Sept. 28, 2023 - Texas GOP Passes Unanimous Resolution Calling For Special Legislative Session On Colony Ridge
The Texas Republican Party Chairman says massive illegal immigrant
development just northeast of Houston highlighted by The Daily Wire
should be a 'grave concern for all Texans'.
The Daily Wire’s investigation of the development noted that “the
developer allows for illegal aliens to obtain loans to purchase land
using Individual Tax ID Numbers (ITINs) instead of Social Security
Numbers” and that Colony Ridge “has grown to an estimated 50,000 to
75,000 inhabitants and spans over 60 square miles.”
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said “We can’t have entire cities
of people who are here illegally with basically no law enforcement, in
some cases I’m told no running water, it’s a very dangerous place to
be. This is not what America was built on. This massive complex of
people here illegally creating their own city just north of Houston,
it's just unacceptable.”
Sept. 28, 2023 - San Jacinto
County in Texas approves Declaration of Local Disaster
In June 2023 the San Jacinto County Commissioners Court approved a
Declaration of Local Disaster due to increased drug smuggling & a
spike in the local crime rate. Murders (one by a Mexican national,
another by a Pakistani air force officer), prostitution, sex
trafficking, marijuana grow houses run by Cuban nationals (in one raid
over 400 lbs. & 180 trees were seized, some of them nearly 9 ft.
tall, with an estimated market value of over $700,000), meth labs,
gambling, a cock fighting ring run by Vietnamese nationals, dog
fighting, etc.
Organized crime syndicates aiding and abetting these
illegal activities and who've carved out their own territories in the
county include the Jalisco New Generation cartel, Gulf cartel, Los
Zetas cartel, & Sinaloa cartel.
San Jacinto County is located just north of Houston, Texas and over 200
miles from the southern U.S.-Mexico border. This rural county and the
surrounding areas, including Liberty County, have seen an explosion of
migrant settlement and increasing criminal cartel activity.
In this 24-min. interview, San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers joins
Todd Bensman, a Senior National Security Fellow at the Center for
Immigration Studies to discuss how lax federal border security is
straining the ability to police his jurisdiction. Sheriff Capers
explains how, with a small county budget and reactive policing, there
is a need for increased cooperation and funding from both the state and
federal authorities.
(If player above is not visible, you can view video at YouTube here.)
Road rage and class war escalate into a demolition derby at the local
mall. Way too much testosterone!
(If player above is not visible, you can view video at YouTube here.)
Priceless!!
Sept. 21,
2023 - In Texas don't get Barbie-Qued!
Barbie-Q
Sept. 17,
2023 - Flash mob smash-and-grab robbers hit a Nordstrom store in Los
Angeles
Dozens of robbers last month stole more than $300,000 worth of
merchandise from the Nordstrom store in Westfield Topanga Shopping
Center in Los Angeles.
Flash mob
smash-and-grab robbers hit a Nordstrom store in Los Angeles
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
Sept. 12,
2023 - “Until
Proven Otherwise”
Two world renowned cardiologists independently reached the same medical
conclusion. Dr. Peter McCullough, MD, MPH, and Dr. Aseem Malhotra, MD
have stated that their medical opinion is that the recent surge in
worldwide sudden deaths,
especially in young people, are caused by the Covid-19 mRNA vaccines, "until proven otherwise."
“Until Proven
Otherwise”— featuring cardiologists Dr. Peter McCullough & Dr.
Aseem Malhotra
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at Rumble here.)
Sept.
9, 2023 - Japanese rainbow flowers
A new surprise addition at the local florist. Never a dull moment in
the Land of the Rising Sun...
Japanese rainbow flowers on sale at a Tokyo florist
Aug. 16,
2023 - "Rich Men
North Of Richmond" by Oliver Anthony
Over
14 million views in only 7 days. Wow. "Oliver resides in Farmville, VA
with his 3 dogs and a plot of land he plans on turning into a small
farm to raise livestock. He notes his biggest influence as Hank
Williams, Jr. Oliver wants to give hope to the working class and your
average hard working young man who may have lost hope in the grind of
trying to get by."
"Rich Men North Of
Richmond" by Oliver Anthony
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
Lyrics:
I've been sellin' my soul, workin' all day
Overtime hours for bullshit pay
So I can sit out here and waste my life away
Drag back home and drown my troubles away
It's a damn shame what the world's gotten to
For people like me and people like you
Wish I could just wake up and it not be true
But it is, oh, it is
Livin' in the new world
With an old soul
These rich men north of Richmond
Lord knows they all just wanna have total control
Wanna know what you think, wanna know what you do
And they don't think you know, but I know that you do
'Cause your dollar ain't shit and it's taxed to no end
'Cause of rich men north of Richmond
I wish politicians would look out for miners
And not just minors on an island somewhere
Lord, we got folks in the street, ain't got nothin' to eat
And the obese milkin' welfare
Well, God, if you're 5-foot-3 and you're 300 pounds
Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds
Young men are puttin' themselves six feet in the ground
'Cause all this damn country does is keep on kickin' them down
Lord, it's a damn shame what the world's gotten to
For people like me and people like you
Wish I could just wake up and it not be true
But it is, oh, it is
Livin' in the new world
With an old soul
These rich men north of Richmond
Lord knows they all just wanna have total control
Wanna know what you think, wanna know what you do
And they don't think you know, but I know that you do
'Cause your dollar ain't shit and it's taxed to no end
'Cause of rich men north of Richmond
I've been sellin' my soul, workin' all day
Overtime hours for bullshit pay
Aug. 7,
2023 - Summer 2023 Tokyo Fireworks Shows (花火大会)
It's that exciting time of year again! Because of the pandemic, for the
1st time in 4 years an uncountable number of fireworks shows are now
being
held around the Tokyo metroplex this summer. I counted 7 that occurred
on Sat. Aug. 5 alone.
If you have a spare couple minutes, you might enjoy the grand finale of
the fireworks show I saw recently that I've jazzed up a bit with the
Indy Jones theme song...
Tokyo Fireworks
Show (花火大会) Grand Finale, July 2023
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
July 31,
2023 - Southern American English
Two good ol' boys from the southern U.S. catch up at their 10-year high
school reunion. This 3-minute dialogue was used in a 2002 project to
educate Japanese learners of English with one of the various regional
& ethnic dialects common in everyday American conversations.
July 27,
2023 - Groundbreaking documentary "REMEDY" reveals The Truth About
Vaccines
Groundbreaking
documentary "REMEDY" reveals The Truth About Vaccines, Episode 1
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at Rumble here.)
Remedy is an 8-episode docu-series starting July 26 revealing The Truth
About Vaccines, brought to you by Ty & Charlene Bollinger. To watch
the complete documentary and all 8 episodes for free, go to: https://remedy.film/
July 22,
2023 - The "Sound of Freedom" movie
This movie is the incredible true story of a former government agent
turned vigilante who embarks on a dangerous mission to rescue hundreds
of children from sex traffickers.
It exposes one of the greatest evils on this earth -- human
trafficking, the fastest growing international crime network that the
world has ever seen. This cruel industry has already passed the illegal
arms trade and soon will pass the illegal drug trade. You can sell a
bag of cocaine only one time, but a helpless, enslaved child can be sex
trafficked 5-10 times a day.
The lead role is played by Hollywood actor Jim Caviezel, who starred as
Jesus in the 2004 movie "The Passion of the Christ."
The
Sound of Freedom film was released on July 4, 2023 by Angel
Studios, and has so far grossed over $104 million worldwide on only a
$14.5 million budget. This compares to a budget of ~$295 million for
the new Indy Jones movie and ~$290 million for the new Mission
Impossible movie, both of which were also released within the past few
weeks.
Sound of Freedom
movie trailer
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
July 14,
2023 - Dr. Fauci
gets HILARIOUSLY SLAMMED by Dana Carvey & David Spade
Dr. Fauci
gets HILARIOUSLY SLAMMED by Dana Carvey & David Spade
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
July 3,
2023 - All of my ebooks are now FREE!
For the entire month of July, all 4 of my ebooks I've published thru
the years at Smashwords, the world's largest publisher of indie ebooks,
are now a free download
in 6 different formats as part of their annual summer sale. These
ebooks include my 2013 ebook, "Climbing Mt. Fuji: Tips, Q&A, and
Climber Stories," published shortly after Mt. Fuji was named as a World
Heritage Site. Links to all 4 titles are on my Smashwords profile page.
June 25,
2023 - Whatever happened to the winter flu seasons in 2021 & 2022?
Influenza detections by
subtype reported to FluNet,
a World Health Organization virological data collection tool
June 22, 2023 - How to make a
small origami box in just 1 minute!
How to make a small
origami box in just 1 minute!
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
June 12,
2023 - Fresh Spring Greenery (新緑) in Tokyo
I'm still busy snapping away at Tokyo's non-stop display of stunning
spring flowers & my ever-growing Flickr album is now
up to 214 pics.
And
I am so blown away every year by the beautiful fresh spring greenery
(shinryoku, 新緑) that I decided to go ahead and start a new album: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAGDB4
(as if the 155 albums already on my Flickr page were not enough!)
Related to enjoying fresh spring greenery is the ancient Japanese
healing art known as forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku (森林浴 - shinrin
meaning “forest,” and yoku meaning “bath” in Japanese). By immersing
ourselves in the forest atmosphere and enjoying nature through our
senses, there are many health benefits.
Especially in spring when all the fresh greenery appears, volatile
organic compounds (VOCs) are being emitted by the surrounding trees and
plants, and we can connect with nature by slowly and mindfully walking
in a forest environment to stimulate all 6 senses.
By smelling, touching, listening, looking, and tasting, this total
sensory experience will in turn release our sense of joy and calm,
stimulating the 6th sense, our state of mind.
And in doing so, we can truly connect with nature & hopefully reap
many powerful side benefits including fighting cancer, uplifting our
mood, calming the nervous system, treating illnesses, and strengthening
the immune system.
May 31,
2023 - Jambo Tama River Hike & Party, May 28, 2023
Hiking Course: Kori Station (古里駅) on JR Ōme Line (青梅線) to Okutama
Station (奥多摩駅) plus after-hike Party near Mitake Station (御嶽駅)
(organized & led by the amazing David & Miki Howenstein of
Jambo International: jambointernational.org/en/)
May
20, 2023 - Immigration to the USA by country, 1820-2023
Immigration to the
USA by country, 1820-2023
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
U.S. immigration flows by country, 1820s to 2010s
(Source: metrocosm.com)
May 18,
2023 - A Texan's Map of the United States
As is often said, you can take the boy outta Texas, but you can never
take Texas outta the boy, ha ha.
And we Texicans are very proud folks... after all, EVERYTHING is bigger
in Texas... big houses, big cars, big buildings, big people, big Texas
longhorns... yes, big everything.
And this very old postcard cracks me up every time. Just LOVE the
nicknames given the other states. Funny stuff!
A Texan's map of the United States (photo credit:
etsystatic.com)
May 9, 2023
- Rei Banno, 11-year-old Japanese Girl, Prepares to Climb Mt.
Kilimanjaro
Rei Banno, an 11-year-old Japanese girl, is gearing up to conquer Mount
Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak.
For the young climber living in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, central
Japan, climbing the 5,895-meter mountain in Tanzania is what she has
"always dreamed of." Rei and her mother hope to travel to Africa as
early as this summer, if they manage to secure funds for the journey.
Rei became a mountain lover when she participated in a local mountain
climbing event at the age of 4 and completed a 43-kilometer traverse
course along the Yatsugatake mountain range that straddles Yamanashi
and Nagano prefectures at the age of 7.
She spends weekends touring mountains across Japan together with her
48-year-old mother, Naomi, and friends. Rei is currently in the midst
of her challenge to conquer the 300 famous mountains in Japan and has
already conquered the 100 most famous mountains in Yamanashi at the age
of 6.
Rei began voicing her desire to climb Kilimanjaro around the time when
she was 7 years old and has high hopes for the journey, including
communicating with guides and other climbers.
She also wants to eventually complete the 7 summits, the tallest peaks
on each of the 7 continents.
Rei Banno, 11-year-old Japanese mountain climber (photo credit:
nippon.com)
April 29,
2023 - Happy Golden Week!
Yep, it's that magical time of year again. Today,
Showa Day (昭和の日, Shōwa no Hi), is a national holiday in Japan and kicks
off the week-long holiday period known as Golden Week, often
abbreviated simply as GW.
Well, GW has another meaning in my life.... not only my initials but
also my nickname, courtesy of my most beloved family and friends since
my childhood days.
Needless to say, GW is one of my favorite times of the year in Japan
because everywhere you look, my nickname is plastered on countless
advertising signs all over the city. It's nice to be so famous, ha ha.
The sign below I spotted a few years ago at the local KFC. Yee hah!
KFC GW sign in Tokyo
And how could we forget about the gorgeous koinobori (鯉幟, carp
streamers)? To celebrate Children's Day (こどもの日, Kodomo no hi), May 5,
one of the 4 national holidays during this week-long holiday period,
"koinobori (鯉幟)," or carp streamers, are flown around the country in
honor of Japanese children in the hope that they will grow up healthy,
strong, & happy.
A typical koinobori set consists of, from the top of the pole down, a
pair of arrow-spoked wheels (矢車, yaguruma) with a ball-shaped spinning
vane, a mounting windsock (吹流し, fukinagashi), and finally the
koinobori. For the windsock above the koinobori, one kind is the
5-colored windsock (五色吹流し), based on the 5 elements of Chinese
philosophy.
Nowadays the koinobori typically consist of the biggest (black)
koinobori for the father of the family, next biggest (red or pink) for
the mother, and an additional, smaller carp of a different color for
each child in decreasing order by age.
Koinobori (鯉幟, carp
streamers) for Children's Day, May 5, 2023
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
April
25, 2023 - Floating in the Falling Universe of Flowers (チームラボプラネッツ)
"A seasonal year of flowers bloom and change with time, life spreads
out into the universe. Flowers grow, bud, bloom, and in time, the
petals fall, and the flowers wither and die. The cycle of birth and
death continues for perpetuity. The artwork is not a pre-recorded image
that is played back; it is created by a computer program that
continuously renders the artwork in real time. As a whole, it is
continuously changing, and previous visual states are never replicated.
The universe at this moment in time can never be seen again."
Floating in the
Falling Universe of Flowers (チームラボプラネッツ)
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
April 16,
2023 - JR Station Booths in Tokyo
JR Station Booth in Tokyo
How 'bout a private work space at a Tokyo JR train station? These
station booths are popping up across Japan's capital, providing
commuters a chance to conduct business too urgent to wait till they get
to the office.
The booths can be reserved from 7:00-21:30 & are rentable for ¥275
per 15 minutes, payable by credit card, Suica transport IC card, etc.
They come equipped with power supply, dedicated Wi-Fi, USB, & a
screen for video calls.
Inside a JR Station Booth
(photo credit:
https://maiuma.com/station-work/)
April
3, 2023 - Retirement speech
Having recently acquired "retired" status, today I was reminded of a
retirement speech I'm so happy I didn't hear from MY boss:
"As a symbol of our gratitude, we'd like to present you this special
gold watch to serve as a reminder of your many years with the company.
It needs a lot of winding up, is always a little late, and every day at
quarter to five, it stops working."
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Website
Updates
Sep 28, 2023
Texas GOP Passes Unanimous Resolution Calling For Special Legislative Session On Colony Ridge
The Texas Republican Party Chairman says massive illegal immigrant development just northeast of Houston highlighted by The Daily Wire should be a 'grave concern for all Texans'.
The Daily Wire’s investigation of the development noted that “the developer allows for illegal aliens to obtain loans to purchase land using Individual Tax ID Numbers (ITINs) instead of Social Security Numbers” and that Colony Ridge “has grown to an estimated 50,000 to 75,000 inhabitants and spans over 60 square miles.”
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said “We can’t have entire cities of people who are here illegally with basically no law enforcement, in some cases I’m told no running water, it’s a very dangerous place to be. This is not what America was built on. This massive complex of people here illegally creating their own city just north of Houston, it's just unacceptable.”
San Jacinto County in Texas approves Declaration of Local Disaster
In June 2023 the San Jacinto County Commissioners Court approved a Declaration of Local Disaster due to increased drug smuggling & a spike in the local crime rate. Murders (one by a Mexican national, another by a Pakistani air force officer), prostitution, sex trafficking, marijuana grow houses run by Cuban nationals (in one raid over 400 lbs. & 180 trees were seized, some of them nearly 9 ft. tall, with an estimated market value of over $700,000), meth labs, gambling, a cock fighting ring run by Vietnamese nationals, dog fighting, etc.
Organized crime syndicates aiding and abetting these illegal activities and who've carved out their own territories in the county include the Jalisco New Generation cartel, Gulf cartel, Los Zetas cartel, & Sinaloa cartel...
This article identifies a few of the most useful iPad tools for EFL teachers and describes how they are actually being used in and out of the classroom.
Listing of Mt. Fuji Yoshida Trail mountain huts, including website URLs, phone numbers, elevations, and sleeping capacities, as well as links to the Fujinomiya trail hut sites.
Gary J. Wolff's Blog Archives, January-March, 2014
Posts include sexy Japanese dancers, a video of my first sunrise of 2014, musician Rambling Steve Gardner, and pics and video of my Cook Islands vacation.
In Loving Memory of Thomas Arthur Todd (1953-2022)
A memorial tribute page for Thomas Arthur Todd (1953-2022), my wonderful longtime good buddy since our college days at the University of Texas at Austin.
Flash mob smash-and-grab robbers hit a Nordstrom store in Los Angeles
Dozens of robbers last month stole more than $300,000 worth of merchandise from the Nordstrom store in Westfield Topanga Shopping Center in Los Angeles.
Two world renowned cardiologists independently reached the same medical conclusion. Dr. Peter McCullough, MD, MPH, and Dr. Aseem Malhotra, MD have stated that their medical opinion is that the recent surge in worldwide sudden deaths, especially in young people, are caused by the Covid-19 mRNA vaccines, "until proven otherwise."
The most frequently asked questions about climbing Mt. Fuji, including info on routes, maps, videos, transport access, traffic stats, weather, and climber stories.
How to get to the Fujinomiya, Gotemba, and Subashiri trails from Yokohama station?
I am going to Mount Fuji 3 times when I arrive in Japan next week I want to start from 24th August until 8th September, can you please assist me as with
Over 14 million views in only 7 days. Wow. "Oliver resides in Farmville, VA with his 3 dogs and a plot of land he plans on turning into a small farm to raise livestock. He notes his biggest influence as Hank Williams, Jr. Oliver wants to give hope to the working class and your average hard working young man who may have lost hope in the grind of trying to get by."
Are there English maps for Mt. Kita-dake at Hirogawara or online?
From what I see online, all the signs on the trail are in Japanese. Are there English maps at Hirogawara or online? Also, is it easy to get lost on the
How do I avoid the crowds when climbing Japan's mountains in August?
Hi there Mr. Wolff, I hope you are having a good day. I live in Osaka and am quite a fan of climbing mountains, and although I haven’t done many of the
It's that exciting time of year again! Because of the pandemic, for the 1st time in 4 years an uncountable number of fireworks shows are now being held around the Tokyo metroplex this summer. I counted 7 that occurred on Sat. Aug. 5 alone.
If you have a spare couple minutes, you might enjoy the grand finale of the fireworks show I saw recently that I've jazzed up a bit with the Indy Jones theme song... :-)
Page 2 of the most frequently asked questions about climbing Mt. Fuji, including info on routes, maps, videos, transport access, weather, and climber stories.
The Texas Republican Party Chairman says massive illegal immigrant development just northeast of Houston highlighted by The Daily Wire should be a 'grave concern for all Texans'. The Daily Wire’s inve…
In June 2023 the San Jacinto County Commissioners Court approved a Declaration of Local Disaster due to increased drug smuggling & a spike in the local crime rate. Murders (one by a Mexican national…
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