PATCON XVII June 5th, 2021

 

All the info from the autumn one that was called off should apply. See below

 

PATCON XVII October 10th, 2020

Is Vietnam gravitating toward a Russian orbit now?

 Via Reborn

 

This report via Phnom Penh Post relays Mr. Putin’s conversation with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, which covered specific measures to foster their cooperation in security, defense, energy, oil and gas, economy, trade, education, training, and tourism. 

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The Tuol Sleng Museum, Phnom Penh

by Phil Butler, …with New Eastern Outloook, Moscow, …and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a research institution for the study of the countries and cultures of Asia and North Africa.

[ Editor’s Note: Phil Butler gives us an update on the trending Russia-Vietnam relationship in practical terms, a topic that gets almost no publicity inside the US, and why VT enjoys its cross publishing relationship with NEO.

There is too much going on to keep one’s eye on, particularly in far away places with different languages and the myriad of evolving geopolitical situations. The strength of VT has always been the depth and breadth of its people.

The new twist coming on like gang busters is consolidated pandemic planning, covering everything from monitoring for an early warning on the next outbreak, and where the response can still allow for a functioning economy.

More @ UP

The Technological Golden Calf

 

I first picked up the classic scifi book Dune by Frank Herbert when I was in high school, and only at my father’s insistence.  I struggled through it, and literally in the second I finished it I went back and started it again.  Having read it once I now had enough context to read it again and understand a lot more.  I now read it again every year or so and, remarkably, I still find new thoughts stirred up even by passages I have read many times.  It is one of my TOP FIVE scifi books I’ve ever read.

Towards the end there is a scene where Stilgar, one of the protagonist Paul’s friends, mentors, and at the time of the scene I am recalling a key right-hand man, hears Paul’s commenting about rain on his birth world – a water-rich world nearly-diametric opposite the desert planet Arrakis where he now is – and repeats, almost chants, Water from the sky! with worshipful tones.  He had, noted Paul, become a creature of the Kwisatz Haderach, the prophesized messiah.

More @ Liberty's Torch

Court Releases Security Plan for Arizona Election Audit to the Public Despite Knowing It Was Meant to Be Shielded

The Florida-based firm that’s overseeing the 2020 election audit in Arizona’s largest county on Friday accused a court of releasing its security plan to the public despite knowing it was meant to be shielded from public view.

Cyber Ninjas submitted a slew of documents to the Maricopa County Superior Court in response to a recent ruling by Judge Daniel Martin, who rejected an attempt to file the documents under seal because of their sensitive nature and ordered them filed by 12 p.m. on Thursday.

More @ RTM

Bikers for Trump | Win With Lin Rally | South Carolina May 2, 2021 1:30PM

Tyranny’s cauldron

 Via Grog

 

We’re in it. Not because we want to be. Not because we chose to be. Because power-drunk fools have put us there.

Two phrases, taken together, probably constitute the origin of violence and conflict throughout the history of mankind. They are the imperative command “Submit,” and the responsive challenge, “Or what?” I am guessing billions have died as a result of that conversation, because the follow-on to “or what” is when the stabbing, hacking, shooting, and bombing starts. If one wishes to avoid that violence, it is best to avoid forcing that discussion.

More @ Cold Fury

What countries can I travel to if I’ve had the COVID-19 vaccine?

 

As COVID-19 vaccination efforts are underway around the world, many people hope receiving the vaccine could be their ticket to international travel. And in a number of countries, proving that you've got it will grant you access - and the chance to skip the quarantine period that has curbed so much leisure travel.

While travel rules related to COVID-19 change quickly and will vary based on your country of origin, these are some countries that are allowing entry for vaccinated travelers.

This article was first published on February 16 and last updated on April 27, 2021.

More @ Lonely Planet