Which is better? Well, Neither...or both. It depends on the situation. I break down the science behind them both. After all, back-ups are important. LINK: https://www.instructables.com/Power-in-the-Apocalypse-How-to-Build-a-Wood-Gasifi/ Here is my NEW Twitter handle: @PinballPrep Pinball Preparedness PO Box 93 Sharps Chapel, TN 37866 pinballpreparedness@mail2world.com

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Florida Senator Ileana Garcia has introduced a bill, SB 56, aimed at banning “weather modification activities” in the state. Titled ‘SB 56: Weather Modification Activities’, the Bill would prohibit the injection, release, […]

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  In the early 20th century, the Amazon rainforest witnessed one of the bloodiest periods in its history, its rubber trees exploited to extract the precious latex needed to feed the demands of industrialization. To do so, indigenous communities were enslaved and tortured by merchants, who used them as a cheap workforce. In the late 1920s, this unique commercial opportunity caught the attention of US industrialist and business magnate Henry Ford, who unsuccessfully established a settler colony in the region to supply his business—and satisfy his moral desires.   Who Was Henry Ford? Undated photograph of Henry Ford posing next to his first car model by Cordon Press. Source: National Geographic Spain.   Henry Ford was born in 1863 in Springwells Township, Michigan, and died in 1947 at his Fair Lane, Michigan residence. He is known as the founder of the Ford Motor Company and the pioneer of the production model that made automobiles affordable for the workers producing them. Ford invented a mass production or chain production system called Fordism. In this assembly-line production, each worker was responsible for completing one task in the assembly process, contrary to one individual handcrafting the whole product. This system changed the world and drove Henry Ford’s success. It became the basis of the production and consumption models of modern industrialism and labor markets around the globe. Ford believed consumerism was the key to achieving peace in the world by improving workers’ living conditions, hiring low-skilled workers, and reducing working hours.   Fordlandia: A Midwest Colony in the Amazon Photograph of an abandoned factory in Fordlandia by Bryan Denton, 2017. Source: The New York Times.   After learning about the “rubber fever” already on the decline in the Amazon rainforest, Ford decided he wanted not only to create a direct commercial link to a rubber supply for his cars in the jungle but also to regain the monopoly over rubber production that the British had won when taking control of plantations in Malaysia, previously under Japanese control. Rubber merchants in the Amazon had lost their business monopoly when botanist and explorer Henry Wickman secretly exported the seeds to Britain. Ignoring that this had destroyed the Brazilian rubber market, Ford directly negotiated with the governor of Pará to establish his dream city. The governor granted him around 2.5 million acres of land, plus exemptions from paying taxes in exchange for giving the government a small percentage of the total profit.   The Brazilian subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company, the Companhia Ford Industrial do Brazil, was founded in 1919. It imported assembly kits from the US for the famous Model T car. In 1921, Ford opened his first plant in São Paulo, and in 1928 began constructing Fordlandia near the Tapajos River.   Photograph of a street in Fordlandia in the Collections of Henry Ford, Macmillan. Source: ARD Press.   Ford, then in his 60s, designed the city as a home for managers coming from the US, replicating the atmosphere of the Midwest from his childhood memories. He wanted to construct a replica of an “American-style” village and institute an “American” way of living. The houses were designed in Michigan and then built alongside concrete sidewalks with red hydrants. The city was adapted for the use of cars for entertainment and also included a golf course, tennis courts, cinemas, and swimming pools, as well as a local hospital designed by renowned architect Albert Kahn. Its main road was dubbed Palm Avenue.   Ford wanted to create a social and economic system that would not only provide his business with precious rubber but would function as his version of a social utopia. He forbade the consumption of alcohol and encouraged people to read poetry. Armed men used to exert sanitary control over the village by killing street dogs and searching for people with undesirable diseases. The US managers dedicated their leisure time to gardening, golf, and country dance.   Recipe for Disaster: Ignorance and Exploitation Photograph of Swimming Pool at Fordlandia by unknown, 1930-1940. Source: The Henry Ford Museum.   Greg Grandin, author of the book “The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford’s Forgotten Jungle City” and son of one of the construction engineers who worked for Henry Ford, explains that Ford wanted to impose not only a system of production that exploited the land but foreign cultural and culinary practices as well. Strict rules to maintain social order were imposed in Fordlandia. Workers were mistreated and forced to work long hours exposed to intense sunlight, humidity, and heat.   The project faced numerous challenges from the beginning. Managers from the US were not used to local conditions and were unprepared for the environment and agriculture. There are reports that some of the managers suffered mental health crises and even drowned in the river. Despite the millions of dollars invested, the rubber tree plantations failed due to Ford’s ignorance. They were planned and executed as a single-crop plantation, with the trees planted too close to one another. Ford failed to consult the appropriate experts on local agriculture and ignored the fact that rubber trees naturally grow separately, protecting them from different kinds of infestation.   More importantly, despite Ford’s claims to be establishing a “utopia,” the indigenous workers were mistreated, leading to a revolt known as quebra-panelas (breaking pans) in 1930. During the riot, people were heard shouting, “Brazil for the Brazilians, let’s kill all the Americans,” prompting some of the managers to escape to the jungle. An article from NPR about Ford’s ultimate failure to construct his utopian city states, “Henry Ford didn’t just want to be a maker of cars – he wanted to be a maker of men.” Ford believed he could create a small society based on mass production and consumption.   Photograph of workers at Fordlandia Rubber Plantation. Photographic Department of the Ford Motor Company, 1930. Source: The Ford Motor Museum.   The project ultimately collapsed because of the conflict between Ford’s ideals and the mechanized lifestyle he promoted, and indigenous practices of coexisting with the land. The project was so unsuccessful that “not one drop of latex from Fordlandia ever made it into a Ford car.” In fact, from the 38,000 tons of latex Ford was expecting to extract to supply his US factories, only 750 were successfully produced.   Once hopeful that Henry Ford would visit them one day, the local workers and residents gave up and abandoned the village. In 1945, the village was returned to the Brazilian government; although it tried to make the town productive again, it fell into unavoidable decay. Two years later, on April 7, 1947, Ford died at age 83 at his residence in Michigan.   The Legacy of Ford’s Colonial Project Photograph of a worker gathering sap from a rubber tree in Fordlandia by the Photographic Department of the Ford Motor Company, 1935. Source: The Henry Ford Museum.   After workers abandoned the village, looters stole every object left behind by the US company, even the doorknobs. A recent exploration of the site, which was covered by The New York Times, revealed that the area is currently inhabited by some 2,000 people, living in constructions built almost a century ago that are nearly in ruins. Some were born locally and are the descendants of rubber workers. They have small plots of land dedicated to livestock farming or cassava plantations on the fields that were once destined for rubber exploitation.   Fordlandia is a clear example of modern settler exploitative white colonialism. Ford’s initial intentions were focused on productivity and resources, combined with his dreams of creating an artificial micro-society that copied US culture and reflected his ideals about what modern living should look and feel like. His production and lifestyle models were replicated worldwide, creating the basis for a new social structure that privileges consumption, exploitation, and work over ecological relationships between humans and their environments. During the years Fordlandia was active, journalists framed the project as a titanic fight between nature and modern mankind. Going even further, The Washington Post stated that Ford was bringing the “magic of white men to the world of savages.”   Cover of Greg Grandin’s book Fordlandia, the Rise and Fall of Henry Ford’s Forgotten Jungle City, 2009. Source: ARD   It is also noteworthy that this significant failure occurred in the Amazon rainforest, the place with the most extraordinary biodiversity in the world and home to many indigenous communities that understand life in the jungle. The stories of settler colonialism and exploitation did not start with Ford; the forest had been threatened and damaged by quinoa and rubber markets since the 19th century and even today faces deforestation produced by soya plantations and extensive livestock farming. Despite this, the cultural-biological world of the Amazon endures, demonstrating how the natural rhythms of the environment continue to resist the predatory interests of capitalism.   Despite Fordlandia’s failure, Ford’s legacy continued in the region until 2021, when then-president Jair Bolsonaro ordered the closure of three Ford factories in Brazil. This led to the loss of more than 5,000 jobs and the ultimate breakup of the economic alliance that started with Henry Ford’s colonization project. Fordlandia reflects the paradoxes of industrialization and the need to preserve nature and demonstrates how, shielded by market and production logic, foreign worldviews are imposed over traditional ones.

  The last Sapa Inca to ascend the throne before Spanish contact, Huayna Capac, grandson of famed emperor Pachacuti, survived multiple plots against his rule before guiding the Inca Empire through 30 comparatively peaceful years. His reign was marked by achievements in architecture and engineering, with the king widely acknowledged as a skilled diplomat. Felled by European disease before the conquest even began, his demise sounded a death knell for the once-great empire.   *Editor’s note: As the Inca had no traditional written language, all of the Inca names included here are approximations of the original Quechua, and various alternate spellings are also accepted—for example, Guayna Cápac, Wayna Kapak, and Wayna Qhapaq are accepted alternate spellings of Huayna Capac.   Born to Reign: Royal Ancestry Huayna Capac, Twelfth Inca, 1 of 14 Portraits of Inca Kings, mid-18th century. Artist unknown. Source: The Brooklyn Museum   Born Titu Cusí Huallpa, the future Huayna Capac* was the son and heir of Túpac Inca Yupanqui, tenth Sapa Inca (“Great Inca” or Emperor) of Tawantinsuyu, the Quechua name for what is today called the Inca Empire. His mother, Mama Ocllo, was his father’s sister-wife, and his grandfather was Pachacuti, the Sapa Inca who initiated the dramatic expansion that turned the humble Kingdom of Cusco into a vast empire.   Exactly where the future king was born is a matter of debate; some scholars suggest he was born in present-day Ecuador during one of his father’s empire-building missions but was ultimately raised in Cusco, the seat of the empire. His birth year is also up for discussion, with most scholars placing the date in the mid-1460s but some as late as 1488.   Like many leaders, both ancient and modern, much less is known about his childhood than his time in power, but some oral histories recorded by Spanish chroniclers indicate that, unlike many young nobles, he did not participate in military campaigns—perhaps because most of the major conflicts and conquests had already ended by the time he was old enough to join in. Instead, while Túpac Inca Yupanqui traveled elsewhere to manage his empire, he left the future Sapa Inca in charge of governing Cusco, where he focused on mastering the administrative skills needed to rule his future kingdom. He was also said to enjoy hunting and to have had a special bond with his mother, whom he consulted frequently for advice.   Palace Intrigue: Huayna Capac’s Ascension Portrait of Huayna Capac by unknown artist, 1616, Spain. Source: The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles   The Inca Empire was essentially a monarchy, but given the practice of kings taking multiple wives as well as concubines, succession was rarely as straightforward as planned. Though Titu Cusí Huallpa was the chosen successor of the Sapa Inca, others in the kingdom had their eye on the throne as well—perhaps unsurprising since the tenth Sapa Inca was said to have 90 illegitimate children. In fact, when Túpac Inca Yupanqui decided on his heir, one of his concubines, who wanted her son named heir, allegedly poisoned him and tried to place her son on the throne. Though she may have succeeded in killing the emperor—his exact cause of death is still debated—the plot to have her son inherit the throne was foiled by one of the empire’s leading generals.   After Tupac Inca Yupanqui’s death in 1493, some histories indicate that a regent ruled the empire because his son was not yet of age (lending credence to the claim that he was born later in the 15th century), while others claim that this person was simply an advisor, as the Sapa Inca was such a young ruler, in his early twenties. What scholars seem to agree on is that this individual, another of the young king’s own family members, also tried to usurp the throne, but the plot was again uncovered, and he was killed.   Title page of Pedro de Cieza de León’s Crónica del Perú, which describes the “rites and customs of the Indians,” published in Spain in 1553. Source: Fuentes Históricas del Perú   Finally, the reign of Titu Cusí Huallpa could begin. According to Spanish chronicler Pedro de Cieza de León’s account of the history of the Inca empire, at his inauguration the eleventh Sapa Inca “came forth…very richly adorned, and performed the ceremonies according to the custom of his ancestors, at the end of which his name was declared with great acclamations: ‘Huayna Capac,’” from the Quechua words wayna meaning “young” and qhapaq, “powerful.”   Tawantinsuyu Under Huayna Capac Map of the Inca Empire indicating which territories were conquered by each Sapa Inca. Source: Marsh, Erik & Kidd, Ray & Ogburn, Dennis & Durán, Víctor. (2017). Dating the Expansion of the Inca Empire: Bayesian Models from Ecuador and Argentina.   Though the majority of the lands that would ultimately form the Inca Empire had already been conquered by his father and grandfather, Tawantinsuyu reached its greatest extent under Huayna Capac. The ruler traveled frequently to secure his lands, putting down rebellions, hardening the borders and conquering a few hold-out territories. He expanded further north, gaining additional territory in present-day Ecuador, as well as traveling to what is now Chile and Bolivia to ensure the territories conquered by his father were staying in line.   He is credited with founding Cochabamba, in present-day Bolivia, as an administrative center for overseeing the empire’s recently conquered western territories and implementing the process of mitma, a forced relocation program that incorporated conquered peoples into the more established parts of the empire, while moving groups from regions loyal to the Sapa Inca into rebellious territories.   The eleventh Sapa Inca also created a de facto secondary capital at Tomebamba near Quito in present-day Ecuador, moving his court there in order to better manage the rebellious, newly conquered territories, as well as incorporating local and military leaders into his government, a departure from previous Incas who relied almost entirely on generals and nobility from Cusco.   The Sacred Valley as seen today. Source: photo by Kristen Jancuk   The great leader had an active family and personal life as well. In addition to numerous concubines, he took at least three wives, including two sister wives and Princess Paccha Duchicela of Quito, heir to a local chief, in a marriage likely designed to cement Inca leadership in newly conquered territories in Ecuador. He had a number of legitimate sons and potential heirs and, by some accounts, 200 or more illegitimate children. Like each Sapa Inca before him, Huayna Capac commissioned the building of a great personal estate, known as Quispiguanca, in the Sacred Valley—and engaged his many thousands of laborers in the Herculean task of re-routing the Urubamba River to do so.   While the extant records from the period primarily focus on the Sapa Inca’s military conquests, the empire flourished in many ways under Huayna Capac, with notable advancements in engineering and architecture. Shortly after taking power, the Sapa Inca personally began to inspect the lands around Cusco, noting necessary repairs for its roads, bridges, and canals and mandating their undertaking. He carried out similar inspections in other provinces, sometimes assigning new governors, likely trying to root out any remaining hint of conspiracy against him.   Remains of the Templo de Wiracocha, believed to have been built at Huayna Capac’s direction, in Raqch’i, approximately 70 miles from Cusco. Source: IMachuPicchu   He also oversaw the expansion and improvement of the empire’s famed network of roads, building qullqa, storehouses, alongside roadways to ensure rapid delivery of supplies, and is also credited with the construction of numerous temples, including the Temple of Wiracocha, and huacas, or sacred places, remodeling the shrine system established during his grandfather’s reign.   Writing in the late 16th century, Spanish missionary José de Acosta described the great leader in glowing terms:   “He was very prudent and imposed great order everywhere in the land; he was determined and brave and very fortunate in war, and achieved great victories….Even today many buildings and roads and forts, and notable works of this king are seen…”   Biological Warfare: Huayna Capac’s Death Huayna Capac at Tumibamba, completed in 1616, unknown artist. Source: The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles   Scholars are unsure of the exact year, but shortly after the conquistadors first set foot in South America, Huayna Capac contracted an unknown illness while in present-day Ecuador. Early scholarship laid the blame on smallpox, while later researchers contend it was likely measles or another disease introduced by the Europeans, against which the native population had no immunity. The exact virus is less important than the result: Huayna Capac, the Sapa Inca, died quickly and unexpectedly, ending his reign somewhere between 1525 and 1530.   A series of unfortunate events ensued. By some accounts, the disease that felled the Sapa Inca also quickly killed his designated heir; other historians suggest that he failed to name a successor, and so the Sapa Inca’s death created a power vacuum, with rival factions from the newly established Tomebamba outpost and the traditional capital Cusco jockeying to take over. Regardless of the cause, the kingdom descended into civil war. Two of Huayna Capac’s sons, Huascar and Atahualpa, battled for control of the vast Inca territory as European diseases spread; the previously well-maintained empire fell into chaos.   While Atahualpa ultimately prevailed over his brother, his victory came at a great price, and his rule was short-lived. He inherited a populace weakened by both disease and war, a once-strong governing system in disarray, and the challenge of ruling over subjects who did not believe he was the rightful king, including those who supported Huascar, as well as the rebellious communities most recently conquered and subdued by his father.   Pizarro seizing the Inca of Peru by John Everett Millais, 1845. Source: Victoria and Albert Museum, London   Enter the Conquistadors.   Francisco Pizarro could not have picked a better time to try to conquer the continent’s native population. Even if the native weaponry had been a match for Spanish guns and horses, the combination of political strife and a disease-weakened population put the Inca at an immediate disadvantage.   Atahualpa was captured and executed. The Spanish put a puppet Sapa Inca into power, a brother of Huayna Capac, who fell ill and died within months. His successor, Manco Capac, another son of Huayna Capac, was also chosen as a puppet king and attempted to coexist with the Spanish.   Ultimately realizing he could never satisfy their demands for gold and outraged by their treatment of the Inca royal women, he declared war on the colonizers. He retreated to rule first from Ollantaytambo, Pachacuti’s personal estate, and then from Vilcabamba. However, he managed to hold the Spanish at bay for only a few years before the empire ultimately fell.   Huayna Capac’s Life After Death & Final Resting Place Hospital Real de San Andrés, the oldest hospital in South America, which played host to Huayna Capac’s mummy in the 16th century. Source: La República   For most leaders, death would be the end of the story, but Huayna Capac, like the Sapa Incas before him, remained in service to the Inca Empire even after his death. Immediately following his passing, his body was embalmed, dressed in fine clothes, and carefully carried back to Cusco. A slew of wives and servants were said to have been sacrificed to serve him in the afterlife. As civil war raged, his mummy, or yllapa, continued to reside at his estate, tended to by family and accompanied by an oracle who would relay his messages from the beyond.   Despite Spanish efforts to destroy most Indigenous customs and practices, the family managed to keep Huayna Capac’s mummy safe and sound until 1559, when colonial officials, fed up with their ancestor worship, rounded up the mummies of numerous Sapa Incas, including Huayna Capac. For a time, they were put on display for curious Spanish eyes at the Hospital Real de San Andrés (Royal Hospital of Saint Andrew) and then ultimately buried either there or somewhere else in Lima. Unfortunately, their burial location remains unknown and as yet undiscovered, a fate unbefitting the last true king of the mighty Inca.

The design also references Brazilian culture and Slipknot’s late founding drummer, Joey Jordison

Carlos Alomar and George Murray to undertake the D.A.M. Trilogy - Back To Berlin Tour in November and December