🇸🇾☦️🇷🇺🎙️Statement Issued by the Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East; Damascus, December 9, 2024
"God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved."
Syria has always been, and continues to be, a country honored by God as the cradle of His divine messages and the land that embraced the footsteps of His messengers and prophets, despite the many historical eras it has endured.
Today, it stands at a new crossroads in its history, looking towards a bright future aspired by every Syrian—a future that reflects Syria's identity as a land of civilization and the cradle of history.
This phase requires wisdom, solidarity, and concerted efforts. Above all, it demands trust in God and reliance on Him, seeking His mercy and the wisdom of His providence to remain steadfast in the love of the homeland and the preservation of its people's dignity.
Accordingly, as a Church deeply rooted in this great East, we are committed to continuing our journey of serving humanity and promoting peace and harmony among people in a country governed by law and democratic institutions.
In this critical phase, the Church urges all its parishioners and every Syrian citizen, regardless of ethnic, political, or religious affiliation, to fulfill their national duty by striving for unity, protecting public and private property, fostering safety in their surroundings, exercising self-restraint in the face of challenges, and approaching matters with wisdom and foresight. It calls on everyone to extend a hand to those responsible for the care of this beloved country. The Church also appeals to all concerned people to work toward addressing violations and safeguarding the dignity of every citizen, so we may collectively progress toward a brighter tomorrow.
Finally, as we prepare to celebrate the Nativity of Christ born in a Cave, we lift up our prayers to Him, asking for peace to reign in the land of peace, bringing goodness to all the people of this cherished country 🙏
Yanis Varoufakis (former Greek Minister of Finance) describes AI as a new form of capital that produces not goods, but behavioral modification. This is achieved by engineering perceptions.
The answers provided by ChatGPT, or the images rendered by StableDiffusion — as these increasingly inform our perceptions, they in turn define the reality we experience.
This is what makes AI so powerful — he who controls the AI, defines the reality of tomorrow.
⚡️🇺🇸 Some more things coming out for the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Under the preliminary drafts of the bill, the USAF is requesting a release of $57,000,000 USD ($57.0 Million) to retire all remaining 162 A-10 Thunderbolt IIs in current service. Apart of the 2023 NDAA, there was a clause for a few million dollars to be released every so often to gradually retire the (then) 250 airframes by 2034; however due to the push by the Dept of Defense to ‘shed’ obsolete or obsolescent airframes that cannot be overhauled or upgraded further without a whole new airframe, it appears the USAF wants to retire all 162 remaining A-10s by the end of 2026.
The USAF plans to fully divest the 340-total remaining A-10s entirely, including those that currently serve in a handful of Air National Guard units in some states; which will be replaced by F-15EX Eagle IIs (like what is already happening with the Michigan State Air National Guard’s A-10s), or F-35A/Bs.
Included ...
My older sister lives in the country in between Velma Oklahoma and Duncan Oklahoma near the Fuqua Lake area, this story was told by a rural mail delivery woman who delivers the mail in the country.
The incident happened while she was on her route, when she came upon to the mailbox a male Chinese nation came out brandishing a, AK-47 rifle being very hostile,
I don't know if he pointed it at her since it is against the law to do so but she was terrified and said she was never going back and that the location that had a guard tower. Was the sheriff department notified, I don't know, did she notify her supervisor, don't know. But word is from the country folk who live in the area they have seen the guard tower at the pot place;
I refuse to call it a farm because it is an insult to farmers.
And yes she was traumatized by that ordeal