Hidden Realities & Public Deceptions

Episode 195 from July 22, 2025. I, Kraig Delaney, discusses various contemporary and historical topics, beginning with flash flooding in Central Texas and the controversial role of Rainmaker Technology Corporation's cloud seeding efforts. The episode then transitions to the broader subject of weather modification, contrasting Rainmaker's limited capabilities with the alleged large-scale operations of Operation Popeye during the Vietnam War, Operation Stormfury, and China's extensive geoengineering programs. I also touche upon the Chinese spy balloon incident, highlighting the presence of U.S. technology in its payload, and discusses the ZEUS laser in Michigan as a powerful U.S. technological advancement. Other segments include commentary on an autopen-signed pardon for Dr. Anthony Fauci, the lack of a publicized client list in the Ghislaine Maxwell case, criticisms of solar farms and their impact on local communities, an anecdote about the NBA's 24-second shot clock, a consumer gripe about Yoo-Hoo! cans, and a "Sugar" segment celebrating the history of Guinness World Records.



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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:14):
You know where I used to hang out in the woods.
We used to go in the woods.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
This is the Soapbox Champion podcast.

Speaker 3 (00:34):
This is a Soapbox Champion podcast. It's Tuesday, July twenty second,
twenty twenty five. Comedy Live from the cold Play kiss Cam.
Not really, I'm so sick of hearing about that, but
I guess you know, I'd be embarrassed too if I
was caught at a cold Play concert in twenty twenty five. Hey,
my name is Craig Delaney. I'm in FEMA Region five.

(00:55):
Just in case, it's been renting non stop flash flood
warnings going off all the time here in southern Indiana
on our phones, on the emergency radio, on the TV,
and our cars everywhere. You can't help but think of
Central Texas Kerr County, including Hunt and Kerrville. That's the

(01:16):
region that experienced catastrophic flash flooding on July fourth due
to heavy rainfall. Up to ten inches of rain fell
overnight in central Kerkr County, with gauges in Hunt recording
six point five inches in just three hours. And that
is a lot, you guys. If you didn't already know,
some areas all up to fifteen inches in a single day,

(01:38):
causing the Guadalupe River to rise dramatically twenty six feet
in forty five minutes. This led to widespread flooding, especially
in the Texas Hill Country. Texas saw one hundred and
forty five people lose their lives due to flooding. It's
terrible and just for a little bit, cloud seating was

(01:59):
being pointed at in Texas. Everyone looks for blame, you know,
you know, cloud seating, that imaginary thing the right wing
nutjobs believe is real. According to the left wing nut jobs,
they'll believe anything. At least that's what all the left
wing circle jerks on social media say. So let's talk

(02:20):
about rain Maker Technology Corporation. Want to? This company's been
mentioned in connection to the July twenty twenty five Texas floods.
Rain Maker Technology Corporation. They deal with environmental services and
weather modification. They're headquartered out of El Sigundo, California. Founded

(02:40):
in twenty twenty three, The CEO and founder is twenty
five year old Augustus do Rico. They say their mission
is to address water scarcity by enhancing precipitation through cloud seating,
aiming to support agricultural agriculture, maintain water supplies and stabilize
hydroelectric power. Sounds like something Los Angeles could use. Rain

(03:04):
Maker uses advanced cloud seeding technology, including drones, weather resistant
drones for rapid development sustainable cloud seeds, new chemicals to
seed clouds precisely, numerical weather modeling, large scale modeling of
cloud formations to maximize precipitation, and radar validation. When it's

(03:25):
all over, it enhances accuracy of precipitation and enhancement operations.
They say their purpose is aimed to produce rain or
snow my introducing tiny ice nuclei into into sub freezing clouds,
tackling drought, and supporting ecosystems, farms, and municipalities. It seeks

(03:46):
to restore fresh water ecosystems and address global water scarcity.
They raise six point five or six point three million
dollars in seed in a single seed round in May
of twenty twenty four. Security they secured twenty five million
Series A in May of twenty twenty five, led by

(04:08):
Low Carbon Capital. Total funding reported as fifty point three
million by pitch Book, with investors like Lower Carbon Capital,
Shore Capital, twelve hundred VC, and Okay Isakia capital. Okay
rain Makers begun precipitation enhancement operations across the United States,

(04:30):
focusing on making rain, snow and greening deserts. They claim
to bring cutting edge precipitation enhancement capabilities back to the
United States, which they argue is lagged behind countries like China.
Absolutely in this field. Now, are they connected to the
Texas floods this past July. This podcaster is certain they

(04:53):
are not. They don't have the capability to do that, guys,
No matter what the how juicy the conspiracy. Rain Maker
did conduct a cloud seating mission on July second, two
days before all that rain over Texas Hill Country, using
drones to release particles into clouds and induce rain. It
was until two days later the region experienced that historic flooding.

(05:17):
The CEO stated the company suspended operations the day before
the flooding began denying responsibility for the disaster. And it
was a peaceful denising denying. He wasn't on defense. He
would just say no, that wasn't us, guys. I heard
him say that. I listened to him for a while
and I believe him. A post on Twitter for what

(05:41):
it's Worth claimed that they used three drones and one
pounds of spray to produce forty million pounds of water,
and that's probably accurate. That historic flooding was billions of
billions of billions pounds of water, so not even close.
But skepticism still remains and pisses me off. Which is it?

(06:06):
Which is it? Whether modification in cloud seating is a
right wing nut job conspiracy or cloud seatings responsible for
the Texas floods. You can't have it both way, you
just can't. Rain Maker had no impact on that Texas flooding,
despite what social media warriors say. Cloud seating is not new.

(06:27):
It's been used for years in the United States. Rain
Maker couldn't produce that much rain if they wanted to.
They make a little more rain for farmers in specific
counties when asked to by those counties millions of gallons.
The flooding we saw in Texas was billions. Rain Maker
triggers rain that is already accumulated in clouds, or one

(06:49):
or two clouds at a time, over specific areas only
upon request. This has a small impact on the state
the rains fell over. The rains fall over individual farms
and counties per request. Their technology cannot produce more rain
than is water it's already floating overhead. But that doesn't

(07:12):
mean the technology doesn't exist on a large scale, because
it does. Something no one wants to talk about is
Operation Popeye. The US military conducted Operation Popeye, also known
as Operation Motor Pool or Operation Intermediary Compeller. Okay, It

(07:32):
was conducted between nineteen sixty seven in nineteen seventy two,
a highly classified weather modification program aimed to disrupting the
Ho Chi Minh Trail by inducing heavy rainfall in nineteen
seventy two. It actually started in sixty seven, Okay, so
it's not a conspiracy that weather modification or rain making

(07:54):
is real. The goal was to extend and intensify the
monsoon season to make the trail's dirt roads muddy, cause
land slides, and hinder North Vietnamese logistics. The US Air
Force is fifty fourth Weather Reconnaissance Squadron used cloud seating,
dispersing silver iodide or dry ice from aircraft into the

(08:15):
clouds over the trail in Laos and Eastern Vietnam. This
was intended to increase rainfall by thirty percent or more,
making the trail impassable. It was conducted primarily from March
to November monsoon season in Vienna each year, with over
twenty six hundred seating missions flown, releasing about forty seven

(08:38):
thousand silver iodied flares, and operations were based out of
Udorn Air Base in Thailand. Reports including a nineteen seventy
two article by journalist Seymour Hirsh. Yeah, it's always bringing
this kind of stuff up. Still, and he's relevant still,
Seymour Hirsh, you should read his substack. But an article

(09:01):
in seventy two by Hirsh suggested Operation Popeye increased rainfall,
softening roads and causing supply disruptions. A declassified nineteen seventy
four Senate hearing estimated a thirty percent increase precipitation in
some of those areas, but effectiveness was debated at the time.
While it caused a logistical challenge for the Vietcong and

(09:22):
North Vietnamese, the trail remained operational when some argue then
pack was limited compared to bombing campaigns. Initially classified, the
operation was exposed by Hersh in The New York Times
in nineteen seventy two, leading to public outcry and scenic
hearings in nineteen seventy four. Operation Popeye prompted the Environmental

(09:45):
Modification Convention in nineteen seventy seven, banning weather modification for
hostile purposes. It did not ban weather modification only for
hostile purposes. The the US explicitly aimed to flood or
muddy the Hochimen Trail. The classified documents confirmed the intent

(10:06):
was to increase precipitation over the trail and remains on record,
but the US government didn't stop using weather modification. There
was also Operation Storm Fury. It was a US weather
mod program aimed at weakening hurricanes by seating them, running
from nineteen sixty two to nineteen eighty three. It was

(10:27):
led by the US Navy and US Weather Bureau, which
later became Noah Below. It was a concise overview of this.
They were supposed to reduce and reduce hurricane intensity by
seating clouds in the eye wall to trigger freezing and
super cool water in theory disrupt the storm structure and

(10:52):
lower wind speeds. They did this between nineteen sixty two
and nineteen eighty three, with active experiments mainly in the sixties.
In the early seventies, mainly in the Atlantic Ocean and
Caribbean targeting hurricanes over open water at least four hundred
miles from land to avoid unintended impacts. This all this

(11:14):
was sixty three years ago. They say technology rolls over
and doubles in advancement every ten years. Imagine what governments
are capable of now in regards to weather. From twenty
twelve to twenty seventeen, China spent over one point three
four billion dollars on various weather modification programs. According to

(11:39):
its own state news agency. This funded cloud seating operations,
including rockets, aircraft, and ground based generators to enhance rainfall
and reduce hail damage. In twenty seventeen plan this initiative
allocated one hundred and sixty eight million for four new planes,
eight upgraded aircraft, eight hundred ninety seven rocket launchers, and

(12:02):
one thousand, eight and fifty six digital controlled devices to
cover three hundred and seventy thousand square miles about ten
percent of China's territory by this year. Twenty twenty five,
China State Capital announced plans to expand its weather modification
program to cover two point one million square miles, an

(12:22):
area one and a half times the size of India,
with the focus on artificial rain, snow, and hail suppression
over five hundred and eighty thousand square kilometers. There's the
Sky River project, initiated in twenty eighteen on the Kinghai
Tibet Plateau, aimed to divert water vapor to produce five

(12:45):
billion cubic meters of water annually for northern China. It
involves hundreds, potentially tens of thousands of fuel burning chambers
and significant infrastructure investment, though exact costs are not publicly disclosed.
Of course, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation is

(13:06):
a key partner, indicating high level funding in China by
twenty thirty five. China aims for its weather modification capabilities
to reach a worldwide advanced level, implying sustained investment in research, technology,
and operations. The twenty seventeen one hundred and seventy five

(13:28):
million dollar investment for a regional system suggests future budgets
could reach billions annually for the expanded program. That sounds unbelievable.
In just ten years. Yeah, yeah, ten years in technology
is massive, it's everything, and all of this is just

(13:51):
weather modification, geoengineering, is an entire different topic. So did
rain Maker have anything to do with the Texas flooding?
Absolutely not. They just aren't capable at that scale. But
China is speaking of China, where's my conspiracy noise?

Speaker 4 (14:16):
Do it?

Speaker 3 (14:17):
Timmy urteus? Remember the spy balloon short attention spans you
know that was in February twenty twenty three at high
altitude Chinese surveillance balloon. It's referred to as Killean twenty
three by some intelligence sources. For whatever reason, what crossed
the US airspace from Alaska to South Carolina, passing over

(14:37):
sensitive military sites including Maustrom Air Force Base in Montana.
It was shot down by an F twenty two Fighter
jet on February fourth, twenty twenty three, off the South
Carolina coast, and debris was recovered from four analysis. Remember,
China claimed it was a civilian weather balloon that drifted
off course, but US officials confirmed it was part of

(15:00):
global surveillance program operated by the Chinese military, and turns
out it was loaded with American technology. A US military
analysis reports reported by Newsweek, Fox News and others found
technology from at least five American companies in the balloons

(15:20):
payload Iridium ninety six zero two, a satellite communications module
from Iridium, a Virginia based global satellite communications provider, used
for short burst data transmission, primarily for navigation and location data.
There was also components from Texas Instruments, Omega Engineering, Infanol,

(15:44):
All Sensors Corporation, and on Semi, as well as one
Swiss company were identified. These include sensors and other surveillance equipment,
some housed in a foam cooler. All that the balloons payload,
described as the size of two or three school buses,
included multiple antennas for collecting and geolocating communications as in

(16:08):
radio and mobile phone signals, powered by sixteen solar arrays.
The American technology was paired with Chinese sensors to capture photos, videos,
and signals and send them back for intelligence. The balloon
used a US based Internet service provider a name for
security reasons, but I'd love to know which one to

(16:29):
send periodic navigation and location data back to China, allowing
US intelligence to track it. By the way, the components
were commercially available, raising concerns about export controls. It's unclear
if they were obtained legally or illicitly. But the presence
in a Chinese military surveillance platform prompted scrutiny on of

(16:52):
how sensitive US technology reaches adversaries like China, Russian, or Iran.
The balloon's technology matched to two patent from the Chinese
Academy of Science Aerospace Information Innovation Research Institute linked to
the Chinese military describing a similar communication system using a

(17:14):
US made satellite transceiver. US officials confirmed the balloon was
equipped for signals intelligence, capable of intercepting communications and geolocating sources,
though the Pentagon later stated it did not collect or
transmit data will over the US Yeah right, thanks to
countermeasures like limiting communications at sensitive sites. Earlier reports that

(17:38):
suggested it collected data in real time, but this was
contradicted by the Pentagon's June twenty throwing three statement, uh
damage control. That sounds like, you know, I'd be shocked
if they didn't collect some data over military sites. The
discovery of US technology in the balloon highlighted weaknesses and

(18:00):
support regulations for dual use as in civilian and military.
But don't worry. The Biden administration reviewed policies to strengthen
restrictions on such exports as similar issues have risen with
technology reaching Russia and Iran. I hate it. It's profit

(18:20):
over national security, just like all the arms we've been
dealing out across the globe, Ukraine, Israel, etc. And did
you know that many of the US Patriot missile systems
are manufactured in Japan? I mean, yeah, why would they
sabotage any of our weapons of war? You know? I know,

(18:44):
I know, listen, I know most of it is old
technology and probably be ready to clearance out or sold
out or phased out. But I don't like the optics
of it, all our military, as in all our defense
technology being available to just look at and copy. I know,

(19:04):
I know who cares well me, I care, I care
about that stuff. It's just it doesn't look good. But
I hope that all these old systems have been replaced twice,
you know, in ten and twenty year increments, and we
just don't know about it. That's what we do. We
assume and hope that our military has much much better

(19:24):
stuff in the garage. But do we ever really know. No,
it's uncomfortable. And like I said, I don't like the
optics of handing out our arms. And speaking of optics, lasers.
See what I did there? See ever heard of the
Zeus laser? I had either?

Speaker 4 (19:48):
Then?

Speaker 3 (19:48):
Officially, it's called the zetawatt equivalent Ultra Short Pulse Laser System.
It's the most powerful laser in the United States, and
it's located at the the University of Michigan's Gerard Moreau
Center for Ultrafast Optical Science. Funded by the National Science Foundation,
it's a user facility designed for cutting edge research in

(20:12):
high field science with applications and plasma physics, quantum electrodynamics, medicine,
material science, national security. What's that got to do with
the weather modification or Chinese by balloon or whatever. Well,
I don't know, but maybe something. The ZEUS laser achieved

(20:37):
two petawatts and that's equal to two quadrillion watts in
its first official experiment in May of this year, doubling
the peak power of any other US laser. This pulse
succeeded global electricity output by over one hundred times during
that brief moment. Planned each three pet of watch by

(21:01):
summer of this year. With a new titanium infused sapphire crystal,
a critical component for amplifying laser pulses, This all sounds
like space science science fiction, but it's not. It uses
chirped pulse amplification. It's pioneered by Gerard Moureau, twenty eighteen

(21:22):
Nobel Prize winner, to create ultra short, high intensity pulses
without damaging the laser system. Its infrared pulse is stretched,
amplified by pump lasers and compressed to zero point eight
micron focused for maximum intensity, and that titanium sapphire crystal.

(21:42):
It's seven inches in diameter, one of the largest in
the world, and that's used the transfer power in a
multi beam system for flexible experimental configurations. It's housed in
a sixteen thousand square foot facility with twenty four inch
concrete shielding to contain radiation, including rooms and three target
areas for different operations. The site was commissioned in October

(22:06):
of twenty twenty three as a NSF funded user facility.
It allocates at least thirty weeks annually for external researchers
via a merit based, peer reviewed proposal system, and since
opening it has hosted eleven experience in experiments and fifty
eight researchers from twenty twenty twenty two different institutions. The

(22:31):
first experiment, led by Franklin Dollar seriously from UC Irvine.
The two Peedawat experiment in May fired a pulse into
a helium gas cell, producing plasma and accelerating electrons the
high energies, paving the way for compact particle accelerators. Powerful. Huh,

(22:52):
super powerful. Remember all the laser photos and videos floating
around during the Laina fires debunked as fake or from
incidents far away from and not related to the fires,
Now all but one. A camera at the Subaru Telescope
and Mona Keaya, operated by the National Astronomy Astronomical Observatory

(23:16):
of Japan, captured a green laser pulse in the night sky.
Initially thought to be from NASA's i sat to satellite,
they were later attributed to China's Daki one satellite. The
lasers were being told were part of an altimeter system

(23:36):
firing ten thousand green pulses per second to measure atmospheric
topography invisible to the naked eye but detected by the
ultra sensitive Subaru Ashai Star camera. Don't worry, guys, China
always fires ten thousand green lasers at night over Hawaii.
On August eighth, twenty twenty three, the very day the

(23:58):
fire started that burned almost all of the life. All
of this is just talk that reeks of war. Is
this World War III? Remember when all you have is
a hammer, every problem starts to look just like a nail.
So if all you have are bullets and missiles, that's

(24:22):
what you will use in war. But when you're one
of the most advanced nations the world has ever seen,
and your adversary is also one of the most advanced
the world has ever seen, and you're out of range
of bullets and missiles, war will look different. That is,
if you're able to see it with the naked eye

(24:44):
then lasers. War is different. It's not what we're used to.
It seems like tick for tack all these things. But
what do we know COVID nineteen dry I will never
go away. The latest well reports indicate that the preemptive

(25:04):
pardon granted to doctor Anthony Fauci by former President Joe
Biden was signed using that auto pen, that damn thing.
The New York Times reported that Biden's chief chief of staff,
Jeff Zince, approved the use of the autopen for several pardons,
including Fauci's. On January nineteenth of twenty twenty five, during
a late night meeting, Biden confirmed he authorized the decisions,

(25:28):
but used the autopin due to the large number of
pardons starting or stating it was legal and routine. Okay,
if you have to state that, then again, optics being
the word of the day, the optics aren't good. If
you have to you have to convince people, oh, this
is legal and routine. Don't worry about it. Ah. But

(25:50):
that doesn't mean this hasn't sparked controversy, with critics, including
some Republicans, questioning the validity of these pardons and raising
concerns about Biden's mental state. Who authorized the signatures. Legal
experts note the US law does not require a president's
handwritten signature for pardons. That's right, it doesn't. But paired

(26:12):
with the fact that Biden's mental state was definitely in
question at the time and his physician, doctor Kevin O'Connor,
recently pled the fifth in front of Congress when asked
every question about Biden's stability, we might need to revisit
these pardons. Guys. You know, do I think anyone ever will?

Speaker 4 (26:32):
No?

Speaker 3 (26:32):
I don't, I really don't. Should they? Yeah? I think
they should. I think it's been brought up now in
this official capacity in order to get it on official record,
but that doesn't mean they're going to do anything. And
I'm not sure they will. Remember doctor Fauci did nothing
wrong but was pardoned anyway, strange, Just like all of

(26:55):
Joe Biden's immediate family. We live in a crazy world,
you guys, a crazy world. And speaking of Biden's immediate family,
hunters out there talking shit right now this week, this day,
like yesterday. I started seeing it yesterday and I don't know,
I didn't look. I've like burnt out the whole Hunter

(27:16):
Biden thing. You know, we know what he is, dirt
bag fellon, et cetera, et cetera. Ah, but he's been
trashing like not only Republicans, but Democrats, as in Nancy
Pelosi my name.

Speaker 4 (27:32):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (27:33):
I don't know. The videos are out there. What does
it do us to hear him? What does it do us?
Who is he? He's nothing, you know, I don't know
if if anything becomes of it or gets a little
bit more interesting, maybe I'll cover it next week on
this podcast. But today I just I just don't want
to guys, Okay, I just don't. The videos are out there.

(27:55):
They're everywhere right now. It's funny that all the you
can watch, all the news organizations cherry pick the parts
they want you to see. But I've only seen multiple
bits of it. I haven't seen the whole video. I
don't even know what its origins were, like, who set
him down to interview him? I don't know. They're out there.

(28:16):
If you see it, Hey, if you want me to
talk about it at length next week, I will if
that's what you want, But you gotta let me know.
Leave a voicemail eight one two six one zero nine
zero zero five. You can text that too, by the way,
or send an email to info dot soap Box Champion
at gmail dot com. Definitely live in a crazy world

(28:41):
with that stuff going on, Just like how Glene Maxwell's
currently in prison right now for apparently trafficking children, but
to no one. You see, she was charged with conspiracy
to entice the miners to travel to engage in illegal
sex acts, Enticement of a minor to travel to engage

(29:01):
enticement of a minor and conspiracy to entice those are
two different things. Conspiracy to transport miners with intent to
engage in criminal sexual activity, transportation of a miner with
the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, sex trafficking,
and sex trafficking of a minor. All of those have

(29:22):
a destination enticing them to do what with whom, enticing
them to travel to whom engage in criminal sexual activity,
with whom traveling trafficking them to whom trafficking. You know
what I'm saying. She's charged in serving time, But where's

(29:45):
the last half of those charges. You can't be charged
if it didn't happen. You know it happened. Where are
the details? Where's the damn list? Start asking the FBI
where that list is, if, if, if it is a thing,
it's the FBI that has it. But it's a damn
It's so sweet for blackmail guys that are never going

(30:05):
to give it up. They're never In December of twenty
twenty one, Maxwell convicted on five of the six counts,
including the most serious charge of sex trafficking of a minor.
She was acquitted on the charge of enticement to travel
to engage. She was sentenced in June twenty twenty two
to twenty years in prison five years of supervised release.

(30:26):
Andy seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars fine for her
role in recruiting, grooming, and facilitating the sexual abuse of
underage girls by Epstein between nineteen ninety four and two
thousand and four. She was found guilty Guys, I'll say
it again, of sex trafficking and minor to who. No one,
no one. Where's the list? Do I believe there's a

(30:50):
list of clients? Yeah? I do believe that. Do I
believe you? And I will ever see it? Absolutely not
without a doubt. No, why because Donald Trump is on it?
How Come because Bill Clinton is on it, Bill Gates,
Tom Hanks, Ellen DeGeneres did he will shut down the world? No,

(31:12):
I have no idea who's on there, but the FBI does.
That was Epstein's golden ticket of blackmail. And now well
now it's the FBI's golden ticket of blackmail. You see,
they can't use it to blackmail. If it's made public,
it's more valuable for them than any of their integrity.

(31:34):
Of course, that's why we'll never see it, remember US
Attorney General Pam Bondi said on February twenty first, I
believe she says she saw it. Lawyer and law professor
Alan Dershowitz, who was part of Epstein's legal team in
two thousand and six, claimed in an interview with Sean

(31:54):
Spicer on March nineteenth of twenty twenty five that he
knew the names of the list of individuals on a
list and it's in an unreleased Epstein files, and stating
I know why they're being suppressed. I know who's suppressing
them en quote. In a MIMO of this month, the
Department of Justice, supported by FBI investigations, stated there was

(32:18):
no incriminating client list and no credible evidence of Epstein
blackmailing prominent individuals. And you know, I love these situations
because who's lying? Somebody is lying? Is it the current
US Attorney General Bambondi or the Department of Justice and

(32:40):
the entire FBI? One of them has to be lying?
Or is there another option here? In another way of
twisting an already ridiculous topic. Court documents released in January
of twenty twenty four named over one hundred and seventy
Epstein associates, but these were not a and include people

(33:02):
with varying degrees of connection, many already known publicly. Maybe
just maybe, but I doubt it. No one is lying.
Maybe Bondi and Dershowitz are referring to the associate list
as the client list. Maybe we're just all of us
are just all a frenzy over who's right and who's lying,

(33:23):
and we can't make out the difference. But the fact remains,
despite anything we say about the stupid list. Glainne Maxwell
is in prison for sex trafficking a minor. She had
to have trafficked that minor to someone. Have you noticed

(33:44):
solar farms popping up everywhere? I have solar farms also
known as solar power plants, or large scale installations of
solar panels designed to generate electricity from sunlight. Of course,
typically they can consist of hundreds, if not thousands, of
solar panels are arranged in arrays across a large area

(34:06):
of land, and they connect to the electrical grid to
supply power for commercial or utility use. Uh they cover
large areas, often spanning acres or hectic hectickers heck takers,
is that what they say that? I don't know whatever?
To maximize energy production, the bigger the better. Primarily built

(34:27):
to produce electricity for the grid supplying homes, businesses, or industries,
The components include solar panels, inverters, mounting structures, sometimes battery
storage systems. They can be ground mounted or less commonly
floating on water bodies. I've never seen a floating one
in person. It'd be interesting to see benefits. Of course,

(34:48):
it's a renew renewable energy source, reduces greenhouse gas emissions,
and can utilize non used land. But is that a thing? Really?
Are there challenges? Yeah? High initial cost, super expensive for
all that material, land use concerns and more of that

(35:10):
in a minute, and dependency on weather conditions, which is interesting,
especially with what we've been talking about. Well, there's one
solar farm project Kentucky that has been on the news
around here and new station WFIE. They cover southern Indiana,
northern Kentucky and bits of Illinois. Air to story over
the weekend that caught my attention because of something I heard.

(35:33):
It's kind of a uh is it a lie? No?
Is it a fit? Yeah? I think it is. I
always say the devil's in the details, and that's the
case with the story. Have a listen, and if you
listen to me more than five or six times, what
do you think the part is that I caught and

(35:54):
I'm gonna talk about and call him out on We're
learning about a new solar farm coming to Muhlenberg. County.

Speaker 5 (36:00):
Officials announced the three hundred acre project earlier this afternoon.
Our Liz DeSantis joins us in studio now after getting
a first look at the stock well Jamie rob the land.
This new solar project will be built on is old
surface mining land.

Speaker 3 (36:13):
Now.

Speaker 5 (36:14):
The Briar Hill mine has been closed since twenty sixteen
and the land restored since then. Now Paradise Solar project
will be built on top of it, representing an eighty
million dollar investment in the county. Now, officials tell me
about three hundred acres of the mine land will have
solar panels put on top of it, and the life
of the project will be about forty years and Edelin Renewables,

(36:35):
the company running it, is putting up money to make
sure it's cleaned up after that time. The site will
generate about sixty two and a half megawatts, enough to
power fifty three hundred homes in Kentucky. Officials tell me
there will be about two hundred jobs created throughout the
next year as work begins to set up the new
solar project. Now they are promising to hire as many

(36:55):
former coal workers as possible.

Speaker 3 (36:58):
We want to make sure that the folks who work
on this site are locals, and we're gonna have a
hiring preference for folks who used to work in the
coal industry because the people who powered All right, I
cut that short on purpose. That was not relevant here.
Did you catch the part and think I'm going to
bring up the detail that caught my attention. Sixty two

(37:20):
point five megawatts enough to power fifty three thousand homes
in Kentucky. That's it, that's the part. Now why do
you think that part caught my attention as someone who's
always got an ear out for you know the bs
Sixty two point five megawatts enough to power fifty three
thousand homes in Kentucky. Yes, it is enough, but I

(37:44):
bet it won't power homes in Kentucky. See, when these
farms go up, it's because solar companies find the right
amount of acres for the right amount of money. But
rest assured though sixty two point five megawatts, I bet
you won't be I use the power homes in Kentucky.
Just like almost all solar farms these days, that electricity

(38:07):
will be sent down the line and sold to other
states where the rates are much much higher. This is
a for profit industry, not a for the community industry,
you understand. So will there be enough electricity to power
fifty three thousand homes in Kentucky? Yeah, but they won't

(38:28):
do that. That's the fib See. I've talked to farmers
in both Kentucky and Indiana, and I've heard the same story.
These companies come around and they slide big checks across
the table to farmers, and they tell me it's usually
farmers who are, you know, like retirements within sight. These

(38:51):
are the guys they pray on, try to get in
when they're thinking about getting out of farming. Then they
slide that check over and it looks real good and
enticing to those guys. And in rare instances they will
lease land too, but that is rare. But the farmers
who don't sell and want to continue to farm their

(39:11):
neighboring land get the shaft. The farmers taught me that
when these solar farms go up, they essentially kill the soil.
The nutrient cycle stops. See. Some crops draw certain types
of nutrients from the soil, while others draw a different

(39:31):
list of nutrients. That's why farmers will switch crops from
year to year to replenish those nutrients to their land.
After the solar farms go up, that cycle stops and
the land eventually becomes well dead. Acres and acres of
farmland ruined, and most of the time that dead land

(39:54):
will leach off of the farmland that connects to it
adjacent trying to retain nutrients, harming the neighbor's farmland that
didn't sell to the solar farm. And all the while
the community is under the impression that when the solar
farms become operational, their electricity bill will go down and

(40:16):
they will be using that solar farm. No, these farms
are farms. They farm electricity. But just like the corn
field or the beanfield just down the road from you,
or the want I can see across my road right now,
none of that corn and none of that beans are

(40:37):
making it to your table. Those crops are harvested and
sent down the river or stored until prices go up,
and then sold to whoever the highest price is, usually
hundreds of miles away. Solar energy is no different. They
will harvest that power and send it right down the

(40:58):
line to some other state that offers the most money
per kilowatt. Don't allow solar farms near you. And now
it's time for sports. The twenty four second shot clock
in basketball, introduced in nineteen fifty four by the NBA,

(41:22):
was created to speed up the game after dreadfully slow
matches like a nineteen fifty game where the Fort Wayne
Pistons beat Minneapolis Lakers nineteen to eighteen, with fans bored
out of their minds. And that's going to do it
for this weekend's this week's quote is one I remember

(41:49):
hearing but forgot about until this week. This week's quote
is quote I can accept failure. Everybody fails at something,
but I can't except not trying. End quote. Do you
remember that one?

Speaker 1 (42:06):
Uh?

Speaker 3 (42:06):
That was from the Goat Michael Jordan. That's quote of
the week and this week, guys, I have a gripe.
I know, I know, well I do you? Who is
doing us wrong?

Speaker 4 (42:24):
You?

Speaker 3 (42:24):
Who is an American chocolate flavored beverage not chocolate milk?
You guys? It's not created in nineteen twenty eight by
Natalie Oliviary in Garfield, New Jersey. It's made primarily with water.
High fruit toast, corn syrup, way and cocoa and non

(42:44):
fat dry milk, making it shelf stable and distinct from
dairy heavy chocolate milk. Known for its smooth, sweet taste,
it's ninety nine percent fat free, one hundred percent caffeine free,
and rich in calcium and vitamin D. You Who gained
fame through endorsements like Yogi Barra's nineteen fifties campaign me

(43:05):
He for you Who. Okay. It's been marketed as a
nostalgic treat, available in flavors like chocolate, strawberry, and cookies
and cream. It's now produced by Curig, Doctor Pepper or KDP.
If you're in the beverage business. My wife is in
the beverage business. It's how I knew KDP. Fun Basketball connection.

(43:27):
You Who's dubbed the drink of Champions in the nineteen fifties,
endorsed by New York Yankees player. It's not basketball. I look.
If I'm looking up some history on a certain product,
I look it up and I repeat it here. And
I copied and pasted that part from another site because

(43:50):
it's the only fun fact I can find on you Who.
And it literally says fun basketball connection, and then endorsed
by the New York Yankees. That's space, okay, Okay, it
was Drink of Champions and the nineteen fifties endorsed by
New York Yankees players, so that ties it to sports. Okay,
enough enough about you who I'm not. I'm not trying

(44:14):
to make them this week's sugar, and I'm not trying
to advertise them. They don't deserve it, my gripe. You
who cans? There are eleven ounces? I know who cares me?
I care? I'll buy one at work every so often,
and when I do, I'm thirsty, you know That's why

(44:34):
I'm after it. Only eleven ounces of beverage in that can.
That's unacceptable. Now, when you go down the rabbit hole,
and I did, and I hated it, you'll discover their excuse.
They say it's to allow room for the beverage to
be shaken before drinking it. Again, unacceptable, and I don't
believe it. You know, darn well, there's room for shaking

(44:55):
with a twelve ounce can you know? They're never filled,
you know, right up to the brim, with no room
you can shake it. It's twelve ounces. You don't need
a whole lot of shake room, you know. Also, they're
not any cheaper than the cans of other drinks right
next to them that are twelve ounces. I'm not paying

(45:16):
for shaking room anymore. Cut it out that one's looking
for eleven ounces of anything, and that explains why I
would get it. And you gotta chug a you whoop.
That's not a sip and drink, because as soon as
it gets warm, it's disgusting. So you gotta crack it open,
give it a little shake, crack, chug it. You're good.

(45:36):
But it never hit the same as a twelve ounce.
I think the twelve ounce is that sweet spot, and
that missing ounce accounts for something. I would drink it,
and I feel like I am missing something. I don't
feel like I drink a can of it. I'm telling
you it makes a difference. No more, I'm not getting it.
A little bit of bad news after this, so I'm

(45:58):
stretching it out because there's some some fresh breaking bad news.
But uh, I'm not paying for you who anymore. Give
us twelve ounces or give us nothing, you know, that's
all hers to it. All right, we're close, guys, We're
close to the end of the show, and I gotta
throw in some bad news here. We'll get over it together. Ah. Now,

(46:23):
I don't normally do this, I don't want to do this.
I can't keep up with it, but I feel like
this one needs needs to be said on this time. Look.
Malcolm Jamal Warner, known for his role as theo Huxtable
on The Cosby Show, died at age fifty four in

(46:46):
an accidental drowning while on a family vacation in Costa
Rica on Sunday this past Sunday, July twentieth. According to
sources including ABC News and the Costa Rican National Police,
Warner was caught in a strong ocean current while swimming
near Cochless Beach and Lemon and his cause of death

(47:08):
was listed as asphyxia. His body was discovered on Sunday
afternoon formally identified by authorities. Warner was just fifty four young,
so as I watched The Cosby Show back then, I
related to him as he was just four years older

(47:29):
than me and might as well have been the same
age to me. You know. He always had a way
of stealing the scene if he was in it, and
he has tons of great scenes, and my favorite was
when his dad walks into Theo's room, steps on and
over mounds of dirty clothes and trash to sit down

(47:50):
with him, teach him a lesson about living on your
own and the importance of going to college. And as
a tribute, I'll play that scene as its entirety to
close this episode. So stick around at the end and
you'll hear that scene. So he was not just a

(48:10):
name to me. He was a little bit special to
me because I related to him so much when I
watched that show, and he just seemed a little extra,
a little special to me and to a lot of people,
especially people in that age group, you know. So rest
in peace, Malcolm Jamal Warner. And this just in literally

(48:35):
moments ago, after I'd finished wrapping up this episode. I
have another death to report. According to multiple sources, Ozzy
Osbourne has passed away this afternoon. His family released a
statement confirming his death, stating quote, it is with more

(48:56):
sadness than mere words can convey that we have to
report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning.
He was with family and surrounded by love. We ask
everyone to respect our family privacy at this time. End quote.
No specific cause of death. Was provided. News sources are

(49:18):
saying complications from Parkinson's, but that can mean many things,
so I'm not going to speculate today. Osborne had been
battling Parkinson's disease and other health issues in recent years.
His death comes just weeks after his final performance with
Black Sabbath at the Back to the Beginning concert in Birmingham, England,

(49:40):
on July fifth. There have been prior instances of death
hoaxes with Osbourne, such as a YouTube video in twenty
twenty three claiming he had died, which he personally refuted
on his podcast, saying I'm not dead. I'm not really dead,
just a little flesh wound. And the recent information from

(50:01):
his family the reports of his passing today appear credible.
Rest in peace, Ozzy. Now we need it, We definitely
need it. It's time for sugar. The Guinness World Records,
originally called the Guinness Book of Records, is a reference

(50:24):
book published annually since nineteen fifty five documenting extraordinary human achievements,
natural phenomenon and unique feats across various categories. It was
created by Sir Hugh Beaver, then Managing director of Guinness Breweries,
after a debate about the fastest game bird in Europe,

(50:47):
sparked the idea for a book to settle pub arguments.
Compiled by Norris and Ross mcwarzer. The first edition was
released August twenty seventh, nineteen fifty five, and became a
best seller. They released one every year, and I'm telling you,
I was a jerk as a kid, and I'd always

(51:07):
throw a fit or find a way to get each
year year's Guinness Book. Guys, ninety nine point eight percent
of those records are exactly the same year after year.
It's just a book a year. Not much changes. If
you're gonna get this book, get one every five years.

(51:29):
I remember being a pest and pouting about it when
I was a kid, you know, when the book fair
come around elementary school or you know whatever. I even
remember getting old editions from the library expecting like different things.
It's the same every year. I'm not ripping not ripping
on the Guinness Book, you guys, I'm not. It's a classic.
It's a staple for kids, you know, elementary age. But

(51:52):
you don't have to get one every year. The book
covers records like tallest person that was Robert Wadlow at
eight foot eleven point one inches, fastest land speed that
weird rocket looking car the thrust sc at seven hundred
and sixty three point zero three five miles per hour,

(52:12):
or quirky feats like the most basketball free throws in
a minute that was Bobby Fisher fifty four and twenty
twenty three. Records are verified through strict documentation, measurements or
expert witnesses ensuring authenticity. It's now published over one hundred
countries in twenty three languages, with millions of applications annually,

(52:35):
though only about fifty thousand records are recognized. Guinness World
Records also maintains a digital presence, certifies records for individuals
and businesses, and inspires global attempts, often for charity or fame.
It's a cultural icon, of course, blending awe oddity and
human ambition. And since I mentioned basketball earlier, a fun

(52:59):
basket ball record it's the most basketball slam dunks in
one minute is sixteen, set by Odanaka Okafour from the
United States in twenty twenty two, but whose idea was
a Guinness World Records book. The Guinness World Records Book
was the brainchild. Like I said of Sir Hugh Beaver,

(53:20):
the managing director of Guinness Breweries. In nineteen fifty one,
during a shooting party in Ireland, Beaver got into a
debate about the fastest game bird, remember it was the
golden plover versus the red grouse, and they couldn't find
a definitive answer, and he realized there was no centralized
resource for settling such disputes and bar fights. So he

(53:45):
got the idea for a book of verified facts and
records to resolve those pub arguments. Beaver commissioned Norris and
Ross macwerthur to twin brothers and fact finding experts to
compile that first edition with help from London based agent
see of David Boehme and the research team at the
News of the World, the Guinness Book of Records was

(54:06):
published in August twenty seventh, nineteen fifty five. It became
a massive success. The idea stem from Beaver's vision, but
the Macwarthurs or mcwerders particulously researched and brought it to life.
Even with its Guinness Breweries ties, the Guinness World Records

(54:29):
no longer tracks or publishes records for the most beers
consumed in a single sitting due to ethical concerns and
potential health risks. This decision was made in nineteen ninety
one when they removed all spirit, wine and beer drinking
records from the Eating and Drinking Records to avoid encouraging

(54:50):
dangerous behavior or litigation. That's a shame. Historical anecdotes and
unverified claims exist, However. A widely cided story involves Andre
the Giant, who reportedly consumed one hundred and nineteen standard
twelve ounce beers in a six hour period in nineteen
seventy six at a pub in Pennsylvania, leading to him

(55:13):
passing out in a hotel hallway. This feat, while legendary,
was never officially recorded by Guinness World Records, and it
remains unverified except for in my heart, In my heart,
I know it's true. Another notable claim is from Peter
Dowd's Dwell Dowd's Well there you Go, a competitive eating

(55:35):
and drinking champion who reportedly downed ninety pints in three hours,
though this was also not officially recognized by Guinness due
to the categories closure. Additionally, in nineteen seventy two, Jacklinch
of Dublin attempted to drink twenty pints pints. It's about
eleven leaders of Guinness to enter the Guinness Book of Records,

(55:55):
but there's no evidence he succeeded or that it was
officially courted. It's a shame. Since Guinness World Records stop
tracking such records, no official title exists for the most
beers consumed. Current beer related records focus on safer feats,
like the largest beer festival that's Octoberfest with seven point

(56:17):
five million leaders consumed in twenty eleven, or the fastest
time to drink a pint one point six seconds by
Peter Dowdswell that guy. You won't find those records in
the Guinness Book. But the Guinness World Records database currently
contains over fifty thousand records, with around forty thousand active

(56:37):
records at any given time. The annual book, however, features
a curated selection of about three to four thousand records
due to space constraints, showcasing a mix of new achievements,
iconic records, and fan favorites like those fattest twins on
a scooter. I guess I don't remember those guys, and

(57:00):
that's why the Guinness World Records Book is this Week's
sugar and with that, I just set the new world
record for most Soapbox Champion podcast episodes completed, one hundred
and ninety five. Because that's it for this episode. Thanks
for listening, guys. Hope you got something out of it.

(57:21):
I hope you killed some time. Hope you enjoyed yourself.
I do this every Tuesday, six thirty pm Central Standard time.
I released it earlier in video form over on my
Rumble channel. Go there and subscribe. Please you might find
you like Rumble by the way. You want more, get help.
That's not right, but you can find me and more

(57:43):
of me on social media Facebook, Instagram, Truth x, Blue Sky,
all of it except for threads. I like that. Got
an idea for a topic or an episode, leave me
a voicemail, send me a text uh eight one two

(58:05):
six one zero nine zero zero five, or compose an email.
Send that to info dot Soapbox Champion at gmail dot com.
And remember, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is still available
twenty four hours a day for free. Nothing happened with
the lgl LGBTQ plus funding being taken away. They don't

(58:28):
need their own suicide and Crisis Lifeline. No one needs
their own There should just be the suicide Christis lifeline
and you got it nine eight eight. You can even
text it nine eight eight. Take care of yourself and
one another. Guys, no matter what their political affiliation, no
matter what. We'll talk again next Tuesday. I'll see you, y'all.

Speaker 4 (59:17):
How'd you get good help, isn't it? Uh? Son?

Speaker 6 (59:23):
Mother asked me to come up here and kill you.

Speaker 4 (59:29):
Hey, I know you know what.

Speaker 2 (59:32):
What you're gonna say, and it's under control, So no problem.

Speaker 4 (59:39):
How do you expect to get into college with grades
like this? No problem?

Speaker 2 (59:43):
Huh see, I'm not going to college, damn right. I
am gonna get through high school and then get a
job like regular people. Regular people, yeah, you know who
work in the gas station, traffic bus, something like that.

Speaker 6 (01:00:00):
So what you're saying is your your mother and I
shouldn't care if you get DS because you.

Speaker 4 (01:00:05):
Don't need good grades to be regular people. Right, Okay? Oh,
suppose you graduate from high school.

Speaker 6 (01:00:19):
Let's say you just slide by all right, Now you
gotta find a job. Now, what kind of salary do
you expect for a regular person?

Speaker 4 (01:00:33):
Two hundred and fifty dollars a week? Two hundred fifty
dollars a week. Yeah, sit down, I'm going to give
you three hundred dollars a week.

Speaker 6 (01:00:43):
Yes, indeed, three hundred dollars a week, twelve hundred dollars
a month.

Speaker 4 (01:00:48):
All right, great, I'll take it, Yes you will.

Speaker 6 (01:00:50):
And I will take three hundred and fifty dollars for taxes.
Well yeah, now, because see the comes for the regular
people first.

Speaker 4 (01:01:10):
Now, now how much? How much does that that leave
you with? Eight hundred fifty dollars? All right?

Speaker 6 (01:01:15):
Now, you've got to have an apartment because you are
not going to live here, So an apartment in Manhattan
will run you at least four hundred dollars a month.

Speaker 2 (01:01:29):
I'll live in New Jersey, all right, live in New Jersey.

Speaker 4 (01:01:37):
You've got to have a car. I'll ride a motorbike.

Speaker 6 (01:01:44):
You need a helmet, Figure one hundred a month. For
clothes and shoes.

Speaker 3 (01:01:54):
Figure two hundred.

Speaker 2 (01:01:55):
I want to look good.

Speaker 4 (01:02:00):
Okay, So what does that? What does that leave you with?

Speaker 1 (01:02:02):
Two?

Speaker 4 (01:02:03):
So, no problem, there is a problem. You haven't eaten yet.

Speaker 2 (01:02:16):
I can get by on maloney and cereal. So I
got everything I need plus two hundred dollars.

Speaker 3 (01:02:23):
Left for the month.

Speaker 4 (01:02:25):
You planning to have a girlfriend, for sure? Regular people,