I saw the following on Facebook...dated December 27, 2025, at/around 4:56 p.m. from an account "Maria Jarvis Mitchell"
Not going to link it, because it's on Facebook...

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Has this already been discussed, here...and, I missed it?

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"...

THE FACTS …..
“Trump Isn’t “Pirating Ships” — He Must Seize and Sell 300 Venezuelan Oil Tankers to Satisfy an International Court Judgment Owed to U.S. Companies
A lot of people are reacting emotionally to the idea of oil tankers being seized, but most of the outrage comes from not understanding what is actually being discussed.
So let’s slow this down and explain it clearly, legally, and step by step.

This is not war.
This is not piracy.
This is judgment enforcement — the same principle used every day when courts seize bank accounts, property, aircraft, or cargo from someone who lost in court and refuses to pay.
1. What Venezuela did (the part that always gets skipped)
   In the 2000s, under Hugo Chávez, Venezuela seized oil projects owned by foreign companies, including major U.S. firms such as ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips.
   This wasn’t a policy disagreement.
   It was expropriation:
    • Contracts were broken
    • Assets were taken
    • Compensation that had been agreed to was not paid
   That is not controversial. It is historical fact.
2. What the courts decided
   Those U.S. companies didn’t complain on social media.
   They went to international arbitration and U.S. courts — the proper legal venues.
   They won.
   The rulings were:
    • Final
    • Binding
    • Enforceable
   Venezuela lost and was ordered to pay tens of billions of dollars in damages.
3. The real problem: Venezuela refused to pay
   Here is the key point most critics ignore:
   Venezuela refused to comply with the court judgments.
   In any legal system — domestic or international — when a party:
   • Loses in court
   • Owes a judgment
   • Refuses to pay
   …the law allows creditors to seize commercial assets belonging to the debtor outside its borders to satisfy the judgment.
   This is called judgment enforcement.
   Countries do not get a free pass simply because they are countries.
4. Why oil tankers even enter the conversation
   Venezuela’s primary commercial asset is oil.
   Oil moves on oil tankers.
   Those tankers:
   • Carry state-owned Venezuelan oil
   • Are commercial property, not military or diplomatic assets
   • Can be lawfully seized by court order in cooperating jurisdictions
   This is no different in principle from seizing:
   • A bank account
   • A plane
   • A shipment of goods
   Calling this “piracy” is legally incorrect.
    Piracy is theft without lawful authority.
    This is court-ordered seizure to collect a debt already ruled on.
5. The math everyone avoids
   Let’s use conservative, realistic numbers so no one can claim exaggeration.
   • Estimated unpaid court judgments: ~$35 billion
   • Oil price used: $62 per barrel
   • Typical large oil tanker (VLCC): ~2 million barrels
   Value of one full tanker:
   • Gross value: ~$124 million
   • Net value after realistic court-sale discounts: ~$115 million
   Now do the math:
    $35,000,000,000 ÷ $115,000,000 ≈ 300 tankers
   That’s where the number comes from.
   Not one tanker.
   Not ten.
   About three hundred.
   One tanker only covers about one-third of one percent of what Venezuela owes.
6. What this means — and what it does NOT mean
   This does not mean:
   • Tankers are being randomly grabbed
   • This is a military action
   • The goal is punishment
   It does mean:
   • Courts already ruled
   • A debt legally exists
   • Enforcement is the only option left when payment is refused
   When Donald Trump talks about seizing oil shipments, he is not inventing a new power.
   He is talking about using existing legal authority to enforce judgments Venezuela already lost.
   In plain English:
    You took property, you lost in court, you refused to pay — so your commercial assets are seized and sold until the debt is satisfied.
   That is how the rule of law works.
7. Why you don’t see hundreds of tankers seized
   Because enforcement is:
   • Legally narrow
   • Jurisdiction-dependent
   • Deliberately targeted
   Venezuela also structured its exports to:
   • Avoid enforceable ports
   • Use intermediaries
   • Break shipments into smaller pieces
   So tanker seizures are rare, careful, and strategic, not mass roundups.
   Tankers are leverage, not a magic wand.
The bottom line
   • Venezuela seized U.S. assets
   • Venezuela lost in international court
   • Venezuela refuses to pay
   • The debt is ~$35 billion
   • A tanker is worth ~$115 million net
   • It would take ~300 Venezuelan oil tankers to make the judgment whole
   This is lawful enforcement, not piracy.
   This is accounting, not aggression.
   This is what happens when court rulings are ignored.
Final thought
   People arguing “this sounds extreme” are missing the most important fact:
   The court already decided.
   Once that happens, enforcement isn’t optional — it’s inevitable.
   Everything else flows from that reality.

#Venezuela #oiltanker #OilTankerSeizure #pirates #piracy #Trump #captured.  James L Wells”
"

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(All emphases and some formatting added by me. No change/s to any language within the quotes.)

Here's a fresh take (I think) on Atlantis that I found interesting.

Quote:The myth of Atlantis has become one of the greatest enigmas and subjects of fantasy, theosophical spin, sci-fi and gossip in our modern day.

However, does a method of analysis exist that may finally resolve the many paradoxes surrounding Atlantis and identify its true location and, more importantly, Plato’s intentional purpose behind the story he outlined in his Critias and Timaeus Dialogues over 2500 years ago?

In this incredible Rising Tide Foundation Interview, I speak with researcher Jack Kelley (creator of the award winning 2024 film The Atlantis Puzzle and new book by the same name) about his efforts to bring the real story to light following the groundbreaking discoveries of his guide and mentor George Sarantatis. Jack describes how this discovery requires a re-appreciation for the mind and most importantly the METHOD of analysis developed by Plato who lived and wrote his dialogues at a time of civilizational crisis and with a specific intention.

Jack and George Sarantatis also make the point that cracking the ‘Atlantis Puzzle’ means following the lead of the great Hans Schliemann (discoverer of Troy), by taking the genuine original Greek texts authored by Plato seriously instead of treating the text like a work of pure imagination. This exercise thus means learning where systematic mistranslations of the Timeaus and Criteas have been spread by Sophists such as Oxford Classicist Benjamin Jowett across centuries derailing the actual truths of Atlantis’ real location and broader lessons available to all honest minds. It also means zeroing in on specific details, words, language, climatology, and other clues left intentionally by Plato throughout his texts. It also means overcoming the false belief that our subjective selves are separate from the objective fact of Plato’s composition, as he did write for all future generations as well as his own.There are many discoveries to be made, and this study is really the gift that keeps on giving.

However, don’t take my word for it.

In this video, inspired by Richard Feynman’s way of teaching, we question the idea that time “flows” and show why physics doesn’t see time the way you do. No metaphors, no philosophy — just a clear explanation of what time actually is, how we measure it, and why your intuition keeps getting it wrong. This video might break your brain. I had to listen to it twice.

Last night, around midnight, I was on the back porch, smoking, when I heard a light buzzing, then noticed the lights of a small drone moving along (and, at the height of) the power lines in the alley behind my house.

When it neared my house, it began to climb, then continued climbing (to, 200' - 300') while moving east, past me, 3 more houses.

It hovered over that 3rd house for a minute or more, then moved over the house next-nearer mine, and hovered another minute or so.

I moved out from under the eave, to observe, as it had positioned almost out of my line of sight...and, it took off in an east-southeasterly direction (toward downtown)...'til out of sight.

I did not see it turn, or return.

From the time I noticed it, to where it went out of sight, it had probably traveled a little less than a mile.

I purchased a couple of drones for family members, some years back...and don't recall them able to travel as far as this must have.

The only way I see it working, is if, whoever was flying it, was staying within range, in a vehicle...or, if it was owned/operated by someone other than 'civilians'.

Any thoughts?

Found a couple of uses for the Win10 task manager.

Task manager lets a user see which processes and programs are running on the PC.  It can be started by right clicking on the taskbar and selecting the "task manager" option.

Recently, my browser misbehaved and took too much memory, which made the PC unusable for most anything.  I wanted to maximize a minimized window, but couldn't. I found in task manager, for some processes, one can right click on the process name and one of the options offered is "maximize", which brought the window back up immediately.

Yesterday, I mistakenly closed the "explorer.exe" process, thinking it was the file explorer program.  Everything BUT task manager disappeared from the PC screen.  The screen was black and would not respond to mouse clicks.  I thought I might have to restart the PC.  Again, in task manager, a right click on the process name sometimes gives the option "open file location".  So I tried that for a process, and bingo, the file explorer program started and placed me in the directory that process starts from.  From there I could navigate and restart explorer.exe -- the graphical user interface started right up and I could work normally again.

Unfortunately, Microsoft has produced a bunch of tools but average users never see any guidance on how to use them.  Task manager is one of those tools.

Logan’s Run (1976) is missing between 10 and 20 minutes of footage – and those deleted scenes quietly broke the story. In this Golden Flicker video essay, we dig into the lost version of this 70s sci-fi classic and show how studio cuts warped the film we know today.

If you’ve ever felt that Logan’s Run is rushed, confusing, or full of strange continuity errors, you’re not imagining it. To secure a PG rating and a wider audience, MGM removed entire scenes: violent moments, character beats, and connective tissue that originally made the plot and relationships much clearer. The result is a compromised theatrical cut that jumps, stalls, and sometimes barely makes sense.

In this in‑depth movie analysis, we walk through what was filmed versus what survived into release. From the darker original opening hunt to the missing details of the Ice Cave and Box, we reconstruct the lost version of the story and explain how those edits changed the tone, themes, and emotional impact of Logan’s journey.

https://t.co/prlD7eYJhN

Quote:

• U.S. military says it coordinated with Nigeria on strike
  
• Trump has warned of threat to Christians in West African country
  
• U.S. has conducted intelligence-gathering flights
  

PALM BEACH, Florida, Dec 25 (Reuters) - The United States carried out a strike against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria at the request of Nigeria's government, President Donald Trump and the U.S. military said on Thursday, claiming the group had been targeting Christians in the region.
"Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.

The U.S. military’s Africa Command said the strike was carried out in Sokoto state in coordination with the Nigerian authorities and killed multiple ISIS militants. An earlier statement posted by the command on X said the strike had been conducted at the request of Nigerian authorities, but that statement was later removed.
The strike comes after Trump in late October began warning that Christianity faces an "existential threat" in Nigeria and threatened to militarily intervene in the West African country over what he says is its failure to stop violence targeting Christian communities.
Reuters reported on Monday the U.S. had been conducting intelligence-gathering flights over large parts of Nigeria since late November.

'MORE TO COME'
Nigeria’s foreign ministry said the strike was carried out as part of ongoing security cooperation with the United States, involving intelligence sharing and strategic coordination to target militant groups.
"This has led to precision hits on terrorist targets in Nigeria by air strikes in the North West," the ministry said in a post on X.

Item 1 of 2 U.S. President Donald Trump makes an announcement about the Navy's "Golden Fleet", as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of the Navy John Phelan listen, at Mar-a-lago in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., December 22, 2025. REUTERS/Jessica Koscielniak
[1/2]U.S. President Donald Trump makes an announcement about the Navy's "Golden Fleet", as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of the Navy John Phelan listen, at Mar-a-lago in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., December 22, 2025. REUTERS/Jessica Koscielniak Purchase Licensing Rights
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A video posted by the Pentagon showed at least one projectile launched from a warship. A U.S. defense official said the strike targeted multiple militants at known ISIS camps.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on X thanked the Nigerian government for its support and cooperation and added: “More to come...”
Nigeria's government has said armed groups target both Muslims and Christians, and U.S. claims that Christians face persecution do not represent the complex security situation and ignore efforts to safeguard religious freedom. But it has agreed to work with the U.S. to bolster its forces against militant groups.

The country's population is split between Muslims living primarily in the north and Christians in the south.
Police said earlier on Thursday a suspected suicide bomber killed at least five people and injured 35 others at a mosque in Nigeria's northeast, another region troubled by Islamist insurgents.
In a Christmas message posted on X earlier, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu called for peace in his country, "especially between individuals of differing religious beliefs."

He also said: "I stand committed to doing everything within my power to enshrine religious freedom in Nigeria and to protect Christians, Muslims, and all Nigerians from violence."
Trump issued his statement on the strike on Christmas Day while he was at his Palm Beach, Florida, Mar-a-Lago Club, where he has been spending the holiday. He had no public events during the day and was last seen by the reporters traveling with him on Wednesday night.
The U.S. military last week launched separate large-scale strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria, after Trump vowed to hit back in the wake of a suspected ISIS attack on U.S. personnel in the country.
Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt, Idrees Ali, Surbhi Misra and Simon Lewis; additional reporting by Donna Bryson and Maria Tsvetkova; Editing by Chris Reese and Michael Perry

https://lists.theepochtimes.com/links/Bp...CxGAlwFL2m

Quote:[/url]
Trump Unveils ‘Golden Fleet’ Initiative, New Battleship Class to Boost Sea Power
The president introduces new plans to revive U.S. shipbuilding and expand the Navy’s ship inventory.



President Donald Trump, flanked by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Navy Secretary John Phelan, announces the U.S. Navy's new Golden Fleet initiative, unveiling a new class of warships, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on Dec. 22, 2025. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

President Donald Trump unveiled plans for a new fleet of large warships, to be called “Trump-class” battleships, as part of his vision to build a “Golden Fleet,” in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday.
The new initiative comes as the Navy has seen setbacks in its shipbuilding efforts in recent decades, including the cancellation of the Constellation-class frigate program last month.
Speaking to reporters at Mar-a-Lago with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Navy Secretary John Phelan, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the president referenced the Iowa-class battleships of the World War II era, saying the new battleship class will represent “100 times the force, the power.”
“I have approved a plan for the Navy to begin the construction of two brand new, very large—largest we’ve ever built—battleships,” Trump said.
“There’s never been anything like these ships. These have been under design consideration for a long time, and it started with me in my first term.”
Trump stated that the plan is to begin with two ships, expand to 10, and eventually increase the total to between 20 and 25.
Related Stories

Trump Makes Announcement With Secretaries of War and the Navy


How the Trump Admin’s Defense Moves Are Increasing Pressure on Beijing
[url=https://www.theepochtimes.com/opinion/how-the-trump-admins-defense-moves-are-increasing-pressure-on-beijing-5961016?ea_src=author_manual&ea_med=related_stories]
He said the first two ships in the class will be built in 2.5 years.
The president also said he plans to meet with defense contractors in the coming days to discuss limiting executive pay, dividends, and stock buybacks, and to encourage them to invest more in their businesses.
Speaking at the event, Phelan referred to the new warships as the “Trump class battleship,” and stated they will be the “largest, deadliest, most versatile, and best looking warship anywhere on the world’s oceans.”
One of the first ships in the new class will be named the USS Defiant.
The new battleship class is not the first time the military has designated a new weapon platform as a tribute to the 47th president. Earlier this year, the U.S. Air Force designated its new stealth fighter, the F-47.
During his Monday remarks, Trump indicated he will have a role in designing the new Trump-class battleship.
He said the new battleship will be equipped with hypersonic missile launchers, electromagnetic rail-guns, and high-powered lasers.
Last week, Phelan first announced plans for a separate new class of frigates, to begin production under the new “Golden Fleet” initiative.
“I have directed a new Frigate class as part of @POTUS Golden Fleet,” Phelan stated on X on Dec. 19. “Built on a proven American design, in American shipyards, with an American supply chain, this effort is focused on one outcome: delivering combat power to the Fleet fast.”
This yet-to-be-named frigate class picks up where the Constellation-class program ended. The new ship will be based on the same core design Huntington Ingalls Industry has used for the U.S. Coast Guard’s Legend-class national security cutters.
Frigates are a smaller category of warships compared to destroyers, cruisers, and battleships.
In last week’s frigate announcement, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle said recent U.S. military operations in the Red and Caribbean Seas had proven the value of being able to dispatch smaller warships for distributed operations.
“We need more capable blue-water small combatants to close the gap and keep our [destroyers] focused on the high end fight,” Caudle said.
Trump’s Monday announcement comes days after he signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), authorizing $901 billion in military and national security programs for Fiscal Year 2026.

Quote:For decades there have been rumors, and a little more than conjecture with some evidence that rogue personnel in the CIA and NSA were running drugs from South America to fund their clandestine operations with regard to supplying weapons to Iran and the Contra rebels in Nicaragua, by passing Congressional scrutiny. One of the primary players in this long running saga was a pilot named Barry Seal. But he was not alone. Seal and his friend Roger Reaves was one of the most prolific drug smugglers in history. Let’s look into who they were working for and what happened. Written and hosted by Colin D. Heaton. Forgotten History is a 10th Legion Pictures Production.

It won't happen but Thailand could topple the X-Pol Pot leaders of Cambodia and the world would be better off for it. Everything China touches seems to be immoral and just plain wrong..

Quote:As the Thailand-Cambodia conflict escalates, a deeper power struggle—far beyond borders and headlines—is quietly coming into view. Public attention has focused on military clashes and diplomatic statements. But beneath the surface, a more complex network of power, interests, and hidden arrangements is shaping how this conflict unfolds. In this episode, we examine what the strikes and escalations have revealed—and why recent developments point to forces operating well beyond the battlefield. From cross-border criminal networks and opaque institutional expansions, to shifting internal dynamics and growing public unease, a broader picture begins to emerge. We also look at why certain models once operating overseas appear to be reconfiguring, and how regional instability may be exposing deeper structural struggles. The sharp contrast between official narratives and public reactions offers an important clue into where real pressure is building. This is not just a story about Cambodia or Thailand. It is about how power moves, how interests realign, and why conflicts on the surface often conceal far deeper struggles beneath.