text:
5 Biggest Chinatowns in the U.S.
(THIS ARTICLE IS COURTESY OF TRIP TRIVIA)
If you don't live near a big city, you might be unfamiliar with the term "Chinatown" and its significance in American history.
The Oxford Dictionary defines a Chinatown as: "A district of a large non-Chinese town or port in which the population is predominantly of Chinese origin." So-called Chinatowns exist all around the world, though there are particularly large concentrations in North America, Europe, and Australia.
While Chinatowns had existed in other countries for hundreds of years before making their way to the U.S., the United States features a particularly high number of Chinatowns relative to its size. Here are a few of the biggest Chinatowns you'll find in the states.
5. Honolulu, Hawaii
Credit: Pgiam / iStock
While the exact boundary (and thus, the exact population) of the Honolulu Chinatown isn't precisely known, it deserves mention on this list for its historical role in Chinese-American culture.
One of the earlier Chinatown settlements, Chinese immigrants came to Hawaii to work the island's rich sugar plantations. Many of these laborers stayed in the area to work as merchants, and eventually, the early boundaries of Hawaii's first Chinatown began to form. Of course, the area wasn't without hardship—the Honolulu Chinatown was rocked by a great fire in 1886, an outbreak of bubonic plague in 1899, and another huge blaze in 1900. But the area endured, and it stands today as the home of the largest Chinese population in Hawaii.
4. Seattle, Washington
Credit: 400tmax / iStock
Further north than most other U.S. Chinatowns, the Seattle Chinatown — more officially known as the Chinatown-International District of Seattle — is the biggest Chinese enclave in the American northwest. Home to a diverse range of Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, and Vietnamese populations, the area acts as a hub of Asian culture in the region and brings in substantial tourism throughout the year.
3. Chicago, Illinois
Credit: stevegeer / iStock
The second-oldest in the United States, the Chinatown neighborhood in south Chicago is certainly worth visiting. The bulk of the Chicago Chinatown population came from immigrants fleeing persecution on the West Coast; the establishment of the San Francisco Chinatown (as detailed below) made Chinese culture a staple in America, but the immigrants there faced extensive prejudice from U.S. nationals.
In an ironic twist, U.S. citizens viewed Chinese influence as a detriment to American culture, despite the fact that American culture (not even 100 years old at that point) had its foundation in African slave labor and Native American blood. Regardless, immigrants found some relief in their newly-formed Chinatown, where it stands today as one of the most populous Chinese enclaves in the country.
2. San Francisco, California
Credit: JamesYetMingAu-Photography / iStock
The San Francisco Chinatown is possibly the largest, and certainly the oldest, Chinese enclave in America. Its origins date back to the 1850s, when large influxes of Chinese immigrants made their way to the West Coast. These immigrants typically worked hard-labor jobs, such as mining or railroad construction, and struggled to integrate into American culture. As their populations grew, so too did their enterprise, with Chinese-owned shops, restaurants, and apartments filling the town. This gentrification led to the birth of the United States' first Chinatown, a historic landmark that exists to this day.
1. Manhattan, New York
Credit: f11photo / iStock
The Manhattan Chinatown is one of the biggest in the world, with the New York City area featuring the biggest Chinese population outside of Asia. Indeed, there are so many Chinese people there that one Chinatown can't hold everyone; to date, there are nine different Chinatown neighborhoods in New York City alone.
This particular Chinatown is considered a bastion of Chinese culture, both in the U.S. and abroad. The region is home to the Museum of Chinese in America and is a regular destination for new Chinese immigrants coming to the country. However, in true Manhattan fashion, rent prices are skyrocketing in the area, forcing out many of the poorer populations in favor of wealthier patrons who can afford the exorbitant prices.
Going Down to Chinatown
Credit: MongkolChuewong / iStock
This list is just a small sampling of the diverse Chinatowns that exist in America. The enclaves have long been thought of as cultural oddities to natives, but to Chinese immigrants, they're welcome reminders of the comfort and culture they left behind. And while most Chinatowns these days have experienced surges in diversity compared to what they once had, there's no taking away from the cultural impact they've had on our history.
Your Guide to the Empanadas of Latin America
4 of the Most Beautiful Synagogues in the World
Make a Pit Stop at These 5 Wacky Roadside Attractions
Questions You
Answered Correctly
Posted in tourism, TriviaTagged California, Chicago, China Towns, Hawaii, Honolulu, Illinois, Manhattan, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, tourism, Trivia, WashingtonLeave a comment
Several Hospitalized After Blast At Waukegan Illinois Silicon Plant
(THIS ARTICLE IS COURTESY OF THE NEW YORK POST)
Several hospitalized after blast at Illinois silicon plant
By Eileen AJ Connelly
May 4, 2019 | 7:47 am | Updated
The explosion occurred at an industrial park in Waukegan, Illinois.Lake County IL Sheriff's Office
A massive explosion in a silicon plant in northern Illinois sent at least four people to the hospital late Friday night.
The 9:30 p.m. blast at AB Specialty Silicones, located at an industrial park in Waukegan, also left an unknown number of employees unaccounted for, CNN reported.
Local police said an "active search and rescue" operation was underway, according to Chicago TV station WGN. The cause of the blast was under investigation.
Loud booms were heard and the ground shook in towns in the region, about 50 miles north of Chicago along Lake Michigan.
FILED UNDER EXPLOSIONS , ILLINOIS
Posted in bombs, Economics, MedicineTagged Chicago, explosions, Illinois, Silicon factory, Waukegan IllinoisLeave a comment
Illinois gov signs opioid alternative bill, improvements to medical cannabis program
(THIS ARTICLE IS COURTESY OF MPP BLOG)
MPP Blog
Illinois governor signs opioid alternative bill, making huge improvements to medical cannabis program
Sweeping changes include medical cannabis access for opioid patients, streamlined process, and others
Illinois's medical cannabis program took a major step forward today as Gov. Bruce Rauner signed bill SB 336, the Alternatives to Opioids Act, into law.
This historic change makes several key improvements:
• Opioid patients now qualify. Patients who are — or could be — prescribed opioid drugs will be able to register to obtain medical cannabis as an alternative.
• Shorter wait times. Patients will get provisional authorization to access medical cannabis as soon as their paperwork is submitted for registration — saving weeks of wait time.
• No more fingerprint requirement! Patients and caregivers will no longer be required to submit fingerprints to register for the program, and those with felony convictions in their past will no longer be denied access to the program.
Many thanks go to bill sponsors Sen. Don Harmon and Rep. Kelly Cassidy, and the many medical cannabis patients and supporters who worked to pass this major improvement to state law. The full text of the measure is here.
In other news, if you are in the neighborhood, the public is invited to tonight's town hall on cannabis legalization for adults in La Grange, Illinois.
When: Tuesday, August 28 7:00 p.m.
Where: La Grange Village Hall Auditorium, 53 S. La Grange Road, La Grange, Illinois
Who: Bill sponsor Sen. Heather Steans, Rep. Jim Durkin, and several other panelists
Another big win for medical cannabis patients today — please spread the word! And if you can, come to tonight's town hall and support a sensible legalization law in Illinois!
The post Illinois governor signs opioid alternative bill, making huge improvements to medical cannabis program appeared first on MPP Blog.
Posted in drugs, law, marijuana, MedicineTagged Illinois, Illinois governor, marijuana, medical cannabis, MPP, OpiodsLeave a comment
Marijuana Is Not A Gateway Drug Up: It Is A Step Down Drug Though
The first time that I ever tried smoking Marijuana (Pot) was in the High School parking lot the year I turned 17, that was 1973. As I learned through the years the Pot I tried was Norther Illinois Homegrown and was basically worthless as far as getting a buzz (high) from it. Back then you could buy a five-finger bag for $15 but I thought it to be a waste of 15 hard-earned dollars. I am now 62 years old so I have been around Marijuana for 45 years now so yes, I do have some opinions that I would like to share with you about what I think and believe about this God-given plant. The next time I tried Pot I was 23 years old and living in Houston Texas. I have never really been a drinker of alcohol nor a user of hard drugs and I have never once stuck or been stuck with a needle with street drugs in it, I have never had such a desire to do so. The far right (wrong) media has been talking trash about Pot at least since about 1988 saying it is a 'gateway drug" that gets people to go into doing "hard" drugs like Crack, Pills and Heroine. Folks, my life's experiences have shown me that Pot being a "gateway drug" is a bunch of lies (BS).
Folks, I have known people who have smoked Pot their whole adult lives who have never gone onto harder drugs and that includes alcohol. I have known people in several professions who liked to smoke Pot in the evenings when they got home from work to help relax from the stress of their day and who would smoke it on the weekends for the relaxation of it. These people I speak of are my age and older who are now retired from their jobs. These people were/are inner twined into the fabric of our economy. They bought and paid off homes, cars, boats, and raised families. None of these people who I know ever did anything to get into trouble with the law, they weren't/aren't robbers, murderers or violent people. Many millions of people believe that this is a God-given plant that is given to the people for many health benefits and believe that no man, no government has any right to refuse it to the people. President Obama as well as this idiot we have in the Oval Office now say that Marijuana should stay in the class one category of drugs because it has no medical value and this is what the DEA also spouts as truth. I know that these are educated people (at least Mr. Obama is) but if they believe this they would have to be both ignorant and stupid. The only reason that these people would say something so stupid is if big money is involved, and you know it is. So, is it stupidity, ignorance or just plain crooked. Personally I have to go with the big money, thus the crooked concept.
I am a service connected disabled Veteran from active duty Army service. I was only in for seven months because in the second month I was struck by lightning during a training exercise. The VA has in the past loaded me up with pain killers which do almost nothing for the nerve pain so I had them stop them about 4 years ago as I have no desire to walk around like a Zombie. The only thing that I have found that helps is if/when I can find some good quality Pot. The Pot does not cure the issues but then again, neither do the pills. The Pot works like a block on the nerve pain, the pain is still there but it does not let the pain signals go from (A to B) SO IT STOPS THE PAIN SIGNAL FROM GOING TO THE BRAIN. About two years ago the Senators and Congressmen who were on the committee over seeing the budget for the VA at the last-minute took the provision to okay medical Marijuana out of the VA funding bill. These disgusting people should all be fired this November!
In my life I have seen many cases where people who used to smoke Pot but had to quit because of laws about pre employment and random drug test at their employers, if I remember correctly this kicked into high gear in about 1988. If you are old enough to remember this is about when our Federal Government started their so call 'war on drugs'. This ignorance, the way they have gone about things have cost many thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars that could have gone into the economy instead. For many people when they had to quit smoking Pot because it stays traceable in your system for about 30 days they then started drinking or just drinking more than they ever had. Also for many people who still wanted a 'high' when they had to quit smoking Pot turned to things like Cocaine, Crack, Heroine, and Pills because these things only stay in a person's system about three days. So in essence, the Government has increased drug usage with their 'war on drugs'. Check the stats, in states where Marijuana is now legal drug overdoses have gone down, Pill usage has gone down because people would rather have the mellow high that Pot gives and a fact is, no one has ever died from an overdose of Marijuana. If states would all legalize real Marijuana this new product called K-2 would disappear. It seems like every week we are hearing of people having to go to the hospital because of the chemical effects of this synthetic version of Pot. Just yesterday it was on the news that 10 people in Austin Texas were sent to the hospital because of it.
There is only one thing that comes to mind for the reason that Marijuana is not legalized and that is there is very big money flowing into D.C. politicians to keep it illegal. Remember what I said about the VA? If Marijuana became legal and the VA was able to dispense it the drug companies would lose billions of dollars each year because there would be no need or reason to take their chemicals. This would also save the VA and the tax payers billions of dollars each year, this is money that could be going into the economy instead of CEO's pockets. The U.S. 'war on drugs' has in fact created drug traffickers and cartels. This ignorance has created revenue for street gangs here in the States. How many lives have been taken by these gangs from South America and Mexico to Los Angeles to Chicago to New York to small towns all over the U.S.? Marijuana being illegal has helped fuel other much more dangerous drugs and gang warfare on our city streets! How many police have lost their lives in this war? I don't know that answer but even one Officer losing their life over the bought and paid for politicians and their hypocrisy is just plain evil. There is also the reality that many policing agencies go after the people with small amounts of Pot for the purpose of stealing people's personal property like their homes, cars, land and bank accounts. It is safer and more profitable to go after these people who are much more mellow type of folks. The exception would be when the police are trying to arrest some of the Pot dealers, some times some of these folks will have guns or big dogs to worry about. There is also the concept of the Prison Industry which cost the public billions of dollars to arrest, convict and house/jail Pot smokers each year. Some States cry about over crowded prisons and want to have more jails and prisons built. The remedy to this problem is simple, free the people you have in the prisons who are there for simple possession of Pot. This would free up many cells in which to put the violent offenders! Also there is the problem of our Court system being so backed up with people charged with simple possession that it takes ridiculous amounts of time to adjudicate the cases of the violent criminals that our local jails are over-flowing. One last thought, the U.S. has more people in Prisons than any nation on Earth, more than Iran, Russia, China or even North Korea. The remedy to all these ill's is simple, make Marijuana legal, every thing about this issue is a win win for our Country and our people.
Posted in Faith, marijuana, Medicare/Medicade, Medicine, Mental Health, Personal Experiences, Personal Thoughts/Beliefs, Politics, Truthful articles for your thoughtsTagged alcohol, Army, Chicago, cocaine, crack, D.C., DEA, gangs, gateway drug, Heroine, Houston, Illinois, jails, lightning, Los Angeles, marijuana, Mexico, nerve damage, New York City, pills, politicians, pot, president obama, prisons, South America, street gangs, Texas, truth, VA1 Comment
Revelation: The Great Whore Of Babylon: THE Anti-Christ: Here Are Some Answers
I grew up in a small town in northern Illinois and attended the local Church of Christ. This was from age ten to age eighteen when I moved away. The local church tended to have total attendance of about 100-140 with probably about 60 of those being the adults. This was also back before people had home or work computers to use for finding out information. This Church of Christ always stated that they are a 'New Testament' church so they basically ignored almost all of the Old Testament yet they also ignored the last book of the New Testament, the book of Revelation. I was told several times by the local church leaders (Elders and Deacons) that they just didn't understand it so they left it alone also stating that man kind just wasn't meant to understand the mysteries of that Book. At 18 I quit attending the Church of Christ and started digging even deeper into the Bible and Christian religions and even more so into non-Christian religions. I am a person that wanted to know what the meanings of things were so I have spent the last fifty years praying and studying religions so I could know what the Holy Spirit inspired writers of the Bible meant by the things they wrote. I am also a big fan of historical information from around our world. This information I am about to give to you is from these results. I hope you will study and consider these answers I give you. To the best of my personal knowledge these things I write to you are simply Bible Truth.
If you have a Bible handy or for the purpose of later study, the Scriptures I am going to be discussing with you can be found in the Book of Revelation in chapters 17 and 18. In the first chapter of Revelation we are given the knowledge that John (the writer) was on the island of Patmos in the eastern Mediterranean Sea as a prisoner of the Roman Empire. John 'the Elder' was on this island jail because of his teachings of Christianity and of Jesus Christ. Jesus in a Spiritual form visited John and told him to write this book and gave him the information He wanted given to the seven churches of Asia minor (modern-day Turkey). Today's article is not about those seven churches though I hope you will read these chapters after you finish reading what I am telling you in this post. Today's article is about the 17th and 18th chapters and what the Spirit of God has to say to all of us. Obviously folks who are Catholic do not tend to agree with what I am about to write or they would not be Catholic. The problem within the Catholic and Protestant churches flocks is that most folks who do attend a Church tend to almost never open their Bibles to see if what their preachers are saying is in fact what the Scriptures say.
From Revelation chapter #17: (The Great Harlot Is Described) The 'great harlot' is the Catholic Church of about the past 1,700 years. In verse one it speaks of 'one of the seven Angels' that had the seven vials. There are seven 'Spirits' that surround the Throne of God in Heaven, almost every scholar I have ever spoken with believes as I do that these are the seven 'Arch Angels' of God.
And there came one of the seven which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying to me, come here, I will show you the judgement of the great whore that sits upon many waters: With whom the Kings of the Earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the Earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy having seven heads and ten horns. (These are future nations/kingdoms)
And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abomination and filthiness of her fornication.
And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 2 Thess. 2:7
And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the Saints, and with the blood of the Martyr's of Jesus and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
The great harlot is destroyed: Starting with verse seven: And the Angel said to me, why do you marvel? I will tell you the hidden truth of the woman, and the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns.
The beast that you saw was and is not; the beast shall ascend out of the bottomless pit (Hell) and go into perdition: and they that dwell upon the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in The Book Of Life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
And here is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains (Continents) on which the woman sits.
And there are seven Kings: five are fallen (past tense at this time) and one is (at that time) and the other is not yet come for he shall remain a short time.
And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eight, and is of the seven, and he will go into perdition.
And the ten horns which you saw are ten Kings which have received no Kingdom as yet; but will receive authority as Kings after one hour with the beast.
These (Kings) have one mind, and shall give their power and strength to the beast.
And these shall make war with the Lamb (Jesus), and the Lamb shall overcome them: For He (Jesus) is Lord of Lords, and King of Kings: and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
And he (the Angel) said to me, the waters which you saw, where the whore was sitting, are people, and multitudes, and nations and tongues.
And the ten horns that you saw upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, they shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire
For God has put in their hearts to fulfill His (God's) will, and to agree to give their Kingdoms to the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
And the woman who you saw is that great city, (Vatican City) which reigns over the Kings of the earth.
Chapter #18 (Babylon the great is destroyed)
And after these things I saw another Angel come down from Heaven, having great power, and the Earth was lighted with his glory.
And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, and has become the dwelling place of Devils and the hold of every foul Spirit and a cage for every unclean and hateful bird.
For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the Kings of the Earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the Earth have waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
And I heard another voice from Heaven, saying, Come out of her my people that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues.
For her sins have reached unto Heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she has filled, fill to her double.
How much she has glorified herself, and lived deliciously: so much torment and sorrow give her; for she says in her heart, I sit a Queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine, and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judges her.
Starting at chapter 18 verse 9: (Earth bewail's Babylon's destruction)
And the Kings of the Earth who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail over her, and lament for her when they shall see the smoke of her burning.
Standing far away for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgement came.
And the merchants of the Earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buys her merchandise any more:
The merchandise of gold and silver and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet and all scented wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood and of brass and iron and marble. (verses 13-16 are mostly just a continuation of items liken to those just mentioned).
Verse #17
For in one hour so great riches have come to nothing, and every ship-master and all the company of ships and sailors and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off.
And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, what city is like unto this great city!
And they cast dust on their heads and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein we were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! For in one hour she is made a ruin.
The last five verses of chapter 18: (Heaven Rejoices Babylon's Destruction)
Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and you Holy Apostles and Prophets for God has avenged you on her.
And a mighty Angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down and shall be found no more at all. (A moderate size asteroid tossed into the Mediterranean Sea just west of Rome/Vatican City would certainly do this).
And the voice of Harper's and musicians and pipers and trumpeters shall be heard no more at all in her.
And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the Earth: for by her sorceries were all nations deceived.
Verse 24 (last verse): And in her was found the blood of Prophets, and of Saints, and of all that were slain upon the Earth.
Well, that is it folks for tonight, I hope you enjoyed the article. I pray for peace for every human on this planet but to receive true peace we must all be very careful about whom/what we worship and how we ourselves decide to live our lives today and everyday. Good night folks, God's blessings I wish to you all.
Posted in Bible, Faith, Personal Thoughts/Beliefs, Truthful articles for your thoughtsTagged apostle, Apostle John, Babylon, Bible, book of Revelation, Catholic Church, Catholicism, church, Church of Christ, Devil, earth, evil, hills, Illinois, Islam, Mediterranean Sea, mountains, nations of the earth, New Testament, Old Testament, Pope, Religion, revelation, Roman Empire, Rome, Satan, scriptures, the great whore, truth, Vatican, Vatican City, world powersLeave a comment
More Blessed Than Deserved
It's about 1410 Est on Supper Bowl Sunday. It has been a very boring day, have been on the computer since I got up bout nine. I have been aiming to put some other things into the blog other than just the poems I have been putting in. I still have a lot of poems I have written but I have been wanting to give some of my thoughts and presentations on life and the world we are all living in. So, I m not saying that I am special or smarter than anyone else, I am just going to put some thoughts out to you folks to see if you think or feel the same way about life and world issues. So, if you would, after you read my posts, comment, let me know what you think okay? I am not just trying to get folks to agree with me like some blinded herd of cattle, if you don't agree with me on an issue, that's cool, tell me why you either do or don't. You know, a lot of time the most learning that one can obtain is when one disagrees within an orderly discussion.
Lately I have been occasionally thinking about my age (61). I have been thinking about different times in my life when I was at one of those "decision moments". You know what I'm talking about, moments like I had in April of 1977. I was in the Air Force in Biloxi Mississippi when my wife up and left with my two young babies. She left to go back up to northern Illinois to move in with an x-best friend. Well it became one of those decision times, no, I wasn't thinking about killing either of them, neither one was worth it. My decision was about whether to take an Honorable Discharge and go back to Illinois to see if I could get my family back, or just stay in the Service and continue trying to continue my life without them. I chose the discharge and went back to northern Illinois pretty much knowing she wasn't going to get back with me. But I guess in my head I had hoped we could get back together because I wanted my kids. But after I had gone back to Illinois I began to realize that I didn't want my now ex-wife back. Right there, this was one of those life decision moments. I should have stood up right there and gone back into the Air Force. I could have been a more respectable ex-husband and dad than the process I chose of bouncing around the country. I had many jobs and knew many different ladies and friends but I should have been more stable and stayed in one place longer. I don't know what I was running from most, my recent failures or was it because of being afraid of success.
The Lord has blessed me all of my life. I seldom if ever have been deserving of how kindly the Lord has treated me throughout these years I have been given. In my life I have always been blessed with someplace to lay my head and though I have never died from starvation (obviously), I have been blessed to know what hunger feels like.
I have never been one to run from work. That is probably one of my biggest faults, I worked my body into an early grave. When for decades in your life you have worked a normal work week of 100 plus hours per week this will destroy the chemistry of ones body, and of their mind. A body and a mind, even if they are not doing hard physical labor cannot work twelve to twenty hours a day seven days a week forever. Even if you are fortunate enough to never sustain a serious injury when you work yourself about 360 days a year. This is depression, you think sometimes that you don't deserve a real life. This is what I felt I deserved, nothing. Depression, I think I grew up with it because of how my dad always chose to behave. The next biggest kick in the teeth is when I lost my two babies. But she and I neither one was anything but ignorant teenagers when she got pregnant and we got married.
Parents aren't the end all of how a person grows up though. I was blessed with a fantastic mom, but dad not so good. I guess I got strike one from him, 21 and divorced, both kids taken away, strike two. Then through ignorance not going back into the Air Force, strike three. I let myself strike out, I gave up on life at 21 I guess.
When people think of "what if", we must always remember the other side of a change. If I/we were able to change our direction at any point in our life the good things we have experienced in our lives and the path that we did choose, would have never happened.
There is also another unknown issue to be considered. Two years into my second marriage in July of 83 I went into the Army. This marriage was one of those loveless marriages in that she had absolutely zero love for me. I had decided that being that I really had no real marriage and that I still felt guilty for not having completed my previous military agreement, this is why I went in the Army. I felt I should serve at least one four-year hitch, this was the patriotic side of my brain talking. I figured we would probably stay married, mostly just in name only. This would keep her on the military insurance and I figured I would make the house payment for her but I wasn't planning on doing anything else to help her hate-filled ass.
She was a non-practicing Jehovah's Witness so she did not believe in military service. She told me just before I left for boot camp at Ft. Dix, NJ she said that "God will get you for this." I started boot camp 7-18-83. At eighteen hundred on 8-11-83 while on a bivouac I was struck by lightning. Maybe she was right or maybe God just has a sense of humor but that did hurt a lot. After I cleared medical I was discharged in February 1984. I have a 40% service connected disability but in reality it physically destroyed my physical life.
The (other side) of the decisions of which I spoke earlier is simple. I could say if I hadn't gone back into the military I wouldn't have been hit by the lightning and I would have had a healthy adult life. Or if I had stayed in the Air Force when I was younger I would not have been at Ft. Dix that evening. But now think, I would have been in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. If what happened to me had not happened only God knows the results. I could have found the wrong end of a Republican Guards little grey pill.
Life is filled with what ifs, you know, none of it really matters. And really, it's not worth wasting grey matter on. We are where we are, the things we did or did not do either good or bad we all have our own personal history. We all will one day answer for all these things at our own allotted time at the Lord's Judgement Seat.
Do you remember the title of this post, more blessed than deserved? I have tried to be a good person almost all of my life and I have never been one to try to hurt people on purpose. Yet it seems to me that there aren't all that many sins that I have not committed at one time or another. By no means have I ever been perfect, yet look at how kind the Lord has been to me. I have been married three times. The first was for two years, this is where I was blessed with my blood children, one boy and one girl. The second marriage was for eighteen horrible years! She had a son who was eleven when I married his mom. He is almost 48 now and I have always called him my son to this day and he knows that I love him. I am still married to my third wife for a little over 18 years now. She had a six-year-old son when we wed. He is 24 now and living on his own here in the town his mom and I live in.
So, the Lord has blessed me with four kids and also seven grand kids. I have a woman in my life now who actually loves me and treats me great. In March of 99, I had open heart surgery, that is where I learned that the lightning had literally fried all of my innards. At this time, March 99, the heart doctors told me that if I really behaved and if I was lucky that I might live for another three or four years. Friends, if I am granted seeing next month, that will be nineteen years ago.
So, blessed more than I deserved, yes I think so. Though I have known many types of pain I have lived through them, just like we all have. You here now, have your thoughts fluttered into your past as you have been reading this post? Friends we are all still here in this puzzle that is our lives. Let's try to make the best of the position in life that we are at. Let us all try to look toward the blue sky moments and to shed the hailstones.
Just remember we are blessed just by being alive at this very moment in time. If at some point in our lives, if we have been able to go back and change it to avoid a painful event you know you and I are only humans, we do not always know what is best. Who knows if changing a point in time in our past in our new reality we could have ended up being one of Jeffery Dommer's former ex-neighbors.
Posted in family, military, Personal Experiences, Personal Thoughts/BeliefsTagged air force, Army, Biloxi Mississippi, divorce, Honorable discharge, Illinois, more blessed than deservedLeave a comment
(History Philosophy/Poem) In My Time — A Odd And Unique Story Of My Life
Posted on August 20, 2017 August 20, 2017 by oldpoet56
In My Time—-My First Ever Post Revisited
I was just going through some of my data and I went back to my first ever post, I like it pretty well so I brought it up from the grave to you, for your consideration to see what you folks think of it. Basically this is a story of my life, it is a story filled with the good the bad the ugly the odd the strange, the spiritual and the evil. By no means am I perfect, I have had more flaws than I could possibly remember or count. I have tried to put this story into the form of a poem, hopefully it will tweak your interest some, who knows, it may give you a few moments of humor. T.R.S.
O Lord, the things I have seen in the days I have been given
O Lord, the things by your grace to me You have shown me
South-West Virginia and Your beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains
Iron Ridge culture, hard-working poor white trash, 1950's
"I'm going to start remembering now"
These, the first words I ever remember
Spoken aloud, words from within my own soul
Inner words, everyone has a soul, I know They speak to us all
Placed all the rooms in our little home, which I still remember
Outside, counted all the concrete blocks front stoop to back yard
Two years old, friends how do we do and know such things as this
Born with math skills, but look at Mozart what at three he could play
Summer time, setting on the front porch, my two siblings by my side
Walk across the dirt road to the old dilapidated wood cattle gate
Sunny day, watching the cattle milling around on the other side
Mom gave us each a nickel for us a Coke to buy, a great treat at the time
Walked to the Shell filling station just below this house that sheltered five
O how hard it was on Mom, alcoholic Dad drinking his wages away
Minimum wage factories, workers just chafe on the rich mans floor
I guess it's easier on the preschool children, the caste they don't know
School starts, you see other children, realities you had not seen before
Mid 1960's, poor flight to west, a better life you're hoping for
You trade the Blue Ridge for the Great Sioux's Black Hills
O Lord, on at trip like this, the things a child's eyes ingest
Moon light shines, illuminates the beauty of the big rigs
August Rattle Snakes playing in the sand, 114 degrees in the shade
30 days later, chest high snow in September, O what a strange place
One year later, hoping for better, for a good job toward Windy we ran
When you are so poor, you spend your whole life trying to escape it
But even young, I knew that pain, always present in my Mamma's eyes
Life is always hard with an alcohol disease riddled parent in the home
Knowing you are hated as he beats you with glee, innocent meaningless
Even harder on the child when they know other adults know and see
They never ever come to your aid, they always just allowed it to be
Life's early hardships, good or bad, they help create the person you see
About fifth grade I walked through the door of Your House Lord
My life long rock, my life many times I know that You have saved
Poor white boy, learning of life in the mid-west, with a Hill Billy mind
With some knowledge of Dakota's history and beautiful Black Hills
These life's lessons, good and bad, always living behind my eyes
Now I am aged with gray beard and store-bought eyes on my face
The projector in my mind plays me many memories of my time
Occasionally I see some of the good I have done in this my life
Though I try to cull these pictures from the corners of my mind
A lofty heart leads to evil, I wish to give ego no quarters to hide
In my life I have mastered the art of many forms of evils
O how I wish I could say that these thing were just a lie
But when you have seen and have known pure evil in life
Pay some attention to the news, evil all around us resides
Demons have no fear of man, they will lie, looking you in the eyes
They will tell you they are Angels, for your best interest they care
Do not be deceived, mainly in the worlds Capitals they often hide
Through time Lord You have shown me many things, good and bad
Through Your Spirit You have given me sight beyond my dreams
In life it is so easy to become depressed if living without You inside
You have so plainly shown me our planets plight's and our demise
World leaders and the media so filled with venom to Your light
Evil so blinded and hungry for more power, money, and pride
I know that by the time Your trumpet sounds Lord
I will once again be dust upon and within the ground
Though I cringe for all our children, and theirs
The battle of the Nations against their Creator
For left behind loved ones, Armageddon lies ahead
As the Lord and His Angels return to fight from the clouds overhead
The Demons pre-judged, to Hell they will now be thrown in first
Leaving the poor defrauded people to fight God and His Angels alone
They are now like grapes in the press, confused, disillusioned, and dead
Lord I thank You that this event I will not have to see, "In My Time"
Posted in Personal Thoughts/Beliefs, Philosophy, Poems, Truthful articles for your thoughtsTagged Angles, black hills, demons, God, hell, history, Illinois, In my time, Iron Ridge, Philosophy, Spearfish South Dakota, Virginia7 Comments
'Where Evil Resides': Veterans 'Deploy' To Standing Rock To Engage The Enemy — The US Government
(THIS ARTICLE IS FROM 'TASK AND PURPOSE' WEBSITE)'Where Evil Resides': Veterans 'Deploy' To Standing Rock To Engage The Enemy — The US Government
By ADAM LINEHAN
T&P ON FACEBOOK
On Dec. 4, if everything goes according to plan, hundreds of veterans will muster at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota. The mission: To stop the Dakota Access Pipeline.
"Most civilians who've never served in a uniform are gutless worms who've never been in a fight in their life," Wes Clark Jr. declares. "So if we don't stop it, who will?"
Clark Jr. is one of the most vociferous opponents of the Dakota Access Pipeline, a controversial 1,170-mile project that, if and when it is completed, will shuttle an estimated 470,000 barrels of crude oil every day from North Dakota to Illinois. "It's immoral, and wrong, and dangerous to us all," Clark Jr. adds.
He doesn't fit the traditional tree-hugger mold. He's not a hippie. Nor is he a member of the Lakota or Dakota tribes, the two Native American group known collectively as the Sioux. He's a former Army officer and the organizer of an upcoming three-day deployment of U.S. military veterans to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in southern North Dakota, the site of an escalating months-long standoff between law enforcement-backed security contractors and activists that has so far resulted in multiple injuries, more than 500 arrests, and a United Nations investigation of potential human rights abuses.
According to an "operations order" for the planned engagement, posted to social media in mid-November, "First Americans have served in the Unites States Military, defending the soil of our homelands, at a greater percentage than any other group of Americans. There is no other people more deserving of veteran support."
Clark Jr. is a 47-year-old writer, political commentator, and activist based in California. Joining him in the fight is Michael A. Wood Jr., a Marine Corps veteran and former Baltimore police officer who retired his badge in 2014 to become an advocate for national police reform. Earlier this month, the duo formed Veterans Stand For Standing Rock with the hope of drawing scores of veterans, as well as fire fighters, ex-law enforcement officers, emergency medical personnel and others to the battleground for a three-day "deployment" in early December to "prevent progress on the Dakota Access Pipeline and draw national attention to the human rights warriors of the Sioux tribes." Both men say they're prepared to take a bullet, rubber or otherwise, for a cause they believe should be of critical importance to any patriotic American.
"… if we're really going to be those veterans that this country praises, well, then we need to do the things that we actually said we're going to do…"
"This country is repressing our people," Wood Jr. says. "If we're going to be heroes, if we're really going to be those veterans that this country praises, well, then we need to do the things that we actually said we're going to do when we took the oath to defend the Constitution from enemies foreign and domestic."
The Standing Rock Sioux Reservation was originally established as part of the Great Sioux Reservation under Article 2 of the Treaty of Fort Laramie of April 29, 1868. In 1877, the U.S. government initiated the still ongoing process of chipping away and dividing the land it had granted to the people of the Lakota and Dakota nations, with significant reductions taking place in 1889 and then again during the 1950s and 1960s, when the Army Corps of Engineers built five large dams along the Missouri River, uprooting villages and sinking 200,000 acres of land below water.
When the Corps of Engineers returned to Standing Rock in 2015, it was to assess whether or not it should approve a path for the Dakota Access Pipeline across the Missouri River, a project that would involve construction on some of the land that had been stripped from the Sioux, who still regard it as sacred — although, that fact seems to have been ignored, maybe even intentionally, in the assessment.
Because the Corps neglected to consult the Standing Rock Sioux, as it was required to do under the National Historic Preservation Act (Section 106), the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Interior, and the American Council on Historic Preservation all criticized the assessment, but the project was eventually approved. The decision was a major victory for Energy Transfer Partners, the Texas-based parent company of Dakota Access LLC, which estimates the pipeline will bring $156 million in sales and income taxes to state and local governments and create thousands of temporary jobs.
For the Standing Rock Sioux, the Dakota Access project poses two immediate threats. First, the pipeline would run beneath Lake Oahe, the reservoir that provides drinking water to the people of Standing Rock. (An earlier route that avoided native lands was ruled out in part because it posed a danger to drinking water.) Second, according to the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, the building of the pipeline would destroy the sacred spots and burial grounds that were overlooked in the Corps' assessment. But as the protests have intensified, and more outsiders, including members of more than 200 Native American tribes from across North America, have become involved, Standing Rock has, for some, come to represent something much bigger than a struggle between a disenfranchised people and a government-backed, billion-dollar corporation. It's a battle to save humanity from itself.
"Mother Earth's axis is off and it's never going back," says Phyllis Young, a Sioux tribal elder. "And we have to help keep it in balance for as long as we can. I am a mother and a grandmother. Those are my credentials to ensure a future with clean drinking water — a future of human dignity, human rights, and human survival."
Young grew up on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. She has been present at many of the protests and says she's seen people brutalized at the hands of the security contractors and law enforcement officials guarding the land where the drilling is set to take place. It was Young who got Clark Jr involved. In late summer, she was in Washington, D.C., lobbying for the military to promote an alternative (and scientifically dubious) clean energy source called low-energy nuclear reaction, when she heard of a military veteran who was a forceful advocate for environmental conservation. Clark Jr. was eager to help. He spent weeks trying to assemble a legal team for the Standing Rock Sioux, and even contacted Independent Diplomat, a nonprofit organization that helps governments navigate complex diplomatic processes. "I pulled all of the levers, and none of them worked," Clark Jr. recalls. Then, in early November, the plan dawned on him: He'd bring his fellow veterans. Lots of them. And they'd come prepared to put their lives on the line.
"We're not going out there to get in a fight with anyone," Clark Jr. says. "They can feel free to beat us up, but we're 100% nonviolence."
You may have heard of Clark Jr.'s father. Wesley Clark Sr. retired from the Army in 2000 as a four-star general. His career began in the jungles of Vietnam, where he was shot four times during an enemy ambush near Saigon, and culminated in a posting as Supreme Allied Commander Europe during the Kosovo War. In 2004, he ran for the Democratic Party presidential nomination on platform that criticized the Iraq War and called for measures to combat climate change. Clark Jr., who was born in Florida while Clark Sr. was in Vietnam and grew up on military bases throughout the United States and Europe, seems to have inherited both his father's commanding spirit and his progressive ideals.
Clark Jr. had just graduated from Georgetown's School of Foreign Service when he joined the Army as a cavalry officer. He served on active duty from 1992–1996 — "nothing dangerous," he says. On Sept. 11, 2001, he was living in New York City, and after seeing the towers fall, he decided to re-enlist. "I was like, 'I'm going back in. I'm going to go in there and fuck people up,'" he recalls. It was Clark Sr., the decorated war hero, who convinced him not to. As Clark Jr. recalls, his father foresaw U.S. military intervention in Iraq and warned that as a soldier he would be fighting a war that had nothing to do with defeating al Qaeda. "He was right, but I'll tell you, I've never felt worse about a decision in my life," Clark Jr. says.
Clark Jr. may never have served in combat, but when he talks about Standing Rock, he sounds like a battle-hardened general. This isn't his first foray into boots-on-the-ground environmental activism. He's currently working with an organization called Climate Mobilization, which is focused on "building and supporting a social movement that causes the US federal government to commence WWII-scale climate mobilization." But he's perhaps best known as a co-host of the political web series The Young Turks. On the The Young Turks website, Clark Jr. is described as an Army veteran "currently trying to save human civilization from climate change." The impending confrontation at Standing Rock, he says, will be "the most important event up to this time in human history."
"We're not going out there to get in a fight with anyone. They can feel free to beat us up, but we're 100% nonviolence."
Vets Standing For Standing Rock was announced via an official sounding letter formatted like a five-paragraph military operation order, breaking down the "opposing forces" — "Morton County Sheriff's office combined with multiple state police agencies and private security contractors" — "Mission," "Execution" and "Logistics," among other things. A packing list virtually mirrors the ones issued to soldiers preparing to deploy to the field (minus the weapons). But there are also parts of the document that read like a revolutionary manifesto. Under the section titled "Friendly Forces," for example, the op order states, "we are there to put our bodies on the line, no matter the physical cost, in complete nonviolence to provide a clear representation to all Americans of where evil resides."
The document was accompanied by a link to a GoFundMe campaign that has raised nearly $20,000 of its $100,000 goal since it was created on Nov. 11. The money, Clark Jr. says, will only be used for helping volunteers with transportation costs and then bailing those who are arrested out of jail.
Wood Jr. says the op-order was Clark Jr.'s idea, but the two men agree that organizing like a military unit is the smartest approach, especially because most of the people expected to join them on the ground have served.
"It's simple and we have clearly defined goals, so people don't get caught up in the confusion," says Wood Jr., who served with the Baltimore Police Department for more than a decade. "One of the issues the police are going to face is that our level of planning and coordination is vastly superior to theirs, so they may end up with a problem when it comes to that."
"We'll have those people who will recognize that they're not willing to take a bullet, and those who recognize that they are."
Here then is the plan: On Dec. 4, Clark Jr. and Wood Jr., along with a group of veterans and other folks in the "bravery business," as Wood Jr. puts it — 500 total is the goal, but they're hoping for more — will muster at Standing Rock. The following morning they will join members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, including Young, for a traditional healing ceremony. With an eye toward the media, old military uniforms will be donned so that if the veterans are brutalized by the police, they are brutalized not as ordinary citizens, but as people who once served the government they are protesting against. Then body armor, ear plugs, and gas masks will be issued to those who didn't bring their own. Bagpipes will play, and traditional Sioux war songs will be sung. The music will continue as everyone marches together to the banks of the Missouri, on the other side of which a line of guards in riot gear will be standing ready with rifles, mace, batons, and dogs. Then, the veterans and their allies — or at least the ones who are brave enough — will lock arms and cross the river in a "massive line" for their "first encounter" with the "opposing forces." The goal is to make it to the drilling pad and surround it, arm in arm. That will require making it through the line of guards, who have repelled other such attempts with a level of physical force Sioux tribal members and protesters have described as "excessive" — claims that recently prompted a United Nations investigation. Of course, that's what the body armor and gas masks are for.
"We'll have those people who will recognize that they're not willing to take a bullet, and those who recognize that they are," says Wood Jr. "It's okay if some of them step back, but Wes and I have no intention of doing so."
Of course, as most veterans know full well, even the best plans go out the window the moment the shit hits the fan. It seems probable that the group will be met by fierce resistance from those charged with keeping people out of the construction site. Despite a recent decision by the Corps of Engineers to delay further work on the pipeline, Energy Transfer Partners is still hoping to complete the project by January. The segment that will cross beneath the Missouri at Standing Rock is the last major piece of the puzzle. Strengthening the resolve of the company's executives is the fact that Energy Transfer Partners CEO Kelcy Warren donated more than $100,000 to elect Donald Trump, and Trump himself owns stock in the company. "I'm 100% sure that the pipeline will be approved by a Trump administration," Warren told NBC News on Nov. 12.
Nonetheless, Clark Jr. and Wood Jr. remain undeterred. If anything, the likelihood of approval only makes them more determined. After all, this is war.
"The Joint Chiefs of Staff labeled the climate emergency as the number one security threat to the country, and they've been labeling it that for years," Clark Jr. says. "All you need to do is put an overlay on any map in the world where there's a water and crisis and you're going to see massive political violence in that location. And unless we act, we're going to be dealing with that exact same situation right here in the United States."
Posted in constitution, crime, Economics, govermnent, history, military, Personal Thoughts/Beliefs, police, Politics, polution, racism, Truthful articles for your thoughts, U.S., Wild LifeTagged Baltimore, California, Illinois, Indian Reservation, Lakota, North Dakota, oil pipeline, police officers, Sioux, standing rock, US Government, veteransLeave a comment
Posted on August 26, 2016 April 29, 2018 by oldpoet56
Posted in Faith, marijuana, Medicare/Medicade, Medicine, Mental Health, Personal Experiences, Personal Thoughts/Beliefs, Politics, Truthful articles for your thoughtsTagged alcohol, Army, Chicago, cocaine, crack, D.C., DEA, gangs, gateway drug, Heroine, Houston, Illinois, jails, lightning, Los Angeles, marijuana, Mexico, nerve damage, New York City, pills, politicians, pot, president obama, prisons, South America, street gangs, Texas, truth, VALeave a comment
Was It Honest And Fair That The U.S. Ladies Relay Team Got A Redo?
(This article is courtesy of the Shanghai Daily News Paper)
Chinese Netizens Fury Over Outrageous US Women's Solo Run in Relay Heats
Chen Xiaoli
(I am an American yet I agree with the Chinese ladies being upset with this decision. I only wish honesty in all things and I do not feel that this was a fair decision.)
The United States controversially qualified for the women's 4x100m relay final at the Rio Olympics, recording the fastest time in the semifinals after being granted a re-run and competing alone. The result meant China missed out on the final next day after qualifying eighth fastest, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The reigning Olympic champion dropped the baton during the second exchange between Allyson Felix and English Gardner in the second heat.
The Americans protested, claiming Brazilian Franciela Krasucki bumped Felix before the handover.
Race officials then ruled that the Americans must run again, in a highly unusual solo-flying lap — to beat China's eighth fastest qualifying time of 42.70sec.
Most of the American netizens were happy at this unusual development. A netizen called silkkyfingazz said, "It was a fair and just decision. Fair is fair if it was Jamaica we would have wanted the same opportunity. Justice has been done. Well done by the IOC."
A netizen from Colorado said, "Trying not to be biased. I think the officials got this one right."
A netizen from Hawaii also commented, "She was bumped. Glad they got the redo."
But one poster from Illinois saw it differently. "Do you believe any other country would get a second chance in this situation? Especially Russians? US would be screaming 'bloody murder' first. Hypocrites!"
However, the decision angered Chinese officials and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) dismissed their protest.
Chinese athlete Liang Xiaojing questioned, "Where is the pure sport?"
CCTV commentator Yang Jian said on Weibo, "The decision was made against the regularity in relay races and even in all athletic contests."
Chinese social media users were outraged by the development.
One of them said: "The US team shouldn't re-run, but Brazil should be disqualified. Otherwise, all the teams should compete again and not just the US alone. What a weird competition!"
"Take pity on our girls. Be strong!"
"The Olympic spirit disappeared. So sad!"
"This is an insult to the athletes. It's unfair!"
Chinese Athletics Team also said on its official Weibo account, "We refuse to accept the result, but we obey the rules. That is the tolerance of Chinese track and field athletes! Cheer up, Chinese team, Chinese athletics. Girls, we feel proud of you!" It also posted a picture saying, "We don't re-run, but we'll re-start. See you in Tokyo!"
Posted in Personal Thoughts/Beliefs, Truthful articles for your thoughtsTagged 4X100 Relay, Americans, Brazilian, China, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Jamaica, relay heats, Russians, Tokyo, U.S.Leave a comment


text:
[8.1] Bardo's culinary poetry, and thoughts on bohemian design.
San Francisco. 1950.
A group of writers and poets are struggling with the materialism, nationalism, and creeping monoculture of American society following the second World War. In response, these creators begin to broadcast for the first time the growing non-conformist subcultures of the West Coast: drug use, sexual liberation, hedonism.
Names like Allen Ginsburg and Jack Kerouac formed the beatnick culture, the bedrock on which the hippie movement would be built over the next decade and a half. They were called beat poets, and their culture influence would extend past poetry and literature to the music of Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, outside of San Francisco to the bars of Greenwich Village, and outside of the pages of their works into the architectural style that mirrored their creative spaces.
That style, loosely known as bohemian, makes use of botanical elements, distressed wood, neutral tones, brass, mirrors, and a traveled kind of maximalism.
Walking into Bardo in Southend is like walking into the study of William S. Burroughs. You're transported back to San Francisco in the late 50's, and dropped into the cultural war for America's soul.
Patterned moss art hangs on the walls. Lighting fixtures resembling desk lamps illuminate the bar, over which three slightly stained mirrors hang. The bar is made of scuffed up wood, and when you stroke your fingers along it you can almost coax it into whispering stories to you about its former life as a church pew or a barn door.
Just around the corner, a female-focused lounge [4.6] is decked out in warpaint, dripping with neon and hypnotic Instagrammable patterns. That kind of empty-caloried take, more densely stuffed with trend chasing nonsense than an Eminem song in 2020, makes the more bohemian take of Bardo feel warm and important.
I visited Bardo on a Monday night.
You'll get 20% off your meal if you dine at the bar on Mondays or Tuesdays.
After marveling at the decor, I noticed the open kitchen. Much of the food is prepared on a sort of kitchen island setup, giving the restaurant the feeling of a studio apartment.
My bartender recommended Silence is Joven, a cocktail with the spice and sweetness of a margarita and the herbal aftertaste of Italian after-dinner liqeur.
I ordered the lobster from the understated menu. I respect it so much when a restaurant doesn't feel the need to describe every element of a dish on their menu. It always feels condescending to me, and condescending to the staff. Giving minimal detail on the dishes allows your customer and your kitchen to interact and collaborate on your meal.
Bardo makes use of American-style small plates, and just so you're not shocked, the entrees are high-end small.
I've never taken issue with portion size at high-end spots. The push back against small plates is fed into by a weird male rage adjacent wing of people who seem gleefully uncultured. These folks think they sound like Larry David, but they really sound more like George Constanza. You're welcome to dislike small plates, but that isn't a reason to dislike a restaurant that serves them. That would be like going to Dominoes and getting pissed that all they have is pizza.
The lobster performed extremely well.
The sauce is slightly sweet, likely owing to its coconut. It plays wonderfully against the savory bacon in both flavor and texture. Ginger is a great touch here. The quality of the lobster itself is typical for Charlotte: good, not great. It gets chewy, at times to a level that's significantly not fun. But it's tough to logistically get high quality, fresh lobster down here, so I Kanye-shrugged it off.
Bardo is one of the best places you can eat in Charlotte. It's a visual, multi-sensory experience. Your evening will be fluid, communicative, and almost poetic.
A further development of the bohemian spirit in this neighborhood and in this city would be an important step in diversifying our food. Like Ginsberg, Burroughs, and Kerouac did in the 1950's, Bardo's decidedly left take helps disrupt the monotony of a culinary community that has a habit of drifting to an unexciting center.
[7.8] Outside 485: Hello, Sailor transports you to another place

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Will Abuse Scandal at Shambhala International Affect Local Outpost?
07/29/2018 T.A. Hendrickson208Leave a Comment on Will Abuse Scandal at Shambhala International Affect Local Outpost?
The Shambhala Center in Eagle Rock is an outpost of Shambhala International, one of the largest Buddhist meditation organizations in the West. Last month, Shambhala International was rocked when its leader, Mipham Rinpoche, took a leave amid allegations that he had sexually abused some women in the organization. The governing council of the organization, headquartered in Canada, resigned en masse after hiring a law firm to investigate the allegations against Rinpoche and other Shambhala teachers.
Press reports on the reactions of Shambhala centers in some U.S. cities described meetings where people, devastated by the allegations, expressed fear and dismay. At one center, a teacher resigned in protest. At another, the photo of Rinpoche was taken down. Some of the Shambhala followers said they were praying for Rinpoche. Others said that his stepping down was a necessary step for healing to begin.
The Boulevard Sentinel contacted the Shambhala Center in Eagle Rock to ask how the center is coping with the allegations.
A spokesperson for the Eagle Rock Shambhala, Sara Apelkvist, referred the paper's questions to a spokesperson in Canada. It was unclear why a spokesperson in Canada would be able to comment on the reaction in Eagle Rock. In any event, there was no reply.
Poster by Los Angeles Department of Neighborhood Empowerment.


text:
Home > Values
Hydrology and Soil
What makes a wetland an asset?
Biodiversity.
Biodiversity is put simply, OUR PLANET, an incredible, finely tuned and complex machine where everything, including plants, animals and environments, all work together in harmony creating the web of life.
So where do wetlands like the Tootgarook Swamp fit into this web?
Well amazingly right at the very top. They are considered the most biologically diverse of all the planets ecosystems, the cradle of species diversity. Nevertheless despite this wetlands are still being destroyed at an alarming rate.
You might wonder, will the loss of a few wetlands like Tootgarook Swamp really make much difference?
Well, biodiversity is a complex fragile structure. It may be helpful to think of the ecosystem as a woven carpet, if you pull on a loose thread it might only affect the thread and those closest to it, or it might unravel the whole carpet. Wetlands are threads keeping the ecosystem carpet together and as we pull out more wetland threads the ecosystem begins to unravel causing lots of problems.
So why are wetlands like the Tootgarook Swamp so important to biodiversity?
As mentioned before, wetlands are described as the interface between land and marine ecosystems and are known as the cradle of diversity.
No two wetlands can be the same as they will not have the same conditions. There are many ingredients that add to these conditions, like the PH or alkalinity of water, soil types, climate, land shape, geology, water seasonality, atmospheric precipitation cycle, hydrology, and salinity. All these ingredients combine in many different ways to create a unique genetic diversity seen only in wetland environments and specially balanced and suited to the species that inhabit it.
Why are high biodiversity areas like wetlands important?
High biodiversity indicates a healthy ecosystem, whilst low biodiversity indicates an ecosystem which is stressed or highly disturbed.
The higher the diversity the better the chances for survival. Species need a variety of genes to ensure successful survival. Without this, the chances of extinction increases and the loss of a species will have flow on effects to other plants and animals who rely on each other for survival.
A healthy biodiverse wetland will include lots of species of plants and animals which all work in harmony together as a team to create a balanced healthy ecosystem.
A healthy biodiverse ecosystem in wetlands like Tootgarook Swamp provide a number of benefits. These benefits are known as ecosystem services.
Securing protection of the Tootgarook swamp for the future: Social and economic, the value of ecosystem services.
The Tootgarook swamp plays a key role on the Nepean Peninsula, with advantages including;
Protection of water resources, collection and re-release of water over time, enabling recovery from unpredictable events and safeguarding the landscape against severe heat and cold, as well as drought.
Act like sponges (especially wetlands with peaty soil) to buffer against the impact of floods.
Pollution breakdown and absorption; filtering and trapping sediments and recycling nutrients.
Soils formation and protection.
Helps recharge the aquifer by trapping excess surface water and displaying the aquifers health.
Help mitigate climate change by contributing to climate stability and carbon dioxide storage.
Reduce weed invasion through inundation.
Life support processes such as pollination and water purification.
Increase indigenous animal and plant populations.
Diversity in genes, species and ecosystems.
Provides a vital food, breeding and habitat source for over 130 species of birds, and many other mammals, reptiles, fish, frogs and insects.
Aid in local food production.
Recreation and tourism.
Life fulfilling conditions such as beauty and serenity.
Provide economic benefits, through the marketing of wetland ecosystem services. (The benefits of ecosystem services may be underestimated as future research may reveal more valuable scientific research over time).
Cultural, spiritual, and religious value bequests.
The way management of a wetland is handled is a perfect example of how your activities can have benefits at local, countrywide and international levels.
Figure 1: The swamp has a value unto itself, in way the itself functions.
Ecotourism and Educational Value.
Tourism can have a variety of positive and negative impacts on a wetland, depending on how it is achieved. Though an untapped resource, this usage could exist within the Tootgarook Swamp, one that could potentially bring economic benefit to the Nepean Peninsula in the form of ecotourism and education. Wetland ecotourism has benefits both locally and nationally for people and wildlife – benefits such as stronger economies, sustainable livelihoods, healthy people and thriving ecosystems.
Ecotourism and education in the wetlands is a valuable opportunity to teach people from all walks of life about the importance of the Tootgarook Swamp, its history, its unique water values, biodiversity values and sustainable use into the future.
Some of the best times to see the swamp are not during the peak summer Mornington Peninsula tourism season, rather at other quieter times of the year. Many of life's most rewarding experiences - beauty and serenity - can be absorbed by studying nature.
There is potential for a wetland ecotourism and education centre and observation tower with guided tours and education sessions about the water, animals, birds, plants, and their cultural uses.
With a large number of Birds and other animals to see, as well as some amazing vegetation, and many heritage values, the sounds and sights of the Tootgarook Swamp are a real beauty to behold, it truly is Rosebud's hidden treasure.
Intrinsic value.
Furthermore, peatlands have an intrinsic moral value (figure 1), the value an entity has in itself, irrespective of its importance to others.[1]
That is quite a lot of services we get for free!
The cost of replacing these ecosystem services (if possible) would be extremely expensive.
Costs for constructing wetlands can vary greatly depending on the configuration, topography, location, site specific condition (including hydrogeology, soil, temporal patterns and seasonal temperature variations), volumes, flow rate and pollutant removal targets.
There is little available cost data for constructed wetlands. Typical construction costs presented in Weber (2002)[2], cited in Taylor and Wong (2002)[3] and based on examples, range from approximately $500 000 to $750 000 per wetland hectare.[4] The two key variables behind the construction costs are the extent of earthworks required and the types and extent of vegetation, also some indigenous vegetation is not replaceable or even obtainable for planting, meaning that no constructed wetland will ever have the ability to function as an original natural wetland system. The ability to construct an ecological vegetation community without some of these specific plants is then unobtainable, resulting then in lost biodiversity. For example the constructed wetland may lack a certain feature that encourages a particular animal, plant or organism that plays a role in balancing the wetland, it is also the reason why habitat removal is biodiversity's greatest threat.
The Centre for Watershed Protection (1998)[5], Webber (2001) [6] and United States Environmental Protection Agency (2001)[7], cited in Taylor (2005)[8], reported annual maintenance costs of approximately 2% of construction costs[9]
These maintenance costs usually involve many ongoing issues of a biological nature, with the most vital biological issues related to plant nutrient levels (from excessive nutrient runoff) to avoid the unwarranted possible causes of eutrophication increasing algal toxins such as blue-green algae, non-balanced insect control (especially of those species which serve as paths of arboviral and other human diseases), and controlling the growth of noxious plant and animal species (often including exotic species from garden escapes).
The nature and severity of these issues varies geographically, and also hydro-logically though in all cases there remains a need for ongoing wetland management that includes preventive measures, monitoring and corrective activities to guarantee that perceived wetland values continue to be maintained.
Unfortunately, activities of this sort are often assigned a lower priority than is required for effective management; it is easier to obtain short-term capital funding for projects of clear community benefit and visible political advantage than it is to obtain long-term recurrent costs for proper maintenance of a wetland.[10]
It therefore makes more economic and development sense to protect our wetlands like Tootgarook Swamp (Figure 13) so they can continue to provide for us and the planet for generations to come, and avoid long term hidden costs that result from the loss of our ecosystem services.
[1] International Peat Society – Functions of Peatlands.
[2] Webber, T. 2001 and 2002, Tony Weber, Senior Waterways Program Officer (Water Quality), Brisbane City Council, Queensland, personal communication; not seen, cited in Taylor and Wong (2002).
[3] Taylor, A.C. and Wong T.H.F. 2002, Non-structural Stormwater Quality Best Management Practices – a literature review of their value and life cycle costs, Technical Report 02/13, Cooperative Research Centre for Catchment Hydrology, Melbourne, Victoria.
[4] http://www.water.wa.gov.au/PublicationStore/first/84992.pdf WA Water.
[5] Center for Watershed Protection 1998, Costs and Benefits of Storm Water BMPs: final report, Center for Watershed Protection, Elliot City, Maryland, United States of America; not seen, cited in United States Environmental Protection Agency (2001).
[7] United States Environmental Protection Agency 2001, National Menu of Best Management Practices for Storm Water Phase II. United States Environmental Protection Agency on-line guideline available via http://www.epa.gov/npdes/menuofbmps/menu.htm
[8] Taylor, A.C. 2005, Structural Stormwater Quality BMP Cost/Size Relationship Information from the Literature (Version 3), Cooperative Research Centre for Catchment Hydrology, Melbourne, Victoria.
[10] http://www.environment.gov.au/water/publications/environmental/wetlands/abs.html#constructed Department of Environment.


Human winemaking has irrevocably changed the shape of yeast populations worldwide. If we could go back in time, would we want to make the same choices?
It's probably fair to say that humans invented wine. Humans surely didn't invent fermented grape juice, but we probably invented its deliberate cultivation as a delightful beverage. But humans didn't invent it alone. Much of the process – the grunt work of actually converting sugar into ethanol, plus the selection of additional flavor molecules created along the way – rested in the hands of our microscopic collaborators: yeast and bacteria, most crucially the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. By preferring some flavors over others, humans chose the particular species and strains (breeds) with which we wanted to collaborate.
This coevolution – of wine, yeast, culture, and humanity – seems to have all taken place in a fairly limited geographic region, where grapes grew and ripened in a season warm enough to let yeast feel comfortable doing their best work. Wine grapes and wine yeast were both domesticated in Mesopotamia, at about the same time, well before 5,000 B.C.E. when the farthest-back archaeological evidence we have says that a wine industry was already flourishing. The yeast probably came via one route or other from species originally associated with European oak trees, so their genetic ancestry suggests, though precisely how they ended up in the fermenting vats of the Mesopotamians is something scientists have yet to work out.
As humans traveled, wine traveled and yeasts traveled. By this point, Saccharomyces cerevisiae was, like humanity, already living in other territories; also like humans, those other indigenous yeast populations were a bit different from one another in culture and appearance. Microbial geneticists who collect samples of yeasts from around the world have found, for example, that the yeast strains that make their home around oak trees in North America are distinct from the strains that live in New Zealand soils, or in oak forests in France or Japan.
Genetically, Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains from the same region tend to resemble each other. The DNA of yeasts from central Europe is more generally similar than the DNA of yeasts native to South America, which form a different cluster. But once humans began taking special care of the strains they liked best, they cultivated new genetic groupings. Today, as a result, yeasts used for winemaking tend to be more like each other than yeasts for bread baking, even when the winemaking and bread baking are happening in the same town. Human cultivation hasn't just changed the yeasts sold in little foil packets at the grocery store or from winemaking companies. We've actually changed the shape of yeast genetics worldwide.
So the yeasts that volunteer to work for winemakers who like spontaneous fermentations? They're not just any random schleps off the microbial street. They're specialists, uniquely outfitted to work with women and men in the noble art of vinification. Most possess specific genetic traits that make it easier for them to withstand the challenging environment presented by a vat of fermenting grape juice: harsh acidity, perilously high sugar concentrations early in the process, uncomfortable amounts of ethanol later on, and the sulfur dioxide usually added to keep out spoilage microbes. They are, you could say, the Sherpas among Saccharomyces cerevisiae. And nearly all are descended from – and more or less related to – those yeasts our ancestral oenophiles brought out of Mesopotamia. They're Sherpas who are all cousins of each other. The same sort of thing – domestication event, then dispersal – also seems to have happened for the different and unique sets of yeasts that ferment beer, sake, and palm wine.
Populations of yeast associated with human industry are mostly alike in this respect. Bakers and brewers of various alcoholic beverages have all created communities – globally near-homogenous communities – of the yeast they like to work with best. But here's the funny thing. According to new research from a group mostly headquartered in Seattle, the yeasts responsible for fermenting coffee and chocolate don't work the same way. Both raw coffee beans and cacao pods need to be fermented very early on in their transformation into something palatable for human consumption. Good old Saccharomyces cerevisiae steps in for both jobs, but not the same Saccharomyces cerevisiae that takes on winemaking; again, the strains in each group are genetically different. But the coffee and cacao strains aren't very specialized. They're each much looser groupings, much more like whatever yeasts are hanging around in their general area, much less closely related to the others in their specialized work group. And, not incidentally, coffee and cacao growers don't inoculate their ferments. Unlike most winemakers, who deliberately add yeast to each batch of grape juice – these days, usually purchased from a commercial supplier – coffee and cacao growers still let their crops ferment courtesy of whatever microbes decide to drop by.
This story has two interesting conclusions. The first is that winemaking is working itself into a microbiologically narrow corner. The second is that specialty coffee and chocolate producers can, at least in theory, try building closer relationships with their microscopic partners as a route to develop new flavors or better product consistency.
Of course we want to cultivate wine yeasts that produce desirable flavors. No one wants to work with someone who doesn't hold up their end of the job, or who you just plain don't like, or who turns out a product you can't sell because it smells like dirty socks (Brettanomyces, I'm looking at you). But that means that we keep making the pool of our very tiny winemaking business partners smaller and smaller, and more and more specific, and more homogeneous. That sort of specialization is concerning for the obvious reasons: weaknesses and susceptibility to disease tend to affect the whole population. And there's the commercial absurdity side of the problem: another yeast genetics paper out this year attests that of the many wine yeasts on the market, some sold by competing companies are identical. In theory, this problem should be easy to solve. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is remarkably accepting of new genetic material, so much so that cells sometimes take up genetic material from other species of yeast without human intervention. And there are plenty of other yeast communities to pilfer for new genetic material, and plenty of companies exploring new angles on the commercial wine yeast business. But somehow, at least according to this slew of recent wine yeast genetics studies, most winemaking is still working with a fraction of all of these possibilities.
Thinking in the other direction, could we end up with different or better flavors in our coffee and our chocolate by trying to identify and make friends with the yeast community's A-listers in those specialty areas? Probably. Whether or not that's practical is another question, what with coffee and cacao fermentation generally happening out in the fields of often deeply impoverished countries. But the most interesting question might be not whether we can, but whether we want tighter control over microbial coffee and cacao work. Here are two places where we can say that "wild fermentations" still unquestionably and uncontroversially exist, where the native yeast populations of any given region haven't been irreversibly altered by the equivalent of yeast eugenics. Once we begin exercising that kind of control, we can't go back.
although you don't say so specifically, what your article implies is that whatever process you take to ferment your wine, it's going to be s.cerevisiae that does the job.
Elsewhere I've read that this is because other "wild" yeasts can't work once the alcohol levels reach a certain threshold.
It doesn't really matter, when you cut to the chase, whether they're inoculated or "wild". It's S.cerevisiae that are completing the job of fermentation.
You just massively increase the risk of a stuck fermentation or off-flavours in your wines as a result?
A few years back there was an outcry in WA over plans to open a brewery near vineyards due to the unwanted beer yeasts floating around; so not all wild yeasts are welcome in the winery, correct?
Given it's a frequent mantra of the "natural wine movement" (or at least its marketers), seems it's important to dispel that myth once and for all.


Ok - rules are simple: The first person who comes up with the correct & confirmed answer earns the right to ask the next question.
What is this & who designed it?
Is it one of those Nanchang things!
I was so close to the answer!
Anyway i am happy to start with a new one...but havent figure't out yet how to place a picture.
I knew it, I own that book!
i wont use that book!!!! This URL code i now where i should put it but what do i put there exactly (or what is it?).
I'm making a link if it's ok? It's not a P-36 is it?
well done...i don't know how to make a link.
Next one is for you to, I'm going to bed.
Please answer here & await confirmation by Heliopause.
Alright then, out of bed and back work after a fine weekend.
The D.1 was a quite cumbersome aircraft, build in 1916 in a total number around 200.
They were in service in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
That was a BMW 801D-2 engine, already used on the A-3, but the enigine was mounted with a 15 cm extention to shift the center of gravity. This also made the plane a bit longer.
Very good.... http://forums.ubi.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif next question!!
Kalinin K-12 by K.A. Kalinin.
****! beat me to the punch!
Isn't it also called the BS-2 Firebird or something?
The Kalinin was a prototype for a much larger tialless russian bomber. First flight was late 1936, powered by two 480hp M22 engines.
Unfortunally the designer was arrested in 1938 and his design bureau disbanded, so the devellopment of a full scall tailless bomber died with it.
What was the British designation of the P-39D-2 that was intended for use by the RAF?
Airacobra Mk.IB, I guess. But I don't think there was ever an intention to deliver the D-2s to Britain. The P-39D-1s was intended for use by the RAF as Airacobra Mk.IA. Some D-2s were shipped to USSR.

quote:

What was the British designation of the P-39D-2 that was intended for use by the RAF?
Hmm.. - maybe I should check my sources but "Airacobra I" or "Airacobra Mk.I" is correct I think. Another name was "Model 14" though I'm sure it was before or after shipping they got that one.
Airacobra Mk.I was the British designation for the P-400.
Model 14 was a factory name of Bell Aircraft Co. for P-39 export variants.
Model 14A-1 = P-39D-2 = ???
Next question - let's stay with the British designations.
What was the original British name for the F6F Hellcat before the name "Hellcat" was adopted by the Royal Navy?
Martlet was the name for Wildcat.
"Gannet" is the correct answer.
Flew in 1910, October or December.
Under the tail, you can see a small table with the name "COANDA"
We will stay with reactive propulsion.
What was the name of the first pilot to claim a kill in a jet-to-jet battle?
Tell also types of aircraft involved, and the date.
You probably mean 24th March 1951. I wasn't able to find any information on the kill you are talking about. The first kill achieved by the F-86 was a MiG-15 on 17th December 1950, by Lt.Col. Bruce Hinton (336th FIS, 4th FIW).
Source: R.F. Dorr, J. Lake, W. Thompson, Korean War Aces.
However, the first jet-to-jet battle took place several weeks earlier, and F-86 wasn't there... so, does anyone know?
P-80C shooting star shot down a Mig 15.
It was Nov 8th (Stated by the above source and by R. Jackson "Air War Korea 1950-53").
And the designation was F-80C, not P-80C.
Richard S. Becker was the second one in Korea in number of kills?
I always have to figure out what the others mean, and sometimes I fail.
Dang, my Fokker-boek is somewhere in a moving-box!
Keep looking in those archives guys!!!!
Stab in the dark, is it the Lockheed Vega, San Fransico?
All I could find is that it is a Fokker Universal with floats. Used by Sydney Cotton to search for Nungesser and Coli who disappeared on their Atlantic crossing.
I agree with the Universal.
About the model: my best guess is model 4 (the Jack of all trades), because model 1, 2 and 3 were militaries. This plane also seems to be a customized version bacause float and sky-equiped Universals were not standards.
In 1923 Fokker established an American factory under the name of Atlantic Aircraft Corporation based at Teterboro, New Jersey.
The company began series production of the Model 4 Universal wich soon gained popularity as a "jack-of-all-trades".
It is something british, the founders build their first aircraft in 1915 in Norwich.
The actual model in the picture is one of the last two aircraft the company designed.
This plane, and the P.120, almost the same, was used to test supersonic flights with a delta-wing.
Boulton Paul btw was also the builder of the Defiant.
I got it! Its a plane!!
What is it, and WHO DESIGNED IT?


Happy 1st weekend in June!
and so is something else.
It has been a catch up week here and French Country Cottage- projects, yard work, getting ready for new house paint after moving the dates back and a bit of day trip travel.
And this week is looking like another chock full week of travel with moving my daughter back home for a bit for the summer.
And while in Tahoe- we always pack our hiking shoes and get a workout in out in those mountains.
Several miles in- we found a peak with this view looking out over Donner Lake.
There is something about the air and the smell of Tahoe that brings back so many childhood memories.
I shared this photo earlier this week on FB- and can you guess which one is me?
This is from one of our many trips to Tahoe while growing up.
Oh yes, tis that time of year. Peony season.
Which means... peony photographs all day every day. I picked up several bunches for a special photography shoot I am working on this week and of course, snapped a few while playing with them.
This is the COVER of my new book.
And just look who is a Cover Girl!
I am looking forward to sharing much more in just a few weeks - but so many of you have asked for an update already. I am sorry I kept you waiting so long! So I wanted to at least share the cover and the new book page where you can get allllll the scoops.
You can read more about my book HERE and on my MY BOOK page where I will be sharing all things book & exclusive news like events, signings, product news and more- along with a just for you ebook along with a giveaway that you won't want to miss.
and a special table setting for a special occasion.
I just commented on your book page, but if you are doing book signings I do hope you can come to Maine!! Especially in the fall it is beautiful if not I am just as excited to be getting your book.
Congratulations on your book, I have just ordered it and know it will be wonderful!
What a lovely and intriguing cover for your book. I'd grab it for that picture just to see what's inside. But I "know" you, so it's without question that the cover picture is a tease. ;) Can't wait!
Tahoe is on our bucket list...almost made it there recently, but decided to "go south" and visit that sweet town of Calistoga by the Sea that you have so wonderfully written about....add Travel Expert to your repertoire!! Love that photo of you and your siblings..the cover is magnificent and Sweet Pea nailed it!!! Enjoy the summer with your daughter!


OB/GYN of Indiana now offers 3D Mammography (Tomosynthesis) at our North office (8091 Township Line Road). With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we are thrilled to be able to help women with early detection and prevention exams.
Call (317) 872-1415 to schedule your mammogram.


text:
Q: check the database and insert if data not exist I have the table 'role' with fields user_id and role_id.I have get the new value from the another query 154,516 from the for loop.I want to check 154 is in the role table user_id if not exit insert the new field or if exist update the field.In my case update the role_id for the user_id '154' and insert the new row for '516'.
role //table
user_id   role_id
210        1
125        2
310        1
154        1

foreach($heads as $head){
          $first_count=$first_count+1;
            $roleMappingObject = new role_mapping();
            $roleMappingObject->user_id = $head->user_id;
            $roleMappingObject->role_id = 1;
            $roleMappingObject->save (); //this will insert the new row for both 154 and 516 but I want to update '154'
        }

A: In your case it seems like your role_id is not a foreign key, if that's the case you can just use the eloquent functions firstOrCreate/ firstOrNew
The firstOrCreate will search for instance with given data and return that instance or will save that instance.
The firstOrNew will find and return or create instance but doesn't save it in database as you will have to do it by calling save() method.
But if your role_id is foreign key i.e. key id of other table than you should prefer it in way defined in laravel's documentation for many to many relationship changing your role table to role_user and creating relation between users and roles table. In that way you will be able to use the methods attach / detach.

A: Set a many to many relation between your users and roles
User Model
public function roles()
{
    return $this->belongsToMany(Role::class, 'role_user');
}

Role Model
public function users()
{
    return $this->belongsToMany(Role::class, 'role_user');
}

And then
$user->roles()->attach($roleId));

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange