by Dell Sweet (Author) Format: Kindle Edition To my brothers and sisters on the inside, those whose names I whisper in the quiet hours, those who taught me the brutal calculus of survival: may your scars be badges of your strength, and may your eventual release be a sunrise that washes away the long night. This book is a testament to your resilience, a raw whisper from the belly of the beast. It is for the ones who never made it out, whose lives were extinguished by the system, and whose memories serve as a perpetual warning. #Prison #Crime #Survival #Inside
This time based on the Opteron processor, AMDs answer to the XEON processor. This was a little more difficult. All I could find was a board that had been stripped from a rack server. I had to do a lot of custom work to get it working and running reliably as a desktop computer. It is faster that the first XEON I built and I can add faster processors with more cores as well. 40 gb of memory, dual graphic cards. Very good turn out that I built into a custom open air case I fabricated to fit the oversized EATX type board. I am still working on my latest build, back to XEON, only the newer versions and another server board from yet another scrapped server. #servers #desktop #computer #computerbuild #amd #Opteron
So, first, the mother did come back for them, so don’t worry.
I don’t know what raccoons do, hunt for food? Gather? In any case the babies slipped out through a hole in the old shed they live in while mom was out doing whatever mother raccoons do. They found their way to an old side porch we only use for the cats and Amber (My Wife) and I put out some cat food to feed them thinking they would eat it.
They did, and, eventually mother raccoon came back. She was very pissed-off that we had kidnapped her raccoon babies. She wouldn’t come down from the shed, but prowled the roof edge, so I took each baby and lifted them up to her. Thank God she wasn’t rabid and bit me. I really wanted to keep one that came over, crawled into my lap and went to sleep. Amber said no and the mother raccoon would have probably killed me too.
Summers in Upstate New York are beautiful. After the hard winters and sub-zero cold the warm temperatures are like Heaven on Earth. The river and the railroad tracks bisected the city and any given day would find myself and my friends somewhere along one or the other.
The True: True stories from a small town are true stories from that place. From my childhood up through my adulthood. Some heartfelt, some heart rending, some the horrible truth of the life I lived at that time… #NonFiction #Crime #Drama #Thriller #KU #True
She’s a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. J’s music style blends punk, rock, and glam, with a rebellious spirit. She’s also a pioneering female musician who’s been a huge influence on women in rock… #Music #Rock #Legend #Amazon
The Story of J The Story of J She’s a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. J’s music style blends punk, rock, and glam, with a rebellious spirit. She’s also a pioneering female musician who’s been a huge influence on women in rock… #Music #Rock #Legend #amazon
Formation: Styx was formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1972, emerging from the band “The Tradewinds” in 1961. The original lineup included Dennis DeYoung, James “J.Y.” Young, John “J.C.” Curulewski, and brothers Chuck and John Panozzo.
Name Origin: The band’s name “Styx” was chosen because it was “the only one that none of us hated.”
Rise to Fame
Early Success: Styx gained popularity with their self-titled debut album in 1972 and the hit single “Lady” from the album Styx II in 1973, which reached No. 6 on the US charts.
Commercial Breakthrough: The band’s commercial breakthrough came with the album “The Grand Illusion” in 1977, featuring the hit single “Come Sail Away”. This album reached triple platinum certification and launched Styx into superstardom.
Success in the 80s: Styx continued to enjoy significant success in the early 1980s with albums like “Paradise Theatre” (1981) and “Kilroy Was Here” (1983), which featured hits like “Mr. Roboto” and “Too Much Time on My Hands”.
Band Members
Current Members:
James “J.Y.” Young: Guitarist and vocalist, founding member
Chuck Panozzo: Bassist, founding member
Tommy Shaw: Guitarist and vocalist, joined in 1975
Todd Sucherman: Drummer, joined in 1996
Lawrence Gowan: Keyboardist and vocalist, joined in 1999
Will Evankovich: Guitarist and backing vocalist, joined in 2018
Terry Gowan: Touring bassist, joined in 2024
Former Members:
Dennis DeYoung: Founding member, lead vocalist, and keyboardist (left in 1999)
John “J.C.” Curulewski: Founding member, guitarist (left in 1975)
John Panozzo: Founding member, drummer (died in 1996)
Glen Burtnik: Guitarist and vocalist (joined in 1990, left in 2003)
Ricky Phillips: Bassist (joined in 2003, left in 2024)
Interesting Facts
Styx has sold over 20 million records for A&M between 1975 and 1984.
The band was one of the first to be awarded four consecutive multi-platinum albums.
Styx has had eight songs that hit the top 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The band has undergone several lineup changes, with Dennis DeYoung and Chuck Panozzo being the only consistent members until DeYoung’s departure in 1999.
Canada is a large North American country that is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy. It has a unique history shaped by both French and English colonization, and its close relationship with the U.S. is occasionally marked by disagreements.
How Canada Became a Country
Canada’s formation was a gradual process, often described as an evolution rather than a revolution:
Early History: The land that is now Canada was originally inhabited by diverse Indigenous peoples for thousands of years.
European Colonization: Starting in the 16th century, the land was colonized by both French and British explorers. The French established New France along the St. Lawrence River (modern Quebec).
British Conquest (1763): Following the French and Indian War (part of the Seven Years’ War), France was defeated and ceded almost all of its North American territory to Great Britain in the Treaty of Paris (1763). This effectively placed all of Canada under British rule.
Confederation (1867): On July 1, 1867, the British North America Act was passed by the British Parliament. This act united three British colonies—the Province of Canada (now Ontario and Quebec), Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick—into a single entity called the Dominion of Canada. This created a self-governing federal state, though it remained part of the British Empire.
Full Independence (1982): Canada’s final step toward full legal autonomy came in 1982 with the repatriation of the Constitution (the Canada Act 1982), which severed the last legal ties to the British Parliament.
Why Canada is Part French and Part English
The country’s bilingual nature is a direct consequence of its colonial history:
French Legacy: The French were the first to establish major permanent settlements in the early 17th century. Even after the British conquest, the Quebec Act of 1774 guaranteed the French-speaking population the right to maintain their French civil law, Catholic religion, and language. This preserved a distinct French-Canadian culture.
British Dominance: The majority of the rest of the land was settled by English speakers, primarily from Great Britain and later by Loyalists who fled the American Revolution.
Official Bilingualism: The Constitution Act of 1867 formally recognized both languages for use in the federal Parliament and courts. Today, the Official Languages Act (1969) makes English and French the two official languages, ensuring all federal services are available in both. Quebec remains the only officially French-only province (for provincial institutions), while New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province.
Disagreements with the United States
While the U.S. and Canada share the world’s longest undefended border and are close allies (including through NATO and NORAD), disagreements occasionally arise, often due to Canada’s desire to maintain its autonomy in the shadow of its much larger neighbor:
Trade Disputes: Disagreements frequently occur over trade and tariffs on specific goods, such as timber, steel, and agricultural products. The management and interpretation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is a constant source of friction.
Cultural Sovereignty: Historically, Canadians have been sensitive to the overwhelming influence of American culture and media. This has led to policies intended to protect Canadian cultural industries (e.g., funding for Canadian content).
Foreign Policy Differences: While often aligned, Canada has at times refused to join U.S. military actions, most notably refusing to participate in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Canada’s Form of Government
Canada is neither a pure democracy nor a theocracy; it is a complex form of representative governance:
Parliamentary Democracy: Canada operates under a parliamentary system based on the Westminster model. Citizens elect members of Parliament, and the political party with the most seats forms the government, led by the Prime Minister (the head of government).
Constitutional Monarchy: The King of Canada (currently King Charles III) is the head of state. However, his power is largely ceremonial and exercised on the advice of the government. The King’s representative in Canada is the Governor General.
Federal State: Power is divided between the federal government (responsible for national issues like defense, trade, and banking) and ten provincial governments (responsible for areas like health care, education, and property rights).
The Vietnam War (known in Vietnam as the Resistance War Against America or simply the American War) was primarily a conflict between the communist Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam), led by Ho Chi Minh and his successors, and the anti-communist Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), backed initially by France and later by the United States.
North Vietnam sought to reunify the country under a single communist government. Their forces included the regular People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the Viet Cong (VC)—a South Vietnamese communist guerrilla force supported by the North.
South Vietnam sought to maintain its independence as a non-communist state. Their primary military force was the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), heavily supported by U.S. troops and materiel.
The conflict was a major proxy war of the Cold War, with the North supported by the Soviet Union and China, and the South supported by the United States and other anti-communist allies.
French Involvement First (The First Indochina War)
French involvement was rooted in nearly a century of colonial rule over Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia).
Colonial Resistance: Following World War II and the Japanese occupation, the French attempted to re-establish their colonial control, but they were met with fierce resistance from the Viet Minh, a nationalist and communist-led independence movement under Ho Chi Minh.
The Defeat: The war between the French and the Viet Minh lasted from 1946 to 1954. The decisive turning point came with the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in May 1954, where the French forces were decisively defeated.
The Geneva Accords (1954): This agreement formally ended French rule and temporarily partitioned Vietnam at the 17th Parallel. The North would be governed by the Viet Minh, and the South by a non-communist regime. Crucially, the accords called for nationwide unification elections in 1956, which were ultimately rejected by the South Vietnamese government (with U.S. backing) because they feared Ho Chi Minh would win. The division became permanent, setting the stage for the Second Indochina War (the Vietnam War).
American Involvement Afterwards (The Vietnam War)
U.S. involvement grew out of the Cold War policy of containment—preventing the spread of communism.
Advisory Role (1950s–Early 1960s): The U.S. initially provided financial and military aid to the French and then to the new South Vietnamese government, installing a series of political leaders, most notably Ngo Dinh Diem. The U.S. presence consisted mainly of military advisors and trainers.
Escalation (Mid-1960s): Following the Gulf of Tonkin Incident in 1964 and the subsequent resolution by Congress, President Lyndon B. Johnson dramatically escalated the U.S. commitment. This marked the shift from an advisory role to large-scale military intervention, including bombing campaigns against North Vietnam and the deployment of hundreds of thousands of combat troops to the South. At its peak, the U.S. had over 500,000 troops in Vietnam.
De-escalation and Withdrawal (Late 1960s–Early 1970s): The 1968 Tet Offensive, though a military defeat for the North, was a psychological and political victory that eroded American public support for the war. President Richard Nixon introduced the policy of Vietnamization, gradually withdrawing U.S. troops while simultaneously training and equipping the ARVN to take over the fighting.
End of War: The Paris Peace Accords were signed in January 1973, leading to the final withdrawal of U.S. combat forces. Fighting continued between North and South Vietnam until April 30, 1975, when North Vietnamese forces captured Saigon, leading to the total collapse of South Vietnam and the reunification of the country under a single communist government.
How many American men (and women) died in that undeclared war?
The total number of U.S. military fatal casualties is 58,220. This figure includes men and women from all branches of the armed services who were killed in action, died from wounds, or were missing in action and declared dead. This number is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.
How were returning men and women, U.S. Soldiers, treated by the American press and public?
The treatment of returning Vietnam veterans was markedly different from the heroes’ welcomes of previous wars like World War II. It is widely considered one of the most painful legacies of the conflict.
The Press: Television news brought uncensored, graphic images of the war’s brutality and futility directly into American homes. As the press became increasingly critical after major events like the Tet Offensive, the negative narrative about the war often spilled over onto the soldiers themselves. Negative stories focused on drug use, low morale, and atrocities.
The Public: Veterans often returned home to an indifferent or, in some cases, hostile public. The widespread unpopularity of the war meant that anger at the policy and the conflict was often conflated with anger at the soldiers who executed it.
Unlike World War II veterans who received triumphant ticker-tape parades, Vietnam veterans often arrived back individually at quiet airports and were urged to change into civilian clothes quickly.
While the image of veterans being “spit on” has become a powerful and politically useful myth, evidence suggests such incidents were rare. However, what was widespread was a distinct lack of recognition, gratitude, or organized celebration.
Many veterans also struggled with the long-term psychological and physical effects of the war, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which was not widely understood or formally recognized by the medical and veterans communities until years later.
Has it been rebuilt yet? How is Vietnam now…
Rebuilding and Economic Status:
Economic Reform (Đổi Mới): The initial years after reunification (1975–1986) were characterized by economic struggles due to the imposition of a centrally planned, socialist economy, internal political repression, and a U.S. trade embargo. In 1986, the Communist Party of Vietnam introduced sweeping economic reforms known as Đổi Mới (Renovation).
Current Status: Vietnam has undergone a remarkable transformation. It has shifted from one of the world’s poorest countries to a lower-middle-income country with a dynamic, market-oriented economy. It is now a major global manufacturing hub and is largely considered rebuilt, economically speaking, having integrated fully into the global economy.
Is it a free country now?
Political Status:
Vietnam is not considered a free country by international standards; it is a one-party state ruled by the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV).
While the constitution guarantees fundamental rights, in practice, the CPV maintains tight control over political life, the media, and religious organizations.
The government has cracked down on dissent and limits freedoms of expression and assembly. While economic and social life is much more open than in the post-war decades, the political system remains authoritarian.
In summary, Vietnam is a nation that is economically thriving and fully rebuilt, but it operates under a centralized, single-party political system that restricts democratic freedoms. Relations with the United States are robust and have transitioned from adversaries to increasingly strategic partners.
The Streets By Wendell Sweet One evening, I found myself back at the scene of the car accident—the snow-covered road where my life nearly ended. The scars on my body served as tangible reminders of that brutal night; the emotional scars were far deeper. The silence was deafening, broken only by the occasional rustle of the wind. The cold night air, the harsh sounds of snow crunching under my boots; it all was reminiscent of the night that would nearly cost my life. Standing there, I felt a wave of sadness, a flicker of the old fear, but it quickly subsided. The trauma was still there, woven into the fabric of my being, but it no longer controlled me. I had faced it, processed it, and emerged stronger.#True #NonFiction #Crime #Memoir #Kindle #KU Kindle:
