Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[bambu.]

Remember 'The Bali 9" young drug smugglers caught in Indonesia in 2005 trying to smuggle about 17 lbs of heroin out of Bali and into Australia?
What's left of them .......(2 executed...baaah!, one(the woman) had her sentenced reduced on appeal and was released several years ago, one died in hospital from cancer or something, .......five, have now returned to Australia as free men, thanks to the compassion of the new President of Indonesia, after a request from Albo in Peru recently.
Reunited with their families.

No drug trade without willing, paying customers.

[FlyingVProd]

Richard Branson

Amidst all the turmoil and crises facing the world these days, it is important to highlight the moments that lift our spirits. This weekend, I was touched by the joy and the spontaneous celebrations of millions of Syrians around the world upon hearing that Bashar al-Assad had resigned as the ruler of Syria and unceremoniously fled his country to Moscow. After more than 50 years of iron-fisted rule by the Assad clan, propped up by the dictators in Iran and, more recently, Russia, many Syrians got a taste of freedom for the first time in their lives. This was as uplifting a moment of liberation as any we have seen in the last 40 years. Of course, ending the brutal rule of Assad is one thing. Keeping the peace and rebuilding a nation so fragmented and battered is another matter altogether. Here is my thoughts on Syria: https://virg.in/41x4ZyK

-----------

The best way to build a new nation is to have a roadmap of what you would like to become. For the USA we had Greece and Rome as examples of democracies to copy. Syria can pick a place that they want to emulate and then they can have a roadmap of what they want to become. Syria has 25 Million people. The United Nations and UNICEF can help as things evolve.

Salute,

Tony V.

[FlyingVProd]

Remember 'The Bali 9" young drug smugglers caught in Indonesia in 2005 trying to smuggle about 17 lbs of heroin out of Bali and into Australia?
What's left of them .......(2 executed...baaah!, one(the woman) had her sentenced reduced on appeal and was released several years ago, one died in hospital from cancer or something, .......five, have now returned to Australia as free men, thanks to the compassion of the new President of Indonesia, after a request from Albo in Peru recently.
Reunited with their families.

No drug trade without willing, paying customers.

Pope Francis has good relations with Indonesia, they love him there, so we are lucky in that regard. And the Pope is always there to help.

And yes, the drug trade, so sad and destructive. If only we could teach all of the children to just say "NO!"

Holland has had success with educating the children to avoid drugs, and that is our best bet, keep telling the children to avoid drugs and help them to understand.

I have a friend who is a Rock Star, and he was in the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the band was on heroin, so he had to quit the band, meanwhile the guitar player who replaced him in the Chili Peppers died from a heroin over-dose. My friend is still working for success, but he is clean and sober as he works to succeed. My friend is a hero to the punkers in Venice Beach, and he is a good Christian, he will be a good role model when he succeeds, and he can produce the new bands with his record label, etc, he produced a band named "Neighborhood Watch" and he can produce other bands. He might be very rich someday. But anyhow, heroin is bad news, and meth, and cocaine, and fentanyl, it is all bad.

Salute,

Tony V.

[bambu.]

 Suspected alcohol poisoning in Fiji:

DT today:

Four Australians hospitalised in Fiji for suspected alcohol poisoning are in a critical condition, as the five-star resort at the centre of the incident spoke out.

One victim's friend said she was "foaming at the mouth" and suffering seizures, according to the Daily Mail.

He claimed an Australian woman was seen bleeding from her ears, the outlet reports.

#####

Suspected methanol poisoning, judging by the sketch of a human body with arrows pointing to different parts of the body, and details of the effect of methanol poisoning on them....in the DT article.

Never again will I ever drink anything that doesn't come in a brand name can or bottle that I open myself.

[FlyingVProd]

Back in around 1990 I rode a Greyhound Bus from Battle Mountain, Nevada, to Orlando, Florida, to try to get a job and relocate to Florida. I bought a beach cruiser bicycle from a pawn shop and I rode it all over Orlando looking for a job, and I also went to Cocoa Beach. While I was applying for jobs in Orlando I rode my bicycle past a young Black man who tried to sell me crack cocaine, and I stopped and I told him that he was lucky that I did not kick his ass, and I told him to get a real job. Well, the next day I was out applying for jobs again, and I saw the young Black man with a whole bunch of his friends, and he pointed at me, and they all started chasing me, I had to peddle my bike very fast to outrun them. I got away safely. But, all of us need to tell the drug dealers that we do not want that shit in our neighborhoods.

Salute,

Tony V.

[bambu.]

Back in around 1990 I rode a Greyhound Bus from Battle Mountain, Nevada, to Orlando, Florida, to try to get a job and relocate to Florida. I bought a beach cruiser bicycle from a pawn shop and I rode it all over Orlando looking for a job, and I also went to Cocoa Beach. While I was applying for jobs in Orlando I rode my bicycle past a young Black man who tried to sell me crack cocaine, and I stopped and I told him that he was lucky that I did not kick his ass, and I told him to get a real job. Well, the next day I was out applying for jobs again, and I saw the young Black man with a whole bunch of his friends, and he pointed at me, and they all started chasing me, I had to peddle my bike very fast to outrun them. I got away safely. But, all of us need to tell the drug dealers that we do not want that shit in our neighborhoods.

Salute,

Tony V.

Telling drug dealers anything sounds to me like a very bad idea, given your experience and from what I've read.
Best idea if offered drugs is to politely decline and move on.
"No thank you, ...........have a nice day".

Offered drugs by friends, anywhere, it's OK to say NO.
They might hate you for it and never speak to you again...but so be it...your well-being is the most important thing.

[FlyingVProd]

Back in around 1990 I rode a Greyhound Bus from Battle Mountain, Nevada, to Orlando, Florida, to try to get a job and relocate to Florida. I bought a beach cruiser bicycle from a pawn shop and I rode it all over Orlando looking for a job, and I also went to Cocoa Beach. While I was applying for jobs in Orlando I rode my bicycle past a young Black man who tried to sell me crack cocaine, and I stopped and I told him that he was lucky that I did not kick his ass, and I told him to get a real job. Well, the next day I was out applying for jobs again, and I saw the young Black man with a whole bunch of his friends, and he pointed at me, and they all started chasing me, I had to peddle my bike very fast to outrun them. I got away safely. But, all of us need to tell the drug dealers that we do not want that shit in our neighborhoods.

Salute,

Tony V.

Telling drug dealers anything sounds to me like a very bad idea, given your experience and from what I've read.
Best idea if offered drugs is to politely decline and move on.
"No thank you, ...........have a nice day".

Offered drugs by friends, anywhere, it's OK to say NO.
They might hate you for it and never speak to you again...but so be it...your well-being is the most important thing.

One time a drug dealer tried to rent an apartment in my complex and he told me that he was going to sell meth out of the apartment, so I simply told the manager to deny his application.

And yes, just say "No."

Salute,

Tony V.

[FlyingVProd]

I do not like Musk, and I do not think that we should make him into one of the most powerful men in the world, and what if Musk just up and decided to move Space X and the Space Program to South Africa? Musk got rich from American workers and American technology and from American schools training his workers.

NASA is government owned, and I support NASA, and I helped to build the Visitor's Center at NASA out at Edwards Air Force Base. And I support Lockheed, and Northrop, and even Boeing, and JPL, etc, I just do not like Musk. I had a step dad who was the boss of the Space Shuttle Program for Rockwell, but Rockwell is gone now.

It would serve Trump right if Musk moved Space X and the whole space program to South Africa.

Salute,

Tony V.

[FlyingVProd]

Education is the answer for the world, and for America, and we need early childhood education.

And we need to make those arrested for domestic violence take Anger Management Classes, and Relationship Classes, and Parenting Classes, etc, we need to educate and teach our people how to live better lives.

Also, building walls is for lazy people, we need to have diplomacy and teamwork with Mexico and not walls. We can work together on mutual concerns. And Mexico can send food to Kentucky while the poor people of Kentucky all go to college.

I also support bringing the film and television industry back to California where we have talented artists with wonderful schools already in place. It is important for us to send our own organic message to the world with our arts. The AADA in Hollywood closed down, so the actors will have to train at the AADA in New York now, until we can open the Hollywood location up again, with some rich donors then the Hollywood location can be reopened. And the $750 Million in incentives will help, hopefully some projects can be done here in Anaheim, and it would be great to get my project made or sold. Also people can make movies and television shows in Malibu, etc, and in Lancaster.

The world is a very frustrating place, California has been in decline and our streets are full of homeless people. Mayor Bass is helping, but it has been hard, and there is a lot of work to do. And we need for the Churches to help the poor and the homeless, and we need for the Churches to do Childcare and to teach the children the 10 Commandments and the Golden Rule, etc. I volunteered to help with the childcare for the YMCA in Lancaster for a short time. And we need to get the children into reading books, we need to instill a love of reading in them, we can teach them how to read in Early Childhood Education when they are 4 years old.

I do not support selling our movie studios to the Japanese, and I do not support Musk, and meanwhile we need to nourish our children and instill in them a love for reading.

Also, maybe Edgar Bronfman Jr can open a new movie and television studio in Anaheim with help from John Badham who made "Saturday Night Fever" who just retired from Chapman film school.

I pray for peace. We need education and peace.

Salute,

Tony V.

[FlyingVProd]

Supervisor Barger

Coming soon: Three new mental health care programs for our Antelope Valley communities! We broke ground today on the sorely-needed High Desert Crisis Residential Treatment Program, Children and Youth Crisis Stabilization Unit, and Mental Health Hub, which will expand services by 400% in the AV.

-----------

More Mental Health Associations like the one in Santa Ana are needed, as are more Wellness Centers like the one in Orange.

And we need to train more Doctors, Psychiatrists, and Dentists. We can build a Medical School in Morehead, Kentucky, etc.

Salute,

Tony V.

[LarryBnDC]

Back in around 1990 I rode a Greyhound Bus from Battle Mountain, Nevada, to Orlando, Florida, to try to get a job and relocate to Florida. I bought a beach cruiser bicycle from a pawn shop and I rode it all over Orlando looking for a job, and I also went to Cocoa Beach. While I was applying for jobs in Orlando I rode my bicycle past a young Black man who tried to sell me crack cocaine, and I stopped and I told him that he was lucky that I did not kick his ass, and I told him to get a real job. Well, the next day I was out applying for jobs again, and I saw the young Black man with a whole bunch of his friends, and he pointed at me, and they all started chasing me, I had to peddle my bike very fast to outrun them. I got away safely. But, all of us need to tell the drug dealers that we do not want that shit in our neighborhoods.

Salute,

Tony V.

Back in 1991 I was the Executive Director of the North Amityville Community Economic Council and my office was in an depressed area known as The Corner that was the epicenter of drug activity in western Suffolk County, NY.

I was going in to work on a rainy morning when I saw one of the corner boys taking refuge under the awning of my entrance.
I told him he could not be slinging rocks in front of my office and at first he tried to be hostile but because I was not intimidated he chilled out and I again told him he had to move. He replied he was engaged in his business and I should just go inside.


I said, you are a businessman, huh. Well, who is your lawyer?
He was baffled by the question. Long story short I made him think about the business he was in and how part of the cost of doing business he should have a lawyer on retainer because of the eventuality of arrest and did he want a guy who would take his call or did he want to depend on a public defender who already had a hundred cases on his desk. We also discussed the truth about the money he made after working 18 hours in a day was equivalent to the money folks made at McDonalds without the benefits. We talked for close to an hour about life and his goals then shook hands and he moved out from in front of my office.

When I came in the next day I did not see him and did not see him on the corner again.

A few months later I met my wife for lunch at the local Red Lobster. While we were dining the table across from us was being bussed by a young man who approached our table and asked me if I remembered him. It was the drug dealer from my office entrance. He was enrolled at Farmingdale College working on his Associates degree while working as many shifts as he could at the restaurant. We kept in contact and I would occasionally meet with him even as my professional life in New York was circling the drain.

He earned his Associates degree and moved to California as he had been accepted into a business program at Cal State Fullerton where we eventually lost touch as I had to focus on establishing myself in unfamiliar territory.

[FlyingVProd]

Back in around 1990 I rode a Greyhound Bus from Battle Mountain, Nevada, to Orlando, Florida, to try to get a job and relocate to Florida. I bought a beach cruiser bicycle from a pawn shop and I rode it all over Orlando looking for a job, and I also went to Cocoa Beach. While I was applying for jobs in Orlando I rode my bicycle past a young Black man who tried to sell me crack cocaine, and I stopped and I told him that he was lucky that I did not kick his ass, and I told him to get a real job. Well, the next day I was out applying for jobs again, and I saw the young Black man with a whole bunch of his friends, and he pointed at me, and they all started chasing me, I had to peddle my bike very fast to outrun them. I got away safely. But, all of us need to tell the drug dealers that we do not want that shit in our neighborhoods.

Salute,

Tony V.

Back in 1991 I was the Executive Director of the North Amityville Community Economic Council and my office was in an depressed area known as The Corner that was the epicenter of drug activity in western Suffolk County, NY.

I was going in to work on a rainy morning when I saw one of the corner boys taking refuge under the awning of my entrance.
I told him he could not be slinging rocks in front of my office and at first he tried to be hostile but because I was not intimidated he chilled out and I again told him he had to move. He replied he was engaged in his business and I should just go inside.


I said, you are a businessman, huh. Well, who is your lawyer?
He was baffled by the question. Long story short I made him think about the business he was in and how part of the cost of doing business he should have a lawyer on retainer because of the eventuality of arrest and did he want a guy who would take his call or did he want to depend on a public defender who already had a hundred cases on his desk. We also discussed the truth about the money he made after working 18 hours in a day was equivalent to the money folks made at McDonalds without the benefits. We talked for close to an hour about life and his goals then shook hands and he moved out from in front of my office.

When I came in the next day I did not see him and did not see him on the corner again.

A few months later I met my wife for lunch at the local Red Lobster. While we were dining the table across from us was being bussed by a young man who approached our table and asked me if I remembered him. It was the drug dealer from my office entrance. He was enrolled at Farmingdale College working on his Associates degree while working as many shifts as he could at the restaurant. We kept in contact and I would occasionally meet with him even as my professional life in New York was circling the drain.

He earned his Associates degree and moved to California as he had been accepted into a business program at Cal State Fullerton where we eventually lost touch as I had to focus on establishing myself in unfamiliar territory.

Very cool. I love stories like that. Awesome.

Salute,

Tony V.

[FlyingVProd]

Toyota is investing Billions of dollars in Kentucky, and I warned the Governor of Kentucky that the workers need good labor unions to demand fair pay and good treatment.

I told him to be sure that the workers of Kentucky have good labor unions, and that the workers receive fair pay and good treatment. The Japanese are notorious for treating workers like low wage slave labor. The workers need fair pay and good treatment. The investments are not worth a shit if our people work like slaves 90 hours per week while all of the money is sent back to Japan. Kentucky needs to have good labor unions.

Salute,

Tony V.

[FlyingVProd]

The poor and vulnerable and uneducated people of Kentucky need to form labor unions to fight for their right to a good life as the Japanese invest in Kentucky.

I worked for the Japanese when they owned Universal Studios here in Hollywood, and I had many years of work experience, I had almost a decade of Business Management experience, and experience doing Customer Service, etc, and a college degree, and they paid everyone the bare minimum wage, they worked everyone like slaves, I could not afford to rent an apartment and I had to live with family members and even after I proved my value then my wages never increased.

The whole Entertainment Industry here in Hollywood had to go on strike, the actors went on strike, the writers went on strike, everyone went on strike, because the Japanese refuse to pay workers fair. We have to form unions and fight for fair pay and good treatment.

Life is too short to work 90 hours per week for slave wages while you suffer in poverty. Why bother working if you still have to live in poverty? It is very important for Kentucky to have good labor unions for their workers.

The Labor Unions need to protect the poor and vulnerable and desperate and uneducated people in Kentucky.

We also need to build schools in Kentucky, and we need to educate the people there, and we need Doctors, and Psychiatrists, and Dentists, etc.

Salute,

Tony V.

[bambu.]

Addition:
From commenters in the newspaper article online about the alleged alcohol poisoning in Fiji, ...I've learnt that, allegedly, not everything 'alcoholic' etc is what it's supposed to be, including drinks in brand name bottles.

Developing countries are not on my travel list.
Nor are countries whose first language is not English.
So it's best I travel the world via my tv screen.
Safer, cheaper, more comfortable, no queues, no weather issues, bathroom facilities always clean and sweet smelling....
...and no poisoned/contaminated drinks.