It's no secret that the West is in decline and China is rising. Since the 19th century, many have grown accustomed to Western dominance, such that the thought of China surpassing the USA someday in the foreseeable future is simply too frightening for many to fathom.
Concerning the picture above… Patreon members know what this is all about. Homecoming.
The world is readjusting, and some of you will experience homecoming in the next few years. It will be a happy time. Don’t fear it.
Myself? Too busy, and under lock-down. Pumping things out.
Enjoy.
About what China would do if the USA tries to instigate a war over Taiwan…
They can try. If anyone wants their nation to be destroyed, go ahead. The US will thank you for being a useful idiot.
China is much much stronger than Russia and won’t be playing around for 9 months before actually fighting a real war.
China will start out and throw everything they can at the nation that is looking to commit suicide by China.
And it will end quickly.
Caldo De Pollo–mexican Chicken Stew/soup
“This soup is a recipe of my friend’s father who passed away a few years ago. It is soooo delicious I was shocked when I found out how easy it is to make!! the El Pato sauce called for in this recipe is easily found in the Mexican isle of your grociery store (unless you live in Queensland, Australia… can’t find it here!! I have to have my sister send it to me from the U.S. just so I can make this soup!!) or at a Mexican market.
Make sure to get the yellow can labelled “hot tomato sauce” or “salsa de chile fresco” It is really cheap… the grocery store in Colorado (where I used to live) sold it for 69 cents. It is the key to the soup.
You can easily change the meat to beef and use beef broth instead of water… or some nice white fish or shrimp..but if using seafood the seafood should be added in the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Also, you can play with the veggies too!! I do need to warn you that it is a little bit too spicy for most children.”
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped 1/2-inch thick
- 3 medium potatoes, chopped bite size
- 1 1⁄2 cups chopped celery, chopped 1/4 inch thick
- 1 (7 3/4 ounce) can of el pato brand salsa fresco salsa (or “hot tomato sauce”, the yellow can not the green!)
- 6 -8 pieces chicken thighs or 6 -8 pieces chicken legs, skinless, bone-in
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- salt and pepper
- 1 – 1 1⁄2 bunch cilantro, chopped
- lemon wedges or lime wedge (to garnish)
Directions
- in one tablespoon olive oil, heat pot on high heat and sear the chicken pieces till brown on all sides.
- remove and transfer to a plate/bowl (you will add it back).
- sautee onions with the rest of the olive oil in that same pot till translucent.
- add all the veggies.
- add chicken, water, El Pato sauce, and 1 tsp salt.
- Bring to boil, cover, lower heat to medium and cover and let cook for 25 minutes.
- lower heat to medium-low and let cook for 35 more minutes–the chicken will be falling off the bone. 😀 yumm!
- taste and add more salt and then pepper as needed.
- then throw in the cilantro, give it a good stir, then cover again and let it simmer for about 2 minutes.
- ladle in a bowl just like that or over Mexican rice and garnish with lemon or lime wedges so your guests can squeeze it inches.
The US Wants to Destroy China Microchips – This Will Backfire!
U.S sanctioning China is kinda like a boxing match where the U.S is too busy punching himself, while China is training and doing push-ups.
Ukraine – Running On Empty
Yesterday the Pentagon announced another transfer of weapons to the Ukrainian military:
According to the Pentagon, the package includes: Additional munitions for NASMAS 150 heavy machine guns with thermal imagery sights to counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Additional ammunition for HIMARS 200 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds 10,000 120mm mortar rounds High-speed Anti-radiation missiles (HARMs) 150 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs) Over 100 light tactical vehicles Over 20,000,000 rounds of small arms ammunition Over 200 generators Spare parts for 105mm Howitzers and other equipment The $400 million is being sent to Ukraine through the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which allows President Biden to send arms straight from US military stockpiles.
The Pentagon is clearly scraping the bottom of the barrel.
Additional munitions for NASMAS
NASMAS is an air defense systems that uses re-purposed air to air missiles (active radar homing AIM-120 AMRAAM) in a ground to air mode.
Yesterday one of those missiles was used in Kiev but missed its target. It hit an apartment block and killed several people:
The missile that hit an apartment block in Kiev today was a US-made AIM-120C launched from one of the newly arrived NASMAS air defense systems, donated to Ukraine in the last months. Local people shared on social media photos of the wreckage of the missile. Even though Ukraine blamed Russia for the strike, it turns out the missile was not Russian but American and was fired by Ukrainian troops. The fragment shown in the photo has the word LIFT as the American AIM-120C. This is an anti-aircraft missile for the NASAMS systems which were recently donated to Ukraine. By analyzing the photos which Ukrainian citizens published themselves the missile which hit their residential building can be easily identified as American.
Heavy machine guns with thermal image sights against drones.
This is a really bad sign. I have tried to find recent photos of machine guns used in air defense mode. There were only antique ones plus this model picture.
Several decades ago we trained to shoot down helicopters and planes with the machine guns attached to the top of our battle tanks. Despite firing from a stable platform and spending lots of ammunition our hit rates were really lousy. That’s why no army I know of is still using this method. Most of the UAV’s used in Ukraine for reconnaissance are electrical. They are unlikely to show up in a thermal sight. The propeller driven Iranian drones, probably made in Russia, are hot and make a lot of noise. They can be targeted but are reasonably fast and one has to act equally fast to get them. The Lancet kamikaze drones used by the Russian military in Ukraine fly low and fast. A machine gun team will have little chances when such a drones flies towards it.
Those machine guns Ukraine will get, minus those to be sold on the black market, can not be effective as air defense. They will likely end up to be used in a ground mode to defend this or that frontline ditch. They are good for that until some artillery round or infantry fighting vehicle comes along and takes them out.
Additional ammunition for HIMARS
HIMARS is the wonder weapon that wasn’t. The reach of some 70 kilometers is reasonable but one also needs very good targeting data to put them to use. The Russians have learned from the early HIMARS successes and have become much better now with camouflaging their positions.
200 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds
Nice to have – but again only if you have reliable targeting data. What is shocking is that there is no other 155 mm ammunition in this delivery. What are those M-777 guns that still exist in Ukraine supposed to fire?
10,000 120mm mortar rounds
That’s not a lot either. Previously the U.S. had given Ukraine 20 120 mm mortar with 135,000 120mm mortar rounds. The 10,000 new rounds will likely be spend in less than a week.
High-speed Anti-radiation missiles (HARMs)
These are air to ground missiles used to target enemy radar. They have been jury rigged to fit on the few SU-27 fighter jets the Ukraine has received from some east European country. There have been reports that Russian air defenses usually hit these missiles before they reach their target.
Today the New York Times reported that one such missile, fired back in September, had hit an apartment building in Kramatorsk:
New York Times journalists were able to gather and identify distinct metal fragments left behind at the site of an earlier strike, in September in eastern Ukraine, providing a window into where the billions of dollars of United States’ military aid sent to Ukraine can sometimes land. “Three people got wounded, they say. No dead. It hit the apartment where no one lives, and in the next one, people got hurt,” said Olga Vasylivna, a resident who lived adjacent to where the missile hit.
The trucks Ukraine will get may be useful but will there be enough diesel to fuel them?
20,000,000 rounds of small arms ammunition is again practically nothing. The typical combat load for one infantry soldier is 240 rounds. Machine gun teams carry some 6,000 rounds. The frontline in Ukraine is 1,000 kilometer long. When one does the math one finds that these 20,000,000 rounds are practically nothing.
There is currently a roaring black market for generators in Ukraine. Those 200 new ones will be very welcome. They will most likely end up in Lviv or Kiev.
Spare parts for 105mm Howitzers and other equipment
The story of the U.S. weapon support for Ukraine is one of diminishing quantity and quality. First the U.S. gave 143 M-777 155 mm systems to Ukraine. These proved to have a high breakage rate and were also easily targeted. Then the U.S. had run out of 155 mm ammunition it could give away. It next offered 36 105 mm howitzers and 180,000 105mm rounds. Same story. After that came the 120 mm mortar.
Artillery is usually fought against with counter artillery. When battle radar pics up a flying artillery round one can calculate where its has been fired from. Then a dedicated counter artillery battery, usually with longer range, will be tasked to fire at that position. In a good organized unit that takes less than one or two minutes.
The M-777 guns have a firing range of about 20 kilometers. That is somewhat equal to 152 mm guns the Russians are using. The 105 mm guns came next. Their range is about 11 kilometer. The 120 mm mortar can reach about 7 kilometer.
Aside from HIMARS Ukraine’s front artillery has become smaller with less reach than those systems used on the other side. That will make it easier to counter it. Ukraine also has an acute lack of ammunition for those few weapons that still exist. It has long lost the artillery war.
The war in Ukraine is waged on an industrial level. But the ‘west’ and its Ukrainian proxy are not prepared for industrial warfare. In a longer piece – It’s War, Josep, But Not As We Know It – Aurelian explains why that is the case:
First, much of the policy impetus on Ukraine comes from Anglo-Saxon countries, whose history of warfare, and thinking about warfare, is essentially expeditionary and limited. ... The type of military operations that Europeans have actually conducted since 1945, and especially since 1989, have tended to follow this model. ... The second factor is simply that in general the West’s wars have been limited liability ones, where there have been few casualties at home. ... For the Russians, geography mandated a different set of criteria. Always a massive country with a relatively large population and long borders, the nation has suffered foreign military invasions repeatedly in its history. It is used to being obliged to fight on its own territory, and in World War II alone, suffered nearly thirty million dead, a large proportion of them civilians. Thus, national defence is literally a life and death issue, and thinking about, and planning for, war, takes place at a massively higher and more complex strategic level. ... This Russian experience inevitably produces a way of looking at conflict which is radically different from western one, with the proviso that the West itself has had to painfully learn similar lessons during two World Wars, only to promptly forget them each time. ... The Soviet and Russian militaries have a long tradition of studying the terrible past wars of their country, and there are a number obvious conclusions from any such analysis. One is the importance of sheer numbers, of personnel, of equipment and ammunition. In a long war, which the Russians, unlike the West, have always expected to fight, these things matter a great deal.
Up to 2012 there was a Ukrainian company near Kiev which still produced artillery rounds for Russia. I no longer find the link to that story but the numbers produced for Russia was some 2,000,000 million per year. There is no way the ‘west’ can match the Russian stockpiles.
Russia expert Gordon M. Hahn looks at the upcoming Russian Winter Offensive. Only with a ceasefire can Ukraine and its sponsors avert the upcoming catastrophe. This for three reasons:
First, the Russian hammer is about to fall on Ukraine. The gloves are coming off; electric energy stations, bridges, and even ‘decision centers’ such as central Kiev’s government buildings are being targeted. ... What will the sociopolitical situation be like when these critical infrastructures are in complete collapse and temperatures are 20 degrees colder? Russia will be moving closer to the strategy of ‘shock and awe’, fully destroying all infrastructure – military or otherwise – as the US did in Serbia and Iraq and will likely take less care now to avoid civilian casualties.After the infrastructures are completely destroyed or incapacitated, Russia’s reinforcements of 380,000 regular and newly mobilized troops will have been fully added into Russia’s forces across southeastern Ukraine. ... A winter offensive by some half a million troops will make substantial gains on those three fronts and multiply Ukrainian losses in personnel and materiel`, which are already high. This could lead easily to a collapse of Ukrainian forces on one or more front. On the backs of such a success Russian President Putin might also make another attempt to threaten Kiev ... Second, the West is suffering from Ukraine fatigue. NATO countries’ arms supplies have been depleted beyond what is tolerable, and social cohesion is collapsing in the face of double-digit inflation and economic recession. All this makes Russia the winner on the strategic level and is forcing Washington and Brussels to seek at least a breathing spell by way of a ceasefire. ... Third, Ukraine’s greatest political asset – Zelenskiy himself – just got devalued, putting at even greater risk Ukraine’s political stability. ... For now, in order to keep the West on board, Zelenskiy is rumored to be pushing Ukrainian armed forces commander Viktor Zalyuzhniy to start a last pre-winter offensive in northern Donetsk (Svatovo and Severodonetsk) or Zaporozhe in order to put a stop to the West’s ceasefire murmurs and reboost support. At the same time there is talk of continuing Zelenskiy-Zalyuzhniy tensions over the latter’s good press and star status in the West. ... On the background of the deteriorating battlefield and international strategic situation, such civil-military tensions are fraught with the potential for a coup. ... ... We may be reaching the watershed moment in the Ukrainian war. No electricity, no army, no society. ... All of the above and the approaching presidential elections scheduled in Moscow, Kiev and Washington the year after next make this winter pivotal for all the war's main parties.
Reading the two pieces quoted above I come to the conclusion war has been lost – by Ukraine as well as by its supporters.
NATO, already deeply involved, could still want to change that by fully joining the war. But I do not think that the U.S. military, nor its European NATO allies, will have the stomach for that.
Posted by b on November 24, 2022 at 17:54 UTC | Permalink
Why is the quality of life in the US so poor for many, but most people from there act like it’s the best country in the world?
Predominantly because they don’t get out much.
I had the same experience when I started life in Soviet East Germany … we were also the greatest country on earth … and then we got out and looked around.
Difference with Americans is they don’t want to get out and look around. They wear their wilful ignorance as a badge of honour.
As an American….this is the best answer I have ever read. I am one that has not been able to get out. But my best friend has been traveling the world for 7yrs now and I tag along via WhatsApp. What he posts on FB and IG are the perfect pics. I hear and see all the reality. Beyond the US border is a beautiful world with wonderful, helpful and giving people that may live with less but they are happy. More is not always better. The US is so materialistic that they have forgotten the simple pleasures of life. Good food, good company, people willing to help each other.
Vaccinated people now make up a majority of COVID deaths
For the first time, a majority of Americans dying from the coronavirus received at least the primary series of the vaccine.
Fifty-eight percent of coronavirus deaths in August were people who were vaccinated or boosted, according to an analysis conducted for The Washington Post’s Health 202 newsletter, by Cynthia Cox, vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation.
It’s a continuation of a troubling trend that has emerged over the past year. As vaccination rates have increased and new variants appeared, the share of deaths of people who were vaccinated has been steadily rising. In September 2021, vaccinated people made up just 23 percent of coronavirus fatalities. In January and February this year, it was up to 42 percent, per our colleagues Fenit Nirappil and Dan Keating.
“We can no longer say this is a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” Cox said.
Being unvaccinated is still a major risk factor for dying from COVID-19. But efficacy wanes over time, and an analysis out last week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlights the need to get regular booster shots to keep one’s risk of death from the coronavirus low, especially for the elderly.
Anthony Fauci, the nation’s preeminent infectious-disease expert, used his last White House briefing Wednesday ahead of his December retirement to urge Americans to get the recently authorized omicron-specific boosters.
“The final message I give you from this podium is that please, for your own safety, for that of your family, get your updated COVID-19 shot as soon as you’re eligible,” he said.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted:
“Dr. Fauci is a pillar of the public health community. From HIV and AIDS to Ebola to COVID, he has kept the American public informed and prepared through multiple crises. It was an honor having him in the briefing room to remind Americans on the importance of getting vaccinated.”
Cox, like many experts, says she’s not surprised by the ratio shift. There are a few reasons:
• At this point in the pandemic, a large majority of Americans have received at least their primary series of coronavirus vaccines, so it makes sense that vaccinated people are making up a greater share of fatalities.
• Individuals at greatest risk of dying from a coronavirus infection, such as the elderly, are also more likely to have received the shots.
• Vaccines lose potency against the virus over time and variants arise that are better able to resist the vaccines, so continued boosters are needed to continue to prevent illness and death.
• The BA.5 omicron subvariant became dominant in July and consistently accounted for the majority of new coronavirus infections across the United States until earlier this month. The highly transmissible strain fueled a surge of new infections, reinfections and hospitalizations throughout the summer.
It’s still true that vaccinated groups are at a lower risk of dying from a COVID-19 infection than the unvaccinated when the data is adjusted for age. An analysis released by the CDC last week underscores the protection that additional booster shots offer against severe illness and death as immunity wanes.
In August, the highly contagious BA.5 variant reached its peak:
• That month, unvaccinated people aged 6 months and older died at about six times the rate of those who had received their primary series of shots.
• People with one booster dose were even better protected. Unvaccinated people over the age of 5 had about 8 times the risk of dying from a coronavirus infection than those who received a booster shot.
• Among individuals who were eligible to receive additional booster shots, the gap is even more striking. Unvaccinated people 50 and up had 12 times the risk of dying from COVID-19 than adults the same age with two or more booster doses.
David French, senior editor for the Dispatch, tweeted: “One of the saddest phenomena of the online right is the absolute fury at those of us who supported COVID vaccines and continue to support COVID vaccines. The death toll of vaccine refusal is simply staggering and heartbreaking.” He pointed out that 100 percent vaccination could have prevented 300,000 deaths between January 1, 2021 and April 30, 2022.
Americans’ uptake of the latest booster shots continues to be slow.
Around 35 million people have received the updated boosters that became available to people 12 and over in September and to children as young as 5 last month. That’s a little over 10 percent of the U.S. population, amid concern that cooler weather will bring a surge of COVID cases as people move indoors and respiratory infections spread.
Wednesday, the White House announced a six-week push ahead of the holidays aimed at increasing booster uptake among seniors, people who are racial minorities and those who live in rural areas, all of which have disproportionately suffered severe disease and death during the coronavirus pandemic, our colleagues Frances Stead Sellers and Ariana Eunjung Cha write.
Senior officials said the Biden administration would direct some of its remaining resources to fight the pandemic into a $475 million campaign to support community health centers and organizations working to get the elderly and people with disabilities boosted.
The administration’s push coincided with the release of a CDC study offering the first evidence that the bivalent boosters are better at preventing symptomatic infection against newly circulating variants than earlier doses.
“I feel very confident that if people continue to get vaccinated at good numbers, if people get boosted, we can absolutely have a very safe and healthy holiday season,” Ashish Jha, White House coronavirus czar, said Wednesday.
(HT REMARK: This news, broken by the Washington Post newspaper, says to ME, the so-called “vaccines” not only don’t work, they may actually be contributing to people dying. No thanks. I did not take _any_ of the COVID shots and will not take them. I’m not taking anything that messes with my DNA.)
Pics From 2022 Beard & Mustache Championship That Showcases Next-Level Facial Hair
Welcome to the wonderland of facial hair of all shapes, styles, and sizes, from giant beards to Salvador Dali-worthy mustaches.
We’re talking about The National Beard and Moustache Championships organized by Beard Team USA® which took place in Casper on November 12 this month. This whimsical event celebrates facial hair, and joins beard aficionados together into one big bushy community who just loves having fun with a dash of competition!
Just like in previous years, Greg Anderson, a Las Vegas-based photographer, set out on a mission to capture the numerous men in their one-of-a-kind beards on camera. Below we selected some of the most interesting beards Anderson eternalized during the championships, so scroll down and upvote your favorite ones!
What is it like to live in France? Is it much different from other European countries? What do you think are the main cultural differences between France and other places?
Living in France is great, by international comparison. I don’t think there are many countries where life is as enjoyable as in France.
I spent a few years there, and would do it again without any reservations.
It’s a safe, clean, affluent country with a wonderful climate, a good variety of landscapes, and a built environment that is stunning. Prices are on the higher side of the spectrum, but then, salaries are pretty much up to it. You will be doing about as well in France financially as you would be in Germany or the Netherlands.
Working conditions are good and civilised, with plenty of paid leave, and reasonable working hours. The tone at work is professional, and the general working experience is disciplined and qualified.
The people are refined and nice. Just be prepared to speak French really well, there is a very low tolerance for low standards of verbal communication. Speaking French well is key to succeeding in France.
The main cultural bits you’ll want to get right are these:
- speak the language really well, like I mentioned already;
- know your wines, and order them competently;
- be a foodie, it really is a thing in France, and always has been;
- dress well – better than you would elsewhere, the French are dressy, and great looking. Slobs need not apply;
- at work, play it strictly by reporting order – it’s army style working.
Overall, one of the most recommendable places to live on this planet, in my opinion. I currently don’t live there, but that’s just because I’ve found a similarly nice place here in Sweden and Norway.
How US Blackmails Other Countries – Explained By German Diplomat
What Prof. Weidenfeld said is this:
"After that comes a new situation. I can tell you that in my twelve years as "America coordinator" I have become acquainted with three different sets of behavior the American government displays. When you're of the same opinion that they are, you are best friends, you hug, you become afraid for your ribs because the hugs are so intense. When we disagree on secondary issues, the American government will say: How can you do this to us? Where is your gratitude, looking at history? We have established and safeguarded freedom and security for the German people and all that. When we disagree on a serious issue, then intelligence material will be slapped on the table that incriminates Germany and they will say: Either you go along, or else! So these are the sets of behavior. And the Americans have a very clear picture of what their interests are. We [Germany] are more diffuse when it comes to how we define our interests. But the Americans have a very clear set of interests and they act accordingly. That is the reality of life."
Best Albondigas Soup
“This albondigas soup recipe was given to me from my mother-in-law. It’s definitely one my favorite soups. Honestly, it’s better than most restaurants that I’ve tried.”
Ingredients
-
Meatballs
- 1⁄2 lb lean ground beef
- 1⁄2 lb chorizo sausage, casing removed (not the fully cooked kind)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1⁄2 carrot, minced
- 1⁄2 cup cooked rice
- 1⁄2 cup cilantro leaf, chopped
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
-
Albondigas Soup
- 6 cups chicken broth (I usually use nonfat and low sodium)
- 1⁄2 cup onion, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, cut in chunks
- 1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes (with nothing added)
- 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1⁄2 cup cilantro
- 1 large zucchini, sliced
- salt
- pepper
Directions
- Make the meatballs first: Combine everything and mix thoroughly.
- Form meatballs and roll between your palms (Otherwise, meatballs will fall apart in the soup).
- You should make around 20 to 24 meatballs, set aside.
- Combine chicken broth, onion, celery, tomatoes and their liquid, cumin, oregano and cilantro leaves in a large pot.
- Bring to boil, and reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Drop meatballs in the soup (Make sure the soup is slightly boiling, the meatballs need to be cooked quickly).
- Return to simmer and cook another 10 minutes.
- Add zucchini and cook 10 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- You could top the soup with cooked rice, or just by itself.
“We Seek No New Cold War with China,” Said Biden | Speak Softly
US-style democracy and govt structure do not work. Too many cooks spoil the broth. I took up golf in the late 90s. I wanted to get a good set of golf clubs. I was surprised to find out there were no made-in-USA clubs ! Their EPA had shut down all the small foundries, with no recourse! So the companies had to outsource the casting overseas. I agree with the EPA's work to improve the environment. But their govt structure is so fractured that one agency can shut down an industry without giving the companies enough help to adapt and retain the work in the US. Until the US govt can get together to work as a whole, the manufacturing scene will not improve. It is a thousand times easier to outsource than to set up a factory in the USA.
CHINA REJECTS THE US!
You won’t believe this! China has just rejected America on its request to join the Chinese space station.
Earlier, the US followed an offensive space policy and made the worst mistake: it kept China away from the space program.
Even the US allowed various Western countries to cooperate on the space exploration program, but China was pushed away.
Perhaps, the US thought China could never have the technological advancements to build its own space station.
Well, now China has built its international space station called Tiangong. Instead of one space station, now, we can see two space stations roaming around the world.
One belongs to all countries, including the US, while the other is solely China.
Strange things in normal daily life…
Chinese Scientists Are Leaving USA for China (You Won’t Believe Why)
In the past, China suffered from “brain drain” where intellectuals travel from a developing country to a developed country. But with China’s rise and the Sinophobia in the U.S, China is now experiencing a “reverse brain drain” where intellectuals travel from a developed country to a developing country.
The graduates may make more money in the West, but the cost of living is higher in the West than in China. The cost of living in China is (generally) cheaper than in the West. Food is cheaper, rent is cheaper, gas and electricity aren’t as expensive as they are in the West. Transportation costs are lower, the bus fare and train fare are affordable in China, and you can even rent bikes as an affordable mode of transportation.
I've worked on China related issues for over 25 years both in and out of the country including working with community Chinese culture/language schools, and Chinese graduate students coming to the US to help them better adapt to our changing social climate and deal with hostilities. I also have family in China. I'm hesitant to recommend to any Chinese student pursuit of university study in America unless they know “exactly what they want”, have solid faculty support, very strong ego strength, excellent coping skills, and if they study in the STEM fields a viable exit plan. The climate within many of the leading universities has changed significantly moving away from excellence, critical thinking, exploration and rigor to “towing the government line”, subjectivism, suspecting the motives of Chinese professors, students, Chinese associations and Chinese language and cultural programs on campus. There is one particular Chinese college association (to be unnamed) that has been targeted as hosting spies and persons who steal intellectual property. I'm sure some Chinese grad students who might read this know who this organization is. And we have seen the accusations against most of the “Confucius Institutions” many have had to be closed due to xenophobia, spreading communism, spying, you name it, everything they can think of. This has also affected many universities who have extension programs in China. Being Asian in America has always been a “hit or miss” since the times of the 2 US ACTS in the 1800's excluding first Chinese woman from immigrating and then later ALL Chinese as part of the “Chinese Exclusion Act” which are rarely covered in our public school or university systems. CHINESE ARE THE ONLY ETHNIC GROUP IN AMERICAN HISTORY EXCLUDED FROM ENTERING AMERICA. An undercurrent of tacit discrimination is prevalent in most parts of the US and in many “traditional” workplaces Asians are treated differently and almost exclusively lose out on leadership positions. The US hostilities toward China is spilling over in hate and violence to Asian Americans across the country. The Biden Administration, US Congress, those neocons, neoliberals have China lined up like a deer in the headlights. Neocons have stated that the solution to China is “…if China didn’t exist in the first place!” They cannot comprehend that a political system other than American Democracy can be successful. They have no off ramp which is why they have been talking “nukes” against Russia almost incessantly and have brought us to the edge of WWIII. The lies that come out of their mouths exemplify their complete ignorance of China, it’s culture and its people. There's a certain purity to their racism and outright audacity of superiority over Asian's. Please note this is just not White Americans, it is with Americans of ALL other ethnic backgrounds. Lifelong anti-China indoctrination, propaganda hits all of us. We like to say that ‘Asians are the “equal-opportunity” group to discriminate against and project all the worlds evils on’! During a period of time in 2020 when COVID was out of control, with all the Trump, Republican vial hate, Asians were the largest ethnic group buying firearms and ammunition for several months. This trend has not stopped and it's common to see Asian families with more than one gun at home. Folk talk about their guns openly on their WeChat community groups. And sadly this past year I've had to get a concealed carry gun permit to feel more comfortable when my Chinese wife and Chinese daughters are out in public. It’s important to build your “family of friends” and stay on top of world events covered more truthfully in alternate media, and become “learned” on how our Congress and law-making system works, and track their legislation. Educate others the best you can. Asian Americans will have to step up, and speak out at some point.
Strange things in normal daily life…
China’s acquisition of a $4.8 billion bankrupt Piraeus port : Chinese footprints everywhere:
Within no time, China converted it into the fourth-biggest port in Europe, allowing it to pull in more revenues. The biggest reason China bought this port was to have more trade with Europe. It was finding a gate to Europe, and this port proved to be the one.
For over 35 years, China can manage the Piraeus Port and still have its shares, ensuring a hub in Greece that is no less than a treasure chest. Now, the West might think what a great opportunity they missed and how prudently China availed it.
Strange things in normal daily life…
This vaccine news is insane, I mean crazy, I mean…
This is about Canada. Maybe the United States soon…
Strange things in normal daily life…
Life Is Worth Losing – Dumb Americans – George Carlin
Hey! This is the best video of today. You all MUST watch this.
Strange things in normal daily life…
Wait, these clowns are going to let this happen? Putin is furious
Is called “American war propaganda”. Stop trying to believe that the world is fair. It isn’t.
Strange things in normal daily life…
America Vs. Everyone
Jeff Sachs has more courage than just about any other legitimate progressive I know. Somehow he still is getting mainstream media gigs, and when he does he brings the ruckus, calmly, unargumentatively, and without compromise. This guy is an inspiration.
Strange things in normal daily life…
America’s Fundamental Misunderstanding of China | Kishore Mahbubani
Good and reasoned.
Hal Turner’s website was hacked
Strange things in normal daily life…
10 Things Every Cat Owner Should Know
1. Declawing your cats is like cutting off each of your fingers at the last knuckle
Some people think that declawing is a simple surgery that removes a cats nails, this is not true. Declawing involves amputation of the last bone of each toe, removing claws changes the way a cats foot meets the ground and can cause pain similar to wearing an uncomfortable pair of shoes. There can also be regrowth of improperly removed claws, nerve damage and bone spurs. Most cats will become biters because they no longer have their claws as a defense. Cats scratch to remove dead husks from their claws, mark territory and stretch muscles.
2. Trimming a cats whiskers can be psychologically traumatic for them as they are needed to properly gauge and make sense of their environment.
In short, cat’s have a sensory organ at the end of their whiskers called a proprioceptor. If you trim them, it can cause them to become disoriented and have trouble moving around.
3. When cats have their eyes half closed, we read their facial expression as judgmental, annoyed, or mean, when actually this is an expression of being relaxed and happy!
Cat facial expressions are a lot different from ours. Remember, they haven’t gone through nearly as much selective breeding as dogs to be perfect companions to humans, so it’s harder for us to relate to and interpret them. And all too often with cats, our assumptions are the opposite of reality.
Cats will only let their eyes rest in that half-closed position when they feel completely safe and trust the people they’re with. Of course it’s fine to make fun of how serious this can make them look, but just remember that expression is a good sign that your cat is very much enjoying themselves and likes being with you. This is also useful to remember when you’re getting to know a cat that seems a bit shy—you may be making more progress than realize!
4. Lilies are extremely toxic to cats. Eating just a small amount of a leaf, flower petal, pollen grains, or vase water can cause your cat to develop fatal kidney failure in less than 3 days.
Because these lilies are so dangerous for cats and there’s a high risk of death if they’re ingested, it’s best to not bring these plants into your home if you have a cat. Early signs of lily toxicity in cats include decreased activity level, drooling, vomiting, and loss of appetite.
These symptoms start 0 to 12 hours after ingestion. Signs of kidney damage start about 12 to 24 hours after ingestion and include increased urination and dehydration. Kidney failure occurs within 24 to 72 hours, leading to death if the cat isn’t treated. Early veterinary treatment greatly improves the cat’s prognosis. However, if treatment is delayed by 18 hours or more after ingestion, the cat will generally have irreversible kidney failure.
If you suspect that your cat has eaten any part of a lily or its pollen or has drunk water from a vase containing lilies, immediately call your veterinarian or a pet poison control center. Depending on the type of lily, it may be a medical emergency and prompt veterinary treatment is critical. Try to bring the lily plant with you to the veterinary clinic.
5. If you get a kitten, DO use your hands for play so you can teach restraint when they are too rough. Restraint is naturally learned in play with hands and littermates because the fun stops when a bite or scratch is too much. Adult cats who didn’t play this way are more likely to scratch or bite.
Obviously this only works if you shout loudly (“OWW!”) and stop playing if a bite or scratch is too hard.
I’ve only been scratched or bitten by cats that weren’t properly socialized in this way. Cats that have been socialized this way have always shown amazing skill at not scratching or biting. For example, I have a cat who goes nuts over a hair tie and I can hold it in my hand as the bats at it without fear because she perfectly and expertly keeps her claws in to avoid scratching my hand, even in the fervor of the chase. But once the hair tie is away from my hand, all claws are out.
Similarly, there was I time I had to quickly grab my cat in a way that hurt her, and she had a natural reaction to crane around and bite my hand in her pain, but it was just a gentile mouth touch, even in her distress. This goes for vet visits, holding cats down to take medicine, cleaning wounds, etc. Properly trained cats will have better restraint around bites or scratches, but cats that never learned restraint are more likely to.
6. If an indoor cat gets outside and lost, put their litter box outside. They can smell it from up to a mile away and find their way home.
7. Place your cat’s drinking water away from their food source. Instinctually, cats hunt away from their food source because evolution taught them prey can contaminate their water.
My 13 year old cats drink water all day long now that I’ve separated the two. After a few months of this, I got one of those fancy fountain style units too and they LOVE it.
8. If you have a cat suddenly start peeing outside their litter box, take it to the vet to get checked for a bladder infection
They stop peeing in the litter box because if it hurts to pee, they start associating the litter box with pain and go elsewhere.
9. Despite what is often portrayed in pop culture, most adult cats are actually lactose intolerant and giving them milk can lead to vomiting or diarrhea.
10. It is better for both human and cat if you adopt kittens in pairs
For you: It’s less work, the kittens will play with each other and socialize with each other as well as you. Plus kittens learn to play gently with a friend and are less likely to bite/scratch you.
For them: Cats are meant to be social and if you adopt a cat/kitten alone you are committing to be their WHOLE social life. When you’re at work, when you’re busy, when you just spent an hour with the cat and now have other things to do, your cat is left on its own with nobody to play or socialize with. If there is second one they can keep each other company and chase each other around the house. Having a second kitten/cat can drastically reduce their loneliness and dependence on you for any and all stimulation.
It can be hard for an adult cat to accept new animals so it is much better to adopt 2 kittens at the same time so neither has to feel threatened or territorial. Here is an article from someone much more qualified than me explaining how important this is for your animal’s wellbeing .
China’s Favourite Cheap EV Has Had A BIG Upgrade
As you can all see in the video, it’s not against local regulations to drive the Mini EV – or any micro electric car – in Shanghai.
It’s just that passenger EVs that 1) either sell for less than 100k RMB 2) or are less than 4.6 meters long may not be registered in Shanghai. They are therefore not treated as local vehicles, and are allowed to use the city’s major ring roads and elevated expressways only at night.
So why has Shanghai’s municipal government made such an odd decision?
Analysts in the country concur that the ban is fundamentally a part of the city’s effort to reduce motor traffic.
Major Chinese cities like Shanghai are not planned or built with motor vehicles in mind, because after all, private cars had been a rarity in the country until the 1990s.
As a natural result, roads in those cities are increasingly overwhelmed.
To prevent the congestion from worsening further, the mega-cities have taken a drastic step.
Starting around 2012, people living in Shanghai can’t just pick up a car from the dealership and have the administration register it – not without a license.
The licenses, which are released to the public rather sporadically, may be obtained through auctions held by the state*.
As of 2022, such a license costs over 100k RMB on average.
Then, in around 2015, came the tidal wave of electric vehicles. In order to promote the adoption of cars that emit less from the tailpipe and (more importantly) save fossil fuel, cities like Shanghai decided to exempt EVs and many plug-in hybrids from the restriction described above.
In other words, each EV carries with itself a “license of registration”.
While this new policy has really allowed China to jumpstart its electric car industry, it works at cross-purposes with the restriction it bypasses.
Manufacturers, like Wuling and Leapmotor, both of which Fully Charged has covered in its videos, are incentivized to make cheap, basic electric rides because almost all battery electric cars are eligible for multiple national subsidies, but also because simply too many city dwellers need cars but can’t afford a license.
The influx of micro EVs has put huge additional stress on Shanghai’s streets – note that no matter how small a car is, it still occupies considerable space on the driveway.
That, compounded by the fact that most notable Chinese manufacturers of micro EVs are not located in Shanghai (even though Wuling is) and thus don’t contribute to the city’s revenues, eventually prompted the municipal administration to refuse to register any EV unless it costs more than 100k RMB and is over 4.6 meters long.
Sorry, Smart 1. Here, it’s interesting to note that the Volkswagen ID.4 is manufactured and marketed separately by two of VW’s joint ventures with Chinese capital: the ID.4 X, which is made in Shanghai, is 461 cm long, while the ID.4 CROZZ, which is made elsewhere in China, is coincidentally 459 cm long. So, actually it’s quite understandable that Elliot didn’t really explain why he can’t fully enjoy the Wuling convertible in Shanghai, because the story is a really long one. *
In Beijing there’re no auctions; rather, a “lottery” system decides which residents of the city get the much-coveted license.
The longer a household stays in the lottery without winning it, the greater the odds become, but even so, calculations reveal that it takes at least 10 years for a Beijinger who signs up today to eventually win a license.
Courtney Browns “Cosmic voyage”
Passed on my an influencer. Please enjoy.
Download the PDF HERE.
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