Tuesday, December 30, 2025

THIS is one of the most 'complete cases' for prosecution: -- Turley

Monday, December 29, 2025

History of India -- India’s history stretches across more than five millennia and contains astonishing diversity—of languages and landscapes, beliefs and political visions, dazzling courts and quiet village rhythms.

A Concise History of India

India’s history stretches across more than five millennia and contains astonishing diversity—of languages and landscapes, beliefs and political visions, dazzling courts and quiet village rhythms. The story is not linear but braided: ancient urban civilizations alongside forest tribes, maritime cities trading with the world, devotional poets singing in dozens of tongues, and empires that rose and fragmented while ideas endured. Below is a concise big-picture view—from the first cities on the Indus to the world’s largest democracy.

I. Beginnings: Stone Age to the Indus Cities

Archaeology hints at human presence in the subcontinent from the Paleolithic era (hand-axes at Attirampakkam in Tamil Nadu, cave shelters at Bhimbetka). By the Neolithic, communities domesticated millets, rice, and zebu cattle, with early village cultures appearing across Baluchistan, peninsular India, and the Gangetic plains.

Around 2600–1900 BCE, the Indus (or Harappan) Civilization flourished along the Indus and its tributaries and into Gujarat. Urban centers such as Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, Dholavira, and Rakhigarhi displayed planned streets, standardized brickwork, sophisticated drainage, citadels, and granaries. A distinctive script—still undeciphered—appears on seals; weights and measures suggest vibrant commerce; craft quarters produced beads, faience, and metalwork; the dockyard at Lothal indicates maritime trade with Mesopotamia and beyond. This urban culture declined after 1900 BCE, probably due to climate stress, river shifts, and changing trade networks, giving way to regional cultures.

II. Vedic Ages and Early Kingdoms (c. 1500–600 BCE)

Between c. 1500 and 1000 BCE, Indo-Aryan–speaking pastoral groups entered northwestern India. Their hymns, preserved in the Rig Veda, reveal a world of cattle wealth, chieftains, and ritual specialists (Brahmins). Over centuries, pastoralists settled, iron technology spread, and agricultural societies grew across the Ganga basin. Later Vedic texts describe more complex polities, social stratification (varna), and elaborate sacrificial rituals.

By 600 BCE, the subcontinent featured many mahajanapadas (great states), from Gandhara and Kamboja in the northwest to Kosala, Magadha, and Avanti further east. Urbanization accelerated; coinage appeared; long-distance trade expanded; and new intellectual ferment arose.

III. Axial Age Ideas: Buddhism, Jainism, and the Epics

The 6th–5th centuries BCE saw religious and philosophical transformations. Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, articulated the Four Noble Truths and a path to end suffering through ethical conduct, meditation, and insight. Mahavira systematized Jain teachings around non-violence (ahimsa), ascetic discipline, and respect for all life. These śramaṇa movements critiqued Vedic ritualism and offered alternative paths open beyond birth status.

At the same time, the Upanishads reinterpreted Vedic thought, probing the nature of reality (Brahman), self (Atman), and liberation (moksha). Epic narratives—the Mahabharata and Ramayana—evolved for centuries, weaving dharma (moral order) with political drama and devotion; later the Bhagavad Gita offered a synthesis of action, knowledge, and devotion.

IV. The Mauryan Moment (4th–2nd century BCE)

In the wake of Alexander’s foray into northwest India (c. 326 BCE), Chandragupta Maurya founded the Mauryan Empire (c. 321–185 BCE) from Magadha, creating one of South Asia’s largest states. Under Ashoka (r. c. 268–232 BCE), Mauryan rule reached its zenith. After the bloody conquest of Kalinga, Ashoka embraced Buddhism and propagated dhamma—ethical governance emphasizing non-violence, religious tolerance, and welfare. His edicts, carved on pillars and rocks in Prakrit and other scripts, stand as early state communications to a diverse populace. The empire’s administrative sophistication—taxation, spies, provincial governors—was later memorialized in the Arthashastra (traditionally linked to Kautilya/Chanakya). After Ashoka, Mauryan power fragmented into regional kingdoms.

V. Classical and Cosmopolitan Ages (c. 200 BCE–600 CE)

The centuries that followed saw a mosaic of polities and cultural efflorescence. In the northwest, Indo-Greek, Śaka (Scythian), and Kushan rulers linked India to Central Asian trade; the Kushan king Kanishka patronized Buddhism and facilitated artistic synthesis visible in Gandhara’s Greco-Buddhist sculpture. In the Deccan, the Satavahanasbalanced regional power and maritime trade across the Indian Ocean.

In the north, the Gupta Empire (4th–6th centuries CE) presided over what later scholars dubbed a “classical age.” Court poet Kalidasa composed lyrical dramas; the mathematician Aryabhata advanced astronomy and the concept of zero; Fahien, a Chinese pilgrim, described Buddhist sites and social life. Stone temples and Puranic Hinduism flourished, integrating devotion (bhakti) to Vishnu, Shiva, and the Goddess with local cults. Despite later nostalgic portrayals, Gupta power was not uniformly centralized; yet the period set enduring cultural idioms.

Nick Shirley investigates Minnesotas billion dollar fraud scandal involving Tim Walz and the Somali population

Sundar Pichai - CEO of Google -- STOP Censoring me today.

pic.twitter.com/0pCiasn4V9
— Tom -🇺🇸 🇺🇸- I follow back Patriots (@TomNo1Patriot) November 14, 2025

Thursday, December 25, 2025

"Remember, YOU wanted this" -|- All the BEST Scenes from Jack Reacher

🌾 Modern Farming Technology -- It is amazing how technology has transformed Farming.

🌾 The Future of Farming

How Technology Is Transforming Agriculture

For thousands of years, farming relied on hard work, intuition, and the rhythm of the seasons. Today, technology has joined that partnership — giving farmers new tools to grow more food with less waste, less labor, and greater precision than ever before.

🚜 Smarter Machines, Smarter Fields

Modern tractors and harvesters are no longer just big engines with wheels. They’re intelligent systems equipped with GPS, sensors, and data-driven controls. Farmers can now plant rows with centimeter-level accuracy, automatically adjust fertilizer rates, and even track soil moisture across entire fields — all from a touchscreen in the cab.

These “smart farms” use automation to save time, fuel, and money, while reducing soil compaction and improving yields. The result? More efficiency, less environmental impact.

☁️ Data and Drones

Drones have taken to the skies as the eyes of the modern farmer. With high-resolution cameras and infrared imaging, they scan crops for early signs of stress, disease, or drought long before the human eye can see them. That information feeds into cloud-based farm management software, allowing farmers to pinpoint problem areas, manage irrigation schedules, and make informed decisions in real time.

Some farms even use autonomous drones to spray nutrients or pesticides exactly where they’re needed — saving chemicals and protecting nearby ecosystems.

🌾 The Power of Precision

Precision agriculture ties it all together. Sensors in the soil measure pH, temperature, and nutrient levels; satellites provide daily updates on plant growth; and AI models forecast yields or suggest planting patterns. This technology turns farming into a science of data — where each seed, drop of water, and hour of sunlight can be optimized for maximum output.

🌍 Sustainable Growth

Technology isn’t just about bigger yields — it’s about sustainability. Water-efficient irrigation, electric farm vehicles, and renewable energy systems are helping farmers reduce emissions and costs while keeping food affordable. The next step: connecting small family farms with smart tools so that technology empowers every grower, not just the largest operations.

🧠 The Human Element Remains

Even in the age of sensors and satellites, farming still depends on human wisdom — the experience to know when to trust the data, and when to trust the soil. Technology helps, but it doesn’t replace the farmer’s instinct, creativity, and connection to the land.

🎥 Watch: Smart Farming in Action

President John Adams: - The Reluctant Leader Who Kept the Republic Alive - USA #2 President

John Adams: The Reluctant Leader Who Kept the Republic Alive

John Adams (1735–1826) was never America’s smoothest politician—but he may have been one of its most essential. As the second President of the United States (1797–1801), Adams governed at a moment when the country was young, fragile, and surrounded by bigger powers that expected it to fail. His presidency is often remembered for controversy—especially the Alien and Sedition Acts—yet it also featured one of the most consequential acts of restraint in early American history: keeping the United States out of a full-scale war with France during the crisis that became the XYZ Affair and the Quasi-War. (Office of the Historian)

A New England upbringing that forged a stubborn mind

Adams was born in Braintree, Massachusetts (today part of Quincy), in a world shaped by church life, small farms, and local town politics. New England’s culture put a premium on literacy, argument, and civic duty—traits that fit Adams like a glove. He attended Harvard, taught school briefly, and then turned to the law, where he discovered the power of institutions: written rules, procedures, and precedent. That institutional mindset—the belief that stable government matters more than personal glory—would become a defining thread through his life.

Adams wasn’t a romantic revolutionary. He could be fired up, even scorching, but he also had a lawyer’s fear of chaos. He wanted independence and liberty, yet he also wanted courts, laws, and enforceable order. In a revolution, that combination can be rare—and priceless.

The Revolution’s workhorse: Congress, diplomacy, and independence

Adams emerged as a major voice of independence in the Continental Congress. He was a strong advocate for separation from Britain and helped drive the push toward a final break. But his contributions weren’t only speeches. Adams also threw himself into the less glamorous work: committees, drafting, planning, and keeping the wheels turning.

Where Adams especially shined was in diplomacy and persistence. The United States had to convince skeptical European powers that the American cause was real and worth supporting. That meant endless negotiation, cultural friction, and political patience—none of which came naturally to Adams, yet he did it anyway. His diplomatic service helped secure international recognition and support for the new nation, and it established him as a founding-era heavyweight well before he ever became president. (Modern presidential histories emphasize Adams’s deep Revolutionary service and intellectual influence.) (Miller Center)

A political partnership: John and Abigail Adams

No serious look at John Adams works without Abigail. Their relationship—grounded in constant correspondence—was one of the most important private partnerships in early American public life. Abigail was politically aware, blunt, strategic, and unusually well informed for her era. Adams relied on her judgment and emotional steadiness, especially during long stretches away from home.

That correspondence also reveals something vital about Adams: he was ambitious and proud, but also intensely self-critical. He worried about his reputation and feared he would be misunderstood. Ironically, he often was.

Vice President under Washington: learning the limits of power

Adams served as the first vice president for two terms under George Washington. The office at the time had little defined authority beyond presiding over the Senate—work that Adams found tedious and, at times, humiliating. Yet the experience taught him something crucial: in a republic, power is deliberately constrained, and even prominent figures must accept limits.

It also placed him near the center of the emerging partisan fight. The new nation quickly divided into competing visions—what we often simplify as Federalists vs. Democratic-Republicans. Adams leaned Federalist in temperament (stronger national government, emphasis on order), but he was not always aligned with the party’s most aggressive strategists.

Saturday, December 20, 2025

Bob Marley & The Wailers - Redemption Song (Official Music Video)

J.K. Rowling

@jk_rowling

Please explain what differentiates a trans woman from 'a man in a dress and make up', because I've been playing close attention to trans activists for a decade now and the most common explanation I've been given is 'he says he's a woman, so play along or you're evil.'

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