Fortress Of Freedom Board

[Maurice Ali]

I'm going to send out the emails regarding Ontario Healthcare funding and policies probably today. So this was elective, but I will go ahead and send them out and see if there is any response.



I really have to get started on formalising the core aspects of our philosophy and have them become permanent aspects of the fabric of human society. Nobody lives forever and that includes me. Funny thing is that I'm the only director still working a regular job at that level at FOF and IAIJ. Everyone else is now retired. Even in my family I'm the only one working. So everywhere I go I am usually the oldest person there. However, when I go to the perverbial "old folks home" I'm the kid but that is not a designation you want to brag to people 40 years younger than you. It's just strange tosee people 15 years younger than you complaining about knee and back pain when you have none. Check that: 20 years younger or more, I can't make this stuff up.....



It's become the thing that you are now probably the oldest person at UN events apart for the highest positions that are still carried on by people slightly older than you. You live your life hearing the proverbial "footsteps" behind you even though physically you are a much younger person.



I don't know why I mentioned this - oh yea, because it does have a psychological effect on you at the orgs. That's what it is. What am I going to do? Just keep at things including our world changing goals. Do not retire until you physically get tossed out - which could happen at the UN if I overstay my welcome. The people there who befriended you have moved on from their posts or are now retired. You are the only one left and you have to make new working relationships with the new people who will again be replaced.







The Fates gave me a few extra years to play all this out. But only a few years. I'm still aging even if it is slower. But again - The Fates seem to be open to giving me my chance and see how this all plays out on the intellectual merits of the advocacy.....



If that's the case you keep at it until stopped - by others , but never yourself. That is actually military philosophy right there.....




Goodnight.....

[Maurice Ali]

The letters!



Those letters I mailed to politicians are now emailed to them:



The emails!



There is a bunch of minor stuff I also did, but the health care advocacy hits more people than you know. We shall see where this takes us - and remember that at this point it's all elective actions on my part. I fulfilled my word with the letter campaign.




Goodnight.....





https://youtu.be/8DU09VHQzbM?si=Z0XKHqWJ6eGoZvqh

[Maurice Ali]

I get a day off to do things.


Anyway - Here is my critique of three phones I use regularly.



iPhone 17 Pro Max 2tb


This phone is my daily driver and has no hardware issues. I consider this phone to be better than the iPhone 18 Pro Max for several reasons.




The iPhone 17 Pro Max!



First is Apple giving the 2tb and 1tb versions of the iPhone 18 cheaper and slower storage due to the ram shortage, yet charging even more
for this. Because of this I will probably keep the iPhone 17 Pro Max as a dedicated video camera when I upgrade. I could go into things like reliability at high frame rates and all that, but trust me - this is a big deal if you are a videographer.


The next one is design philosophy. Phones are durable because most do not have moving parts. Apple broke this rule by installing a variable aperture on one lens. Just how long will this last? How much more easy is it to damage the aperture? Especially since this is the main lens. Then there is the refraction issue (stars for lights) caused directly by the shape of the blades. It's only a few stops so you still need a real ND filter in video usage anyway so why bother? Cool but a no upgrade verdict in the end.



Samsung S25 Ultra.




The Samsung S25 Ultra!



Titanium sides for durability and a very pretty phone. no hardware issues like the screens that plagued earlier models. The only thing that bugged me was the loss of bluetooth in the pen. Funnily enough, now that I have an application that worked for me listening to music - I can live with this phone like on the iPhone, but the video sucks compared to the 17 Pro Max.



Pixel 9 Pro


Pixel 9 Pro is arguably the better phone compared to the 10 and 11, and definitely if you are using Graphene OS. Supposedly many of these phones have a hardware issues that presents the dreaded green line of display death after a software update. This cannot be reversed and the display must be replaced but Google offers a three year warrantee on the display. What happens is that a software update contained new drivers that stress the display more than before, causing a hardware malfunction that is permanent. Since I use Graphene and already have updated to Android 17 - I should be ok but we shall see.




The new Pixel 9 Pro!



The Pixel 9 Pro has better graphic hardware for games than the later models. It has a SIM card tray unlike the later models and 16 gigs of ram which got dropped to 12 on some ten and eleven Pixel models. The Pixel phone is the example of how each later models are crappier than the last.....



Overall, my only issue with Apple is going back to aluminium. Anyway that is my review. The S26 Ultra has a crappier display than the S25 Ultra because of the new privacy display option. We shall see if they fix this in the next years model. It’s Samsung also going back to aluminium, which also totally sucks as the S25 design was such a beautiful design. Better than the S24 which looked like they just glued titanium to the sides of the aluminium. This actually is the case but the S25 Ultra does not have that look - in fact the S25 Ultra is the prettiest phone I have ever owned. Second place is the BlackBerry Passport of all things.....



This weekend is rustproofing cars and yard work before winter.



I was talking to my gang about all the negative shenanigans happening to everything related to the Worldwide Vote lately. We knew this was going to happen if dissemination was successful and it has. Funnily, everyone is pumped and energized because this could actually go somewhere! Yes, there are those who hate the idea, but they were just laughing at us until that speech in July. Not laughing anymore I suspect which is good news for us....




Goodnight.....

[Maurice Ali]

I'm all in on the Samsung S25 Ultra!



I just switched it but doing the same thing yesterday was a complete disaster.



WAIT: WHY IS TYPING ON THIS SO GOOD!


Wow! What a change from the iPhone - for a guy who types alot, this is a game changer. AND: The predictive suggestions actually work!


OK, forget a out what I was going to update you on. That is for later - I'll use this phone for awhile and see how it goes. The daming thing is the music and video and photos are so much better on the iPhone. But the typing! Why on earth can't Apple technologies Inc. just get this right.



I have a theory that Apple makes the text app for the kids and that is why it's so dysfunctional for old farts using proper grammar. The people who complain always seem to be Grammer Nazis. And even worse is me who toys with proper grammar that the app can't make heads or tails out of it. Here I am not fighting to write!!!!!



Amazing.....




Goodnight.....

[Maurice Ali]

Well, I'm rocking the Samsung day two and I'm getting used to it.


My only issue as the music but downloading the old Samsjng Music App seems to have solved that problem. I can't belive nobody listens to music on their own song library - but only stream now for a subscription. Anyway that got done and the Samsung is nonetheless the default player in the Mustang.


I did rustproof the two cars on the underbody which is a messy job nobody looks forward to. But it is done and the rest of the rustproofing is minor and can wait. This weekend was the first where they actually sprayed the brine on the roads so I put it off literally till the last minute.


The changing seasons want a lawn mowing and trimming g down the trees in my dad's back yard. Next is mine where I have no trees - the neighbors plant rhen up against the property line so I get trees wherher I want then or not.



There was a surprise on Sunday where I heard an expert on YouTube finally mentioned that we might need a quantum computing solution for true sentience as we know it.


Goal!


I was actually getting embarrassed with my full on push that quantum was the secret to true AI sentience. Now that its actually being casually mentioned means it has become a talking point - which was a big deal for me! I wanted to celebrate but after rustproofjng the Mustang it was too late.







Other stuff, like seeing someone pushing back at the global vote idea. It followd the - once "happenstance" - twice "coincidence" - three times "enemy action". It didn't amount to much in the end so I debated even mentioning it, but the global vote idea is now a legitimate talking point and it can go both ways.....




Goodnight.....

[Maurice Ali]

Still getting used to the S25 Ultra.....



The music stuff is fixed and I just need some time to truly mirror.what I have on the iPhone.


I finally got text messages to work on the esim and now it's turning on the international Sim and using both at the same time.


I still have to get used to the universal swipe back gesture and avoid losing edits on my sites.


Still learnjng how to do the same things on this phone but I am getting there.


In other news:


I have to get back into the charity "groove" at FOFSTOCK.


Winterizing the cars continues.


Plus we are entering tax time for the corporations - fun, fun, fun.....




Goodnight.....

[Maurice Ali]

This will be the first day soloing on the S25U.





The Samsung S25 Ultra!



I feel comfortable leaving my trusty iPhone 17 Pro Max at home.especially since I'm not shooting video. The music is sorted out which was a big thing.





Life after an iPhone....



The advocacy for longterm care eligibility and requirements for a access continues.




Letters



The letters!




Emails


The emails!



And then we call them.



Doug Ford actually had a call center last time I tried this.....



Silvia Jones has a very nice and likable assistant and even though she switched from Solicitor General to the Ministry of Health, the staff probably stays the same.



Michael Kerzner is the wild card so he definitely gets a call.....




Rob Ford and me back in the day!



I bitched about taking on this task - but in the passage of time I guess I'm best prepared for.this - they all say I'm good at this but why is it always me. And I'm home and not international, so I have to deal with the negative subjective judgement. Frankly, over here the advocacy is better done by a white guy than brown. Anyway I'll go through the motions but my best bet is Doug Ford in direct conversation - but after years in office he has a lot of screens around him blocking access unlike the early days with his brother Rob. Rob and Doug Ford we the only politicians to have ever done anything directly just for me (FOFSTOCK) so if the usual phone calls go nowhere, I may have to call in a favor in the business world and meet up with the man face to face. This stuff also has a carry over effect to the United Nations advocacy - so all is good here.....




Goodnight.....





https://youtu.be/SQNtGoM3FVU?si=VDSETLXVsvERqPa8

[Maurice Ali]

The new music.....



I'm really into metal preferring Nu-metal to heavier with a female lead. I figured this would be the closest to mass appeal. So many bands started with a light commercial song with just a few moments of growling to go easier on the newbies. So Jinger, Arch Enemy and the like toyed a bit with this. Once Human threw in a tiny bit of "relief" but stayed hard. However they seemed to stay locked out in the pop world and went more hard core to secure fans for touring - my tale anyway.



I'll have a sound check video of Jeff Back and Guns & Roses from the early 90s you may like. Ha - I forgot that I still have Slash in my Contacts from when Shane and Kevin got to interview him back in like 2011. Slash and Beck on the same stage!




Spiritbox



I'll also link Courtney from her days with Iwrestledabearonce in Seattle (I think) then back home to Canada as Spirit Box. Up here it was "Holy Roller" that put the band on the map but to appeal to the masses but light enough to bring in a large base for touring.



It is what it is but if you are into old style rock you can easily make the jump to real metal as the instruments are the same. Just give it a try and see if you get hooked.



If not there is alway Dgent.



BTW: The notes app on the S25 sucks now after updating to UI 9.....



Goodnight.....






https://youtu.be/5l-F5G0Vi1Q?si=jSFDmnwwI4VArpQy


https://youtu.be/-mSBEpKtH_s?si=qhofes-8ldQtBHHm
Courtney with Spiritbox!

[Maurice Ali]

On the fifth day in I'm finally tweaking the minor stuff on The Samsung S25 Ultra!





The Samsung S25 Ultra!



Finalizing the set up on the new phone and other things like tweaking the lock screen and setting up all the credit cards on Android Pay. There are major differences still between Android and iOS, but I am trying to make the Android experience livable. Like I was so big on Airtags but I'm now trying the Android's version and see how that goes. Stuff like that.


Emails are a big thing for me and again there are differences. I finally got the emails looking less than a teenager's layout and into a more professional and compact arrangement. Stuff like that. Then I turned all the AI stuff and all the Google spy settings off as I usually do.


So in the end I guess it's livable. There is no knock out punch between the two phones but Face ID really stands out as a better way to authorize actions in the phone. They say that you don't know what you have till you lose it applies here. It's simply a fast, fool proof, and secure system that makes you look past the large pill area instead of a small hole inside of the screen.



It goes on like that. Today I will leave the iPhone at home and just do it all on the S25 U as I'm confident I won't feel truly compromised doing anything.....




Goodnight.....

[Maurice Ali]

With all the hype about phpBB2 issues I backed up the databases last night just to be sure.



So - what - a few weeks ago it was a registry hacked which was huge! Now php also huge but what is behind all of this.....



I would say you figure it out.



In the advocacy world I have some solid strategies for the Worldwode Vote and that Global Social Contract. It seems strange that the UN trip was just a month ago but seems much longer. The speech is practically ancient history now - how can this be, especially at my age.



I have the emails on the S25 U working the way I want bit to. FTP is also sorted out. The music which was a big issue is now working out for me. Should I play with it some more or go back to the iPhone? Without the Roger's verification the switch was instantaneous and easy so I could just change back and see the changes coming back and go back later in the weekend.



Decisions - decisions- decisions.....



AI will never copy my writing style so there is always this.....



Oh - we finally see a drop in visitors. No bots but people. You would think this is a good thing. Nope - because most of them hate me and hate what I'm doing. This has always been the case. It is.whatever it is guess.....


Goodnight.....

[Maurice Ali]

A couple of things:




First is that you can vote online for our newest question found here:



https://worldwidevote.org/Page_3.html



Over 90% of people that vote at the worldwide vote do it online just as in the past. The app is a
new thing but the convenience of just voting at the website is easier than downloading and installing an app - I get it.....




Back to the iPhone. The only thing that is truly different is that Face ID is superior to the Android fingerprint scanner! Music is closer than before for local media using the old Samsung music app that I had to download instead of it just being there. Same as before but now it has a streaming tab I’m not using.



What is up with an attack on one of the internet registries and now php vulnerabilities. As usual as soon as I heard about this I downloaded my php databases. Then there was the SSL debacle where Trust Partner was supposed to have super long keys for itself that are then accessed by other keys. Examination revealed one of the six keys was the number "4" - if true then someone fell asleep at the wheel! All this is worrisome as AI attacks will probably start on the internet and things are already getting "wobbly" as we
speak.....




I rustproofed the underside of the Mustang last weekend but I saw photos of totally rusted front frame to bumper segments. I started to have a bad feeling about this as these parts are encased by the front bumper and underbody tray. They should look new as they are so protected by the elements. The front bumper basically looks new from the gaps at the hood latch. The connection from the main frame to he bumper frame extension looks new except for the tiniest spot of rust on a rails bead that was there for years. Anyway that has some fresh Tremclad rust paint on it and when I post this update we will remove a underbody panel and at least check out this protected frame members and shoot some rustproofing compound in there. The Mustang is 9 years old and nothing lasts forever but the car is super reliable so it gets the rustproofing treatment.




That is it for now!




Goodnight.....

[Maurice Ali]

It was a messy greasy affair - but the front end on the Mustang is rustproofed.




My Mustang!



You really have to love your car to drive it on to 2X4s so you can get a jack under the jacking rails you installed under there and then hike it up and go under the front end. Then remove the bolts that hold this plastic panel giving you access to the front bumper area basically untouched since new. Surprisingly it was pristine but with tiny bits of rust in welds and starting around cutouts in the metal. I tabbed some black Tremcald rust paint on what I could reach and then the thin rust-proofing compound on the entire area to creep, and later the thick stuff to stay there permanently. Awful nasty work but needed to be done in a "keeper" car.



I did not want to put the panel back on as it was a couple of hours under there so I went to Mr. Lube and changed the oil and gave the guy in the pit a cleaned up panel and the bolts since it had to come off for the oil change anyway.



And that basically was all of Sunday right there.....



I also watched videos and saw SpiritBox in concert with Tatiana from Jinjer in one song - then - Poppy? Early internet sensation Poppy is doing heavy metal and growling now? I have "Play Destroy" with Poppy and Grimes as a cute departure song - but now all into heavy metal? Links below if you remember her from her spastic past - what a change!




Goodnight.....




https://youtu.be/uf_eT-5ZBDg?si=6LnCv-7mkOZvimt6


https://youtu.be/k8XVZ65JEB0?si=70S4etUuzOlFzHZg


(NSFW)
https://youtu.be/C1UMck7le4g?si=9gIuxWsmxBIs0_Fr

[Maurice Ali]

Meh, some avenues for the advocacy are basically closed.



At my age people just retire and disappear. Others die on you. You are constantly reminded that life is fleeting and that some people have life absolutely easy and others have it absolutely hard. Sometimes it's just life and bad luck - but sometimes it's just a bad life handed to you for no rational reason. That was my life as the anthropologists were right. In other words - where I was born at the time I was born and the place I was born, meant that I would live in a place that actively worked against me and ultimately deny me of any aspect that human society gives you for participating in it.



This is not uncommon but at least the First Peoples (American Indians) had their own communities to return to which I did not have. I'm just noting this as the precursor to what I tried or am trying to do to reform the bad parts of human nature.



I am trying but even with some extra years you really start to get a negative view for the future of humanity. Nobody wants true equality - especially the people who have it better and quietly trumpet democracy and anyone can be President or Prime Minister, but words and no action from them as it means a reduction of their status and way of living. Even just a vote at the highest levels is too much to ask. Is it too much to ask before a possibility of human extinction - that all humans be given a vote globally for self-determination and to celebrate that? Or to rise above our base animal natures and treat each other as equals instead of pretending it - which oddly is what the Worldwide Vote would do! One person and one vote - true equality for all of humanity! The Worldwide Vote at the United Nations would actually do that for the first time. It's that close and yet that far away.....



I will continue the experiment as that is really all I have left. Keep beholden to that moral imperative that has taken you places yet also showed you how the world is run and also how futile things are while at the same time how easily some things could be changed that will elevate humanity before its best days are done. It's that close where I am - and yet that far away. Like I said - I have my moments but they rarely last, but I have my moments.



The reality is what the anthropologists predicted as fighting the fight on the ground means fighting humanity one by one - against all 8 billion. I chose to try to change things from the top down which actually has a chance but look at the task I have before me.....




Goodnight.....

[Maurice Ali]

We will be attempting to get a short meeting with the Secretary General of the United Nations or with the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations before both terms end at the end of this year.



This is basically a "Hail Mary" effort but is worth it to press an idea about the global vote just before the Secretary General leaves office and has nothing to lose.




António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations



The letter I sent to the Secretary General of the United Nations in 2023!




Amina J Mohammed, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations



The letter I sent to the Deputy Secretary of the United Nations in 2023!



Prior to this was another "Hail Marry" attempt just before I had to give a speech in 2023 at the Commission for Social Development at UN Headquarters in New York. Basically I was just going to give the two packages (that included my books BTW) but the Secretariat would not accept it and I asked what else I could do. They suggested I try the mailroom. So I asked one of the guards in the delegates' entrance how to get there and they had this elevator for this stuff just down the hall, so I took it down to the shipping docks and ran around there in my suit and tie and found the mailroom but it was closed. However, the delegates’ mailroom was open and in I went. The two people there looked at me like they had just seen a ghost and I told them I needed to get those packages to the Secretary General and the Deputy Secretary General. They gave me two ways. One was to take this other elevator that would take me directly to the Secretary General's office and when the doors opened a UN police officer would stop me and ask me why I was there and then take the packages and send them off to forensic investigation. Or, I could leave it with them and they would try to deliver them. I chose for them to take it and they asked me what was in them and so on. Then I left and literally ran back to the event and made it just before it started and then gave my speech - mission accomplished but no reply after all that.



https://youtu.be/9NdRjjfp3bY?si=KIdsLeUKy4T0M-x9



So here we go again. I'll have the letter asking for a meeting done by the end of this weekend and send it in one of many ways and just cross our fingers. Like I said earlier, this is another "Hail Mary" attempt but the strategy is good. Now, the Secretary-General almost exclusively meets with Heads of State, government officials, Permanent Representatives, and high-level organization heads. I will enter IAIJ and myself as the high-level organization head and go from there.



They may want me to go through the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations which will probably go nowhere, so that probably won't work given my past experience. So even if it ends in failure we get to try and see what works on this effort.



I'm really curious as to how that meeting would go. Anyway, that is the plan.....




Bob Rae



A meeting with the Secretary General - I wonder how that would go? Asking for help just before the term ends has merit as they have nothing to lose if they help us, so who knows. We tried this with Bob Rae before he left as President of ECOSOC. One can only dream.....




Goodnight.....





https://youtu.be/vziHnwB_mkM?si=wrwsb05A2AlaJ6w8
https://youtu.be/sw_e9gahvpc?si=HNfAF22wIjrk4Pz-

(NSFW)
https://youtu.be/iwjuH2ZdzGo?si=AvFy9a_KWoEHsq2i

[Maurice Ali]

What in earth made me want to take on all that's involved in the setup of a Worldwide Vote.....



Anyway, the Secretary General is the Head of the Secretariat which basically operates most everything there at the UN but not always governance in specific areas. For example having a Worldwide Vote at the SDGs should be out of bounds for the Secretary General, but it is nevertheless under the Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed who chairs the UNSDG (United Nations Sustainable Development Group), so there is overlap.







I suppose a global vote could be a service set up by the Secretariat to aid in better policy making and initiated by humanitarian motives and the various parts of the United Nations Charter that permit it. The individual parts of the United Nations would then opt into using the Worldwide Vote service provided by the Secretariat and acted upon by the governance structures therein. So the SDGs where this global vote very much needed would then fall to the Deputy Secretary of the United Nations to initiate the process for its use there.


I can't see a scenario where the Secretary General and the Deputy Secretary General are not the major players in this. Anyway, you get the drift. Explaining it is like telling someone how a watch works.....




Me speaking about the vote at the SDG high level meetings!



My primary function is to disseminate ideas and concepts to the places where they are needed. With the idea of a Worldwide Vote there is a rational argument for its use that will be made clear in the letter. However it is still divisive, so few publicly want to touch it. I have no stake in the machinery of the United Nations so that is why I seem to be the only doing this, plus I can be the convenient “scapegoat" if the idea really goes badly. I have the least to lose so right now it is mine to push. If things go bad - blame in on the shifty-eyed brown guy - trust me this will always work. I believe that is the situation as it stands. Doors are quietly opened to me to use for dissemination and you saw this last July. Anyway, that is what is happening now.



https://youtu.be/fEU4M8zkmeg?si=vrrCM7KzZ-RSs8N4

https://youtube.com/shorts/o-zMLdWsufM?si=c-zX13PCXdgcfsap



I slept in as I needed the sleep so a short one today. Remember that this is a Hail Mary action so expect nothing - but at that place and at this time - anything can happen.....




Goodnight.....