Hong Kong Tea House - 1868-1871

UK: How a 14-Year Old “Sir Harry Parkes” Witnessed the First [1842] “British” Photograph Taken in China! (26.10.2026)

As with all things – the “devil is in the detail” – so-to-speak. It is ironic that the British government’s attitude toward the photographic technology invented by English scientist – Walter Talbot – made it so expensive that virtually no-one British could afford to use it either in (or outside) the UK! Instead, British citizens travelling abroad often had to use the French photographic technology developed by Louis Daguerre. We can see this contradiction in operation as Western photography unfolded in China during the early 1840s. It would seem that the British took the first photograph in China (of themselves) during 1842 – but no known example of this picture exists today. Of course, a copy might exist somewhere, as of yet undiscovered. Nevertheless, there is a diary extract recording this event written by a 14-year old Harry Parkes – who would go on to be a very important British diplomat.

Felice Beato - British Photographer!

UK: The Historical Background of Colonial-Era Western Photography in Beijing! (26.10.2026)

What is truly curious, however, is that more than 30 years have since passed, yet this particular panoramic scene remains in my possession alone; I have neither encountered nor discovered the existence of a second copy. Thus, for the time being, it can be said that the earliest images of the Inner City of Beijing—specifically the area around Tiananmen—(found in printed materials from the Republic of China era) exist only in my personal collection; no one else possesses them. In terms of historical narrative, this photograph—a view of Beijing’s Inner City forcibly captured by Anglo-French aggressors—represents an eternal source of pain for the Chinese people. It serves as stark, tangible proof that a nation left behind will inevitably fall victim to aggression.

The Coats Observatory in Paisley

UK: The History of “Changing the Clocks” [It’s About to Happen]! (23.10. 2026)

The campaign for British Summer Time came about at the beginning of the 20th century when parliament passed the Summer Time Act in 1916.

British builder William Willett led the movement, inspired by his love of the outdoors. He advocated for BST in his 1907 ‘Waste of Daylight’ pamphlet to increase opportunities for leisure and help reduce energy costs.

He suggested a plan which included 20-minute changes four Sundays in a row in April and September to minimise disruption to people’s biological clocks, arguing that they would “lose nothing and gain substantially”.

He died in 1915 before his vision would become a reality.

The following year, a simplified version of his proposal – a change of an hour – was introduced as the country suffered from huge coal shortages during the First World War.

It has undergone some changes: During the Second World War, Britain kept clocks one hour ahead of GMT through the winter and, from 1941, adopted British Double Summer Time, placing clocks two hours ahead of GMT during summer months. It was then returned to GMT at the end of summer 1945.

Japan Responsible for Mongolian Forest Fire! 2026

Japan: TV Firm Apologizes Over Wildfire Started in Mongolian Nature Reserve! (23.10.2026)

The idea was to weaken it further by encouraging the Kremlin to divert troops into Asia. However, despite the material damage suffered – the USSR absorbed the losses and due to it Socialist system – was able to recover in a remarkably short-time. In just three-months of defeating the Nazi Germans – the war-weary Soviet Red Army was restructured, re-trained, and re-armed. However, the Soviets requested help from Socialist Mongolia – which was granted (Mongolia had not been involved in WWII). The Soviet Red Army entered Manchuria alongside the People’s Army of Socialist Mongolia which assisted in the destruction of he occupying Imperial Japanese. Due to the post-1945 US policy of placating a defeated Japan – Japan has not had to acknowledge, apologise, or make amends for the War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity its forces committed in China (and Asia) between 1931-1945. Today, Japan has followed the US example and elected a far-right leader – who denies War Crimes and sends tributes to the shrines dedicated to Japan’s historical War Criminals (Yes – the Americans permitted the establishment of these hideous entities). Japanese behaviour outside of Japan has become ever-more militant, destructive, and unpredictable in recent times. Many believe this fire was deliberate – and that the Japanese leadership is behind it.

Servicemembers participating in “Cyber Flag,” a weeklong cyber exercise in July 2019. (U.S. Cyber Command Public Affairs). Source: Lawfare Blog

Syria Times: US Military “Psychological Operations” & “Weaponising Information” in Support of Global Military Conquest! (19.10.2026)

“Syria was the last nation that America tried to overthrow until Russia and Iran stopped America’s regime change.  From the very beginning we heard the US-NATO- European slogans of saving the Syrian people from President Bashar Al-Assad; and the psychological war that was waged was waged against the American people and the European people.  The purpose was to brainwash the world  into the false understanding that President Bashar Al-Assad was a cruel torture and dictator, which was a complete lie,” Mr. Bennett said.

UK: London’s Holborn Viaduct! (18.10.2026)

It seems that London had evolved into to two levels – creating steep inclines and bottle-necks. Movement was inefficient and caused traffic-jams and congestion. The government needed to reduce the ability of workers to come together in ad hoc and agitated groups. Therefore, engineers and architects were tasked with creating sturdy bridges that could handle weight and continuous usage – whilst functioning to link one level of existence to another. In a way, the design – at least the steps – remind me of multi-storey car-parks – although in a much more ornate state. Like the original Tube network – thousands of working-class men (many Irish) – dedicated their lives to building these structures. Of course, these ordinary men (who performed all the labour) are not remembered – but only the middle-class who control the means of production. It is through architecture that the current generation gains an understanding of what physically existed and came before them. Through physical structure – the thoughts that were in the mind of the creators can be seen in stone, wood, and cement. Furthermore, the statues tell something about the values and belief of the time.

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