The Overpass

(Photo: me in Montreal, May 2026)

Yeah, I know... In my last post I did say that I was going to post that Part 2 on SocDems and Part 3 on India ASAP, but, as they say: Shit happens!

That said, I’m now in a crappy situation of sorts, and can’t access those documents or hope to eventually access them ever again.

I never write my posts directly into my site’s HTML text editor; it’s an absolute pain to do so. I’ve been using MS Word and Office since 1988, and kept doing so out of convenience and habit even after they’d switched to a subscription model. However, this year, they upped the (Canadian) annual price by 47%; as long as it stayed below $100, well, fine, OK, but now... I’ve come to hate too much about MS and their system (viva Linux!) and productivity environments to let convenience and laziness dictate my choice any further, and I hate the fact that money alone was, finally, the motivating factor behind making that logical change. 
But there you have it.

Sadly, laziness made me switch to Google Docs and Sheets, as having everything on ‘the cloud’ is a huge plus given certain risks.

In between Montreal and Nicaragua—the latter included—two phones were destroyed and two were stolen (actually three, but the San Rafael Pie de la Cuesta Guatemalan police kindly and efficiently managed to recover my phone within half-a-day, which they then exploited as a PR opp, earning me some fame as “El gringo al que le robaron el teléfono” across the region).

Stealing those phones was pointless, as they were US phones that only accepted US sim cards. After my $1400 Samsung blew up in Indiana due to a battery issue, for which there’d been a recall I couldn’t do anything about, I’d bought a real nice Motorola in a Dollar General store in Illinois for the ridiculous price of USD28—Canadians are seriously getting ripped off on phones and services, but we all know that already. At that price, regretting not getting two, just in case, to have a back up so I don't find myself without a phone for a few weeks again, finally, two main factors converged—I had the money again, and I found a Texas DG store that had one in stock, for USD32.
That second phone only lasted one day; I was almost killed near Livingston, TX, on Christmas eve—crazy story—but the phone is the only thing that ended up being run over. So, after having acquired and smoked a much needed cigarette to calm my nerves, I was extremely lucky to find a third one in Livingston, as phone prices were set to double across all DG and similar stores on 1-Jan-2025. I was pissed to have to spend that much money again on anything other than bike parts—I relied entirely on direct donations from people I met, and $32 provided much peanut butter and bread—but the next day, after learning that the park pavilion I'd slept in was right next to a gator pond (only saw the warning signs in the morning), a family I met in Livingston ended up giving me a $34 donation, which perked my spirits right back up. My whole journey has been like that, making me believe that I truly am blessed, to some degree, as the kind of coincidences I've experienced can't possibly be coincidences. 

So, one phone was stolen in Mexico, then another in Guatemala—which I recovered—but then I was robbed in Nicaragua while sleeping on church grounds (lost much, including my cash and ID cards, which is why I had to return to Canada, as, without proper ID, I could no longer pick up my new passport in Costa Rica, as planned, and my old one, which I still had, was due to expire in May 2026). The guy also got my tire pump and I had two flats I was going to fix in the morning (rear bike wheel and one trailer wheel), but I then met a lady who gave me some money, which turned out to be the exact amount for a new pump I found in a store I stumbled upon just a few blocks down the road. Like I said...

Thanks to help from good friends back in Canada, after I was found again, having gone missing for several days and the Canadian Embassy had issued a search notice, I was able to get a new Chinese Redmi for USD88 in Nagarote, Nicaragua... So many details and adventures to fill in. I’ll offer a post to cover some of that, as well as important lessons I’ve learned throughout my journey, as these are directly linked to political aspects I normally post about here.

One thing I’m still heartbroken over: Because of the US sim issue, I was entirely reliant on free wi-fi, which was rare in some parts of Central America, and, combined with other issues, I hadn't been able to upload over 300 pics to one of my drives or USB keys before being robbed near Managua, so a big portion of my journey across Honduras and Nicaragua is forever lost, including many contacts I made while there.

Anyhow: Ironically, despite being constantly on the move as I biked southward, while in Mazatenango (on/off since June 2026), IP changes due to service-related and other issues have prompted Google, for “security reasons,” to force me out of my account on a few occasions over the course of 9 months, barring me access to everything from Gmail, YouTube, GoogleDocs, etc. 
Is Mazatenago Guatemala on Google’s shit list?!

My password alone wasn’t enough to log back in despite having turned off two-step authentication, but I was usually able to re-access my account; the whole recovery process is set at 15 days, but, after that first time, I usually got my account back after 8-10 days.

However, since flying into Montreal by way of Panama and coming back to Guatemala, the major IP changes, per the notifications I received, convinced Google that I must be up to nefarious activities; on my third day back in Mazatenango, Chrome suddenly forced me out of all my accounts, whether linked to Google or not. As I rely on the browser’s password manager so I can save brainspace to remember better things than a slew of passwords—despite using a fixed strategy when choosing my passwords—and since I’d linked the vast majority of my accounts to my gmail address, making that “Forgot my password” link useless...

It took a few hours to a few days to regain access to all my other, regular accounts, but not my main Google one, even with my dmsauy email address that’s set as my recovery address for that one. They’d send me a code to that address, and, combined with my password, rather than taking that as confirmation that I am the owner of that account, they’d then send me an auto notif telling me that they’d review my request and send me a recovery link in 30 days if all checks out. Yep, 30 days! Not the 15 that was previously imposed. Worse, this time, unlike the previous ones, I’d invariably receive an email telling me that they had cancelled the process as I was already logged into my account on one of my devices. The first came in after 20 days; 14 days for the second, and 8 days for the third and fourth. That route to recovery is no longer even offered to me anymore.

Whichever device they’re referring to, I no longer have. And, no, I’m not afraid that someone else is using my account.

And, yes, I had the Authenticator app installed, but on devices I no longer have. And why are they insisting on reverting back to my Montreal phone number to send a verification text??? I'd since changed it in their settings!
Arrrgh!!!

I tried it all, and good luck speaking to an actual person at Google. The only solutions I was offered:

- Make sure that, in the future, you don’t lose the devices linked to your account.
- Create a new Google account.

I had already done the last in the summer of 2025, after having that phone stolen in Mexico and having problems signing in my YouTube account, not being able to use my notebook to retrieve my password as the battery was dead.

I agree, there are options available which would have allowed me to bypass such crap, but they offer their own sets of problems, and since I was always able to eventually log back into my account, I only took minor and lazy steps to avoid further issues, never expecting to face the one I now have to deal with, especially since I’d registered my current notebook as a trusted device, which has been perpetually logged into my account since May 2024.

The whole is a hugely frustrating situation that makes me want to slap and punch Google execs (unlike most progressives, I still don't blame Israel or AIPAC for everything). 
The result: I have to accept that I can no longer access the Google account that I’ve been using since 2009, including my usual YouTube account and all the docs and files that were stored through G Drive and other services.

Despite having another Google account: Fuck Google Office! No way I’m ever relying on those services again. On the plus side, this has finally motivated me to make the switch to LibreOffice, which I should have done years ago, as well as to take other steps to avoid such a situation in the future, though some other account/file fuckupary is bound to happen, as is the nature of such things.

That said, I’m simply not in the mood to rewrite those two pieces, which were pretty much finished. Plus, all my research and links were in those docs.

This affair has put a huge damper on my DMSaUY writing mood, both due to the wasted efforts and because I've weirdly convinced myself that forgetting about those two posts and writing other posts wasn’t a possible path, as, after all, I did say that I was going to post them.

Keep in mind that I’ve lost close to 400 of my previous posts (from 2020 to Jan 2024) due to a screw up on behalf of my previous hosting service provider, and that, combined with a slew of other, deep frustrations, many of which prompted me to go on this journey, including—after getting nowhere with my attempts to find a support role in the new media world, running out of money, and deciding to return to the corporate world—being abruptly fired from my high-paying AI-dev job for, as I eventually learned, the anti-Zionist pieces I’d posted here, well, honestly, I often wonder why I still bother with this site (which now needs to be updated) or to post at all.

But I still do it simply because it’s something that brings me less pain to do so than if I weren’t doing it, I suppose. It’s just something I gotta do.

And, so far, since I started posting again on 22-Dec-2025, as of today, I’m at 3.3M page views for 2026 (compared to 142K for all of 2025, with zero new posts added since the summer of 2024, prior to that aforementioned date). So, there's external motivation, too, I guess, even if I'm always made to feel as if I'm operating in a void...

The take away: Despite advocating for change, in some areas, I, too, can be lazy and stubbornly set in my ways. And no good ever really comes from that.

Here’s a bit of truly significant news that seems to have gone unnoticed outside of defense-focused journals and outlets: The U.S. has deployed a third nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and strike group to the Middle East. It should reach its destination in 10 to 12 days.

So much for a short non-war war.

On Saturday, March 7th, the U.S. Navy Nimitz Class nuclear-powered supercarrier USS George H. W. Bush and its strike group ‘set sail’ across the Atlantic in order to add support to the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Gerald Ford, and to their extensive strike groups and airwings. The three, combined, add at least 20,000 personnel to the region.

Aboard the USS Bush is Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8), which typically includes 44 F/A-18E/F Super Hornet strike fighters, five EA-18G Growler electronic warfare jets, five E-2D Hawkeye airborne early-warning planes, and several C-2A Greyhound logistics planes and MH-60 Seahawk helicopters. 

Its strike group includes three to four Tomahawk-armed Arleigh Burke class destroyers, a Ticonderoga class cruiser, a supply ship, and a nuclear attack submarine.

Defense officials explain this deployment, following an in-depth assessment of the situation, as an adjustment to the required force posture, reinforcing U.S. leverage in order to “compel Tehran to return to negotiations and address U.S. security demands.”

LOL and WTF?!

Washington suddenly abandoned negotiations in order to join Israel in bombing Iran, and all that savagery, requiring more soldiers and war machines in the region, was unleashed in order to force negotiations???

These people are either complete idiots or think that we all are.

The Iranians had agreed to all of the U.S. nuclear-based demands; expecting them to fully disarm is just stupid.

As I’ve said: the U.S. and Israel just want to destroy the country, if they can't fully control it.

Military experts speculate that this deployment offers a quick fix to the armaments shortage in the region, and that this ship’s focus may be Yemen, in order to ‘take care of the Houthis’ should they also start attacking Israel and/or Saudi Arabia.

The DOW (formerly, the DoD; read in that what you will), states that this carrier strike group’s presence will ensure maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz, allowing for the safe passage of commercial ships.
I hope insurance companies are convinced. But I doubt it.

This tells me that Washington realized that they’re in for a much tougher and longer fight than anticipated, and that Tel-Aviv and other Gulf States, like Saudi Arabia, are begging Washington to send reinforcements.

Trump is caught in an escalation trap.

The Navy’s largest and newest supercarrier, the USS Gerald Ford, built in 2017, transited the Suez Canal and arrived in the Mediterranean Sea on 28-Feb, the same day that the U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran were launched.
The Ford has now been at sea for more than eight months, having left a Mediterranean deployment to shift to the Caribbean Sea and back again to the Mediterranean. Wonder how much that cost tax payers?

I’ve never believed that a regime change was the goal, and I still don’t; it’s a total state collapse. These are very different things.

I do believe that Trump was being honest when he said that he’s against long, extended wars. Still high on the “success” of the Venezuela op, he was hoping to achieve the same in Iran. Just a quick in-and-out, a few days of bombing… maybe one week, tops.

Clearly, he and his cronies underestimated Iran’s resolve and state of readiness; they may have killed the Ayatollah and other top leaders, but in no way did this render the government inoperable or create the desired void. Thus, more bombs are needed, maybe for three to four weeks… maybe more. Don't be a stupid media outlet and ask "How long?"

Washington and Tel Aviv couldn’t care less who’s now in charge of Iran, as long as the country is in chaos and its oil production and proxy networks are severely disrupted, they’re happy.

CIA and Pentagon analysts, Mossad's too, are dangerous ideologues, but they’re not idiots; they’re well aware that installing a pro-U.S. and pro-Israel government is a real long shot, especially now. They’re hoping that the many factions they’ve been arming and funding—which is why the recent protests had turned so destructive and bloody—will weaken national unity and totally fracture the country, rendering Iran’s institutions, military, and oil industry inoperable.

These anti-Shia/separatist terrorist/militant factions include Balochis, Kurds, Turkmen, as well as other Sunni groups, and, obviously, ISIS and al-Qaeda forces are in the mix.
Terrorists and right-wing extremist groups almost always link back to Washington, and evil dictators are only so when they won’t bend to U.S./Western demands.
Iran has always been an important force against ISIS and al-Qaeda… meanwhile, the U.S. has continually supported these organizations in some way. The bigger ‘backer’ of terrorists?
Doubt what I say? Look who the U.S. and Israel put in charge of Syria.

The Ayatollah wasn’t as oppressive and evil as Western media made him out to be; just a bit of research will establish that the clerical regime had, in fact, greatly loosened its grip on society, and that Iranians, including women, enjoyed more freedom than the vast majority of brown or black persons currently living in the U.S. Mainstream Western media put out a tremendous amount of propaganda and fed much hate and ignorance. Idiots like Sam Harris gulped it all up.

The U.S., with its constant meddling ops and brutal sanctions, is the true cause of Iran’s  troubles and economic woes.

I won’t go into the details, but I will say: the “massacre” that the state is accused of having carried out during the protests is Western propaganda that fails to offer a fair assessment of events.

Since events in Venezuela, it should have been clear that:

• This war was entirely expected, a key part of a larger plan.
• This wasn’t a last-minute decision, nor did the U.S. ‘join in’ because Netanyahu is really in charge and calling the shots.
• The order was important: before attacking Iran, the U.S. needed to be in control of Venezuela’s oil. (However, the Trump administration never thinks far ahead; controlling Venezuela’s oil isn’t enough to counter what’s to come, they needed to seriously develop its crude production first.)
• Iran is key to BRICS and it’s an important part of China’s Belt & Road initiative, and its oil, like Venezuela’s, provided options that diminished U.S.’ control over the globe.
• This is about Israel regional hegemony and U.S. global hegemony.
• What's happening in Iran is completely in line with what’s laid out in the National Security Strategy.

Therefore, the attack was formalized when Netanyahu last visited the White House in December, a few days before the attack on Venezuela. The huge arms buildup in the region establishes that the U.S. didn’t just happen to be sucked into “Israel’s war” because Tel Aviv decided it was gonna go ahead no matter what. One day before the attack, the Trump regime stated that the “politics are a lot better if Israel strikes Iran first” (see headlines and highlights in picture, above, or do a search with that phrase). The U.S. was giving Netanyahu the green light. Saying that Israel forced Washington's hand is just a weak justification.

Of course, this has nothing to do with Iran’s nuclear program or the country being an imminent threat to the U.S.

The way that the Trump admin avoids mentioning oil, which is of major geopolitical importance, should set off a few alarm bells.

The negotiations were pure BS. The demands kept shifting and were too outrageous to possibly lead to an agreement; Washington wanted a “no” in order to paint Iran as an unreasonable and steadfast threat.

Trump had pulled out of the JCPOA as elements in both the U.S. and in Israel were angling for a war with Iran, which the JCPOA made harder to justify. Biden never did complete the easy task of reinstating the agreement, due to donor and deep state, pro-Israel pressure. Although Obama did more than most Presidents to beef up Israel’s military, he hated Netanyahu and his brand of Zionism, hence why he introduced the JCPOA; to piss him off.

U.S. hawks and the deep state have been wanting this war for decades, delusional Trump desperately wants to be the one to finally pull it off.    

OK, I may be a little anal, but just when it comes to facts, though, yes, I, too, make the occasional mistake. But the type of mistake I may make is of an entirely different nature that doesn't involve verifiable facts…

Here’s a perfect, clear-cut example of wrong info getting carried over from one influencer/outlet to the next, becoming the ‘established’ fact amongst a huge swath of the media ecosphere, despite being wrong.

In this case, the error is benign, but I constantly see this type of ‘bad reporting’ carry over across outlets—usually, through ideologically-related parts of the mediasphere—when it also involves clear misinformation, rumours, or skewed interpretations that are tribally beneficial, and far from benign. 

The Example

The article—I can’t recall which outlet it was—that I had read in 2024 had mentioned 500 tons of cocaine in relation to the charges brought up against the former Honduran President, Juan Orlando Hernandez, who, on 26-Jun-2024, had been sentenced to 45 years of prison.

That’s the number that had always stuck in my mind: 500 tons, or 500,000 kilograms. I had also read a portion of the indictment some time later, which burned that number in my brain.

However, as his case became relevant again following Trump’s pardon, which happened while the Trump administration was actively telling the world that Nicolás Maduro is an evil narco-terrorist that needed to be ousted and imprisoned, the number that repeatedly shows up in everyone’s mention of Hernandez is now 400 tons. I'm sure that that's the number that you, too, have heard from whichever outlet or Youtuber/social-media personality you may follow. You want examples? Just look up any recent mention of Hernandez.

I’d silently mouth, “No, it’s 500,” each time. Then looked it up, just to be sure. And continue mouthing the correct amount with each mention made by all outlets, big or small.     

The charge in the indictment clearly specifies 500 tons. 

“Since at least in or about 2004, members of the conspiracy transported through Honduras more than approximately 500,000 kilograms of United States- bound cocaine.” 

And, no, I’m not confusing Metric tons (or tonnes) with U.S. tons, as the latter would bring the amount way below both the reported and official amounts, for:

400 Metric tons = 400,000 kilograms
400 US tons = 362,874 kilograms

That means that one major outlet or influencer got it wrong, and everyone else is working off of secondary sources rather than the primary source. And that those who hire fact-checkers are wasting their money? (By the way: If someone would like to hire me for fact-checking work, don’t hesitate…)

This is bad, compounding some problems, and, in many cases, merely feeding idiotic, hate-filled tribalism.
There's a reason why the media, no matter which side of the spectrum, makes me swear so much. Being anal... it's not easy.

Indictment: https://dn710202.ca.archive.org/0/items/gov.uscourts.nysd.578666/gov.uscourts.nysd.578666.423.0.pdf

Follow up on a previous post: Israel Recognizes Somaliland.

Is there a link between the sudden rise in anti-Somali sentiments seen in the U.S. in recent months—all of it triggered by Trump who, while taking aim at Minnesota Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, categorized all Somalis as “garbage” people—with events unfurling in that part of Africa?

Even the recent, viral, alleged fraud case in Minnesota exploits this sudden hatred; it’s not about ‘fraudsters,’ it’s about ‘Somalian fraudsters’. Details? Proof? Who cares! Deport all Somalis!

The hate that’s suddenly expressed by a portion of United Staters on social media and elsewhere… Oh, my! You’d think that Somalis were responsible for all of U.S.’s woes, the targeted hatred voiced in a manner that suggests that ignorant right-wing racists have forgotten all about Mexicans and other Latino ‘brownies’.

This wasn’t an organic ‘happening’, and, habitually, that kind of governmentally-prompted public hate campaign heralds a nefarious move by Washington.

So, what to make of the fact that, in 2025 alone, the Trump administration carried out a record-breaking 127 airstrikes on Somalia, eclipsing Trump’s 2019 record of 63 strikes on Somalia. These strikes are said to have been carried out in order to “degrade” the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab ‘terror’ group, but, nonetheless, assuming this is true, why Somalia?

AFRICOM (U.S. African Command), in all of their related press releases, tells us that the aim is, “to take action to degrade ISIS-Somalia’s ability to plan and conduct attacks that threaten the U.S. homeland, our forces, and our citizens abroad.”

Really? 

That comes across as a very empty, proper PR excuse, not the truth, more so when considering that the official claims don’t always mesh with the on-the-ground reality reported by locals—Nigeria and “Christian genocide” being the most blatant recent example—and never mind the U.S.’s complex, hushed relationship with these terrorist groups.

With that, and now having looked deeper into the reasons as to why Israel would want to recognize Somaliland as a sovereign nation, I refuse to discard my view that both it and the U.S. are seeking to destabilize many parts of Africa, but I must now acknowledge a more practical reason: Israel is getting ready to forcibly displace Palestinians. And they need a place for them.

On 20-Mar-2025, Israel's Yeshiva World News reported:

“A senior Somaliland official has signaled openness to discussing the possible relocation of Gazans to the disputed African territory, but only under one condition—formal diplomatic recognition.

“In an interview with Israel’s Kan broadcaster, Abdirahman Dahir Adam Bakal, Somaliland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, responded to inquiries about reports that Israeli and U.S. officials have approached Somaliland, Sudan, and Somalia as potential destinations for displaced Gazans. While confirming Somaliland’s willingness to engage in talks, Bakal made it clear that only nations that officially recognize Somaliland’s sovereignty would be considered as negotiating partners."

Meanwhile, ‘Sudanese officials have explicitly rejected the possibility while Somali authorities are denying that such talks ever took place.’

On 31-May-2025, the Mogadishu-based Caasimada Online acknowledged the prospect whilst emphasizing that no formal plans had been put forth.   

"Although no official resettlement proposal has been made, President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi and senior refugee officials confirmed the breakaway republic is open to offering refuge to Palestinians—emphasizing the region’s history of hosting displaced communities.

“'The Palestinians are our brothers,' said Abdullahi in an interview with The Guardian . 'If they choose to come of their own will, we don’t mind. But there are no formal discussions underway with the Palestinians or with any other country.'”

Since then, was an agreement formalized?

Sources

Somaliland Open To Taking In Gazans—But Only If It’s Recognized As A Nation

https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/general/2379667/somaliland-open-to-taking-in-gazans-but-only-if-its-recognized-as-a-nation.html

Somaliland offers to take in Gazans forced out by Israel

https://www.caasimada.net/somaliland-offers-to-take-in-gazans-forced-out-by-israel/

AFRICOM Press Releases

https://www.africom.mil/pressrelease/

Oh, the irony!

On 26-Dec-2025, Israel officially recognised Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state, the first and only U.N. member state to do so.

And by doing so, Netanyahu instantly destroyed all the arguments that he and his sadistic Zionist pals had put forth against the several governments who, last fall, recognized Palestine as an independent nation.

Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, declared itself a republic during the 1991 Somalia civil war, and has been seeking official recognition as an independent state for the past three decades.

Originally taking shape under various Muslim kingdoms, then occupied by clans, the region arrived at its present form through colonialism, as its territory was formalized in 1884, when Britain took over the region from Egypt, establishing a protectorate it aptly named British Somaliland. Somaliland gained independence from Britain in 1960.

The African Union, as well as Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Egypt, condemned Israel’s decision, stating that it sets a “dangerous precedent with far-reaching implications for peace and stability across the continent.”

Somaliland is firmly divided between secessionists and unionist communities who’ve been living in relative peace under the current state of affairs, having settled into a broad cohesion, and this move is expected to stir a deeper fragmentation and to trigger violence across the state.  

The UNSC has announced that it will hold an emergency session in the upcoming days in order to discuss the matter.

Israel’s recognition comes immediately after a four-day U.S. forces bombing operation in northern Somalia.

As reported by Task & Purpose on 28-Dec (and by no major media outlet) :

“On Saturday, U.S. Africa Command confirmed airstrikes against ISIS in the country on Christmas Eve and Christmas, marking four days of operations from Dec. 22-25. They happened while the U.S. launched Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles at ISIS fighters in Nigeria on Christmas day.

“All of the airstrikes between Dec. 22-25 targeted militants in the Golis Mountain range, in locations roughly 90 kilometers southeast of the city of Bosaso in northern Somalia”

AFRICOM (U.S. African Command) states that, in both Somalia and Nigeria, operations were coordinated with the local government.

Somaliland lies in the Horn of Africa, opposite Yemen in the Gulf of Aden. One third of the world’s shipping passes through Bab-el-Mandeb strait in the Red Sea via the Suez Canal.

In a televised phone call with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated, “Of course, I’ll communicate to President Trump your willingness and desire to join the Abraham Accords.”

One would be foolish to believe that Israel’s act stems out of respect and care for the people of the region. Clearly, this is a purely strategic move by Netanyahu.

The aim? One can only speculate at this point, but, given its location, it seems clear that securing a partner along the heavily-used sea route is a part of it, while, in combination with the U.S.’s recent bombing campaigns, it seems even clearer that Israel, with U.S. backing, is hoping to destabilize this region as well as other parts of Africa.

Sources

US targets ISIS in Somalia with multiple airstrikes over four days:

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/somalia-week-strikes-isis-africom/

U.S. Forces Conduct Strikes Targeting ISIS-Somalia:

https://www.africom.mil/pressrelease/36160/us-forces-conduct-strikes-targeting-isis-somalia
https://www.africom.mil/pressrelease/36159/us-forces-conduct-strikes-targeting-isis-somalia
https://www.africom.mil/pressrelease/36157/us-forces-conducts-strikes-targeting-isis-somalia
https://www.africom.mil/pressrelease/36156/us-forces-conducts-strikes-targeting-isis-somalia

I’m totally numb.

That’s about the only way that can come close to describing what I’m currently feeling.

When I sat at my computer yesterday, getting set to work, I was hit with the news that my work account had been suspended due to a Terms of Use violation; according to them, my account was being used fraudulently.

That’s all I know.

Surely, this is all an error that’ll be quickly rectified, I thought. I appealed the decision but got the same response a day later (today); they’re adamant I exploited their system in order “to gain an unfair advantage.”

What I did, I haven’t a clue. 

And just like that, for reasons I absolutely do not understand, I’m now out of a job. 

I honestly loved what I was doing and making good money to boot. Plus, things were going real well, and my supervisors were happy with my performance; I was convinced things could only get better.  

Last week was when things took a wrong turn, I think. My PC was acting increasingly erratic and giving me problems. It would suddenly lock itself or shut down, doing so without warning until it simply refused to boot up again.

I used my phone to access the messaging app in order to contact my supervisor. This set off a fraud warning, I was told, as the number I used wasn’t the same with which I had applied. I explained that my phone had been suspended due to the financial woes I was in prior to starting, and that, in between applying and beginning to work for them, I had switched to a monthly plan with a different company in order to have a phone, an absolute necessity these days, especially if one is looking for work.

Apparently, this was sorted out, the change was noted in my account, and I was fine.

However, I no longer had a working PC. I wasted no time, found a great deal on a used system and jumped on it. I’d notified my supervisor to ensure that this change would not create similar problems. All’s good, I was told.

I resumed work as normal as soon as I could. I put in two full days, but I did notice a strange shift that forced me back to my dashboard after I’d submitted what was to be my last bit of work for them. I didn’t think much of it given the constant glitches on their platform, and I closed up for the day. 

In the early hours of Wednesday morning (1:17 a.m.), I received an automated message telling me that my account had been suspended. When I woke up Wednesday morning I noticed that I no longer had access to my work dashboard; I then saw the email.

The way everything ties a user to a unit these days, be it a phone or PC, the change in PC and the way I’d quickly set it up to work ASAP, adding my account on top of the admin account that belonged to the previous owner, that's the only thing I can see that could have set off any alarm bells. 

I’m seriously dumbfounded and clueless as to what I could have done to suggest fraudulent activity, and I can only assume that, from their end, they must have noticed a mismatch between the info registered to this PC and my regular account.

We were constantly warned that monitoring is strict and that they don’t kid around—every document is stamped “classified info” and even taking a screenshot of anything could get one in big trouble—but I expected that behind that wall was a bunch of reasonable people who’d work with us to sort out such issues and get to the truth of the matter.

Boy was I wrong, it turns out.  

On top of that, given the reason, they’re withholding what’s owed to me. So, not only have I lost days working for free, even attending an unpaid workshop, I’m suddenly left up shit’s creek without any paddles, my only recourse being an appeal that was denied.

This actually puts me in a worse position than I was in before as I highly doubt that I’ll stumble on another job in the next few days.

My landlord isn’t going to be as forgiving, yet again, I’m sure of that. I’m out on the street for sure now without some solution coming my way fairly quickly.

I knew I had cause to be worried over the fact that things were suddenly going too well, I just knew it!

Right now I'm just numb, but as it's wearing off, I'm feeling myself sinking into heavy depression.

It seems that, no matter what I do, happiness isn't for me, and that, when I do find it, it doesn't matter how hard I try to hold on to it.

I don't know what message I'm meant to get out of this event. Is this a sign that I wasn't yet where I'm meant to be? Is this a sign that, as it was getting less and less of my attention, DMS&UY is meant to be my focus? If so, what am I do make of that as I abruptly find myself with zero revenue and renewed financial commitments re my debts, per the steady income I was expecting?    

I'm deeply confused and feeling lost. Not sure I see a point to anything anymore.

I think this is the last straw for me; I've endured too much shit for too long to make any of it seem worthwhile.

A bit of self-indulgence.

This one had gotten a tremendous number of plays when I'd originally shared it in the now-defunct "Daily Run Down My Street" section.

It's called "Nostalgia Fuels Hope" and was recorded on 24-Jan-2023. 

This one, too, is fully improvised; one take, no edits.

This is the original recording and could do with some equalizing and noise cleaning, this aspect not being my forte.

Out taking a walk and listening to some tunes as I enjoyed the lush, cared-for alleyways Ville Émard offers, the player on my “phone”, being set to “random” for some reason—which tends to annoy me, as I like to listen to selections from an artist if not a full album—offered me this pdl original, an improvised track I had completely forgotten about.

I had gotten in the habit of recording at least one per day, so I can’t be expected to remember them all, I suppose (or hope… it’s not “age” settling in, I’m sure).

It was recorded on 20-Jan-2023; I’d titled it “Plotting One’s Revenge”, which may have something to do with whatever motivated it, what I may have been feeling when I sat down to play, or the imagery that ran through my mind while playing or listening through the recording.

It’s a brooding piece, managing to surprise me throughout, not anticipating where the varied turns I took took me (sounds weird, but it makes sense).

The revenge could be the ending; I wanted more, and was angry it ended abruptly.

I’m not sure, but I believe I used two loopers, though it may be three. Several effects are also used throughout. As usual: one take, no edits.

I do miss my guitar, so very much, it being one of the first things I was able to sell. Eventually, certainly—definitely—I’ll get another. But I did love that one. Deeply.

Currently working on a Llama LLM, also doing ML with Python scikit… however, I'm not doing it for DMS&UY and good, humanitarian reasons, playing a role in helping to bring about a legitimate change—as I’d hoped—since, combined with the journalism-geared, topic-relevant etymology and taxonomy I’ve developed, along with the DBs I’ve spent hundreds of hours compiling, those efforts could have provided the framework, tools, and insights that indie news outlets can only dream of, certainly not being able to afford those kinds of devs by anyone focused on the usual, dare I say "normal", life stuff.

As I couldn’t afford it or accomplish it on my own, not without field-appropriate “allies” and less than $20,000, which includes the “salary” I was willing to take, such an amount being peanuts for some or easy to raise if those with thousands of fans combined fundraising efforts, instead, I’m doing it for a super-rich corporation just so they can get richer and leverage more power over all of us.

But, at least, I’m making money, right?

Am I genuinely happy? Not really; I could be far happier. But now, at least, I can eat and pay my bills.

Anyone who thinks that the money is what really matters to me doesn’t “get” anything about me, period.

The irony is that I’ll now be doubly shunned, accused of being nothing more than a part of the PMC—Professional Managerial Class—after I’ve tried damn hard to bring my PMC-ness and skills to those who whine incessantly about PMCs... yet rely on them in one form or another.  

•      •      •

I received news two days ago that changes everything; had I been aware of this two week ago, I don’t think I would have accepted the job.

In truth, what this change made me realise is that the only real reason why I took it is because I strongly felt that I needed to do the expected and responsible thing in order to pay off certain debts, the main one, which is the largest and the one I felt most guilty about, is being wiped clean, though not without a long-term cost in the form of a major rent increase, albeit, now being the only original tenant from when I moved in, it’s one that still keeps my monthly rent $200+ below the 7 other similar units in the two apartment blocks owned by my landlord—prices have skyrocketed in Montreal (and Canada as a whole). He’s putting both up for sale in July and this increases represents a big advantage for him and, in a way, helps protect me as well, as a new landlord would surely use the declared loss by my landlord and my far lower rent to boot me out and raise the monthly rent by $400-500.

Anyone not familiar with Quebec rental/leasing laws may think our laws strange and excessive, favouring either renters or landlords, depending on the issue and which side one finds themselves on, but, having been both renter and owner, and having experience in these matters across three provinces and some familiarity with the laws across Canada, I do think that Quebec is the best system in Canada and one of the best in the world.

The laws here are firm, easily accessible, and real clear, and aim to protect renters and landlords equally, providing clear, efficient, and binding recourse for any abuses suffered, be it on either side of the renting tango.

However, one particularity certainly makes Quebec a “special case” worldwide: July 1st; that’s our official moving day across the province. All leases officially start and end on July 1st of every year, making one’s first lease either shorter or longer than 12 months to adjust for that date if one happened to move in before or after July 1st.

February 1st is the deadline for landlords to notify you of any changes, such as rent increases—which are capped yearly—and March 1st is the deadline for renters to notify landlords whether they accept the increase or wish to cancel their lease. Three months notice is the minimum time required by law to cancel a lease, and (crappy) landlords can hold renters responsible for the monthly rent until July 1st. If a landlord wants you to move out prior to that day, they have to have a good reason among those accepted by the Régis, and pay you a minimum of three months of rent plus one month for every year over two years for which one has been a renter.

These days, landlords are real happy to see any long-time tenants leave so they can adjust the rent way up, per current rates. Many of them lie, telling renters that they wish to rent out their unit to a family member, immediate or not—which is one of the valid reasons—but if you can prove that it’s not a family member who moved into your place, then they’re in trouble, facing big penalties paid out to you.

Our system that protects employees and employers is equally well-defined and good, with stern repercussions against those who abuse the laws, so that simply threatening to file a case with that Régis against any employer who knows they’re in the wrong is usually enough to get them to do what’s right.

•      •      •

All and all, having developed the habit to not spend more than I had over a decade ago, my whole debt load is now below $5000, most of that having been incurred since COVID, and roughly 1/5th of that is federal income tax from 2022—due to governmental COVID aid—that I haven’t yet paid off.

My situation could be far worse.

To think, when I was 24, mortgage, vehicle, credit cards and all, I was close to $140,00 in debt.

•      •      •

Since I work remotely, this aspect keeps me relatively isolated and continues to feed my loneliness somewhat, which I’ve put some degree of effort toward rectifying by re-establishing contact with some long-time friends, this change having been helped by my mention that I was leaving Quebec, probably for good; all of the above confirms my notion that life is little more than an ironic twist with a big dollop of absurdism.

I feel I’m back in control of my life and I'm no longer in a depressive state. Yet, albeit I no longer find myself having to leave, there’s a deep yearning in me for a drastic change that’s still present, and, for reasons that are too hard to explain, I feel a sense of regret for not having finally followed through on a long-time dream to sell everything and travel the world freely, writing about my adventures. Plus, the work I now do is "remote", which means I can do it from anywhere.

•      •      •

I’ve looked into Airbnb, which isn’t allowed for the postal code I live in—a regulation passed a few years ago to limit all the conversions to Airbnb-focused units that made renting just a regular apartment increasingly harder—and I discussed a sublet with my landlord, as this would allow me to keep much of my stuff as well as a pied-à-terre in Montreal, and at a relatively decent price, while having the rent paid off and making a bit of extra cash each month, all whilst living out an adventure… but he's entirely against the idea of me subletting the apartment. I've to comply, especially after all he's done for me.

So, what to do???

Like much of the world, but all the more so on a personal level, I’m in need of a drastic change, and staying here, working for a corporation, sure as hell isn’t it!