I have blogged a lot about "The Vietnam War", it defined my Dads Generation and it also defined mine to an extent because we felt the effect of it. I am a product of the 80's U.S. Army and an Army brat, those that know what that is know what that is. I have more in kinship with the Vietnam war soldiers than the soldiers of the GWOT and Afghanistan partly because the experiences of the Army of the 1980's were paid for by the Army of Vietnam and sure we had some really cool gear but mostly if you stood a Soldier from Vietnam together from a soldier from the first Gulf war, the gear and rifle are similar, whereas the soldier from the GWOT looked a lot different.
Soldiers from an U.S Army unit head out after being airlifted in to interdict the NVA during one of the many operations that seemed to define the war.
Soldiers from an Army Airborne unit pose together. after the end of the ground war. You can tell, our gear are similar, our training was similar but we had incorporated "Airland Battle" and this new tactic is how we introduced what became known as "Hyperwar" to the world because of the speed we took down the 4th largest military in the world.
Fall of Saigon—50 Years Later
Vietnam is marking the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon
today, commemorating the end of the Vietnam War. A military parade in Ho Chi
Minh City—the former South Vietnamese capital of Saigon—is expected to draw
more than 13,000 people, including delegations from several countries. US
officials are not on the guest list, a mutual diplomatic decision despite improved relations in recent decades.
The anniversary marks the day North
Vietnamese forces captured the city, ending nearly two decades of war and
unifying the country under communist rule. Although American combat troops
withdrew in 1973, thousands of personnel remained. On April 30, 1975, the US
launched the largest helicopter evacuation in history—airlifting
about 7,000 Americans and South Vietnamese civilians. The operation began
with a coded broadcast of Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” over Armed Forces
Radio. The war's end also prompted a large migration: Today, more than 1.3
million Vietnamese immigrants live in the US.
At the war’s peak, about 543,400 US troops
were stationed in the country. The US continues to honor Vietnam veterans
through a 13-year commemoration set to conclude on
Veterans Day. See photos here.
I have been wondering about this, what happened to the preachers and teachers of old, who would teach morality according to Gods law and His word, but now we have people telling us we must accept what we know is unacceptable in the "Name of Love" We must turn the other cheek, no matter the transgression we must accept the secular rules of people we know are "godless" by the people that run our church, then the churches wonder why membership is falling off. People want guidance on how to navigate spiritually in a world that seems to to have embraced sin to an extent that would have made "Caligula's Rome" seem tame and give "Sodom and Gomorrah" a run for the depravity dept. I don't know what is to come, but as they say "May we Live in Interesting Times".
How to Spot False Teachers in an Age of Compromise
March 26, 2025
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We live in an era where truth is branded “hate,” righteousness is mocked as “bigotry,” and those who dare to proclaim God’s Word without apology are crucified by the world. The Apostle Paul’s warning to Timothy cuts to the heart of our current crisis: “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons” (1 Timothy 4:1). False teachers are not lurking in shadows—they’re on prime-time TV, bestselling book lists, and even behind pulpits. But their fruit betrays them. Worse yet, many of the most dangerous offenders wear the label “Christian” while preaching doctrines crafted in hell.
Paul charged Timothy to “command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer” (1 Timothy 1:3) and exposed the motives of these spiritual frauds: “They are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions” (1 Timothy 6:4). Today’s false teachers operate the same way. They peddle feel-good heresies, twist Scripture to excuse sin, and stir division by aligning with cultural rebellion over biblical fidelity. Shockingly, many of these wolves claim to follow Christ. They preach a “gospel” stripped of repentance, justice, and holiness—a cheap grace that winks at sexual immorality, mocks biblical manhood and womanhood, and swaps the fear of God for political correctness.
These self-professing Christians are the worst offenders. They parrot the world’s values while attacking those who uphold God’s standards. They label faithful believers “divisive” or “unloving” for refusing to bless what God calls sin. They conform to the world so completely that they become indistinguishable from it, violating Paul’s command: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). They are modern Judaizers, more devoted to social approval than Scripture.
Speaking truth today comes at a price. The world’s system—run by the “enemies of God” (James 4:4)—rewards compromise and punishes courage. If you preach that salvation is through Christ alone (John 14:6) and say “Christ is King!” prepare to be labeled “antisemitic.” If you call sin sin, expect to be deplatformed, debanked, or slandered as a “phobe” of some kind. This is not conjecture—it’s reality. Jesus said, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18).
Yet contrast this with the compromisers. They’re celebrated! They land New York Times columns, ink book deals with publishers who despise God’s standards, and receive standing ovations for preaching a neutered “gospel” of moral relativism. Their doctrine is a buffet of heresy—take what you like, leave the “offensive” parts. They are modern-day Balaams, “who loved the wages of wickedness” (2 Peter 2:15), trading eternal truth for temporary relevance. Even more grotesque, many of these deceivers claim to represent Christ while forming alliances with those who openly mock Him.
Balaam, the ancient mercenary prophet, sold his divine gift to the highest bidder, attempting to curse God’s people for a paycheck—until the Lord sovereignly hijacked his lips (Numbers 22-24). But when his curses failed, Balaam weaponized compromise, seducing Israel into idolatry and sexual sin to trigger God’s judgment (Numbers 31:16). His legacy? A warning label stamped on every spiritual hustler who exploits God’s people for power, profit, or political clout.
Fast-forward to today: modern Balaams have swapped Moab’s gold for Zionist idolatry, turning the modern state of Israel into an untouchable golden calf. They preach that blind allegiance to a geopolitical nation-state—one that often tramples the poor, persecutes believers, and mocks Christ—is equal to faithfulness to God’s eternal covenant. This is heresy. These charlatans extort churches and governments, waving Bible verses like magic charms to justify apartheid, corruption, and war crimes, all while silencing prophets who dare to say, “Thus saith the Lord: ‘He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?’” (Micah 6:8).
The same spirit of Balaam that corrupted ancient Israel now infiltrates pulpits and airwaves, demanding Christians bow to a nation rather than the King of Nations. These wolves twist Scripture to equate criticism of modern Israel’s wickedness with “antisemitism,” spiritually blackmailing believers into funding oppression. They’re not defending God’s people (Christians)—they’re defending their own power. Just as Balaam used religion to enrich himself while leading Israel into moral ruin, these false shepherds exploit end-time madness to build empires and line their pockets, ignoring Amos’ roar: “Let justice roll on like a river!” (Amos 5:24). True Zion isn’t a flag or a border—it’s Christ Himself, the Lion of Judah, who demands His Church rise above this wicked idolatry of those who hate and reject Him and stand unflinching for truth, even when it costs us donors, platforms, or fake “prophetic” accolades. The Lord sees. The Lord judges. And He still has a remnant who won’t trade eternity for the cheap glitter of Balaam’s wages.
False teachers are easy to spot. They’re the ones handing out participation trophies in the race to hell. They claim to love Jesus but reject His commands (John 14:15). They quote Scripture out of context to justify evil and silence the faithful. They are “clouds without rain” (Jude 1:12)—promising revival but delivering rebellion.
To the remnant refusing to bow: keep fighting. Paul’s charge to Timothy is ours: “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2). Do not fear the wolves, especially those in church attire. “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them” (Ephesians 5:11).
We serve a King who was crucified, slandered, and buried—only to rise in victory. So speak. Expose. Unmask the wolves. And remember: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). The answer? No one. Now go live like it.
Several of my Monday Music themes are of G.I's and their "Girls" I remember doing a song about Dr Hook and "Sylvia's Mother" to me it was about a G.I trying to reach his girl before deploying to the Southeast Asian "War Games". Steve Miller and his "Jet Airliner" was another popular one. I'm sure there were others.
I ran across this song in the mid-late 1980's perhaps 1988-1989, I thought this was a real neat song. I heard it on a German radio station where I would surf around for something else to listen to when AFN would start playing country or Rap. I was very interested in this girl, but it was not returned if you know what I mean, I was in "the Friend Zone" Then I started dating another girl and she then rotated to the world and she promised me that we would stay together, because I was expected to rotate to the world soon and instead, she "Dear Johned me within 3 weeks of DEROS. Long Distance Relationships, Yep, they normally don't work. When I got orders for deployment in 1990 for Desert Shield, I was dating a German girl, wasn't real serious and yes I broke it off. I didn't want any entanglements to screw with my game over there, and after seeing some of the stuff I saw happen to other people getting dear Johns letters or divorce notices via VHS tapes and other things, I made the right call. Remember in the movie "Jarhead" when the guys wife sent a VHS tape, yes we got those...and the recordable birthday cards..Yes we got those also...and nothing like getting one of those with a "Dear John" letter and a performance with the wife and "Jodi" Even now I despise Jody...No Honor. "Jody will take advantage of a service member's girlfriend in the service member's absence. Jody stays at home, drives the soldier's car, and gets the soldier's sweetheart (often called "Susie") while the soldier is in boot camp or in country."
I recall when we first went over there for Desert Shield, people were sending "Wing beneath My Wings" By Beth Midler and dedicating to their deployed soldier husband, I was hearing that song soo much over AFDN(Armed Forces Desert Network) I almost went into a diabetic coma because it was so sappy and cloying and a couple of months later, right after Christmas, the same people sent "Dear John" letters"....Even now I have a hatred for that song. "Lavender" is a song by the British neo-progressive rock band Marillion. It was released as the second single from their 1985 UK number oneconcept albumMisplaced Childhood. The follow-up to the UK number two hit "Kayleigh", the song was their second Top Five UK hit, entering the chart on 7th September 1985, reaching number five and staying on the chart for nine weeks. None of the group's subsequent songs have reached the Top Five and "Lavender" remains their second highest-charting song. As with all Marillion albums and singles between 1982 and 1988, the cover art was created by Mark Wilkinson.
Recorded during the spring of 1985 at Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin and produced by Chris Kimsey, who had previously worked with the Rolling Stones, Misplaced Childhood has been the group's most successful album to date, peaking immediately at number one in the UK charts, spending a total of 41 weeks on the chart, and ultimately gaining the Platinum status. It features Marillion's two most successful singles, the guitar-led rock ballad "Kayleigh", which reached number two in the UK, and piano-led "Lavender" which peaked at number five. The album's positive reception included its selection as one of the best of 1985 by rock publications Sounds and Kerrang!. It was later named one of the best concept albums of all time by Classic Rock. According to John Franck from AllMusic, the album was the band's "most accomplished" and "streamlined" work to date, while Ultimate Classic Rock has called it "the cornerstone of the entire 'neo-prog' movement".
The song features a number of verses that are reminiscent of the folk song "Lavender's Blue". The song forms part of the concept of the Misplaced Childhood album. Like "Kayleigh" it is a love song, but whereas "Kayleigh" was about the failure of an adult relationship, "Lavender" recalls the innocence of childhood:
The childhood theme also brought up the idea of utilising an old children's song and "Lavender" was an obvious contender as one of the original pop songs of its time.
Going through parks listening to Joni Mitchell, "Lavender" is the little boy's dream about you can walk through the park and bump into the lady of your dreams that you're going to fall instantaneously in love with.
The opening lines "I was walking in the park dreaming of a spark, when I heard the sprinklers whisper, shimmer in the haze of summer lawns" deliberately recall the title track of Mitchell's album The Hissing of Summer Lawns. Unusually for a rock song from the mid-1980s, "Lavender" features a traditional grand piano rather than an electronic keyboard or electric piano. In the music video, keyboardist Mark Kelly is clearly seen playing a Bechstein but the original sleeve notes of the Misplaced Childhood album state that a Bösendorfer was used for the recording.
Have you ever caught yourself staring in disbelief at the screen, jaw clenched, as the nightly news assaults you with another parade of lies? Do you scroll your feed and feel a kind of whiplash, watching the world celebrate manipulators and narcissists while the honest, the humble, and the good are laughed off the stage—or worse, demonized? Doesn’t it feel like everything’s been flipped inside out? Like the values you were taught—decency, truthfulness, humility—were tossed in the trash overnight?
I’m pleased to inform you that you’re not crazy and even more important: you’re not alone. This isn’t just cultural drift. This is a revolution, an active inversion, a moral coup. Our society now worships what once brought shame, and shreds what once was sacred. We’re living Isaiah’s ancient warning: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” So if you’re still grasping onto righteousness while the world spits in your face for it, you’re fighting the right fight as the ground falls away beneath your feet.
But how did we end up here—in a universe where selfishness is paraded as “self-expression” and integrity is mocked as “naïveté”? You have to trace the roots, right back to the so-called Enlightenment, where the old pillars—Scripture, tradition, transcendence—were dynamited and replaced by the altar of Me. What once held the West together wasn’t opinion or preference, but the eternal—God Himself was the anchor that kept our compasses true. We saw ourselves as fallen, desperately needing grace, obligated to a higher righteousness—even when we failed.
Then came the secular prophets: Rousseau, Kant, Locke, Hobbes. Out with the ancient, in with the autonomous. “Dare to know!” they rallied, and suddenly every man and woman became their own god, their own judge, their own source of truth. Freedom went from meaning, “Choose the good,” to “Do whatever feels good.” Liberalism preached tolerance, but delivered tyranny—not of the majority, but of the self, unleashed and unbound.
Look around. This is the result. Pride, greed, lust, and deceit—once recognized as vices—are now branded as virtues. Preening pride is “confidence.” Greed is “hustle.” Lust is “finding yourself.” Selfishness is “self-care.” Meanwhile, humility, purity, fidelity, self-restraint, honesty—these are trashed as relics from a “repressive” age. The highest good is no longer to love God or neighbor, but to enthrone your own cravings, to weaponize your whims, no matter the collateral damage.
You see it in every arena: in politics, power-mad liars win; in business, cutthroat greed is applauded; in relationships, any notion of self-sacrifice is dismissed as weak. To stand for something—anything!—is to become a target. We shouldn’t be surprised. Jesus warned us: “You will be hated by all for my name’s sake.” The world’s consensus about God faded fast—and in streamed new idols: politics, celebrity, the cult of personal fulfillment. Their worship is everywhere; the emptiness, just as obvious.
So what now? Do we retreat, curl up in fear, let the tide sweep us away? Absolutely not. The call is to stand firm, to burn brighter, to refuse conformity at all costs: “Do not be conformed to this world…” (Romans 12:2). You’ll pay a price. You might lose friends, jobs, maybe even family. But what’s the alternative? Gain the whole world, and lose your soul? Not an option. We were given our orders long ago: “Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)
This isn’t about running for cover, hiding in docile silence while the world burns—or exploding in blind rage, lashing out at the darkness as if anger alone could scatter the shadows. No, this is something more fierce, more costly, more raw: it’s living with iron-willed fidelity, being salt and light in a culture determined to choke on its own illusions. When the world trades truth for comforting lies, when it begs for darkness and rebukes the light, to be a faithful witness isn’t just an act of rebellion—it’s a declaration of war against despair, hopelessness, and apathy.
We don’t stand up because it gets us applause—often, all we earn are jeers and cold shoulders. We don’t speak truth because it brings instant comfort or quick results. We do it because righteousness is its own reward. We do it because the Creator of the universe—the Author of every heartbeat—sees. “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous…” (Psalm 34:15). His approval is worth more than every like, every trending hashtag, every hollow honor the world tosses in our direction. “Those who honor me, I will honor.” That’s the prize that lasts.
So let them roll their eyes, let them hurl their insults, let them label faithfulness as intolerance, tradition as bigotry, and sacrifice as stupidity. We answer to a higher court, play for a greater audience. We’re not in the business of trading what is eternal for what’s easy. The world can keep its participation trophies and fruitless fame—we will not give up our birthright, won for us at the cost of blood, for a bowl of rotten lentils. Our legacy isn’t for sale.
Standing your ground isn’t some passive, stubborn refusal to move; it’s active, defiant love for what is good when cynicism rules the day. It’s refusing to bow to the idol of self, refusing to melt into the shapeless mass of the crowd. Even if the culture cries, “Conform or be crushed!” you plant your feet deeper. When compromise would buy you comfort, you choose conviction, no matter the price.
You wonder if it’s worth it? When it feels like you’re alone, like the world is upside down and everyone’s cheering for the chaos? Hear this: history turns on the faithfulness of those who refused to bow. The future depends on the upright who reject the mass delusion and cling to what’s real. In a generation obsessed with self, you’re called to be different—to be the last one standing for what is true, what is honorable, what is beautiful.
Listen—this moment was made for you. Stand tall, because compromise costs too much and surrender is not an option. When the dust settles, it’s the righteous—the ones who endured, who refused to cave, who walked humbly, loved mercy, and did justice—who will stand unbroken while the idols and their worshipers are forgotten. Take your place. Be counted. You are the resistance. You are the hope. Now is your time to shine.
This story was the backstory to what became "the shot heard 'round the world" when the British came out of their garrisons in Boston to seize the rifles, cannons and powder that the colonist had in their arsenals. Back then each town organized their own militias to defend themselves usually from Indians or the occasional raider. The embers of revolutions were starting to burn in the colonies due to the unjust taxation policies of "King George III" who wanted the colonies to pay for the cost of the "French and Indians War" and hit the colonies with a bunch of levies and duties and this inflamed the colonist that viewed this as "Taxation without Representation" with one of the most famous protest being known as the "Boston Tea Party". The funny thing was that most of the colonies didn't want to succeed from Great Britain, but the actions of the British pushed the issue of succession and independence. I recall a statistic, something along the line that 30% wanted independence during the height of the American Revolution, 30 percent were loyalist, and 40% just wanted to be left alone.
I clipped this from American Rifleman.
April 2025 marks 250 years since the famous "shot heard round the world" was fired, beginning a chain of events that resulted in the establishment of a new American nation. The militiamen who stood in defiance on Lexington Green are the first who fired upon the British regulars, but the road to revolution was paved long before gunfire erupted on that cold April morning in Massachusetts. Watch our "American Rifleman Television" feature above to hear about the events and actions that set the stage for what occurred at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775.
"A lot of people today think of the American Revolution in broad strokes as being, you know, these rugged, hardy American frontiersmen, clad in buckskin hunting shirts, with their longrifles, sniping off British officers at hundreds of yards, and they view the British as being these stodgy redcoats who are traipsing in rigid lines across open fields, just waiting to be shot at," American Rifleman Executive Editor Evan Brune said. "When you start to look at the facts, you realize that there there's not a ton of truth to a lot of it."
The Charlestown Powder House in Somerville, Mass., was the site of the September 1774 Massachusetts Powder Alarm.
Far from being aloof, British military leadership was keenly aware of the buildup and availability of arms, ammunition and other supplies available to militiamen surrounding Boston. In September 1774, General Thomas Gage, the military governor of Boston, sent out a detachment of British regulars to empty out the Charlestown Powder House, where gunpowder was kept and made available to local militia groups. The approach of the regulars sent out alarms across the countryside.
"Luckily, there wasn't a fight at that time because the provincials were not ready yet," arms historian Joel Bohy said. "They were starting to ramp up their militia service and arming themselves better. Towns had been voting right at that same time period to up their stock of ammunition and guns. But they weren't at a point where they were gonna be equipped and prepared enough to fight the British army."
The Massachusetts Powder Alarm, as the September 1774 event became known, alerted colonial leaders that more needed to be done if they were going to confront the British army on American soil.
This Brown Bess-style musket's lock is marked "J. Barrett" and is a rare surviving Committee of Safety musket.
"One thing that became abundantly clear in the run up to revolution was there was no real centralized plan. There were no centralized stores to sustain any of these defensive efforts on the part of the colonists, any of these militia bands," Brune said. "So the decision was made that they needed some kind of centralized structure in order to potentially respond to threats, particularly from the crown, from these king's troops that are stationed in Boston. And so it's September of 1774 that they form Committees of Safety."
From the beginning, Committees of Safety focused on how to adequately arm many of the militiamen in the surrounding towns and counties. Guns were being built from leftover parts, as surviving Committee of Safety muskets attest to. Additionally, surplus arms remaining from the French & Indian War were also being purchased in large numbers.
"As the buildup to war progresses, you can see a lot of towns buying a stock of arms. So they would go out and buy chests of arms so that they could issue them out or loan them to people in the town that couldn't afford or procure a gun," Bohy said. "We don't know what types of arms these are. They may have been leftover, captured French guns. More than likely, they are. But you also see a lot more ramping up of people building guns and taking old parts and building them into guns."
This French Model 1728 flintlock musket was one of many left from the French & Indian War that were purchased by towns in Massachusetts to arm their militias.
As the arms buildup continued from late 1774 into early 1775, the British military sent more and more expeditions into the countryside with orders to uncover caches of ammunition and powder, leading the colonists to make efforts to conceal their supplies. Increasingly more aggressive confrontations began to occur between the British expeditions and the locals.
"In late 1774 and early 1775, you start seeing more expeditions going out into the surrounding countryside in Boston, and they're finding these supplies. They're destroying them. They're throwing musket balls in ponds. They're dumping powder into the rivers, and, and there's outrage, there's uproar about this. There are even a few standoffs," Brune said. "April of 1775 is a little different."
One of the largest caches of militia supplies was located in the town of Concord, Mass., where militia groups kept musket balls and even several artillery pieces, along with other stores meant to supply an army. To find and destroy these supplies, Gen. Gage assembles the largest British expedition yet. More than 700 men are assembled for the mission, with several hundred British grenadiers and light infantrymen forming an advance column that will clear the way for the main military force that follows.
Paul Revere was only one of several riders that warned towns surrounding Boston that the British regulars were on the march.
"So they make their march on the night of April 18th. The only thing is, is that the provincials have been watching them. There was a slew of people who were specifically watching the British in Boston and every move they were making, so they knew well in advance. It was a patrol that was sent out, and around eight o'clock at night, that patrol was seen on the 18th and reports start to filter out," Bohy said. " All of these minute and militia companies who had been training in advance of this event and making sure they were armed and equipped start to turn out, form up and march towards Concord with their companies."
Taiwan is preparing for things to get *sporty* with the PRC. They are preparing their supply chains for interruptions and knowing that the Communist Chinese are having internal issues have been casting a baleful eye at what they consider their *Breakaway Provence* . Traditionally the Security of Taiwan was guaranteed by the U.S. 7th Fleet but with the weakness in the U.S. Military that is present right now and the present Administration is behind the power curve to correct it, I don't blame the Taiwanese for being concerned.
Taiwan is taking lessons from the Russia Ukraine Kerfluffle and the effectiveness of the drones on both sides. THey are hoping that it will forstall the "PLAN" and their attempt to conquer the island, remember Mainland China has an export economy, and a large youth unemployment problem, and the tariff war with the United States is causing the Chinese a lot of heartburn.
I shamelessly clipped this from *Aviation Weekly*
A T250AH Raptor autonomous helicopter manufactured by Thunder Tiger, which is a member of the Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance.
Credit: Matthew Fulco/Aviation Week Network
TAIPEI, Taiwan—Taiwan’s state-backed drone industry alliance has grown from 50 members at its September 2024 inception to more than 200 today and is expeditiously decoupling from China-based supply chains, Chairman Hu Kai-Hung tells Aviation Week.
Hu, who also serves as the chairman of Taiwan’s Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC), says that the drone alliance is laser-focused on creating a “non-red supply chain”—the red referring to China—to align with the requirements of the U.S., which has flagged the security threats posed by Chinese drones.
Members of the Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance (Tediboa) are required to prove the origin of their components, Hu says.
The alliance includes the largest Taiwanese drone manufacturers, like Geosat Aerospace and Thunder Tiger, as well as many smaller companies that specialize in the production of specific uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) components.
Hu acknowledges that Taiwan faces considerable challenges breaking into an industry dominated by China. Shenzhen-based DJI alone has an estimated 70% share of the global UAS market. “Taiwan is a latecomer to the drone sector, but it can leverage its advanced technology and manufacturing capabilities to cooperate with the growing number of countries that want a reliable alternative to China,” he says.
In addition to the U.S., Tediboa has made inroads in Eastern Europe, signing agreements with Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. They make ideal partners for Taiwan because of their experience supporting Ukraine—including with autonomous technologies—as it defends itself against Russia’s full-scale invasion, and their antipathy toward authoritarian expansionism, Hu says.
Most recently, Tediboa has stepped up cooperation with Asian countries, including Japan and India—both of which are intensifying efforts to reduce dependence on Chinese drone suppliers. Japan said in February it would expand its supply of domestically produced UAS to partner countries in the Indo-Pacific beginning in the 2025 fiscal year. India has canceled three orders totaling 400 military UAS due to security concerns about China-made components.
While Tediboa feels increasingly confident about the integrity of its supply chain, there is one area which Hu sees as high risk. “We are worried about the reliability of access to rare earths and other critical minerals dominated by China,” he says, noting how Beijing has weaponized its control of those supply chains in its trade war with the U.S. “These are crucial for certain drone components, and we don’t have an easy replacement if China cuts off supply to Taiwan.”
Yes I'm horrible, but the latest Pope to me was an embarrassment to the ones that came before him. I was raised Catholic and still have a lot of respect for the institution during the fight against Communism.
I always liked Ms McVie's music, she counterbalanced Stevie Nicks, with a softer more mellow sound in Fleetwood Mac
, it is a very good song and it was briefly my favorite song until I heard Don Henley "The Boys of Summer". which to this day is still my favorite.
Christine McVie is the second solo album by the British Fleetwood Mac vocalist / keyboardist Christine McVie, released in 1984. It was McVie's first solo recording since her 1970 self-titled release (under her maiden name). It features two U.S. top-40 hit singles, "Got a Hold on Me" (US#10) and "Love Will Show Us How" (US#30). The album itself also achieved modest success in the United States, peaking at #26 and spending 23 weeks on the Billboard 200.In the UK, the album entered at #58 on chart. The band on this album includes Christine McVie (keyboards, percussion and vocals), Todd Sharp (guitar and backing vocals), George Hawkins (bass and backing vocals), and Steve Ferrone (drums and percussion).
Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham sings backing vocals on tracks 2, 7 & 10, plays guitar on tracks 3 and 6, and plays lead guitar on track 10. Mick Fleetwood plays drums on track 5. Eric Clapton plays lead guitar on "The Challenge," and Steve Winwood shares lead vocals on "One in a Million" and contributes backing vocals and piano to "Ask Anybody," as well as playing synthesizer on several tracks.
I tried to link the video at work and was unable to, so I am trying to do a "work around"
The video for the song was produced and directed by Jon Roseman and premiered in February 1984. Shot in both black-and-white and color, it is a pseudo-performance video showing Christine McVie in a mansion-like room singing at her piano while a backup band appears in silhouette shadows on the walls around her.
I don't know about y'all but I keep geting these stupid text saying that my "Peachpass" isn't paid and I need to settle up now before I get tickets and lose my license. Any state that uses any kind of toll system will get these scams. See they have several *tells* First the urgency, YOU MUST PAY IMMEDIATELY* Then they warn of the consequences...YOU WILL GET TICKETS AND LOSE YOUR LICENSE. They prey on the those that frighten easily. those are a couple of the *Tells* and then they furnish a hyperlink in the text so you can pay the bill, it will take you to an "official looking website: but if you look closely at the address line of the site, it ain't gonna match or if you hover a curser over it it will show the embedded link inside the words. This is just an example of a scam
I'm gonna show y; all another, scam is from the movie "The BeeKeeper" with Jason Statham,
This shows how a scam runs on one of those *fake Virus* sites Dang good movie btw. You notice that she hesitated, her gut was telling her that something was wrong but she ignored her gut and did it anyway.
I saw this article on on Forbes, it was the genesis for todays post.
These attacks are coming for you now.
getty
Update: Republished on April 18 with multiple new warnings as threat soars.
iPhone and Android users across the U.S. and elsewhere are now under attack from organized networks of Chinese criminals. These attacks come at you by text, and while they may seem trivial — a few dollars for an undelivered package or unpaid toll, they will steal your credit card details, your passwords and even your identity.
New research into one such gang — Smishing Triad — warns that there has been a “massive fraud campaign expansion” since the beginning of 2025, using more than 60,000 different web domains, “making it difficult for platforms like Apple and Android to block fraudulent activity effectively." This is why you will have seen so many news articles on the spate of toll fraud sweeping across America.
Zimperium’s Kern Smith told me that “the latest wave of mobile SMS scams is a stark reminder that mobile devices and apps are uniquely vulnerable — and often under protected — against attackers," while the new reports “show the continued investment by cybercriminals in targeting mobile users.”
Each dangerous text includes a lure — the unpaid toll for example — and a link. The text will pretend to come from a brand or goverment agency and the link will be crafted to match the lure, likely a long URL with the right keywords contained within.
Even if the text itself seems plausible, the link is a telltale red flag. It will usually use a top level domain (TLD) from outside the U.S., and it will not match the core domain you would associate with the brand or agency.
To get around that problem, attackers are using dashes to trick users into thinking this is a legitimate link using that core domain. And the most dangerous dash follows a “.com”. That makes you think it links the normal .com domain to a subdomain, but that’s not the case. It’s a ruse to hide a full legitimate domain within a malicious link.
This trick is flying. The latest quarterly report from SpamHaus lists the top-2o phishing terms included in malicious links, warning that “com-track” is a new entry that has gone straight to number one on its list. This would allow an attacker to copy delivery or ecom brand followed by its usual .com, but with an added “-track” after the legitimate URL.
If you ever see “com-track” in a link, delete the text immediately per the FBI’s advice. It’s a scam. Similarly, “com-toll” is another new entry on the list and you can expect more of the same to be added quickly as these others take hold.
The other telltale warning sign is a Chinese TLD — albeit you won’t realize it’s Chinese from the TLD itself. Look out for “.TOP” in particular as that’s the TLD favored by cybercriminals and again is cause on its own for you to delete a text.
Top-20 phishing terms within links
SpamHaus
According to the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG), a Chinese top level domain is “one way to spot these scam messages.” Look for “lesser-known TLDs such as .TOP, .CYOU, and .XIN.” The .TOP domain in particular "has a notable history of being used by phishers.” APWG says “ICANN issued a breach letter to .TOP Registry in July 2024, citing .TOP’s failures to comply with abuse reporting and mitigation requirements, and as of March 2025 the case is still listed as unresolved on ICANN’s Web site.”
Unsurprisingly, the problem is quickly getting worse. America’s Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has just reported that new data “shows that in 2024, consumers reported losing $470 million to scams that started with text messages.” And while “the most commonly reported type of text scam was fake package delivery,” others included “fake ‘fraud alert’ messages sent to consumers warning about a suspicious purchase or an issue with their bank; warnings about fake unpaid tolls with a link to pay them; and ‘wrong number’ scams that start as a seemingly misdirected message.”
According to Silent Push, one Chinese phishing gang alone, Smishing Triad, “generated over one million page visits within a period of only 20 days, averaging 50,000 per day. Based on this data, we believe the actual number of messages sent may be significantly higher than the current public estimates of 100,000 SMS messages sent per day.”
An alarming new report from Trend Micro warns that “March saw a massive 247% increase in scam texts… With the adoption of AI, scammers are constantly shifting their tactics to stay ahead, and it shows, with more consumers falling into a false sense of security – making it easy for cyber criminals to strike.”
Building on the tracking lure per those top phishing terms, Trend Micro reports that “the newest edition to our list is Chinese clothing manufacturer Shien. Scammers have recently been posing as Shein with fake delivery updates, attempting to catch unsuspecting shoppers out. These texts have been seen to include links to phishing sites that steal personal or payment details. It can be difficult to navigate Shien texts as the company does send its customers updates via SMS. If you haven’t ordered recently or have found a message that feels off, it’s best to delete it — Shein won’t text you out of the blue with suspicious links.” The same is true for almost all blue chip retailers.
March is not a one off — just a quickly accelerating theme. According to the research team, “SMS scams [in February] increased by 73% compared to January… Prize, lottery, and survey scams continue to be the most common, consistently deceiving consumers with fraudulent offers. This type of scam remains popular among cyber criminals due to its effectiveness in luring unsuspecting victims. In total, these scams accounted for nearly half of all the fraudulent messages sent in February.”
But while many SMS attacks follow these traditional lures, crypto has also become an increasing focus just as we see in all other areas of cyber. “Cryptocurrency exchanges are now a frequent victim of impersonation attacks… The messages may claim that there is unusual activity on the account, urgent verification is needed, or withdrawal pending. The purpose of these scams is to cause panic, prompt users to click on spoofed links, and convince them to reveal login credentials or one-time passwords. These scams are particularly dangerous in that they are targeting users on their phones directly, bypassing normal email spam filters.”
Even the new trade war and tariff battle has become a theme for such attacks. According to BforeAI, “cybercriminals have launched a wave of scam and hate campaigns leveraging the ripple effects of tariff interest and coverage. A significant surge totaling 301 domain registrations was seen in the first three months of 2025. Surprisingly, only one typosquat, ‘tarrif’, was identified, indicating the cybercriminals’ preference in taking a more direct approach to support the scams.”
Don’t take any risks. Don’t click links in texts. These scams have been industrialized and are fast becoming the most likely way you’ll be defrauded.
