Quote:Why mistranslation, migration, and manipulation have a bad taste

Radio Far Side, Sep 24, 2025



One of my many guilty pleasures is crunchy peanut butter and Smucker’s Concord Grape jelly on crustless white bread. It’s one of my comfort foods from earliest childhood.

The problem is that the Indonesian language does not distinguish between jelly, jam and preserves. A single term—selai buah, which essentially means “fruit goo”—is used for all three condiments, so 90% of the times I order grape jelly, I get jam or preserves, as happened today.

This isn’t apropos of anything in particular, but I’ll try to work it into today’s rant so it doesn’t come off as completely gratuitous.

So, I haven’t watched the Charlie Kirk memorial, nor have I watched Trump’s UN rant, but I’ve certainly heard plenty of commentary and seen the highlight clips. By the way, Erica did not flash the “Satan symbol”. That hand gesture is American sign language for “I love you.” As with selai buah, it’s all in the translation (told you I’d tie it in).


Anyway, Trump got me to thinking—which is a dangerous thing. I was thinking that I can’t think of any other time in history when the leaders of so many countries were deliberately trying to destroy the countries they “lead” and the cultures they come from.

Now I can think of many examples where leaders tried to forcefully spread their cultures (see colonialism), and many who kicked off bloody internal conflicts to protect and defend their cultures from internal threats (see civil wars), but no evidence of a single—much less many—leader trying to purposely destroy their nation and culture, especially against the will of the home folks.

The issue of unfettered mass migration of folks who have no intention of integrating is beyond my ken. I have lived and worked in six countries, and in every case I’ve gone out of my way to learn the customs, traditions, history, and languages of my hosts. I’ve gone so far as to develop regional accents, according to native speakers.


On top of that, I’ve spent many hours and significant amounts of money maintaining a legal immigration status, abiding by the laws and regulations of my host country. Here in Indonesia, they are sticklers for legal status, and if you violate the laws, they will deport you at your own expense, or leave you to rot in jail.

I have exactly zero sympathy for folks being rounded up and deported from the US. Heck, I go to great expense and hassle to maintain Mrs. FarSide’s US visa, even though we haven’t been back since 2016. She gets five yeas of unlimited entry/exit with every renewal.

That said, what could possibly drive nations to commit cultural and economic suicide by not enforcing long-established immigration laws? What benefit could these countries possibly derive from such permissive behavior, especially against the clear wishes of their citizens? Even more puzzling is what could make all those natives knuckle under and accept the invasions, to the point of bankrupting their own social safety nets that they pay so dearly for?


One common factor in all this is that the nations who are suffering the most from the insanity have all surrendered their right to self-defense. In recent decades, Canada, Britain and Australia have all given up gun ownership, and they are now swamped with invaders. Europe has long been a gun-free zone, and naturally the invaders are now the only ones with guns.

The worst parts of the US are the ones with the strictest “gun control” laws, while Texas and Florida are maintaining a tense balance because the citizenry are well armed and like target practice.

There is nothing more precious than one’s native culture. Some of my most enjoyable moments are spending time with the North Americans, and especially the Texans I know here. We can communicate on a level far more profound than most of my interactions with locals, because we have a broad and deep shared experiences and beliefs that allow us to bypass a lot of assumptions and agree on many foundational issues.

For instance, sharing a pile of BBQed brisket and a link of jalapeño and cheddar sausage smothered in jalapeño honey sauce with a hank of crusty bread and a side of potato salad with a fellow Texan is a rare and precious treat. We share an entire vocabulary that even the most skilled foreign speakers don’t understand. We know and assume certain knowledge that a non-native would never grasp.

It’s like the old joke: a man walks into a bar, and while he sits there, people were yelling out numbers and the whole place would erupt in laughter. He askes the man sitting next to him, “What’s going on? People yell out numbers and everyone laughs.”

“Ah,” replied the man, “We have all been hanging out together for so long we know all the jokes, so we assigned the jokes a number so we don’t have to repeat the entire thing.”

“Interesting,” said the stranger, who sat and thought about this for a while. Eventually, he got up the nerve to yell out, “16!” No one laughed.

“What did I do wrong,” he asked his neighbor.

“You’re really lousy at telling jokes,” said the man.

What possible benefit could “leaders” have for selling out their countries? I have a guess.

I am of the opinion that these “leaders” and the copious NGOs and “societies” that allow unmitigated invasions are getting kick-backs from all the money they dole out to the invaders. All of the “soft” money gets laundered through various organizations as “aid” for various causes, such as feeding and housing the invaders.

Then large amounts come back as “campaign donations” or just plain old transfers—say in cryptocurrencies that don’t go through banks. The remaining funds are used by the likes of Soros, Gates, and Schwab to fund sterilization and eugenics programs, or human experimentation on “marginal” populations.

In addition, various programs are funded and operated to destroy social and cultural cohesion, disrupt traditional families, and divide and conquer large populations. The reason for these efforts would be to wipe out the concept of nation-states and destroy the notion of cultural solidarity in order to institute a new global system of governance that would never work with traditional nationalistic ideas.

In AD 711, a force of mostly Berber Muslims under the command of Tariq ibn Ziyad crossed the Strait of Gibraltar from North Africa into the Iberian Peninsula. They defeated the Visigothic king Roderic at the Battle of Guadalete (711). Within a few years, most of what is now Spain and Portugal was under Muslim control, becoming al-Andalus. Eventually, parts of France, Ireland, England, Italy, and the Balkans were taken over, with the latter eventually becoming the Ottoman Empire.

The Muslim occupation of Europe lasted 781 years, until Ferdinand and Isabella (of Columbus fame) broke the Saracens’ hold and Reconquista began.

Call me crazy, but it sure looks like “someone” is trying to recreate that era, and European “leaders” are only too happy to play along, draining the treasuries into their pockets as they go. Maybe they think they’ll live out their days in tropical villas in Central and South America, while their former nations evaporate.

Anyway, I just finished a peanut butter and grape jam sandwich. It’s not perfect, but it will have to do, since my adopted culture has no history of preserving anything at all, much less fruit. With a year-round growing season and fruit dripping off the trees. The culture here—including the language—never had to deal with concepts like pickling, canning and preserving, because fresh was available anytime and anywhere you wanted it.

In fact, the only thing Indonesians have ever had to store was rice, which depended on the monsoon season. Cheese was introduced by Europeans, and Indonesians eat very little of it. Things like pressure cookers and pickling jars are as rare as hurricanes on the Moon. All the native dishes are designed to be eaten with the hands out of cone-shaped hats that serve multiple purposes as shade, water glasses and food bowls.

It’s a very strange culture (to me) because Indonesians have little or no concept of planning and maintenance, since they’ve never had to survive deep winters.

Vive la difference!

=====

Our film du jour is Children of Men (2006), loosely based on the novel by one of my favorite mystery writers P. D. James. A dark dystopian pscho-thriller, the plot revolves around mass infertility and authoritarian governments. Sounds a lot like today’s headlines. Some very good performances, and Alfonso Cuarón’s direction is spot on.

Basically Sarco was found guilty of getting Millions of Euro's from deposed and deceased Libyan Dictator Moammar Gaddafi to help finance his first 2007 Presidential campaign , 70 year old Sarco has said the trail was "politically motivated" and he will appeal.


Poor Sarco.

Quote:The ruling means he will spend time in jail even if he launches an appeal, which Sarkozy says he intends to do.
Speaking after Thursday's hearing, the 70-year-old, who was president from 2007-12, said the verdict was "extremely serious for rule of law".

Sarkozy, who claims the case is politically motivated, was accused of using the funds from Gaddafi to finance his 2007 election campaign.
In exchange, the prosecution alleged Sarkozy promised to help Gaddafi combat his reputation as a pariah with Western countries.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp98kepmj9lo

Quote:In this deep-dive episode of The Icons, host Tyler Waye sits down with Peter Diamandis, the visionary founder of the X Prize Foundation and co-founder of Singularity University. Peter is an internationally recognized pioneer in innovation, incentive competitions, and exponential technologies. In this conversation, Peter shares his bold predictions about the future of Artificial Intelligence, including how it will transform industries and solve some of humanity's biggest challenges. We also explore the groundbreaking field of longevity and how technology is rapidly accelerating our ability to extend a healthy human lifespan. Finally, we discuss the critical importance of a mindset of abundance and why optimism is a choice that can shape our reality. Welcome to The Icons by Motiversity! An original interview podcast show with the best life, mindset, and success advice from the world's most iconic people. If you’re ready to start your journey to becoming an icon or just need some motivation or inspiration from someone that you look up to, tune in to The Icons podcast by Motiversity.

Me , I wouldn't be filming I'd be getting out of Dodge.

Quote:A 50 metre-deep sinkhole opened in front of a Bangkok hospital early on Wednesday, sucking in cars and electricity poles in a collapse that shocked city residents and was linked to the construction of a nearby underground railway station. Local authorities closed roads around the Vajira Hospital on Samsen Road in the Thai capital’s historic old town at around 7am as the crater emerged, ripping apart pipes that spewed out torrents of water while toppled electricity cables sent out dangerous sparks. Patients and residents in nearby flats were evacuated as the hole – measuring roughly 30 by 30 metres wide and 50 metres deep – appeared in front of the public hospital.

Quote:For those who have followed my interviews with the GRS contractors who survived the Benghazi attacks, you may have noticed a recurring theme—one that Tig recently revisited when speaking about Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty being thrown from the roof by Delta Force operators.

I was recently contacted by one of the GRS members known as “Jack Silva” from 13 Hours—the only contractor who has not yet spoken out publicly. Below is Jack’s response to Tig’s recent episode addressing the Benghazi attacks.

Jack Silva Letter

Quote:

What to Expect in the Next Iteration of MREs

Sept. 18, 2025 | By Katie Lange, Pentagon News

The old saying "variety is the spice of life" is especially true when it comes to food. While service members in combat will eat whatever they're given, having good meals that match what they might eat at home is important for morale and readiness.

Every year, food scientists at the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center's Combat Feeding Division in Natick, Massachusetts, work to develop new components for meals ready-to-eat. They're based on warfighter feedback received by each service to add variety or replace unpopular items. Researchers also look at trends in the commercial sector to see what might play well on newer menus.

What's Coming, What's Going

The next iteration of MREs is MRE 46, which is expected to come out in 2026. The menu's developers said that in MRE 46, they plan to replace the beef taco filling, pork sausage patty and jalapeno pepper jack beef patty — all of which were not rated high among surveyed service members — with a Cuban-style beef picadillo with vegetables, buffalo-style chicken, and a Thai-style red curry with chicken and rice.
"Buffalo chicken is something that [soldiers] have requested. It's a popular item … so we're hoping that this item will be longstanding," explained Julie Edwards, a Combat Feeding Division senior technologist and registered dietitian. 



More protein-filled snacks will round out the MREs, including new s'mores recovery bars and freeze-dried chocolate peanut butter bites. Another big focus of the newest iteration is more caffeinated products.


"What we've noticed is caffeine is one of the least consumed items in the MRE," Edwards said. "Previous generations were big coffee drinkers, but the newer generation of soldiers are not."

As replacements, researchers looked to develop new beverage options, as well as energy chews, energy gels, caffeinated gum and even caffeinated jelly beans.

Edwards said service members also requested a larger, more durable towelette.


"Any new item that we get that can help bring variety and increase acceptability is important," Edwards said. "We know that eating an MRE isn't everyone's No. 1 thing, but we want to make it safe to eat — that's our No. 1 priority — and then to make it taste good as well."

Like with the new close combat assault ration, developers also focused on reducing the weight and volume of the new MREs without cutting calories or nutritional value.

Passing the Military Grade

All new items being considered for MREs must meet shelf-life requirements before they can be evaluated by warfighters, meaning they have to still be edible after spending six months in 100 degrees Fahrenheit and three years at 80 degrees Fahrenheit.



Edwards said a lot of commercial items that could be considered for MREs wouldn't pass muster. For example, she said it's been a challenge to find snacks — aside from nuts — that provide 10 grams or more of protein. Many of them have a chemical reaction over time that gives them an unappetizing appearance. She used beef jerky as an example.

"I know in the commercial sector, you see lots of beef jerky that's shelf stable. However, it has a very short commercial shelf life," Edwards said. "What happens to jerky over time is it gets dark in color and becomes unappealing. So, we had a challenge of finding jerkies that meet our shelf-life requirements."

MREs also have to meet specific nutritional requirements under the DOW-wide Army Regulation 40-25. Those requirements are different than nutritional needs for civilians and can often depend on environmental factors.

After shelf-life requirements are met, operational testing can begin. Teams of researchers go out and work with warfighters in the field to determine what they like, then behavioral psychologists hold focus groups to elaborate on the data. Edwards said it's important they get honest feedback from everyone at every rank.

"We want you to give us this feedback because it does help. It does make a difference," she said. "Operational tests are very expensive and time-consuming. So, we want to make sure that we're being good stewards of investing money in the right areas."


From there, the feedback is analyzed and presented to service leaders who are part of the Joint Services Operational Rations Forum. Those folks decide which new items to implement.

"From start to finish, it's about a four-year process until the soldier actually sees [the new meals]," Edwards said.

Meanwhile, items for MRE 47, which is expected to come out sometime in 2027, are already in development. One service request was to include more plant-based items, Edwards said. For snacking, the Combat Feeding Division has developed plant-based animal crackers, a new recovery bar, a protein bar and fruit-flavored cereal. Edwards said the four vegetarian meals currently available to troops will be replaced with plant-based entrees.

There are kosher and halal meals available for service members, too, but they're managed by Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, not the Combat Feeding Division.

Is this why Starmer and their last colonies Canada and Australia are formally recognizing Palestine?

or is this a rent to own type of deal...

Why isn't this applicable...









The British Patriot

@TheBritLad


BREAKING: Palestine Seeks £2 Trillion in Reparations from UK

Following its recognition as a state, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas demands reparations from the UK for its 1917-1948 rule, citing international law.

This is an absolute disaster.


If they are carving up Israel, then all borders outlined by the Treaty of San Remo become void. This means Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iraq. We need a safe country in the ME for Christians, Druze, Yazidis, who did I miss?

General Flynn is posting something by Laura Loomer (that is about him)...saying there is an uptick in concern over some coordinated 'strikes', by Al Qaeda (et al, I'm sure) in a number of major cities...to kill as many Americans as possible.

Quote from article: "...National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) has officially determined that Islamic terrorists affiliated with Al Qaeda have infiltrated U.S. soil and are actively planning a series of coordinated Islamic terror attacks."

I did not watch the video, attached, but found the 'article' to be rather terroristic in quality - I do not feel 'easy' about this.

What say you (if anything)?

https://joehoft.com/general-flynn-shares...ities-now/

DISCLAIMER: This isn't some personal revelation or conclusion about myself, but a farce. This thread is more along the lines of how anyone, even a conservative, could easily become the poster boy for the left, a liberal Charlie Kirk if you will.

With a little practice at giving speeches and live debate, anyone could be the Charlie Kirk for the left, even I could. As an old while male, I would be the opposite of a young handsome conservative and have the liberal democrat leader look. I just need to grow my hair longer, gain some more weight, and become less healthy. I wear glasses already; however, I may want to try a little makeup, it couldn't hurt. Below is a sample of a propaganda speech I worked up while going into a trance and channeling liberalism.

Quote:Get Trump "By All Means Necessary" because he's a tyrant. "No More Kings!" We can't allow this Nazi-like dictator, this modern Hitler, to destroy our "democracy" and usurp the will of some people who matter more than the rest.

It's time for asymmetric warfare with this Trump tide that is washing away all these years of infiltrating and "building back better" the "deeply flawed" American culture to make it equitable and inclusive for every kind of thing you may identify as.

Once this poison MAGA movement has been eradicated and cleansed from our "democracy", we can freely live however we want, as whatever we identify as, and create our socialist utopia that will unite the entire planet like an inter-racial gay transgender couple lovingly embracing their global family.

It's party conference season in the UK and this week it's the turn of the completely irrelevant Liberal Democrats who are polling around 15% in the latest voter intension poll , today their leader Sir Ed Davey shows just how bad his comprehension skills are by accusing Elon Musk of inciting violence at last weeks Free speech march when Musk said....
"This is a message to the reasonable centre, the people who ordinarily wouldn't get involved in politics, who just want to live their lives. 

They don't want that, they're quiet, they just go about their business.
"My message is to them: if this continues, that violence is going to come to you, you will have no choice. You're in a fundamental situation here.
"Whether you choose violence or not, violence is coming to you. You either fight back or you die, that's the truth, I think."


Clearly Mr Musk is talking about the violence being brought to the people of the UK by the tens of thousand undocumented young men being allowed to roam the streets unchecked and undocumented and how the British people must stand up for themselves in this 2 tier Country , he is clearly not calling for people to be violent but rather to protect themselves from violence.

Davey also hit out at X for not doing enough to protect children rather than focus on parents dereliction of their duty to protect their children from perceived social media threats saying Musk should be arrested if he comes to Britain under Labours Online Safety act , have to say I agree with Musk's characterization of Davey as a "Snivelling Cretin.

Quote:Sir Ed is expected to reiterate his call for Mr Musk's arrest at his conference speech on Tuesday.

He will accuse Mr Musk of being motivated by "his own ego, power and wealth, rather than the rights and freedoms of the British people".
The Lib Dems will also table a parliamentary motion summoning Mr Musk to the House of Commons "to be reprimanded for his actions".
Sky News has approached X and Elon Musk for comment, but as of publication has received no response.
X maintains it has "zero tolerance for child sexual abuse material" and claims tackling those who exploit children is a "top priority".
https://news.sky.com/story/sir-ed-davey-...n-13435165