified on the bottle, but presumably it is the high rye mash from Willett (74% rye, 11% corn, 15% malted barley) unless its the low rye (51% rye, 34% corn, 15% malted barley). It doesn't have the "feel" of the latter to me but I'll edit if I learn more in the future (i.e. was there a custom mashbill as part of the contract distilling.)
NOSE distinctive insane powdered Lipton tea with lemon note. Elegant- bright, perfect for summer. What in the bourbon from rare character had a richness, here there is sunshine. Fresh cut green stems of honeysuckle perhaps.
PALATE Gorgeous, coating mouthfeel but not viscous. Nice integration of that bright iced tea nose into a refreshing, sharp, citrusy and floral and slightly tannic but juicy palate. Oranges dance in the breeze.
FINISH Medium to long and my my god you are in seersucker, sipping a gorgeous iced tea while watching one of the triple crown races. In my case it’s the Preakness, and that tea note has come back. It is striking in a rye, sweet and raisin-y in the complementing bourbon. The baking spices and lingering tobacco hum along in the background as you hum to yourself.
Both of these are lovely. At the time this bourbon was 80 bucks. The artwork is beautiful. It captured a dark moment in America but an inflection point for bourbon. The Premier Drams rye has a classic, almost retro feel to the artwork, and the bottle tries to tell you as much as is legally possible about the liquid inside. Kudos to the company for the commitment to transparency. I know comparing a Rye to a Bourbon is a bit odd but it really speaks to the assertiveness of Castle and Key Warehouse B in imparting a distinctive flavor profile to whiskeys aged there regardless of mash or brand (I believe Wild Turkey rents some space in this place as well and may have keep Masters Keep 2017 barrels there).
Premier Drams is a new brand I think no one knows what to make of. It can’t trade off of Willett per se- or Bill Thomas’ very experienced palate- but I will say this: cask strength single barrels of unique and assertive quality have defined my early tasting (of about 7-10 offerings). They are distinctive, in that they are unlike most of what I have ever tasted before, but then that makes them somewhat unique and difficult to invite comparison. Sorry that I had to reach to a rather obscure Rare Character to find that comparator- but they have all been objectively good. I think the internet reviewer landscape will find itself divided into camps on these
I’d guide my dear readers on this- my first ever review but far from my first dram- to their wheated mash bill offerings and any of their ryes. This particular whiskey will prove elusive, but worth it if you can get it (in the 2-3 hundo range). I believe Seelbach's has two offerings (neither of which are reviewed here). I'll be interested to see how other's review it, but these initial rye barrels are striking for that sweet iced tea note which I think Warehouse B and Willett have brought forth in spades.
Cheers TC