"Vic: Did they ban Tik Tok>" (opens in separate window)

interesting time to be alive

friday, january 24th, 2024

A lot of people are anxious these days.  They are worried about nuclear war, mass government surveillance, artificial intelligence, lab-created disease, central bank digital currencies — you name it!  I’m worried about those issues, too.  However, there is a part of me that relishes the opportunities we have to shape the future.  This is an interesting time to be alive.

[FULL TITLE: "What an Interesting Time to Be Alive"]

This is not the age of tranquility.  There have been epochs for which that description might be apt — when people were born and died without experiencing much change during the course of their lives.  The technologies that existed never advanced.  The universe of human knowledge never expanded.  Time stood more or less still, as if humanity were stuck in amber.  

In light of all of this, God is still in control.

We’re not stuck in anything.  The technological revolutions from the late nineteenth century forward have remade the world time and again.  We’ve gone from telegraphs to telephones to cellular phones to smartphones.  Mass communication has evolved from printed newspapers to radio broadcasts to television news to internet chatrooms, email, and social media.  In the last twenty years, individuals have seized control over the instruments of mass communication — becoming self-created news reporters, entertainers, influencers, and celebrities.  In the last ten years, governments and their corporate allies have tried desperately to claw back control over the mass media monopoly they once had.

Global wars have jumbled history’s trajectory and shifted the balance of power more than once.  In some ways, World War II never truly concluded.  An Iron Curtain demarcated the world for another half-century, and even thirty years after the Cold War, its battles rage on.  Russia’s tense relationship with former Warsaw Pact members, China’s belligerent insistence on swallowing Taiwan, Israel’s generational defense of its sovereign borders, post-colonial Africa’s cauldron of bloody civil wars, and the continuing state of war between North and South Korea are but five of the most prominent examples of conflicts that have continued, in one form or another, for eighty years.

May you live in interesting times.

Religious belief has surged, dwindled, disappeared, been replaced, been reimagined, and perhaps even been rediscovered.  Interwar nihilism and self-indulgence that took root during the apocalyptic atmosphere of WWI fully blossomed with the generation that arrived after WWII.  Europe and America rejected their Christian foundations and invented “new age” religions for the public’s consumption — repackaging the language of Christian virtue into hippy-dippy self-help guides, mindful meditation, “social justice” movements, environmental doomsaying, and other malleable yet commercially successful hogwash designed to sate humanity’s spiritual needs.  

The “greenies” rejected Jesus Christ but told us that we’re all going to die for our “fossil fuel” sins.  The central bankers and globalist oligarchs joined this self-hating bandwagon because the “climate change” religion offered them a chance to maximize wealth and power.  For years, they have elevated a line of “global warming” popes — Al Gore, Klaus Schwab, John Kerry — all claiming to have influence with planetary gods that might be willing to save us from Armageddon if we do exactly what the rich people vacationing in Davos, Switzerland say.  

The World Economic Forum updates its globalist bible every year so that laypeople know what to believe and what to worship.  The “climate change” clergy even promote young know-nothings such as Greta Thunberg, who play-acts as a modern, “truth”-telling “green” Jesus.  Global “elites” love the “net zero” religion because they can make up new commandments as needed, condemn naysayers as selfish apostates, and rebrand totalitarianism as philanthropic virtue.  “Global warming” pseudoscience allows the U.N., the WEF, and other religious denominations to tell everyone else how much to pay in taxes, how much freedom to give up, and how to behave.

And yet there is substantial evidence that a very real Christian revival is gaining energy.  Older people who have perhaps lost their way are picking up dusty Bibles to see just what truths lie within.  Well known commentators — including Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan, and Russell Brand — are doing something that few could have predicted even five years ago: they are publicly discussing the teachings of Jesus Christ.  

Young people, too, are finding their way to Christ.  What would have seemed quite unusual last decade is becoming almost commonplace: athletes, musicians, actors, and academics are bearing witness to Christ’s purposeful influence upon their lives.  Even politicians who forgot Jesus’s name as they became worshipful converts to the “green” religion are slowly recovering from decades of amnesia and remembering the King of kings.  

In this wildfire of technological change, global conflict, and spiritual upheaval, the challenges all around us feel daunting.  If you will allow me to offer minor encouragement, it is this: do not look away.  Do not let the noise distract your thoughts.  Do not let the madness drive you mad.  Do not let potential dangers drown you in fear.  Be resolute.  Be purposeful.  Be hopeful.  Be brave.

Consider this clearly: there has never been a moment in history when so many lies and so much propaganda have been mercilessly directed toward the human race.  Intelligence agencies and corporate news platforms bombard our brains every day with false information.  Governments have abandoned truth for the “narrative,” and the “narrative” is nothing but a psychologically valuable weapon for achieving political victory.  Meanwhile, political victory is defined not as something that is beneficial for all people, but rather as something that gives those with great wealth and power even greater reserves of both.

In 2025, so-called “democracies” pursue the same totalitarian objectives as the “authoritarian” regimes those “democracies” vilify.  They seek to control minds, monitor movements, police behavior, regulate speech, and subjugate free will.  European and American politicians may talk a big game when it comes to “democracy” and “freedom,” but they have long been the greatest threats to both.

Yet they are afraid.  They are losing.  We are winning.  How do I know?  Their absolute abandonment of even the pretense of supporting free speech is a dead giveaway.  Western leaders are so fearful of losing power that they have become overtly pro-censorship.  

Former European commissioner Thierry Breton openly brags that Europe and U.S.-NATO scuttled the recent Romanian election because voters chose the “wrong” leader.  He promises that Eurocrats will do the same in Germany if German citizens vote “incorrectly” this year.  How can a prominent European statesman defend such brazenly anti-democratic tyranny?  He blames free speech.  Voters, he alleges, are reading and listening to the wrong voices.  

Breton’s authoritarianism echoes placeholder-president Joe Biden’s denunciation of Mark Zuckerberg’s “shameful” decision to purge left-wing “fact-checkers” from their years-long role as professional censors who monitor and delete public debate on Facebook and other Meta platforms.  Biden called the move away from government-directed censorship “completely contrary to everything America is about.”  The so-called “leader of the free world” and a man constitutionally duty-bound to defend the Bill of Rights thinks it’s “un-American” to protect the First Amendment.

Failed governor “Nero” Newsom insists that Biden censor online criticism of his administration’s disastrous response to California’s deadly wildfires.  Fellow tyrant Hillary Clinton wants Americans who “engage in misinformation” to be “criminally charged.”  Of course, Hillary also expects that she, Newsom, Biden, and Breton will continue to exercise a monopoly over official “truth.”  These shocking abuses of power reveal just how deeply afraid Western despots have become.

Of what are they afraid?  They are afraid of you.  They fear your voice, your private thoughts, and your desire to be free.  You have untapped power that they see.  What an interesting time to be alive.

© 1.17.2025 by J.B. Shurk, "American Thinker".

A Day In The Life.

Up at 6:15a on Friday, I fired-up the furnace, went thru my finger stick to check my BSL (Blood Sugar Level) and recorded it on my Diabetes 2 chart, made coffee, skipped the two 50mg Tramadol and the 300mg Gabapentin, for various pains, fired-up the Win-7 Pentium HP Desktop to let 32 million lines of code load, had a couple smokes in the garage and checked the day's to-do list.

It was a very cold, heavily overcast, 31°F, no wind with a fresh 1" coating of overnite snow. Nice. I scanned the weather and news and saw a 'red flag' on some of the weather-related stations. got ready for the day, had a couple deliveries from Amazon Prime and Weis Market (Enola, PA) and got everything put away. Temps were so cold -- "How cold were they? -- that I only opened the garage door a few times, and ran the Dyson Heater more than I should have.


★★★ WINTER STORM WARNING ★★★

• WHAT: WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING... Heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations between 4 and 6 inches with localized amounts up to 7 inches.

• WHEN: From Sunday morning 4 AM through Sunday evening 10 PM.

• WHERE: Lower Susquehanna Valley and Western Poconos in Pennsylvania.

• IMPACTS: Roads, and especially bridges and overpasses, will likely become slick and hazardous. Visibilities may drop below 1/4 mile due to falling and blowing snow. Travel could be very difficult.

• ADDITIONAL DETAILS: A small variation in storm track could result in significant changes in expected snowfall amounts.

• PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS: If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.

Persons should delay all travel if possible. If travel is absolutely necessary, drive with extreme caution and be prepared for sudden changes in visibility. Leave plenty of room between you and the motorist ahead of you, and allow extra time to reach your destination. Avoid sudden braking or acceleration, and be especially cautious on hills or when making turns. Make sure your car is winterized and in good working order.


I'm glad I'm always well-stocked in my "Prepper" areas in the basement, and it sounds like there could be a major storm, depending on the track. Heh, we won't really know until after it's over. I spent the afternoon doing some condo chores, had dinner and watched the evening's Fox News. Motor Trend's "Mecum Auto Auctions -- "Kissimmee, FL" -- was on again, until after 12 midnight, and I finally unplugged at 1a.

I slept-in until 10a on Saturday, upped the heat, made the new "House French" Coffee, from a new shipment of 6 varieties, scanned the weather and news headlines. The Winter Storm Watch and following brutal cold weather is still on, and I'll be garaging the Jeep tonite. I had a couple dozen emails in the queue to review, from yesterday and this morning, and they kept coming into Thunderbird.

I've been following the coming Winter Storm "Demi" since Thursday -- here's some of the many www.weather.us model maps I've used for years -- and I can barely see it forming. Less than 45mins later, it's very visible on satellite imaging. The forecast has changed, and I'm ready for it.

After lunch, I did a few condo chores, closed down at dusk, had dinner and watched the news. Discovery's "Expedition Unknown" and Motor Trend's "Mecum Auto Auction -- KLissimmee" were on, so I watched until 12 midnight, and unplugged.

It makes me giddy!

Awake at 7a, and finally up at 9:30a on Sunday, it was snowing heavily, but at 34°, not much was sticking yet. I fired-up the furnace, made coffee, and checked the weather maps and news headlines. BEAUTIFUL SNOW -- I love it! By 10:30, temps had dropped as the cold front moved thru with the snow, and it began sticking.

So, the world is freaking out since that craphole Tik-Tok is "going dark"? It would be a so much better planet, WITHOUT SOCIAL MEDIA shit, IMO. I don't go to any of them -- except FR and occasionally YT -- never have and never will. I hear what people tell me as their reason for using that crap, but what's wrong with using the good ol' *telephone*, to check on relatives and friends?

Around 4p, just as I was doing my 2nd load of laundry, the NWS ()Nat'l Weather Service) in State College (PA) released a ***Special Weather Statement*** to let us know that we're going to be buried by 6-8" of heavy, wet snow. Well, duh! I tuned into Trump's "Rally" in DC, and watched for a while, while I finished-up some other chores. By 3:30p, it was getting dark due to all the snowfall -- 2-3" per hour, and radar maps showing an end by 8p or so. With tomorrow being the so-called "MLK Holiday" crap, and 8-10"+ of snow, I'll just be staying inside until the PennDOT crews/plow trucks get it all finished; nothing that can't wait until Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. I called Sherry to get us a day, in the coming week.

The snow finally stopped around 8-8:30p, and the CHCA's contracted snow removal crews got on the job, shovelling walks, and plowing streets and driveways. Temps dropped to 13° and the finished-up after 12 midnight. I watched the ongoing Trump Rally until 1a, and headed upstairs. Lights out.

Up at 6:30a on Monday, at ZERO DARK THIRTY, a bitter cold 13°, I fired-up the furnace to 75°, made coffee, tuned into the "CS Show LIVE" (from Trump's Inauguration in DC), and checked the York County roads and incidents, and PennDOT's Winter Travel 511, for road news and updates. I scanned the usual news and weather sites, and this life-threatening deep freeze will be here for 3-5 days. Looks like we got an easy 6-8", even much more in some places. I'll head down south tomorrow for my errands.

12:00 Noon EST -- President-Elect Donald J. Trump was impeached for the 3rd time by the corrupted US House of Representatives, upon taking the Oath of Office! (Heh, beat that Babylon Bee!)

After scanning a LOT of news headlines all morning, and having a wonderful breakfast, I watched the Inauguration Ceremony and soon enough got to some chores, now that DJT is in charge of the country. I gave up after 2hrs, as it was Trump all day long, and I had other stuff to do. High temp for the day was 17°. Near zero is forecast for tonite. I got the snow and holiday-delayed recycle bin out, and garbage bag into my neighbor's shared bin. After a 90min nap, I closed the condo, since temps were dropping quickly as dark approached. I watched the news, had some dinner and settled-in with Motor Trend's "Iron Resurrection" until 11p, and unplugged. 3°F outside. My cleaning lady is in at 8:30a tomorrow.

Up at 5:30a on Tuesday, just before the alarm, to a brutal 0°, at ZERO DARK THIRTY. Forecast high for today is only 18°. Nasty cold. Skin can freeze in a matter of minutes, and I have to go south to Red Lion and Dallastown, on yesterday's snow day errands. I upped the heat to 75°, made coffee, fired-up the Dyson® Heater in the garage, and tuned into the "CS Show LIVE" from DC. I scanned the weather and news headlines, as the Nation was recovering from a glorious "Trump Hangover". JoAnne, my friend and cleaner, was not feeling well, so we rescheduled to tomorrow or Thursday -- TBD -- depending on how she feels.

I left for my usual Monday 3-4 errand run down south of York, but only had 2 stops. My cleaners' front door was locked and the place was dark inside -- strike 1 -- so carefully walking back to the Jeep, on ice and snow patched sidewalks was dicey, and I fell -- strike 2 -- so I decided to head home, mostly unhurt. Nothing broken, sprained, torn, ripped, shredded, bleeding or bruised. Back home around 2p, I had a FedEx delivery from D'artagnan, I put out a last big pile of peanuts for the squirrels and bluejays, had some lunch, and took a 90min snooze on the LR couch. Temps were dropping fast as dusk neared, and I wouldn't open the garage again tonite as temps neared 0°F.

I watched the FNC evening news, some 47-Inauguration events, and switched to History's "Curse of Oak Island" until 12 midnight, and bagged it for the night.

Up before the alarm at 5:15a on Wednesday, I upped the heat, made coffee, had a couple smokes in the cold garage, and logged-on to check weather and news. A -8F°(!!!) outside, ZERO DARK THIRTY morning; damn, that's the coldest temp I remember for 10+ years. I had a quick breakfast, JoAnne arrived at 8:30 and got to work, I scanned the news and weather -- now only 0F° outside despite being sunny -- and I hit the LR couch for a nap, while she finished-up and left after 11. I woke up just after 12noon, and got a new carafe of House French (arabica bean) Dark Roast Coffee underway. Nice looking day, but still cold as a well digger's ass in January.

Damn, it's "Tax Season" once again. I'm getting notices from my CPA, on the radio and on TV, for tax prep companies, all day and night. All this crap could be done on an 8½ x 11" form, avoiding so much BS and crap, but hundreds of thousands of people would be jobless, in the tax prep "industry". There are over 75,000 pages of tax codes, and it's impossible to understand it all. NO ONE understands it all.

Temps dropped quickly by 5:30p, I closed the condo, had some dinner and went back to the computer to do some work. No TV today. By 11:30p, I was nodding-off and closed down for the night.

Up at 8:30a on Thursday, I upped the heat, made the last of the House French Dark Roast Coffee, tuned into "CP Show LIVE",. scanned the weather and news, and checked email. Landslide, but I got thru most of it, and as soon as I did, I heard more coming in. Later. After a late breakfast, Sherry stopped by at 1:156p, we had a great time catching-up, and left for nearby Saubel's Market to get "a few things". She had a list, and I would "wing it". Her cart overfloweth, and I got more than I should have. Back at my place, we off loaded my stuff from her Hyundai Elantra, said "see ya" and she headed home. I closed the condo as temps dropped quickly into the low-teens.

After some dinner, I watched the news, switched over to History's "American Pickers" until 11, and then to The Weather Channel's "Weather Gone Viral" until 12 midnight. Lights out.

Tomorrow starts a new week here in the "Journal", and I have a major Cardiology Exam in the latter part of the week. It's an hour-long ECHO Cardiogram that gives the Drs and me a clear pic of my heart, since last January. Otherwise, a clear week.

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