When I was a young boy, I was a member of the “Boy Scouts”. We would attend weekly meetings at the homes of “Den Mothers”, do various projects for badges (that we would sew onto our clothing), and attend special events, often involving a bonfire and lots of hotdogs and soda.
One of the favorite things that I loved to do was to take a hot dog and cook it deep in the depths of the fire until it was too blacked to handle. Then, I would take it out and slather ketchup, mustard, onions (raw), tomatoes, and relish onto the dog in the hotdog bun.
Of course, everyone loved marshmallows, and the potato chips. And there was always other snacks such as some baked beans. Often the beans would be cooked in the can by simply placing the can of beans on the fire itself.
I know that today, the top potato-chips are Lays brand. But when I was growing up, it was Wise Potato-chips. They are crunchier, and saltier than Lays. Often, the Den mothers would place the chips in a big basin for all us kids to grab and place on our plates.
I loved to eat it with a nice dip. I found out later that it was always “home made” from a box of creme-cheese, and salad mix packets. I have really loved those days. The food flowed easily and the times were wonderful.
There was always a very nicely done potato salad. In fact, I find it difficult to imagine a campfire party without potato salad, and baked grilled (de-silked) corn. A well made potato salad always uses a nice spicy mustard, don’t you know.
As I got older, we still had these campfire get-togethers. Only now, we called them “Keggers” and we focused on the beer, and the music rather than the eating. It was a loss, that at the time we did not notice. But today, in hindsight, it was a serious omission.
Now, here I am in China. Food everywhere, and it is normal to drink (serious hard alcohol) and eat.
And I see the importance of filling your belly before you go on an all night binge. Whether it is a night with pretty girls and KTV, or whether it’s just you and the guys going to play some snooker, or Majiong.
Do not neglect the important aspects of your life.
Like a fine hotdog.
Spring is arriving.
Make the most of it.
You have friends, and a pack of hotdogs is cheap. You can outfit an entire party for a low price. All it take is a minor bit of organization, and a campfire.
Reserve a spot.
Make arrangements for a center base party location, and place a few tents for people to rest or nap if they want to. Plenty of alcohol and soft drinks. Lots of food. Music. Some ball to toss.
Have fun.
Meat Loaf Wellington
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground veal
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups cracker crumbs with 1 tablespoon water
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 envelope dry onion soup mix
- 4 bacon strips
- 2 packages crescent roll dough
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten
- Flour
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Mix ground beef, veal and pork together by hand in a large bowl.
- Add Worcestershire sauce, eggs, cracker crumbs, ketchup, water and soup mix.
- Mix by hand and shape into a loaf in a shallow baking dish.
- Drape the loaf with bacon strips.
- Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until done. Cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Separate 2 packages of crescent roll dough into 6 rectangles. Reserve the remaining 2 for decorating. Overlap the triangles on a large floured surface to make a large rectangle. Gently press together the seams and perforations. Place over meat loaf and mold to fit.
- Trim off excess dough. Use remaining rectangles to make a design for the top; cookie cutters may be used. Brush dough with egg white and return loaf to the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden.
Israeli-made cluster mortar shells were found in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Israel has been caught red-handed supplying deadly cluster munitions to Ukraine for use against Russian forces.
Despite the fact that Israel SAYS it does not supply weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, it turns out that the Israel Defense Forces have transferred a large batch of 120-mm mortar ammunition to Ukraine.
Apart from the fact that such ammunition has a high destructive power, it turned out that the ammunition in question is M971, which is a cluster munition that not only causes serious destruction, but also poses an additional threat of landmines. This is not the first time the Israeli side has supplied such munitions to Ukraine.
In the footage published by the Ukrainian military, viewers can see that these are indeed M971 munitions. Their exact quantity transferred to Ukraine is not disclosed, but there could be tens of thousands of shells.
The Israeli 120 mm M971 mortar ammunition is equipped with 24 submunitions, which are scattered in open terrain and explode when dropped on the ground. The ammunition is actively used to defeat manpower and armored vehicles.
Deliveries of such munitions to Ukraine indicate that Israel is directly participating in the aggression against Russia.
The US has recently once again strengthened restrictions on sales of American chips to China, however Chinese chips are not sitting idly by. Recently a seven nanometer chip was officially launched for sale taking the opportunity to seize the domestic Market which put pressure on American competitors.
It is reported that a domestic GPU chip company in China has officially released the graphics cards launched last year. The price is about 500 Yuan cheaper ($73) than AMD and NVIDIA’s graphics cards of the same grade and the performance has reached the level of the latter two’s mid to high-end chips the floating-point performance of this graphics card is slightly stronger than AMD’s RTX 3060 graphics card since the release of GPU chips in China has attracted much attention overseas, reviewers quickly bought them after the release.
After testing by relevant overseas reviewers the actual test reached 13.9 teraflops which is indeed slightly stronger than RTX 3060, the domestic graphics card uses the self-developed 7nm GPU core as the first GPU core it is quite good to be able to reach such a level, after all the leading American chip company Intel has been developing GPU chips for many years but it has been difficult to keep up with invidious level, the fact that domestic GPU chips can reach such a level has shocked Nvidia, the leader in GPU chips.
This is why Nvidia quickly launched the customized GPU chip a800 after the United States restricted the sale of high-end GPU chips to China last year.
Analysts predict that the revenues of Intel and Nvidia will decline by 40 percent and 22 percent respectively in the first quarter.
At this time if the United States further restricts these chip companies from selling chips to China, they will only suffer further losses. In fact Chinese Chips have replaced imported chips with domestic chips as much as possible the volume of chips imported by China in the first two months of this year fell by 26.5 percent which is much larger than the 15 decline in chip Imports in 2022.
For GPU chips domestic GPU chips have reached Nvidia’s mid to high end level so they can replace most of Nvidia’s chips if Nvidia does not even sell custom chips such as the a800 to China what competitiveness does Nvidia still have in the Chinese market?
For those uninitiated in this field, NVIDA is the champion of GPU chips who has better advantage over AMD.
Remember one thing. China is not India. Chinese IQ horsepower is way higher than Indians who are nowhere on the world stage.
China is even ahead of the US – however tad bit that be.
US Citizen: USA=University of Clown Sh*t
Trans female former student, 28, armed with two assault rifles and a handgun, kills three nine-year-old kids and three staff members at Nashville private Christian school after writing manifesto and drawing maps of church campus
- The shooting took place on Monday at The Covenant School in Nashville
- Shooter has been named as 28-year-old Audrey Hale, who lives nearby
- For live updates follow DailyMail.com’s coverage here
Six people – including three children – are dead after a transgender female shooter opened fire at a private school in Nashville, killing three nine-year-old children and three staff members.
The shooter was 28-year-old Audrey Hale, who at one time attended the school.
Police said she identified as transgender, and online profiles show Audrey used ‘he/him’ pronouns.
At around 10.13am, she opened fire at The Covenant School, shooting and killing nine-year-old Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney.
Scruggs was the daughter of Chad Scruggs, the pastor at the affiliated presbyterian church.
Substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61, head of school Katherine Koonce, 60, and custodian Mike Hill, 61, were also killed.
Why did ancient Egypt stop worshipping cats?
Technically, ancient Egyptians remain frozen in time as the people who preceded modern Egyptians. Ancient Egypt came into decline when Greeks and Romans took over, especially in 30 BC, when Egypt became a Roman province. With the spread of Christianity in the 3rd and 4th centuries, the practice of revering animals was abolished along with all pagan rituals. Modern Egyptians are adherents of Islam for the most part with a Christian minority, the Copts. Neither group worships animals.
Ancient Egyptians did not worship cats as cats per se so to ask why they stopped worshipping them is a moot point. The matter is much more complex. The ancient Egyptians worshipped a goddess named Bast. Cats represented the divine Bast or Bastet, the goddess who assumed the image of a lion or panther initially then a cat-headed woman or a cat by the 2nd millennium BC. The reverence paid to cats as representatives of the goddess Bast can be compared to the respect paid to the cow in the Hindu religion as a representative of the nurturing mother earth.
Hence, cats were respected because they incarnated the qualities ascribed to Bast: ferocity, nurturing, motherhood, sensuality, pleasure, magic, warmth of the sun. The proud, haughty felines deigned to enter into a pact with humans, aiding them in return for shelter and food. Cats are intrepid stalkers, who not only rid the granaries of mice and rats but go hunting with humans as well. They also attack dangerous pests like reptiles and scorpions. Mother cats lovingly nurse and protect their kittens. As they produce copious litters, cats are associated with pregnancy.
Detail of a painting from the tomb of Nebamun, c. 1350 BC, showing him standing on a reed boat hunting birds. At left, his cat has grabbed three birds. Werner Forman/Universal Images Group/Getty Images:
Cats love to bask in the sun. The orange and red colour of cats was associated with the glow of the sun.
Cats are valued for being playful, amusing companions, very affectionate when they choose to be so, lavishing furry caresses as they rub against their humans. They purr in musical cadences, hence the association of Bast with music. Not only did Bast show her motherly instincts by protecting the baby Horus, she was associated with sensual pleasure and revellery. Her festival was held yearly in the city of Bubastis, named in her honour. Herodotus (c. 450 BC), who attended such a celebration, described the unbridled merry making, where women outnumbered the men and the party goers indulged in feasting, drinking, dancing and unbridled sexuality. Participating in this joyous orgy guaranteed the attendees good luck throughout the coming year.
The cat figures as a warrior in the journey of the soul in the afterlife as slayer of the serpent of chaos and darkness, Apep, enemy of the sun god Ra. The snake-demon had to be killed every night so that Ra could return every morning to light the world with his brightness. It has been pointed out that the type of cat portrayed in such a scene is probably a serval, a type of wild cat.
According to the Texts of the Pyramids, Bast stood on the boat of Sun god Ra alongside Thoth and Hathor to thwart the attacks of the giant serpent of chaos, Apep, who wanted to devour Ra. Note that according to the versions of this story, it is sometimes Ra who turns into a cat during the fight against Apep, without Bast being present. Papyrus from Book of the Dead of royal scribe Hunefer, ca. 1300 BC, detail. Jon Bodsworth (photographer). [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons:
Another reason for the popularity of the cat was a fashionable attempt to imitate the royals and the upper classes. Cats were pampered in the homes of the rich and famous, bedecked in gold and jewellery, so even the lower classes made much of these furry companions.
A copy of wall painting found on The Tomb of Nakht , 18th dynasty, showing a cat eating fish under a chair where a woman sits. Werner Forman/Universal Images Group/Getty Images:
Several goddesses were represented with feline features, such as the lion-headed Sekhmet, Mut, Tefnut, Shesemtet, Wadjet, Mafdet, Pakhet and others, who appear with a sun disc on the head.
When a cat died, the family went into great mourning, shaving off their eyebrows. According to Diodorus Siculus (fl. 1st c. BC), an Egyptian mob lynched a Roman who had killed a cat. Cats were also embalmed and placed in tombs. However, the desire to have a mummified cat to please Bast led to the practice of raising cats for the sole purpose of killing and embalming them to sell as offerings.
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US threatened to invade International Criminal Court
Cats, Bastet and the Worship of Feline Gods
Cats are among the most iconic animals in ancient Egyptian art and culture. The Egyptians encountered lions, panthers and jungle cats in the wild. Smaller cats lived among humans from early on, hunting vermin in homes and granaries. Through close observation, the Egyptians came to admire felines for their complex, dual nature. Felines combine grace, fecundity and gentle care with aggression, swiftness and danger. Gods ascribed with these qualities were often represented with feline features. But Egyptians did not worship felines. Rather, they believed these ‘feline’ deities shared certain character traits with the animals.
Bastet is probably the best-known feline goddess from Egypt. Initially depicted as a lioness, Bastet assumed the image of a cat or a feline-headed woman in the 2nd millennium BCE. Although she combined both nurturing and violent qualities, her shielding and motherly aspects typically were emphasized. Countless representations of a seated cat, cat-headed goddess or cat with kittens include dedicatory inscriptions addressed to Bastet. By offering such inscribed images, donors expressed their wishes for health and children or, more generally, life and protection.
Such revelations were important to an exhibition I organized at the Brooklyn Museum, called Divine Felines: Cats of Ancient Egypt. The idea for this show began while I was exploring our storerooms. A gilded wooden statuette of a goddess with a leonine head and the body of a woman peered at me from a shelf and stopped me in my tracks. I was intrigued by its beauty and elegance and by the unusual combination of her features. She has been in Brooklyn since 1937 but remained off view because of her poor condition.
This goddess with a feline head and leonine ears wears a tripartite wig. Judging by the remains of a peg on top of the head, a separately made sun-disk once adorned her, holding the bronze uraeus in place. She sits on a floral base with both her feet and buttocks touching the floor and knees drawn up to the torso. Her feet appear tightly bound together, connecting her to the underworld as if on a mummy. Her arms are bent at the elbows, with the right hand clenched in a fist while the left palm extends beside her left knee. The black painted base, reminiscent of a papyrus umbel, has an opening on the stem-end. Unexpectedly, a small cat mummy was originally enclosed in the hollow interior of the figure. But why was it there? To whom was it offered?
Although the Brooklyn statuette incorporates features familiar from Egyptian art, the compilation of these features makes it very unusual and, at first consideration, mysterious. For example, our goddess’ crouching or squatting position is used in two-dimensional representations of gods that appear in temples or tombs and on mortuary papyri. However, in three dimensions lion-headed female divinities are usually standing, striding or seated on a throne. Next, the umbel base of our figure recalls papyrus scepters frequently held by feline divinities and papyrus-form columns with cats on top dedicated to Bastet. Still, floral-shaped bases are unusual for wooden figures of gods of this size (just over a foot in height), and rarely appear as an animal mummy container. Such bases are more common in smaller bronzes and amulets or in large stone sculpture. Finally, containers for cat mummies do not typically take the form of a crouching feline goddess. Instead, animal mummy containers in the shape of a lion-headed woman generally represented the goddess seated on a throne and inscribed as Wadjet. And the Wadjet container, usually was for ichneumons (mongeese), not cats.
Despite the unusual features, certain details are clues to the identity of our statuette. Many powerful goddesses were represented with her features, although they are notoriously difficult to identify without an inscription. Bastet, Sakhmet, Mut, Tefnut, Shesemtet, Pakhet, Mafdet, Wadjet and others all appeared as a lioness or lion-headed woman with a sun disk on her head. Each one was named a daughter of the Sun God and the Eye of the Sun. Egyptians associated cats with the sun for a number of reasons. They saw the red and yellow fur of cats and lions as the colors of the sun itself. Cats love warmth and basking in the sun. And most importantly, much like the self-contradictory nature of felines, the sun possesses a dual nature as a warming source of life or a scorching danger in the desert. Thus, many dangerous and protective daughters of the sun god were endowed with a leonine nature.
In Egyptian mythology, the terrifying and nurturing aspects of feline goddesses are most commonly represented by the Sekhmet and Bastet, with other daughters of the Sun worthy of this title. For instance, Hathor-Tefnut is described in the Myth of the Eye of the Sun in Philae as the one who “rages like Sekhmet and is friendly like Bastet.” All these goddesses should be seen as one fierce, feline, female force that carried the power of the sun’s fire to destroy, burn and scratch all who stood in her way, but turned into a motherly divinity when pacified.
The mummy found inside the Brooklyn figurine – indeed a cat mummy – offers a clue to the figurine’s function. Cats are one of the more numerous animals to be mummified by the ancient Egyptians. Each mummified animal was linked to a specific god and offered to that god in hopes of favor or a sign of gratitude. Egyptians dedicated cat mummies to the nurturing and dangerous goddess Bastet. Bubastis, the Delta city that was the center of worship of this goddess, is the origin of masses of cat mummies. Most of these were placed in rectangular or cat-shaped coffins or wrapped in linen and painted to resemble a cat. Mystery solved, as much as any ancient Egyptian puzzle can be: the Brooklyn Museum’s figurine served as a particularly fancy cat mummy container, probably an attempt to conjure extra favor from Bastet.
Funniest Raccoon Memes by Nocturnal Trash Posts
Who doesn’t like a good raccoon meme? Who doesn’t like a good raccoon? Wait, who doesn’t like a good raccoon anything? Trash pandas are awesome and no, there can’t be any other way. And speaking of raccoon memes, there is a dedicated Instagram page that celebrates raccoonhood with existential, funny, and straight up nonsensical memes.
More: Instagram h/t: sadanduseless
China, Russia, and Iran: A Formidable Alliance That will Break the West
https://youtu.be/swRRsuKUTWg
Polish Nukes
I was busy today but had a good laugh over this entity of the "When 'we' do it" versus "When 'they' do it" collection. Poland suggests hosting US nuclear weapons amid growing fears of Putin’s threats - Oct 5, 2022 - Guardian Poland: Nuclear arms in Belarus are further threat to European peace - Mar 26, 2023 - Anews The Poles are (again) allowing the Anglo-Saxons to push them into rabbit hostility against Russia and Germany. Not that there is much pushing needed but still. That won't end well. Posted by b at 17:47 UTC
Xi, Putin agree to deepen comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for new era
Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, March 21, 2023. Xi on Tuesday held talks with Putin in Moscow. Putin held a solemn welcome ceremony for Xi Jinping at the St. George’s Hall. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow. They had sincere, friendly and fruitful talks on the bilateral ties and major regional and international issues of mutual interest, and reached new, important common understandings in many fields.
The two sides agreed to follow the principles of good-neighborliness, friendship and win-win cooperation in advancing exchanges and cooperation in various fields and deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era.
In the refreshing weather of March in Moscow, Xi arrived at the Kremlin in a motorcade. He was welcomed by the Kremlin’s horse guards and greeted by the Kremlin Commandant at the alighting point.
Putin held a solemn welcome ceremony for Xi at the St. George’s Hall. Accompanied by the majestic welcome music, Xi and Putin walked in big strides on a red carpet from the opposite ends of the hall to meet each other in the center. They had a firm handshake and took photos together. The military band played the national anthems of China and Russia.
The two presidents held small-group talks first and then large-group talks.
Xi pointed out that China and Russia are each other’s biggest neighbor and that consolidating and developing long-term good-neighborly relations with Russia is consistent with historical logic and a strategic choice of China, which will not be changed by any turn of events.
Since his first state visit to Russia 10 years ago, China and Russia have enjoyed mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual benefit, Xi said, adding that relations between the two countries have grown from strength to strength, showing the features of being more comprehensive, more practical, and more strategic.
Xi said that during this visit, he saw many ordinary Russians in the street waving their hands at the Chinese motorcade in a demonstration of goodwill. He sees clearly that China-Russia relations have strong public support.
No matter how the international landscape may change, China will stay committed to advancing the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era, he said, adding this state visit to Russia is a journey of friendship, cooperation and peace. China is ready to work with Russia to build on past achievements, enrich the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era, bring more benefits to the two peoples and make greater contribution to human progress.
Xi noted that changes unseen in a century are evolving faster and the international balance of power is undergoing a profound shift. As permanent members of the UN Security Council and major countries in the world, China and Russia have natural responsibilities to make joint efforts to steer and promote global governance in a direction that meets the expectations of the international community and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
The two sides should support each other on issues concerning each other’s core interests, and jointly resist the interference in internal affairs by external forces, he said, calling on the two sides to enhance communication and coordination on international affairs, especially in the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS and other multilateral frameworks, practice true multilateralism, oppose hegemonism and power politics, contribute to global post-COVID economic recovery, advance the trend toward a multi-polar world, and promote the reform and improvement of the global governance system.
Xi and Putin heard reports by the leading officials of the relevant government departments of the two countries on cooperation in various fields.
Thanks to joint efforts, China and Russia have enjoyed deepening political mutual trust, convergence of interests, and understanding between the peoples, Xi said, adding that their cooperation in such areas as the economy and trade, investment, energy, people-to-people and cultural exchanges and at the subnational levels have made continued progress. There are a growing number of areas and an even stronger consensus for cooperation.
China is in the first year of fully implementing the guiding principles set forth by the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and it will foster a new development paradigm at a faster pace, promote high-quality development, and advance Chinese modernization in all respects, he said.
Noting China-Russia cooperation enjoys significant potential and space and is strategic, reliable and stable, Xi said that the two sides need to strengthen overall coordination, boost trade in traditional areas, such as energy, resources, and electromechanical products, continuously enhance the resilience of industrial and supply chains, expand cooperation in such areas as information technology, the digital economy, agriculture and trade in services. They should step up cooperation in areas of innovation and facilitate cross-border logistics and transportation, he added.
The two sides should cement the cornerstone of people-to-people exchanges, he said, calling for efforts to encourage more interactions between sister provinces/states and between sister cities, ensure the success of the Years of Sports Exchange, and facilitate the personnel movement between the two countries.
Putin once again extended Russia’s warm congratulations on Xi’s reelection as President of China by unanimous vote and the formation of a new government in China. He said that Russia-China relations are developing very well, and that good progress has been made in all fields of bilateral cooperation.
Noting exchanges and cooperation are active between the governments, legislative bodies, at different levels and in different areas, Putin said that amid a complex environment, such as the spread of COVID, Russia-China trade bucked the trend and realized growth.
He expressed hope that the two sides will make full use of their existing channels of exchange and work for new progress in practical cooperation in various fields, including the economy and trade, investment, energy, space and cross-border transportation and logistics, and bring people-to-people and cultural exchanges in sports and tourism and at subnational levels to new heights.
Russia firmly supports China in upholding its legitimate interests on issues related to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang, Putin said, adding Russia congratulates China on helping to successfully bring about historic outcomes from the talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran in Beijing, which fully demonstrates China’s important status and positive influence as a major country in the world.
Russia appreciates China for consistently upholding an objective and impartial position on international affairs, supports the Global Security Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative China has put forward, and stands ready to further enhance international coordination with China, he said.
Xi and Putin believe the exchange between the two sides during the visit is in-depth, rich and comprehensive and has injected new impetus into the development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era.
They directed the competent departments of the two countries to follow through on the common understandings reached at the presidential level, enhance communication and work more closely with each other to deliver new and greater progress in China-Russia practical cooperation and boost development and rejuvenation in both countries.
They agreed to stay in close touch through various means to jointly guide the sound and steady growth of China-Russia relations.
After the talks, Xi and Putin jointly signed a Joint Statement of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Coordination for the New Era and a Joint Statement of the President of the People’s Republic of China and the President of the Russian Federation on Pre-2030 Development Plan on Priorities in China-Russia Economic Cooperation.
During the visit, the two sides also signed bilateral cooperation documents in such areas as agriculture, forestry, basic scientific and technological research, market regulation, and the media.
How did people from ancient China dress? What kind of clothes did they wear and how do you know that it is Chinese clothes?
Ancient China, known as a state of propriety and decorum, has long been hailed as the “Kingdom of Costume” with its exquisite clothes.
In the minds of ancient Chinese, in addition to keeping a warm and beautifying appearance, clothing was also an effective measure to establish social order, distinguish nobility from inferiority, grant rewards, and exert punishments, serving as a yardstick of court rituals.
A form of dress code was first constitutionally established at the beginning of the Western Zhou Dynasty(1046-771BC). In order to show dignity and majesty, the king and ministers would wear different colors of robes in sacrificing ceremonies, weddings, and funerals.
Also, wearing fur clothing was strictly in line with rank. Hunters who gained precious furs had to contribute them to the ruler, for they were prohibited from selling or using furs without permission.
People aged above 70 were allowed to wear silk and eat meat. Such regulations allowed seniors to enjoy such precious items in their twilight years, rewarding them for their lifelong contributions to society. This was the origin of the Chinese tradition of respecting the elder.
Costume is more of a diverse term that encompasses different clothing styles in various dynasties. All dynasties had rules and orders that stipulated the textures, colors, patterns, and styles of clothes in detail.
After the unification of China in the Qin (221-207BC) and Han (202BC-9AD) dynasties, the style of costumes was gradually standardized.
Generally speaking, the formal dress had wide sleeves extending to the knees out of proportion, presenting a solemn style. Everyone could quickly tell the social status and rank of people from what they wore daily. The upper class wore clothes with wide sleeves, while servants had short clothes with narrow sleeves (such a style of clothing was for ease of movement and labor).
Common types of commoners’ costumes in ancient China’s Han Dynasty
Common types of dress for nobles costumes in ancient China’s Han Dynasty
The color of the official robes was a significant indicator to distinguish hierarchy. Adopting colors to classify official ranks was initially shaped in the Sui Dynasty (581-618) and officially established in the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the system of official robes inherited the tradition of the Sui. During Emperor Gaozong’s reign, official ranks were indicated by clothing color. Decrees made stipulations about clothing colors and ornaments. Since then, all the following dynasties have observed the color system of the Tang, using four colors, including purple, scarlet, green, and blue, to classify the hierarchy.
An ancient painting of one of Tang’s emperors: Emperor Gaozong. During Tang Dynasty, yellow is only for the emperor. And another people cannot dress in this color.
The pottery cultural relic from Tang Dynasty exhibited at Xi’an museum. The pottery people dressed in green, which is ruled as the color for low-level officials in Tang Dynasty.
The manifestation of appearance has evolved over its long history, dazzling and colorful, elegant and simple. Different tastes epitomized the pursuit of beauty and people’s ideal life in a specific era.
China Announces Naval Enforcement in Taiwan Strait – ships to be stopped, boarded, inspected. US Says “No”
China’s Fujian maritime safety administration launched a three-day special joint patrol and inspection operation in the central and northern parts of the Taiwan Strait that includes moves to board ships, it said on its WeChat account.
The move comes amid heightened tensions between China and Taiwan, with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy hosting Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California on Wednesday, becoming the most senior U.S. figure to meet a Taiwanese leader on U.S. soil in decades.
The maritime safety authority in the southeastern Chinese province said on Wednesday the operation included “on-site inspections” on direct cargo ships and construction vessels on both sides of the Taiwan Strait “to ensure the safety of vessel navigation and ensure the safe and orderly operation of key projects on water.”
Taiwan’s Transport Ministry’s Maritime and Ports Bureau said in a statement late Wednesday said it has lodged a strong protest with China about the move.
It said it has notified relevant shipping operators that if they encounter such requests from China they should refuse them and immediately notify Taiwan’s coast guard to render assistance.
“If the mainland side insists on taking one-sided actions, it will create obstacles to normal exchanges between the two sides. We will be forced to take corresponding measures,” it added, without giving details.
Areas covered by the operation include the Pingtan Taiwan direct container route, the “small three links” passenger route, the Taiwan Strait vessel customary route, the densely navigable areas of commercial and fishing vessels, and areas with frequent illegal sand mining activities.
The “small three links” passenger route refers to boat routes between Taiwan’s Kinmen and Matsu islands which sit opposite China and Chinese cities.
Once again, US meddling in the affairs of foreign nations is at the root of this latest international trouble. Taiwan’s President, met yesterday with U.S. Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy. That set off alarm bells in Beijing and China’s Ministry of Defense laid out what’s what.
The Chinese Ministry of Defense stated:
- The US government must cease all official contact with Taiwan and the island’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party;
- The US authorities must stop interfering in China’s internal affairs on Taiwan;
- The US should stop developing ties with Taiwan and emasculate the “one China” principle;
- The Chinese army will maintain a high degree of combat readiness to protect national sovereignty in the Taiwan Strait.
So there we have it. The gauntlet has been thrown down by China. The U.S. is officially, publicly, told to stop.
Of course, the U.S. will not stop because it arrogantly believes it is the pre-eminent power of this planet and no one else can tell the US what to do.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is a recipe for a fight. Soon.
Bacon Cheeseburger Meat Loaf
Meat loaf is boring no more, especially when it has the flavors of a bacon cheeseburger.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 4 slices crisply cooked bacon, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon McCormick® Mustard, Ground
- 1 teaspoon McCormick® Onion Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Garlic Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Black Pepper, Ground
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup ketchup
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Mix ground beef, bacon, 1 cup of the cheese, bread crumbs, egg and seasonings in large bowl.
- Shape into a loaf on shallow baking pan. Pour ketchup over top.
- Bake 45 minutes.
- Sprinkle meat loaf with remaining 1/2 cup cheese; bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until meat loaf is cooked through.
- Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Prep: 15 min | Cook: 1 hr | Serves: 8
Substitution Tip: Prepare as directed, using 1 teaspoon McCormick® Garlic Salt in place of the garlic powder and salt.
The US sabotaged the NS pipelines, thus is scared of NU investigation. The US biological labs made the covid, the US then used the virus as a biological weapon to have sneakily attacked Wuhan China in Sept 2019. Thus the US is untrasparent. Why?
It is a military empire. The largest one in history.
When viewed from this perception, instead of the ludicrous idea that it is a democracy, everything becomes crystal clear. Not only can American actions and behaviors be clearly understood, but future actions can be predicted with ease. Making adversarial nations quite capable of thwarting American belligerence.
“What’s Coming IS WORSE THAN A WW3, THIS IS SERIOUS!”
https://youtu.be/ZUzR0wYMfTI
CONFIRMED: Russia Building Troops In Syria to “EXPEL U.S. Army”
The Russian government has begun an “unprecedented” build-up of military might inside Syria with the plan to “expel the U.S. Army” from the country.
The Russians are inside Syria with the permission of the Syrian government. U.S. Troops are in Syria WITHOUT such permission.
The U.S. entered Syria on the grounds that the terrorist group “ISIS” was taking over vast swaths of the country, stealing the oil to fund itself, and was growing and spreading into other countries.
But when the US entered, they did very little to stop ISIS. Instead, the US began backing a group calling itself “the Free Syrian Army (FSA)” which was openly trying to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Things went very badly for Assad, and his government was losing against ISIS and against the FSA, so Assad went to Moscow to ask for military help.
Russia agreed to help and sent the Russian Army.
Within months, the Russians absolutely smashed ISIS — and the FSA. Assad’s government was able to re-establish control over vast portions of the country.
But the US never left the country and, to this very day, maintain control over huge sections of northeast Syria . . . where the oil is.
A couple years ago, Russia provided video surveillance footage showing the US allowing tanker trucks to come into Syrian oil areas, fill-up, and then go into Turkey or Iraq. Once there, the oil was partially refined, re-labeled, and sold on the oil market. But no one says where all that money ever went!
It later came out that the US, along with Israel, and Turkey, were grabbing upwards of thirty million dollars a MONTH in Syrian oil, and selling it. Where the money went, no one knows.
This theft of Syrian oil caused Russia to tell the US, Israel, and Turkey to halt the theft of oil. No one listened. SO Russia BOMBED certain oil facilities in northeastern Syria to physically prevent the ongoing theft of oil. This turned out to be a short hiccup in the theft. The damaged facilities were repaired, and the oil flowed again.
This has now gone on for years.
Now, Russia is moving large numbers of troops, armor, artillery, and planes into northeast Syria, to face the US Army.
Word coming from the area is explicitly clear: Russia is planning to EXPEL the US from Syria.
Unlike Ukraine, where all the nations of NATO have been supplying weaponry to that government so as to fight Russia, there is no such arrangement within Syria because Syria and Russia are allies. So if there’s a face-off between Russia and the US inside Syria, NATO will not be able to do very much.
We are now faced with the very real possibility that Russia will tell the US “get out of Syria by this date, or be put out by force.” What happens next is anyone’s guess, but war is on the table. Direct war – between the US and Russia.