civility or sarcasm: we haz that

I just got another notice that one of my tweets was asking for violence so would be limited.(but not removed) WTF? 

What happened is that someone said Iran was the good guy, and I commented that  Iran should just nuke Tel Aviv. This was sarcasm of course. I should have written the thought more clear: That it looks like they thought it would be fine if Iran nuked Tel Aviv.

 but I forgot to add the sarcasm to it so the computers tagged it as I was suggesting violence instead of that I was being sarcastic in telling someone that their tweet was approving of a regime that would do such things if allowed to continue to process uranium etc.

The tweet was limited and since I don't know how to remove it or change it I guess I will have to let things go. But that shows that I really really shouldn't tweet early in the morning before my second cup of coffee.

But accidental sarcasm is not the problem:

 The paranoid media narrative is out there, but it is being pushed not just by the fringe types but by the media, and by those who are leaders in the Democratic party, which is my party.

How bad is it?

It is so bad the Barney Frank, who represented an area that included Brookline where I used to live, is now in hospice, and is publishing a book saying the Democratic party lost it's way: 

From Politico

The former Massachusetts lawmaker says progressives in his party have “embraced an agenda that goes beyond what’s politically acceptable.”...                   

He’s hoping “to use my reputation and my record of being on the left to give courage to many of my colleagues who I know agree with me but are inhibited from saying so.”

this is good: Someone is able to push back on the radicals because he is dying. 

He insists some of their policies against the police etc are not popular so should not be pushed because it is not a good policy and might lose them votes. But what he doesn't say is that some of what the party is pushing is venomous.

Frank knows about such venom since he was a  target of aa lot of criticism when he came out as gay years ago. But that criticism was a lot less than what I read every day from his party.

And until the dehumanization stops, the spiral into violence will not be stopped.

Here is the  Body Language guy who brings it up:

I think this might have been inspired by people mocking her because when she evacuated the meeting that was attacked, that she looked upset.

WTF?

She should look upset. So why are they mocking her?

Not my party, but the personal attacks on her seem almost diabolical. Why?

The murder of Charlie Kirk is similarly being distorted far beyond a criticism of his opinions. Again diabolical.

what was his sin? That he dared to bring conservative opinions to college campuses, openly debating those who disagreed with him.

and beyond politics: He dared to promote Christianity and emphasized the need to take responsibility, and emphasized the importance of marriage.

One wishes a couple of the PC bishops would do such things, which they won't (with one or two exceptions).

You know what would happen:

  Jordan Peterson's talks were openly attacked by mobs trying to shut him down, and nearly every day one reads about other conservative voices who discuss traditional values who are openly attacked by mobs, and no one says anything. 

Mocking and dehumanization.

the social media makes these voices louder, and this goes beyond politics.

My sister in law refused to let her daughter from using facebook because she was on a skating team and was getting people mocking her for being fat posted on her facebook page (she wasn't fat: She was wearing a back brace for her scoliosis). 

I stopped Facebook because nearly every day I received posts on my page mocking Christians and Christianity.

And that was 15 years ago: I understand things are now worse.

Twitter is in danger of becoming another pest hole full of people tweeting talking points that are lies or distortions.

Sigh.

One is reminded of Yeat's poem:

Come let us mock at the great

Come let us mock at the great

That had such burdens on the mind

And toiled so hard and late

To leave some monument behind,

Nor thought of the levelling wind.

 

Come let us mock at the wise;

With all those calendars whereon

They fixed old aching eyes,

They never saw how seasons run,

And now but gape at the sun.

 

Come let us mock at the good

That fancied goodness might be gay,

And sick of solitude

Might proclaim a holiday:

Wind shrieked—and where are they?

 

Mock mockers after that

That would not lift a hand maybe

To help good, wise or great

To bar that foul storm out, for we

Traffic in mockery. 

musical interlude of the day

 

Family news

We all have a nasty cough, probably a virus.. Not too sick and a low fever so not influenza. But it has exacerbated my asthma so the medicines make my mind too fuzzy to do much.

this weekend is that City fiesta: the city's patron is Mama Maray, the holy shepherdess (in Spanish La Divina Pastora). May 1 is the feast day, but the parade is the day before.

Lots of people return home for the fiesta, so the relatives will probably visit, and lots of parties.

Killer Lakes, methane for electricity and other central African stories not in the news

 Last Year, Rubio and Qatar got Rwanda and the DRC to sign a peace plan. 

A lot of this has to do with local tribal issues and the city of Goma. Of course the peace has since been broken by a Rwandan rebel group, but they are still talking so maybe things will settle down again.

 but hey it's hard to find out what is going on there in the English media but luckily Al Jazeerah covers it (Note they are from Qatar, and Qatar worked with Rubio for the original peace plan).

Well, anyway, I am familiar with the Rwanda refugees, the minerals in the area, and the danger of nearby volcanoes to the city of Goma because I try to keep an eye on African news and sometimes place these stories on my Mugabe Blog..

what I was not aware of was that in addition to the problems of disease, Volcanos, rebel attacks, and refugees, there is another problem: Lake Kiva has the potential to be a killer lake: 

but it also has the potential to provide electricity via methane extraction to the entire region:

He discusses the problem of CO2 release in smaller lakes but notes it is a danger in Lake Kiva, near the city of Goma, as he explains at the end of the video.

But the solution? 

As he explains, the project to harvest Methane for energy also releases the CO2 safely,

from the company's website:

Since 2016, our Kivuwatt facility has been safely and sustainably extracting this biomethane gas, converting it into electricity in our 26 MW plant. This significant contribution represents approximately 30% of Rwanda’s current energy capacity and an accumulated generation of almost 2 TWh since COD. To put it in context, KivuWatt’s electricity production has avoided the emission of 1.1 million tons of CO₂ into the atmosphere, making a real positive environmental contribution while, at the same time, reducing the risk of uncontrolled methane release to the environment.

this is from four years ago: 

politics in the Vatican

 

The Japanese are back

For the first time since World War II, Japanese soldiers will be training in the Philippines in the yearly Balikatan exercize with the US military and the Philippine Armed forces

LINK

A reciprocal access agreement between Manila and Tokyo, which took effect in September 2025, allows JSDF and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) personnel to operate in each other’s territory for exercises and other missions.

so far I haven't seen helicopters, Warthogs or other planes going over us: We are near to FtMagsaysay, where usually the AFP teach jungle warfare and survival techniuest to the visiting iliatry.

the Far Side prophecy

Earlier today, a convoy of 4 cruise ships ran the Strait of Hormuz at full speed, sailing under fire through the Iranian-declared minefield. pic.twitter.com/5fYSqEYcLr

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) April 19, 2026

the covid kerfuffle

 Posted so i can watch it later on my tablet.

the covid was a man made virus that escaped a Chinese lab that was doing gain of function research that was forbidden in the USA by Obama.

But the WHO overreacted: and what is not in this video is how it harmed poorer countries like the Philippines.

we had to pay for a thirty dollar test for our drivers to deliver our rice to Manila. And the town mayor had to hand out rice to our poorer neighborhoods because a lot of folks couldn't work, and many OFW etc. came home.

philippine news

prices here are going up for everything,

and many local farmers are digging for gold instead of preparing their fields for rice, because the imported rice undercuts the selling price and because the price of diesel and fertilizer makes it more expensive to grow and harvest.

We are green and sell organic rice, but since we no longer have waterbuffalo and use a harvester thresher instead of harvesting by hand and then using our small thresher, you can see the problem: Modern agriculture needs oil.

well, anyway, last year there were reports about economic zones and investment in Luzon. Clark and Subic are two areas this is being done.

from last year:

from today:

the full US announcement is HERE. 

Excerpt:

 Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg today announced the United States’ and the Philippines’ plans to establish a 4,000-acre industrial hub to secure inputs vital to American and global supply chains. The site is located in the Luzon Economic Corridor of the Philippines. The site—the first of its kind—is being designated by the Philippines as an Economic Security Zone, a new model for AI-native investment acceleration hubs being developed under the Pax Silica Initiative.

... Enhanced Operational Certainty: The Economic Security Zone is intended to fuse American expertise in institutions and legal regimes – internationally enforceable contracts, transparent regulatory standards, and expert dispute resolution – with enhanced access to the Philippines’ outstanding workforce and talent, mineral endowments, energy resources, and strategic position at the crossroads of Indo-Pacific trade.

...more at thee Pax Silica website of the US State Dept:

If the 20th century ran on oil and steel, the 21st century runs on compute and the minerals that feed it. This historic declaration hails a new economic security consensus ensuring aligned partners build the AI ecosystem of tomorrow—from energy and critical minerals to high-end manufacturing and models.

,,,,

the problem is corruption. 

Don't tell the Chicago style pope that he needs to preach thou shalt not steal, not vote Democrat so we can keep our pedophile protecting bishops rich.

(sorry, Three Hail Marys for my snide remarks)

Of course the problem is the IMF is threatening the Philippines because they have a big debt.

and this story says: Watch where you invest.

...

StrategyPage has a summary of what's happening in the PHilippines LINK 

 Major events last year include improvements in infrastructure with many new roads and upgrades to airports and shipping facilities. This comes after years of little improvement. The difference has been noticeable to most Filipinos. Problems remain including high unemployment, escalating inflation, the local currency, the peso losing more value versus the dollar and general economic stagnation.

this video explains what is going on (is it accurate? I don't know, but we are seeinng Japan moving businesses into the Philippines.

And remember: China and Chinoy families run the economy here. Second thing to remember: Taiwan was once Japanese.