Palestinians are seen at a school after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, on April 23, 2025.

Gaza: Israel Attacks School – Silence from Collective West! (24.4.2024)

In a joint statement, the Shin Bet and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the strike targeted a “command and control centre” used by Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants that was embedded within the Yaffa School in the Tuffah neighbourhood of Gaza City.

According to the statement, militants used the site to “plan and execute terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops.”

Israel has faced repeated accusations of striking schools, tent camps, medical facilities, and UN shelters housing displaced people. Israel often argues it targets militants hiding within civilian infrastructure.

At least 51,305 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza since the offensive began in October 2023, according to an update from Gaza’s health authorities.

Haytor Neidan Self-Cultivation!

Ch’an Dao Blog Article – Neidan As We Get Older! (18.4.2025)

I suspect the ancient Greeks encountered Buddhist monasticism when visiting India (such as Pythagoras), learned the Buddhist method of “looking within”, and then adjusted the technique as a means to “prove” the efficacy of their particular philosophical perspectives (the work of Plotinus may be taken as an example of this endeavour). Later, via the Greeks, a community of Jews (in Qumran) started sitting in meditation to personally attain a “glimpse of Yahweh” – a practice that eventually spread to the reformed Jewish sect of “Christianity” – whose adherents started to meditate whilst sat in the caves found in the Egyptian Desert (this type of Christianity spread to Britain – hundreds of years prior to Catholicism – becoming “Celtic Christianity”).

Bashplemi Tablet - Georgia

UK: Georgia’s Undeciphered “Bashplemi Tablet”! (10.4.2025)

The next idea is that it might be a votive offering created as an act of worship – then thrown into a lake – to placate some type of pre-Christian deity. Of course, Georgia is not a Celtic area – with the (non-Celtic) Pagan Vikings not arriving until in the region until around the 8th-9th century CE (around four centuries after the arrival of Christianity). The problem with this idea is that if the people of Georgia were advanced enough to read, write and technologically produce such a stone tablet (using at least two-types of drill) – why go through all this effort just to throw the finished product into a local body of water? Perhaps the tablet was dropped into the lake by mistake. Either way, the tablet contains 60 discernible characters – 21 of which are unique – whilst 39 are repeated.

Dead Confederate sharpshooters of Hood's Division among the rocks in Devil's Den in front of Little Round Top.

CSA: Remembering the Bravery of “Irish” Company “K” – 15th Alabama – Little Round-Top [2.7.1863] – Gettysburg! (3.4.2025)

The weather was hot – and the Confederates had to advance over open ground before storming an inclined slope (in the form of a steep hill) – with the intention of sweeping the Federals off its top and consolidating the victory. The previous day had seen the Confederates sweep the Federals out of West and Central Gettysburg – and into the hills to its East. Washington was just 80 miles to the South – and legend has it that Lincoln was packing his belongings to flee! I have audio-typed part of a chapter from Stephen Sears’ book – carefully reproducing the text from an Audible edition (in my native British English). This provides a general background to the battle – but does not mention the Irish specifically – other than one or two fighting for the Union. For the story of “Company K” of the 15th Alabama Regiment of the Confederate States of America (CSA) – we must turn to the excellent work of Phillip Thomas Tucker – who has produced an excellent book examining the contribution to the Confederate cause made by the Irish!

General George Pickett - CSA

CSA: BBC Antiques Roadshow “Experts” Convicted of Fraud After Appearing on Show! (1.4.2025)

Although a small number of the Confederate soldiers managed to reach the Union lines and engage in hand-to-hand combat, they were ultimately overwhelmed. The charge ended in a disastrous defeat for the Confederates, with more than half of the men involved either killed, wounded, or captured. Meanwhile, on a different part of the battlefield, the Union scored yet another decisive victory at Vicksburg on July 4th, 1863, the day after the defeat at Gettysburg (a conflict had been raging at Vicksburg since the beginning of the war – with the defending Confederates scoring a number of victories – but nothing decisive). Nevertheless, despite these heavy-blows, General Lee managed to muster what was left of his Army and retreat in good order back to the South – and continue the war for another two-years.

Stephen Spencer West Co. I “the Granville Stars” 23rd NC Infantry CSA. He was born in Oxford, Granville County, North Carolina in 1837. He was killed in action during the Battle of Chancellorsville on May 2, 1863

CSA: Remembering the [1863] Bravery of the 23rd North Carolina Infantry Regiment [and Other Carolina Men] – at Gettysburg! (27.3.2025)

Jefferson had to draw from a limited pool of men (compared to the North – which possessed an endless supply of recruits – as every newly arrived migrant was enrolled into the US Army) – Jefferson managed to assemble around 80,000 (aged 12-60) – gave every man a uniform, hat and pair of boots, and ensured all were armed and fed. The idea was to Punish the Lincoln Administration that had tried on numerous occasions to militarily invade and subjugate the South. It was General Lee who suggested to Jefferson Davis that an invasion into the North – and a decisive military victory near Washington – might force Lincoln to sue for peace. Lincoln, however, had other ideas, and refused any such compromise, stating that he strove for the utter destruction of the South.

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