Music reactions and science fiction brains

When I was a boy growing up in Western Pennsylvania, I had a classmate who lived up the street from me. His name was John and he and his younger brother Paul were my age. We did many things together, and for boys in elementary and middle school that meant a lot of bicycle riding, hikes in the woods, and baseball / basketball.

They had a cat. But the mother didn’t want it inside. So it was an “outside cat”. But for some reason that I could never figure out the mother insisted that it be chained to a small dog house in the back yard.

For the entire time that I knew John and Paul, this cat lived it’s live around that little box and about one yard of roaming space. And it became very mean.

Poor kitty.

Poor. Poor. Kitty.

I didn’t know, then.

But I KNOW now.

Now, being older, I see this kind of imprisonment as terribly cruel and inhumane, but being a boy at that time, I had no clue. Certainly his mother and father were alright, but whats up with the kitty? I don’t know.

Its only when you get older, and have more experience and understanding that you begin to recognize inhumanity, and sick behaviors.

Don’t wait too long. Learn this important lesson early on in life. It will save you much grief later on.

I’ll tell you what.

Can we surpass China in the manufacturing sector?

Hmm

It’s highly unlikely for the next 2 Decades minimum

Based on our present manufacturing statistics, it’s even until 2060

It’s simple we (the United States) don’t have a manufacturing eco system

They do

As on date only China, Russia and Iran have almost fully manufacturing ecosystems

Let me explain

Let’s take a Factory in Pudong that manufactures Customized Wheelchairs

Their components are are all made in factories within 50–100 Kms Radius and can be delivered in 2 hours

The Electronics are made in a factory around 400 Kms away and can be delivered in 6 1/2 hours

The Assembly machinery is manufactured in another factory around 100 kms away

This is an Ecosystem

Everything is available locally and made indigenously

Thus the Assembly Time is very short

You can average 27 Wheelchairs a day per line

Let’s take a factory in Nelamangala Bangalore that had to close down in 2023

The Components are imported from Xilin and take between 45–80 days to arrive post order and payment

The Electronics are imported from Pudong and take between 45–80 days to arrive post order and payment plus an additional 25 days for Certificates (Electronics require approval from Customs)

The Assembly Machinery is fully imported from China or South Korea and a single valve failure takes 30–50 days for replacement

You can average 36–40 Wheelchairs A MONTH!!!!!

That’s 40 vs a whopping 810 !!!!!!!!!!

Despite paying 2.8 times more wages in USD terms ($ 17 a day vs $ 5.72 a day) , China’s final manufacturing price came to $ 307 against $ 595 for India

Thus the retail difference is almost $ 550–600

So the Indian company went out of business

Simply couldnt compete

China has the entire eco system for every product under the sun

India simply assembles and has zero component or supply chain for everything from Toasters to Advanced Engines

China manufactures 94% of the Chips needed for these products. India imports 100% Chips needed

Thus it’s safe to say China outproduces India by 20 times

India has to build a supply chain and an ecosystem

That means at least 20,000 factories which are prepared to manufacture ordinary components at ₹2.40/— per unit profit

That means Loans at 1.75–1.8% Interest instead of 14.7% quoted today

Sadly DABBULU LEVU

We can’t afford the subsidies at all

Factories need minimum 17% profit just to pay off loans and interest and sustain themselves

Most factories don’t do this and keep depending on rising real estate value to keep inflating collateral

In China it’s a mere 4.2% profitability that’s mandatory to sustain themselves

The Mysterious Case Of Manfred Fritz Bajorat, The Mummified German Sailor

By Marco Margaritoff | Edited By John Kuroski

Published October 25, 2021

When fishermen found Manfred Fritz Bajorat inside his yacht as it was drifting in the Philippine Sea in 2016, his body was completely mummified right in the very spot where he died.

Manfred Fritz Bajorat died of a heart attack and was preserved aboard his ship by the dry, salty ocean winds.

On Feb. 26, 2016, a group of fishermen off the coast of the Philippine island of Mindanao saw a boat suspiciously drifting at sea. The yacht was visibly battered and clearly on its last legs. It had emerged like a ghost ship with a broken mast.

And when they boarded the vessel and descended into its bowels, the fishermen discovered far more chilling than they would have ever imagined: the mummified corpse of a German sailor named Manfred Fritz Bajorat.

Authorities only identified the man thanks to documents strewn about his cabin. An autopsy revealed the 59-year-old had died of a heart attack, and that his 40-foot sailboat had drifted at sea for weeks while the salty ocean air preserved his body in macabre fashion.

The mysterious incident made global headlines and spread far and wide across the internet. People from around the world all had the same question: How did Manfred Fritz Bajorat wind up drifting through the Philippine Sea alone? Before answers finally arrived, there was only an ominous note that Bajorat left behind:

“Thirty years we’ve been together on the same path. Then the power of the demons was stronger than the will to live. You’re gone. May your soul find its peace. Your Manfred.”

As the authorities would soon discover, the story of Manfred Fritz Bajorat was somehow even more chilling than his mummified corpse would suggest.

The Discovery Of Manfred Fritz Bajorat

With clear skies and calm seas, the weather proved perfect for fishing on the day that Manfred Fritz Bajorat was found. That’s exactly what 23-year-old Christopher Rivas had intended that Friday, before things took a chilling turn. A resident of P-4 Poblacion in the town of Barobo, he and his friend were fishing about 40 miles out when they spotted the ship.

The yacht was painted white and christened “Sayo.” It was clear from a distance that it was in dire straits, with its broken mast and partially sunken hull. After encountering Bajorat’s naked corpse inside, Rivas alerted police — who waited to investigate foul play until the autopsy results came back.

“The cause of death is acute myocardial infarction based on the autopsy by regional crime laboratory,” said national police spokesman Chief Superintendent Wilben Mayor. “The German national is estimated to have been dead for more or less seven days.”

Christened “Sayo,” the 40-foot yacht was spotted with a broken mast and partially underwater in February 2016.

“The air, heat, and saltiness of the sea are all very conducive to mummification,” said Peter Vanezis, forensic pathology professor at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry. “It starts within two to three weeks. The fingers and other extremities … dry quickly, and in a month or two they are well gone.”

The ship itself contained a trove of family photos depicting an overjoyed Bajorat with his wife and daughter. From snapshots at Notre Dame and cafes in Paris to photos of picnics, the albums suggested a wholesome family unit. A photo of Bajorat holding a baby was captioned: “Our first time with our little Button on the sea.”

When the German embassy on Mindanao Island tried to contact his family, they discovered that his ex-wife had died of cancer in 2010. After flying his daughter Nina out to identify the body, authorities learned that Bajorat had been sailing the seas alone for years — perhaps reacting to the dissolution of his family.

How Manfred Fritz Bajorat Lost His Way

Manfred Fritz Bajorat was such an experienced sailor that he tallied over half a million nautical miles at sea. Initially accompanied by his wife, the couple divorced in 2008. After his former spouse died two years later and his grown daughter took a job working as captain of a freight vessel, Bajorat made the ocean his permanent home.

He began aboard the Hyundai Renaissance freighter on Aug. 1, 2008, traveling across the equator from Singapore to Durban, South Africa. After accomplishing that milestone for obsessive mariners, Bajorat sailed to the Spanish island of Mallorca — where he apparently made an impression on a fellow sailor.

One of the many photos found on Bajorat’s sailboat. He’s seen here on the right, with his daughter Nina to the left of him.

“He was a very experienced sailor,” the Mallorcan named Dieter told news outlets. “I don’t believe he would have sailed into a storm. I believe the mast broke after Manfred was already dead.”

A document aboard Bajorat’s ship revealed the Sayo was cleared by maritime police in 2013, in either Sao Vicente, Brazil or Sao Vicente, Cape Verde. It was then that he began his lonesome seafaring adventures in earnest, regularly posting updates on his Facebook page and responding to birthday messages.

Some reports claimed that Bajorat hadn’t been seen by anyone in person since 2009. Ultimately, it appeared he wanted it that way. No fan of his fatherland’s winter climates, he spent the last two decades of his life on course for more hospitable weather. In the end, all he left behind were photographs — and a note to the woman he loved.

Are the Chinese planning to invade Taiwan and can the US and NATO prevent this and stop them in their tracks by forming naval blockade along the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and the West China Sea?

CIA director testified at Intelligence Committee at Congress in early March 2023, there is no chance of China attacking Taiwan in the next 10 years.

RAP FANS REACT TO Evanescence – Bring me to life

True and amazing!

In November 2003 on a transatlantic flight from Liverpool, England, to Florida, 67-year-old Dorothy Fletcher was traveling with her daughter to attend her daughter’s wedding.

During the flight, she experienced chest pain accompanied by pain in the back and down the arm while finding it difficult to breathe.

She was vomiting and sweating profusely, which led her to soon collapse. Dorothy had suffered a heart attack while on the plane.

The stewardess rushed to the PA system and made an announcement asking if any doctors were onboard.

Surprisingly, the stewardess found not one but fifteen doctors who all happened to be cardiologists heading to a conference in Florida.

They stood up en masse and rushed to save Dorothy. They fed drips into her arms and used an onboard medical kit to control the life-threatening attack.

The plane was diverted to North Carolina, where Dorothy was treated in the intensive care unit.

She spent two days in the Charlotte Medical Centre after her heart attack and then managed to attend her daughter’s wedding the following week.

After the incident, Dorothy had this to say: “I couldn’t believe what happened. All these people came rushing down the aircraft towards me. The doctors were wonderful. They saved my life.”

“My daughter was with me and you can imagine how she felt when all these doctors stood up. I wish I could thank them but I have no idea who they were, other than that they were going to a conference in Orlando.”

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FIRST TIME EVER LISTENING DIO ~ Last In Line REACTION (The MetalGodFather got me HOOKED 🥺)

China’s export controls on gallium likely to hit US defense industry: experts

By Liu Xuanzun Published: Jul 04, 2023 06:16 PM Updated: Jul 04, 2023 06:12 PM

China’s recently announced export controls on gallium could hit the US defense industry, as this material, with China with China being the leading producer and supplier in the world, is widely used in advanced radar systems installed on warplanes, warships and ground installations, experts said on Tuesday.

Starting August 1, China will impose export controls on gallium and germanium as well as several chemical compounds involving the two materials, according to a notice China’s Ministry of Commerce and General Administration of Customs released on Monday.

Items meeting certain characteristics shall not be exported without approval, the notice stated.

The move aims to safeguard national security and interests, it said.

Gallium and germanium are used in the making of semiconductors and other electronic components, observers said.

Chinese military analysts said that the export controls, particularly those on gallium, could hit the US defense industry at a time when the US is attempting to militarily contain China’s development.

Gallium arsenide (GaAs) and gallium nitride (GaN) are the most basic materials in the making of the transmit receive modules on active electronic scanning array (AESA) radars, which are widely used on modern warplanes, warships and ground installations, Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military aviation expert, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

For example, US’ defense companies Raytheon and Northrop Grumman are reportedly introducing new AESA radar systems based on GaN, which provide superior performance than previously used GaAs. The latest radars for the F/A-18E/F carrier-based fighter jet and the F-35 stealth fighter jet also incorporate GaN.

Both GaN and GaAs are included on China’s list of export controls.

China accounts for about 85 percent of global gallium reserves, meaning that it is unlikely for the US and other Western countries to avoid using the Chinese materials without significant cost, Fu said.

The US frequently deploys its warplanes and warships on China’s doorsteps for close-in reconnaissance, provocative transits and exercises as well as showcasing deterrence purposes, in addition to continuing arms sales to the island of Taiwan, which are obvious attempts to contain China’s development and harm China’s national security and interests, analysts said.

FIRST TIME HEARING Fort Minor – Remember The Name REACTION

Which countries besides China produce gallium and germanium?

The chart below should answer a part of your question. In addition, all the gallium veins of the third ranked one in this chart have been occupied by the second ranked one.

Another point that should not be ignored is that if gallium is to be produced on a large scale, its main raw material is waste slag from the zinc and aluminum smelting industries, and China also accounts for over 50% of the world’s smelting production of these two metals.

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NOT WHAT WE EXPECTED!!.. | FIRST TIME HEARING Talking Heads – Psycho Killer REACTION

LOL

Why does the US’s Biden administration think it can sell arms to Taiwan and convince China to buy US Treasuries at the same time?

In a demented state of mind, reality becomes blurred, and possibilities appear limitless.

With impaired cognitive abilities and distorted perceptions, rational thinking and judgment are compromised.

This altered mental state can lead to unpredictable behavior, inappropriate beliefs, and a detachment from the consequences of one’s actions.

With this altered state of mindset, Biden carried out his reckless foreign policies while the ruling elites supported by the military-industrial complex cheered him on.

WOW!! FIRST TIME HEARING Chicago – 25 or 6 to 4 | REACTION

How the US politicizes travel warnings

“Americans should reconsider travel to China due to the risk of wrongful detention, the US State Department warned in an updated travel advisory issued Friday.” The level three warning, making China out to be a dangerous location, places the country in category shared by countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Chad, Lebanon and Pakistan, all which are known for protracted political instability, insurgencies and high risk of violent crime.

If it wasn’t obvious already, the travel warning is politically motivated, and is decided to incentivise “decoupling” from China by deterring businessmen, academics, tourists and other visitors by inciting a risk of danger. This is of course ironic and hypocritical, given US officials, such as Anthony Blinken and Nicholas Burns, pledged to continue “human exchanges” with the country, notwithstanding all the other policies they are currently implementing in order to make that increasingly difficult. The truth is, America doesn’t want its people to visit China.

The United States is the most adept and skilful nation in the world in controlling its population via an appeal to a means of fear.

As a federal democracy with a broad separation of powers, which ultimately requires the consent of the governed, US presidential administrations have presided over a centralization of power since the Cold War era through the ability to co-opt, organise and manipulate mass media to their own ends, aiming to invoke public fear on various issues and in turn manufacture political capital for policymaking.

US history is filled with such examples, from so-called “weapons of mass destruction”, “to reds under the bed”, to North Korea being about to nuke the United States and of course today’s wave of mass hysteria pertaining to China. Be it the fear of apparent “Spy Balloons”, infiltration at universities, TikTok and so on. The list is ever growing, and although a lot of this fear is provoked by Republicans, the US administration often chooses to embrace it for domestic political ends, as opposed to challenging it and carving out their own position, which of course negates the idea of so-called “guardrails” Anthony Blinken likes to pay lip service to.

And in doing so, the US State Department is one of the primary instigators of public fear in the United States. In this case, it is producing politically motivated travel warnings in order to incentivize the White House position on China. It does not want the country to become a hub for US investment, exchange, and study, therefore it will whip up fears of Americans being arrested, this is a common theme that it often repeats with countries who it deems antagonistic in some ways. But a sheer look at the numbers, particularly those before covid, would indicate that this is sheer nonsense and that the overwhelming majority of trips to China are trouble free.

Indeed, there are instances of foreign nationals being detained, including Australian citizen Chang Lei, as well as the notorious saga of the “two Michaels” in relation to Meng Wangzhou, but of course, the media often press certain assumptions regarding the “political motivations” behind such cases, while also automatically assuming that they “must” be innocent because of the subject country involved. Yet again these cases indicate high-profile exceptions, not the rule, and without speculating, every country has laws that must be obeyed and followed accordingly.

Either way, it is simply ludicrous to class China, an extremely stable country, in the same classification of risk as war-torn countries in Africa or the Middle East.

Places where foreign nationals actually are at risk of being captured by insurgency groups.

Even if one can make a valid point about the cases above, it requires an obvious exaggeration and act of bad faith to exaggerate the given situation involved. Does China indiscriminately and randomly target foreign nationals or tourists? Purely on the basis of what their national governments might do? The US and the mainstream media want you to believe that narrative, but it is of course, deliberately misleading.

China is a safe place to visit.

Like everywhere in the world, there are of course certain precautions you should take in respect to unique local circumstances, but maturity is recognizing this is all part of a wide co-opted campaign to isolate Beijing. The United States is a master of political theatre whereby it creates scenarios, frames China as the villain but then depicts itself as the ultimate solution.

Don’t buy it.

UNBELIEVABLE | REACTION TO Journey – Don’t Stop Believin’ | LIVE 1981 Houston

How do China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea affect its relationships with neighboring countries?

China-ASEAN countries trades reached about US$1 trillion a year, 85 times growth in 30 years. They are doing very well.

Local Eats – Shantou, Guangdong, China

Funny but offensive

(This Is Inspiring) Paul Harvey – Hard Work | REACTION

https://youtu.be/EOLL6XD35Gg

Do you think most people in the world are aware of how much manufacturing goes on in China? Why or why not?

Most people don’t know how huge Chinese industrial production is, myself only found out very recently. I was shocked, I had to calculate all the numbers I found through google to verified the data, because I didn’t believe it. How could it be so huge?

I found each country’s automobile production, added all G7 countries up to confirm, China makes more automobiles each year than all 7 countries combined.

Obviously it didn’t happen overnight, so how come I never read about it? How come it was/is not in the news? Maybe it is a good thing that people don’t know.

Chinese industrial and agricultural production is more than U.S., Japan and Germany combined. China makes more cars per year than US, Canada, Japan, Germany, Italy. France and England combined.

OH MY GOSH!| FIRST TIME HEARING Devo – Whip It REACTION

Oh Noooo…

This is the link https://csis-website-prod.s3.ama…

Only The Legs Remain | Spontaneous Human Combustion

We Are Just Grains of Sand on This Earth: Tomás Sánchez Draws Giant Forests and Massive Landcapes

Tomás Sánchez was born in 1948 in Aguada de Pasajeros, Cuba. He began his studies as a painter in 1964 at the San Alejandro School of Plastic Arts in Havana and later at the Escuela Nacional de Arte.

In 1980 he won the Joan Miró Drawing Prize, given by the Miró Foundation in Barcelona and in 1984 he won the Amelia Peláez Award for painting at Havana’s first biennial. In 1985 he had his first retrospective at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Havana. In 1989 he left Cuba to live in Mexico and subsequently to southern Florida. He joined the Marlborough Gallery in 1996. In 2003 a substantial monograph on the artist’s body of work was published by Skira with an essay by the South American poet and Nobel Laureate, Gabriel García Márquez and texts by Edward J. Sullivan. Sánchez currently lives and works in Miami and Costa Rica.

More: Instagram

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Tomás Sánchez has practiced mediation for the last 50 years, and his work is a manifestation of the myriad experiences and visions from his daily practice. His paintings can be divided into two opposing, yet contrasting, categories: vast paradisiac landscapes and fields of trash, both arising entirely from the artist’s imagination. As Gabriel García Márquez wrote:

“It was not by accident that in a recent interview he let slip from his soul, “I always wanted to be a saint”. There was no need for him to say so. Especially in this period of his prophetic landscapes that we conceive of as models of a joyous world, and in which Tomás Sánchez always paints his man: a tiny, solitary witness who will, forever after, be the guardian of the picture’s legitimacy. In the meantime, he continues correcting real reality, painting without rest, with his gentle, alert, well-informed personality, with the invisible strings that keep us, his friends from all over the world, captive. For no one escapes the spell cast by Tomás Sánchez: the more we know his work the more we love it, and the more certain we are that if the world in fact deserves to be made again, it is because, as much as it can, it resembles his painting.”

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LOOK WHAT I FOUND IN CHINA! 30 Billion Mall To Mars?! – Insane!

What’s going on in Europe?

Van Halen – Panama REACTION

Buy Chinese, boycott Adidas and Nike

Something is afoot in China.

It is a phenomenon whose scale and ferocity have never been seen before anywhere.

I am talking about the spontaneous boycott of American sportswear or footwear products. This powerful pushback by Chinese consumers is a quid pro quo for sanctions imposed on cotton or textiles from Xinjiang.

The targets of this consumer anger are US global giants Nike and Adidas. The latter was hit specially hard, losing 36% of its sales in China which happens to be Nike’s third largest market. H&M, a Swedish retail giant, has been brought to its knees a while ago, but pledges to rebuild its brand to win back its Chinese patrons.

Nike and Adidas have joined the US in pushing the falsehood that Xinjiang cotton is tainted by the use of forced labor. China’s angry denials have fallen on deaf ears.

Into this battlefield charged Chinese consumers with a new weapon—a country-wide boycott of US products.

Nike and Adidas have behaved like rude guests in China, abusing Chinese hospitality by badmouthing the host while raking in huge profits. America won’t tolerate such poor manners from Chinese companies on US soil.

It is rich for Nike to project a “holier-than-thou” image when it has a history of using child labor, sweatshops and paying starvation wages to factory workers.

Terrorism is a global menace. Instead of joining forces to fight this scourge, America chooses to attack China’s anti-terrorist measures. Without verifiable evidence, it has lobbed charges of genocide against China, using this loaded word to inflict its damage. It is impossible to prove what you have not done.

It is simply a weapon to cripple China’s economy.

Patriotic Chinese consumers say enough is enough. Their united display of patriotism has smashed US allegations that Chinese people are oppressed by their government. Oppressed people don’t launch spontaneous consumer boycotts against foreign rivals.

There is one side-effect America did not anticipate: US punitive sanctions have united Chinese citizens behind their government in a people-to-people counter-attack.

China’s international behavior is faultless. America has turned to misrepresenting and weaponizing its domestic politics. Aided and abetted by the power of its media monopoly, when America accuses, America convicts. China cannot and will not allow outsiders unfettered access to the re-education centers in Xinjiang, when their motives and intentions are suspect. For America the verdict is a foregone conclusion.

Don’t be a dork. Every single one of the white-race powers, including Britain, America, Canada and Australia accusing China of genocide has a history of genocidal killings or ethnic cleansings of their indigenous populations. The blood is still wet on the accusers’ hands.

China alone has a pristine record in inter-ethnic relations. It alone is free of ethnic discrimination. Foreigners who live in China are amazed at how free of hate crimes this country is. Historically, the Han tribe had never persecuted minorities. It is still true today. In fact, China has delivered a whole raft of measures better known in America as Affirmation Action to benefit all minorities—from lower admission requirements to higher education to exemption from its draconian one-child policy. They celebrate their ethnicity in local festivals. China is a haven for minorities.

China can protest its innocence until the cows come home. Majorie Yang, the MIT-educated chairman of Esquel Group, a Hong Kong textile manufacturer, has given gainful employment to tens of thousands of Uyghurs on her cotton fields and was slapped with sanctions. She hired an international investigative agency which had cleared her company of the charge of using forced labor. But the clearance meant nothing. The sanctions stay.

America is denying China its sovereign right to fight terrorism on its own territory by adopting an educational, rather than a punitive approach. Meanwhile waterboarding and using other forms of torture in Guantanamo are an undeniable fact. Where are the international sanctions against America which has slaughtered millions in Vietnam and Iraq.

Other than counter-sanctions, only one effective weapon remains in fighting unfair double standards: consumer boycotts. Hit the rumor-mongers where it hurts.

Forget megaphone diplomacy. Let ordinary people carry the fight to America and its commercial proxies, using the power of their purse. When reason and common sense fail to prevail, it’s time to let the wallet do the talking.

China Metro vs India Metro – This is truly shocking…

Green Chile Burros

The burro is shown “enchilada style.”

Ingredients

1 small beef roast, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chiles
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (16 ounce) can tomatoes, drained (juice reserved)
1/2 teaspoon comino (cumin)
Salt and pepper, to taste
All-purpose flour

Instructions

Brown diced meat in fat in a large, heavy saucepan. Add onion, green chiles, garlic and drained tomatoes. Add enough drained tomato juice (plus water if needed) to cover. Add comino, salt and pepper. Cook, covered, until meat is very tender.
Mix flour with a small amount of water to form a thin paste and add to mixture to thicken slightly.
Heat a large flour tortilla on a griddle. Fill with meat mixture and fold.

Notes

Enchilada Style: Follow instructions above, then place in a shallow serving dish. Pour enchilada sauce over the top to cover, and sprinkle with grated cheese. Heat in a 425 degrees F oven until the cheese is melted.

I sometimes make a fast version of this. I use leftover pot roast, dice it up, mix it with the remaining ingredients and just simmer it until the onion is tender. Thicken it with the flour as stated in the recipe.

20+ Simple Tips For A Happy And Healthy Life

Being called a dictator, should Xi meet Biden this November, and why?

According to the proven Principle of Least Interest, China has total power over this US-China relationship. Biden’s name-calling only reflected his pathetic despair.

The Principle of Least Interest is the idea in sociology that the person or group that has the least amount of interest in continuing a relationship has the most power over it. In the context of relationship dynamics, it suggests towards which party the balance of power tilts. The principle applies to personal, business, and other types of relationships where more than one party is involved.

I Went Into DANGEROUS New York City Subways

To get their independence, France forced these 14 African countries into a treaty where they must put: 65% of their foreign currency reserves into the French Treasury & another 20% to “repay” France debts.

They only had access to 15% of their own money!

And if they want to borrow money, they need to borrow it from private French Bankers (like Macron) at Commercial rates!

But wait… it gets worse…

Countries like Burkina Faso have gold mines (literal).

And in the “Treaty for Independence”, France gets the right of first refusal.

Only if France doesn’t want to extract resources, can these countries allow everyone else to mine.

Why don’t these colonies break the treaties?

Well, France has thought of that too.

Within the treaty, the Colonies have given France the exclusive contract to sell weapons and train the military in the former colonies.

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The treaties also give France the authority to “pre-deploy” French troops for “peace-keeping” purposes.

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Hypothetically, if there rises a leader like Sankara who wants to nationalize these resources… well French troops rush in to overthrow him in a military coup.

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France has tested nuclear weapons in Algeria numerous times. The first test occurred in 1960, in the desert. They didn’t adequately warn the civilian populations around the blast site. An estimated 40k Algerians got sick from these tests.

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Fast forward to France still having a human zoo where they brought over Africans from Ivory Coast to “live” in a “safari” while Europeans gawked at them in 1994!

It was called Bamboula Village…

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It was sponsored by confectionary company St. Michel’s who made some kind of chocolate sweet called “Bamboula” which had this extremely racist advertising…

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Finally, the artisans made contact with the local performers guild who helped create a “No Human Safari” movement and created a public outcry. In October 1994, they finally shut down the wreched human zoo.

Can China develop its own chip industry?

China has developed its own chip technology, with optical chips. These chips do not get as hot as the old chip technology and are faster.

China can do anything because their army is an army of engineers and other professionals.

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WHAT? | FIRST TIME HEARING The B 52’s – Rock Lobster REACTION

Pulled Pork with Root Beer Barbecue Sauce

This is a delightful recipe. It’s especially good served with cole slaw on top, the way the Southerners do it.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

1 (2 1/2 to 3 pound) pork sirloin roast, pork shoulder or butt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, cut into thin wedges
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 (12 ounce) can root beer
1 (18 ounce) bottle barbecue sauce, any brand you like
8 to 10 hamburger buns, split (and toasted, if desired)
Cole slaw (optional)

Instructions

Brown the salted and peppered roast in vegetable oil.
Place the pork, onions and garlic in a slow cooker. Pour the root beer over the meat. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours or until pork shreds easily with a fork.
After the pork has is done, drain and discard the juices and onion. Shred the pork and place it back into the slow cooker. Pour the barbecue sauce over the pork and stir to combine.
Serve immediately or keep warm in the slow cooker until ready to serve.
Serve on hamburger buns topped with cole slaw, if desired.

Train Ride to Coney Island in 1987

How can the US compete with China and Chinese companies without using sanctions against key technologies, decoupling, and the long arm of the law?

Decades ago, the US made a conscious decision to prioritize global military engagements.

This was done over addressing pressing domestic issues.

Issues like education gaps, gun violence, political corruption, social inequality, drug overdose, deindustrialization, infrastructure challenges, high costs, and an unproductive workforce.

This choice has led to losing the nation’s ability to compete through hard work and tangible achievements internationally.

To prevent China from surpassing the US, the current approach has been focused on imposing sanctions, embargoes, and tariffs, and enacting anti-China legislation or instigating China to invade Taiwan.

This has been crafted by nullifying the One-China policy to stamp the rise of China.

Ah. As Biden has repeatedly expressed his determination to prevent China from overtaking the United States.

He has pledged significant investments to ensure that America maintains its dominance in the race between the two countries.

He has been doing so without even knowing the content of the passed funding bills.

As they are just words without the real capability to implement the intent of them and will not make America Great again.

The Brain from Planet Arous (1957)

Full Movie.

1950 Science Fiction. Lazy afternoon viewing. Enjoy!

Fun, pain and the Golden Voyage of Sinbad

The small things are really BIG BIG things. In all sorts of ways.

Don’t you know.

I get a lot of crazy people on MM…

Not that it is bad, mind you. But I am a VERY BUSY fellow.

So this guy pops up on the comment boards.

Long, long diatribes. Interspersing praise, with meandering comments, and passive aggressive demands.

Very suggestive of a home-bound; locked in person with neurotic tendencies. I told him to stop posting long comment trains on the articles, and instead use the forum.

He responded…

I don’t want to be dictated to jump, beg and roll-over like a common dog by a stranger on my own God-damn website.

I did not send him to the cornfield. But I did blow away all the MM followers around Nebraska. Oh well…

Passive aggressive FUCK.

I do not need this shit.

Good fucking bye.

Interesting Discussion

The United States was sharply critical of Germany’s energy dependence on Russia, imposing sanctions on the construction of pipelines carrying Russian gas beneath the Baltic Sea to Germany (if not, as a now-refuted report by investigative journalist Seymour Hersh recently claimed, getting its navy divers to blow them up).

However, the US’s economic dependence on China runs far deeper, and severing the link—for example, in the event of conflict between the two nations—would be far more disruptive.

A provocative report by economist and former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis suggests China could more easily break free of the relationship of mutual dependence than the US.

Varoufakis relates that a Chinese official described to him the ‘dark deal’ China struck in the 1970s under which its manufacturers would send their excess production (that is, their output beyond China’s domestic needs) to the US and reinvest the bulk of their US-dollar profits into America’s ‘FIRE’, or finance, insurance and real estate sectors.

‘It ensured that the dollar’s supremacy was just as functional to the interests of US rentiers as it was to Chinese capitalists,’ he says. Of course, the losers in the transaction were the US domestic manufacturers (and their workers) who went out of business under the pressure of Chinese competition.

Article HERE

41 countries lined up for embracing BRICS currency

Please note: EUROZONE has just 20 countries.

main qimg bd8bf0c2a8fa58457e9cdea0cfb5e163

The list of countries ready to join the BRICS alliance and accept the new currency is growing leaps n bounds. From a set of 19 countries in April, the numbers have spiked to 41 by the end of June. A total of 22 new countries expressed interest to enter the bloc and ditch the U.S. dollar in two months. The next BRICS summit will be held in August in South Africa where the bloc of five nations will combinedly decide the formation of a new currency.

The decision to expand the alliance will be jointly taken in the next BRICS summit and the bloc could soon become BRICS+.

The total number of countries that could challenge the U.S. dollar on the global stage has reached 41. The developing nations that want to accept BRICS currency hail from Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe.

Belarus is the first country in Eastern Europe that expressed interest to accept the new BRICS currency. On the other hand, France has also shown its interest to attend the next BRICS summit in South Africa.

Additionally, many countries in Africa remain on the sidelines and could announce their support for the BRICS currency after its launch. Kenya has urged African nations to stop using the U.S. dollar and trade with native currencies within the continent.

Offensive, but funny

How free am I really in CHINA?? 在中国的自由

She is correct.

These “little things” are really BIG and important things.

Here’s my version (MM version) of her video above…

A Typical Day in China (MM lifestyle)

Yeah. It’s cool.

Putin Wins – on All Counts

By Pepe Escobar

June 26, 2023

main qimg 62db95ce3c3c373bb8748459f7b74d56

When the lightning of History strikes, better cut to the chase in our first draft.

When the lightning of History strikes, better cut to the chase in our first draft.

Here we go.

After the extraordinary events in Russia during The Longest Day, President Putin wins on all counts.

Among other feats, he has made an absolute, inter-galactic ass of the whole collective West MSM – all over again.

He rallied virtually every Russian to end the Special Military Operation (SMO) – or “almost war” (according to some business circles) quicker.

He – and the FSB – amassed a formidable list of traitors and 5th and 6th columnists, which will be properly dealt with.

And he now enjoys unlimited freedom to deploy de facto Counter-Terrorist Operation (CTO) martial law powers.

As much as Putin helped perennial Lukashenko in August 2020, preventing regime change in Belarus, good ol’ Luka prevented Russia from sliding into civil war in June 2023.

A complex wide-ranging counter-terror op is now in effect in Moscow and beyond, while assorted Western sub-zoology specimens are stunned, dazed and confused: wasn’t that supposed to be Putin meeting his Czar Nicholas II moment?

A first glance at the chessboard tells us that all the pieces seem to be falling in their right places.

Prighozin gets a golden parachute in Belarus. Shoigu may be about to be sacked, perhaps even Gerasimov (yes, there are deeply dysfunctional layers inside the Ministry of Defense). The Wagner musicians will be incorporated as a regular Army Corps. They may keep doing business in Africa: demand is huge.

So what really happened after The Longest Day? Hefty CIA funds may have changed hands. But in the end the “coup” could turn out to be the Greatest Russian Trolling of the West Ever.

The Mother of All Maskirovkas

Once again, facts on the ground prove Putin is the undisputed champion of Russia. After keeping a strategic silence for a few hours, his intervention gathered full support from the civilian population, the FSB, the Chechens, the Army, the Communists, everyone.

The exact terms of the deal between Luka and Prighozin, with help from the governor of the Tula region, Alexey Dyumin, are still unclear.

Prighozin said he was satisfied with the terms. Peskov confirmed on the record that a criminal case against Prigozhin would be dropped. A key Prighozin demand was the twin resignation of Defense Minister Shoigu and Chief of Staff Gerasimov. That may – or may not – happen in the immediate future.

And that brings us to the still fascinating possibility this was the Mother of All Maskirovkas. Prigozhin sets up all this circus just to get a meeting in Moscow with Shoigu and Gerasimov.

Talk about an overkill just to go out on a date.

The Mother of All Maskirovkas scenario also implies a move worthy of 5D chess.

On Saturday, Wagner was 200 km away from Moscow.

Yet on Sunday, Wagner was 100 km away from Kiev.

Next level Sun Tzu Art of War, anyone?

Between sovereignty and betrayal

Alexander Dugin correctly points out how this was also an exercise in Sovereignty: “Only Sovereign Lukashenko, together with Sovereign Putin himself, confronted [Prighozin]…It turned out that many can frame the President and the people, acting in the shadows and apparently on his behalf, but saving the Fatherland in a critical situation is not their specialty.”

The corollary is that Russia needs “a sovereign elite, otherwise everything will repeat itself.”

As for the dazed and confused collective West, especially the NATO-Kiev junta, with everyone instantly rebranding Wagner from “terrorists” to “freedom fighters”, getting bogged down in their own swamp is the art they excel in.

Mainstream media spun that the proverbial “Western officials” were “taken by surprise” by the mutiny. That depends on the amount of funds that changed hands, and in which direction, during the preparation.

The SMO, now CTO keeps rolling along. The Russian Army continues to fight, undisturbed. The “counter-offensive” remains teetering over the edge of a cliff, ready to kiss the black void.

Putin winning on all counts implies the whole civilian population – and the military – engaged into preserving him and the Russian institutions, as well as perfecting them. There’s absolutely no nation anywhere across the collective West where we find this level of citizen support.

Russian politics is a special animal. It works at the highest level and also at grassroots level – unlike in the West, where the norm is deep hatred between the elites and the people.

Of course it should always be stressed it’s the less patriotic Russian oligarchs who run away every time something approaching The Longest Day takes place.

For a few hours, the West was betting heavily on the dismemberment of Russia. Not now. And not in the foreseeable future.

The succession is already being prepared, by Team Putin and selected patriotic oligarchs. Among the contenders, there’s a secret name that will stun everyone when it pops up. He’s still invisible in terms of public opinion, and works in the shadows. His name should remain secret for the time being.

As it stands, what matters is that Russia as whole emerged even stronger out of The Longest Day. The man and woman in the street showed himself and herself, once again, as a true patriot, ready to defend the Motherland whatever it takes.

There was no confrontation between those who are pro-Russian institutions and those who are pro-Wagner. People actually support both. People regarded Wagner like the “polite green men” who helped to peacefully retake Crimea in 2014. Facing them, there was not a single policeman or military.

So Putin is stronger than ever. But everyone should always keep this in mind: the one thing he can’t forgive is betrayal.

HazMat Incident at the White House

Nation Hal Turner 02 July 2023

There is an ongoing hazmat incident at the White House in Washington DC. The US Secret Service along with emergency personnel are investigating the situation.

The Secret Service has cordoned off a significant area around the White House, and a full hazmat response has been requested to the scene.

Zambia President’s speech made China take only 1% interest on its loans

China does not play.

Russia’s S-70 Okhotnik Heavy Stealth Drone Starts Bashing Ukron

Russia may have started operating its S-70 Okhotnik heavy-strike stealth drone against Ukron. Based on photgraphs of the drone flying in the Ukron skies published by Ukron’s telegram channels, Turkish media first reported the use of the drone in the Sumy region.

The drone is speculated to have struck military facilities of the Armed Forces of Ukron (AFU) in the Sumy region.”

On the afternoon of June 27, the Ukron media reported explosions in Sumy and Kremenchuk, Poltava region.

Report Credibility

A photograph, purportedly of the drone flying over Ukron, posted on Mash Telegram Channel conforms to the shape and size of the Okhotnik (Hunter).

At least two Okhotnik drones are known to be undergoing flight testing.

In June 2022, Janes reported, quoting RIA Novosti, that the S-70B Okhotnik had conducted its first test launch of precision-guided munitions (PGMs) against ground targets on May 28, 2022. The drone had launched air-to-surface missiles developed for the manned Sukhoi Su-57

Janes reported that the missile was likely the Kh-59Mk2 standoff cruise missile, a development of the Kh-59-series heavy tactical missile that entered service in the early 1980s.

Kh-59Mk2 range and payload estimates vary widely, but it’s likely to be able to reach targets at least 150 miles away while carrying a 500lb warhead. The modular nature of the design may allow for multiple configurations, such as larger fuel sections, to be swapped for smaller warhead sections.

Izvestia reported in February 2020 that the Grom (Thunder) 9-A-7759 glide bomb had been integrated with the Okhotnik. The drone can carry four Groms in its internal bomb bay.

The Russian Ministry of Defense (RuMoD) has not commented on the report.

Drone Availability

As per open source information, two Russia Okhotnik prototypes are undergoing flight testing, and two more are under construction/flight testing.

main qimg ec104c82f138e5357f722a2fd60ffdd6

The first prototype, which features a non-stealthy circular exhaust, flew for the first time on August, 2019.

The second prototype incorporated tweaks to the aerodynamic design and electronics based on the operational experience with the first Okhotnik.

“The third and fourth drones “will match the production version of the Okhotnik,” the source said.

In March 2021, it was reported that construction of the second prototype of the S-70 Okhotnik was underway. Besides improved electronics and software, the drone would have a shaped nozzle for improved rear aspect stealth.

On December 14, 2021, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko reportedly told Russia-24 TV channel that a serial contract for the supply of the S-70 “Okhotnik” would be concluded within six months. A special control center is being created for the newest Hunter drone.

Flight testing of the second prototype began in July 2022 summer.

Russia may have operationally deployed two Okhotnik drones. Also, it’s conceivable that the two additional prototypes, under construction in 2021, are either available to Russian forces or will be available shortly. It is even possible that they have been operationally deployed already.

The Su-57, S-70 Combination

Russian officials have consistently reiterated that Okhotniks can operate under the control of a Su-57 fighter jet pilot.

“These planes and drones can interact not only with each other but also in various types of combat formations,” said Andrey Yelchaninov, the first deputy chairman of the Board of the Russian Military-Industrial Commission, in April 2021. “Within a very short timeframe, there will be a possibility to control several Okhotnik drones from the Su-57 cockpit.”

Conclusion

Extrapolating development timelines, Russia may have operationally deployed the Okhotnik drone in Ukron. Indeed, it would be logical for Russia to do so to obtain feedback and accumulate operational experience.

The drone in the published photograph features a circular exhaust, which would mean it’s the first prototype. The use of the first prototype would also be logical. Having been under flight testing since 2019, the prototype has likely served the purpose that it was developed for.

Also, losing the first prototype wouldn’t compromise trade secrets or set back the development program to the same extent as losing the second prototype for reasons discussed earlier.

The first prototype is unlikely to operate as a Su-57 loyal wingman. The communication suite, computer hardware, and software required for loyal wingman operations would most likely have been installed and tested on the second prototype.

If the Okhotnik proves itself capable of penetrating Ukron’s airspace undetected, Russia could fast-track serial production of the drone.

Russia’s competent military industrial base could eventually turn the tide against Ukron, which relies heavily on free Western weapons supply.

Now, let’s get on with some more important stuff…

Your BACKWARD voice reveals all your secrets (And the CIA knows it)

Declassified CIA report says

Zero evidence of any link between the pandemic virus and the Wuhan Institute of Virology, whether deliberate or accidental
Zero evidence that the Wuhan Institute even researched the particular strain of coronavirus that was responsible for initiating the pandemic, or even a similar strain

Coronavirus is a large family of viruses. And what the fuck does an Institute of Virology do if not conduct research on viruses?

“We continue to have no indication that the WIV’s pre-pandemic research holdings included SARSCoV-2 or a close progenitor, nor any direct evidence that a specific research-related incident occurred involving WIV personnel before the pandemic that could have caused the COVID pandemic,” the report said.

Out of 6 other US intelligence agencies, 4 have concluded that the pandemic was due to a “natural transmission” of coronavirus, while 2 others are “undecided.”

The declassified CIA report is 4 pages long. That’s how little they have.

But watch their politicians state or suggest the opposite again and again.

First Time Hearing Ronnie James Dio | Rainbow’s “Stargazer” Vocal Analysis

Russia’s Medvedev: “. . . there will be a nuclear winter . . . “

World Hal Turner 02 July 2023

Russia's Medvedev: ". . . there will be a nuclear winter . . . "

Statements by Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, made during an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta:

Below are statements made by Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council, Dmitry Medvedev. Pay close attention!

The course of the AFU counter-offensive proved unexpected for Kiev’s Western sponsors, who believed in the “omnipotence of unlimited dough”. The defeat of the AFU in the Artemovsk direction was a foregone conclusion;

European businesses that have left Russia are “biting their elbows”, lamenting their lost revenues. It has permanently lost the Russian market; goods have been replaced by others. Production growth in Russia is “much higher than in Europe”, and inflation at the end of the year will be lower than in the eurozone;

Russia was forced to conduct a special military operation to protect its sovereignty and millions of people. The Kiev regime should be scrapped and banned as fascist;

The situation in Ukraine is not a regional conflict but a total confrontation between the collective West and the rest of the world. The confrontation between the West and the rest of the world could last for decades;

The current confrontation between the West and the rest of the world has brought the world to the brink of a third world war. In the event of a third world war, there will be no winners – there will be a nuclear winter, epidemics and famine on Earth;

The outcome of the total confrontation between Russia and the West should be enshrined in a new document like the Helsinki Act.”

Tex-Mex Beef Lasagna

Turn to Tradition for Tex-Mex Taste

(Family Features) The next time your loved ones crave a comforting dish that’s warming from the inside-out, turn to an all-time classic with a touch of southern flair.

Take inspiration for this Tex-Mex Beef Lasagna from season 3 of “BBQuest: Beyond the Pit,” a video series that dives into the long-held traditions, new flavors and everyday inspiration that make Texas barbecue legendary. Developed from the show by BBQuest co-host and “Hardcore Carnivore” cookbook author Jess Pryles, this tasty take on comfort food can be the perfect solution for a family meal with plenty of leftovers.

After dinner, settle in together and learn pitmaster techniques from the experts as the series follows four themes that capture the essence of Texas barbecue: legacy and tradition; creativity and innovation; Texas trailblazers; and family and community.

“Since launching BBQuest four years ago, it’s truly remarkable to see how much has changed and yet stayed the same when it comes to Texas barbecue, and that’s exactly what you see in season 3,” said Rachel Chou, Texas Beef Council’s director of consumer marketing. “There has been so much exciting innovation around cooking methods and international flavors while there’s still a huge dedication to long-held recipes and smoking techniques.”

To find more pitmaster-worthy recipes, visit BeefLovingTexans.com.

Watch video to see how to make this recipe!

Total time: 60 min | Servings: 10

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 pounds ground beef
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons chipotle powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
15 ounces canned corn, drained
15 ounces canned seasoned black beans, drained
10 ounces canned diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
15 ounces canned red enchilada sauce
1 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
Nonstick cooking spray
12 corn tortillas
8 ounces shredded Mexican blend cheese
Cilantro (optional)
Green onions, thinly sliced (optional)

Instructions

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
In large pan or skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat then add onion. Cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
Add ground beef and cook, stirring regularly, until beef has browned.
Add kosher salt, garlic powder, cumin, chipotle powder and onion powder; stir well. Add corn, black beans and diced tomatoes. Turn heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
In bowl, combine enchilada sauce and crema; mix well.
Spray casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 cup enchilada sauce mixture on bottom to prevent tortillas from sticking.
Layer 2 to 4 tortillas across bottom then top with layer of ground beef mixture. Use ladle to spoon some enchilada sauce mixture on top, distributing evenly. Top with another layer of tortillas then repeat layers until casserole is full, 3 or 4 layers. Top with shredded cheese.
Loosely cover dish with foil in tent shape to help prevent cheese from sticking, then bake for 30 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden brown.
Cool for 5 minutes before serving. Top with cilantro and green onions, if desired.

You NEED to run… NOW!

https://youtu.be/2L1Z5V_-eQM

Have you ever gotten roadside help from somebody unexpected?

My mom HATED this story, but it makes me laugh.

I turned 16 in January of 2000, my dad “gave” me his beat up old 1987 Ford Ranger. “Gave” is in quotation marks because it wasn’t REALLY mine, it was my dads but I was the primary driver.

In the summer of 2000, my mom’s youngest brother (my “guncle”-gay uncle) got ANOTHER DUI. I don’t remember if it was his 2nd or 3rd one, but it didn’t matter. He ended up losing his license for a year.

My home life wasn’t the greatest that summer, my mom and dad had separated, I finally had the freedom you can only get when you have a car, but you have to have money for gas and fun things to do.

I had already worked at McDonalds since I was 15 and a half, and I took on another job at our local movie theater (one of the best jobs ever!!)

Of course, since I had my license, and a vehicle, and my uncle’s schedule just happened to work with mine, I became his chauffeur for the summer. No one asked me if I would help, I was told to help.

I was a little peeved about it. I love my uncle, but I wish I had been asked. That’s all.

I’d normally work at McDonalds from noon to 4, go home, change, eat and then head to the movie theater and work from 6 to close.

My uncle worked at a seafood restaurant and had to be there by 9 until 4, the he’d walk to his other job and work from 5 to close, which just happened to be the time I got off of work. Sometimes he’d get a ride home from another co-worker, but it was mostly me.

Most of the time it worked out great. I got to know my uncle better than anyone in my family, I even ended up working with him at a pizza joint for a few months the next summer.

We had our own little rituals, I’d run by Wendy’s once in a while before I picked him up from his 2nd job and get him an iced tea, and he’d make me personal pan pizzas once in a while.

We both worked Saturday nights, so I’d take him grocery shopping after work. It was fun.

As I mentioned before, my truck wasn’t in the best of shape, so the inevitable happened.

I had dropped my uncle off at his apartment and was heading home. My truck broke down. I was able to get it to a side street, but it was in the middle of the road.

I walked over to the gas station and used a pay phone (Hahahaha) and I called my mom. It was like 11:30 PM. I was literally a 10 minute drive from home.

ME: “Mom. My truck broke down. Will you come get me?”

MOM: “Why aren’t you home yet?”

ME: “It’s Saturday, you know I take Trevor grocery shopping.”

MOM: “Well, you’re going to have to find your own way home then. It’s not my fault you’re ‘hanging out’ with Trevor so late.”

ME: “Yes it is! I didn’t volunteer to be his chauffeur, you volunteered me!! I don’t mind doing it, but it’s not fair to pin it on me.” I was so frustrated I shouldn’t have said it, but I did.

MOM: “I will NOT pick you up. Walk home if you have to.”

She hung up on me.

Okay. Fine.

I didn’t want to walk home, in the dark, after midnight, and I didn’t want to leave my truck in the middle of the road.

I sat in my car and cried for about 20 minutes. It was well past midnight.

I look up, and in my rear view mirror I see flashing blue lights.

GREAT. GOOD. A TICKET ON TOP OF EVERYTHING ELSE!!

I rolled down my window and the police officer approached my car.

PO: “Hello young lady. Are you okay?”

ME: “My car broke down and I can’t find anyone to pick me up, plus, I know it shouldn’t be in the middle of the road.”

PO: “Okay. Let me see what we can do. Can I see your license, registration and insurance. I’ll be right back.”

I handed him the paperwork, and he went back to his car.

He came back a few minutes later.

PO: “Everything looks good on my end with you. Why are you out so late?”

I explained that I had gotten off of work and taken my uncle grocery shopping, and my truck stopped and that was as far as I got. I called my mom and she refused to pick me up. I didn’t want to leave my truck in the middle of the road and risk it being towed and it was an almost 2 mile walk home, and I didn’t feel safe walking that far by myself.

PO: “I understand. How about we do this? Put your truck in neutral and we will push it to the side of the road, and I’ll take you home. I’m off at 1, so this will keep me busy until I can clock out. How’s that??”

I started to cry. We got my truck where it needed to be and he took me home.

I can officially check the “rode in the back of a police car,” box off my bucket list.

When we got to my house, he asked me to stay in the car while he talked to my mom.

He knocked on the door and my moms face dropped.

He said something along the lines of “Your 16 year old daughter was stranded on the side of the road She was scared and didn’t know what to do. When she called you, the one person she should be able to rely on, and you refused to take the 20 minute drive to go and pick her up. She is in the back of my car, right now, and she’s still scared. I’m glad I found her before someone else did. In the future, of this happens again, please pick her up or send someone else to.”

He let me out of the car, I told him thank you, and I went into the house.

My mom apologized to me, and we had a long talk. I told her I loved spending time with Trevor, and I’m glad he’s in my life. However, it wasn’t fair for her to punish me for doing something that I was told to do.

She never let me down after that.

For those who will ask why I didn’t call my dad, he was working. This was pre-cell phone (well, they were expensive for the time, and I didn’t have one) and I didn’t have his work number memorized.

The Over-Hyped ‘Spy’ Balloon That Didn’t

With regards to China President Joe Biden said on June 20 2023:

And the reason why Xi Jinping got very upset in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two boxcars full of spy equipment in it is he didn’t know it was there. No, I’m serious. That’s what’s a great embarrassment for dictators, when they didn’t know what happened. That wasn’t supposed to be going where it was. It was blown off course up through Alaska and then down through the United States. And he didn’t know about it. When it got shot down, he was very embarrassed. He denied it was even there.

I commented that:

Biden acknowledges that the weather balloon was ‘blow off course’ and thereby debunks previous claims that it was steerable. China had no intent to let the balloon cross Canada and the United States. And if there had really been ‘two boxcars full of spy equipment’ on the balloon why hasn’t the U.S. shown any of it?

Why would or should a president of the U.S. or China know of some weather balloon floating somewhere?

Xi was embarrassed by the circus the U.S. made over that affair?
…
Xi denied that the ballon was where it was to whom? And the U.S. would know about that how?

There were so many questions about those ‘spy balloon’ claims that, from the very beginning, I was sure and said that it was all bunk:

Feb 4 – Blinken’s Travel Canceling Adds To China Hate
Feb 6 – NYT Plants False Claims Over China’s Balloon Communication
Feb 8 – China Rejects “Shoot First, Talk Later” Attitude
Feb 11 – Airforce Spent Millions To Shot Down A Failed U.S. Weather Balloon – Biden Is Happy It Did So
Feb 15 – After Ten Days Of Panicky Hype The Weather Balloon Nonsense Is Finally Buried
Feb 18 – More Ballooneey News

But the Biden administration created a scandal over the randomly floating weather balloon. It thereby opened itself to criticism from the hawks in the Democratic and Republican parties. It canceled, without need, the planned mission of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to China.

Well – as it turns out it all was bunk, just as I had claimed.

Yesterday the Wall Street Journal headlined:

Chinese Balloon Used American Tech to Spy on Americans
Preliminary U.S. findings show the craft collected photos and videos but didn’t appear to transmit them, officials say

The ‘spy balloon’ was not spying at all. It had a U.S. made camera on board for this or that (navigational orientation?) purpose and was not submitting any pictures from it:

The US gear was intermixed with “more specialized Chinese sensors and other equipment” with the purpose of snapping photos and capturing videos and other information to transmit to Beijing, according to the Journal.

Despite the spy balloon’s surveillance capabilities, the Defense Department does not believe the spy balloon collected data while it was flying over US territory, Pentagon press secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said Thursday.

Via Reuters the Pentagon confirmed that the ‘spy balloon’ was just a balloon that was not spying at all:

A Chinese spy balloon that flew over the United States earlier this year before being shot down did not collect information as it went across the country, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

“We assess that it did not collect while it was flying over the U.S.,” Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder told reporters.

The balloon spent a week flying over the United States and Canada before the U.S. military shot it down off the Atlantic Coast on Biden’s orders.

Biden had already confirmed that the balloon was ‘blown of course’ which had been immediately clear to me and to anyone who could look up and understand the relevant weather maps of pressure systems and their atmospheric wind directions and strength.

The balloon was also not a spying device because there are obviously much better ways, like satellites, to gain more precise information than a randomly floating weather balloon will ever be able to catch.

The Biden administration is intentionally using anti-Asian racism to create an ‘enemy’ by alleging that the Chinese are doing wrong in this or that or in whatever may randomly float over the horizon. At the same time it is copying those Chinese policies it had previously criticized:

Bidenomics seems increasingly likely to play a pivotal role in US President Joe Biden’s upcoming 2024 presidential election campaign. With great fanfare in a June 28 speech in Chicago, he offered a stirring endorsement of “industrial policy” as the centerpiece of his economic strategy.
…
For the US, there is a certain irony, possibly even hypocrisy, in embracing industrial policy as an effective strategy to counter China. Washington has long been critical of Chinese industrial policy as one of its most egregious anti-competitive sins. That was a key allegation in the Trump Administration’s March 2018 Section 301 report that quickly became the foundational evidence for tariffs and the broader trade war that was to follow. The Section 301 report argued that China was unique in relying on the subsidies and targeting of industrial policy—a conclusion I took strong issue with in Chapter 4 of Accidental Conflict, in which I presented evidence of a legacy of industrial policy strategies in Japan, Germany, and, yes, the United States. And now the Biden Administration, which has endorsed most of the tactics of Trump’s trade war with China, is embracing the very same industrial policy approach that China has long practiced.

Well, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Doing like China does, because what China does is successful, is now the new normal.

Next: A U.S. weather balloon, with a defunct Chinese camera on board, unintentionally crossing China. “U.S.A., U.S.A., …”

Unfortunately the U.S. is not good at imitating China’s policies:

[T]he point I am trying to make here is that both approaches rely on the government’s ability to target the so-called vital, strategic industries of the future. Japan failed miserably at that, and the US didn’t exactly distinguish itself the last time it tried—ironically aimed at the same semiconductor industry that is getting all the attention today. Indeed, the failure of the then widely-heralded Sematech effort of the late 1980s seems all but forgotten.
…
The US economy is performing well by many accounts. Competitiveness, however, always remains a major challenge. Bidenomics is aimed at addressing this key challenge, a goal I certainly applaud. But is industrial policy, one of China’s hallmark tactics that we, ourselves, have been so critical of, really the best way to pull it off?

The tax-payer money that Biden is now providing to industries is likely to bump up stock prices and CEO wages through major bullshit projects like the over-hyped garbage in-garbage out patter recognition algorithms that are sold to the public as Artificial Intelligence.

Is there, after all the previous promises and investments, any autonomous driving vehicle out there today that is trusted to do no harm? No?

Well, get ready for another such marketing hype.

Posted by b on June 30, 2023 at 8:41 UTC | Permalink

How would you stop people from walking across your lawn?

I was over run by a group of very tough, young criminals living in a re-hab group home located about 1/4 mile behind an old caretakers cottage I was renovating. The group home was at the end of an unpaved road in a heavily wooded border to a multi-thousand acre forest. My cottage was down closer to the highway.

As soon as the trades left, they swarmed to their new “clubhouse” to smoke and drink all sorts of stuff and the rubbish they left made it a big problem. Some friendly local cops and the caretakers that ran the house were helpless in discouraging my nighttime and weekend visitors.

The solution: I posted a little typed notice on the front door (no locks yet). “ Caretakers wanted! Meet me here at 6PM Tomorrow. Cokes and snacks provided.”

I was met by a hoard of 6–8 that you wouldn’t want to meet after dark. After a short intro, cooler opening and chip bags handed out, I explained the problem. Damn trespassers, always on days of no work, nights, weekends, neither the cops or I could catch them. The damn mess they left should be a shootin’ offense. I needed help with security.

My proposal was that if they would keep an eye out for trespassers, helped clean up any mess left by ones we couldn’t catch, and get license plate numbers, I’d let them hang out on the porch and every weekend I would fill a cooler with drinks and provide a couple of big bags of chips for weekends and do a monthly hot dog cook out for the couple of months left until I expected to move in.

Brinks Security could not have provided a more secure work site than I enjoyed for the remainder of the project. And Brinks does not offer the trash and debris pick up as a bonus. These kids took to the project as if there was a Nobel Peace Prize at stake.

These truants all, one arsonist, a couple of brawlers, most thieves, all turned out to be some pretty fair neighbors and great lookouts for my little hideaway.

Tex-Mex Calabacita con Puerco

Ingredients

2 tablespoons shortening
3 pounds pork chops, boned and cubed
3 or 4 serrano chiles, or more or less to taste
1 large onion
2 teaspoons whole cumin seed
4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup flour
3 ounces squash (yellow or zucchini or Mexican squash), sliced, large slices quartered
1 can whole kernel corn, including liquid
2 cans Ro*Tel chopped tomatoes
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Heat shortening in Dutch oven; fry pork cubes in batches until browned. Return all pork to pan.
Place chiles and onion in food processor container and process until chopped (or chop together by hand).
Slice garlic and place with cumin seed and salt in a mortar and pestle and grind together. (The garlic and cumin seed and salt can be chopped in the food processor with the chiles and onion, but grinding it gives it more flavor).
Add chiles, onion, garlic, cumin and salt to pan with pork and cook over high heat until onion is transparent.
Sprinkle flour over pork and vegetables and stir to combine. Cook a few minutes to remove the raw taste of the flour.
Add all remaining ingredients plus about 1 tomato can of water — enough so that pork and vegetables are not quite covered with liquid. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook at a simmer for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally, checking periodically and adding more water if necessary.

Makes a lot, but it freezes well.

What is the most condescending advice you received from someone who assumed you were poorer or less educated than them?

I was a witness to this during my first year of med school:

One of the second year med students and I decided to hit a pizza place one day for lunch. Our server, who looked like she was in her mid-20s, was walking over wearing a cast on her ankle and using crutches. The guy I was with said “watch this- I’ll show you how to pick up girls using your med school knowledge.” He mentioned her cast and then in an arrogant tone told her that she must have injured this and that tendon or muscle. Second year students can tell you the names of nearly every muscle in the body and tens of thousands of other medical facts but don’t know a lot of clinical information yet because they have not spent much time in the hospital. To make this scene worse he finished with a condescending look and said “oh, I’m sorry, sometimes I forget that you non-medical folks don’t know all of the advanced medical information that those of us in the profession know.” I was cringing.

We had our pizza, paid the bill, and as she was picking up the checks turned around and said to him “ hey sport, it wasn’t any of the muscles you mentioned, I actually injured a different set of muscles” then started listing them. She topped it off by explaining in excellent detail the surgical procedure using flawless medical terminology. His mouth was open, I was dying inside, and her mic drop comment as she walked away was “I’m a fourth-year medical student who just matched in orthopedics. You need to get some better pick up lines.”

Poland Requests Nuclear Bombs from USA

World Hal Turner 30 June 2023

The Prime Minister of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki stated today that he has requested for the United States to begin the Deployment of Nuclear Weapons into Poland due to the recent transfer of Russian Tactical-Nuclear Weapons onto the Territory of Belarus.

Polish President, Andrzej Duda stated in October of 2022 that he had also spoken to U.S. Officials about the possible Deployment of Nuclear Weapons to Poland but this was before the transfer of Russian Nukes to Belarus.

What does Poland want with US Nuclear Bombs on its territory? What do they think it might accomplish?

If such devices were placed in Poland, the Polish government could NOT use them; they don’t have the Permissive Action Link needed to arm the bomb.

Moreover, having US Nuclear weapons on their territory only guarantees that Russia will target Poland with VERY MANY nuclear bombs to make certain Poland cannot achieve anything with any bombs they might get.

So what is Poland actually thinking? Unless they want to get our bombs, disassemble them, take out the enriched nuclear cores, install those cores in Polish-made bombs, then use them . . .

Việt Nam, China issue joint press release following PM Chính’s visit

June 30, 2023 – 10:55

Việt Nam and China have issued a joint press statement on the occasion of Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính’s official visit to China and attendance at the 14th Annual Meeting of the New Champions (AMNC) of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Tianjin from June 25-28.

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Chinese Premier Li Qiang hosts a welcome ceremony for Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính in Beijing on June 26, 2023. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam and China have issued a joint press statement on the occasion of Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính’s official visit to China and attendance at the 14th Annual Meeting of the New Champions (AMNC) of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Tianjin from June 25-28.

During the visit, PM Chính met with Party General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping and held talks with Premier Li Qiang. He also had meetings with Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) of China Zhao Leji, and Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Wang Huning.

The two sides have informed each other about the situation of their respective parties and countries, engaging in in-depth discussions and reaching important shared understandings on deepening the Việt Nam-China comprehensive strategic cooperation in the new context; as well as on international and regional issues of mutual concern.

They agreed to continue effectively implementing the joint statement on further deepening the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Việt Nam and China, which was issued during Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng’s visit to China last year.

They agreed to maintain high-level exchanges and strengthen party-to-party, government-to-government, and parliamentary exchanges between countries. They agreed to enhance mutual learning and exchange experiences in promoting the cause of socialism building and seeking distinctive modernisation paths in each country. They vowed to promote the overall coordination role of the Việt Nam-China steering committee for bilateral cooperation in deepening exchanges and collaboration in such key areas as diplomacy, defence, law enforcement, trade and economy, and culture.

Việt Nam considers the development of relations with China as a strategic choice and top priority, while China views Việt Nam as a priority direction for its neighbourhood diplomacy. Both sides said they will engage in in-depth discussions on related specific measures.

The two sides concurred to actively promote strategic connectivity, accelerate joint work in building a high-quality “Belt and Road” initiative, strengthen connectivity in border roads and railways, build a multi-modal and efficient logistics system, accelerate the upgrading and connectivity of their border infrastructure, and promote smart border cooperation. They will step up mutual learning and exchange between their state-owned enterprises; explore opportunities to foster bilateral and multilateral cooperation in key mineral sectors. Việt Nam pledges a favourable business climate for Chinese enterprises investing in the country.

The two sides agreed to enhance friendship exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation between localities, especially border ones, raise the awareness of the two countries’ people, especially youths, about the bilateral friendship, and well organise exchange programmes, including the Việt Nam-China Youth Friendship Meeting, the Việt Nam-China border people festival, and the Việt Nam-China People’s Forum.

They will seriously materialise important common perceptions reached by leaders of the two Parties and countries, and the Agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues, satisfactorily control disagreements at sea, foster maritime cooperation, and work together to maintain peace and stability in the East Sea (known internationally as the South China Sea).

Việt Nam and China will also push ahead with the comprehensive and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and on the basis of negotiation and consensus, soon reach a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS).

The Vietnamese side affirmed that it consistently supports the “One-China” principle.

On the basis of equality and mutual respect, the two countries will cooperate in human rights issues, promote dialogue and international cooperation in this field, and resolutely oppose the politicisation of human rights issues.

The two sides consented to persist in true multilateralism, work together to safeguard international justice and fairness, and enhance coordination in major international and regional issues.

They will maintain coordination and mutual support within international and regional frameworks such as the United Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, ASEAN-China Cooperation, and Mekong-Lancang Cooperation, while effectively implementing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

Việt Nam supports China’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in accordance with standards and procedures of the agreement.

During the visit, the two premiers witnessed the signing of cooperation documents in market supervision, smart border gate development, and less-sensitive sea-related fields.

The two sides shared the view that the official visit to China by Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính was a great success, helping deepen the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, for peace, stability, and development in the region and the world at large.

PM Chính has on the occassion invited Premier Li Qiang to visit Việt Nam. The Chinese leader accepted the invitation with pleasure. — VNS

Have you ever met a famous person?

Steve Wozniak called me uncreative.

It was October 2016. At the UMass Club in Boston, Tom Ashbrook was set to interview the Woz for an alumni event. When I heard about this, I simply had to go. I had to meet the legend and get his autograph on my working Apple II.

Ticket prices were a staggering $250, so I called the event organizer and asked if I could volunteer for free entry. She said yes!!

So there I was in Boston, clutching my Apple II as I waited to be let in to his room. When Woz saw me and the artifact I was holding, he smiled and turned towards me. He started telling me about the making of the original Apple I and how he got color to work for the Apple II series. He also told me about his devotion to circuitry since a very young age.

When it was finally time to get his signature, I offered him a marker I brought. He then told me that I must be uncreative, because I couldn’t predict that he would bring a marker of his own. Simultaneously, he whipped out his personal marker. I just stood there with my mouth open; what could I possibly say!? I was too happy to care, and posed for the following picture.

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You can see the marker in my right hand.

What a night that was!

How do I see problems as opportunities?

Yesterday I took my young son to see a property I just closed.

He was in shock.

“What piece of JUNK did you buy, dad? Why waste your money on this?”

I laughed and asked, “Why is it that I find opportunity here, while you see a massive problem?

“But how can this be an opportunity, dad? The place is in ruins!”

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It’s incredible how our reality is determined by how we perceive the world around us…

— While one is giving constructive feedback, the other person may feel criticized and offended.

— While some may feel they’re making the best use of their time, others will feel they’re wasting it.

Our beliefs, values, experiences, and even our mood will massively influence our perspectives.

I enjoyed helping my son change his perspective and visualize the opportunity I had found on this property.

It’s important to note that without his willingness to listen to me, his wrongful perspective wouldn’t have changed.

This made me think how important it is for us to stop, analyze and LISTEN to our trusted friends and advisors before we settle our ideas on stone.

Chinese ambassador wear Mao suit to meet Biden

Screenshot 20230703 094919 com.android.chrome

He’s EXPOSING The UFO Secret Access Programs

Hey! He is saying that I have been saying for years. LOL! Plus lots of other things, curious. But don’t go too far down the “rabbit hole”. Just pay attention to the overview. Not the details.

So, after watching this video…

Now you know WHY I refer to reptilians, and Tall Greys as a “joke”. Stage-play, and other cover activities that are unbelievable, but used to hide the real truths.

Lots of reverse engineering stuff. But I was involved in actual work with DOMAIN.

Now you know WHY my entire section was “retired”.

Now you know WHY everyone in my MAJ branch fled to China when we had the opportunity.

Which screenshot deserves 500.88k views in a day?

The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973)

This is my BIG treat for you all today. This is the absolute full movie! FREE. And please take the time to enjoy this wonderful, wonderful film.

Take the time to cut out an hour or two to watch it. On a nice long lazy afternoon, enjoy this great video.

https://youtu.be/PaqoLAIYO1Y

Secret agent stories

From time to time, approximate every three years or so, I am “visited” (or make contact with) a “person”.

These people say there are one thing, but are actually something else. For instance, a massive “billion dollar company” that is looking for a COO, or a businessman who works in China, and so forth. On the surface, it is an “interview”, or a “friendly meeting”, or something along those lines.

Its all very nice and cordial, and I absolutely respect the people that I meet with. Without exception.

But, not everyone is what they say they are. For certain, I have been approached by the “five eyes” under one excuse or the other, as well as some other entities.

My hunt for the truth was interesting as to all the “dead ends ” that it generated. That is a story in itself, I’ll tell you what. A multi-billion dollar company that has no employees, tax records, or products???

Anyways…

The overall impression that I get is that they are providing a “courtesy visit”. To Check off a box or two on a form. It doesn’t matter what organization or nation that they represent, as this seems to be the over all impression. Just “checking up on me”. As they know that I have a “past”, but it is so HYPER-BLACK that they don’t know what I did or was involved with.

Not that it matters mind you.

I am either a threat, or not.

To this, I must add that …

They all KNOW that I was a W(U) – SAP “operator” for MAJ, (which is a branch of the ONI.) And I wiggled out of a retirement “cage”.
That they also recognize that I was “traded upstairs” to a more powerful and hidden organization (of some type) to do some (under-specified) tasks. No one knows the details of.
That I was properly “retired”. Closed off. Shut down. No longer in contact with anyone. Life in the USA is over.
That I am probably inert / neutered at this point in time, though reactivation is possible if unlikely.
That (as far as the “five eyes” are concerned), that I am out of their geographical pervue and thus not their concern, being relatively “harmless”.

That is my impression about the check-ups from the West. As far as my new home, and my love…

I am sure that China (intelligence) is aware of me. Though, to the massive bureaucracy, I am just an innocent foreigner.
Moreover, China considers me to be exactly what I say I am. They do not consider me to be a threat, but rather as a friendly “neutral”.

All in all, I’m like one of those footnotes at the end of a book. Useful if a more in-depth study is required, but often enough ignored as there will probably not be any active contemporaneous participation or contribution in my regard.

Overall, I cannot provide any useful assistance to any agency or government. What I actually did is beyond the utility and use of anyone. I am just a fellow with an interesting story.

What I can do is remind everyone that there are powers that control what we think our reality is. And there are powers that control them. And powers above them that control even that. And finally, there are the powers that I was a part of.

From everyone’s point of view. Let sleeping dogs lie.

…

The Woke movement is ending long standing American institutions on every level. The latest battlefront is DISNEY…

It is nuts.

Somewhat white and the seven affirmative action hires…

Chicken Ravioli Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces
2 (10 1/2 ounce) cans condensed chicken broth, undiluted
2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with garlic and onion, undrained
2 small zucchini, diced
1 (25 ounce) package frozen cheese ravioli
2 teaspoon dried parsley
Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

In Dutch oven, sauté chicken in hot oil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth, tomatoes and zucchini; cover and bring to boil. Add frozen ravioli; simmer, uncovered, about 7 minutes or until ravioli reaches desired doneness. Stir in parsley.
To serve, ladle into soup bowls; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

What Edward Snowden just said about UFO’s is TERRIFYING and should concern all of us

Edward Snowden now has access to some of the most closely kept secrets in the country as a former CIA employee and NSA contractor. And so, as any inquisitive mind with access to the CIA’s equivalent of Google might do, he looked for solutions to some of the most important questions asked by society. Attention Area 51 Stormers, chemtrail believers, and doubters of climate change: Edward Snowden has discovered information regarding UFOs that should worry us all.

How did China import so many chips from Vietnam when there was an export ban in place?

Vietnam?

China imported a huge amount of NVDIA top memory chips bypassing sanctions in 2023 and that has resulted in a congressional inquiry against NVDIA

The way they did so is simply using brand name and model

NVDIA specifically had a grade of Memory Chips made for the Chinese market that was 98–99% of the grade of those Memory Chips that were restricted

Both NVDIA and China estimated a ban almost 2 years earlier

These Chips were not on the ban list but almost 99% effective and thus NVDIA decided to export and China purchased a whopping amount of Chips

China’s import rose 27% YoY of these Chips

They take care of China’s supply upto 2024 December and keep China’s plans intact until then

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The US was INCANDESCENT WITH RAGE

That’s how Sanctions are by passed

The Tech companies ensure they have a specific variant of the product that conveniently by passes sanctions and they sell that in huge numbers to China and keep their profits alive

Another thing was NVDIAs sales to Singapore soared by 111% from 2019–2023 and I can bet most of the those Chips are re exported to China

SNOW WHITE PLOT LEAKS ARE HYSTERICAL!

"With the snow white backlash getting worse for disney and bob iger as the indy 5 box office collapse created more issues for lucasfilm, star wars and kathleen kennedy given the dial of destiny box office failure was so bad that dinsey cut back on budgeting for disney movies.....with the snow white 2024 aka snow white remake by disney getting much criticism after the snow white leaked photos of the seven dwarfs....the film which stars rachel zegler and gal gadot as the evil queen just got more embarrassing through some of the snow white plot leaks."

Do people know that America has the greatest education in the world?

Wrong. First of all, public education in the USA has been declining for decades. Student test scores are in the toilet.

The average American is borderline illiterate.

Second, American universities are widely regarded as the best because of marketing. Schools like Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Yale, etc. are prestigious by reputation. This reputation may have been earned a long, long time ago but today most of these schools are coasting on their names.

Let’s look at the list of universities ranked by the quality of their scientific research. According to the CWTS Leiden Ranking 2023 , most of the universities that produce the most scientifically impactful research are Chinese — that’s 16 out of the top 25 universities!

I’m totally stunned that MIT, Caltech, and Princeton aren’t in the top 25.

If all you care about is a good-looking resumé, then, sure, choose an Ivy League US school. But if you want a good education, choose a Chinese university.

The UFO Incident That Shocked Ariel School: Telepathic Extraterrestrials

September 14th, 1994 was a quiet night in Zimbabwe. Then suddenly, boom! An explosion startled people all over the country.

Windows rattled. Doors shook.

Shocked and confused, people sheepishly stepped outside to see what happened.

Everything looked fine. They went back inside. But one woman wasn’t satisfied.

Cynthia Hind drove around the capital city of Harare, searching for the source of the sound but, nothing seemed unusual.

But back at home, Cynthia’s phone rang relentlessly. She was a UFO investigator and witness reports were coming in one after another.

The news claimed the sound was a sonic boom caused by a meteor shower. But Cynthia wasn’t so sure.

Eyewitnesses near Lake Kariba described bizarre lights in the sky earlier that week.

Lights in a row that moved erratically: fast then slow. First north to south. Then east to southwest. Meteors don’t do that.

Cynthia suspected there was much more to the story. And two days later, she’d find out that she was right.

https://youtu.be/rdr0j_Kf-uk

CNL

My boss was friends with a guy who had been a tunnel rat in the Vietnam War. The guy wasn’t much to look at…he looked like Chuck Norris’s skinny brother. My boss swore up and down this guy was a badass.

One night my boss invited me and my girlfriend to meet him and his lady and his friend and his friend’s wife to hang out at a place where there was dinner and dancing.

We’ll call this guy Chuck Norris Lite…(CNL for short).

CNL’s wife saw an old boyfriend of hers. When the old boyfriend saw she was there, he got up from his table and headed to ours to say hi. At first he was cool, but within a few minutes, he started talking crap…things like how they shouldn’t have broken up, he was better looking than CNL, she needed a real man, and other insults to CNL. Pretty sure he was drunk.

CNL listened to the insults and played it off. He didn’t need the fight, he had the girl.

Then the ex asked her to dance. She said, “No, if I want to dance, I’ll dance with my husband.” A clear clue to him to back off. He didn’t take it.

He protested and wouldn’t take no for an answer. CNL did not get angry. He quietly said, “You heard my wife say no. Take a hike.”

It was then the ex made the mother of all mistakes. He said, “F**k you, p***y. What you going to do about it?” AND SLAPPED THE BACK OF HIS HEAD.

CNL didn’t even get up from his chair. He moved quickly, taking his right hand and doing a palm strike under his left armpit straight into the ex’s stomach. The ex dropped to his knees, and then CNL’s left elbow got him in the nose. The ex slumped to the floor out cold. After a few minutes, he got up and staggered for the door.

About twenty minutes later, the cops came in and approached the table. CNL went over and talked to them, motioned to his wife; she talked to them, they nodded, shook hands and left.

The ex had left and called the cops (this was in the days of phone booths). The officer in charge knew CNL as they both took martial arts classes together. The OIC (Officer In Charge) went back out and told the ex he was at fault, and to take his whuppin’ like a man and go home. He did so.

I was mightily impressed. Any man who can kick your butt and not even get up from his chair is a badass in my book.

MIND BLOWING – American Youth Knows NOTHING (American reaction)

The USA has collapsed.

I heard a lot about “rule-based international order”, what are the rules to be specific? What happened to the countries that break these rules?

Make us simple.

Rule No*1 Every nation on earth must be subservient and submissive to the U.S. and the west.

Rule No*2 The US and its cronies are allowed to steal, loot and plunder from everyone else.

Rule No*3 The US and the west decides who can sell, who can buy, who can live, who should die, which nation will be bomb and which nation to spare. Who to sanction and for how long.

The Critical Drinker – Snow White Looks Hilariously Bad – Reaction!

Spirited Away: A Miyazaki Fan Recreated The Bathing House With An Impressive Model

The Japanese Sorakio, a big fan of the universe of Chihiro, Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, had fun recreating the famous bath house of the cult movie Spirited Away in an impressive ultra-detailed model! An amazing work created using hundreds of pieces from other models, but also pieces of plastic or wood.

More info: Twitter (h/t: ufunk, boredpanda)

DISNEY’s Snow Brown & The Seven Climate Activists that Glue Themselves to Artwork!

Holy Moses!!! Some pick-up shots have been seen from the upcoming Disney Snow White live action movie. It looks like the most WOKE by committee inclusive and diverse crud you have ever seen!!

How real is the possibility of a Chinese attack on Taiwan?

Low

Very Low

China has no urgency to invade Taiwan

China has no urgency to get into armed conflict with anyone

China would rather be the ‘Peacemaker’ for the world and slowly portray the US and the West as ruthless warmongers

China would like to send a message to the Taiwanese that they would benefit with a Mainland Union instead of lackeyship with the US

Plus the Chinese don’t like being baited and would certainly not plunge into a war where the US can force Taiwanese to keep dying just like they are doing to Ukraine

They will have to bleed the US first and weaken the West

Or rather give them a long rope to hang themselves

What if Taiwan declare Independence?

Even then I don’t think China will invade

It will prefer to fight through UN and BRI and trade related import embargos than invade while simultaneously activating it’s agents in Taiwan to protest and cause violence

Iran, Russia and Saudi will choke off Crude Exports

None of these nations need 7 nm chips exactly

Chinese Shipping will be stopped and LNG Containers

Mainland will offer a chance to many Taiwanese to come to the Mainland and many will come

Then China will defeat the Usurpers from Within Taiwan

This Is The Worst City We’ve Ever Seen…

Why do the Chinese believe their own government over the rest of the world?

Overkill!!!

The Western Media became too ridiculous after a point and their propaganda became an open joke to all mainlanders

Initially it’s probable that they believed the Western media reports. They probably believed in the treatment of Uyghurs and the camps and all that stuff.

I remember China closing off Xinjiang for a few years after those bad ETIM days and that was when the propaganda was seriously being believed by the locals

However the stories became more and more ridiculous and suddenly it was just too unbelievable

It’s logical to assume Uyghurs are placed in a camp and re-educated and their culture is being destroyed

However to imagine women being impregnated by other men, drinking blood — these stories became so unbelievable that the Mainlanders began to wonder if indeed the earlier stories were lies too.

And as a master stroke China opened up travel to Xinjiang even for foreigners and invited muslim dignitaries to visit the province along with youtubers

Slowly Chinese Media & Social Media celebrities posted on Xinjiang and said “There is nothing here. It’s all lies”

Once this disbelief was generated, China began to slowly believe that the entire Western media was full of lies which served extremely well for the CPC

Today most Mainlanders don’t trust Western media or twitter on any news from China

They trust Taiwanese media or Singaporean Media much more when it comes to foreign media.

So basically Overkill

In 2001, I believed the BJP when they said at 8:00 AM that Mr Karunanidhi was arrested and there was a Law and order problem

Then I walked out and all stores were open , buses were plying, things were as normal as they could be

Then I walked home and heard Arun Jaitley then a spokesperson for the BJP saying “There was a Reign of Terror in TN and nobody could put a foot on the road due to riots”

Immediately I knew it was fully a lie

Once you know a lie, you keep wondering whether the lie will be repeated

Same with Western Media

They lied so much that the Chinese no longer trust them even if they tell the truth

What is the worst case of a spoiled person you have ever seen?

When I was in college, my middle-class-roots fiance lived in a fraternity house with some relatively wealthy people.

One particular person sticks out for me as the high bar for spoiled behavior.

He had a penchant for wearing Calvin Klein Boxer Briefs:

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They were roughly $25 each, (and this was before you could buy them at Costco.)

He sent out his laundry to be washed and folded (and dry cleaned), and never did any of it himself, but he absolutely *refused* to have anyone touch his underwear. In fact, because of this, he *refused* to wear the same pair more than once.

So, every single day, he would open a brand new, $25 pair of underwear.

And, every single day, he would throw out yesterday’s underwear.

If someone happened to touch his underwear for any reason, there would be another change.

He was ordering them by the case.

No one else has ever even come close to this on my spoiled-o-meter.

How do I know this?

His fraternity brothers, always happy to scrounge through the garbage, noticed that perfectly good underwear was going to waste. So they all stocked up. And then when they all (and I mean all) had more than enough underwear to go around, and there was still an endless supply, they started an underground underwear selling ring.

Part of me chuckles everytime I see this:

because I absolutely believe that it is a reference to what actually went on in this specific Ivy League frat house.

Cabbage Roll Soup

Cabbage Roll Soup is guaranteed to be a fall and winter favorite. This delicious soup has all the flavor of traditional baked cabbage rolls.

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 head cabbage, chopped
32 ounces beef broth
29 ounces tomato sauce
2 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup uncooked rice
1 bay leaf
Kosher or sea salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cook, breaking up the meat, until beef is browned.
Add the onion and garlic cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients, except rice, to the pot. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to simmer; cover pot and cook for 1 hour.
Add rice and cook for an additional 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove bay leaf and discard.

Notes

If you want to use brown rice instead of white rice, cook for 45 minutes instead of 25 minutes.

The Looming War Against China

Economic Logic has been Replaced by National Security Overrides

Michael Hudson • July 22, 2023

The July NATO summit in Vilnius had the feeling of a funeral, as if they had just lost a family member – Ukraine. To clear away NATO’s failure to drive Russia out of Ukraine and move NATO right up to the Russian border, its members tried to revive their spirits by mobilizing support for the next great fight – against China, which is now designated as their ultimate strategic enemy. To prepare for this showdown, NATO announced a commitment to extend their military presence all the way to the Pacific.

The plan is to carve away China’s military allies and trading partners, above all Russia, starting with the fight in Ukraine. President Biden has said that this war will be global in scope and will take many decades as it expands to ultimately isolate and break up China.

The U.S.-imposed sanctions against trade with Russia are a dress rehearsal for imposing similar sanctions against China. But only the NATO allies have joined the fight. And instead of wrecking Russia’s economy and “turning the ruble to rubble” as President Biden predicted, NATO’s sanctions have made it more self-reliant, increasing its balance of payments and international monetary reserves, and hence the ruble’s exchange rate.

To cap matters, despite the failure of trade and financial sanctions to injure Russia – and indeed, despite NATO’s failures in Afghanistan and Libya, NATO countries committed themselves to trying the same tactics against China. The world economy is to be split between US/NATO/Five Eyes on the one hand, and the rest of the world – the Global Majority – on the other. EU Commissioner Joseph Borrell calls this as a split between the US/European Garden (the Golden Billion) and the Jungle threatening to engulf it, like an invasion of its well-manicured lawns by an invasive species.

From an economic vantage point, NATO’s behavior since its military buildup to attack Ukraine’s Russian-speaking eastern states in February 2022 has been a drastic failure. The U.S. plan was to bleed Russia and leave it so economically destitute that its population would revolt, throw Vladimir Putin out of office and restore a pro-Western neoliberal leader who would pry Russia away from its alliance with China – and then proceed with America’s grand plan to mobilize Europe to impose sanctions on China.

What makes it so difficult in trying to evaluate where NATO, Europe and the United States are going is that the traditional assumption that nations and classes will act in their economic self-interest is not of help. The traditional logic of geopolitical analysis is to assume that business and financial interests steer almost every nation’s politics. The ancillary assumption is that governing officials have a fairly realistic understanding of the economic and political dynamics at work. Forecasting the future is thus usually an exercise in spelling out these dynamics.

The US/NATO West has led this global fracture, yet it will be the big loser. NATO members already have seen Ukraine deplete their inventory of guns and bullets, artillery and ammunition, tanks, helicopters weapons and other arms accumulated over five decades. But Europe’s loss has become America’s sales opportunity, creating a vast new market for America’s military-industrial complex to re-supply Europe. To gain support, the United States has sponsored a new way of thinking about international trade and investment. The focus has shifted to “national security,” meaning to secure a U.S.-centered unipolar order.

The world is dividing into two blocs: a post-industrial US/NATO vs the Global Majority

U.S. diplomats became increasingly worried as Germany and other European countries came to rely on imported Russian gas, oil and fertilizer as the basis for its steel, glass-making and other industries. They became even more worried as China had become the “workshop of the world” while the U.S. economy de-industrialized. The fear was that growth by China and its neighboring Eurasian countries benefiting from the Belt and Road expansion threatened to make that part of the world the main growth area, and hence a magnet for European investment. The logical prospect was that politics would follow economic interest at the expense of America’s ability to maintain a unipolar world economy with the dollar at its financial center and trade subject to U.S. protectionist unilateralism.

By joining America’s crusade to destroy the Russian economy and promote regime change, Germany’s and other European countries’ refusal to trade with Russia has destroyed the basic energy foundation of their industry. Destruction of the Nord Stream pipeline has plunged the German and other European economies into depression involving widespread bankruptcies and unemployment. In place of Russian gas, the NATO countries must now pay up to six times as high a price for U.S. liquified natural gas (LNG), and must build new port facilities to physically import this gas.

The European leaders sponsored and financed by U.S. election meddling over the past seventy years have done what Boris Yeltsin did in Russia in the 1990s: They have agreed to sacrifice Europe’s industrial economies and end what had been its profitable trade and investment integration with Russia and China.

The next step is for Europe and the United States to stop trading and investing with China, despite the fact that these NATO countries have benefited from the flowering of this trade, relying on it for a wide range of consumer goods and industrial inputs. That line of prosperous trade is now to be ended. NATO’s leaders have announced that importing Russian gas and other raw materials (including helium and many metals) runs the “risk” of becoming dependent – as if Russia or China might find it in their economic or political interest to abort this trade simply to hurt Europe and to do to it what the United States has been doing to force it into submission.

But submission to what? The answer is, submission to the logic of mutual gains along lines leaving the U.S. economy behind!

By trying to prevent other countries from following this logic, U.S. and European NATO diplomacy has brought about exactly what U.S. supremacists most feared. Instead of crippling the Russian economy to create a political crisis and perhaps breakup of Russia itself in order to isolate it from China, the US/NATO sanctions have led Russia to re-orient its trade away from NATO countries to integrate its economy and diplomacy more closely with China and other BRICS members.

Ironically, the US/NATO policy is forcing Russia, China and their BRICS allies to go their own way, starting with a united Eurasia. This new core of China, Russia and Eurasia with the Global South are creating a mutually beneficial multipolar trade and investment sphere.

By contrast, European industry has been devastated. Its economies have become thoroughly and abjectly dependent on the United States – at a much higher cost to itself than was the case with its former trade partners. European exporters have lost the Russian market, and are now following U.S. demands that they abandon and indeed reject the Chinese market. Also to be rejected in due course are markets in the BRICS membership, which is expanding to include Near Eastern, African and Latin American countries.

Instead of isolating Russia and China and making them dependent on U.S. economic control, U.S. unipolar diplomacy has isolated itself and its NATO satellites from the rest of the world – the Global Majority that is growing while NATO economies are rushing ahead along their Road to Deindustrialization. The remarkable thing is that while NATO warns of the “risk” of trade with Russia and China, it does not see its loss of industrial viability and economic sovereignty to the United States as a risk.

This is not what the “economic interpretation of history” would have forecast. Governments are expected to support their economy’s leading business interests. So we are brought back to the question of whether economic factors will determine the shape of world trade, investment and diplomacy. Is it really possible to create a set of post-economic NATO economies whose members will come to look much like the rapidly depopulating and de-industrializing Baltic states and post-Soviet Ukraine?

This would be a strange kind of “national security” indeed. In economic terms it seems that the U.S. and European strategy of self-isolation from the rest of the world is so massive and far-reaching an error that its effects are the equivalent of a world war.

Today’s fighting against Russia on the Ukrainian front can be thought of as the opening campaign in World War III. In many ways it is an outgrowth of World War II and its aftermath that saw the United States establish international economic and political organizations to operate in its own national self-interest. The International Monetary Fund imposes U.S. financial control and helps dollarize the world economy. The World Bank lends dollars to governments to build export infrastructure to subsidize US/NATO investors in control of oil, mining and natural resources, and to promote trade dependency on U.S. farm exports while promoting plantation agriculture, instead of domestic food-grain production. The United States insists on having veto power in all international organizations that it joins, including the United Nations and its agencies.

The creation of NATO is often misunderstood. Ostensibly, it depicted itself as a military alliance, originally to defend against the thought that the Soviet Union might have some reason to conquer Western Europe. But NATO’s most important role was to use “national security” as the excuse to override European domestic and foreign policy and subordinate it to U.S. control. Dependency on NATO was written into the European Union’s constitution. Its objective was to make sure that European party leaders followed U.S. direction and opposed left-wing or anti-American politics, pro-labor policies and governments strong enough to prevent control by a U.S.-client financial oligarchy.

NATO’s economic program has been one of adherence to neoliberal financialization, privatization, government deregulation and imposing austerity on labor. EU regulations prevent governments from running a budget deficit of more than 3% of GDP. That blocks Keynesian-type policies to spur recovery. Today, higher military arms costs and government subsidy of energy prices is forcing European governments to cut back social spending. Bank policy, trade policy and domestic lawmaking are following the same U.S. neoliberal model that has deindustrialized the American economy and loaded it down with debt to the financial sector in whose hands most wealth and income is now concentrated.

Abandoning economic self-interest for “national security” dependence on the US

The post-Vilnius world treats trade and international relations not as economic, but as “national security.” Any form of trade is the “risk” of being cut off and destabilized. The aim is not to make trade and investment gains, but to become self-reliant and independent. For the West, this means isolating China, Russia and the BRICS in order to depend fully on the United States. So for the United States, its own security means making other countries dependent on itself, so that U.S. diplomats won’t lose control of their military and political diplomacy.

Treating trade and investment with other countries than the United States as involving “risk,” ipso facto, is a projection of how U.S. diplomacy has imposed sanctions on countries that resist U.S. domination, privatization and subordination of their economies to U.S. takeover. The fear that trade with Russia and China will lead to political dependency is a fantasy. The aim of the emerging Eurasian, BRICS and Global South alliance is to benefit from foreign trade with each other for mutual gain, with governments strong enough to treat money and banking as public utilities, along with the basic monopolies needed to provide normal human rights, including health care and education, and keeping monopolies such as transportation and communication in the public domain to keep the costs of living and doing business low instead of charging monopoly prices.

Anti-China hate has come especially from Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s Foreign Minister. NATO is warned to “de-risk” trade with China. The “risks” are that (1) China can cut off key exports, just as the US cut off European access to Russian oil exports; and (2) exports could potentially be used to support China’s military power. Almost any economic export COULD be military, even food to feed a Chinese army.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s trip to China likewise explained that all trade has a military potential and thus has a national-security element. All trade has a military potential, even selling food to China could be used to feed soldiers.

The US/NATO demand is that Germany and other European countries should impose an Iron Curtain against trade with China, Russia and their allies in order to “de-risk” trade. Yet only the US has imposed trade sanctions on other countries, not China and other Global South countries. The real risk is not that China will impose trade sanctions to disrupt European economies, but that the United States will impose sanctions on countries breaking the US-sponsored trade boycott.

This “trade is risk” view treats foreign trade not in economic terms but in “National Security” terms. In practice, “national security” means joining the U.S. attempt to maintain its unipolar control of the entire world’s economy. No risk is acknowledged for re-orienting European gas and energy trade to U.S. companies. The risk is said to be trade with countries that U.S. diplomats deem “autocracies,” meaning nations with active government infrastructure investment and regulation instead of U.S.-style neoliberalism.

The world is dividing into two blocs – with quite different economic philosophies

Only the United States has imposed trade sanctions on other countries. And only the United States has rejected international free trade rules as national security threats to US economic and military control. At first glance the resulting global fracture between US/NATO on the one hand and the expanding BRICS alliance of Russia, China, Iran and the Global South might seem to be a conflict between capitalism and socialism (that is, state socialism in a mixed economy with public regulation in labor’s interests).

But that contrast between capitalism and socialism is not helpful upon closer examination. The problem lies in what the word “capitalism” has come to mean in today’s world. Back in the 19^th and early 20^th century, industrial capitalism was expected to evolve toward socialism. The U.S. and other industrial economies welcomed and indeed pressed for their governments to subsidize a widening range of basic services at public expense instead of obliging employers to bear the costs of hiring labor that had to pay for basic needs such as health care and education. Monopoly pricing was avoided by keeping natural monopolies such as railroads and other transportation, telephone systems and other communications, parks and other services as public utilities. Having governments instead of business and its employees pay for these services increased the global competitiveness of national industry in the resulting mixed economies.

China has followed this basic approach of industrial capitalism, with socialist politics to uplift its labor force, not merely the wealth of industrial capitalists – much less bankers and absentee landlords and monopolists. Most important, it has industrialized banking, creating credit to finance tangible investment in means of production, not the kind of predatory and unproductive credit characterized by today’s finance capitalism.

But the mixed-economy policy of industrial capitalism is not the way in which capitalism evolved in the West since World War I. Rejecting classical political economy and its drive to free markets from the vested rent-extracting classes inherited from feudalism – a hereditary landlord class, a financial banking class and monopolists – the rentier sector has fought back to reassert its privatization of land rent, interest and monopoly gains. It sought to reverse progressive taxation, and indeed to give tax favoritism to financial wealth, landlords and monopolists. The Finance, Insurance and Real Estate (FIRE) sector has become the dominant interest and economic planner under today’s finance capitalism. That is why economies are often called neofeudal (or euphemized as neoliberal).

Throughout history the dynamics of financialization have polarized wealth and income between creditors and debtors, leading to oligarchies. As interest-bearing debt grows exponentially, more and more income of labor and business must be paid as debt service. That financial dynamic shrinks the domestic market for goods and services, and the economy suffers from deepening debt-ridden austerity.

The result is de-industrialization as economies polarize between creditors and debtors. That has occurred most notoriously in Britain in the wake of Margaret Thatcher and the New [Anti-]Labour Party of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s “light touch” deregulatory approach to financial manipulation and outright fraud.

The United States has suffered an equally devastating shift of wealth and income to the Finance, Insurance and Real Estate (FIRE) sectors in the wake of Ronald Reagan’s tax cuts for the wealthy, anti-government deregulation, Bill Clinton’s “Third Way” takeover by Wall Street. The “Third Way” was neither industrial capitalism nor socialism, but finance capitalism making its gains both by stripping and indebting industry and labor of income. The new Democratic Party ideology of deregulated finance was capped by the massive bank-fraud collapse of 2008 and Barack Obama’s protection of junk-mortgage lenders and wholesale foreclosures on their financial victims. Economic planning and policy was shifted from governments to Wall Street and other financial centers – which had taken control of in government, the central bank and regulatory agencies.

U.S. and British diplomats are seeking to promote this predatory pro-financial and inherently anti-industrial economic philosophy to the rest of the world. But this ideological evangelism is threatened by the obvious contrast between the US-British failed and de-industrialized economies compared to China’s remarkable economic growth under industrial socialism.

This contrast between China’s economic success and the NATO West’s “garden” of debt-ridden austerity is the essence of today’s campaign by the West against the “Jungle” countries seeking political independence from U.S. diplomacy so as to uplift their living standards. This ideological and inherently political global war is today’s counterpart to the religious wars that tore European countries apart for many centuries.

We are witnessing what seems to be an inexorable Decline of the West. U.S. diplomats have been able to tighten their economic, political and military control leadership over their European NATO allies. Their easy success in this aim has led them to imagine that somehow they can conquer the rest of the world despite de-industrializing and loading their economies so deeply in debt that there is no foreseeable way in which they can pay their official debt to foreign countries or indeed have much to offer.

The traditional imperialism of military conquest and financial conquest is ended

There has been a sequence of tactics for a lead-nation to carve out an empire. The oldest way is by military conquest. But you can’t occupy and take over a country without an army, and the US has no army large enough. The Vietnam War ended the draft. So it must rely on foreign armies like Al Qaeda, ISIS, and most recently Ukraine and Poland, just as it relies on foreign industrial manufactures. Its armaments are depleted and it cannot mobilize a domestic army to occupy any country. The US has only one weapon: Missiles and bombs can destroy, but cannot occupy but not occupy and take over a country.

The second way to create imperial power was by economic power to make other countries dependent on U.S. exports. After World War II the rest of the world was devastated and was bullied into accepting U.S. diplomacy maneuvering to give its economy a monopoly on basic needs. Agriculture became a major weapon to create foreign dependency. The World Bank would not support foreign countries growing their own food, but pressed for plantation export crops, and fought land reform. And for oil and energy trade, U.S. companies and their NATO allies in Britain and Holland (British Petroleum and Shell) controlled the world’s oil trade. Control of world oil trade has been a central aim of US trade diplomacy.

This strategy worked for US assertion of control over Germany and other NATO countries, by blowing up the Nord Stream pipeline and severing Western Europe from access to Russian gas, oil, fertilizer and also crops. Europe has now entered an industrial depression and economic austerity as its steel industry and other leading sectors are invited to emigrate to the United States, along with European skilled labor.

Today, electronic technology and computer chips have been a focal point of establishing global Economic Dependency on U.S. technology. The United States aims to monopolize “intellectual property” and extract economic rent from charging high prices) for high-technology computer chips, communications, and arms production.

But the United States has deindustrialized and let itself become dependent on Asian and other countries for its products, instead of making them dependent on the US. This trade dependency is what makes U.S. diplomats feel “insecure,” worrying that other countries might seek to use the same coercive trade and financial diplomacy that the United States has been wielding since 1944-45.

The United States is left with one remaining tactic to control other countries: trade sanctions, imposed by it and its NATO satellites in an attempt to disrupt economies that do not accept U.S. unipolar economic, political and military dominance. It has persuaded the Netherlands to block sophisticated chip-engraving machinery to China, and other countries to block anything that might contribute to China’s economic development. A new American industrial protectionism is being framed in terms of national security grounds.

If China’s trade policy were to mirror that of U.S. diplomacy, it would stop supplying NATO countries with mineral and metal exports needed to produce the computer chips and allied inputs that America’s economy needs to wield its global diplomacy.

The US is so heavily debt-laden, its housing prices are so high and its medical care is so extremely high (18% of GDP) cannot compete. It cannot re-industrialize without taking radical steps to write down debts, to de-privatize health care and education, to break up monopolies and restore progressive taxation. The vested Financial, Insurance and Real Estate (FIRE sector) interests are too powerful to permit these reforms.

That makes the U.S. economy a failed economy, and America a Failed State.

In the wake of World War II the United States accumulated 75% of the world’s monetary gold by 1950. That enabled it to impose dollarization on the world. But today, nobody knows whether the U.S. Treasury and New York Federal Reserve have any gold that has not been pledged to private buyers and speculators? The worry is that it has sold European central-bank gold reserves. Germany has asked for its gold reserves to be flown back from New York, but the United States said that it was unavailable, and Germany was too timid to make its worries and complaints public.

America’s financial quandary is even worse when one tries to imagine how it can ever pay its foreign debt for countries seeking to draw down their dollars. The United States can only print its own currency. It is not willing to sell off its domestic assets, as it demands that other debtor countries do?

What can other countries accept in place of gold? One form of assets that may be taken as collateral are U.S. investments in Europe and other countries. But if foreign governments seek to do this, U.S. officials may retaliate by seizing their investments in the United States. A mutual grabbing would occur.

The United States is trying to monopolize electronic technology. The problem is that this requires raw-materials inputs whose production presently is dominated by China, above all rare-earth metals (which are abundant but environmentally destructive to refine), gallium, nickel (China dominates the refining), and Russian helium and other gasses used for engraving computer chips. China recently announced that on August 1 it will start restricting these key exports. It indeed has the ability to cut off supplies of vital materials and technology to the West, to protect itself from the West’s “national-security” sanctions against China. That is the self-fulfilling prophecy that U.S. warnings of a trade fight has created.

If U.S. diplomacy strongarms its NATO-garden allies to boycott China’s Huawei technology, Europe will be left with a less efficient, more expensive alternative – whose consequences help separate it from China, the BRICS and what has become the World Majority in a self-reliant alignment much broader than was created by Sukarno in 1954.

Metal Vocalist First Time Reaction – BABYMETAL – メギツネ – MEGITSUNE (OFFICIAL)

We start off HARD…

BREAKING NEWS: CUBA ANNOUNCES IT IS READY TO ACCEPT RUSSIAN MISSILES (AGAIN) AS RUSSIAN NAVY ARRIVES 90 MILES FROM U.S. COAST

World Hal Turner 25 July 2023

BREAKING NEWS: CUBA ANNOUNCES IT IS READY TO ACCEPT RUSSIAN MISSILES (AGAIN) AS RUSSIAN NAVY ARRIVES 90 MILES FROM U.S. COAST

The “Vice-Admiral Kulakov,” an Udalay-class Destroyer of the Russian Navy has arrived in Cuba for an official visit for the first time in a long time, and there is dangerous news for the United States . . .

Shortly before the Russian navy warship arrived, talks were held between the leaders of Cuba and Russia and their defense ministries. The result is statements to strengthen not only economic cooperation, but also military-technical cooperation.

According to American military experts, this could mean the return of Russia to Cuba with all the resulting consequences: the deployment of Russian troops and long-range missiles.

This will be a decisive Russian response to the threats posed by the expansion of NATO’s presence in Northern Europe and Japan.

Earlier, Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel strongly condemned the entry into NATO of new members bordering Russia. “In light of hostile actions by the (NATO) alliance, Cuba is ready to place Russian missiles on its territory, again.”

COVERT INTEL INDICATES CARGO SHIPS IN RUSSIA, “WITH A PRE-FILED TRANSIT ROUTE TO CUBA, “SEEM TO BE” IN PROCESS OF BEING LOADED WITH COMPONENTS FROM RUSSIAN MISSILE MANUFACTURING FACTORIES”

Readers should note that back in 1962, the then-Soviet Union placed Medium Range and Intermediate Range nuclear missiles in Cuba with a five minute flight time to Washington, DC. This resulted in the “Cuban Missile Crisis” wherein then U.S. President John F. Kennedy, imposed a naval blockade of Cuba and began massing U.S. troops in Florida for an invasion of Cuba to destroy those missiles.

For the 13 days when the crisis erupted, the world stood on the precipice of actual nuclear war. The US had blockaded Cuba and was massing troops. The Soviets faced a choice with the missiles: USE THEM or LOSE THEM.

This brief compilation of scenes from the Hollywood Movie “13 Days” briefly lays out how things went back then:

Of course, the movie is a dramatization. Compressing Thirteen Days into 145 minutes necessitates distortion of many specific historical facts. But the central themes of the movie and the principal “takeaways” are essentially faithful to what happened when JFK and Khrushchev stood “eyeball to eyeball” in 1962.

Back then, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev agreed to dismantle and remove those missiles, and the US agreed to remove its “Jupiter” missiles from deployment in Turkey, where they were aimed at the Soviet Union.

Today, the U.S. wants to bring Ukraine into NATO . . . to place US missiles on Ukraine soil . . . with a five minute flight time to Moscow. Same situation as the Cuban Missile Crisis, but in reverse!

Russia told Ukraine “no.” Ukraine ignored Russia. The Russian Army went in and is now smashing Ukraine.

The US and NATO are supplying Ukraine with weapons to kill Russians, so the Russians are now sending naval vessels to Cuba and Cuba says it is willing to accept Russian missiles.

Same type of crisis as in 1962, only this time, it was the US and NATO that started it by trying to bring Ukraine into NATO, so as to put US missiles in Ukraine.

This time, the prospect for actual nuclear war is very much greater because the fighting has already begun in Ukraine.

What The F*ck Is Going On Here?

Very strange.

Is China waiting for the right time to invade Taiwan?

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Yes

Chinese believe in Favorable Winds

Chinese also believe in ‘Being Chinese’

Taiwanese ARE CHINESE

Eventually there will be reunification

Today the Chinese don’t want an Invasion barring very very rare circumstances

Neither MAINLANDERS nor Taiwanese want a straits war

Right now they are just slowly coming out of the three year lockdown and waking up from a slumbering economy to a global scenario where half the world is heading to recession

Plus their property values are upto 35% lower today and that’s pretty upsetting

This is hardly time to discuss a war or invasion

The US is dying

In maybe 2 decades it will be a retired country , strong and powerful yet no longer the hegemon

China is still very much surging and two decades later will be immensely powerful and control over 50% of the Global Value Chain

Point is CHINA CAN AFFORD TO BE PATIENT

USA CANNOT

Right now the US is doing all it can to provoke China into some action against Taiwan

Yet China has the time and so doesn’t react too much

US is losing the time fast. It’s power and influence are reducing faster than people think.

China will only invade if Taiwan declare Independence but that will be done only if US provoke Taiwan into doing so through tame politicians like Tsai or her successor

Snow White Looks Hilariously Bad

“Don’t even THINK about it!” China issues warning to CIA over spies | Redacted with Clayton Morris

China is warning that it is not going to sit still while the U.S. rebuilds its spy network inside of its borders. Between 2010 and 2012, China killed or imprisoned between 18 and 20 CIA sources. Recently, CIA Director William Burns said that the agency was rebuilding that network and China says that they will not just let that happen.

Have you ever had a kid behind you on an airplane kicking the seat the entire flight?

Not me, but a passenger across the aisle from me. The nasty little piece of business, about 9 or 10 years old, seated behind him, kicked his seat a number of times. The man turned around and very politely asked to the kid to stop kicking his seat. The kid’s Karen of a mother told the man not to tell her kid what to do, in an imperious & entitled tone. The passenger then ask the mother to take her kid in hand and stop him kicking his seat. The mother essentially said that the kid could do what he liked. The passenger whose seat was being kicked explained to the mother that he was of a nervous disposition, and every time the kid kicked the back of his seat, it startled him. Karen didn’t really care. The offended passenger sat quietly & asked the FA for a cup of coffee. The coffee came. The man was holding it when the little brat kicked his seat again. The man jumped in his seat and dumped his coffee backwards all over the mother – accidentally of course 🤪. The entitled Karen called the FA who simply said that the offended passenger had explained that he was a nervous flyer, and when the back of his seat was kicked, he started, and it was an unfortunate happening, but the mother could’ve anticipated it if she did not take her little brat in hand. The kicking stopped, amidst a few muffled chuckles from the passengers in the immediate area

Life In The 1970s For Kids!

The 70s was a time when kids spent the majority of their time outside playing. They made friends with other neighborhood kids and they did all sorts of things together. This was a time when most kids didn’t have a video game system until the very end of the decade. Home computer systems for kids were almost unheard of. In this video we will discuss life in the 1970s for kids prior to those becoming much larger in the 1980s.

https://youtu.be/sLftRzewGk8

Have you ever refused an inheritance? Why?

Yes. My brother died last September without signing his will (they had it filled out but he didn’t sign it).

I have helped his widow out with cleaning the house.

Because he was intestate, I’m technically entitled to 25% of his inheritance under my state law as our parents are dead, but he was married (75/25 split by law).

He literally told me he wanted everything to go to his wife, who I would consider my sister now.

I’m not screwing a 60 year old lady out of her house.

Yeah, as a working class guy, I could REALLY use 100k+ dollars if I fought it, but I will absolutely NOT destroy his dream of his wife having a nice little home.

Them home cooked meals, talk and sharing memories a couple times every few months are worth more to me than money.

Maybe I’m an idiot, but I love him and her too much to go by “the law”.

Signing that form for her lawyer was about the easiest moral choice I’ve ever had to take.

12 Things People Couldn’t Live Without in the 1960s

What will be endgame of U.S.-China Chip War?

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A week ago, the New York Times published a rare long article entitled “‘An Act of War’: Inside America’s Silicon Blockade Against China”, which comprehensively analyzed the U.S. chip war against China. In the author’s view, the strategic importance of this article is no less than that of “The Long Telegram” which elaborated on the exclusion policy during the white terror period of McCarthy’s era, and it is recommended that anyone who cares about the direction of the Sino-US confrontation should read it in detail. The importance of this article is unprecedented in the 172 years of the New York Times’ existence.

According to an article signed by Faraway Qingmu from Hubei province three days ago, the New York Times has rarely exposed many political insiders in the U.S., which is very informative and has historical reference value. In the author’s opinion, this is the official kick-off of the 21st century war between China and the U.S., and this is just a warm-up preparation. The unveiling of the war began on October 7 last year, when Biden announced the expansion of sanctions against Chinese chips. Alan, Director of the Vadhwani Center for Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technology at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., likened it to a war, which has been going on for more than nine months now. The author is still delving into it, trying to digest the vast amount of information related to it. This is a major event of this century, and the author intends to analyze it in detail in the next few articles.

The New York Times describes the chip war as an act of war by the U.S. against China. It is defined as an attempt by the U.S. to influence China’s artificial intelligence industry, and sanctions against China’s semiconductor industry are an important means of achieving this goal. The purpose of Biden’s new policy of October 7 last year is that the U.S. will not only not allow China to make any progress in the relevant technology, but will also actively reverse and obstruct China’s current technological level of progress, in essence, in order to eradicate China’s entire advanced technology ecosystem, to “cut the grass and remove the roots”.

The New York Times quoted Mathney, the former Deputy Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, as saying that China is trying to catch up in chip technology, and to some extent that’s trying to replicate an entire human technological civilization in the short term. Trump initially sanctioned Huawei as the goal, and then proposed to use the chip as a weapon, but only against a few companies in China. After Biden’s rise to power, his goal has changed to stifle China’s high-tech development on all fronts. While Trump targeted individual companies, Biden is targeting the entire industry. The U.S. is now expanding its sanctions against China in almost every way, to the point of no return.

Why is this happening? The significance of the U.S. blockade of China’s chip development lies in its strategy of geopolitical and financial-military hegemony, aimed at eliminating competitors, subjugating them to the U.S. military and the U.S. dollar, accepting U.S. command, engaging in the U.S.-designated international division of labor, and obeying the U.S.-defined sense of value. Therefore, the U.S. believes that China should not make any progress in some key technological areas (artificial intelligence driven by the chip industry) that happen to be the drivers of future global economic growth and development.

Now, in the face of the menacing and hostile policy of the U.S., will China be able to cope with it successfully in the next three to five years? Will it be able to turn the corner and overtake the U.S.? No one can predict. The only thing we know for sure now is that the U.S. will not change its extreme tactics of stifling China’s chip industry, and whether or not it will ultimately get what it wants will depend on the future development of the international situation. The world today is not the same as it was after World War II, and it is impossible for the U.S. to unilaterally call the shots.

For China, the battle for technological autonomy is an unprecedented challenge. Can China succeed? Can it do the unthinkable that the U.S. says is impossible? For now, it’s hard to say.

The U.S. still holds a technological advantage in chips, but why is the U.S. in such a hurry to completely shut down the Chinese chip industry? It is because the U.S. interest class believes that chips are the core of future economic development. The research and development of modern technology depend more and more on supercomputers, and the core of supercomputers is the chip.

While Trump’s initial goal was to use chips as a weapon to gain profit, Biden’s goal has now changed to stifle China’s high technology on all fronts. Through export controls, the U.S. is attempting to cripple China’s ability to produce and purchase high-end chips. Although the controls are implemented in a low-profile manner under the guise of so-called updated export rules, they are essentially designed to eradicate China’s entire advanced technology ecosystem. If the U.S. approach succeeds, it could affect China’s technological progress for an entire generation; but if it fails, it could have the opposite result of China catching up. Whether it succeeds or fails, it will affect Sino-U.S. competition and the global order in the coming decades.

The unprecedented extralegal control (the use of domestic law to override international law) practiced by the U.S. in the area of chips is unprecedented and has infiltrated from the political sphere to the economic sphere, violating the basic principle of free competition in capitalism. According to a report in the New York Times, the former Assistant Secretary of Commerce of the U.S., Mr. Wolfe, who was in charge of export administration, opined that this kind of control meant that even if there was only one kind of American equipment in the foundry in China, and even if there were hundreds of other kinds of non-American equipment, the wafer production of the entire production line would be related to the U.S.. This rule makes all the world’s semiconductors subject to U.S. law, because all the world’s chip foundries (not only for China) are not immune, must be at least to a certain extent, the use of some aspect of U.S. equipment. This is a so-called champertous strategy, which is exactly the same as the U.S. habit of “I call the shots, I set the rules” and considers itself to represent the whole world, which is the same as and no different from the U.S. practice. The U.S. has taken the position of a global hegemon to set the international order for chips. Even if a chip product is manufactured and shipped outside the U.S. and has never entered the U.S., and its final product does not contain any U.S.-origin components or related technology, it can still be considered a U.S. product. Even if only 1% of the U.S. goods appear in China’s production line, China must comply with U.S. law, even if the remaining 99% is developed in China. In short, it’s all-inclusive.

The New York Times is of the view that the U.S. has taken a great risk in deciding to do so and may have to pay a heavy price. It is because this kind of tactic is so tough that it is tantamount to a declaration of war, which is irreversible. If there is any country that can overcome such a tough challenge from the U.S., it is China. The introduction of the U.S. chip export control law on October 7 of last year, although in the foreseeable future will cause a major blow to China’s advanced chip manufacturing capacity, but in the end may be able to stimulate China’s long-term growth, catching up with the curve.

The U.S. chose this irreversible option, obviously after a thorough risk assessment, as a well-considered decision. In the past, the U.S. had a choice between national resilience (because of its belief in the superiority of the system) and commercial development (because of its belief in free competition), but now this choice no longer exists. The subtext is that the U.S. has lost faith in its own political system and traditional market freedom. If a significant portion of the $400 billion that China spends annually on chip imports were spent domestically in China (the economic term is import substitution), its domestic chip companies would be given the opportunity, the motivation, the means, and the ability to catch up.

In the author’s opinion, this is exactly the case with Huawei. When the US uses chips as a weapon to attack Huawei, Huawei’s cell phone market share can plummet at once, but Huawei is mainly a communication equipment supplier, and it is in the process of turning around, the US can’t beat it to death. Huawei’s case proves that even the most severe sanctions can’t directly put Huawei to death. The New York Times believes that the U.S. industry is very mindful and vigilant in this regard, which shows that U.S. public opinion is skeptical of Biden’s extreme measures, rather than blindly supporting them unilaterally.

China has to catch up in terms of high technology. How should China respond? It seems to be the same as before: work hard, and be self-reliant. China has been at the mercy of the Western powers since 1840, and this has never changed. Back then, the country was weak and in danger of being partitioned. Now that the country is rich and strong, it is still being coveted. The characteristic of the Chinese nation is that once it awakens, it will become stronger and stronger, and it will definitely respond to challenges. 183 years ago, China did not have a modern education system, modern mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology, scientific experiments, or numerical management, and today, 183 years later, Chinese-style modernization is on track. To overcome the fact that nanotechnology and chip technology are still at a relatively backward stage, it is believed that with time, we will be able to accomplish all our tasks, and we should be optimistic but still cautious. What is the prospect in the author’s view? It is estimated that in three to five years’ time, we will see whether we have won or lost.

CIA Classified Book about the Pole Shift, Mass Extinctions and The True Adam & Eve Story

CIA Classified Book about the Pole Shift, Mass Extinctions and The True Adam & Eve Story In 1966 a well-known engineer released a book with information that could impact everyone on earth. But before anyone could read it, it was classified by the CIA. We only learned of its existence a few years ago because of a Freedom of Information request. The CIA only released 57 pages of the original 284-page manuscript. And those pages have been, in the CIA’s own words, “sanitized”. Why does the CIA think this book is so dangerous that they had to hide it from the public for 60 years; and continue to hide most of it? It’s because the man who wrote it describes the end of the world.

What is the most ridiculous “crime” someone has been reported to the authorities for?

This harmless-looking fellow, Guido Menzio, was flying to Syracuse from Philadelphia.

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Once settled into his seat, the busy 40-year-old took out his work papers and got to working.

His seatmate, a blonde-haired white woman in her thirties, later claimed she had tried to strike up a conversation with him but he was evasive.

She took a look at what he was writing, and fear struck.

He was working on some cryptic plans! Strange letters and symbols she couldn’t understand.

She bravely approached a flight attendant, claiming she felt too ill to fly.

She slipped her a note, warning her about a suspicious man working on something in a foreign language.

The woman was then discreetly escorted off the plane, where her bullshit suspicions were entertained for many minutes while the plane waited on the tarmac.

Then Menzio was also taken off-board and questioned.

And so what should have been a quick 40-minute flight ended up being delayed for two hours.

But what was he working on?

Maths. Differential equations.

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And he wasn’t “Muslim” or “Arabic”. He was Italian. An Italian Ivy League professor.

After they established he was not a threat, they let him reboard. The woman refused to reboard, and opted to take the next flight. Hopefully her next seatmate won’t do something drastic like use the calculator app around her.

I understand math can be scary for some people, like that brave lady. Who does this guy think he is, doing math where anyone could see him?

Summers In The 1980s!

The 1980s was full of fun during the summertime. Some of the things that kids used to do are no longer done. In this video we will remember what summers in the 1980s were like.

https://youtu.be/785fnWWdtLs

Why aren’t there laws to prohibit old people from squandering their children’s inheritance?

The saddest thing I’ve ever done was handle my Mum’s estate after she died. What made is so sad was that there was so much money there, not counting her house. She had far more than she could have used even if she’d lived longer (she died at 80). They weren’t exactly wealthy – she was a retired teacher, and my Dad had been a college lecturer and had died 8 years earlier, but she still had a big chunk of money when she died.

She should have spent that money herself. Yes, her heirs benefited from it, but I’d rather she’d spent it herself, either to enjoy herself, or to have the pleasure of giving it away herself.

Hairy Yoga Pants From Orenburg In Russia Have Swept Over The Internet

“Gods gift to men” this is how men usually think of Yoga pants. However, after the Orenburgs hairy Yoga pants, we think this opinion could suddenly change. Many have thought this is a fake product or a parody but in fact you can get it over Ebay where it is sold as “Leggins / pants Longhair 100% Goat Down Russian Cashmere Mohair FETISH men woman”. It’s the latest hit from Orenburg, because who can wear tin Yoga pants on severe cold temperature?

h/t: slavforum

Why we need to teach geography (AMERICAN REACTION) YIKES

Across the West, People Are Dying in Greater Numbers. Nobody Wants to Learn Why

Jonathan Cook • July 18, 2023

During the pandemic, the challenge for each of us was to maintain critical distance: spurning both the tribalism of those insisting Covid was a hoax and the counter-tribalism of those who demanded complete acquiesence to a corporate-political agenda dictated by Big Pharma under the mantle of “Follow the science”.

Fear of living under Big Brother or of dying from plague drove many people not only into the arms of one of these two oppositional camps but fuelled a pandemic mania in which reason and compassion were replaced with either extreme cynicism or extreme compliance. We are still living with the consequences.

There has been a spate of “excess deaths” over the past two years across the West – well above what would normally be expected – and yet this sustained trend is being universally ignored by governments, establishment media and medical bodies. No one is protesting. The cult of compliance is still in the ascendant.

Blanket silence

I set this out as a preface to this latest scandal on excess deaths, one that – like so much else related to the pandemic and its aftermath – continues to elicit a blanket silence from the establishment media, politicians and, of course, our medical authorities.

The consistent and markedly elevated death rates each month across most of the Western world are not due to Covid and are far above the seasonal five-year average before the pandemic.

Such deaths have been significantly raised since late 2020 or mid-2021. That is all the more surprising because, after early waves of Covid killed off those who were already sick and vulnerable, the expectation was that excess deaths would fall, not rise. That anomaly needs explaining – scientifically.

Despite the backlash inevitably provoked by asking critical questions, I want to examine this development because it highlights something important about the way of our supposedly democratic governments, and the regulatory and adversarial institutions meant to hold them in check, have been hollowed out. We imagine we live in societies where scientific reason and compassion guide our response to a medical crisis. The reality is different. In our societies, one thing rules: money.

The issue of excess deaths is only one of many problems – though probably the most serious – that have emerged in the aftermath of the pandemic. Unless you have made an extraordinary effort to do your own research and managed to evade the internet censors and their algorithms, you will most likely not know about these developments. Neither politicians nor establishment media have publicised them.

Instead troubling data is buried away in obscure, peer-reviewed scientific journals, or has to be squeezed out of government authorities through freedom of information requests – and even then the information is often heavily redacted.

Such data would remain largely unnoticed but for the efforts of a few brave souls daring to draw attention to it – only to be smeared as cranks and crackpots, whatever their formal qualifications.

Dr John Campbell, whose Youtube channel became an invaluable internet resource during the pandemic and since (at least for those trying to sift the wheat from the chaff), has done sterling work shedding light on many of those problems.

Some notable videos have covered:

the mishandling and lack of oversight of Pfizer’s research into its vaccine;
the astounding admission that Pfizer never actually tested whether its vaccine stopped transmission;
continuing efforts to obscure evidence demonstrating that natural infection confers superior immunity to the vaccine;
the troubling discovery that mRNA can remain in the blood for at least a month after vaccination, with no understanding of what it might be doing in that time to our immune systems;
high variation in adverse reactions caused by different batches of mRNA vaccine, with some off the scale;
the involvement of US researchers and Pfizer in engineering Frankenstein’s monster-type coronaviruses of the very kind that, it increasingly seems, led to the Covid pandemic in the first place;
new research demonstrating the lack of evidence for reduction in virus transmission from masking;
the failure of policymakers to weigh the serious financial, social and possibly medical costs of lockdowns;
and a causal connection, confirmed by the WHO, between vaccination and the development of autoimmune disease like multiple sclerosis.

There is doubtless much worse, but we cannot learn of it – at least from qualified sources – because any effort to discuss it publicly will almost certainly result in banning by the corporations that run social media, our modern town squares.

For his efforts shining a light into the darkest recesses of the West’s pandemic response, Dr Campbell has been pilloried by the tribe that still identifies with Big Pharma. Arrogantly, they dismiss him as a glorified “nurse”, even though he has written widely read and authoritative medical textbooks.

More to the point, the smears are designed to distract from the fact that, more often than not, Dr Campbell is not speaking for himself but relaying in intelligible language the findings of peer-reviewed studies or interviewing respected experts in their field to draw attention to their work.

Complete mystery

Nonetheless, the issue of unexplained excess deaths is an order of magnitude more serious than even these other matters, which is why Dr Campbell has dedicated so many of his videos to discussing it.

Many, many thousands more people, including young people, are now dying each month across the Western world (where such data is reliably collected) than should be, compared to previous years. And they are dying for entirely mysterious reasons.

Yet:

This deeply troubling phenomenon barely merits a mention from politicians, the media or medical authorities.

Governments are failing to fund research to determine the causes of these extra deaths, even though the rates have been elevated for two years or more.

This reckless, self-imposed climate of ignorance is being sustained even as expert medical bodies warn that we face future pandemics.

It is almost as if Western governments prefer to let large numbers of people die unnecessarily, and potentially at great cost to health care services, rather than learn the truth. It seems these governments are quite happy, if they believe another pandemic is on the way, to risk repeating any mistakes they made during Covid that may have caused those excess deaths.

In a world where we are supposed to “follow the science”, how can that possibly be the case? What is going on?

If we try to understand why a blind eye is being turned to the shocking data showing a sustained and unexplained rise in deaths, it is hard not to arrive at one, and only one, conclusion.

Governments, establishment media and the medical regulators are frightened. They are scared of what they may discover if the research is carried out.

And that suggests something further. That these are not groups with their own discrete or competing interests and agendas.

The media, whatever it claims, is not a watchdog on government or the medical establishment. It colludes with them against the public. In fact, the corporate interests of all three are closely aligned.

Why? Because the government is captured by Big Business. Because the medical authorities are funded by Big Pharma, which can make or break careers. And because the media is owned by billionaires, and serves as little more than the public relations arm of concentrated wealth and as cheerleader for a neoliberalism that normalises the criminal profiteering of drug manufacturers like Pfizer.

Cultivated ignorance

Before I continue further, let me state unequivocally – because sadly, these things need emphasising in our ever-more tribal, polarised societies – that I have no idea what is causing this wave of excess deaths.

The point of this piece is not to pre-judge the matter or adopt a tribal position.

Rather, I’m trying de-tribalise your and my own thinking so that we can better understand why our governments and medical agencies prefer that no research is conducted, and why our establishment media chooses not to expose this glaring failure.

Dr Vibeke Manniche, a member of the Danish medical team whose peer-reviewed research showed that some batches of the mRNA vaccine caused off-the-scale adverse reactions, believes there are likely to be an array of contributory factors. That sounds right to me.

Her team are now undertaking as their next project an investigation into the mysterious rise in deaths. It is their private initiative, rather than research funded, organised or assisted by the Danish government. In fact, according to Dr Manniche, Danish authorities have been throwing obstacles in their way.

But why are these authorities so afraid?

The answer is simple. They suspect that any research will implicate them in those excess deaths. They are frightened – rightly or wrongly – that the narrative they constructed around the pandemic, and the powers they accrued to themselves, will unravel.

The reason they are in no hurry to find out why so many extra people are dying is because they fear that significant contributory factors are either the lockdown policies they imposed or the side-effects of the vaccines they championed – or both.

Again, I’m not saying that is what I think. I have no expertise to evaluate all the possible causes, including the ongoing erosion of socialised health care in much of the Western world and its transfer to yet more corporate profiteers – for which our governments areundoubtedly responsible.

But governments and medical regulators have access to the same data and graphs as Dr Manniche, showing a relentless and near-identical rise in excess deaths beginning in spring 2021 in Denmark, Norway and Finland, in the immediate wake of the mass vaccine rollout. Similar graphs are available for other Western states.

The inference that there is a connection between the vaccines and excess deaths may be wrong. But it is not a hypothesis they wish to test. The consequences are far too serious for them. They would rather enforce general ignorance, or perpetrate a deception on the public, than risk undermining their own authority – and the crucial levers they control both to sustain their privileges and to further concentrate their wealth.

There are some uncomfortable lessons here for us all.

The truth is Western governments – all of them – dare not test the evidentiary basis for their insistence on lockdowns and experimental vaccines as the only way out of the pandemic. They dare not do so in the full glare of public scrutiny for fear that the truth will not serve them, and more likely will damage them. So they cultivate public ignorance.

The truth is that the medical regulatory authorities were long ago captured by Big Pharma, and the revolving door it offers, leading to prestigious jobs and lucrative salaries in the industry. So they favour public ignorance too.

The truth is that the media will not hold the feet of governments or the medical establishment to the fire because, whatever the media claim, they are not in the business of enforcing real, systemic accountability. The billionaire-owned media corporations are embedded in the same model of corporate profit as Big Pharma. Indeed, the media’s own corporate profits depend on the advertising and sponsorship of drugs companies – fellow corporations – like Pfizer. So they benefit from public ignorance as well.

World of illusion

We live in a world not, as we are told and tell ourselves, of democratic accountability and transparency. Beyond formal, surface appearances, the system of political, economic and social control is designed to lack all but the most minimal checks and balances, institutional safeguards and oversight.

We live in a world of illusion, of elites that look out for their own, that develop ever more sophisticated technological tools to manipulate and deceive us, and that have progressively rigged the system to accrue to themselves ever more wealth and power.

We are not, as we like to imagine, informed citizens. The system cannot afford to provide us with the information we need to be informed – information that might reveal to us that we have been duped, that the rich steal from the poor to give to themselves, that our rulers have no clue how to fix the biggest problems facing us, aside from lining their pockets with more gold as the ship goes down.

As the last year has demonstrated, our elites had no more idea how to deal with the pandemic than they currently do with the climate crisis, or with the Ukraine war (without risking nuclear conflagration), or with rapid advances in Artificial Intelligence. Faced with the biggest challenges, they are like children – shouting “Follow the Science” or “Green New Deal” to distract the rest of us as they grab as many sweets as they can thrust into their pockets.

For these elites, Covid was a party – quite literally in the case of the British government – in which the biggest corporations not only profiteered but drove small businesses into the ground. Excess deaths are but a hangover, one that must be studiously ignored if the fiction of responsible, accountable, democratic government is to be maintained.

Our world has been carefully constructed to ensure we do not get to peek behind the curtain, to see the con-men at work. Unless we dispel this central illusion – that science, reason and compassion are the forces driving the West – the charlatans will take us with them over the edge of the cliff in their pursuit of suicidal “economic growth” and chimerical “progress”.

Snow White Becomes Snow Latinx

Cheesy Lasagna Soup

Lasagna in a bowl, chock full of what you love in regular lasagna, with the added ‘Florentine’ touch of spinach!

Ingredients

1 pound bulk sweet (mild) Italian sausage
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes (optional)
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
4 cups (32 ounces) chicken stock
1 to 2 cups water
8 ounces lasagna noodles (not no-boil), broken into 1 to 2 inch pieces
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, plus additional for serving
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups fresh spinach, packed and roughly chopped
Salt
2 cups (8 ounces) Wisconsin mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 cups (16 ounces) Wisconsin ricotta cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) Wisconsin parmesan cheese, shredded

Instructions

Heat Dutch oven or large pot over high heat. Brown sausage for 5 minutes, breaking up as it cooks.
Add onions; cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until onions are softened and sausage is cooked through.
Add garlic and red chile flakes; cook for 1 minute.
Add crushed tomatoes, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon.
Add stock, 1 cup water, lasagna noodles, basil and pepper. Bring to boil.
Reduce heat to medium-high; cook at a gentle boil for 10 to 12 minutes, until noodles are cooked through, stirring occasionally to prevent noodles from sticking to pot.
Stir in spinach. Add salt to taste. If soup is too thick, add additional 1 cup water. Remove from heat.
To serve, divide mozzarella among 6 serving bowls. Ladle soup over cheese. Top with spoonsful of ricotta, parmesan and additional basil.

Prep: 10 min | Cook: 30 min | Servings: 6

Energy tips for Empaths, Highly Sensitives, and ye on the path of the Mystic

This is good. I hope it helps someone in MM land out there.

Do you support the opaque polity of CCP in China where a foreign minister goes missing and foreign ministry feigns ignorance? You may refer to the report of Mint “The curious case of China’s missing foreign minister”.

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First off he is not missing

The Party knows where he is

His colleagues know where he is

Just because the US or UK or the West don’t hear from someone for a month, doesn’t mean he has gone missing

This obessession of always talking to the press every day is slavish and a Western compulsion

Same with Tweeting every day

He simply has not been seen in the Public Domain

Why should the Chinese care about why he has not been seen??

It’s not their problem right?

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The CPC has a message

It’s called MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS

In China, it is the business of the CPC to run the country, govern the country and help it develop and grow and regulate policies to sustain the country and defend the country

The Average Citizens have their own business — Work Hard, Take advantage of the free and heavily subsidized education, Do well, Pay Taxes and ENJOY LIFE — take vacations, buy stuff, play games, have fast food

China is not India

The Average Chinese doesn’t spend all his time discussing Modi vs Raga or saying “Ayega to Modi Hi”

He doesn’t even know the names of most standing committee members and won’t recognise them if they stood in front of him without escort or the party’s No 8 Cars

The CPC tells the Citizens what they HAVE TO KNOW

The CPC doesn’t need to tell them anything more because it won’t be productive

The CPC won’t tell all the problems to the Citizens because the Citizens knowing the problems is counter productive and could complicate stuff

Instead the CPC SOLVES THE PROBLEMS and ensures that the Citizens don’t even feel the negative effects

The CPC will take care of the Governance

The CPC will replace ministers and members if they cannot be fully capable of doing their job which underlies the Meritocracy of the Chinese System

In India, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj worked for a year despite taking cancer treatments half the time

Not in China

China wants 100% and if they don’t get it — you get a golden handshake and a goodbye

You want my opinion

I love such a system and the opacity

Knowing only what I NEED TO KNOW and being protected by a system and confident in such a system is very productive and helps me focus on what my business should be

The Greatest Growth and Development in the world took place under such a system

IT WAS CALLED MONARCHY !!!!!

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The World’s greatest inventions — Machine Guns, Spinning Jenny, Steam Engine, Dynamite, Shopping, Telegraph and Modern Banking all took place under this system

Where the Common men did what their business man and where the people who should rule, did their job and ruled

Mixing them was catastrophic and luckily China hasn’t done that yet

Note:—

My point here is to hail the opacity of China and the CPC and not discuss why Qin Gang didn’t make a public appearance for 3 weeks

The Opacity for whatever reason is what makes China the world’s fastest rising threat to the West and it’s degraded political systems

SNOW WHITE ENDING LEAKS GET EVEN MORE PATHETIC! What On Earth Is DISNEY THINKING!

How is the Make in America Chip plan cracking as was reported by Bloomberg?

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Economics!!!

TSMC estimates that they need 13 Factories plus another 7 from Korea to be able to match the demand and achieve sufficient scale to maintain some profitability

The cost would be minimum $ 240 Billion a year

Add to this at least 6000 Specialized Workers who were to be paid $ 34,000 a year from Korea and Taiwan who refuse flat and demand $ 61,000 minimum

That’s $ 1.05 Billion a year including all other services and labor costs and welfare measures

Thus the US Chip program needs around $ 2.7 Trillion in the first 10 years

Their budget is $ 230 Billion in 5 years

So the simple question is where is the MONEY ?

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Mrs Raimondo is unwilling to release any more money

Add to this is the US demanding

Full Access to every Customer
Full Access to profits and financial records
Full Access to all Process Technologies not controlled by the US

TSMC and Samsung are Loth to agree to these terms and have decided to go to their lawyers and use the courts to fight the issue

Thus the Make Chips in USA has gotten derailed and side tracked

It is likely to take 2028 before the first commercial chips will be sold from USA and that too only 13% of the actual demand

It will take 2036 before the first commercial chips are sold to fulfil the whole demand

That gives the Chinese 13 years to take over the market and if they manage to make chips at a larger scale and lower cost

That’s $ 2.7 Trillion DOWN THE DRAIN and Taiwan and Korean entities are finished

Its why the Tech war has been in place

To hope to ensure China isn’t able to crack any of these technologies by 2036

Is nature cruel?

A police man by the name of Joseph James DeAngelo had a habit of going into the houses of people. He enjoyed to observe them from afar. Then, he would enter their houses at night, and leave, and enter… and if he felt he had familiarized himself sufficiently with their homes, he’d subdue them.

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DeAngelo would often attack couples, a man and a woman, together. He’d tie the husband or boyfriend up in one room. And he would place teacups, plates, cups on the back of the man. He’d tell the victim not to move because if he did, “the cups will fall, I’ll hear you and I will come back to kill you…” DeAngelo would then go to the other room, and rape the wife

The husbands would be on the floor, tied up, and forced to listen to the agonizing sounds of their wives being brutalized in the other room. Always, without fail, they would wiggle and try their hardest to escape to save their wives. The porcelain would drop and break, and DeAngelo would then drag them to the bedroom. Bludgeon the wife in front of the tied-up husband… and then, kill him last. The killer repeated this several times. Some victims survived. Most didn’t. For decades, the man capable of such great cruelty got away with his crimes, unpunished, a family man, father, grandfather.

A policeman, he heard of DNA evidence being a thing by the late 1980s. Which is when he stopped his spree of terror. DeAngelo lived another thirty years in relative peace and quiet. He had a little boat he would sail on. And he enjoyed his retirement. DNA evidence did take him down, in the end — genealogy websites used to track down relatives allowed law enforcement into their database and found a match. Before he ‘retired’ from his career as a maniac, DeAngelo raped 45 people and murdered twelve.

Nature is straightforward. An animal gets hungry, he’ll kill another animal and eat it. It’ll hurt, it will be brutal but there’s no inate cruelty or sadism involved… the killing is a mean’s to an end. Nature produces no Joseph James DeAngelo’s. Humanity alone does.

Young Girl REINCARNATED from an Ancient World | The Ghost Inside My Child | LMN

This is pretty good and well worth your time to watch.

If the Chinese Communist Party collapses, would there be looting, pillaging and killing of non-Asian & mixed blacks throughout China?

Obviously you think that the Party is a very top-down organization where only a few people at the top make all the decisions for 1.4B Chinese, and everyone underneath follows. Following on this, you think that if the Party collapses through the elimination of this top few, it will collapse and everyone will go wild.

Let me correct your view:

The Party has 98M members now. This means about one in 14 Chinese is a Party member.
In order to join the Party, one must either apply to join, or be invited to apply.
The Party permeates through all levels of Chinese society with branch organizations. Every company, school or organization with more than ten employees has its own party branch secretary who convenes monthly meetings for all Party members. At these meetings they discuss policy and developments, and how to implement Party policy in their organization.
It is common for applicants to be rejected on the first application. The current general secretary, Xi Jinping, was rejected nine times before finally being accepted on the tenth application.
On joining, the new members swear an oath of loyalty and sacrifice if called to do so.
In an emergency, such as a flood, earthquake or COVID crisis, the party mobilizes its members FIRST. This is why when the COVID crisis broke out in Wuhan in January 2020, most of the victims were Party members; they had been called to use their skills and experience to fight the virus. Ordinary Chinese who are not Party members know about Party members being called up and in some cases dying.

This is not to say that the Party is a perfect organization which has never done anything wrong. For instance, the Cultural Revolution is now officially considered to have been a disaster.

At the same time, it has lifted more than 600M Chinese out of poverty, and is building a modern infrastructure in China which puts western societies to shame. It has made Chinese proud of China.

No one has been able to offer a better alternative to replace the Party. Do you have a better alternative aside from vague statements about freedom and democracy? That will not work with ordinary Chinese because they want some firm alternatives.

Would you offer to give every Chinese a US passport, and a free one-way ticket to the US? I am sure that would attract 50–100M Chinese, maybe more. Do you want to do that? I don’t think Biden or Trump have plans to do that right away.

So why would it collapse? If you can tell me how such an organization and society would collapse, I would like to hear about it.

I’m all ears.

Father Takes Away Daughters College $ After They Crossed The Ultimate Line, Now They’re LOSING IT!

My wife and I went into town to shop.

When we came out, there was a cop writing out a parking ticket.

We went up to him and I said, “Come on man, how about giving a senior citizen a break?”

He just ignored us and continued writing the ticket.

I called him a “butthead.” He glared at me and started writing another ticket for having worn-out tires.

So my wife called him a “jerk.” He finished the second ticket and put it on the windshield with the first.

Then he started writing more tickets. This went on for about 20 minutes.

The more we offended him, the more tickets he wrote.

He finally finished, sneered at us, and walked away.

Just then our bus arrived, and we got on it and went home.

We try to have a little fun each day now that we’re retired. It’s so important at our age!

Did China’s anti-corruption campaign work?

Yes, it worked very well because it restored the faith of most Chinese in the Chinese Communist Party.

If Xi Jinping did not have the anti-corruption campaign, China would have become as corrupt as another leading superpower, where money can buy anything, including the presidency.

Broken Peach – Tainted Love (Halloween Special)

Why do Chinese people eat dead animals?

Animals are easier to pick up with chopsticks if they are dead, and they don’t fight back as they are being eaten.

Chili Dog Soup

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 package hot dogs, cut up
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 (16 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans, undrained
2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
Salt and pepper
1 cup shredded cheese
1 bag Fritos Corn Chips

Instructions

Cook ground beef. Drain.
Stir in hot dogs, diced tomatoes, kidney Beans, tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve over Frito chips and top with cheese.

12 People Reveal The Saddest Thing They’ve Seen at a Casino

July 18, 2023

1. A woman asking security if she could come back in clean clothes, after she got kicked out for shitting herself while working the slots. She wouldn’t leave that machine, even to use the bathroom. Gross. She wasn’t even phased or embarrassed by the scene she was making in public.

2. Casino dealer here for 10 years. I’ve worked at three casinos and worked in many departments . Young best buy worker comes in buys in for 500 on roulette and loses it. Goes to the parking lot and sells his car for 500 and comes back and racks up 75,000 bucks. In 20 minutes he loses it all. 25 years old I couldn’t believe it. Feel free to ask any question.

3. Not a dealer and it was a card room, but while playing poker a guy sat down with the max buy in and got wiped out on his first hand at the table. He reloaded for the max and lost it all his second hand dealt. He reloaded max a third time, and no shit, went broke again on his third hand of the night. Like, wtf? He stood up real quick and stared at the board stunned. Then, proceeded to freak out about how his wife was going to divorce him. He grabbed as many chips off the table as he could and made a break for the door. Unfortunately, he tripped over the back of someone’s chair and chips went flying everywhere. Police kindly escorted him out as he was having what had to be a mental breakdown.

4. I am not a dealer but I am a cocktail server at a local casino. I am still fairly new but it is a very sad place. I work anywhere from 7-10 hours shifts at a time. People will sit at a slot machine for my entire shift and put every single dollar they have into it hoping to win big. They constantly visit the ATM or main bank for cash advances on credit cards or go into the negative in the bank account. I see the same people there daily. Most are friendly but some bark orders at me or don’t thank me. I am always smiling and friendly with everyone I come into contact with.

I’ve witnessed people win thousands of dollars and be completely miserable because it wasn’t enough for them and they are still in debt from their addiction.

I’ve heard horror stories about people pissing or shitting because they refuse to visit the restroom in fear of leaving their machine for a few moments.

5. Former slot attendant and cage cashier at Showboat in Atlantic City (RIP): the worst is watching the people who clearly don’t have enough money to be in there coming in, losing it all, and begging for a marker (a line of credit that allows them to keep betting) so they could try to win it back.
Showboat was a Harrah’s casino, and Harrah’s made a very big deal about their commitment to responsible gaming. We were told to refer them to Gambler’s Anonymous or point out the brochures and signage about needing help if we determined a guest was gaming irresponsibly, but we couldn’t actually stop them if they had the money. Once they were out, though, you’d still get a few sad sacks a day that tried to open the marker. I don’t know which was worse: watching them get the application accepted and piss away even more money, or watching them get denied and leave in tears.

6. Tossup between:

Coming into work to see some of the same people still playing that were there when i left the previous night.
Watching other dealers take their tokes and sit down at a table and lose it all after their shift ended.

7. Been in the casino industry for about 14 years. Dealt for about 8 of those, I have since moved up and am in management now.

The saddest thing I’ve seen is death.

Death by itself is tragic and rare, and seeing someone keel over from a heart attack is sad to say the least. But you are trained and ordered to never stop dealing if there are bets that need to be paid or taken.

Case in point: A normal, slightly overweight guy has a heart attack. He drops. It happened across from me in a different pit, but I saw it just the same. Concerned crowd, EMTs arrive, all of what you would expect. But he had this misfortune of dying on a live craps table. In the middle of a good roll. People complained that the game stopped, so they kept the game going as EMTs were doing their thing. People were straight stepping over the guy’s legs to place bets.

In St. Louis if you are curious. I’ve seen two other people die in my casinos, but this one was the saddest by far.

8. The first time I was ever in Vegas a security guards came up to the slot next to me and removed the stool from the floor. Another guard wheels up an old lady and she starts throwing her money in to that slot. Within a minute of her losing every last dime the guard is back wheeling her away while the other fixes the stool back in to the floor. I notice them taking her out the front door towards Fremont street. A couple hours later as I am leaving the casino I see her right by the front door where they wheeled her and I figure perhaps she is waiting for a ride. Four hours later when I come back she is still in the same place so I ask her if I can pay for a taxi for her and she asks if I can give her $20 dollars to buy some groceries. I give it to her and a few minutes later see security wheeling her back to the slots.

9. 90 (ish?) year old woman wearing tattered rags, and in a wheelchair that was falling apart, cigarette in one hand, a drink in the other spending what I could only assume was her life savings on the slot machines.

10. I used to work as a change person, pushing a cart around and making change for gamblers. I once saw a grown man at about 3am – desperately walking from slot machine to slot machine, dropping coins into the slots, pulling the handle, and watching the tumblers roll – quietly sobbing and mumbling to himself, seemingly looking desperately for a winner. I left that job the next day and never forgot his face (it’s been about 25 years).

11. I worked as a croupier for 3 years, I had an Irish student come into the casino drunk. He proceeded to spend his entire years worth of student loads and bursary. He stood at my blackjack table and begged me and my manager for his money back, trying to explain to me that he was only 18 and why it was illegal for us to put him in such a position e.g. bent over the table and looted of all monies.

12. I wasn’t a dealer but i use to work security at a casino. I remember a relatively wealthy couple explaining to me that they sold their fridge and stove so that they could use the money to keep gambling. They said they had no need for them because the casino comped them so many meals. All i could think of was how sad of people they were.

This one for some reason bothers me more than anything though; seeing a mother leave her children at the entry gate so she could gamble. This was like 2:30am and the children were something like 4 and 16. We told her numerous times to take them home but she wouldn’t. We contacted DCI (state troopers basically that are always on property) to come and talk to her. Because the 16 year old was watching the other child they couldn’t do anything. We also had a policy that if they were at the table games, the pit boss had to make the call to kick her out. He wouldn’t because she was spending too much. I just watched as these kids sat on a bench for hours waiting for their mom. They complained they were hungry and thirsty but i couldn’t do much more than get a waitress to grab a soda.

“We have alien bodies and they are hiding it from you” Bombshell UFO testimony

On Wednesday, Congress held a hearing about UAP’s or “unidentified aerial phenomena.”

This is government speak for UFO. During the hearing, U.S. intelligence official David Grusch, a whistleblower, testified under oath before Congress that the United States has the bodies of alien pilots who were recovered from crashed UFO’s.

He also said that we have crashed craft and that he will give more details about that in separate closed-door hearings.

8 Parents Revealed Why They Home-Schooled Their Children

July 27, 2023

1. My number one reason was I wanted my kids to like learning. And they do, they love both reading and math. But it ended up being so much more. We have a lot more bonding time as a family, and my kids are best friends. They have more time to spend with their friends, and they have friends of all ages, from all around our city, not just the kids their age, in their neighborhood. They have lots of time to pursue multiple hobbies and interests. We as a family aren’t tied to a school schedule.

2. Our homeschool journey started because of food allergies. As we began to research our options we were flooded with reasons to homeschool that really resonated with us.

Safety- pandemic, a growing anti-vax movement and violence (bullying, shootings,etc)
We wanted our girls to get accurate and useful information regarding sex education. Not just the abstinence nonsense that is taught in schools. When our girls eventually go down that path, we want to make sure they know how to protect themselves as well as how to advocate for themselves and what they want.
We want to make sure that our girls are being taught accurate, truthful and fully represented history. I’m not interested in my kids learning a conservative, white-washed version of history.
My kids are only kids once and I genuinely enjoy spending time with them. Homeschooling lets us do that.
Flexibility. We’re able to do extracurricular activities such as gymnastics during the day while public school is in session. This usually means better instructor to kid ratios. Also, it means more time to spend as a family in the evening once my husband gets off work so he doesn’t miss out on time with the kids.

Private school was never an option for us because all of the private schools in our area are religious. We don’t feel that religion has anything to do with education and shouldn’t be included during school time.

3. I personally don’t have too much of a problem with the material taught in public school (though with a lot of recent developments in some states re: religion butting it’s way in, book bans etc, I’m wary of the future) but large classes have to, by default, teach to the middle. The kids who are behind will stay behind, and the kids ahead will get bored and disruptive. There’s also incredible stigmatization of kids held back OR skipped forward, even if they need it, so it rarely, if ever, happens. The way I see it, public schools prioritize putting kids in boxes and keeping them there, regardless of their needs academically or developmentally (it’s really not developmentally appropriate for young kids to sit in one place for hours at a time). I don’t blame them, though, because you kind of have to exercise a lot of control if you are the sole adult in charge of 20+ young children all day.

We looked at a lot of private schools in the area and none of them met our needs. We want our kids to have a low pressure academic atmosphere where they are allowed to act like young kids, and where there are enough teachers to meet kids where they’re at. That’s just not offered around here in a school we can drive to and afford right now.

4. Ultimately, I don’t believe that the material taught or the way it is taught will be of any benefit to my children in their future and may even be detrimental.

5. There’s a lot of reasons..

Like you, I don’t think what is taught in schools is quality information and nothing applicable to life skills.

I also don’t like the idea of my kids sitting in a chair 7 hours a day.

I think kids should be around a lot of different people and different age groups. I don’t see that there’s a lot to gain by being with the same group of kids the same age for 12 years.

I don’t like the political climate of our nation and I don’t like that it’s so apparent in schools. Our children’s education isn’t a game and shouldn’t be messed with the way it is.

I am fine with people having differing opinions than me, and I also don’t want to shelter my kids from different opinions and ideas but I also don’t trust a bunch of strangers having such a big part of my kids lives.

I genuinely love my kids, enjoying being around them and hate the thought of them being gone 40+ hours a week starting at age 5.

We homeschool now. As our kids are reaching middle school levels, we have discussed possibly putting them into private school. Financially, it’s definitely doable for us. Right now, we like homeschool, our kids like it and are thriving. Private school is always an option for us if thats what we decide. There is one we’ve toured and really like near us that will be what we choose if that’s the path we go down.

6. We decided to homeschool after we already had three kids in public school. I watched their love of school, turn into dread. The younger kids, no longer felt safe. They were coming home crying because of their peers or confused over classroom assignments. I watched my older kid turn into robot mode to please the system with A’s.

After my oldest graduated high school, we pulled the younger kids and decided to homeschool. We love the freedom of homeschool. Being able to tackle assignments in a way that benefits each child. Going to zoo’s, museums, and state parks anytime we want too. Learning about any thing we want, just because we want too. I can tailor their education to the career fields that they are interested in. We can enjoy play groups other extracurricular activities at our own pace.

Ultimately, learning is a life long process and I wanted them to have a good foundation. Classroom learning is a small percentage compared to the rest of their lives. I considered their physical, emotional, intellectual, social, spiritual, environmental and occupational well-being when we decided to homeschool.

7. I like homeschooling and the freedom that comes with it. I like that my kids can spend time outside, playing, reading, and I like that we can choose a curriculum that they enjoy and that works for them. My kids are young and I don’t like the idea of them being in public school for 8 hours day. They can sleep late if they need to, and can take days off when they’re struggling. The public schools in my area are overcrowded and there is so much crime; schools are frequently on lockdown due to crime in the surround area or because of threats made.

We actually homeschool through a public charter. So the charter school provides funds for students that we use to purchase curriculum and that is used towards extracurriculars. We use the charter funds for piano lessons, gymnastics, and a learning co-op that meets weekly. Private schools in our area are expensive and also overcrowded.

8. Our catalyst for homeschooling was originally the pandemic and some academic trauma and bullying that came before that. We continued for many reasons but mainly because one of my kids especially needs lots of time to work through struggle and build confidence. If he were in public school his anxiety would be unmanageable and he wouldn’t be thriving as he is. It also fits our lifestyle and gives us flexibility to live the way we want and not be ruled by a societal schedule.

My favorite reason for homeschooling though is that learning and growing becomes an ongoing, long-form conversation. It’s stream-of-consciousness across the years where we reach back, make connections, and are continually building on the day before in an organic, developmentally appropriate way that revolves around hand-picked curricula and materials we believe in. I as their teacher can see where they are compared to where they have been and I can be a better steward of their progress. Pair all this with the ability to do year-round school, friends of all ages and walks of life, field trips around our town or country to learn about their world first hand, 4H and other clubs, and their being involved in a few different family businesses, often working events with adults, and living on and working a farm, and we’ve got invaluable real life living year round. After doing it this way school seems even more artificial and not the right path for us.

HOUSE PASSES THE TAIWAN INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY ACT

Washington, D.C. — Today, the House passed the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, bipartisan legislation authored by Congressman John Curtis (R-UT) and Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), co-Chair of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus that seeks to counter Beijing’s attempts to exclude Taiwan from participating in international organizations.

“The passage of the Taiwan International Solidarity Act is a significant step in reaffirming our commitment to Taiwan and in opposing attempts by the People’s Republic of China to use international organizations to distort Taiwan’s status,” said Rep. Curtis. “Building on my TAIPEI Act, this bipartisan legislation stands strong in support of Taiwan’s rightful place on the global stage.”

“For too long, the People’s Republic of China has distorted policies and procedures at international organizations to assert its sovereignty claims over Taiwan, often to the detriment of global health and security efforts,” said Rep. Connolly. “This bipartisan legislation ensures that we stand against Beijing’s weaponization of international organizations and in solidarity with the wishes and best interests of the people on Taiwan. I’ve been proud to partner with Rep. Curtis on this effort and I look forward to continuing to work together to get this important legislation signed into law.”

The Taiwan International Solidarity Act builds on Congressman Curtis’ TAIPEI Act to reaffirm that the United States will oppose any efforts by the People’s Republic of China to interfere with Taiwan’s ability to conduct diplomacy and participate in international organizations. In addition to Connolly and Curtis, the legislation was cosponsored by Representatives Ami Bera, Andy Barr, Mario Diaz-Balart, Dina Titus, Lisa McClain, Brian Fitzpatrick, Ted Lieu, Darrell Issa, Chris Smith, Brad Sherman, David Cicilline, and Michael Lawler.

Full text of the legislation is available here.

Casino tricks that everyone falls for

Online casinos are a great way to spend time, especially if you win simultaneously. However, there are some nuances that online casinos hide from you.

Modern online casinos with lightning roulette demo, primarily legal and premium ones, offer a lot of entertainment, including state-of-the-art slot machines, live dealer games, and much more.

Most decent online casinos have fully informative websites. Detailed descriptions accompany most games and services.
However, there are some things that online casinos need to inform players about.

Some things online casinos hide from you

None of these nuances alone will make you a great player who regularly withdraws huge sums from online casinos. However, knowing these things can help you significantly reduce your losses in online casino gambling.

Blackjack offers the best odds of winning

A casino wants to keep the online game that offers the best odds of winning. That’s why you often see promotions that focus on Blackjack. A casino won’t advertise that Blackjack offers the best odds of winning. Nevertheless, considering that the casino’s advantage can be as low as 0.5%, it is true. Try playing it yourself – it’s easy to learn and understand.

Betting systems do not guarantee winnings

Nothing can guarantee you a win when you play at a casino. It would help if you understood that:

• Even professional casino players sometimes win.
• You shouldn’t rely too much on a betting system and expect always to win.

It’s best to place responsible bets on the games you choose. This way, you can limit your gambling opportunities and potential winnings.

Time flies by when you gamble

Although this feature is more typical for offline casinos, it applies here.

Land-based casinos have no clocks or windows, so you never know the time of day. It helps you forget the time because the establishments want you to stay longer and spend more.

The same thing happens online, and you can lose track of time when playing like this. Even safe online casinos do not inform you of this fact.

Maximum bets can pay off on slots

Many players often make the mistake of thinking that the size of the bet doesn’t matter.
So, they continue to place small bets, hoping that a crazy multiplier will appear on the slot. However, this never happens.
That’s because, in many cases, bonuses are awarded only at the highest bets.
Therefore, using a higher bet can guarantee the activation of these critical special features.

Ignore advertising of “hot” slots

Casinos often use a kind of petty fraud by “highlighting” certain games.
Usually, they indicate that these games are “hot” and others are “cold”. Such labelling is explained by how often they have paid out money recently.
However, there are no actual trends in the frequency of game payouts. All outcomes of online games are random due to the random number generation technology. Therefore, nothing says that the probability of paying out in one game is higher than in another.

The casino always has an advantage

It is something you can figure out for yourself. However, casinos are not very happy that players know this.
Why? Because it means that players know that the casino always makes a profit. For every bet you place, the casino gets a certain percentage.
The casino’s edge (House edge) exists, so the casino/operator makes money when you play.
Even fast-payout casino sites have to make money somehow. That’s why the casino tries to steer you towards games with a higher casino edge.

Casinos don’t like bonus hunters

It is a pretty obvious statement. Online casinos want to avoid bonus hunters coming to them. Why? Because these players sign up and make deposits with the sole intention of redeeming a bonus.

They build up a balance, withdraw money, leave, and never play again. Casinos do not like such players. They prefer players who play for a long time and often, and with their real money.

Online casinos don’t want you to withdraw your winnings

When you win a decent amount of money at an online casino, the ideal thing to do is to withdraw it.
However, casinos want you to do something other than that. Instead, they want you to keep gambling, hoping to win even more. In the end, there is a chance that you will lose everything you won and more.

That’s why it’s better to set a winning goal and leave the online casino when you reach it.

The hype around jackpot winners is not accidental

Casinos go to great lengths to get people to spend money. It applies to both land-based and online gambling establishments. Both illegal and completely honest.
Casinos love advertising and excitement around the enormous payouts they make to lucky players who hit the jackpot. Such sums are often life-changing. So they want you to believe you can win the same amount. It is their way of getting you to register, deposit, and play. If you hope to win big, the casino will grab hold of you.

Card counting is not illegal

Land-based casinos are more guilty of this than online sites. However, if you visit live casino sites, this applies to games in the rooms.
Card counting is something that experienced players can use in these games. Knowing which cards have already come and gone gives you an advantage. However, some casinos prefer you to have something other than this kind of knowledge. It puts them at a disadvantage. The thing is, if you can do it, it’s not illegal. So take advantage of it if you can.

What probably happened to Qin Gang

What probably happened to Qin Gang.

The following is a compilation of a plot-line that seems to have solidified on international social media.

No one knows for certain what is going on in regards to the Qin saga, however, internet sleuth armies (many located inside of China) have pieced together this most-probable scenario. Knowing what I know of the quality of the “keyboard warriors” of China, the sleuthing tends to be of high quality and speculation is kept at a minimum. Its another animal all together compared to the West.

Is this explanation the full story? No.

For internet sleuthing, the amount of detail, with names, dates, times, and actions are all very *specific*. It is a great amount of detail. This suggests a Chinese government “seeding” effort into social media as opposed to an “organic” discovery.

But, please keep in mind that this is the best explanation that you will ever get. It is the story with the highest probability. And keep in mind that the Chinese government, though its “unofficial” key-board warriors DOES actually “seed” narratives onto social media.

On 26/6/2023 — Qin Gang received a phone call from a mysterious ANDRE asking him to meet at a secret location in Beijing

QG was about to refuse when Andre said it was about “FU” or Fu Xiaotian, his mistress or girlfriend.

QG decided to travel alone and meet Andre who confirmed he worked for the CIA and revealed pictures and secret tapes of QG and Fu and their affair and confirmed that Fu was a CIA Asset.

Andre = CIA agent
Fu = CIA asset

Andre informed QG that he would either [1] see that these photos delivered to the Security Committee and his wife and made public or [2] he would have to do whatever the CIA wanted him to do.

QG nodded and Andre said he would mail the instructions and call him for their next meeting.

…

However QG drove straight to the Security Committee and confessed the entire affair plus the blackmail.

The Committee [1] recorded his statement and [2] imposed a section 15(iii) violation — Ethical and Moral Breach, and [3] placed him on leave from that moment on.

As he left, three security men followed him, his regular driver was gone and instead Captain Wen of the MSS was at the wheel

At Zhonganhai, his home was covered by security guards.

…

Andre watched as the MSS men began to hunt for him and realized he had made a mistake with the Chinese Foreign Minister.

Westerners usually cracked under blackmail but QG came clean mainly because being a misguided philanderer was better than being a traitor to his country.

Andre fled China as fast as possible to Taipei realizing that the mission had failed and Fu (the CIA sponsored mistress) was blown.

On 3/7/2023 — the Security committee decided to impose a full investigation on every member of the ministry who had meetings with QG and 181 officials fell under suspicion and were investigated.

Xi Jingping who was notified agreed that the safest course was to give the Foreign Ministry to Wang Yi, a man above suspicion and not in QGs sphere of influence in the last year.

Qin Gang came clean and revealed all aspects of the affair after which his phone and laptops and suits were examined for bugs.

There were none.

It was likely that now that QG would live in Beijing and it was impossible for Fu to follow him there, the CIA rushed things.

China couldn’t blame the CIA because that would expose China.

So instead China continued with Wang Yi.

After many days the committee decided that Qin Gang had not divulged any state secrets and that Fu was part of a long term operation that had been accelarated due to QGs sudden promotion to Foreign Minister.

Thus Qin Gang was retained as State Councillor and as Party Member.

He will never leave China now.

His Passport was confiscated on 26/6/2023.

He will be under surveillance for life or until he turns 80 or if a later standing committee votes against the same.

Of the 181 others —69 have been cleared fully and 46 more have been cleared for their last 3 years activities.

Likely by 1/1/24 — a new foreign minister will replace QG — someone chosen by Wang Yi from his old guard

Andre (CIA agent)

Andre was found at 4:45 AM.

His mouth was gaping open and he had suffered a massive seizure.

His mouth was purple and a needle prick was found near his lower right elbow.

On 18/7/23, he was buried anonymously under the name of Regis Waller (1971–2023)

The Experts found traces of substances that seemed similar in composition to NOVICHOK.

Fu Xiaotian (Mistress)

Fu is in a safe house in Brazil waiting for evacuation to Vancouver under a false name and terrified of retaliation.

Reminds me of a scene from the Sopranos

Exactly like the show.

What does U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken think about Chinese diplomats’ negotiation skills?

Americans were once pretty decent diplomats

Today all they want to do is LOOK TOUGH AND TALK TOUGH

So they are all bullies

From Madeline Albright to Powell to Rice to Hilary Clinton to John Kerry to Pompeo to Blinken — their message is always the same

You better do what we say or else…

British diplomats always want to look condescending to Asian & Middle Eastern & African countries

European & American diplomats always threaten Asian, African and Middle Eastern countries

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US Diplomats have all but forgotten the art of quid pro quo

It’s all about being terrified of “Looking Weak”

The result is they are more and more hawkish than ever

If you don’t have a democratic system, then you are a dictatorship and a threat to the world

If you don’t do what I say, i will sanction you or embargo you

If you don’t stand against Russia, i will create a color revolution and ensure you are defeated in elections

Blinken is one of these diplomats

Now Chinese Diplomats are DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE

They always believe in deals that benefit everyone so that nobody leaves with a grudge

Nobody LOSES FACE

They are terrified of LOSING FACE and they would do anything in their power to not lose face

When Nancy Pelosi went to Taiwan, the Diplomat Wang Yi lost a lot of face

He regained his face and gained even more face after his Solomon Island deal and the SAUDI IRAN DEAL that helped him gain so much face that we was rewarded plentifully with a huge promotion to the Politburo

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Zhao Lijian on the other hand, got a promotion and a higher salary but he LOST FACE and that meant his power and his responsibilities have reduced

So US vs China is always a tough battle

Both sets of Diplomats have their restrictions

US diplomats cannot appear weak so they threaten and posture

Chinese diplomats cannot lose face so they react and cause US to lose more face

It’s a vicious circle

However Chinese Diplomats are reasonable while US Diplomats are not. They won’t yield a millimeter at any cost but demand that China does.

As US becomes less and less of the only Superpower in the World , their stubbornness will rise accordingly

China meanwhile have a 5000 year civilization and their diplomacy is much different and they won’t put with the US and it’s brash bullyboy tactics

So one side has to yield or be made to yield

The jury is out on who

So who are US Diplomats are terrified of?

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Yep the Taliban

When a 14 year boy can smilingly cut blinkens granddaughters throat and laugh saying Allahu Akbar and happily get shot believing he will be in Jannat

That’s enough to terrify the living daylights of any American including a Pentagon Five Star General

In 2001, Afghanistan was an isolated nation

Today 4.7 Million Afghans are in US and at least 30% are pro Taliban having infiltrated through as victims

If a single mullah asks them to do god’s work and kill 7 Women and Kids before sacrificing their lives — US would fold in a week and make a compromise

Stuxnet | The Computer Virus That Caused World War 3

STUXNET. The virus that prevented; then started the next world war. Cyberwar is being waged right now in your name.

No matter what country you call home, your government is engaged in highly dangerous combat on the Internet. Infrastructure around the world is under siege and everyone is at risk. Even you.

In 2010, the Stuxnet virus was discovered in Natanz, Iran and thousands of control systems that operate factories, power plants and nuclear reactors around the world.

It was 20 times more sophisticated than any malware ever recorded.

It could halt oil pipelines, destroy water treatment plants and bring down entire power grids.

Stuxnet is back, stronger than ever. And we should all be concerned.

Cyber-security experts knew Stuxnet wasn’t ordinary malware thrown together by some basement hacker. This was something different.

As the crazy life starts to settle into place

The other day, a “fan” wrote to me for some of the comments / articles that I have generated on other venues. He said that he was sure that “Communist China must love me”. Huh.

He meant it is a compliment. I am sure, but the truth is that China doesn’t really know be from a “hill of beans”. I’m just another foreigner in China. Nobody special.

Just like the United States chucked me out. Useless. Discarded; a nobody.

And whether we are useful, or just discarded rubbish… it means NOTHING. What matters is how YOU deal with your life, under your own situation.

Are you making the world a better place?

Are you participating?

Are you doing good things and contributing… in your very own and unique way? That’s what is important.

I love China.

But that is just me.

Each and everyone of us must carve out our own little place on this planet. Make the world around you a good and sustainable one. Share your prosperity with others with no concern for profit or benefit. Be the “good guy”. No matter what.

Smile more.

All will be good.

What does a girl really want in a guy?

A girl really wants in a guy:

Sense of humor. I’ve never met a single guy who was very funny.
Strength. Either physical or emotional. Preferably both. Some girls like “gentle giants” though.
Intelligence. Most girls I know are super attracted to smart guys. And if the guy is really gorgeous but dumb as a door knob, the girls get over them quickly.
Kindness. Yes, some girls are attracted to jerks. But they’re a masochistic minority. Most prefer a guy who could be nice to their mom and puppies.
Good hygiene. That’s a given. No one wants to smell too much body odor and see hairs growing out of your nose. Please.
Loyalty. Most girls are turned off by players. We were all raised on the fairy tales where prince and princess lived happily ever after, not where he texted his side chick.
Courage. I know, guys are human too. You have your moments where you’re intimidated or unsure. But brave men are inherently attractive.
Attraction. A girl wants that the guy to be really into her. Sometimes if a guy is aloof and cold, you’ll have some masochist girls taking it as a challenge. But most girls will just be turned off.

A crystal clear piece penned by Hu Xijin of the Global Times, the mouthpiece of the CCP.

It’s with a dance in my heart and a blazing flame in my soul that I copy down each word of the ante-penultimate paragraph, which absolutely deserves to be quoted in its entirety :

" China's military power is primarily used for strategic deterrence against the US, making it so that although the US military has advantages, it dares not resort to military blackmail against China. 

In addition, our military power is used to defend core interests, especially when it comes to the resolution of the Taiwan question, WE MUST HAVE THE FINAL SAY. 

We adopt a defensive military strategy, but in the Taiwan Straits region, WE HAVE GRADUALLY FORMED A LOCAL ABSOLUTE MILITARY ADVANTAGE. 

We will not engage in military confrontation with the US in regions far away from China's core interests. 

However, if the US military comes to China's nearby waters, especially if it intervenes militarily in the Taiwan Straits and assists the "Taiwanese military" in a possible future Taiwan Straits war, the People's Liberation Army will not hesitate to "BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF" THOSE US TROOPS. 

We will always make our determination clear to the US.

Mac Davis – It’s Hard To Be Humble (1980)

China Punishes U.S Cancels 11 MILLION Ton CORN Order And Shifts To Latin America!

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The U.S wanted to strong-arm China by banning Chinese companies, however it never knew it could backfire. The U.S Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen has already said that the U.S decoupling from China would be a disastrous mistake, that’s because she knows how China can make or break the U.S and its economy.

Just to show how essential China is for the U.S it canceled the 1.1 million tons of corn import order from the U.S but this should not be seen only from an escalating perspective, rather China wants to diversify countries so it can import grains at a better price but this has allowed the U.S to see how China can create shock waves and not only Tech but Agriculture and other sectors.

But how does this canceled order change things for not only the U.S and its Farmers but also the world’s grain prices.

According to the observatory of economic complexities (OEC) China is the world’s biggest exporter of goods and services, in other words China tops the list of producing and selling products to other countries and this allows China to generate excess revenues that could finance its phenomenal development.

However it appears that the U.S misunderstood it, it thought that if Chinese products were banned then China could be strong-armed, but this really backfired as the U.S forgot how much of the goods it exports to China, it also ignored the fact that if China stopped buying those products the U.S would struggle.

Then and now

FIRST TIME HEARING Spacehog – In The Meantime REACTION

A short & PERFECT explanation of everything happening now on the World stage by Michael Hudson.

In a nutshell, the most clumsy behavior, coming from a staggering hubris, of the international bully aka US/KFC-AZAEL (Kakistocratic Feudal Conglomerate of the Anglo-Zio-American EstabLishment) triggered an awakening of the Global Majority (88% of the global population).

Using Hudson’s words appearing in this piece : ** What happened is a change in consciousness. **

The upshot will be civilizational in scope.

This time, the US/KFC-AZAEL doesn’t have as adversaries the usual downtrodden & disorganized Third World countries but the clear-minded coalition of the REAL international community together with the might of the last Three Sovereign Civilizational States : China, Russia, Iran.

Together, the people of the World will trigger the collapse of the Western World. This collapse doesn’t necessarily mean disorder and chaos in the streets of the Western nations.

That is a caricature more related to fear porn and definitely not going to the core essential.

The collapse of the Western World means the definitive & irreversible end of the Western global predatory system or using Hudson’s technical expression, the rent extraction system.

The collapse of the Western World also means the end of the Western overweening & laughable pretensions to superior morality & better understanding of reality.

That’s what I call the core meaning of the collapse of the Western World. Not wishing to appear too flippant nor too cynical, I still want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the neo-cons; their utter imbecilic decisions having certainly contributed a lot to this marvelous acceleration of Universal History. Whom the Gods want to destroy, they first made mad .. 再见 ! Quan

Article HERE

New Essay by Michael Hudson

Herodotus (History, Book 1.53) tells the story of Croesus, king of Lydia c. 585-546 BC in what is now Western Turkey and the Ionian shore of the Mediterranean. Croesus conquered Ephesus, Miletus and neighboring Greek-speaking realms, obtaining tribute and booty that made him one of the richest rulers of his time. But these victories and wealth led to arrogance and hubris. Croesus turned his eyes eastward, ambitious to conquer Persia, ruled by Cyrus the Great.

Having endowed the region’s cosmopolitan Temple of Delphi with substantial silver and gold, Croesus asked its Oracle whether he would be successful in the conquest that he had planned. The Pythia priestess answered: “If you go to war against Persia, you will destroy a great empire.”

Croesus therefore set out to attack Persia c. 547 BC. Marching eastward, he attacked Persia’s vassal-state Phrygia. Cyrus mounted a Special Military Operation to drive Croesus back, defeating Croesus’s army, capturing him and taking the opportunity to seize Lydia’s gold to introduce his own Persian gold coinage. So Croesus did indeed destroy a great empire, but it was his own.

Fast-forward to today’s drive by the Biden administration to extend American military power against Russia and, behind it, China. The president asked for advice from today’s analogue to antiquity’s Delphi oracle: the CIA and its allied think tanks. Instead of warning against hubris, they encouraged the neocon dream that attacking Russia and China would consolidate U.S. control of the world economy, achieving the End of History.

Having organized a coup d’état in Ukraine in 2014, the United States sent its NATO proxy army eastward, giving weapons to Ukraine to fight an ethnic war against its Russian-speaking population and turn Russia’s Crimean naval base into a NATO fortress. This Croesus-level ambition aimed at drawing Russia into combat and depleting its ability to defend itself, wrecking its economy in the process and destroying its ability to provide military support to China and other countries targeted for seeking self-dependency as an alternative to U.S. hegemony.

After eight years of provocation, a new military attack on Russian-speaking Ukrainians was conspicuously prepared, ready to drive toward the Russian border in February 2022. Russia protected its fellow Russian-speakers from further ethnic violence by mounting its own Special Military Operation. The United States and its NATO allies immediately seized Russia’s foreign-exchange reserves held in Europe and North America, and demanded that all countries impose sanctions against importing Russian energy and grain, hoping that this would crash the ruble’s exchange rate. The Delphic State Department expected that this would cause Russian consumers to revolt and overthrow Vladimir Putin’s government, enabling U.S. maneuvering to install a client oligarchy like the one it had nurtured in the 1990s under President Yeltsin.

A byproduct of this confrontation with Russia has been to lock in America’s control over its Western European satellites. The aim of this intra-NATO jockeying was to foreclose Europe’s dream of profiting from closer trade and investment relations with Russia by exchanging its industrial manufactures for Russian raw materials. The United States derailed that prospect by blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipelines, cutting off Germany and other countries from access to low-priced Russian gas. That left Europe’s leading economy dependent on higher-cost U.S. Liquified Natural Gas (LNG).

In addition to having to subsidize domestic European gas to prevent widespread insolvency, a large proportion of German Leopard tanks, U.S. Patriot missiles and other NATO “wonder weapons” are being destroyed in combat against the Russian army. It has become clear that the U.S. strategy is not simply to “fight to the last Ukrainian,” but to fight to the last tank, missile and other weapon being deleted from NATO stocks.

This depletion of NATO’s arms was expected to create a vast replacement market to enrich America’s military-industrial complex. Its NATO customers are being told to increase their military spending to 3 or even 4 percent of GDP. But the weak performance of U.S. and German arms on the Ukrainian battlefield may have crashed this dream, while Europe’s economies are sinking into depression. And with Germany’s industrial economy deranged by the severing of its trade with Russia, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner told the Die Welt newspaper on June 16, 2023 that his country cannot afford to pay more money into the European Union budget, to which it has long been the largest contributor.

Without German exports supporting the euro’s exchange rate, the currency will come under pressure against the dollar as Europe buys LNG and NATO replenishes its depleted weaponry stocks by buying new arms from America. A lower exchange rate will squeeze the purchasing power of European labor, while lowering social spending to pay for rearmament and provide gas subsidies is plunging the continent into a depression.

A nationalist reaction against U.S. dominance is rising throughout European politics, and instead of America locking in its control over European policy, the United States may end up losing – not only in Europe but most crucially throughout the Global South. Instead of turning Russia’s “ruble to rubble” as President Biden promised, Russia’s balance of trade has soared and its gold supply has increased. So have the gold holdings of other countries whose governments are now aiming to de-dollarize their economies.

It is American diplomacy that is driving Eurasia and the Global South out of the U.S. orbit. America’s hubristic drive for unipolar world dominance could only have been dismantled so rapidly from within. The Biden-Blinken-Nuland administration has done what neither Vladimir Putin nor Chinese President Xi could have hoped to achieve in so short a period. Neither was prepared to throw down the gauntlet and create an alternative to the U.S.-centered world order. But U.S. sanctions against Russia, Iran, Venezuela and China have had the effect of protective tariff barriers to force self-sufficiency in what EU diplomat Josep Borrell calls the world “jungle” outside of the US/NATO “garden.”

Although the Global South and other countries have been complaining about U.S. dominance ever since the Bandung Conference of Non-Aligned Nations in 1955, they have lacked a critical mass to create a viable alternative. But their attention has now been focused by the U.S. confiscation of Russia’s official dollar reserves in NATO countries. That dispelled the thought of the dollar as a safe vehicle in which to hold international savings. The Bank of England’s earlier seizure of Venezuela’s gold reserves kept in London – promising to donate them to whatever unelected opponents of its socialist regime U.S. diplomats designate – shows how sterling and the euro as well as the dollar have been weaponized. And by the way, what ever happened to Libya’s gold reserves?

American diplomats avoid thinking about this scenario. They rely on the one unique advantage the United States has to offer. It may refrain from bombing them, from staging a color revolution to “Pinochet” them by the National Endowment for Democracy, or install a new “Yeltsin” giving the economy away to a client oligarchy.

But refraining from such behavior is all that America can offer. It has de-industrialized its own economy, and its idea of foreign investment is to carve out monopoly-rent seeking opportunities by concentrating technological monopolies and control of oil and grain trade in U.S. hands, as if this is economic efficiency, not rent-seeking.

What has occurred is a change in consciousness. We are seeing the Global Majority trying to create an independent and peacefully negotiated choice as to just what kind of an international order they want. Their aim is not merely to create alternatives to the use of dollars, but an entire new set of institutional alternatives to the IMF and World Bank, the SWIFT bank clearing system, the International Criminal Court and the entire array of institutions that U.S. diplomats have hijacked from the United Nations.

The upshot will be civilizational in scope. We are seeing not the End of History but a fresh alternative to U.S.-centered neoliberal finance capitalism and its junk economics of privatization, class war against labor, and the idea that money and credit should be privatized in the hands of a narrow financial class instead of being a public utility to finance economic needs and rising living standards.

The irony is that America’s historical role has been that although it itself was not able to lead the world forward along these lines, its attempts to lock the world into an antithetical imperial system by conquering Russia on the plains of Ukraine and trying to isolate China’s technology from breaking the U.S. attempt at IT monopoly have been the great catalysts pushing the global majority along these lines.

Russian Reacts to THE CRANBERRIES – Zombie | MADE me CRY

American exports to China

BabantheKidd FIRST TIME reacting to Bobby Brown – Every Little Step

A fun reaction video…

American exports to China

Oven-Fried Tex-Mex Onion Rings

Ingredients

1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon water
2 medium onions (about 10 ounces), sliced 3/8 inch thick
2 egg whites

Instructions

Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Spray large nonstick baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
Combine bread crumbs, cornmeal, chili powder, ground red pepper and salt in medium shallow dish; mix well. Stir in butter and water.
Separate onion slices into rings. Place egg whites in large bowl; beat lightly.
Add onions; toss lightly to coat evenly.
Transfer to bread crumb mixture; toss to coat evenly.
Place in single layer on prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until onions are tender and coating is crisp.

Yield: 6 servings

American exports to China

Have Russians done anything significant and good for the world in the past 500 years? If so, what? If not, what makes Russians think they are a great nation?

WE OWE EVERYTHING TO THEM. WE AS IN INDIANS

They are primarily responsible for almost all our Military Industrial and Space Development

Every step we took was with their technical know how and machinery. They trained thousands of our Pilots and Engineers until we could develop our own 100% indigenous training.

They gave us our Rocketry base. They helped almost all our Launch programs until the Late 80s, they gave us our first Space launch Programs, computers and processors until 1994.

Tank Design, Aircraft Design, Tech Collaboration, Wind Tunnel Guidance, Aircraft Carrier Development, Submarine Technology, Naval Avionics – without the Russians we would be nowhere

Radar and Aero Engineering (Cranwell) were the only two areas where Britain has helped us.

They built our entire Foundation so that now we are slowly overlaying ourselves.

Like US to Israel

They taught us to lay our entire Intelligence Apparatus

RAW and IB were British Intelligence oriented

However Radio Surveillance, Radio Tracking, Interception were all taught to us by Russians

From 1955 to 1987, over 2400 Joint Monitoring Intelligence Apps were carried out with Egypt, Yugoslavia and India participating with Czechoslovakia overseen by USSR

During that period post ’62 – we had no intelligence failures especially in the ’65 War

They were our earliest Nuclear Program Helpers

They helped us hugely.

Tarapore, Narora and now the latest in Kundakulam – all have their Roastom training and guidance

Of course France and canada played a role , a good role even by 1979–80

However it was Primarily Russian Collaboration from 1956–1974 upto Smiling Buddha

So we owe them almost everything.

And they did it without any Bullying strings whatsoever

They never demanded we join Military Alliances like US did of Pak

They never demanded we send troops to Afghanistan

They never demanded that we forcibly buy Oil from them at higher rates.

They were instrumental in avoiding a Two front War with Pak today thanks to their 1971 War counter to Nixon

Right or wrong, Russians are our Mentors and Friends

Even God would smite us if we ever went against them

SO CATCHY!!.. The B-52’s Love Shack Reaction

Sad Reality

American exports to China

China’s foreign ministry rejects Blinken’s ‘irresponsible’ remarks

China isn’t taking any more SHIT.

American exports to China

Dmitry Trenin: The US and its allies are playing ‘Russian Roulette’. You’d almost think they want a nuclear war

If the Ukraine conflict continues on its current trajectory, it will end in a total disaster for humanity

Dmitry Trenin is a research professor at the Higher School of Economics and a lead research fellow at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations. He is also a member of the Russian International Affairs Council.

Professor Sergey Karaganov’s “Tough-but-necessary decision” article

– which claims that by using its nuclear weapons, Russia could save humanity from a global catastrophe – has provoked plenty of reaction both at home and abroad. Partly because of the author’s status – he has been an advisor to both President Boris Yeltsin and President Vladimir Putin – and also due to the belief that his opinion may possibly be shared by some people in positions of power.

Dmitry Trenin, an extremely respected Russian expert who served in the Soviet military gives his response.

***

Professor Sergey Karaganov’s recent article brought into public focus the thorny issue of the use of nuclear weapons in the Ukraine conflict. Many reactions to the piece boil down to the well-known reasoning that there can be no winners in a nuclear war and thus it cannot be fought.

Against this background, President Vladimir Putin, responding to a question at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, said that nuclear weapons are a deterrent and the conditions for their use is defined in a published doctrine. He explained that the theoretical possibility of using these weapons exists, but there is no need to use them now.

In principle, nuclear weapons have been “on the table” for Russia from the very beginning of the Ukrainian conflict precisely as a means of deterring the US and its allies from becoming directly involved. Nevertheless, repeated public reminders from Putin and other officials about Russia’s nuclear status have so far not prevented a growing escalation of NATO’s participation. As a result, it has become clear that nuclear deterrence, on which many in Moscow have relied as a credible means of securing the country’s vital interests, has proven to be a much more limited tool than they expected.

In fact, the US has now set itself the task – unthinkable during the Cold War – of trying to defeat another nuclear superpower in a strategically important region, without resorting to atomic weapons, but instead by arming and controlling a third country. The Americans are proceeding cautiously, testing Moscow’s responses and consistently pushing the boundaries of what is possible in terms of arms supplied to Kiev, as well as the choice of targets for them. From starting with anti-tank ‘Javelins,’ to eventually cajoling allies to send actual tanks, the US is now apparently pondering transferring F-16 fighter jets and long-range missiles.

It is likely that this US strategy is based on the belief that the Russian leadership would not dare use nuclear weapons in the current conflict, and that its references to the nuclear arsenal at its disposal are nothing more than a bluff. The Americans have even been calm – at least outwardly about the deployment of Russian non-strategic nuclear weapons in Belarus. Such “fearlessness” is a direct result of the geopolitical changes of the last three decades and the change of generations in power in the US and the West in general.

The fear of the atomic bomb, present in the second half of the twentieth century, has disappeared. Nuclear weapons have been taken out of the equation. The practical conclusion is clear: there is no need to be afraid of such a Russian response.

This is an extremely dangerous misconception. The trajectory of the Ukrainian war points to an escalation of the conflict both horizontally (by expanding the theater of military action) and vertically (by increasing the power of the weapons used and the intensity of their use). It must be soberly acknowledged that this momentum is heading towards a direct armed confrontation between Russia and NATO. If the accumulated inertia is not stopped, such a clash will take place, and in this case the war, having spread to Western Europe, will almost inevitably become nuclear. And after some time, a nuclear war in Europe will most likely lead to an exchange of blows between Russia and the US.

The Americans and their allies are truly playing Russian roulette. Yes, so far the Russian response to the bombing of Nord Stream, the drone attack on the strategic Engels airbase, the entry of Western-armed saboteurs into the Belgorod region and many other actions by the Washington-backed and controlled side has been relatively restrained.

As Putin recently made clear, there are good reasons for this restraint. Russia, the president said, is capable of destroying any building in Kiev, but will not stoop to the methods of terror used by the enemy. But Putin added that Russia was considering various options for destroying Western warplanes if they are based in NATO countries and directly take part in the war in Ukraine.

So far, Moscow’s strategy has been to allow the enemy to take the escalatory initiative. The West has taken advantage of this, trying to wear down Russia on the battlefield and undermine it from within. It makes no sense for the Kremlin to go along with this plan. On the contrary, it’s a better idea to clarify and modernize our nuclear deterrence strategy, taking into account the practical experience of the Ukrainian conflict. The existing doctrinal provisions were formulated not only before the start of the current military operation, but also apparently without a precise idea of what might happen in the course of such a situation.

Russia’s external strategy includes a basket of foreign diplomacy, information campaigns and other aspects – in addition to the military elements. The main adversary should be given an unambiguous signal that Moscow will not play by the rules set by the other side. Of course, this should be accompanied by a credible dialogue with both our strategic partners and neutral states, explaining the motives and objectives of our actions. The possibility of using nuclear weapons in the current conflict must not be concealed. This real, not just theoretical, prospect should be an incentive to limit and stop the escalation of the war and ultimately pave the way for a satisfactory strategic balance in Europe.

Regarding Russian nuclear strikes against NATO countries, as raised by Professor Karaganov: Hypothetically speaking, Washington would most likely not respond to such an attack with a nuclear response of its own against Russia – for fear of a Russian retaliatory launch against the US itself. This would dispel the mythology that has surrounded Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty for decades and lead to a profound crisis for NATO – possibly even the dissolution of the organization. It is possible that, in such circumstances, the Atlantic elites of NATO and the EU would panic and be swept aside by patriotic forces that would see for themselves that their security does not in fact depend on a non-existent US nuclear umbrella, but on building a balanced relationship with Russia. It is also possible that the Americans could decide to leave Russia alone.

It could well be that the calculation just described would ultimately be correct. But it is unlikely.

Yes, a US nuclear strike on Russia would probably not follow immediately. It is unlikely that the Americans would sacrifice Boston for Poznan, just as they were not going to sacrifice Chicago for Hamburg during the Cold War. But there will probably be some sort of response from Washington. Perhaps of the non-atomic type, which, without speculating too wildly, could be sensitive and painful for us. It is likely that with it, Washington would try to pursue a goal similar to ours: paralyzing the Russian leadership’s will to continue the war and creating panic in our society.

Moscow’s leadership is unlikely to capitulate after such a blow, since, at this stage, Russia’s very existence would be at stake. It is more likely that a retaliatory strike would follow, and this time, one can assume, against the main adversary rather than its satellites.

Let us pause before this point of no return and summarize our analysis tentatively.

Should the nuclear bullet be demonstrably inserted into the cylinder of the revolver that the US leadership is recklessly playing with today? To paraphrase a late American statesman: Why do we need nuclear weapons if we refuse to use them in the face of an existential threat?

On the other hand, there is no need to scare others with words. Instead, we have to prepare practically for any possible turn of events by carefully considering the options and their consequences.

The war in Ukraine has become protracted. As far as we can tell from the actions of the Russian leadership, it expects to achieve strategic success by relying on Russian resources, which are many times greater than those in Ukraine. It also relies on the fact that Moscow has much more at stake in this war than the West. This calculation is probably correct, but it should be taken into account that the opponent assesses Russia’s chances differently than we do and may take steps which could lead to a direct armed clash between Russia and the US/NATO.

We must be prepared for such a development. To avoid a general catastrophe, it is necessary to put fear of armageddon back into politics and the public consciousness.

In the nuclear age, it is the only guarantee of preserving humanity.

This piece was originally published by Russia in Global Affairs

American exports to China

“You have 6 months to show your Alien UFO evidence, or else” – US Senate

Is the new United States Navy DDG(X) an attempt to copy the Chinese 055 destroyer? Wouldn’t a new variant of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer be a better cost-effective option?

Nothing is cost-effective to the US military anymore. This DDG(X) program is mostly for cost-cutting by reducing quantity and making up by more advanced features. But US is clearly not the leader in this technological race. China already has 8 Type 055 in active service, plus more on the way (cooking dumplings). In any wars, preponderance in quantity is always the decisive factor. No exception. Same applies to the J-20 vs F-35 (with new ones stored pending final decision on revisions) and all munitions. This trend will continue to exacerbate the US disadvantage. The US is BROKE.

American exports to China

Russia STRIKES US Soldiers In Ukrainian Pizza Restaurant

https://youtu.be/ifaFXnPtOes

What was your first clue you were no longer as young as you thought you were?

I was about 40 and on my way home from my pool league one night, I went home the back way. That’s why I came up over a hill at an intersection and was confronted with a police road block. There was no other way to go.

Of course I’d been drinking, not lots but some. I’d planned to drink more when I got home. Besides that, the case that my cues go in looks like a rifle case and was laying out on the back seat. On top of that, my new insurance card was still sitting home on the kitchen table.

The cop looked in my window and said into his radio, “Let this one through. It’s just an old lady.”

I smiled, thanked him and left and cussed him the whole rest of the way home.

American exports to China

MY MOM IS PISSED!! My Mom Reacts To Thomas Sowell – Facts About Slavery Never Mention In School

United Airlines Flight 232

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This to me was some of the most heroic yet tragic crash-landings I have ever witnessed in Aviation. This wasn’t done by one pilot, but an entire crew. Flight 232 from Denver to Chicago suffered a complete loss of hydraulics due to a tail engine explosion, causing the crew to divert to Sioux City. These pilots were flying a plane with zero flight controls.

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It had no wing flaps, it had no rudder, no elevators, no VS, no brakes for landing; the plane could not even deploy its wheels without manual deployment and gravity. They could not control the pitch, the orientation, direction or the altitude with their flight controls.

The pilots had to solely rely on their two remaining engines to control the entire plane.

As there was a loss of flight controls, the plane banked right and nearly became inverted. To combat this, the pilots increased power on the right engine to keep the plane horizontally stable.
The plane also tried to pitch down, for which the pilots increased engine power even more to stop it from diving. But this caused the plane to overshoot and pitch up, causing a stall, so the pilots repeatedly had to increase and decrease engine power to keep the plane from falling out of the sky while keeping the right engine at high power.
While calling an emergency, the pilots had to make a right turn to the nearest airport. Since the airplane wants to bank right, the pilots used precious minutes of their time to commit a full left turn circle formation by using maximum power on the right engine to make the move.

For about 30 minutes, against complete loss of flight controls and multiple dangers, the pilots managed to keep the plane steady solely using the wing engines. But as engine power was high, it was flying too fast and too high for a safe landing. These pilots now had another dilemma: they had to slow down the plane to decrease altitude and speed while keeping the plane fast enough to keep it stabilized.

Unfortunately, luck was not on their side. Even after deploying gears to slow the plane down and managing to get the plane to descend, it was going way too fast for the plane to touch down in one piece. And so, the plane shattered across the field in Sioux City Airport going 270 km/h faster than normal.

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It might not sound like a successful landing, but it turned out over 60% of the occupants of this flight, including all pilots, survived the crash. There were 52 children on this flight – only 11 died. For such extreme conditions this plane underwent, touching the runway at nearly 3 times over the maximum landing speed and dropping nearly 9 m/s, catching fire, it was a miracle that anyone survived such a trip.

Everybody on this plane was supposed to be dead, but these pilots managed to wrestle back 184 people lives from their fate. Those men, with remarkable decision-making, communication and teamwork under possibly one of the worst conditions a passenger airplane could experience managed to look death in the eye and beat him at his own game.

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Edit: Aye guys, thanks for the up-votes. I just wanted to say that this was really a time where people came together at the right time and everybody did their jobs to the most perfect ability that set a standard and changed flying for years to come.

So I want to give credit to everybody on the ground as well, specifically emergency services without whose help and timing, a lot more people would have died. I also want to give credit to the ATC for handling this flight as well as the rest of the airport staff that provided critical medical attention to the injured. Clear weather as well.

And lastly the flight attendants, who unfortunately took the heaviest brunt on that crash for not only getting passengers into crash position but also moving them out of the plane broken in pieces when they were wounded as well! A group effort indeed!

If you instead of Xi Jinping was the dictator of China, how would you have gone about dealing with anti-China alliances like QUAD and AUKUS?

First thing is when you need a QUAD and AUKUS to counter you, that means you have to be congratulated for your growth and rising power

That’s huge FACE for Xi Jingping

That the Western World fears Chinas rise so much that they need so many Abbreviations

Next let’s see how Xi Jingping dealt with either?

With UTTER CONTEMPT

Let’s see the AUKUS first

Australia, UK and USA

Let’s see QUAD next

Japan, India, Australia and USA

First let’s neutralize India

Simplest thing. A Land invasion can pulverize the growing Indian economy and send it into Ukraine mode within a year and send Modi scrambling to the Negotiating Table

So India is neutralized by a simple land threat

That will be so for at least 20–25 years until India really achieve a minimum 60% indigenous mass equipment manufacturing for a full scale defense (India is at 9% as of 2023)

India needs at least $ 10 Trillion to stand upto China by which time China may stand to $ 30 Trillion

Next let’s Neutralize Japan

Japan’s entire Arsenal and manufacturing is 1/18 of China or around 5%

Japan was outproduced by USA in 1943 and today China beats that USA by almost 2.5 times

China’s land batteries can pulverize the entire Japanese shipping lines and blockade their access to Oil and Gas in a matter of minutes with Russia’s help.

That leaves UK and Australia

Lackey puppets whose military is zero

No way would they be the slightest threat to China

That leaves USA

Yes US is a serious adversary. Always was.

So that’s just US again no matter whatever form anything takes

China’s only real adversary is USA and everyone else is a second fiddle player with zero threat perception

South Korea is countered by North Korea

India is countered by a Two front crushing pincher plus a potential Indian Ocean lock in

Phillipines and Taiwan can be pulverized to pieces with mere land based launch attacks alone

Equivalent to Mexico and US

As they say, it’s childs play

The only time Xi would be terribly worried would be with a US — Russian alliance

That would worry Xi and give him sleepless nights

Xis greatest piece of luck was Biden treating Putin as a pariah and cementing an alliance with Russia which now makes Chinas position 20 times stronger

There are Two Lions facing an Older Lion and a bunch of small dogs and vultures

Hey guys, going to be in Yogyakarta, Indonesia soon and after in Bali, any tips on how to find weed there and friends?

My husband is a native Indonesian and a retired lawyer from the Indonesian consular section at the Indonesian Embassy abroad( KBRI). .𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀..In Bali, weed is also highly illegal. The possession, sale, and consumption of marijuana in Bali is punishable with 10 years in prison. Those caught trafficking weed in Bali can receive the death penalty. Weed laws in Bali are strictly enforced. Tourists caught smoking weed in public can sometimes manage to bribe their way out of a problematic situation.Using cannabis or weed in Indonesia can lead to a prison sentence of up to four years. Possession of marijuana, cannabis or weed incurs a maximum sentence of 12 years in prison and a maximum 8 billion rupiah in fines (around $560,000).

Producing, exporting, importing, or distributing any kind of drugs comes with a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine of 10 billion rupiah.

In some cases, the punishment for weed in Indonesia can be the death penalty. Such cases include the production, import, export, distribution, sales, purchase for dealing purposes, transport, and provision to others leading to permanent injury or death of cannabis in amounts of more than 1 kg or over five plants.

While rare, executions for drug smuggling do occur in Bali and Indonesia, even for tourists. In 2018 eventually nine travelers from Australia were convicted of smuggling cannabis out of Indonesia. Two were eventually sentenced to death and executed by a firing squad. Cannabis trafficking has incurred the death penalty in Indonesia. to death and executed by a firing squad. Cannabis trafficking has incurred the death penalty in Indonesia.

Nine Arrive at Indonesian Execution Island as Jokowi Spurns Clemency Pleas

Australian death-row prisoners Andrew Chan, center, and Myuran Sukumaran, left, are seen in a holding cell waiting to attend a review hearing in the District Court of Denpasar, on the Indonesian island of Bali, on Oct. 8, 2018

In the darkness of early morning hours Wednesday, Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were woken by the Kerobokan prison guards in Bali. It took them 10 minutes to wash and dress for the transfer to Nusakambangan, the prison island in Central Java, where death-row prisoners are set to face the firing squads.

Chan and Sukumaran, sentenced to death in for drug trafficking, are among a group of 10 prisoners slated to be executed in Indonesia. Despite numerous and repeated pleas from across the globe to spare them — some of whom, like the two Australians, say they have reformed behind bars — Indonesian President Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, stands firm on his decision not to pardon drug convicts on death row.

BABYMETAL- HEADBANGER. Rock Singer’s FIRST TIME reaction

Why is China always many steps ahead of India in everything, be it in military might, economic strength, making strategic friendship with countries by investments in order to surround India from all corners or surprising India with sudden attacks?

Oh there are so many things you could talk about beginning with the Democracy, Corruption, Rabble dominated elections, Inefficient Leadership, Disjointed Leadership, Poorer Quality of Education, Reservations etc etc. You could end up publishing a 700 Page Book on this.

To summarize why China is so ahead in everything however requires just two words – Decision Making & Accountability

Source: Alamy Stock Photo

China is divided into provinces and each Province has a Provincial Committee.

This Committee controls activities like Commerce, Agriculture, Industry, Education, Water Supply for the entire province, the villages and even the Cities within them.

Each Committee has a Sub committee consisting of Specialists. The Education Sub committee has Teachers and Education Experts most of whom have Degrees from Australia or Singapore or US or UK. The Industrial Sub Committee have experts on Industrial Production etc. No Political Hacks in the Sub Committee (Only in the Committees)

And Sub Committees have extraordinary powers.

They can make decisions in hours. They can offer a subsidy of 30% on a crop in 4 hours after a single meeting if 2/3 of the Sub Committee members agree. Even the Main Committee cannot oppose a Sub Committee decision unless 100% of the Committee members are opposed (Even one single person saying OK will ensure that the decisions go through).

A Sub Committee in a Chinese Province took the decision to Liquidate 36000 Swine (Pigs) to prevent an outbreak of Swine Flu in 2015. The Decision was implemented in 3–4 hours and the Swine Farmers were compensated with Money or Stock Animals. All decided by the Sub committee. Beijing was informed of this only a few days later.

This is called Decision Making Power

A Sub Committee can decide to clear out a Village in 42 days to accommodate a Manufacturing Plant and the Local CCP officials have to comply (The Party Hacks). They cannot object or write to Xi Jingping (Unless Xi Modifies the Laws).

The Result is BRUTAL EFFICIENCY

Decisions get taken in a matter of days or hours compared to months and years.

A New Plant has to be opened. Industrial Sub Committee clears it in 3–4 weeks. No interference from the CCP or its hacks.

A New disease is infecting Chickens – the Sub Committee can authorize liquidation of 500000 Birds without a 10 second hesitation – even if 200000 of them belong to the CCP Head of the District.

In India – the Opposite is true

There is No Decision making that can be done quickly.

You have State Ministers, Central Ministers, MPs, MLAs, Opposition Parties, Laborers, Sanghs, PILS that HC and SC will keep deciding on.

As a result – if there is a fear of a Crop Infection – the Farmer must cooperate – otherwise we have a Crop devastation in months. If some farmers who may not be literate enough ignore the blight even if a Zealous young agricultural officer (Assuming decent quality officers) points it out, the officer has to pass it to his boss to will toss it in the can and his boss and his boss and this minister and this community etc etc – until the Crop infection hits and destroys 50% of the crop leading to higher prices and more cribbing by the farmers.

If a Good Minister makes a decision that could improve life – BANG!!! A Nutcase goes to Supreme Court and files a PIL and delays it for months and months.

If a Decent Minister like Mr Goyal or Mr Gadkari implements a Traffic Fines and Violation Rule (Hasty in the short run since roads are so bad) – BANG!!! State Governments will destroy the plan. Fines on masks are an apt example.

This is one of the Biggest Reason why India fails even when compared to Democratic countries.

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This is a Former Railways Minister of China.

In 2011 – there was a Train Crash and 47 People Died and 472 were Injured.

The Chinese Government coughed up $ 3.785 Million Equivalent and conducted an Inquiry. In exactly 151 Days- the Committee presented the report.

A Single Signal Box had failed. A Young Engineer had sent 14 Memos to the Corresponding Officials who had ignored them. It would have cost $ 75000 equivalent to have modified the issue.

276 Officials were investigated and 251 were Acquitted or let off with a warning or fired with no further consequences.

25 Officials were found to be guilty and sentenced to terms between 15 months to Death Sentence for 4 People. The Railways Minister was sentenced to death. And not for his politics – as even the most liberal Chinese in US admitted.

The Best part was that in 151 Days or 5 months – the Issue was finished. 25 people were in Jail and new replacements had been hired and the boxes were modified.

Its called Accountability. A Single Signal Box fails because you did not modify it when you should have – Your fault – You are convicted of something called LOSS OF PUBLIC LIFE THROUGH CONSPIRACY OR NEGLIGENCE.

If Negligence is proven its a huge fine or 7 years jail.

If Conspiracy is proven – its a hail of bullets.

(The Man was reprieved and is serving a life sentence now)

Every Action in China is accountable. An Accident – Inquiries and the reason will always be detected and the wrong doers be punished. Brutally at times.

An Engineer who used a slightly inferior cement to finish his work faster on a bridge which collapsed ended up with a 1 year sentence and 100000 Yuan fine for Negligence. The Committee members were sentenced to between 4–7 years and Million Yuan fines for Negligence because They made the decision!!!!

An Abusive Cop was awarded 64 years Jail by the LEPPA courts for PUBLIC ABUSE (Commuted to 16 years in 2019). Policemen cannot beat up anyone (Unless for Political Reasons). A Policeman can beat you if you protest politically but if he beats you for any other reason – he will be roasted alive by the system.

Even in HK- Police have carte blanche to beat up and tear gas protestors but the same police beat someone for not paying interest for a loan shark – the policeman is boiled by the system and spends 1–7 years in Prison and a permanent spot on the blocklist.

Accountability keeps a country in check. Minimizes errors and ensures every decision better be as clean as possible.

In India – Engineers get 10 years in Jail while the Ministers and Officials who ordered him to do shoddy work end up with Crores of rupees and a handful of eyewash suspensions.

In China the floods caused a lot of trouble this year.

An Inquiry was set up and 198 people were examined. Ultimately it was found to be a Design error in the 1970s (They did not estimate so much rainfall).

A COVID 19 inquiry was set up and 750+ people were examined to examine the cause.

In India Demonetization destroyed the economy

Has a single inquiry been set up to examine?

We have had 10,000 decisions from 1947 to present which have all been horrible for the country. Millions of Accidents. Yet has a single inquiry resulted in massive change?

The Answer is NO. The Usual Arrest of Scapegoats, Eye Wash Suspensions but at the end of the day – Fearlessness among the Officials that the System is rigged in their favor and even if there is an Accident or public death – nothing is going to happen.

A Failed Giant Wheel in a UP Fair killed 8 people. The Giant Wheel Owner spent 5 1/2 months in Jail and faces a Case (For 21 years from 1999) but the Authorities who permitted the Giant Wheel, the Safety Inspector who issued the safety certificates and permits – all retired comfortably or are in promoted posts.

So China – Excellent Decision Making and Accountability

India – Zero Decision Making and Zero Accountability

In Every sphere this is the same.

Shri Narvane wants Blankets for his boys – he needs 100 permissions to get them sanctioned.

In China – a single call to the Office of the Procurer and in 10 hours – you have Blankets ready.

XYZ wants to build a Manufacturing plant for a Chemical in India – he needs the same license for safety from State and Centre which will take 9 months at the earliest and 24 months normally as every office in the State has to wet their beaks and every half wit will put in his thoughts.

XYZ wants to build the same Manufacturing Plant in Guangzhou. The Committee will conduct the inspections and issue a permit in 2 Weeks flat. No opposition from anywhere including Beijing.

By the time Indian permissions are still forthcoming – the Chinese factory will have imported their third batch of products.

However…..

In China – Manufacturers who produce shoddy products are hauled up and by law their entire shareholding can be taken by the Govt if they continue to produce inferior products

In India – Manufacturers have carte Blanche and can do what they like.

Thats the Long and Short of it.

As they say in Hindi “SAALA SYSTEM HI KHARAB HAIN”

Can China sustain economic growth at its current pace for another couple of decades? Why or why not?

Let’s calculate the economic potential

An Economy becomes saturated when 3/4 of its population becomes Middle Class

Then the only way an economy can keep growing is by migrants

Otherwise the economy can only sustain itself and maintain its prosperity

China is at 120 Trillion Yuan today

Yet only 50.42% of its populace are middle class

Therefore simple equations plus 2.4% annual inflation means the Chinese Economy s Saturation potential is

120 * 1.5 * 1.72 = 310 Trillion Yuan

Thus China’s Economic Saturation Potential is around $ 42 Trillion in 2050

China will reach 310 Trillion at least before it starts stagnating

After that only inflation and govt spending will allow the Chinese economy to maintain itself meaning real growth would be very less

Let’s see for India

India has 5.22% inflation

India has 26% Middle Class

Thus

India’s Economic Saturation Potential would be

246* 1.75* 2.83 = ₹ 1090 Lakh Crore

That’s $ 19.30 Trillion by 2050

After that Inflation and Government spending will allow the Indian economy to maintain itself with no real growth

Lets see the US Now

US has 77.14% Middle Class

So it’s already stagnating and sustaining itself only through its dollar dominance

If the USD falls to 35% as Global Reserve

US Economic Value by 2050

$ 24.33 * 0.98* 1.453 =$ 34.64 Trillion

So no matter what happens except Nuclear War

China will become the world’s largest economy in size and potential and keep growing at least until 2050

India will probably reach around $ 19 Trillion before saturation

Sadly India lost nearly 25 good years 1975–2000 that will affect us permanently plus another 15 good years from 2008–2023 that would affect us badly

Nothing the US can do , can change this except maybe delay the same by 5 years or so

Forbidden Archaeology: Lost Giants of America | The Smithsonian’s Biggest Secret

Have you ever bought a car that didn’t run and found that it was an easy fix?

Yes, actually I didn’t buy it. I got it for free……. It wasn’t a car, But an RV…. Yes an actual RV. It was a 2002, 26 foot class A RV. It was in perfect condition. Just didn’t run. Inside was perfect. The RV only had 16000 miles on it. Generator only has 30 hrs on It. The RV was practically new. The guy that owned it didn’t want it anymore. He was paying storage to park it. He said he didn’t want to pay storage anymore for an RV that didn’t work. I guess it wouldn’t start one day. He took it to a shop and they told him the engine was blown and he needed a new one. The cost would have been around $8,000. Crazy. So he just parked it. So this guy who I didn’t know came to my work wanting to dispose of the RV. I said I would take it. I got the RV to my Mechanic. He looked at it and replaced a $70 part on the fuel system…. RV started right up!!!!! Ran perfect. Took it to a smog shop and it passed in a few min. I couldn’t believe it. I got an $25000 (today’s value, new was over $100k) RV for free!!!! Best RV ever. I have driven that thing all up and down California. Amazing. What a find….

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The Truth Can Be Scary! Paul Harvey: If I Were The Devil…

The real risk of China’s presence in Cuba

China’s enhanced intelligence-gathering and new military presence in Cuba shows Beijing simply no longer cares what the US thinks

by Evan Ellis June 30, 2023

The Wall Street Journal reported this month that the People’s Republic of China has heavily invested in a cash-strapped Cuba in exchange for access to an electronic intelligence collection (ELINT) facility, and negotiated an agreement to train Chinese soldiers on the north side of the island.

These developments have been met with great concern in Washington, particularly due to the strategic threat that the PRC’s presence in the region poses.

China’s history of US intelligence collection through Cuba can be traced back to 1999 when Cuba granted the PRC access to facilities at Bejucal, a city just south of the capital, previously operated by the Soviet Union, to collect intelligence on the United States.

More recently, the Biden administration’s response to the WSJ’s report confirmed that the Chinese had indeed been operating an intelligence facility in Cuba for some time, and had only upgraded it in 2019. This ran counter to presidential spokesman John Kirby’s characterization of the reports of China’s “building” of the base.

However, the dialogue left unclear exactly how much money the PRC has invested towards the 2019 upgrade and whether or not it was included as part of the debt restructuring and investment credits awarded by the PRC to Cuba this past November.

By contrast, the possible rotation of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) military personnel through the island for training crosses a small, if important, threshold with respect to an enduring Chinese military presence close to the US mainland.

Regardless of the minutiae involved, both developments showcase an increased disposition by both Cuba and the PRC to take risks through explicitly US-focused military initiatives, in ways that suggest it’s willing to take similar risks in other areas as well.

This has significant implications for the United States, necessitating an appropriate, and carefully crafted response from Washington to both current and future events involving both parties.

In the case of Cuba, the government’s willingness to host military threats to the United States has remained consistent since the 1962 missile crisis.

That being said, the regime’s willingness to permit PRC military operations on the island, with the added risk that they might be discovered by US counterintelligence, more greatly highlights the regime’s current desperation for resources amid increasingly severe shortages of food, fuel and medicine – which have prompted a growing exodus of refugees from the island and inspired scattered protests that led the government to temporarily shut down the internet.

Such desperation is consistent with Cuban government behavior surrounding shortages, such as offering Russian investors notable tax breaks, long-term land leases, and options to repatriate profits, in exchange for investments aimed at addressing deficiencies in the country’s petroleum supply, rum and food production.

As for the PRC, the willingness to host anti-US-focused military capabilities for both intelligence collection and training in proximity to the continental United States is a stark departure from the PRC’s otherwise restrained military engagements in the region.

Previous PRC military engagements in the region consistently focused on hospital ship visits, participation in the United Nations Peacekeeping force in Haiti (MINUSTAH), training and professional military exchanges and institutional visits.

Even if the PLA electronic intelligence presence in Cuba is not new, the 2019 upgrade suggests a decreased concern over alarming or upsetting the United States, which may be, in part, a move emboldened by Xi Jinping’s government’s growing military power and confidence as well as growing military tensions with the United States.

It suggests a growing PLA willingness to construct military operations against the United States in the Western Hemisphere, which will surely fuel a reassessment of the interpretation of its security, people-to-people and commercial activities in the region.

The presence of the PLA is ever-expanding. The intelligence operations at Bejucal are probably not a game-changer in terms of capabilities. However, they pose a dangerous complement to the expanding array of other PRC operations to act on and use against the United States in both peace and wartime.

These include numerous Chinese commercial facilities close to US shores, from Hutchinson-operated ports in Mexico, the Bahamas and Panama to hundreds of PRC-owned business facilities in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, which could be used to “host” PRC Ministry of State Security personnel.

PRC options to use against the United States also include the numerous Latin American military, police and other government officials who regularly travel to mainland China for “people-to-people diplomacy,” some of whom may be used to provide insights to the Chinese and be labeled by them as friends or “paid consultants.”

As seen by the practices of PRC “police stations,” other options include ethnic Chinese in the region who may be induced by the PRC to cooperate in the interest of familial ties. In addition, the PRC capabilities may also be supplemented by those of Cuban intelligence and those of other anti-US regimes, with personnel in both the United States and throughout the region.

Beyond its facilities and human intelligence capabilities and options, the PRC also has the ability to capture data relevant to US security in the region through its vast and expanding digital footprint there. This is because any Chinese company operating within the United States, under the 2017 PRC National Intelligence Law, is required to turn over any data that may be relevant to security to the PRC.

Some of these architectures, such as Huawei, ZTE, Xiaomi, Oppo and others in the region’s telecommunications infrastructure, can utilize exploitable sensitive data against Latin American government officials and political entities. For example, Huawei uses cloud computing, along with “Smart” and “Safe Cities,” which utilize surveillance technology. Didi Chuxing, a ride-hailing application, has been known to collect trip data on its users.

These are but a few examples of Chinese companies operating within the region that deal with sensitive data that can be subject to exploitation.

In the event of war between the United States and China over Taiwan, anti-US countries close to the United States like Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua would likely be too vulnerable for the PLA to base in them traditional forces such as aircraft and ships for attacks against the United States.

Still, Cuba and other such countries could serve as key staging areas from which the Chinese could observe and disrupt US deployment and sustainment flows, along with other war-critical operations, which would put the United States and its allies at risk.

Both the presence of the Chinese-operated electronic intelligence facility and the development of a PLA training operation on the island will certainly help the PRC to create favorable conditions to counter the United States.

While it is true that the United States and other democratic states conduct international waters and airspace operations under the freedom of navigation principle (FONOPs), the United States cannot simply tolerate an intelligence collection facility 100 miles from its shore operated by its principal geopolitical rival, nor the rotations of PLA military personnel through the island. Such acts of espionage go beyond the simple characterization of “what rivals do” and should be met with a response.

Besides military strikes or other extreme measures that would ultimately be counterproductive for the relationship with the region, the United States most likely can neither persuade nor coerce Cuba and the PRC into abandoning their US-focused military cooperation.

However, this should not prevent the United States from exploiting all other available means to maintain pressure on, and isolate, the Cuban regime and China. Doing so helps limit the ability to extend both anti-US intelligence collection and other capabilities elsewhere.

It also strongly signals to others that the United States draws the line, and will extract a high price, for explicitly collaborating with extra-hemispheric rivals in ways that threaten US security.

Evan Ellis(r_evan_ellis@hotmail.com) is Latin America research professor with the US Army War College Strategic Studies Institute. The views expressed here are his own.

This Is So Accurate! Paul Harvey Freedom To Chains 1965 | REACTION

Pennsylvania Dutch Sour Cream Cabbage

Ingredients

1 medium head cabbage, shredded
1/2 cup vegetable oil (for frying)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 pint (2 cups) sour cream
2 cups distilled white vinegar

Instructions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add cabbage, salt and pepper and cook until tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
Mix sugar and flour together in a medium bowl, then add sour cream and mix well; finally stir in vinegar and mix well.
Add mixture to cabbage and simmer all together until desired consistency is reached.

Yield: 8 to 12 servings

“I Was Made In China” – Funniest EVER AGT Audition?! | Australia’s Got Talent 2022

Do you agree with China’s decision to cut key lending benchmark rates to shore up economic activity?

Absolutely

China could have chosen the safe way which was Exports and Real Estate

They could have complied with US orders, done what the US told them to do and by this time Russia would have been in dire straits

China would have been free from Western Propaganda and would have been hiding all those skeletons in their real estate market

However Xi Jingping chose the far more complicated path of ending dependence on US and cleaning the gutter that was Real Estate Regulations

Thus China’s biggest earners Real Estate and Exports have been throttled

China wants to replace them with Domestic Consumption and Domestic Industry

That means more credit and cheaper loans

That means lower rates

That means lesser investments into China

That means lesser demand for the Yuan

I wholeheartedly agree

The Chinese are looking 20 years ahead

They may face small troubles now but they will soon manage to catch up and accelarate

In the process they will surely decimate the Western dominated economy

The Dragon is rising and is unstoppable today

The West can see it but seem to be helpless because whatever they throw at the dragon, he absorbs and keeps moving on

I will venture a guess and say Hu Jintao would have bent the knee by now

He was much weaker than Xi Jingping

Avantgardey Full Performance | America’s Got Talent 2023 S18E02

What fictional disease would be scariest if it were real?

I’m a fan of the old school virus, Andromeda Strain.

This is from Michael Crichton’s 1969 novel, made into a film in 1971 by Robert Wise, who had directed West Side Story and the Sound of Music, and would go on to direct the first Star Trek movie. I would describe it as a science fiction medical procedural alien pandemic thriller.

It doesn’t mess with your mind or turn you into a zombie, it just kills you. Death isn’t painful or gruesome, nothing like that, it’s instantaneous. The original un-mutated form clots your blood into dry sand in a matter of seconds.

But… it has no DNA, RNA, amino acids, or common organic chemicals. It’s extraterrestrial, falling to earth on a satellite that was knocked out of orbit. It turns any energy you can throw at it into food, Godzilla style, so it can’t be killed. And it mutates quickly to becoming non-lethal, eating plastic, and escaping out into Earth’s upper atmosphere, where it keeps mutating.

It’s scary as existential dread, us alone in a cold, empty, hostile universe, where the first and only extraterrestrial life we find is a virus that defies our understanding.

There are plenty of real diseases as bad as anything in fiction, by the way.

AFRICAN GIRL FIRST TIME HEARING LUCIANO PAVAROTTI – NESSUN DORMA | THIS IS A MASTER CLASS

What’s been the most mind-blowing example of incompetence ever displayed by one of your coworkers?

My very first professional job in an engineering firm about a million years ago lol.

Designing a concrete retaining wall to stop rubble falling down a hill and into a person’s backyard. A very simple design. Concrete block, reinforcement. I got the sketches from a senior engineer, PhD, always made sure to tell everyone. I drew them as given to me, made a blueprint, and added a note saying I seem to be missing any details for horizontal tie backs, long rods that are drilled into the hill to stop the wall from falling over.

Dick head rights a large angry response in red Sharpie on the drawing basically saying, how dare some scum like me without a PhD have the audacity to question his truly godlike and glorious level of knowledge. Do the fucking drawings as I’m told or quit.

Alrighty then asshole.

I mentioned this to one of my co-workers and he tells me, keep that drawing safe as if it is your firstborn child. Hide it somewhere. Hide it somewhere very good. Make a photocopy of his note. Hide that somewhere even better.

Quite some time passes and a bunch of rubble falls down the hill, and doesn’t the freaking wall fall over. All because there are absolutely no tie backs keeping it from falling over.

Later one evening as I’m about to go home I get called down to the CEO’s office. Inside are a couple of their lawyers, all of the senior staff, and little old me. Probably the youngest person in the entire company.

Lawyer proceeds to tell me I am fucked. I did not do this to PhDs specifications and they are going to screw me six ways of Sunday.

Like fuck I think. I say wait here, under a few protests I stomp out, down to my office, find the drawing, come back in unfold the part with his note on it. He does not look happy. The lawyer does not look happy. In fact no one looks happy except me.

I look up and say any other questions? The lawyer says no I think we’re done here kind of have that drawing please. Me: not a fucking chance. And I’m quite willing to physically fight anyone who tries to take it from me. There were no takers lol. So back to my office, grab my shit and went home. The next day told my boss, he laughed, my coworker laughed, bet the PhD didn’t laugh. And that was that. Not surprisingly, when my term of employment ended, they didn’t renew it. How dare I not become the fall guy!

MY FIRST TIME LISTENING THE CRANBERRIES – ZOMBIE REACTION (Quite Emotional For Me)

China will not be another Soviet Union, but forge its own path

By Hu Xijin Published: Jun 29, 2023 05:15 PM

The New York Times, citing a public opinion poll by the Roper Center, said Americans’ views of China are starting to resemble their views of the Soviet Union decades ago. This has reinforced the hardline China policy adopted by the US government, and vice versa. The NYT article also cited experts who claimed that China and the US “are really in a serious competition,” with escalation on one side leading to escalation on the other, and that they are in a cold war.

The US is moving toward a new cold war.

As the article said, a series of policies toward China since the Trump era, including the “competition” mentioned by US President Joe Biden, have increased the American public’s hostility toward China. However, I believe that China will never become another Soviet Union, participating in the “serious competition” led by the US, or a true Cold War. China will have the wisdom and the ability to increase the powerful variables into the historical trajectory and steer mankind toward a different future.

First, China indeed is not the Soviet Union.

Fundamentally speaking, China is an open country, while the Soviet Union was closed. China’s opening-up was a result of its own will, as well as the general environment. China operates as a market economy, with a prominent export-oriented nature, and there is a high degree of freedom in personnel and cultural exchanges with the outside world. In contrast, during the Soviet Union era, ordinary people of the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries were unable to travel to the West. These countries operated under a planned economy, where people earned the same no matter whether they worked hard or not. Additionally, there was no Internet or channel for the public to express their demands, and information was highly restricted.

Today’s Chinese society is completely different.

Chinese people’s views on the US are becoming more and more negative, and the “hostility” toward the US is increasing. However, this “hostility” is primarily directed at the US policy toward China and its hegemonism, rather than being “incompatible” with the US. Most Chinese people support, or do not oppose the idea of easing relations with the US.

As China is not the Soviet Union, the US will certainly miscalculate if it treats China as the Soviet Union. It will mess itself up, and its China policy will yield minimal results. For example, the idea of “decoupling” will not hinder China’s economic development, but will promote China’s independent technological innovation and damage the interests of leading American technology companies. While the US attempts to strategically encircle China, many of these efforts are merely superficial. Despite spending significant resources, the US will not be able to effectively contain China’s rise.

China needs to maintain strategic composure.

This composure, first and foremost, means that we are firmly aware that we are not the Soviet Union. At the same time, we are determined not to follow the Soviet Union’s path, but to forge our own unique strategic path. China will not engage in global military competition with the US; instead, we will pave the way globally through economic cooperation. In doing so, the win-win mechanism of China’s economic exchanges with other countries will mobilize more global forces to stand with China and dismantle the US strategy of containing China. The presence of US military bases and alliance systems around the world will become ineffective and will not be of much help to the US.

China’s military power is primarily used for strategic deterrence against the US, making it so that although the US has military advantages, it dares not resort to military blackmail against China. In addition, our military power is used to defend core interests, especially when it comes to the resolution of the Taiwan question, we must have the final say. We adopt a defensive military strategy, but in the Taiwan Straits region, we have gradually formed a local absolute military advantage. We will not engage in military confrontation with the US in regions far away from China’s core interests. However, if the US military comes to China’s nearby waters, especially if it intervenes militarily in the Taiwan Straits and assists the “Taiwanese military” in a possible future Taiwan Straits war, the People’s Liberation Army will not hesitate to “beat the crap out of” those US troops. We will always make our determination clear to the US.

China’s public opinion will inevitably form an opposition to that of the US. The more rampant the US side is, the more determined we become.

At the same time, as a whole, the Chinese people cannot be restrained by the political and opinion elites of the US. We must prevent ourselves from unconsciously approaching the role of the Soviet Union just because they treat China as such. This should be a long-term vigilance for us.

How the US describes and treats us is one thing, while it’s another crucial matter for us to adhere to China’s comprehensive self-development and maintain a big picture and pace. China’s development must be prioritized over struggle against the US. Self-development and self-strengthening must always be the focus of China.

In this way, the US’ containment strategy against China will ultimately end in shameful failure.

Therefore, I also believe that the most important thing is not how to label the current tension between China and the US, but rather, we need to have a different mindset and approach from the Cold War era. We must fully mobilize and utilize the enormous resources and advantages that the Soviet Union did not have, and draw a beautiful strategic curve for the Chinese people in the 21st century to break through the US containment.

PLA Has Capability, Confidence to Smash Taiwan Separatist Attempts, Foreign Interference: Spokesman

What does it look like when all the jobs dry up? It looks like America today

The grand Ponzi scheme is coming to an end. And the West is slowly shutting down, turning off the lights, and starting the long slow slide into the night.

Let’s have some fun…

If This Was Not Caught On Camera No One Would Have Believed It

We start with a MUST WATCH video. Strange but amazing nature.

Pennsylvania Dutch Brownies

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 (1 ounce) square unsweetened chocolate
1/4 cup light molasses
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 1/8 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Instructions

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 13 x 9-inch metal baking pan; set aside.
In a 4-quart saucepan, melt butter with chocolate over low heat. Remove saucepan from heat. With wire whisk or fork, stir in molasses, then eggs.
With spoon, stir in flour, ginger, cloves, baking soda, salt, 1 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon just until blended. Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted 2 inches from edge comes out clean.
Meanwhile, in cup, combine remaining 2 teaspoons sugar and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon; set aside.
Remove pan from oven; immediately sprinkle brownies with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Cool brownies in pan on wire rack at least 2 hours. When cool, cut brownies lengthwise into 3 strips, then cut each strip crosswise into 5 pieces. Cut each piece diagonally in half.

Source: Good Housekeeping Christmas Joys – Hearst Books

China NOW Controls the Future of the 21st Century

Why did China participate in WWII?

They didn’t exactly choose to participate.

One morning Chinese civilians in Manchuria woke up to this:

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Japanese troops marching through their town.

Of course I use “woke up” in a metaphorical sense. They probably heard the Japanese army coming, and many of them were killed by bombs and artillery before the troops actually marched into town, but the invasion itself caught a lot of people(including some members of the Japanese government) by surprise.

The Japanese military(acting somewhat insubordinately from the government in Tokyo) launched an invasion of Manchuria(in northern China), and the Chinese had to respond with war.

It isn’t like the Japanese called up the Chinese and said “Hey we want to go to war, if you are interested call us back”….the Chinese weren’t given the option. China got invaded and the Chinese had to respond. Since China was struggling with internal political problems this wasn’t exactly the best timing for an invasion, but as a country they had to rally together to defend themselves against the invasion.

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As you can see the Japanese made it pretty deep into China. The traditional heart of Chinese civilization is the Hebei, Henan, Shanxi region which was almost completely conquered by the Japanese at one point. With such a fast acting, dangerous enemy China had to fight back, otherwise they could risk being completely subjugated by the Japanese.

Life under the Japanese occupation forces was brutal. Normal civilian women were raped almost daily, people were shot for no reason, living conditions were rough, and the Japanese would conduct horrific experiments on the people of China. It was in every Chinese citizen’s best interest to resist this occupation, lest they live a life under such an oppressive regime.

British police detain journalist Kit Klarenberg, interrogate him about The Grayzone

British counter-terror police detained journalist Kit Klarenberg upon his arrival at London’s Luton airport and subjected him to an extended interrogation about his political views and reporting for The Grayzone.

As soon as journalist Kit Klarenberg landed in his home country of Britain on May 17, 2023, six anonymous plainclothes counter-terror officers detained him. They quickly escorted him to a back room, where they grilled him for over five hours about his reporting for this outlet. They also inquired about his personal opinion on everything from the current British political leadership to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

At one point, Klarenberg’s interrogators demanded to know whether The Grayzone had a special arrangement with Russia’s Federal Security Bureau (FSB) to publish hacked material.

During Klarenberg’s detention, police seized the journalist’s electronic devices and SD cards, fingerprinted him, took DNA swabs, and photographed him intensively. They threatened to arrest him if he did not comply.

Posted by: b | May 31 2023 13:54 utc | 1

China is a far better place to live than the US!

How do you survive while serving your sentence at a correctional facility? How do you stay sane while in prison or a halfway house?

This is me after 27 years, 3 months, 3 weeks, and 2 days. I think I’m fairly sane:

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It’s a question of mentality. I know I have habits from decades in prison that people find strange. I’m a little OCD about my routines and keeping everything clean. But it’s all harmless. And some of it serves me well. These are products of the indoctrination of the Department Of Corrections.

While in prison, I tried to stay connected to the free world as much as possible. I read books, spoke to people on the phone, watched the news (slanted as it always is), and I listened to stories told by newcomers. It didn’t fully prepare me for what was waiting for me out here, but it helped.

For the first 17 years, I had no hope of ever getting out. But I learned to accept my situation for what it was. That doesn’t mean I gave up fighting to get out. It just means that I didn’t whine about my sentences. I deserved them. But I kept my nose in the Florida Law Weekly, Federal Law Weekly, FPLP (When it existed), and Prison Legal News, just in case there was a change in law. Eventually there was. It happened in 2012, but it still took 10 more years for it to impact my sentences and grant me an oppertunity to be out here.

That mindset. I got out 10 months ago. I have a job as a metal fabricator, I have a late model vehicle, my drivers license, a place to live and people who love me and rejoice in my freedom and success. It’s not hard. It just takes determination. It doesn’t “take” a strong mind, just the absence of a weak mind.

Humility. Remembering where I’ve been, and why. Treating people with kindness and compassion. Walking away and/or ignoring idiots. All things powered by our minds. Products of sanity. Prison is a physical place. You can keep it from doing too much damage to your mind.

What are some possible implications of military-to-military contacts between China and US all but evaporating in recent years amid a historic decline in governmental relations?

Typically, when the military communication between nations collapses, war soon follows. This is most especially true when (historically) China makes a public Casus Belli.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHgZ9xfL65k

It’s best not to try to talk with China if China doesn’t want to listen.

There have been several historical incidents in China where opposition military leaders or negotiators were returned back dead.

Here are a few examples:

1. The Battle of Muye (1046 BC) – During the battle, the Zhou army defeated the Shang army and captured their leader, King Zhou. However, instead of treating him with respect, the Zhou leader, King Wu, had him executed.

2. The Battle of Changping (260 BC) – During the battle, the Qin army defeated the Zhao army and captured their general, Zhao Kuo. However, instead of treating him with respect, the Qin leader, Bai Qi, had him executed.

3. The Battle of Red Cliff (208 AD) – During the battle, the allied forces of Liu Bei and Sun Quan defeated the army of Cao Cao. After the battle, two of Cao Cao’s generals, Pang De and Ma Dai, were captured and executed.

4. The Treaty of Nerchinsk (1689) – This was a treaty between the Qing Empire and the Russian Empire. The Qing negotiators, led by Songgotu, were unhappy with the terms of the treaty and refused to sign it. As a result, they were imprisoned and later executed.

5. The Tiananmen Square protests (1989) – During the protests, student leaders negotiated with the government for several weeks. However, when the government declared martial law and sent in the military, many of the student leaders were arrested and some were later executed.

6. The Urumqi riots (2009) – During the riots, Uighur leaders negotiated with the government for several days. However, when the negotiations broke down, the government sent in the military. Several Uighur leaders were arrested and some were later executed.

It’s worth noting that in some cases, the deaths of opposition military leaders or negotiators may have been the result of personal vendettas or political rivalries rather than a deliberate policy. Never the less, when dealing with the Chinese you must NEVER assume that they will behave in a well established Western fashion.

China is a nation of peaceful warriors. But with over 6000 years of fighting, they DO KNOW how to handle impertinent upstarts.

Watch out for Chinese cars, we are already behind!

If you could change one aspect of dating in your culture, what would it be?

Women need to start approaching men.

Good men are pretty timid in modern society, and rightly so. Most of the history of man has been mired in rape culture. We called it a lot of names, but it was rape culture. Feminists have spread that message well enough that good, kind, conscientious men know most of human history was one big rapist parade of female oppression.

And they don’t want to be part of that. If they can avoid it, they don’t even want to make a woman uncomfortable. They don’t want to put on the pressure that their gender thought was their birthright for millions of years, not even accidentally. This leads to a certain timidity in sensitive and considerate men, in men who are the best partners for most women.

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Not like this. This guy is clearly saying no. But you get the idea. Sadie Hawkins Day reenactment photo by Ed Westcott. Public domain.

Women only get to meet and date these men if they notice them, seek them out, and invite them home. Not quietly, not subtly, loudly and unabashedly. Speak clearly. Most men are simple creatures, and they appreciate it when women are direct.

Obviously, I don’t want women to become what men used to be. We need to take rejection just as gracefully as we always want men to take it. But we do need to step up and help men who take feminism’s message seriously find the partners they deserve.

That’ll never happen if we keep waiting for men to do all the work. We need to risk rejection, take our lumps, and find the nice guys we want. It’s our world if we want it. We should act like it.

China canceled orders worth billions of dollars from Germany

Recently, China has also wielded the sanction stick against the three major American military-industrial companies that enjoy the benefits of the Chinese market while undermining China’s interests. At the same time, China has tightened scrutiny of American chip companies, which has made Western countries quite uncomfortable. However, for Western countries, if they don’t even have the opportunity to benefit from China’s market, they will surely be furious!

https://youtu.be/6x-0QvIpIwE

Is the US creating three Asian Ukraines (South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines) to become frontline states to contain China?

It is trying.

It is bribing, coercing and threatening and using tons of U.S. taxpayers money to do this shit without much success.

I know your media fooled you into thinking South Korea, Taiwan and Philippines are on your side and willing to do shit on China. Nothing can be further than the truth.

Let’s talk about South Korea. They are oriental and the a from the same Confucian school of thought. The politely nod and give the impression they will but they are no fools. The squeeze. A ton of concession from the US to just bark without biting China whine they know either enrich them or bankrupt them. They know where their bread is buttered.

China and Korea has a few thousand years relation and their cousins and and relatives were biologically murdered by the Americans and quietly they assured the daft yanks that they will bark but won’t agree to let them even shot a bow and arrow at China. Singing American pie for a billion dollars is worth it.

Taiwan has 60% of its income from China, 99% of its inhabitants has a relative, friends, families or associates in China. The chance of Taiwan playing ball with you is zero and none. Sure we will cajole and encourage you to spend a trillion dollar on us and may be, perhaps, hopefully one day in the next ten thousand years time we may be foolish enough to be your dog. Meanwhile go play with your Anglo slaves. UK and Australia. They will serve you well.

China’s Going For Flying Train Of Speed 4000 KM/H

https://youtu.be/RaAfXIRMak4

“This past weekend officers were dispatched to a theft report.”

“They arrived and found that a 14-year-old’s birthday gift, a lawn mower, was stolen. After learning the victim mows the elderly’s lawns for free, they felt it necessary to find a way to get the young man a new lawn mower. After gathering contributions from fellow west sector officers, Officer Seibert ran to Lowe’s and purchased a new lawn mower and gas can for this young man.

This photo was shared to Evansville Watch, which is how we found out about the incident. EPD has many selfless officers that don’t want the notoriety when they do good deeds, but it’s often hard for us to overlook. Thank you Officer Seibert and Officer Siegel for proving what great officers our community has.”

Love What Matters

World War II Paintings From The Soviet Union

We tend to forget how horrific World War II was for the Soviet Union. Here’s a fascinating collection of Soviet War paintings.

China’s High-Speed Sleeper Trains

China must not allow India to act like the Trojan Horse in the BRICS

Recently, an American senator has recommended making India a NATO+ member. This proposal is viewed as an extension of the American military satellite camp, which includes Israel, Japan, Australia, and South Korea. These countries are deeply aligned with NATO’s agenda, as they aim to maintain Western hegemony on the world stage.

Of course, this statement was a proposal by an American senator and also something that the US has always wanted to do in Asia — to bring India under its control as a means to counter China. For now, the good news is that India has not yet released any official statement on this matter. Personally, I don’t think it is likely to happen. However, considering India’s alignment with the West when it comes to China and its current status as a Quad partner, there is still a risk that exists. Nevertheless, let’s consider a typical scenario of what could happen if India simply decides to go the Trojan Horse way.

What do I mean by this statement?

It is worth noting that India is also aligned with the rising East, which has been actively pursuing a long-term plan to rebuild the financial system in a more equitable manner that promotes Eastern interests. India is a part of two important blocs: the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS. The BRICS bloc comprises China, Russia, India, Brazil, and South Africa.

As we are aware, the BRICS bloc has garnered significant attention in recent years for its advocacy of de-dollarization. Nations worldwide have shown interest in joining this bloc due to their confidence in its ability to assist countries in breaking free from Western hegemony. India, being a part of this bloc, shares common interests in this regard. Additionally, India maintains a neutral stance towards Russia, which enables it to purchase oil at discounted rates. Furthermore, the friendship between India and Russia remains strong, with India regarding Russia as a valuable partner in terms of both the economy and military cooperation.

But again, India is a real “B.” Not only does it position itself as a rising power that can serve as an alternative to the current Western order, but it also appears to be aligning more closely with the West. One key goal is to promote Hindutva supremacy in other South Asian countries and to work towards containing China. China is seen as the biggest factor hindering India’s establishment of supremacy in Southeast Asia. Therefore, one can argue that India is acting as a Trojan Horse within BRICS. It doesn’t seem fully committed to being a trustworthy partner and instead appears to be a country that is reluctant to share power with other nations, preferring to exert its own rule.

Being a part of the NATO+ member comes with more risks than benefits. It will inevitably increase concerns among Southeast Asian nations about the future in their region, as tensions may escalate between the Asian powers. In recent years, Southeast Asia has slowly deviated from its status as a peaceful region free of conflict, especially since the US introduced its Indo-Pacific Vision. In a scenario where India joins NATO+, it would effectively transform India into a loyal servant of the West, aiding the West in achieving its goal of bringing India into its military camp.

Overall, it would be unwise for India to perceive any benefits in obtaining this status. Firstly, it is widely known how divided the country is, with many states not having Hindi as their primary language. Recent revolts against the Indian government, particularly concerning the BJP’s plans to enforce Hindi as the sole language across all of India, highlight the potential disregard for other languages in various states. Such a move could be seen as an affront to the linguistic diversity within India.

The good thing about British is that they imposed English or else India would be divided into many countries, because English is a bridge for many cultures inside India to understand each other.

China has options to keep India checked

The first answer lies in Pakistan. Oh yes Indiiians, I know, it is the poorest country, with most people lacking basic access to their human needs to maintain a normal lifestyle. However, it is important to note that there is also a “rich Pakistan”, particularly within the military itself. Despite any economi crises, the military will never allow itself to remain weak and has invested billions towards making it strong. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that the military controls key aspects of the economy.

Yes, Pakistan alone may not be a match for India. However, just imagine the scenario if China and Pakistan joined forces to launch a military intervention on Indian soil. It would be an absolute disaster for India and could potentially turn the country into a second Ukraine. Let’s not forget the historical fact that China was able to reclaim the lost land of Aksai Chin from India, even when it was not as powerful as it is today.

Of course, I am being hyperbolic with the first option. China does not operate in the same way as Western countries. However, as I mentioned earlier, if tensions continue to escalate, particularly regarding the unresolved border issue, it could potentially lead to a dire scenario. This would be the worst-case scenario for the India itself.

RUSSIAN Doomsday Planes Sent to SIBERIA, STRATCOM Targeted

When did you need somebody but nobody was there for you?

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I once saw something that I couldn’t explain to anyone and I probably can’t now.

One day I was walking home and almost in front of me a man just fell down.

Backwards away, just straight on the back of the head.

An insanely loud crash.

I’ve never heard a noise like that before.

I immediately went over to him, crouched down and looked at him.

And I saw his eyes.

They were wide open and I saw him walk away.

I saw it. He left his body and was “gone.”

The eyes were now empty. No one at home.

I started talking to him, I don’t remember what, some soothing stuff.

I got in touch with him.

And after a while I saw that he was back.

I know I brought him back by talking, I just know it.

The ambulance that somebody had gone for then came.

I stood up. All of a sudden, I was shaking all over and became freezing.

I asked someone to help me, but no one understood what was wrong with me.

I went home and was still in shock for a very long time.

Through the end-of-life care I’ve done, I’ve seen death many times.

But never, never, have I seen it as I did that day.

I would have liked someone to talk to me myself afterwards.

But I was alone and had to cope, and I didn’t know how to tell anyone.

China’s Explosive Chip Technology Breakthroughs Shock the World

https://youtu.be/nJZbMx2Oh3g

China goes crazy again with one of a kind supersonic drone

A Chinese supersonic combat drone has captured the world’s attention with its remarkable speed and formidable weaponry. Whispers of its unprecedented velocity have spread, leaving adversaries in awe of its lightning-fast strikes. The drone’s unmatched agility and maneuverability are said to surpass anything seen before, making conventional defense systems ineffective against its relentless attacks.

Revealed some years ago, the drone has now gained a new combat system which has made it formidable weapon and a force to be reckoned with. A recent leaked report shows China has been successful in making this drone the best version of itself and now the world is ready to see it.

Lets uncover China’s new WZ 8 Drone and it’s capability that gives China an upper hand in drone warfare:

The wez-8 Drone is a supersonic UAV meaning it can travel at speeds greater than the speed of sound, also it is a relatively small drone with a wingspan of around 9 meters and a length of 14 meters. The Drone is reportedly powered by a scramjet engine which allows it to reach speeds of up to Mach 3, nearly 3 times the speed of sound.

One of the key features of the wz8 Drone is its stealth capabilities the Drone has a low radar cross section making it difficult for enemy radar systems to detect it the Drone is also equipped with electronic warfare capabilities which enable it to jam enemy Communications and radar systems.

The wz8 Drone is also capable of carrying weapons although the specific weapons it is designed to carry have not been disclosed however given its Speed and Agility it is likely that the Drone could be used for air-to-air combat or for precision strikes on ground targets.

Potential uses the wz8 Drone is designed primarily for military use and its speed and stealth capabilities make it well suited for a variety of missions some potential uses for the wz8 Drone include surveillance the drone’s speed and range make it an ideal platform for reconnaissance and surveillance missions its stealth capabilities also make it difficult for enemy forces to detect electronic warfare the wz8 EW capabilities make it well suited for disrupting enemy Communications and radar systems + Precision strikes

The Drone Speed and Agility could make it an effective weapon for precision strikes on ground targets air-to-air combat given its supersonic Speed and Agility the wez-8 could potentially be used for air-to-air combat missions the wz8 supersonic combat drone represents a significant advancement in China’s drone technology capabilities.

China’s super Sonic drones provide an edge in surveillance, intelligence gathering and strategic operations, these drones offer unparalleled speed and agility enabling real-time information acquisition and Swift response capabilities.

China’s advancements in this field contributes to its National Security and enhances its military capabilities making it a formidable force in the global defense landscape like no other nation.

This unique drone is one of a kind in the world with no parallels. I am not sure if it is available for exports. Saudi and UAE would buy this in a blink of an eye.

The U.S. ‘won’t tolerate’ China’s ban on Micron and the Japanese have gone even further

As a black person, when did you realize that not all black people are your allies and not all white people your enemies?

When I was in the military, I found myself stationed in Korea near the DMZ. I was 18, from Chicago, and was considered one of the baddest and coolest guys in the unit. My parents were from the Jim Crow South, and white people were not at all favored in their estimate. By the same token, my personal experience with “Jon Burge” era perverted, genitalia focused, Nazi, and Klan cops, had left me equally jaded.

My racial epiphany occurred one night while on alert in a frozen bunker, and I fell asleep while others were on guard. To my shock and horror, I realized that my feet had essentially frozen, and I went into panic mode. To my surprise, all my “brothers” laughed at me like a clown as I stumbled around the bunker dreading the potential amputation of my feet. To be sure, it was the very worst experience of my young life on the other side of the planet, and I was really close to “losing” it.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, an avowed redneck named Turley from Georgia, grabbed me and pulled into a corner of the bunker. He took off my insulated boots, (which worked fine IF you kept it moving) opened his parka, and positioned himself so that my feet was inside of his outer garments and pressed solidly against his body. Before long, the feeling returned to my feet and I went about my duties. Despite my embarrassment, I never forgot what he did for me; and from that day on, I’ve never allowed race to be a factor in my estimation of my fellow man.

China to Retaliate Against US Ban on Huawei and WeChat by Removing Apple from Market

https://youtu.be/hJ9baEK6LHc

If a foreigner launch an app which take a large share from WeChat or Alipay, will Chinese government make him to sell it?

Absolutely not

Like i said China is a land of laws

China is absolutely 100% for free competition

However there are two points to consider :-

A. Chinese Data Security Laws

B. Chinese ability to build and scale their own apps

Chinese Data Security Laws are very stringent and very strong

In China , any app cannot own the Customer Data nor control the Customer Data. The Customer Data is like our AADHAR in India.

The Databases are controlled by the Government of China and the App can use the data but cannot transfer or control the data in any way whatsoever.

The Bad news is YOUR CAB INFORMATION CAN BE SEEN BY THE GOVERNMENT ANYTIME THEY CHOOSE TO SEE

The Good news is YOU WONT GET A SPAM CALL FROM A DUBIOUS “BANK MANAGER” asking for your ATM CARD NUMBER and OTP

So Uber cannot cash in on their Customer Database which they can do in almost every other country and even value this database in the Billions of Dollars

Neither can Didi or most other Chinese Apps

In China – DATA of Chinese Citizens is always controlled by the GOVERNMENT OF CHINA

Chinese are the worlds best app developers and they scale their apps superbly

So the Chinese will eventually make an app that is better than yours and more efficient than yours

This is a country where 9th Graders create apps

Its a hobby for many kids in China

So any foreign app must always ensure that their services are exemplary and have a unique edge that allows them to compete with the Chinese

Otherwise Chinese will run rings around them

So Chinese Government never forces anyone to sell their Apps especially foreigners

Its just that Chinas Data Security Laws and Chinas own ability to build apps means that Foreign Apps have tremendous competition and are easily eclipsed once a Chinese App really scales to that top level.

And if you think China has only 1–2

This Only Happens In China Technologies That Are On Another Level

https://youtu.be/YUsDJc6RPDs

China plans to perform a crewed lunar landing before 2030. What do you think of this goal?

I believe that it is actually going to be achieved. When China says it is going to do something; it invariably happens.

In fact, China already has this ability. It could probably cobble up some kind of craft from systems already in stock, and sail out to the Moon, land and return successfully. Give China about six months to make the necessary arrangements.

I will tell you all this, and you can “take it to the bank”;

China does things in clusters.
The cluster of activities will all fit together like pieces in a puzzle.
You will not see the entire outline of the puzzle until it is nearly finished.

As such…

The First landing on the moon by China will be one of many.
Every landing will have activities that will cycle towards one singular goal.
Evidence suggests that all the landings will be dedicated to the creation of a long-term habitat (or base) on the moon.

This base…

Will in itself have numerous functional objectives.
- Manufacturing.
- Sustainability.
- Mining.
- Industrial technology development.
- Construction technology development.

Resulting in…

The setting up for a Mars colony.

“They were all killed instantly!” – Donetsk under continued devastating attack

What are some possible implications of military-to-military contacts between China and US all but evaporating in recent years amid a historic decline in governmental relations?

Typically, when the military communication between nations collapses, war soon follows. This is most especially true when (historically) China makes a public Casus Belli.

It’s best not to try to talk with China if China doesn’t want to listen.

There have been several historical incidents in China where opposition military leaders or negotiators were returned back dead.

Here are a few examples:

1. The Battle of Muye (1046 BC) – During the battle, the Zhou army defeated the Shang army and captured their leader, King Zhou. However, instead of treating him with respect, the Zhou leader, King Wu, had him executed.

2. The Battle of Changping (260 BC) – During the battle, the Qin army defeated the Zhao army and captured their general, Zhao Kuo. However, instead of treating him with respect, the Qin leader, Bai Qi, had him executed.

3. The Battle of Red Cliff (208 AD) – During the battle, the allied forces of Liu Bei and Sun Quan defeated the army of Cao Cao. After the battle, two of Cao Cao’s generals, Pang De and Ma Dai, were captured and executed.

4. The Treaty of Nerchinsk (1689) – This was a treaty between the Qing Empire and the Russian Empire. The Qing negotiators, led by Songgotu, were unhappy with the terms of the treaty and refused to sign it. As a result, they were imprisoned and later executed.

5. The Tiananmen Square protests (1989) – During the protests, student leaders negotiated with the government for several weeks. However, when the government declared martial law and sent in the military, many of the student leaders were arrested and some were later executed.

6. The Urumqi riots (2009) – During the riots, Uighur leaders negotiated with the government for several days. However, when the negotiations broke down, the government sent in the military. Several Uighur leaders were arrested and some were later executed.

China is a nation of peaceful warriors. But with over 6000 years of fighting, they DO KNOW how to handle impertinent upstarts.

Why do African nations love China?

Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Bake

Chicken thighs are nestled in a deliciously-seasoned mixture of sauerkraut, onions, apple, apricots and raisins.

Ingredients

1 (2-pound) package Perdue® Fresh Chicken Thighs
Salt and ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1-2 tablespoons canola oil
1 (14-ounce) can sauerkraut, undrained
1 (14-ounce) can whole onions, drained
1 tart red apple, unpeeled, sliced or diced
6-8 dried whole apricots
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup brown sugar, or to taste

Instructions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Season thighs with salt and pepper.
In a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Cook thighs 6 to 8 minutes per side until browned.
Meanwhile, in 9 x 13-inch shallow baking dish, mix sauerkraut well with onions, apple, apricots, raisins and brown sugar. Nestle thighs into sauerkraut mixture.
Cover and bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through, and a meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh registers 180 degrees F.

Serves: 4

China Just Hacked The U.S. Navy…

Family

The first photo is of actor Pierce Brosnan and his wife of twenty years, at the beginning of their marriage.

The second photo is of them today.

When the fools pointed out to him that she had grown fat, he simply replied:

"She is in my eyes the most beautiful woman in the world, she raised my 5 children with love. In the past, I already loved her for her personality and not just for her beauty. Now I love her even more. I'm very proud of her and I always try to be worthy of her love."

That’s marrying a man who loves you as you are.

The Wildest And Weirdest Chinese EVs From The 2023 Shanghai Auto Show

Be the Rufus!

On my way home from a 12 hour day of cutting lawns, I seen this gentleman, I have no clue who he is to this day. But I said no way was I gonna let this guy tackle this on his own.

main qimg 93116db71238b79c15514545e6939a77

So I turned around and went back and unloaded my mower and drove across the street and ask the gentleman if I could help. His eyes lit up and I took that as a yes.

I ran down, jumped on my mower and went to work. As I’m cutting the lawn I look over and see the gentleman hunched over his wife, resting his head on her shoulder. So I get it knocked out in no time. I give them a thumbs up and proceeded to load my mower up.

The wife makes her way over before I could leave. She was so thankful! Their riding mower broke down and her husband has been mowing their big lawn with a push mower. It only took 15 mins of my time. I changed their life, for a small moment.

I hope someone reads this and feels like doing something good for someone tomorrow. I’m grateful to be where I’m at and I’m thankful for the people that help me get here.

Credit: J&J Lawn Service

After Macron came to China, France to sell a 6,675 square kilometer island to China

Sometimes there is nothing that you can do

Back to back, yesterday, I was walking down the stairs from the third floor to the elevator lobby, and as I rounded a corner, I saw a dead kitten. Somehow, it had crawled into the lobby and made it to the side hallway where it died. I tried to help it, as rigor mortis had not yet set in.

But it was dead.

I don’ know what killed it, or it’s background story.

But there was nothing I could do.

I arrived on the scene too late.

…

The day afterwards, I was driving from Zhuhai to Tanzhou and going though this super amazing mega-highway cross intersection. This intersection is a mix of 6, 26 lane roads, that weave in and out with overpasses and under passed reaching 4-quad intersections.

As I was speed up on the upper tier to the banding 8 line road I saw a kitten doing “the dance of death” in the middle of the massive traffic. There was nothing I could do.

No pull overs.

Traffic was flying. Poor visibility.

That kitten was fucked.

I feel so bad. But there was nothing I could do.

…

Stopping there was life threatening. And even if I somehow pulled over off the intersection, it would take me 15 minutes of walking on a super dangerous highway to get to it.

Somethings are beyond our control, and we must endure the feeling of utter helplessness as we watch the sad events transpire.

If you can help others, please do so. Just remember, some things are beyond our abilities.

Peace.

Interesting dialog from Frans

I not just a little bit, but entirely agree with you.

And I understand that it is difficult for people, not living in China, to entirely comprehend the strength, solidness and soundness of the Chinese policy makers. And the PLA strategy makers. One should not make the mistake to think that China’s policymakers use the same tools and the same mindset as the Americans.

I have full and unlimited confidence in the Chinese government, they have everything perfectly under control.

________________________

Frans Vandenbosch 方腾波

What Happens After Death? Explained From MEMORY

Huge Lost Maya City Has Emerged From the Jungle in Mexico

Mexican archaeologists harnessed the potential of LiDAR drones to undertake an extensive survey of the Yucatan Peninsula, yielding the remarkable discovery of a once-forgotten city. This extraordinary find includes pyramids, a ball court and sacred spaces distinguished by the presence of meticulously crafted stone columns.

Mexico’s National Institute for Anthropology and History ( INAH) has just announced that a team of archaeologists have identified a jungle-locked, ancient Maya city. Discovered deep in southern Mexico, the previously unknown city comprises large pyramids, stone columns, three plazas with “imposing buildings” and other sacred stone structures arranged in concentric circles.

INAH said the city is located in the state of Campeche, in the Balamku Ecological Reserve on the country’s Yucatan Peninsula . Archaeologists have named this lost Maya city in Mexico Ocomtun, which in the Yucatec Maya language means “stone column.” Speculatively, INAH said the city would have been an important Maya center for the entirety of the peninsula’s central lowland region, between 250 and 1000 AD.

High Living at Lost Maya City in Mexico

Reuters reported that lead archaeologist Ivan Sprajc said the lost Maya city was discovered during a March LiDAR exploration of a largely uncharted stretch of jungle in the Balamku Ecological Reserve, in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula . Boasting breathtaking biodiversity, this region preserves delicate ecosystems, including rich forests, deep cenotes and expansive wetlands.

Sprajc described the search zone as being “larger than Luxembourg,” so that’s about 2,586 square kilometers (998.67 square miles), or over 400,000 hectares. The Ocomtun site, like most other Maya settlements, is located on high ground overlooking extensive wetlands.

A Fully Functional, and Ritualized, Maya City

Ocomtun was once equipped with 15-meter (49.21 ft) high pyramidal structures and a ball court , for the playing of Pre-Hispanic ball games. Combining elements of sport, ritual and religious significance, this sport was played by ancient civilizations such as the Maya and Aztecs.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=wtX9IR_pIEc

Players used only their hips to propel a rubber ball through stone hoops, representing cosmic battles and fertility rites. So culturally important was this game that it was central in mythology and served as a way of offering the gods human sacrifices.

A series of central altars were discovered closer to the La Rigueña river, which INAH said “may have been designed for community rituals.” In a report by BBC, Ivan Sprajc explained that the cylindrical stone columns, which prompted the researchers to name the site Ocomtún, “were probably entrances to rooms in the upper parts of the buildings.” According to Sprajc, the city appears to have been significantly rebuilt between 800 and 1000 AD.

A City on the Edge of Life Itself

The La Rigueña River flows through the scenic landscapes of the area. Stretching across approximately 110 kilometers (68.35 miles), the river winds its way through lush forests, agricultural fields and picturesque towns. In Maya times, the river held significant cultural and practical importance, for it provided a vital source of freshwater for Maya communities, supporting agriculture, fishing and transportation.

An engraved stone discovered within the Balamku Ecological Reserve at the site of the lost Maya city in Mexico which archaeologists have named Ocomtún. (Ivan Ṡprajc / INAH)

No less important were the river’s banks, which witnessed bustling trade routes, with people using canoes to navigate its waters and exchange goods. In every way, this river was a lifeline connecting surrounding communities with the main city and sustaining their daily lives. Evidence suggests the lost Maya city entered a period of decline around 800 to 1000 AD, at which time the Lowland Maya civilization collapsed.

The collapse of the Lowland Maya civilization in the 10th century is a subject of debate, and archaeologists point to different factors, such as environmental degradation, political unrest, warfare and the decline of trade networks. It is most probable that all of these factors contributed to the collapse of the recently discovered Maya city in Mexico, but perhaps future excavations at Ocomtún will help answer this historical mystery.

Decision making centers will be destroyed. Russia warns US & UK

I’ve Always Said There Will NOT Be War Over Taiwan…Let’s Analyze It Point by Point

After the Blinken Visit To China, This is More Certain. 15 Points on Why

Mario Cavolo

Jun 20, 2023

ASSERTION: Despite some legitimate concerns on a war / military escalation happening over Taiwan expressed by many other respectable, reasonable China watchers including some really big potatoes 大土豆 while I myself am certainly just a small potato 小土豆, I have stayed firm these years on my view there will NOT be a war over Taiwan.

Now I am more certain than ever. If you would like to listen to my audio reading of this article click here: (will be posted within a day or two)

If you do an honest thorough read of the situation, the US would have to be absolutely bananas to push China into war over Taiwan.

If anything, the path and timeline is accelerating toward some type of peaceful deal / rearrangement / reunification / some thing like a Hong Kong thing / call it, name it, label it whatever you want.

Well, now we certainly need to dig in on my core reasoning as to why this has been and more than ever, remains my position on the matter.

The profile and circumstances surrounding China are significantly unlike any other country the US has been involved in some form of war or military action with. Namely that…its not just at all like one of those other tiny countries, not to mention China’s economic capabilities and resources are now massively integrated into the entire world economy via multiple channels. So on this point alone, this is already a big fat no go…
The massive and still expanding scale of China’s economic and structural integration into the entire world system already far SURPASSES that of the United States on a very long list of metrics. That is not an opinion, it’s just an observation of easily observable evidence and statistics tracked by numerous parties.
On top of that, China’s position, it’s roots, it’s expansion, it’s bilateral country relations, its position in RCEP, ASEAN & BRICS, plus the BRI, all tell us that this trend will continue, it is an expansion with no end in sight for decades. Yes, the US leaders surely see this. Yes, the war loving neocons see it. Yes, they are freaking out. Yes, it is understandable. We all see what is happening in real time in the real world. The US own societal deteriorations back home are also quite serious, making the situation even more difficult. So I do recognize the “don’t underestimate the warmongering crazy neocons” argument. I suppose we could argue this point by saying “Yes, they are insane, but they are not THAT insane that they would blow up the world, cause a massive amount of damage to billions of lives if they were to pursue and execute their war agenda with China as a means of ultimately maintaining US hegemony at all costs. Yes, if they did so, then the US would indeed remain the #1 imperial hegemon, but of a wrecked, destroyed world. So again, are they really THAT insane? Is someone in the United States govenment administration THAT insane to actually pull THAT trigger? Let’s just say no and move on to the next point.
Taiwan Ukraine comparisons fall way short, to the point of being silly. The overall geopolitical and economic circumstances and inter-relationships of each are like night & day. The public details and descriptions of those circumstances are being highly distorted and manipulated. For example…
Xi is not Putin. Even decades before Xi, China’s govt hasn’t attacked, bombed or started war with any other country anywhere since the Sino Vietnam altercation in 1979 which lasted just over a month and resulted in around 30,000 casualties. Xi and the CPC is overall, a deeply war-averse govt and have been for decades. They have no lust or tolerance for blood. This is obvious. And again, you are being fed a propaganda narrative of lies which tells you the opposite, that China is “preparing to invade Taiwan” Honestly, this is at best, laughable. Its that far off the mark. China will only ever RESPOND to a threat or forced attempt at Taiwan independence. The ONLY true way Taiwan could accomplish true independence would be via a referendum vote and why wouldn’t that vote include the citizens of the mainland? Likewise, I love living here in the northeast of China, Liaoning province and would like to declare myself the governor and arrange a vote for the independence of Liaoning province. What right do I have to do that? None. I’m a small potato, remember? 🙂 Its not complicated.
Likewise, despite any and every China watcher telling you otherwise, China’s military buildup is defensive in the face of rising threat to its sovereign territory & rights with regard to Taiwan. And whatever you might have to say about China’s supposed unreasonable buildup and encroachment in the South China Sea, around the Philippines, etc…whether you might be 20% or 90% correct about those points, they are really not relevant to what we’re discussing in this piece, which is about war over Taiwan.
If and as needed Beijing will continue to increase it’s blocking, surrounding, protecting & isolating of it’s territory, Taiwan in response to any continuation of provocation supporting anything that remotely resembles independence. This is so obvious.
Let me point you specifically to what happened re the Pelosi visit…that was a pivotal moment, too. Afterwards, China’s response was to summarily cut off pretty much every communication channel of diplomacy that had been in place – military, trade, climate change, cultural exchange, science, tech….China shut it all down and I wasn’t in the least bit surprised. Because….
In fact, the US, especially the unforgivable Pelosi visit with her standing on Taiwan soil and publicly referring to Taiwan as a country, has actually served to accelerate the timeline of and increase the likelihood of a peaceful unification deal to finally be done in some structural form. Because friends, ultimately it will get done and it won’t interfere with the lives of Taiwanese people any more that it has interfered with the lives of the Hong Kong people. It hasn’t, but that’s not what the propagandists keep spewing. By the way, I highly recommend James Bradley’s The China Mirage, a superb read on this long, historical tale all the way back to the early 1900s.
The Taiwanese people are scared and they should be. That’s a good thing. Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine….hello? Their eyes are finally wide open to the reality they could really and truly become nothing more than the next dead proxy cannon fodder in the name of the basket of things known as “U.S. interests”. Now, I must be fair, there IS some genuine benefit to the US military around the world keeping other bad guys under control. Its just that as most of us observe, their military overreach, sanctioning, covert regime change operations, etc. are a serious problem for the world. We all know the stories, we all know who the big anti-empire anti-war experts & voices are and I’m not getting into it any further here.
A lunatic politician publicly seriously talked about blowing up TSMC in the event of reunification to keep it out of Chinese hands, which in my view, the guy did us all a favor saying this. It served as the final wake-up call to Taiwanese people and it’s leaders that US neocons are truly batshit crazy. This was the last straw and even Taiwan govt leadership have commented on these developments. It was US Congressman Seth Moulton during a conference hosted by thinktank The Milken Institute, who said, “The US should make it very clear to the Chinese that if you invade Taiwan, we’re going to blow up TSMC,” The statement made by US Congressman Seth Moulton was promptly challenged by Michele Flournoy, a defense policy advisor, and former government official who reminded us all that such an act would bring manufacturing to a halt and create two trillion dollars worth of economic devastation. Smart lady.
Reminder that as I explain in further details here immediately after the Pelosi visit to Taiwan, the actual relationship between the mainland and Taiwan is long, deep, friendly & fruitful. Well over 40% of Taiwan exports go where?…the mainland. Well over a million Taiwanese live on the mainland. The western media never want you to to know this good stuff because its the good stuff in the real world.
The DPP separatists are increasingly being viewed as a literal serious threat to the survival of the Taiwanese people and their peaceful society who have no interest in becoming the next dead Ukrainians. It is only the DPP party separatists who seem to be of like-mind when it comes to ignoring their Taiwanese citizens will become cannon fodder.

I’m dropping in some quotes here…

Robert Daly, director of the Wilson Center’s Kissinger Institute on China and the U.S., “There’s a joint decision, a joint realization that we mustn’t go to war…”

Secretary Blinken, “We do not support Taiwan independence. We remain opposed to any unilateral changes to the status quo by either side. We continue to expect the peaceful resolution of cross-strait differences,”

Wang Yi “safeguarding national unity will always be the core of China’s core interests.” …the U.S. must “respect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and clearly oppose ‘Taiwan independence.’”

President Xi “Competition among major powers does not conform to the trend of the times, let alone solve America’s own problems and the challenges facing the world.”
Finally, as a “geopolitical watcher” for the past several years since around 2016, I took a mental break, took a few steps back over the past six months and in doing so, I noticed what is truly unfortunate about the public discourse happening in both mainstream media and social media platforms. MOST of the divisive narratives are being intentionally laid out in a stream of consciousness propaganda campaign to brainwash the citizenry against China and is detached from the actual reality. If you follow the news about other topics, its not any better,, its just one giant gaslighting nightmare; if you follow the stock market news and invest accordingly, you are already way behind. If you follow the mainstream news about Ukraine, about the left, the right, about Republicans, Democrats, Putin, healthcare, blacks, Asian hate, name the hot topic in the news cycle, you are being mislead, misinformed, you are being thoroughly propagandized and its alot of work to sift through this mountain of endlessly spewed misinformation to deliver narratives regardless of the actual truth of what’s going on.

And when it comes to all things China, you are being propagandized as egregiously as can possibly be. We are living in one gargantuan, sick, twisted psyops propaganda campaign orchestrated in harmony by the governments, their intelligence agencies and mainstream media outlets. Its really a sick, twisted disturbing thing to realize is really and truly happening. By taking a step back in my perspective over the past few months, I saw it crystal clear. And in doing so, it only confirmed what I am telling you. You are being fed all this war / Taiwan crap and its mostly just crap from people who have their own biased agendas, who have no good intentions and who are not even experts we should be listening to.
Post China visit, Sec Blinken’s words clearly indicated that a mutually stable situation is the top priority, that the United States is absolutely in line with the existing 50 years long agreement on Taiwan, and on the matter of what he did NOT say, he also did not make a peep about anything specific what US “concerns” were such as supposed human rights abuses, Uyghurs, Hong Kong, blah blah. He deftly intentionally avoided it all, message well received by the Chinese side and way way overdue. Of course we know the question is whether there will be any actions which will once again speak louder than the words and keep the conflict going.

My words to all of you right now are to back off on the old standard criticisms of the US. Via this Blinken visit, they MADE a pivot. They did. So now, like a good bottle of red wine, the cork is out, let’s back off, give it some air, give it some space, let it breath for awhile. This is the direction we want and need, toward a world in peace, not conflict that can do a much better job at cooperating together. And yes, the US is the world’s current top superpower so the direction they choose on this foreign policy and all related matters is paramount.

That’s about it friends. You now have my sense of the who, how, what and why of the situation with respect to the China narratives and Taiwan. I hope you have found it helpful in your understanding and wish you a great day.

Best, Mario

The most corrupt US administration ever

What is India doing to counter China’s String of Pearls strategy?

India doesn’t have anything to offer yet to anybody

Not even a tenth of what China does

That’s the truth

Modi may visit 10,000 countries and he may hug 5000 leaders and he may be called the greatest friend by 1000 of them but that means SQUAT

India had to pay Russia in Dirhams after Russia refused to accept a block of ₹ 3.34 Trillion for assorted payments of Oil

Russia is an oldest friend

Sri Lankans don’t accept INR on their forex counters because they have no use for the Indian Rupee

Bangladeshis too

Indias reality is sadly never seen by the majority of the ostriches who keep believing what they read is gospel

China didn’t build their String of Pearls with platitudes or hugs or speeches or bogus newspaper articles

They built their String of Pearls with Money, Trade, Railways, Schools and Credit

India cannot counter any such strategy because we have nothing to offer whatsoever to compensate for what China offers

No Military Technology, No Credit worth its name, No Special Trade, No massive investments

Nothing

Indias only possible counter is to shake hands with China or to move entirely into the Western Camp and buy a decade or so of protection

India needs a revolution and maybe 3 more decades before they can offer anything more than Beef or Two Wheelers.

Another China Collapse Theory Collapses

You-tube forbids this following video from being embedded. So therefore, it is significant and worthy of watching.

https://youtu.be/n2gLkLXiqbo

U.S. Senators Introduce Resolution: NATO Article 5 Invokes If Tactical Nuke — OR NUCLEAR POWER PLANT – In Ukraine, emits radiation

World Hal Turner 23 June 2023

United States Senators Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) have introduced a Resolution in the Senate which states that if Russia, or one of its Proxies like Belarus, detonates a Tactical nuclear bomb inside Ukraine, or if something happens to the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant causing radiation leakage, that would be “an attack upon NATO” triggering war.

Graham pointed to remarks by illegitimate President Joe Biden which said “Russia’s threat to use nuclear weapons is real” as the reason for their resolution. They claim that the ongoing “counter-offensive” by Ukraine is going slowly, but making progress – which is false. Ukraine has made no progress and won’t. They say that Russia may decide to use a tactical nuke to stop the counter-offensive and if they do, their army would be eviscerated by NATO. Here’s the brief video announcing the Resolution:

So yet again, members of the political class are using you and me as cannon fodder for their grandiose meddling in the affairs of other countries; threatening to send __US__ to war for a country which is neither an ally nor a Treaty Partner, simply because the political class won’t mind its own business.

You won’t Believe what Happened after Blinken’s China Visit.

REPORTS OF POSSIBLE COUP D’ETAT IN RUSSIA — RUSSIA ENGAGES “FORTRESS” PLAN; Expecting External Attack

World Hal Turner 23 June 2023

This is BREAKING NEWS as of 4:52 PM eastern US time on Friday, June 23, 2023 — There are numerous reports of a military Coup d’ Etat taking place inside Russia.

Plan “FORTRESS” to protect vital facilities, jam cellphones, and restrict normal civilian life has been enacted in Southern Russia and in Moscow. RUMORS OF CIVIL WAR EVERYWHERE!

The fortress plan implies an emergency gathering of police personnel and provides readiness to repel an external attack.

New Army recruits, without much training, are being armed and sent to southern Russia.

Social media is lighting-up with postings calling for military brass to be ousted (and worse) as shown below:

Apparently, the leader of PMC Wagner, Progozhin, posted a public message on social media claiming the Russian Army deliberately fired missiles at camps of the Wagner PMC soldiers, killing several and injuring many.

RUMORS are running wild that Prigozhin is bringing 25,000 of his Wagner troops to Moscow to take out the military leadership of Russia.

NONE OF THIS IS VERIFIABLE at this time.

Whatever is taking place is happening very fast. Updates as I get the info.

UPDATE 5:29 PM EDT —

Reports now surfacing that Russian inter-governmental secure communications systems “ATS-1” and “ATS-2” have been taken offline and are no longer functioing.

ATS-1 (“Kremlin”) telephone communications for senior leaders in the offices of heads of Russian Federation ministries and department (first deputy ministers upward), and also some other organs of authority.
ATS-2 (“Hotline”) is similar, and is used by deputy ministers, heads of departments and main administrations in important ministries and departments, and a number of other officials at similar levels of responsibility.

MORE:

Russian spetsnaz is raiding the Wagner Center in downtown Saint Petersburg right now. Local time is almost midnight.

STILL MORE:

Roadblocks are being set up around Rublyovka outside Moscow. Many Kremlin regime leaders live there.

UPDATE 5:35 PM EDT —

SHOOTING REPORTED IN MOSCOW “We hear shooting near Moscow’s “Profoyuznaya” metro station.” – Russian opposition Telegram

Special Forces units have arrived to protect the Russian Defense Ministry building in Moscow.

Special Operations Forces (SSO) commanded by Major General Valery Flustikov have taken over control of the Ministry of Defence headquarters on Frunzenskaya in Moscow. Right now, there’s no way of knowing whose side he is really on: Shoigu or Prigozhin. Probably “wait & see.”

What job(s) is the closest to the job of being James Bond?

Being an “NOC” or non-official cover.

In the United States, NOC’s work for an intelligence agency but work even harder to establish that they are actually working for a legitimate organization that has business in a particular country. They then visit that country from time to time to try to get information relevant to intelligence services, often meeting with people who want to provide information.

main qimg 4f9205d8ae3b9571b8cc68e7c6f55ea0 lq

This is Valerie Plame. She was an NOC until the Bush administration deliberately blew her cover in an attempt to discredit her husband, who had said Iraq had not obtained uranium from Niger (and that the document saying Iraq did was a forgery).

To the world, she was an energy analyst, going from country to country, providing professional services in the energy sector. In reality, she worked for the CIA, mostly looking at where nuclear technology was being sold. Since she regularly dealt with the suppliers of such materials, she knew where things were going.

Most CIA agents overseas are attached to embassies or consulates, so if they get caught doing spy stuff, they have diplomatic immunity and just get sent back. NOC’s get tried for espionage when they specifically don’t have diplomatic immunity, as in Valerie Plame’s case.

U.S Chip Company Micron’s Falling Revenues Begging For China’s Concession

https://youtu.be/YpO2xlppyKg

South Ukraine NPP ??? – Being Used to Store US Weapons and Intelligence HQ

World Hal Turner 23 June 2023

URGENT!! UPDATE 2:32 PM EDT -- NOT Zaporozhye NPP . . . South Ukraine NPP ??? - Being Used to Store US Weapons and Intelligence HQ

The chatter about an attack upon a nuclear power plant inside Ukraine has ramped-up exponentially of late, and many of us believed the chatter was about the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) but it’s not. Turns out it is about the South Ukraine Nuclear Power plant because it is being used to store US/NATO high-tech weapons, and is now the Intelligence HQ for NATO in the war.

The US and NATO are creating all this bluster about invoking NATO Treaty Article 5, “Collective Self-Defense” if there is a tactical nuclear explosion in Ukraine OR IF there is an attack upon a nuclear power plant which causes radiation leakage.

Russia made clear from the beginning of its Special Military Operation to de-militarize and de-NAZIFY Ukraine that they already know NATO Conventional military forces are superior to Russian Conventional forces. But, President Putin pointed out, Russia is also a nuclear power and many of Russia’s weapons are far superior to those held by NATO. He then made clear that if Article 5 Collective Self Defense is invoked against Russia, the Russian Federation would have no choice but to use its nuclear weapons for self preservation.

As of today, June 23, 2023, Ukraine is LOSING the conflict very badly. We are now over three full weeks into Ukraine’s much-vaunted “Spring Counter-Offensive” and it has achieved precisely nothing. In fact, Ukraine is doing so badly that media in Europe (Germany) is now poking fun at them, saying “It’s not a counter-offensive, it’s a crash test.”

Given the utterly dismal failure of Ukraine’s ongoing counter-offensive, the powers in NATO realize that Ukraine’s

_____ O N L Y _____ hope is if NATO troops enter the conflict on the side of Ukraine.

But there’s a problem: Russia has not attacked any NATO country. So there is no legal basis for NATO to take action.

Now, most rational people would expect NATO to mind its own business, but the leadership of NATO is apparently so psychotic and maniacal, they are looking for an excuse to enter the fight!

Today, June 23 is the final day of NATO’s massive military air exercise called “Air Defender 2023.” Over 225 war planes, and air crews totaling about ten thousand men, were shipped to Germany to begin this “exercise” on June 12. Today is the final day of the exercise. So what to do with all those war planes and air crews? Oh, and of course, what to do with the three-hundred-thousand NATO troops which have been deployed all along the countries bordering Russia? Send it all home?

No.

Apparently, if Russia will not give NATO an excuse to enter the war, then NATO seems intent on CREATING an excuse to enter the war. Hence, this sudden changing of what Article 5 collective self- defense means. Now, if radiation merely leaks from an attack site inside Ukraine, NATO will call that an “attack upon NATO” and send in the troops.

Which brings us to the basic realities on the ground.

Russia controls the Zaporozyhe Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and the full territory around that plant. The notion that Russia would attack its own plant as some sort of “terror attack” against Ukraine is idiocy.

Moreover, Russia knows the prevailing wind patterns right now, around that plant, would carry radiation directly into Russia itself. See the wind graphic below:

So it seems clear that anyone hitting the ZNPP is simply out of the question. It would be stupidity – nothing else.

Turns out, the real nuclear power plant which may be the actual target, is the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant (SUNPP), the location of which is shown on the map below:

Why is this likely the “real” target? Because Ukraine and NATO are using this plant to store NATO High-tech weaponry such as HIMARS, ATACMS and the like. Ukraine and NATO are also using this plant as an Intelligence Headquarters, in which all NATO Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and targeting coordinate info is shared with Ukraine.

If Russia hits this place, most of the high-tech weaponry gets wiped out, and so does the Intelligence sharing center.

So NATO is changing its rules about invoking Article 5, so that if (when) Russia hits this weapons depot, and all that NATO hardware goes up in multiple, giant, explosions (possibly also causing the nuke plant itself to start leaking) then NATO can claim a “radiation incident” and send in the troops. (Story on Article 5 change HERE)

Here’s the crux of a REsolution introduced yesterday by US Senators Lindsay Graham and Richard Blumnenthal:

Of course, if NATO thinks the radiation from a Ukrainian nuclear power plant would be bad, they’re clearly not factoring-in the actual radiation from the Russian nuclear missiles that will likely rain down on NATO countries (including us here in the United States) once NATO invokes Article 5 and Russia is then forced to hit us with all she’s got.

This is a path to suicide for NATO and the west, and they’re not just walking down this path to suicide, they’re running down it.

It is entirely possible that nuclear war breaks out very VERY soon. If this takes place, there may literally NOT be enough time to warn people in Europe or America that nuclear missiles are on the way. It is entirely possible that the first notice we will get that we’re under Russian attack, is when the bright, white, flash hits, and we start burning to death as the 600+ mile per hour blast wave obliterates us.

Get right with God.

URGENT – UPDATE 2:32 PM EDT —

The following news is being reported on Arabian news sites:

Pennsylvania Dutch Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients

12 large green cabbage leaves
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 cup cooked rice
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar

Instructions

Pour boiling water over cabbage leaves and soak until limp, about 4 minutes.
Combine beef, rice, onion, salt, and egg and mix well. Divide mixture into 12 equal portions and place one portion on each leaf. Roll up, tuck ends in and fasten with wooden picks.
Heat oil in heavy skillet or Dutch oven and brown the cabbage rolls for 10 minutes.
Combine tomato sauce, water, brown sugar and lemon juice and add to skillet. Simmer cabbage rolls for 1 hour, covered.
Serve hot.

Kawaii In The Afterlife: The Playfully Religious Art Of Japanese Illustrator Hasuimo

Japanese illustrator hasuimo makes no secret about the orientation of her art. The tweet pinned to the top of her account clearly states: “I like spiritual things.”

More: Tumblr, Twitter h/t: grapee

Bringing together a kawaii and fashion-conscious aesthetic and a fascination with Christian, Buddhist and Shinto iconography, sometimes blended together in startling new configurations, the illustrations she shares on her Tumblr account alternately feature nuns, angels, saints, cherubs, dead bodies, skulls, crosses, crowns, halos, aureoles, tombstones and even Jack-O’-Lanterns in the mix.

Many of the girls in hasuimo’s art wear triangle headbands. Originally an item decorating the bodies of the deceased at Buddhist funerals, it is often used in popular culture, manga and anime to indicate anyone who has passed on to the afterlife.

Pennsylvania Dutch Potato Salad

Ingredients

10 large potatoes, cooked and peeled
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup vinegar
3 eggs
2 tablespoons mustard

Instructions

Be sure potatoes are cold before adding dressing.
Heat sugar, water, vinegar, eggs and mustard in a saucepan.
Mix about 3 tablespoons cornstarch in a little water. Add some of the hot sauce to the cornstarch, then gradually add to the saucepan, stirring constantly.
Pour over cold potatoes and mix gently.
Refrigerate until serving time.

Is it true that most overseas Chinese overwhelmingly support the USA because they love and cherish the ideals of democracy and freedom?

Absolutely no way! I am practically born and educated in the US.

The ideals of US democracy is a joke to me and I despise it.

Democracy is the will of the people. In the US the ideals of democracy is the will of the politicians.

What the say to get elected is not close to what they do.

Everything is about opposition and polarization.

They last time we had anything close to what was promised to the people was Obama care. What was meant to be universal healthcare is essentially a tax penalty if you are not insured.

People want a better and easier life.

The main appeal for me here is nothing to do with political freedom.

For me I close to live in the US because it is less competitive and socially healthier than anywhere in Asia. I chose to invest in my education and excel in my career so I do have a great life.

In Asia due to population density, it is much more competitive for everything from education to getting a taxi cab.

Socially, work is intertwined with your life.

People work late, drink excessively with their bosses to network, and are expected to put in 110%. Putting in 100% is slacking off. Also professional network often involves womanizing and infidelity. The competition is ruthless.

The people I know from Asia come do come here for education, but it is not because the US has a better education system, but to avoid the intense competition back home.

Imagine putting in a Stanford effort to go to UC Irvine. That is the reality people face in Asia.

China hits back at Biden for calling Xi a ‘dictator’

What is the worst mistake a company can make?

Nokia CEO: “We did nothing wrong, however we ended up losing”

main qimg ce6a4e2fe8bc4dd3e8f994abcdaed1aa lq

Do you know what the error was?

Not having made any mistakes, while other companies took risks, sometimes innovating and other times failing completely, Nokia’s mistake was playing it safe.

They reached the number one position with the most global sales and they bet to do the same thing always, something that in the short term was a good idea but in the long term it ended up taking its toll.

And I think that is a lesson in life, or at least I want to see it that way, sometimes we are so comfortable in our comfort zone that we don’t go out, the problem is that life is about going further and sooner or later that feeling of security, of comfort will end up taking its toll.

All the best.

I Died And Met An Alien | Near Death Experience | NDE

What do the renewed India and US ties mean to China?

China is happy and wishes US and India happy after in glorious harmony and huge influx of Indian immigrants in the U.S. May U.S. has fantastic prosperity in moving productions to India.

China is very grateful for the Himalayan mountains. Looking forward to big business from India buying Chinese parts, materials and components to assemble products for US market.

Is corruption the only reason some countries in South Asia are stranded in “developing” status?

Do you think Corruption doesnt exist in China or Singapore or South Korea?

Of course it does. Corruption exists everywhere and wherever there is position of power.

It is when Corruption and Development become Mutually Exclusive that trouble starts.

Lets take the Chinese and Singaporean Example:-

The “Golden Rule” of Deng Xiaopeng (Later emanated by Lee Kuan Yew) was that Corruption is inevitable.

So Deng developed his golden rule.

The Rule was called the “Bridge on the Village River” rule – where Deng would instruct his ministers

I want a Bridge on the Village River. It should be strong and it should be durable for 20 years and should not break or develop any problems or issues. I estimate the budget to be 100000 Yuan (Purely arbitary number) so i will sanction 120000 Yuan – so that 20000 Yuan can be used for miscellaneous purposes. I dont care how this money is going to be spend or who gets what portion. I will turn a blind eye to it BUT if the bridge collapses due to shoddy construction – i will personally crush any and all persons who were responsible for it.

That is the BOVR rule followed by China or Korea or Singapore.

End Results are all that matter. This way – the Nation gets the best product and the Nation develops and moves forward. People get enriched but Chinese or SIngaporeans regard this as a sort of Service Charge rather than Corruption or Bribes or Graft.

main qimg b9882d187aaff849c4cb68b90bec076d lq

The Hong Kong police consisted of Chinese Nationals upto the rank of Sergeant and Britishers from the ranks of Inspector and above.

Every Chinese National would get at least 100% of his salary amount from Graft (Bribes) from Nightclub owners, Businessmen etc etc.

The Result – Hong Kong was almost completely crime free. The Triads did not touch common man. Not a single pistol could be brought into HK without consequences.

A Contractor who can get a superb building made within budget – takes a 10000 yuan commission will not be penalized until the building collapses in which case he is finished as are the party officials who chose him in the first place.

In Singapore – to ensure corruption does not exist – Lee Kuan Yew established measures like Huge Salaries to Ministers and Bonuses to Officials. A $ 100 Million contract into singapore – would mean a bonus of $ 200000 for the Officials at the concerned ministry. With such incentives – why would anyone turn to corruption????

Check out the Chinese Ministers – Each one wears a $ 12000 – $25000 Suit – tailored in London or New York or by Expats living in Shanghai. They have Rolls or Bentleys and the big ministries have exclusive helicopters.

They earn between 70% to 450% higher than the Median Base Pay for College Graduates.

Conclusion:-

A. Corruption Exists in China or Korea – but the Corruption is regarded as a Service Charge as long as the End Result is not harmful to the public or is not defective or of poor quality – NOBODY CARES. Imagine a Agent who is able to bring a 100 Helicopter Deal to China – he takes a kickback of $ 1 Million. As long as the Helicopters are top notch – nobody in China will care.

B. These countries pay commissions, incentives and higher salaries (Like Singapore) to ensure that Corruption is kept out or at least minimized completely. Imagine you get $ 10 Million a year as Minister – would you be stupid enough to accept or coordinate a bribe?

Gifts like Rolex Watches, Works of Art, Jewelry are commonplace and wont generate a huge public controversy.

Now lets see India and Pakistan and Bangladesh

Thats where the Hypocrisy starts

Our Leaders pretend to be simple people. They Wear Khadi in the peak of summer, the Gandhian Caps, They balk at gifts which exceed over Rs. 5000/- and our Newspapers go on and on about a Chief Minister who accepted a $ 10000 Watch (Siddaramaiah) as a gift and he has to prove that he gifted the watch to a museum.

Yet 60% of the Politicians Ministers all have assets exceeding Rs. 50 Crores with allegations of exceeding Rs. 1000 or even Rs. 5000 Crores.

The Simplicity is a Deception on the People of India (Some people like Lal Bahadur Shastri were born simple but most of them are deceiving the people).

Poor Christian Michel gets thrown in Jail for bribery whereas the people on both sides are scot free.

CBI pursue a small time Havildar who took Rs. 1000/- bribe on Diwali

And we claim to be Tough on Corruption

And in our case – since unlike China or Singapore or South Korea – Our Leadership is Illiterate or Semi Literate in most cases – the Corruption affects our Quality very badly

Roads that get Potholes with 2 days of rain , Bridges that Collapse regularly, Structures that are rarely steady and would not receive certification by the blindest Quality Engineer anywhere outside India or Pakistan or Sri Lanka or Bangladesh, Poor Quality Manufactured goods etc.

The Gandhian Mentality is solely responsible for why our Leaders pretend to be simple yet why they become richer and richer while the country gets zero or near zero quality products or infrastructure.

Had we been China – we would have offered a 1.5% flat commission to the Officers who got us the Rafale Deal. This would have eliminated corruption since the bribe money would have come in the form of incentives and service charges.

Had we been Singapore or Korea – we would have ensured that Christian Michel would be regarded as nothing more than a Commission Agent and we would not have even glanced in his direction considering his “Payments” as nothing more than “Service Fees”

Instead our System is a Gigantic Hypocrisy – as is the case of Pakistan or Bangladesh or Sri Lanka.

Pretence, Pretence, Pretence

Punish the small fry and ignore the huge sharks and whales

Ensure that corruption has a direct and total impact on the quality of products

Ensure that Rhea Chakraborty is sent to jail with the whole nation clapping and cheering while Ministers who ordered Bridges to collapse or Contractors responsible for building roads which kill due to potholes – end up getting more contracts.

That is why – while the Asian Countries like China or Singapore grow – India is doomed. It is the system that is corrupted completely and totally.

The Connection Between Near Death Experiences & Alien Contact with Grant Cameron

What is the biggest mistake that a big company has made?

Imagine working in the hot streets of Manila in the early 1990s. You are a butcher, slaving away in a loud, humid market for long hours. You only make several dollars a day to support a large family.

One evening, you are holding a Pepsi bottle cap in your hand. On it is a number. You bought several of these sodas in hopes of winning a big $40,000 giveaway at the end of the promotion. This money could change your family’s life. It is a mountain of earnings in a world of limited opportunities. You watch as Pepsi begins reading off the winners on TV.

Suddenly, you realize you’ve won. Incredulous, you quadruple-check your numbers. The number is accurate. Your heart begins racing as you rush to call your wife and kids. However, you, and many winners like you, will never see that money. But at least you won’t lose your life, like some.

It started a year prior.

Pepsi was trying to break into the Philippine market where Coca-Cola was already dominant. This was the 12th largest soft drink market, with a rapidly growing population of 62 million people.

The economy was weak. Lots of people struggling to make ends meet. Tens of millions worked in rice fields and other physically demanding, low-paying jobs.

Pepsi executives decided to do a promotional campaign that promised to have lots of payouts. Each Pepsi bottle cap would have a number that correlated to a prize that would be announced. There were be lots of small winners and then two huge winners of $40,000 each.

One Massive, Massive Problem

Pepsi hoped the allure of prize money would convert many of the low-income Coke drinkers. They strategically planned to give out a total of $2M in prizes.

However, a computer glitch with one of Pepsi’s vendors caused them to manufacture 800,000 bottles with the number “349” on the bottle cap.

The number “349” was the $40,000 winning number.

Pepsi had explicitly told its vendor factories not to print this number at all. The two bottles with that number would be specially manufactured and sent to the Philippines by Pepsi themselves.

So here is Pepsi, churning along each month, not knowing they accidentally sent $32 billion worth of winning caps to the Philippines. Meanwhile, everyone in the Philippines is going bananas for this promotion, buying up all the soda bottles. This disruptive campaign increased Pepsi’s market share from 4% to 24.9% in just two months.

Fast Forward. The big day arrives. All the Filipinos have their TVs on. Pepsi goes on to announce the winning bottlecap number, 349, and across the Philippines, crowds of people are cheering. They’ve won enough money to buy a large house.

Pepsi then realizes they’ve made a terrible mistake. They do their whole, “Whoa whoa whoa, hold up.”

The optics of the situation aren’t pretty. You have this first-world multibillion-dollar business that has made this huge monetary promise to these poor people, only to backpedal and blame it on a system error. One could see how it wouldn’t sit well with a rice farmer.

Pepsi realizes they can’t just walk away without paying anything. They make an offer of $18 to each patron. It came out to $8.7M in total payouts, versus their original budget of $2M. The people don’t find this offer very appetizing.

A 349 Alliance consumer action group forms. They begin protesting across Manila, in front of government buildings as well as Pepsi’s local headquarters.

Things start to get more violent. Then, full-blown riots break out. More than 30 Pepsi trucks are firebombed in the process.

Then the situation escalates even more. Police are called in and rioters begin fighting with them, throwing rocks.

The police begin lobbing tear gas canisters at the protestors. Then a random protester throws a live grenade that ricochets off of a Pepsi truck and accidentally kills a woman and a young girl.

The fighting continues on throughout the day. By the end of all the carnage, five people die and dozens more are wounded. All because of a marketing promotion went wrong.

Following all of this, Pepsi faced thousands of court claims that it had to work through in the following years. There was a lengthy trial and the Philippine commerce courts eventually ruled that Pepsi’s mistake wasn’t malicious and it hadn’t committed a crime.

At the end of everything, Pepsi’s total combined losses, between physical, legal, and brand equity costs, would top $20M. Their market share would plummet and take years to rebound.

But Pepsi, ever the resilient brand, would recover its market share in due time. But not before “revisiting” a few of their internal processes.

Is it true that Tom Cruise recently rode the subway alone during rush hour and without a disguise? What happened?

In 2014, while filming Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation in London, Tom Cruise was late for the set, due to traffic jams, and he proposed to his costar in the film, actress Rebecca Fergusson, take the subway to save time.

The latter found the idea insane but was finally convinced.

Tom Cruise put on a cap, his headphones, and he rushed with her into the London Underground, as if nothing had happened.

“People don’t pay attention, he told a reporter during the Fallout promo in 2018. Everyone looks at their phone, reads a magazine. People are in their bubble…”

But while he was in a car, totally incognito, a person still recognized him…

“Suddenly I see a 16-year-old girl staring at me like that.

I was standing, I was holding the bar, and she was sitting. She had her eyes fixed on me, she had recognized me.

She then did something brilliant: she slowly turned her head from left to right, she looked at the other people in the car, to see if anyone else had recognized me. But she was the only one.
She looked at me again, looking disbelieving.
And I looked her in the eyes and I did this to her:

And in return, she made this face:

Like she’s like, ‘OK, okay…'”

Is China entering a lost decade or generation like Japan had after rapid and unstable economic growth?

That’s the basic flaw and premise here

You are doing what I call the Indian Policeman investigation

Basically he first decides who the suspects are and then he arranges the evidence to find them guilty

He doesn’t look at the evidence and decide who is guilty

What you are doing is to assume that because Japan had a lost decade and a lost generation, to automatically assume China would have a lost generation and the slowly start arranging your own version of the evidence to suit your theory

You dont examine the evidence and establish the future of China by economic theory. You simply take Japan as a case study and fit China into the same league

Like say if i use British Colonialism that collapsed and use that to assume US will also collapse in the same way

By “You” i mean nutcase economists in the West and another nutcase who has just written an answer for this post

Heres why China is different from Japan

Population — China has a whopping 1.4 Billion people of whom 50% are Middle class. This means almost 46% are Low Income and they will grow economically causing a consumer demand to rise for a much longer time. By contrast Japan had almost 80.2% Middle Class by 1995 which meant almost no room for further growth economically
Belt and Road Initiative — Japan never dominated global trade to even 20% of the extent that China is dominating. China’s Dominance will last long due to the BRI and its influence will extend over the global south. This means a much larger portion of Chinese Industry will be relevant in the next two decades while Japanese Industrial relevance was saturated by 1995 in all industries after they peaked.
Capitalism vs Socialism :— Almost 30 years of Japanese Growth from 1970–2000 was in a Socialist Asia and a Communist World. Japan had only S Korea, Singapore and HK as competitors while India, China were largely Socialist countries. Japan was highly dependent on the Western markets. China on the other hand lives in an era where every Nation is capitalist and rigid competition exists. China is lesser dependent on Western Markets than Japan ever was especially from 1970–2000
Technological Edge :— Japan aged almost 20 years ago when Technology was not 20% as good as today. Japanese population thus struggled with workforce issues. China will age only by 2025 and technology today means China has many alternatives to workforce issues like Automation & Exporting Jobs (Remember Japan’s ageing happened by 2003 by which time the world was still only slowly slumbering from Socialism)
Manufacturing Giant vs Specialist:— China controls the Supply Chain and has huge relevance in every sphere from T Shirts to Zips to Chipsets while Japan was always a specialist and never once controlled a supply chain, sharing it with Korea and Taiwan

So China will not go into the ‘Lost Generation’ mode like Japan

They are very different if you remove your bias and look at the economics

China’s demographics will start giving problems to China only post 2062 and will be serious only by 2100 AD

Making This Your LAST Incarnation On This Earth School!

American Senator Tom Cotton and the ruins that he and others like him have turned America into

This article is heavy on the videos. To get the full impact of the message, you need to watch all the videos in order. There are some in the audience that are much younger and have second-long attention spans. To which I suggest that you leave MM and never return. We cover long and detailed concepts there, and you acquire knowledge over time, not by sound-byte.

Watch the videos.

OK, with that being stated. We begin with a neocon war-hawk who hates China and would be happy if all 1.5 billion Chinese died. Yup. I am talking about Arkansas Senator, pencil-neck Tom Cotton.

Tom Cotton was a Congressman before he became a Senator

Arkansas’s 4th congressional district is a congressional district located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Arkansas. Notable towns in the district include Camden, Hope, Hot Springs, Magnolia, Pine Bluff, and Texarkana.

His solution to help his Arkansas voters is NOT to fix the roads, the schools, the homeless, the lack of jobs, the gun violence, or the drugs.

No.

It is to attack China.

Tom Cotton moves to ban China from buying US land

Three minutes from FOX “news”.

Ah, he has this “hard on” about China. China! China! China!

Why doesn’t he concentrate on his own people in Arkansas? Well, he was elected to “do something”. Now, lets take a good hard look at what he has actually done for the good people of Arkansas…

We start with his “stong hold”. Pine Bluff, Arkansas where they LOVE him….

PINE BLUFF Arkansas

This is Arkansas. This is right in the “heart” of the area that elected this person to Congress, and then got him elected to the Senate.

This is what he represents, and has represented for the last ten years. Since 2012.

Look at how well he helped the people that elected him…

Pine Bluff 2023.

Now, do not be mistaken. Arkansas is not as good looking and as well maintained as Pine Bluff. We have to see the “bad sections” as well.

A large proportion of his electorate comes from the rural areas surrounding this major metropolis. This is how he was able to help them for the last ten years. Watch and look…

ARKANSAS: The Bleakest Towns I’ve Ever Visited – The Dying, Forgotten Delta

This is what the rural sections of Arkansas look like. It ain’t pretty.

And now let’s look at the people who live in Arkansas and voted for people like Tom Cotton. Eye opening…

Interview with an Arkansas “Redneck”

Yup. This is pretty typical of Arkansas.

So these people, living in this place, voted for this jack-ass Tom Cotton, to help them. And what does he do?

Oh he decides to risk global thermonuclear war against China! Not only is China much larger, bigger and stronger than anything that remains intact in the United States, but it does not FUCK AROUND.

Tom Cotton comes up with all sorts of ideas about CHINA, but nothing about his own people.

This is common throughout America. Do not fix the problems. Just blame other people. The further away they are from you the better! It’s the American Way, don’t you know.

Here is a good write up about California…

Do you think America is falling apart?

Not by MM. -MM

I live in a wealthy suburb on the outskirts of Silicon Valley in California; trees, flowers, birds, mostly nice neighbors of diverse backgrounds. On the surface, it seems a wonderful place to live, and in many respects, it is, however, if I look out my front window, I see this:

The electricity is distributed via overhead lines, due to an underinvestment in infrastructure: last month, I lost power for over 36 hours because it got a little windy (the world headquarters of Apple, Facebook, and Google are within a ten mile radius of my place). When I ride my bike to the local supermarket this evening, I will have to be careful not to slip on a large and growing patch of gravel on a road that hasn’t been repaired for many years: this, in one of the wealthiest parts of the wealthiest country in the world.

The above is a map of the SF Bay area, a densely populated part of California with an almost continuous ring of urban development. As you would expect, the traffic can be pretty bad, so you might expect that there would be a single circular light rail system linking the many cities around the bay; there is not: if I want to travel from my place to Fremont by rail alone, the quickest way with the most frequent service is via San Francisco. US infrastructure is truly abysmal.

Why is America in such poor shape, with its crumbling roads, crappy power distribution, and pitiful public transport systems? It is because Americans have been propagandized for decades into believing that “liberty” is the ultimate virtue, and this “liberty” is so valuable that it justifies the cost of living as a selfish asshole under a dysfunctional government. “Raise taxes to pay for public infrastructure?” “Jeez Louise; over my dead body! Taxation is theft, government is bad!” For much of the 20th century, America defined itself against the collectivist USSR, and the fatuous argument was made that since everything was under the control of the state in the USSR, the US government should do as little as possible, apart from outspending the evil Commies in national defense.

The infrastructure is just one symptom of America’s degradation: the streets of major cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles are filling up with homeless drug addicts, leaving the sidewalks littered with tents, needles, and human waste. Next to nothing is done for these people because it is seen as “their problem” that they are mentally ill, and lack access to mental health services and affordable housing. The irony is that there are so many of these people now that they have become everyone’s problem. Retailers in downtown SF are closing down their stores because the conditions in the streets are keeping paying customers away, whilst the cops barely regard shoplifting as a crime.

The only way this person lying on the ground can guarantee access to shelter and minimal medical care is to go to jail. Land of the free…

The US is run by an oligarchy of libertarian fantasists, who have spent so long sucking hallucinogenic bile from the withered teats of Ayn Rand that they have lost all contact with reality. The government is not entirely to blame for the current situation; a lot of the social problems are the result of the narcissistic counter culture that started in the 1960s, but now that these problems are getting worse, the question is, can the government continue to pretend that they don’t exist, or that there is somehow a “free market” solution to mass shootings, drug addiction, and homelessness?

Living in my little enclave, with its fragile electricity supply, and crumbling roads, it’s easy for my neighbors and I to think that things aren’t so bad, but in under an hour, I can travel to SF and see scenes exactly like the one in the last photo. Whilst people are constantly harping on about whether the Democrats or the Republicans are better or worse than each other, they are ignoring the fact that both parties have done nothing to seriously address the severe decay that is undeniably afflicting America’s social and physical fabric.

Now…

Back to Tom Cotton. A neocon that is watching the United States crumbling around his feet. And where the only battle that must be fought is at the exact opposite side of the globe.

He comes up with all sorts of ideas.

Not for Americans. No.

Ideas to “stop” China. What ever the Fuck that is supposed to mean.

Brilliant ideas such as pulling American manufacturing out of China to barely developing nations such as India…

APPLE BEGS China DUE TO SUPPLY Components constraints

So the USA media is hyping about how Apple left China.

This is what they are NOT TELLING YOU.

https://youtu.be/Yf-rjmVOWxc

Yield of Apple products in India Quality is so low that the yield rate is <50%.

Video to reference is HERE. It’s in Chinese and placed here for reference only. Not actually to watch.

Why China’s socialist economy is more efficient than capitalism

Long. Long. Long. Ugh. If you cannot handle this massive tome, skip it. Just look at the graphs and move on. It's a snoozer! Avoid unless you are really into that kind of thing. For reference only. -MM

By John Ross (Posted Jun 06, 2023)

The difficulty the U.S. faces in its current attempts to damage China’s economy was analysed in detail in the article “The U.S. is trying to persuade China to commit suicide”. Reduced to essentials, the U.S. problem is that it possesses no external economic levers powerful enough to derail China’s economy. The U.S. has attempted tariffs, technology sanctions, political provocations over Taiwan, the actual or threatened banning of companies such as Huawei and Tik Tok etc. But, as always, “the proof of the pudding is in the eating.” Taking the latest period, during the three years following the beginning of the Covid pandemic, China’s economy has grown two and a half times as fast as the U.S. and six times as fast as the E.U..

Therefore, as the previous article put it, in the economy the U.S. cannot “murder” China—even although it can create short term problems. Furthermore, unlike with Gorbachev, whose illusions in the U.S. led to a centralised political collapse of the CPSU, the disintegration of the USSR, and an historical national catastrophe for Russia, the policies of Xi Jinping and the CPC are centrally protecting China and socialism. As the U.S. cannot pursue a course of “murder”, therefore it is forced to attempt an indirect route to get China to commit “suicide”—that is, to try to persuade China to adopt policies which will damage it.

Given that economic development underlies China’s success, one of the most central of all U.S. goals is to attempt to persuade China to adopt self-damaging economic policies. Enormous resources are therefore poured into spreading factually false propaganda regarding China’s economy. This also has the secondary goal of internationally attempting to persuade others not to learn from China’s economic success—because an understanding of the reality that China’s socialist economy is more efficient and successful than capitalism would be a devastating ideological blow to the U.S..

A crucial part of this false propaganda is to try to get accepted as “truth” claims about China’s economy which are entirely false—as basing policies on “facts” which are untrue would naturally lead to wrong policies. One of the most important of these false claims is that China’s socialist economy is “inefficient” compared to capitalism—or, more specifically, that investment in socialist China is inefficient in creating economic growth compared to capitalist America or in general compared to capitalist countries.

Naturally, socialism’s goal is not abstract economic efficiency, it is people’s well-being. But an inefficient economy, in the long term, would be incapable of maintaining the maximum well-being of the people. Therefore, how efficient an economy is constitutes an important issue in economic development. Claims that capitalism is more economically efficient than capitalism, usually put in the form of U.S. claims of the “inefficiency of socialism”, consequently has at least two purposes.

First, most immediately, to attempt to persuade China that as its investment is allegedly “inefficient” it should be reduced. As discussed in the earlier article, “The U.S. is trying to persuade China to commit suicide”, a key U.S. goal to get China to reduce its level of investment in GDP. This is because that same policy was successfully used earlier by the U.S. to derail its competitor economies of Germany, Japan and the Asian Tigers.

Second, more generally and ideologically, this claim that China’s investment is inefficient, and capitalism’s is efficient, is an attempt to undermine and discredit socialism and promote capitalism.

In summary, such propaganda is an attempt to spread two interrelated falsifications.

First, that China’s investment is inefficient in promoting economic growth.
Second that this “inefficiency”, which doesn’t actually exist, is due to socialism as opposed capitalism.

As will be systematically factually shown below, the exact reverse of these claims are true. Socialist China’s investment is much more efficient in creating growth than in capitalist countries such as the U.S.. As will be shown, this efficiency of China is integrally linked to the socialist character of its economy.

As usual the method will be used to use the wise Chinese dictum to “seek truth from facts”. The first section of the article will establish the facts showing the greater efficiency of China’s investment. The second section will demonstrate that the reasons for this lie in the socialist character of China’s economy.

Trends in China’s ICOR

Turning from current international comparisons to historical developments, Figure 1 shows China’s ICOR since 1966, again taking a five-year average for both GDP growth and the percentage of fixed investment in GDP in order to remove inevitable purely short-term fluctuations caused by business cycles. The starting date is taken as 1966 because that is after the end of the period of disruptions caused by the Great Leap forward.

The trends are clear.

From 1966-76 China’s ICOR rose sharply from 2.0 to 6.5. This was a serious negative development, a more than tripling of ICOR in a 10-year period, meaning China would have had to invest more than three times as high a percentage of GDP to maintain the same economic growth rate—or that if the level of fixed investment in GDP had remained constant China’s economic growth would have fallen to only one third of its previous level. The damaging economic consequences accompanying the political events of this period in the Cultural Revolution is therefore obvious.
After 1976 China’s ICOR began to improve—it had reached 5.1 by 1978. Following the systematic introduction of Reform and Opening Up in that year a prolonged improvement began and China’s ICOR fell to 2.5 by 1988. This showed the great improvement made by Reform and Opening up to China’s economic efficiency—international comparisons during this entire period are analysed below. This huge rise in the efficiency of investment following Reform and Opening Up launched the beginning of China’s “economic miracle” after 1978.
China’s ICOR then remained very low for two decades, rising only to 3.3 by 2007. Given the increasing level of China’s economic development in this period, the transition from a low-income economy first to a low-middle income economy and then to an upper middle-income economy, this was an extremely good performance. The reason for this is that, as analysed in detail below, it would be expected that as an economy becomes more developed its ICOR will increase—this is predicted by Marx’s analysis of the rising organic composition of capital. Consequently, an increase in ICOR from 2.5 to 3.3 over a 19-year period, during which China underwent huge economic development, was extremely impressive—as international comparisons analysed below demonstrate. Furthermore, China’s average growth rate did not fall significantly during this period as its percentage of fixed investment in GDP was also increasing, from 31.1% of GDP in 1988 to 37.9% of GDP in 2007. This offset a rising ICOR so China’s GDP growth rate remained essentially the same. This illustrates a simple but crucial point: because as an economy becomes more developed its ICOR will increases it will inevitably slow down if its percentage of fixed investment in GDP remains constant. But this economic slowing is not inevitable as is sometimes argued—if the percentage of fixed investment in GDP rises at least as fast as ICOR then an economy will not significantly slow as it becomes more developed. This is exactly what occurred with China from 1988 to 2007. The slowing of an economy as it becomes more advanced is therefore not inevitable, it is a choice which is determined by a decision not to raise the percentage of fixed investment in GDP in line with the increasing ICOR which occurs with economic development.
From 2007 China’s ICOR rose sharply to reach 7.4 in 2020. It is this trend that those who claim China’s investment is inefficient by international standards sometimes point to. But unfortunately, they make two fundamental factual errors. First, they fail to make international comparisons—it will be seen that the ICOR of other countries was also rising rapidly after 2007, in most cases by far more than China. That is, China’s worsening ICOR after 2007 was not some specific deterioration in China but a part of a process occurring internationally—one clearly created, given the dates involved, by the international financial crisis which started after 2007 and during which China actually performed better than almost every other major economy. Second, they fail to note the historical dynamic that as an economy becomes more developed its ICOR rises—and China is now approaching a “high income country” level by World Bank standards.

Rising ICOR with economic development

Analysing first the rising ICOR which occurs with economic development, then in the founding work of modern economics, The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith had already analysed that with increasing economic development fixed investment would play a greater role in economic growth—and that the percentage of fixed investment in the economy would rise. This was repeated by Ricardo. It was made a foundation of Marx’s economics in his analysis of the rising organic composition of capital. It was reiterated by Keynes. Milton Friedman attempted to claim this claim was not accurate, but he made an elementary factual error in analysing only the U.S. economy and not international trends.

One of the manifestations of this increasing capital intensity of production with economic development is that ICOR rises as an economy becomes more developed. Thus Figure 2 shows the historical reality that the ICOR of developed/high income economies is higher than the ICOR of developing economies—to take the latest data, for the five years up to 2021, the average ICOR of developing countries was 8.2 but the average ICOR of high-income economies was 15.3.

This, of course, has clear consequences for China as it undergoes economic development. It means that as China makes the transition to a high-income economy its ICOR should be expected to rise—such a rise would not reflect inefficiency but simply the effects of economic development. Whether China’s fixed investment was inefficient could, therefore, not be established by showing that its ICOR had risen with time—as such a process would naturally occur with economic development. Inefficiency could only be established by a comparison to current economies at a similar stage of economic development—the comparisons, to be valid, would have to be with current economies, and not with historical cases of economies, due to the overall international rise of ICOR which has taken place particularly since 2007 and which is analysed below. This rise in ICOR is the first trend which affects China with economic development and shows why analyses which do not make international comparisons are invalid.

Comparison of China to other developing economies

Given this trend that ICOR will rise with economic development the relevant question is whether China has maintained its advantage in efficiency of investment compared to other countries? Figure 3 shows that the answer to this is clearly yes. Not only is the ICOR of developing countries lower than that for high income economies but China’s ICOR is lower than that for the average of developing countries. For all periods, except for the five years leading to 1976, China’s ICOR was lower than the average for developing countries. Taking the latest data, for 2021, the average ICOR of developing countries is 8.2 and for China 7.1. As China is by now one of the most highly developed of developing countries, and will in only a few years become a high income economy by World Bank standards, this shows the strong efficiency of China’s investment.

Section 1—the high international efficiency of China’s capital investment

Incremental Capital Output Ratio (ICOR)

As an opening aside it may be noted that the present author was taught at an early age that when a theory and the facts, the real world, do not coincide there are only two things that can be done. A sensible person, following the scientific method, abandons the theory: a dangerous one abandons the real world, that is the facts. But as will be seen there is a variant of this second position—that is simply to invent “facts” which are quite untrue!. A typical case can be taken from Business Week, where it was claimed:

It takes $5 to $7 of investment to generate a dollar’s worth of gross domestic product in China, versus $1 to $2 in developed regions such as North America, Japan and Western Europe.¹

Similarly Western economic analyst Charles Dumas claims:

China is incredibly good at wasting savings through misallocating investment.²

It is in fact very easy to factually test these claims and show they are false. How much must be invested to generate a dollar’s worth of GDP is a perfectly standard and well-known economic measure—the Incremental Capital Output Ratio (ICOR). ICOR is defined as the percentage of GDP which must be invested to generate one percent GDP growth. Therefore, the lower the ICOR—provided it is a positive number, representing economic expansion and not contraction, the more efficient investment is in generating growth. The results of such standard measurements of ICOR are unequivocal. China has to invest significantly less than the U.S., Japan or Western Europe to generate a “dollars’ worth” of GDP—i.e. China’s investment is more efficient in generating economic growth than the Western economies.

Starting with the most recent results, the factual situation regarding efficiency of fixed investment in generating economic growth is shown in Table 1—which gives ICORs for the world’s 20 largest economies. These together account for 80.4% of world GDP. If the Eurozone as a whole is included, and also South Africa, so as to include all BRICS countries, then the Table shows the ICORs for countries and economic regions accounting for 83.9% of world GDP—i.e. for all economies which have a major impact on world growth.

Taking a five-year average, to avoid the effects of purely short-term shifts in the business cycle, China had to invest 7.1% of GDP to generate 1% of annual GDP growth. It may immediately be seen that China’s investment was characterised by its extremely low ICOR in terms of international comparisons—i.e. its extremely high efficiency in generating economic growth. China was the second best out of the world’s 20 largest economies. In particular, China’s ICOR of 7.1 was more efficient than the US’s 10.0, the Eurozone’s 22.4, Germany’s 30.3, the U.K.’s 70.1—not to speak of Japan’s ICOR which was a negative number, showing that its economy contracted despite its investment.

Therefore, the claim that China’s investment is inefficient in producing economic development is simply a lie. There is nothing secret about the data from which this can be calculated, it is perfectly publicly available. Anyone who spreads falsifications that China’s investment is inefficient is consequently simply engaged in propaganda, not in serous economics.

The implications of this fact that China’s investment is extremely efficient by international standards will be considered below after the facts are further explored.

The impact of the period since the international financial crisis

While the increasing level of economic development of China would by itself have led to an increase in China’s ICOR a second international process has been taking place since the international financial crisis which has been negative for all countries—in particular high-income economies. Figure 3 shows this clearly. As can be seen the ICOR for both high income and developing economies, and therefore the international average, has worsened since 2007.

ICOR for developing economies rose from 3.5 in 2007 to 8.2 in 2021.
ICOR for high income economies rose from 8.0 in 2007 to 15.3 in 2021.
The world average ICOR rose from 5.8 in 2007 to 10.9 in 2021.
China’s ICOR rose from 3.3 in 2007 to 7.1 in 2021.

Therefore, the worsening of China’s ICOR from 2007 to 2021 was not some process specific to China, representing part of a specific inefficient process within China, but was part of an overall international process in which ICOR rose globally. However, within this overall deterioration, China’s efficiency of investment in generating growth remained better than the average even for developing countries—whose efficiency of investment in generating growth itself remained better than that for high income economies. Regarding major economies, as noted at the beginning, China’s efficiency of investment in generating growth was ranked second out the world’s 20 largest economies.

Comparison with the U.S.

Because comparisons are frequently most specifically made between China and the U.S., the ICORs for the two countries are shown in Figure 4. As may be seen China outperforms the U.S. in the efficiency of investment in generating growth in all periods. Figure 3 and Figure 4 show clearly that claims such as that by Business Week quoted at the beginning, “It takes $5 to $7 of investment to generate a dollar’s worth of gross domestic product in China, versus $1 to $2 in developed regions such as North America, Japan and Western Europe,” are simply fraudulent—“fake news”. China has to invest less dollars to generate a unit of growth than the U.S.—as well as Europe or Japan.

Explanation of China’s ICOR worsening

Putting these trends together it can be clearly seen why China’s ICOR would have increased since 2007 and why it is entirely misleading not to make international comparisons. Two macro-economic processes were occurring.

China is making the transition from a developing to a high-income economy, that is to more capital-intensive production, therefore its ICOR will go up.
There has been a general global worsening of ICOR under the impact of the international financial crisis and China is part of that trend—China cannot completely escape the consequences of the overall international economic situation.

Therefore, a rise in China’s ICOR after 2007 is entirely to be expected. The relevant measure is therefore the international one—that is, how has China’s efficiency of investment in producing economic growth changed relative to other current economies at a similar stage of development. The factual answer is clear. China’s efficiency of investment is in terms of international comparisons extremely high—in particular superior to the U.S. Europe and Japan, as well as compared to other developing countries. What is factually striking is not that China’s investment is inefficient in generating economic growth, that is a propaganda falsification which serious economists should not be taken in by, but how highly efficient China’s economy is in terms of international comparisons.

Having established the facts, as opposed to the myths, the question is then obviously why is China’s investment so efficient?

Section 2—Socialism is why China’s investment is so efficient

Explanation of the facts

Turning from establishing the fact of the high efficiency of China’s investment, in terms of international comparisons, to explaining it, it will become clear that the overwhelming reason for China’s very high efficiency of investment is due to the socialist character of its economy. In particular, it results from China’s extremely strong anti-crisis macro-economic strength which flows from possessing a socialist economy compared to capitalist ones. To clarify this, given that the most frequent international comparison made for China is with the U.S., this will be concentrated on. Furthermore, this automatically deals with the other cases of high-income economies—as, while the U.S.’s efficiency of investment in creating growth is less than China’s, it is superior to the other major capitalist economies such as the EU and Japan.

The fundamental process which is involved, and which particularly creates China’s advantage compared to the U.S. in ICOR, can be seen from Figure 5. This shows that the worsening of U.S. ICOR, that is the efficiency of its investment, was not at all a smooth process. It was characterized by two specific periods of huge deterioration which were so severe that they affected average efficiency of investment over the entire period. These were a more than doubling of ICOR to 26.8 in the period leading to 2011, that is following the international financial crisis, and a rise to 16.8 in the period leading to 2020 in association with the Covid induced recession. In short, economic crises led to a sharp worsening of U.S. ICOR, to a severe fall in the average efficiency of U.S. fixed capital investment.

To illustrate clearly the long-term cumulative effects of such crises, and to smooth out the extreme short-term spikes, Figure 6 shows a longer term, 10-year, average for U.S. and China’s ICOR. The long-term cumulative worsening of U.S. ICOR under the impact of its successive economic crises is clear. In short, the fall in the efficiency of U.S. capital investment was particularly associated with crises in the U.S. economy.

Economic slowdown and rising ICOR

Regarding the more precise explanation of this worsening of U.S. ICOR, it should be recalled that the latter is by definition GDP growth divided by the percentage of fixed investment in GDP. If ICOR has risen therefore one of two processes must have occurred—or both.

The first is that the rate of GDP growth has slowed.
The second is that the percentage of fixed investment in GDP has increased.

But while in principle either could have taken place factual examination shows that the worsening of U.S. ICOR since 2007 is entirely due to its economy slowing and none of it is due to an increase in the percentage of fixed investment in GDP. U.S. gross domestic fixed capital formation was 22.3% of GDP in 2007, remained slightly below that level in the entire period after 2007, and was to 21.4% of GDP by 2021. Therefore, zero percent of the worsening of U.S. ICOR after 2007 was due to an increase in the percentage of fixed investment in GDP, and the entire worsening of ICOR was due to the slowdown in the average annual growth of the U.S. economy.

This process of economic slowing is shown in Figure 7. The U.S. went through two sharp recessions with negative growth—economic contraction of 2.6% in 2009 and of 2.8% in 2020. The contraction of the U.S. economy in crisis years sharply slowed its average growth rate and therefore raised its ICOR.

In contrast, while China’s economy slowed since the beginning of the international financial crisis, that is it could not entirely escape the negative consequences of the post-2007 financial crisis and the Covid pandemic, despite these international crises China never experienced in this period a year of economic contraction—unlike the U.S.. Consequently, the U.S.’s much weaker anti-crisis macro-economic capacity than China explains the superiority of China in efficiency of investment compared to the U.S. and is the primary explanation for the deterioration of U.S. ICOR—that is for the worsening of the efficiency of U.S. investment.

The fall in investment

Turning to what explains the much greater weakness of the U.S. than China in anti-crisis capacity it is crucial to understand factually what actually occurs in a major recession and the different behaviours of investment and consumption during it.

Consumption is a much higher percentage of GDP than fixed investment in the U.S.—in 2007, on the eve of the international financial crisis, consumption was 82.5% of U.S. GDP compared to 22.3% for fixed investment. This therefore sometimes leads to the false assumption, formed by not studying the facts, that it is falls in consumption which primarily creates recessions. But this commits a simple arithmetical error. The fluctuations in investment in the U.S. economy are so much more violent than the fluctuations in consumption that, despite the fact that investment is a much smaller percentage of GDP than consumption, it is fluctuations in investment which actually primarily control the U.S. business cycle—and in particular which create its recessions. This may easily be seen by looking at the facts.

Between 2007 and 2009, the latter being the worse year of the U.S. recession created by the international financial crisis, then overall U.S. GDP declined by 2.5% adjusting for inflation. The inflation adjusted fall in U.S. household consumption, which accounts for 82% of total U.S. consumption, was 1.5%. But the inflation adjusted fall in U.S. private fixed investment, which accounts for 82% of U.S. fixed investment, was 27.6%—almost twenty times as severe as the fall in consumption.

Figure 8 shows that, in current prices, between 2007 and 2009 U.S. household consumption rose by $145 billion and U.S. government consumption by $235 billion—a total rise in consumption of $380 billion. But this entire increase in consumption was more than offset by $508 billion fall in gross fixed capital formation. That is, the post-international financial crisis recession was overwhelmingly created by the fall in investment, not in consumption.

Moreover, depreciation of fixed capital during this period was $119 billion. Consequently, the fall in U.S. net fixed investment was even worse than that of gross fixed investment—a decline of $626 billion. Therefore by 2009, the U.S. capital stock was lower than in 2007, lowering U.S. potential for long term growth. In summary, the U.S. recession after 2007, and therefore the worsening in U.S. ICOR, was due to the fall in U.S. fixed investment during the international financial crisis after 2007.

The reason the U.S. was unable to control this fall in investment is equally clear. The U.S. is a capitalist economy. That means, by definition, its dynamic is determined by decisions of private capitalists. If these capitalists decide not to invest the economy goes into recession—which, in turn produces an increase in ICOR. There is no U.S. state sector sufficient to offset this. Private ownership of all the main means of production therefore produces weakness in the U.S. macro-economic crisis mechanisms.

China’s socialist anti-crisis macro-economic mechanisms

In contrast to the U.S. Figure 9 shows what occurred in China in 2007-09, faced with the international financial crisis. In 2007 to 2009 China’s GDP, in inflation adjusted terms, rose by 20.0%. Looking at current prices, it may immediately be seen that there was no fall in fixed investment of the U.S. type. On the contrary, in current prices, China’s gross fixed capital investment rose more rapidly than any other major component of GDP—increasing by $890 billion. compared to $511 billion for household consumption and $233 billion for government consumption. China’s fixed capital depreciation in this period was $356 billion. Therefore, China’s net fixed investment rose by $534 billion. China’s capital stock was significantly greater in 2009 than in 2007, increasing its potential for long term growth—in sharp contrast to the U.S. trend.

The reason that, unlike the U.S., China’s fixed investment did not fall is also quite clear. China is a socialist economy with a large state sector and state-owned banks which entirely dominate its financial system. Following 2007 state investment, and financing of private investment by state owned banks, could be and was used to prevent a fall in fixed investment. In contrast, the private capitalist U.S. economy had no such anti-crisis mechanism. In summary, China’s large state-owned sector gave it much stronger macro-economic anti-crisis mechanisms than the U.S. The fact that China suffered no decline in output in any year during the international financial crisis, in turn, limited its rise in ICOR. So, it was the strength of China’s state sector, by preventing a fall in investment, which prevented recession and ensured China’s superior ICOR to the U.S. The macro-economic strength given to China by its state sector thereby ensured the high overall efficiency of China’s investment in generating growth.

Economic trends during the Covid pandemic crisis

Turning now to what occurred in economies during the Covid pandemic, not all national accounts data is yet available, but the overall pattern is clear. First, Figure 10 shows that China’s economy far outperformed the U.S. during the pandemic period. In the three years 2019-2022 China’s GDP grew by 13.3% compared to the U.S.’s 5.2%. That is, during the pandemic China’s economy grew by more than two and a half times as fast at the U.S..

Regarding the internal structure of the U.S. economy during this period the changes in current prices in the main domestic components of GDP are shown in Figure 11. As in 2007-2009 there was a substantial increase in household consumption, of $2,970 billion. Government consumption also rose by $581 billion. Gross fixed capital formation also rose, by $838 billion, but this was insufficient to offset fixed capital depreciation of $848 billion. Therefore, U.S. net fixed capital formation fell by $10 billion—given the margin of error, and the small measured contraction, it is probably best to state that the rise in U.S. net fixed capital formation during this period was approximately zero. Clearly there was no significant addition to U.S. capital stock during 2019-2020—and there may have been no addition at all, or even a marginal fall.

Turning to China, complete internationally comparable national accounts data is not yet available for the entire pandemic period. Nevertheless, comprehensive national accounts data is available for part of this period, and the more limited data until the end of 2022 leaves no doubt as to the overall pattern. The fundamental contrast in pattern with the U.S. is the same as in the post 2007 recession.

Starting with the comprehensive national accounts data which is available for China for 2019-2021, Figure 12 shows that once again increase in gross domestic fixed capital formation was the single biggest contributor to China’s GDP growth in this period at $1,311 billion—as compared to $1,200 billion for household consumption and $428 billion for government consumption. This contrasts sharply with the U.S. pattern where, in 2019-2021, household consumption rose by $1,510 billion and gross fixed capital formation by $458 billion. Internationally comparable data for depreciation is not available for China after 2020 but given the fact that in 2020 fixed capital depreciation was $333 billion, and there is no reason to suppose it remotely reached almost $1,000 billion in 2021, it is clear that China’s net fixed capital investment was positive in the period 2019-2021.

Turning to 2022, internationally comparable national accounts data for China is not yet published. But it is clear from the data which has been released by the National Bureau of Statistics that the same pattern continued. This shows that in 2022 total consumption accounted for 1.0% of the increase in GDP, gross investment for 1.5%, and net exports for 0.5%. As inventories are only a small part of that figure for total investment, this clearly shows that the contribution of fixed investment to GDP growth remained the leading contributor to China’s GDP growth in 2022 and therefore also for the period 2019-2022 as a whole. This is the exact opposite of the U.S. pattern in which household consumption was the leading contributor and fixed investment low.

The stabilizing role of China’s state investment

The reason for the high contribution of fixed investment to China’s GDP growth during the pandemic period is also clear. Figure 13 shows the way in which China’s state investment, during a crisis, could be used to offset the decline in private investment. As the Wall Street Journal noted regarding China’s system of a socialist market economy, without understanding the significance of what it was saying in terms of the superiority of China’s socialist system:

Most economies can pull two levers to bolster growth: fiscal and monetary. China has a third option. The National Development and Reform Commission can accelerate the flow of investment projects.³

Examining the detailed pattern during the pandemic in China, in both the peak Covid crisis year of 2020 and during the economic slowdown of 2022, the increase in private investment fell to very low levels—1.0% in and 0.9% in 2022. But overall fixed investment remained significantly higher—2.9% in 2020 and by 5.1% in 2022. The reason for this was that in those years China’s state investment could be and was significantly increased—a rise of 5.3% in 2020 and 10.1% in 2022. This produced a strong anti-cyclical effect in preventing a more severe decline in investment. In contrast, during 2021, when the economy was recovering and private investment was rising relatively strongly, the rate of growth of state investment was reined back to 2.9%.

The reason that China’s overall investment could remain high was only due to the large size of China’s state sector. To be precise in making a comparison to the U.S., in 2022 only 16%, less than one sixth, of U.S. fixed investment was in the state sector, accounting for only 3.4% of GDP. Given this extremely small size of the U.S. state sector even a very high percentage increase in U.S. state investment would be unable to prevent overall U.S. fixed investment from falling—to offset a 10% fall in private investment U.S. state investment would have to rise by 50%.

In contrast, China’s large state sector, means it is possible to stabilize China’s investment level with much lower increases in state investment. In short, China’s large state sector is an extremely powerful anti-crisis mechanism. This, in turn, because it sustains economic growth, prevents the type of severe crisis increases in ICOR seen in capitalist economies such as the U.S.. China’s large state sector, therefore, has a powerful effect in keeping China’s ICOR down and maintaining a high level of investment efficiency.

Seek truth from facts or abandon the real world?

Finally, what are the conclusions that follow from these facts? And why are entirely false claims made that China’s investment is inefficient in generating economic growth which are in fact are the complete opposite of the truth?

This comes back to the point made at the beginning of this article of what happens if the real world, the facts, and a theory do not coincide?

According to the theory of those who believe Western capitalism is a superior economic system, a capitalist system must be more efficient than a socialist one. But as the facts contradict this theory then science would demand that the theory be changed or abandoned.

But that would lead to a conclusion that was against capitalist ideology—it would have to be accepted that China’s, a socialist country’s, investment was more efficient in producing economic growth than the U.S., Europe, and Japan.

That is, it would have to be accepted that China’s socialist system was much more efficient in its investment than the Western capitalists—which is clearly an evidently unacceptable conclusion!

Therefore, instead of abandoning the theory the real world has to be abandoned—instead of following “seek truth from facts” Western propaganda has to invent facts and abandon the real world!

[The Chinese version of this article was published at Guancha.cn.]

Notes:

↩ Bremner, B. (2007). ‘The Great Bank Overhaul’. In P. Engardio (Ed.), Chindia (pp. 204-210). New York, US: McGraw Hill.
↩ Dumas, C., & Choyleva, D. (2011). The American Phoenix. London: Profile Books.
↩ Orlik, T. (2012, May 29). Show Me The China Stimulus Money. Retrieved February 11, 2014, from Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303674004577433763683515828

Vessels seeking to pass through the Strait of Hormuz must communicate with Iranian naval forces in Persian.

“Any ship that wants to pass through the Strait of Hormuz must inform us of its nationality, type of cargo, and destination in Farsi, and if it does not do this, we will definitely go after it,” Tangsiri said on Friday.

He also recalled that Iran was not allowed to control the Strait of Hormuz during the Pahlavi era, reiterating, “But now, vessels passing through this strait, including ships, warships, and any boats, must introduce themselves in Persian.”

Iran has time and again vowed to give a decisive response to any hostile move in the Strait of Hormuz that seeks to disrupt the security of the strategic waterway.

The Islamic Republic has also made it clear that it views US military presence in the region as a threat to its national security and a destabilizing factor in regional countries.

For a reason its called “Persian gulf” aka Gulf of Fars.

Prepare for the worst case scenario

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You send American ships to the Taiwan Strait and then provoke the Chinese and then you also send Diplomats in Taiwan, encouraging them to claim independence and then somehow the Western media still has the face to ask “Why is China preparing for war” because they are being threatened. That’s the only answer to all of this Military spending that has been rising in these recent years, you are threatening them and of course China is forced to be prepared for any major risk

When will there be roads connecting major cities in Australia?

Oh fer fuck’s sake … where do some of you people get your incredible lack of knowledge from.

EVERY major and minor city/town/village/hamlet is connected by road in Australia … how the hell do you think we ride our kangaroos around safely?

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“Future Utopia”: The Supercool and Detailed Illustrations by Ori Toor

Interlude for some art.

Based in Tel Aviv, Israel, Ori Toor is a freestyle illustrator and avid doodler. In his distinctive surreal style, he is obsessively drawing worlds to live and get lost in. There is no sketching or planning. It’s all about improvising.

More: Ori Toor, Instagram, Facebook, Behance h/t: weandthecolor

THIS is Why China is MORE Convenient than America | Foreigner in China

Pennsylvania Dutch Meat Loaf

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 (8 ounce) can Hunt’s tomato sauce, divided
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 tablespoon vinegar

Instructions

In a medium bowl, lightly mix beef, bread crumbs, onion, green pepper, 1/2 can tomato sauce, egg, salt and pepper. Shape into a loaf in a shallow baking pan.
Combine remaining tomato sauce with remaining ingredients. Pour over loaf.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 1/4 hours. Baste the loaf several times during baking.

Yield: 6 servings

The Ukrainian Counter-Offensive Had No Chance. NATO Failed To Explain That.

The ‘west’ pushed Ukraine into a hopeless counter-offensive based on false assessments and wild expectations.

Russian troops were claimed to be weak, untrained and unprepared for an Ukrainian attack. On the other side it was claimed that the freshly mobilized Ukrainian men which received ‘western’ weapons and training would have the necessary quantity and quality to overcome Russian defenses.

Ukrainian troops, as well as the public, were told to believe that bullshit.

Lord Bebo @MyLordBebo – 0:55 UTC · Jun 23, 2023

NATO training explained by an Ukrainian POW
-> Psychologists trained them to not be afraid and that Russia is exhausted and weak …
Embedded video From Maimunka News

Any rational and neutral military assessment showed a far more realistic picture. One in which Russia would always defeat the planned counter-offensive.

At the end of 2022 the Ukrainian army had been exhausted and had been already been destroyed twice. The Russians had first destroyed large parts of the original equipment of the Ukrainian army and then the Soviet era equipment that was brought to Ukraine from former Warsaw Pact nations.

More importantly they had killed or wounded many of the experienced non-commissioned staff (Sergeants etc) and lower rank officers of the Ukrainian military that command and are the core of each company. The newly mobilized Ukrainian forces did not have the knowledge or training necessary to replace them.

‘Western’ equipment is more complex than Soviet era stuff. It also requires more specialized maintenance. The Ukraine received a zoo. The many types of equipment and the many incompatible kinds of ammunition they use are a logistic nightmare.

‘Western’ training for the mobilized Ukrainian forces did not bring up more capable soldiers than Soviet training would have done. Those who watched NATO stumble in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya should have recognized that.

Russian on the other side mobilized 300,000 soldiers who mostly had been contract soldiers before they had returned to private life. They received extensive refresher training. They now mostly get paid more than in their civilian life which certainly helped to increase their motivation.

Russia also changed the structure of its military. The main Russian fighting force in 2022 was made up of Brigade Tactical Groups (BIG). Each of them was part of a garrison brigade which next to the one contract soldier BTG had additional battalions that were mostly training conscripts. Under Russian laws the conscript battalions could not be used on foreign ground.

The fighting BTG’s had few real infantry soldiers. Next to their 9 infantry platoons they had 8 artillery and 5 auxiliary platoons. Of a total of some 800 plus soldiers in a BTG only 200 were actually infantry that could man the trenches. The whole structure was too big and too difficult to command.

After the mobilization had brought up enough men the Russian military changed from BTGs to a mobile brigade structure. Under a higher commander the brigade holds two or three battalions that each consist of three or four companies of mobile infantry or tanks. Most of the artillery and auxiliary troops of the former BTGs are now concentrated under the brigade structure and can be used more flexible wherever they are needed. The tooth to tail ratio in the frontline battalions is now much higher than in a BTG and the whole structure is easier to command.

Above the newly structured brigades are now division commands which have additional assets like air defenses, attack helicopters and electronic warfare units. They direct the brigades within a wider front and with a bigger picture in mind.

While a lack of contract infantry necessitated the BTG structure of 2022 the additionally mobilized forces allowed in 2023 to return to the more efficient classic structures of battalions under brigades under divisions. All this was visible through the reports from the Russian military which had stopped to mention BTGs and changed to brigade numbers. For an unbiased military mind it was easy to see that this new Russian force would be a more balanced and better one.

Satellite pictures had shown for months that the Russian troops were building extensive defense structures like trench lines and anti-tank barriers. They are by the way still adding to them.

In the spring of 2023 the Ukrainian army was much weaker than when the war started. The Russian military had grown and was stronger. It also had well prepared positions. ‘Western’ politicians, the propagandized public and military commands failed to recognize those facts.

NATO had simulated the Ukrainian counter-offensive:

Logic dictates that any responsible use of the KORA simulation system would have predicted the failure of the 47th Brigade’s attack. According to The Washington Post, the officers of the 47th Brigade “planned their assaults and then let the [KORA] program show them the results – how their Russian enemies might respond, where they could make a breakthrough and where they would suffer losses.” The KORA simulation allowed the Ukrainian officers to coordinate their actions “to test how they’d work together on the battlefield.”

Given that the Ukrainian force structure was insufficient to accomplish the mission-critical task of suppression, there was no chance for the Ukrainian forces to accomplish the actual assault requirements of a breaching operation – the destruction of enemy forces on the opposite side of the obstacle barrier being breached. The Ukrainians, however, came away from their KORA experience confident that they had crafted a winning plan capable of overcoming the Russian defenses in and around Orekhov.

When one examines the structure of a KORA-based simulation, it becomes clear that the system is completely dependent upon the various inputs which define the simulation as a whole.

They probably thought the Ukrainians could actually win. But when one uses wrong estimates for the fighting powers of each side as input of a simulation the output will always be garbage.

The real world results are now in. The Ukrainian counter-offensive has failed.

The weekend edition of the German business daily headlines: “This isn’t a counter-offensive. It is a bloody crash test.”

It is now time to acknowledge that the ‘western’ military assessments and its expectations were completely wrong:

In its early phases, Ukraine’s counteroffensive is having less success and Russian forces are showing more competence than western assessments expected, two western officials and a senior US military official tell CNN.

The counteroffensive is “not meeting expectations on any front,” one of the officials said.

According to the Western assessments, Russian lines of defense have been proving well-fortified, making it difficult for Ukrainian forces to breach them. In addition, Russian forces have had success bogging down Ukrainian armor with missile attacks and mines and have been deploying air power more effectively.

Ukrainian forces are proving “vulnerable” to minefields and Russian forces “competent” in their defense, one of the Western officials said.

Even the neoconservative Institute for the Study of War was forced to eat some tiny bits of craw and to acknowledge the competence of the Russian forces:

The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) responded to the Ukrainian attack with an uncharacteristic degree of coherency and praised Southern Military District elements for repelling the attack and regaining lost positions.

Anyone who thinks that coherency is uncharacteristic for the Russians should go back and read up on Operation Bagration which showed what a well prepared Russian military can actually do.

ISW also writes:

Russian forces appear to have executed their formal tactical defensive doctrine in response to the Ukrainian attacks …

Well, what did the ISW ‘experts’ expect? That the Russians would use their manuals as toilet paper and run away when the turkey shooting begins?

In their utter stupidity the neoconservatives probably really believed that.

The assessments made did not acknowledge the dubious quality of freshly stood up Ukrainian forces. They did not acknowledge the changes and growth in the military structures on the Russian side. They failed to recognize the quality of the Russian fortifications and military capabilities and the deep roots of their doctrine.

The results are the consequence of ignoring reality, of seeing what one wants to see.

The politics of this war demanded that the ‘western’ side wins. NATO military was biased towards that. Instead of telling the politicians what a realistic outcome would be it delivered hopeful assessments that defied reality.

In consequence the Ukrainian military suffered many unnecessary casualties and lost the initiative.

Let’s hope that at least some folks will learn from this.

Posted by b on June 23, 2023 at 17:16 UTC | Permalink

Shaker Pickles

Ingredients

20 small to medium cucumbers, sliced
10 onions, sliced and slivered
3 1/2 cups sugar
3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup salt
1 teaspoon alum
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon pickling spice (optional)

Instructions

Do not heat vinegar and spices.
Mix all ingredients and pour over onions and cucumbers in jars.
Place jars in refrigerator.
Shake jars once a day for 6 days. Pickles are ready to eat on the 7th day.

Pickles will keep in the refrigerator for 3 months.

Jackson, Mississippi Is The Worst Place I’ve Ever Seen

I used to live in Hattiesburg, which is about a 40 minute drive south. This is what it looks like in 2023. This is a MUST watch video. Know what the United States is today.

Given that China is having a lot of success in many areas such as economic one, why doesn’t it show the details of their policies to the surrounding world and more transparency but instead enforce censorship?

This is an International Court of Business Disputes and Settlements

They settle business disputes between Companies from all countries working in China.

Do you know their procedures? The Systems? The Procedures?

They are all in compliance with International Business Practices.

The Average Settlement Time for a Normal Dispute is 87 Days and for a Prolonged Dispute is 141 Days.

If the Judgment is not acceptable to the Foreign Company – China allows the same Foreign Company to register a case in a Court in their own country – and accepts the Judgment of that Legal System.

That is how Transparent things are.

The Judgments are so fair that only 16.5% of the Judgments have been refused and taken to foreign courts.

Meanwhile in India; Our Bharat

We follow our own procedure – Court to Court to Court with Supreme Court making decisions they have no clue about.

The average case resolution period – 6 Years and 83 days

If the Judgment is not acceptable to the foreign company – They have no choice but to go only to the ICJ where it will take another 3 years at the very least to get a decision. They cannot file in their own countrys courts.

Almost 94% of the Judgments have been appealed in India.

Thats how Opaque things are.

Do you know almost all Chinese business give Foreign Bank Guarantees to ensure that their customers and clients are relaxed. You have guarantees from DBS, JP MOrgan, RBS , Citibank etc that ensure that the Customers dont fear a Chinese Bank dominated by the CCP running things and strangling projects.

They use US and UK accountants as well

Our very own Bharat – has only SBI guarantees as per Archaic Procedures. SBI Guarantees sometimes need Co Guarantees from other banks (Like Adani case in Australia).

They have local accountants as well.

Thats the difference.

China is far more transparent than India is in everything but Politics where they are a closed book.

GARY: The USA’s Most Dangerous City? What I Actually Saw

This is a city in the CENTER of the United States “Industrial Heartland”. So if you are dreaming about the United States catching up to China, then here is where the rebuilding will occur.

Take a good look around.

Gary has fallen onto bad times, but this is the center of American Industry access, and resources. You cannot just pick a virginal plot of land without rail, roads, and power generation randomly.

Has globalization backfired for the west?

No, but it has been very poorly implemented by elected western governments.

Here are some of the problems:

Western governments did not have effective training programs to replace and retrain workers which were displaced when their manufacturing jobs were exported;
Western governments and societies did not foresee the degree of displacement created by the combination of technology and globalization, and this led to the rise of extremist voter sentiment in the form of Brexit in the UK and the election of Trump in the US;
In spite of democracy, governments in the west have been dominated by the financial sector and the leading universities; this has led to a kind of elitist tunnel vision, which gave rise to a “burn the house down” mentality, in the form of Brexit and Trump;
A rising rich/poor gap has led to social instability which has not yet reached its logical culmination.

Chester, Pennsylvania | What Happened?

Here is another city in the American “Industrial Heart-land”. Pennsylvania, as well as Ohio, were the center for American industrial might.

This is what it looks like today.

Anyone who is trying to tell you that “somehow” industry is going to start returning back to the Untied States is lying to you.

US law vs nonus law: is it true that circumstantial evidence has little weight in US courts?

Let me describe a circumstantial case.

On July 2, the defendant purchased handgun from a local gun dealer, filling out the necessary forms and using their drivers license as identification. They also bought ammunition appropriate for the weapon.

The defendant is 6′8″ tall, Caucasian, weighs 300 pounds with a muscular build and has their hair cut into a Mohawk and dyed red.

Later on July 2, someone sees a large Caucasian man take a ladder out of a large green van and put it up against the plate glass of their neighbor. They then see the man shatter the glass with a sledge hammer and enter the house through the smashed window. They call 911 and while they’re on the phone with the police, six loud popping sounds are heard.

The police arrive on the scene and they find a dead man in bed with covers with five bullet wounds, and the CSI team finds an additional bullet embedded in the floor beneath the bed. A gun is found outside the bedroom door. The front door is open. They find scratches on the white paint on the outside window frame. Forensics notes that the six bullet holes show no burn marks, so the gun must have been fired at least a meter away from the bed. However, they also find a note next to the dead man, printed in purple ink on an ink-jet printer saying “Forgive me, but I cannot live with myself after accusing an innocent man, George “Big Red” Johnson of 123 Main Street of bank robbery. He didn’t do it and I only identified him because I’m an asshole. Yours truly, Brian Carter”.

The police do a further inventory of the home and find no ink-jet printer on the premises. They also find the dead man’s ID identifying him as “Bryan Carter”. They also find fingerprints on the gun.

The police obtain a search warrant for 123 Main Street an find a green van parked in the garage. They find a ladder and forensic analysis shows there are paint chips that match the window frame at the crime scene.

George Johnson is soon apprehended at a nearby bar. When questioned, several patrons and the bartender say he was bragging about how he offed the witness to a bank robbery he committed three months ago so now the D.A. will have to drop that case.

The fingerprints on the gun turn out to be Johnson’s

All of this is circumstantial evidence. At trial, Johnson claims that he’s the victim of mistaken identity and that the witnesses at the bar are lying. He claims the forensic evidence is all a plot by the police to discredit him.

In fact, the vast majority of cases, in the U.S. and elsewhere, are made up of circumstantial evidence. In this case no-one saw Johnson shoot Mr. Carter. That’s “direct evidence”. It’s rare. It’s not necessary. As long as the circumstantial evidence that’s accepted by the jury as true, in it’s totality, supports only the conclusion that the defendant committed the crime, the jury is entitled to convict.

Driving around California

Perhaps the United States can build up it’s industry in California….

What are some of the most egregious examples of unethical marketing practices you have come across?

1- This one, in which we see how the company blatantly lies saying that the product comes in a paper bottle, but when you open it… PLASTIC.

2- Then, we see this yogurt container that makes you believe that the product itself has pieces of fruit, but when you finish it you realize that in reality those “pieces of fruit” are only part of the container.

3- Disney sticker book, it supposedly has 1001 beautiful stickers , but when you open it you realize that almost all the stickers are colored squares that serve as margins. In fact, the person who bought the book and denounced this on social networks, made the account and actually of those 1001 and one sticker, 738, are these colored squares.

4- A sugar package, which says:

“natural sugar”

But behind the package it says that “the word natural refers to the name of the product and does not explain that the product is actually of natural origin.

These are just four examples of predatory marketing practices towards consumers, you always have to be very attentive to the fine print of what you buy, companies will do anything to sell.

South Korea being administered slow poison by US

“We used to have the largest trade surplus with China. The president’s tough line against China has cost us 15 consecutive months of trade deficits” — South Korea’s opposition leader.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol aligning with the US and Japan while shifting away from China was exacting a toll on the country’s economy, the leader of the political opposition said Monday.

Addressing the National Assembly plenary session, the main opposition party leader said ties with China “have gone downhill” since Yoon took office, accusing the president of “having given up on diplomacy.”

“We used to have the largest trade surplus with China. The president’s tough line against China has cost us 15 consecutive months of trade deficits,” he said.

“For stabilization and recovery of the economy, we must build supply chains with China once again.”

The opposition leader said there were a “myriad of issues” South Korea could be addressing together with China. One of them was the country’s response to Japan’s plan to release wastewater stored at the now-defunct Fukushima nuclear power plant.

He called the water — which the Japanese government said would be treated and diluted — “nuclear waste” and that releasing it into the ocean an “act of terrorism.” For South Koreans in the fishing industry, the water’s discharge was “a death sentence,” he said.

He added that Yoon “took away” the chance for Japan to apologize for forced labor and other atrocities dating back to Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. “Eighty years on, Japan is still refusing to apologize or even acknowledge the historical facts,” he said.

He came under fire for echoing Xing’s criticism of the South Korean president for supposedly “deteriorating relations” with Beijing. The Democratic Party head, deviating from Yoon’s stance on Taiwan, also said South Korea supported China’s “One China” policy.

Remember, unlike Japanese Yen, the South Korean Won is not a hard currency.

I Went To The Saddest Place In The United States

I lived in Shreveport, Louisiana.

This is where I lived. So, do you all think that I should return?

Who was the most successful actress who started her acting career as a “Bond girl”?

The difficulty here is that almost every woman who was successful and cast as a “Bond girl” had done some other things before getting cast in a Bond film; and this goes back to (again) putting the lie to the idea of the “overnight success.” Even the most beautiful and talented women have usually done a lot of bit parts first.

For example, Diana Rigg was excellent, but she had already been appearing in the hit BBC show “The Avengers” before being cast in “Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” Ursula Andress was the original “Bond girl” in “Dr No,” in the early 1960s, but she’d already had a career, as a “starlet,” in the 1950s and had already (quite famously) been known for dating James Dean!

I think the best example might be Jane Seymour, who had done relatively little before she was cast in the first Roger Moore outing, “Live and Let Die” (1973). I think she had done one TV show at that point; but it had been very recent, and I don’t know if it was seen in the United States. Anyway, right after “Live and Let Die,” she got a lot of attention and did a string of films and made-for-TV movies. And I remember seeing her not long ago (well, it doesn’t SEEM long ago) in the Owen Wilson comedy, “Wedding Crashers.” She still looked terrific.

By the way, I just confirmed that yes, she CHOSE the same name as one of Henry VII’s wives. She was not born “Jane Seymour” but Joyce Penelope Frankenburg.

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China is going to set up a military base in Cuba!

Go China go!

China is planning to set up a new joint military training facility in Cuba which is only 100 miles away from Florida’s Coast this means that China could be sending troops right to US doorstep and also spy on its military installations in the Southeastern U.S.

But why is China doing this?

Well according to some intelligence officials this is a likely response to the USA’s involvement in Taiwan which is a self-governing island that China claims as its own territory Taiwan is also about 100 miles away from China so you can see the parallel.

Here China has been increasing its military pressure on Taiwan and the U.S has been supporting Taiwan’s defense and security this has led to a lot of tension and confrontation between the two nations.

Tit for tat from China.

Pennsylvania; for centuries the home of American industry…

How should China retaliate against the Huawei ban?

No, China should continue to act as the rational player, and let the rest of the world see how insane and irresponsible Trump’s America has become. By staying rational, it will win.

The other reason for not retaliating is that retaliation would play into the hands of nationalists in China, who are just as irrational as Trump, and much more violent. Nationalism is China’s pandora box; once it is opened, there is no way to put the angry genie back into the box again.

The Americans attack China at every turn now, but they don’t know that the Chinese Communist Party is the force for reason in China. Anything else would be much MUCH worse, and MUCH more violent.

Was the relative crudity of the MiG-25 a surprise to the U.S. Air Force once they had a chance to look at it after the 1976 defection of the Soviet pilot in Japan?

In grad school I took a memorable seminar with the remarkable military analyst, historian, and cold warrior Edward Luttwak

Without any preamble, Luttwak began the class with a detailed, technical description of the superiority of NATO weaponry over Soviet equivalents. He gave a couple of examples, gauging interest around the table, and going on till our eyes began to glaze over. All this was obvious. The Soviet Union with its repression and lockstep culture couldn’t begin to compete with American ingenuity.

Then Luttwak took something out of his bag and slammed it down on the table with a huge bang, terrifying every one of us. It looked like this:

A Soviet bayonet from World War II.

After our breathing returned to normal he proceeded to describe about half a dozen features on this knife that demonstrated extraordinary utility and creative design. He went from there to describe the MIG 25, and features like the obsolete vacuum tube electronics that performed better than the supposedly more advanced US electronics.

The lesson of the day was: letting your prejudices lead you to underestimate your enemy is a potentially fatal mistake.

KENSINGTON , PHILADELPHIA

I once dated a girl from here. Though, it was much nicer then. Sigh. What the fuck happened to the USA?

What do you think is the best way to balance the needs of commuters and businesses when it comes to parking facilities near public transportation hubs?

Oh dear god no!

Let’s talk abut transit oriented development. This is the idea that if you have a transit stop, you should build as much density around it as is humanly possible.

But, of course, we don’t do that. Instead, we build massive parking lots.

“But Steve”, you say, “won’t that get people out of cars and onto transit?”. To that I answer “no, it won’t, it will ensure that all the land around the transit station will be developed as low density and car dependent”

So let’s take a look at some monstrosities

Welcome to Pickering, Ontario and the Pickering stop on the GO Transit Lakeshore East line, the “gold standard” for GO train service. That white building at upper right is a parking garage. At lower left, you have more transit parking. Between them is the world’s longest pedestrian bridge, which crosses Canada’s busiest highway, the 401.

This is the “Garage Mahal”, a parking garage at Bloomington Road and Highway 404 in York Region. There is no train nearby, and none are planned. This garage is solely for people who are catching the GO bus to downtown Toronto down Highway 404 and the Don Valley Parkway. There is nothing anywhere near it and the housing developments in the area are generally very large houses on very large lots.

Here’s the parking garage at the GO Burlington station, which is on the Lakeshore West GO Train line.

Now, over to China. Here’s a brand new subway station in the middle of nowhere

But here’s what they did with it, and it only took seven years

On the TTC, Bessarion station was derided when it was opened 20 years ago as being in a very low density neighbourhood with no other transit connections. Here’s what it look like now

But, frankly ,this is not a new idea

This is Roncesvalles Avenue in Toronto. It’s one of the most desirable neighbourhoods in the city. However, you will notice the street car tracks and power supply for the streetcar. It was there long before the neighbourhood was.

So, if you build a transit station around cars, you will create more traffic because the only reasonable way to get to the transit station is by car .If you build a transit station for people, you will create dynamic neighbourhoods with affordable housing, services, and people who walk to the transit station.

Steubenville, Ohio | Remains of a Rust Belt

One of the first places to die when the the United States “leaders” decides to off-shore industry was Steubenville, Ohio. It used to be a busy and thriving city. With rail, coil, oil, and just about every kind of industry one can think of.

It dies, and never had the opportunity to return. Bad government policies, a lazy and complaisant population, and poor planning destroyed this area. All the other videos shown so far will end up looking like Steubenville.

Yes.

America in 2023 looks like a real-to-life Zombie horror movie, or some post-nuclear war fiasco.

Anyone who thinks that the United States can “take on” China is simply delusional. They are ignorant, silly, and trying to manipulate you. Do not believe them.

What are some reasons that you, personally, would not want to visit or live in the United States?

Originally Answered: What are some reasons that you, personally, would not want to visit or live in the US?

Contrary to the general belief of outsiders’ on Americans living in crowded cities or high rise buildings, majority of people actually live in suburbs and suburban type houses. I lived in midwest a couple of years and was never sorry to leave that behind:

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Coming from a crazy densely populated city (Istanbul), my first impression was actually a heart-felt admiration. Those huge spaces between the houses which makes an invisible border protecting the personal space, the perfect order (dotted by little gray squirrels), impression of self-sufficiency of people living in those independent units, little ponds (or lakes as some call).. I really wanted to shake hands with the guy who designed that ideal civilized life style.

But, sorry, a year was more than enough in the suburbs. The perfection starts to feel oppressive soon. Why is there so much green space if no one is doing anything on it? There are no people out there, anywhere, but in the cars. Then the cars drive into the garages, you catch a glimpse of humans, and they disappear. Even the squirrels are anti-social, they bark at you, like they claimed the outside world to themselves already. I just wish they put there and then one house diagonal to the street, just to break the symmetry, ignite a spark of curiosity in the brain. Nay, this is not perfection, it is simplification, it is mass production, sorry but it is death dull.

An Unfolding Tragedy: The Impossibility of Doing ‘Anything Other’

By Alastair Crooke

June 19, 2023

The conditions that gave rise to the golden era that created the ‘Comfort Generation’ no longer are available, Alastair Crooke writes.

The Tragedy that besets the West today consists, on the one hand, of the sheer impossibility for it to continue doing what it has been doing – yet matched only by its impossibility to do anything other.

Why is this so? It is because the conditions that gave rise to the golden era that created the ‘Comfort Generation’ no longer are available: Zero interest credit, zero inflation, a colluding media, and cheap energy ‘subsidising’ a shrinking and increasingly sclerotic manufacturing base (at least in Europe).

Those decades were the West’s fleeting ‘moment in the sun’. But it is over. The ‘periphery’ can manage on its own, thank you! They are doing nicely – rather better, in fact, than the imperial hub these days.

The deeper paradox is that all the easy choices are behind us. And the headwinds of debt, inflation and recession are now buffeting us fiercely. System ‘unravelling’ is already present in the form of government and institutional weakness: the ‘system’ lacked the will to take difficult decisions when it could. Easy choices then were still available, and the easy way invariably was the one taken.

The élites had absorbed the self-centred, spoilt-child ethos of the ‘me’ generation. The Permanent Class indulged themselves,abdicating all concern for their deeply disdained ‘peons’. They brought the present crisis upon themselves. They wiped out two hundred years of financial responsibility in about 20 years.

It is however, what it is – and that is where we are at. And even though it is now increasingly understood

that the West cannot persist as if ‘all is fine’ – even as the Rulers try to continue the money printing, the bailouts and with the media narrative washing away their mistakes – they do sense the crisis, the coming ‘Turning’.

So, put plainly, this constitutes the paradox: It is already obvious that to continue doing what western élites are doing in Ukraine touches on the definition of madness (to keep on repeating the same thing, matched only by the conviction that ‘next time’ the outcome will be different). The question that ‘hangs’ is the impossibility of ‘doing anything other’.

The Washington Post casts

doubts:

“As Ukraine launches its long-awaited counteroffensive against entrenched Russian occupiers, both Kyiv and its backers are hoping for a rapid retaking of strategically significant territory. Anything less will present the United States and its allies with uncomfortable questions they are not yet prepared to answer”.

“As he heads into next year’s re-election campaign, Biden needs a major battlefield victory to show that his unqualified support for Ukraine has burnished U.S. global leadership, reinvigorated a strong foreign policy with bipartisan support and demonstrated the prudent use of American military strength abroad”.

The impossibility of ‘doing anything other’ than continuing the conflict will be promoted vigorously: Biden needs it, (the weapons provided to Ukraine did not go far enough…), and further, six geopolitical ‘Swing States’ (Brazil, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Turkey) are at risk of aligning with the Russia-China Axis

, unless Putin is seen to be humiliated:

“[We must act] to prevent a significant weakening in the U.S. position in the global power balance. With the Swing States’ refusal to line up behind the United States on the Russia-Ukraine war, or competition with China, many of these key countries are already drifting away. The threat of a Sino-Russian co-optation of an expanded BRICS — and through it, of the global south — is real, and it needs to be addressed”.

Put starkly: The U.S. must persist in Ukraine. Why? To save the now threatened ‘Rules-Based Order’.

The impossibility of doing other (than keep escalating in the hope of at least ‘freezing’ the conflict, as a long favoured U.S. default option) will be portrayed as compelling. Simply said, the Permanent State lacks the courage to take hard decisions – to say to Moscow, ‘Let us put this unfortunate episode (Ukraine) behind us. Dig out those draft treaties you wrote in December 2021, and let’s see how we can work together, to restore some functionality again to Europe’.

And of course, the ‘impossibility of doing anything other’ applies in spades to the western economic system. The structural contradictions make anything ‘other’ than bailouts and spending more than is earned impossible. It is culturally hard-baked into the self-centred, spoilt-child ethos of the ‘Comfort’ generation who are the western élites. A failure of culture – of courage to face hard choices with integrity.

This is the western paradox. A Greek tragedy is one in which the crisis – at the heart of any ‘tragedy’ – does not arise by sheer mischance, for which no-one is really to be blamed, or could have foreseen. The Greek sense is that tragedy is where something happens, because it has to happen; because of the nature of the participants; because the actors involved make it happen. And they have no choice, but to make it happen, because that is their nature.

This is the deeper implication that flows from today’s tragic dilemma that might well segue into a full unfolding of tragedy in what would correctly be defined as a western ‘war of choice’.

What happened? The nature of the élites changed. The inflated sense of self-importance and self-indulgence displaced that of integrity and looking ‘truth in the eye’. Where are those with stature? Instead we have an élite that believes that there was ‘no risk’: No state, no person nor institution that could resist the heft of combined financial western power weaponised against them.

The backlash however, has started. Anger grows as public discourse debates endlessly ‘the absurd’ (“What is a woman?”) whilst everyone gives up on ever fixing the deeper issues at stake.

In Neil Howe and William Strauss’ 1997 work, The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy, the co-authors “reject the deep premise of modern Western historians that social time is either linear (continuous progress or decline) or chaotic (too complex to reveal any direction). Instead we adopt the insight of nearly all traditional societies: That social time is a recurring cycle”.

In the Fourth Turning, the crisis arrives. This, the authors write, is when institutional life is reconstructed from the ground up, always in response to a perceived threat to the nation’s very survival. “People and groups begin to pitch-in as participants in a larger community”.

This possibly represents the dizzying political realignment now under way – the scrambling of all of the traditional categories and leaving in its wake just two sides; not left and right, but insider and outsider.

But Malcom Kyeyune cautions

“The ruling elite is increasingly angry and bitter that the ruled no longer listen; the ruled, for their part, are bitter that the system so obviously doesn’t act in their interest, nor does it even really pretend to anymore. We might actually wake up one day only to find that neither politicians nor voters think ‘democracy’ is doing very much to help them anymore”.

This reflects very much the sense that western civilisation’s survival is at stake. The process is likely to reshape western politics along a new faultline, one which finds expression in the confrontation between those wishing for a ‘Green’ upending of human society; a ‘Trans’ world for children; easy immigration; the radical re-ordering of power between ‘Identity’ groups in society; changing of the very nature of Western culture – and those viscerally opposed to all of the above.

Downtown Zhuhai Driving, the Most Livable Garden City in Guangdong, China

This is where I live today.

Assholes call me a “traitor” for leaving the United States and moving to the horrible Communist China…

The contrast between the USA and China is amazing!

Did you know that the Statue of Liberty has chains around its feet?

Hum….

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What was your biggest life shock when moving back to the USA?

Our family moved to Europe in 2010 and came back to the US in 2016. The biggest life shock for us when moving back to the USA was the increased cost of living and the fast-paced life.

We lived in one of the poorest countries in Europe at the time as social workers/missionaries in Albania. So, for us, the cost of living was quite low. And, we lived quite comfortably, even with some luxuries that many Albanians could not afford. Simple things like a 3-bedroom apartment, a car, and something as simple as water provided directly by the city rather than a gravity fed water tank from atop the roof. Ironically, even with these things we still lived below the average American with a household income of $40,000 for a family of five.

We came off the field in 2016 and moved back to the US. Specifically, we moved to a small suburb south of Dallas in Midlothian, Texas. We thought we would settle into a small town drawing an income not too different than the one we had in Albania.

Boy, were we naive. We were particularly struck by the high prices of housing, food, and healthcare. And, we were also struck by the fast paced life. We had only been gone just shy of six years, and it seemed like life had changed so much in the US during that time. We didn’t remember prices being so high. Nor, did we remember living such a fast paced life.

My wife and I both landed decent jobs, drawing a household income well over what we used to have. And, even this could hardly pay the bills.

We didn’t live extravagant lives. A modest 3-bedroom home, with two used cars, and used furniture donated to us from churches and private donors. And, my wife and I got burned out real fast dealing with the hustle and bustle of American life. Up at the crack of dawn, get the kids ready for school, dealing with bumper-to-bumper traffic, road rage, be at work by 8:30 sharp, working overtime, return home in rush hour traffic, picking up the kids from school, take them to soccer practice, come home and get ready for the next day and go to bed. We hardly had time to prepare our own meals, therefore, we often ate fast food. It wasn’t a healthy choice, but it was quite convenient amidst a busy life.

Honestly, we hated it.

My wife got burnt out working as a an administrator at a nursing home. Difficult boss, rigid, with strict rules and policies. We hardly had any money left over after paying the bills, especially medical costs since I didn’t have health insurance (my job was considered part time because I worked 35 hours per week).

We really missed the laid back life of Albania.

Life was slower paced there. Where rest was a daily part of life. Shops closed at noon for a couple of hours and people went home to take a nap, or gather at the local cafe and have coffee (or raki) with friends. And, we really missed the affordability of basic necessities such as fresh fruit and vegetables for mere pennies, rent was a mere equivalent to $400/mo. Utility bills no more than $200/mo. Clothing and shoes less than $10 per item. And, socialized healthcare with only minimal fees.

But, while in the U.S. we finally decided to make another move.

As fate would have it, I landed a new job opportunity located in a small rural town in Rust Belt America in northwestern Pennsylvania. It is in the Appalachian region of America where the per capita income is $25,000 per household. 20% of its populace live below the poverty line.

It is a depressed area full of blight, drugs, unemployment, crime, and poverty.

It is in this area, that I worked as Pastor of Community Ministries for a Lutheran church where I was was primarily responsible for engaging with and connecting churches to the community through a variety of social initiatives and programs. It is here where I helped lead a food distribution ministry that provided hot meals to an average of 300 people of low income in the community per month.

The good news?

We finally found a place in the US where we could actually afford to live, and live a slower paced life similar to Albania.

Housing is very affordable, utilities are affordable, food, and clothing are affordable.

Unfortunately, gas/petrol is high, and so are taxes. Nevertheless, people drive slow here, no traffic.

Many places only work a 37.5 hour work week. Time to be at work is flexible. People value the quietness, tranquility, and slow paced life here that we have found quite invigorating. And, no keeping up with The Joneses.

As a result, we have been able to catch up on our bills and become nearly debt free.

Our kids are growing up in a small town and not pressured by performance or popularity measures that we often experienced in the city life. Sure, it’s not perfect, and we gave up some conveniences (after all Pizza Hut is fine dining here). But, all and all, we like it here.

Sorry, this was probably much more than what you wanted to read.

Shanghai 2023 Night Walk

This is China. Soak it up!

Have you, while repairing a computer, ever found anything that made your jaw drop?

I was a kid, and we had a nice “family computer” that my techie father arranged, complete with a batch file “games menu” and everything.
A 286 IBM PC, similar to this:

Anyway, I was playing something and all of a sudden a very loud BANG!!
It sounded like it was coming off the back of the monitor.
Everything was still working fine, so I chucked it off to some bizarre occurrence, but twenty minutes later and BANG!! it goes again. Being a kid, I still wanted to finish my game, so I kept at it for at least another BANG!!
Eventually I got scared, and stopped using the pc until my dad got back from work.
When he did, we powered the pc on and waited, and yep, we got the BANG!! again.
My dad took the monitor back to the store/lab to check it out, but after a couple of days they said they couldn’t find anything wrong with it. We were puzzled – what the heck could be going on?? Does it only happen when it’s running warm in our room and not the cold lab?
On a hunch, my dad decided to open the computer case and look at the PSU it had on the back, because it’s the only other place that has high enough voltage to produce such loud noises. As an electrical technician he had all of his equipment ready to try to figure out the cause.
Lo and behold, one of the big capacitors was split open in half. No need to bust out the Fluke meter…
The pc just kept on running as if nothing was the matter, but once that capacitor couldn’t handle the load it discharged itself catastrophically and was ready for another round. I’m still amazed nothing else got damaged and the pc kept working like that.

What are some unwritten social rules everyone should know?

Don’t point out a flaw in someone else’s appearance unless it can be fixed in a minute.

Example: Okay: piece of food on teeth, bit of dirt on face, unfixed collar, etc.

Not okay: crooked teeth, uneven eyes, old clothes, etc.

Do not swipe left or right if someone shows you a photo on their phone.
If someone whispers something to you, you whisper back. Also, it is rude to whisper around other people, especially if you’re with them.
If you’re going out to dinner with other people, and they’re paying, don’t order the most expensive things.
For buses, trains, or lifts, always let people exit first before you get on.

Don’t leave your grocery cart in the middle of the grocery aisle while you go off to fetch something. Park it nicely beside something, not dang in the middle of the aisle.

When you’re entering the room of someone you’re very familiar with (for example, a best friend or a same-sex sibling) at least knock or call out to announce your entrance. No matter how close you are to someone, it is never okay to barge into their personal space unannounced.
Don’t ask for something when you can see the person only has one left (for example, gum, cigarette, piece of cake, a blue pen, etc.).
You do not have to be nice to people are serving you, but what you do have to be is not rude. Don’t take your bad day out on someone who is only doing their job.
Always say please and thank you. Sounds simple but you’d be surprised at how many adults who don’t do this. Just because you’re an adult doesn’t give you the right to stop practicing manners.
If you are a guest at someone else’s house, always make an effort to clean up, at least clean up the space you occupy. Make up the bed you slept in, etc.
When exiting a room or an elevator along with other people, wait for the people nearest the exit to leave first.

Unless it’s acceptable in your culture, always chew with your mouth closed, especially when you’re in the presence of other people.
Always make an effort to participate fully when someone tries to involve you in a polite conversation. Answers to questions like, “how are you, what have you been up to, etc.” should always be finished with “and how about you?”
If you borrowed someone else’s car and used their gas, fill it up before you return it.
When you’re walking in a public space where there are other people, be self-aware. Be aware of how you’re moving. If the path is small, do not block it by moving like a snail while on your phone. Don’t zig-zag on sidewalks, don’t fill the entire width of the sidewalk.

Edited to add some points provided by the lovely people in the comments:

Please don’t leave your shopping cart in a parking space. Be considerate & put it away.
Don’t start a coffee morning in the middle of the aisle. The cafe is down the road, mate.
Don’t heavily fondle the produce and then put them back on the shelf.
Don’t ram my backside with your trolley to get past, just say “excuse me please”.
Don’t stop when you get off an escalator there are other people coming up behind you.
As you’re walking, don’t stop in a doorway. “I’ve seen people do that while on their phones all the time and they seem to be oblivious to the fact that they are blocking traffic.”
Return a borrowed item as soon as you’re done with it, not when the owner finally realises they need it and it’s missing.

The betrayal of Hong Kong

To the west, the once swashbuckling Hong Kong is now a wounded city, living under Beijing’s jackboot. Its fate is lumped together with Xinjiang’s, as alleged victims of autocracy.

Nothing is further from the truth. By a leap of logic, the US and its allies have weaponized this falsehood.

What is at play is a swing of the pendulum—from extreme lawlessness to restored order.

The indisputable truth is that for 23 years following the handover, Hong Kong was granted full freedoms never allowed under British rule. Beijing faithfully honored the letter and spirit of “One Country Two Systems”. Agitators had plenty of wriggle room to rampage and run amok, a la Trump insurrectionists. Except in Washington, it lasted only one day. But here, the sound and fury of rioting reverberated for over 9 months. No government, East or West, has ever tolerated a year-long street unrest.

The fight was purportedly over universal suffrage. But instead, they sold us a deadly populist democracy or mob rule. One person one vote is meaningless when democrats themselves offer no credible leaders to compete against establishment candidates. They are, one and all, grandstanders who play to the camera, with callous disregard for people’s livelihood. Their moral authority rings hollow, the fight being over an abstract concept. They can talk the talk, but can’t walk the talk.

From day one, activists played by their own rules, not even bothering to pay lip service to “One country, two systems”, brazenly sloganeering for the downfall of the CCP and spewing anti-Beijing venom. It escalated into an insurgency, a messy civil war, with no one challenging the moral merits of their cause. These absolutists demanded absolute surrender. Compromise was not in their vocabulary. They adopted populist democracy as practiced by the bombastic Donald Trump and his British sidekick, Boris the buffoon. The more lies and more crimes the better, so long as they profit from the mess. Both left their respective society divided and devastated. Copycat Hong Kong, predictably, suffered the same fate. These political snake oil salespeople were too busy playing heroes and getting photo ops with the likes of Nancy Pelosi.

But for Hong Kong, the price was huge.

In their frontal assault on social order, they “threw the baby out with the bath water”, plunging the city into anarchy. Hong Kong descended into a land of the lawless, thanks, ironically, to a misguided law professor and his equally misguided cabal of collaborators. Gone with the tear-gas was its legendary rule of law, the backbone of democracy.

The aftermath has rippled across the Taiwan Strait. With One-Country-Two-Systems discredited, the dream of a peaceful reunification died on the vine, breathing new life into the faltering fortunes of the separatist Taiwan leader. America turned Hong Kong into a pawn in its geopolitical game, pushing China to the brink of war over Taiwan. The unrest is in truth an act of subversion and treason.

People should ask: With amoral leaders like Trump and Boris, who needs one person one vote? Local activists were barking up the wrong tree. Despite being cheek-by-jowl with the mainland, they were woefully ignorant of their own country. Umbilically linked to their former colonial master, they blindly worshipped all things British, behaving like “bananas”– yellow on the outside but white on the inside. They paralyzed the legislative chamber and politicized the serious business of government. To them it was all a show, played for the benefit of their offshore puppet masters in London and Washington. These headline hunters hallucinated about winning the Nobel Peace Prize, while fear stalked the city. Universities, no longer oases of peace and tolerance, became battlegrounds. At least two university presidents went into hiding after the security cameras covering the President’s lodge had been tampered with. Mainland academics’ offices were trashed, and mainland students had to scurry across the border to safety. An unarmed citizen was set on fire in front of TV cameras. The old decent Hong Kong was no more. Only Yellow or Blue camps exist, for pro-and anti-government camps respectively. Friendships are fractured; blood relationships are ruptured. Livelihoods are lost and the economy has gone south, with no dialogue across the political divide. Is this the Promised Land they have pledged to deliver?

Hong Kong has earned the dubious title of “protest capital of the world”, proof of freedom galore. Compounding the chaos were local officials insulated from reality by their high pay and coveted perks. Outplayed and outmatched, they let troublemakers sell Hong Kong down the river.

Order is now restored. But local leaders should be wary of wielding the National Security Law as a blunt instrument, lest it inadvertently undermines One-Country-Two-Systems. With its special character, Hong Kong has a unique role in China’s strategic development, a role no other mainland city can play. This time, be sure we give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. Locals should stop poking their noses into Mainland affairs—that’s not a restriction on freedom, that’s honoring Two Systems. Focus instead on livelihood matters, most notably affordable housing and reviving indigenous culture like our road-side eateries. Forget populist democracy, a bankrupt idea to which we are culturally allergic. Time heals all wounds. Let Hong Kong do what it does best: capitalizing on opportunities, near and far. Above all, let this city hum again with harmony.

Secret INSANE SEX Lives Of Mennonite People

Now for some fun. Learn something for a change.

BRICS problems, BRI solutions

While the five original BRICS states have their geopolitical differences, they are finding enormous common ground on the geoeconomic front as trade volumes surge and trade routes multiply.

By Pepe Escobar

JUL 24, 2023

As the BRICS approach the most important summit in their history on August 22-24 in Johannesburg, South Africa, some fundamentals need to be observed.

The top three BRICS cooperation platforms are politics and security, finance and the economy, and culture. So the notion that a new BRICS gold-backed reserve currency will be announced at the South Africa summit is spurious.

What is in progress, as confirmed by BRICS sherpas, is the R5: a new common payment system. The sherpas are only in the preliminary stages of discussing a new reserve currency which could be gold or commodities-based. The discussions within the Eurasia Economic Union (EAEU), led by Sergey Glazyev, by comparison, are way more advanced.

The order of priorities is to get R5 rolling. All current BRICS currencies start with an “R”: renminbi (yuan), ruble, real, rupee, and rand. R5 will allow current members to increase mutual trade by bypassing the US dollar and reducing their US dollar reserves. This is only the first of many practical steps in the long and winding road of de-dollarization.

An expanded role for the New Development Bank (NDB) – the BRICS bank – is still being discussed. The NDB may, for instance, grant loans denominated in BRICS gold – making it a global unit of account in trade and financial transactions. BRICS exporters will then have to sell their goods against BRICS gold, instead of US dollars, as much as importers from the collective west would have to be willing to pay in BRICS gold.

That’s a long way away, to put it mildly.

Frequent discussions with sherpas from Russia and also independent financial operators in the EU and the Persian Gulf always touch on the key problem: imbalances and weak nodes inside the BRICS, which will tend to serially proliferate with the imminent BRICS+ expansion.

Within BRICS, there’s a wealth of serious unsolved dossiers between China-India, while Brazil is squeezed between a list of imperial dictates and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s natural drive to fortify the Global South. Argentina has been all but forced by the usual suspects to “postpone” its admission request to join BRICS+.
And then there’s the weak link by definition: South Africa. Squeezed between a rock and a hard place, the organizer of the most important summit in BRICS history opted for a humiliating compromise not exactly worthy of an independent Global South middle-ranked power.

South Africa decided not to receive Russian President Vladimir Putin and opted instead for the presence of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov – as Pretoria first suggested to Moscow. The other BRICS members validated the decision.

The compromise means that Russia will be physically represented by Lavrov while Putin will participate in the whole process – and subsequent decisions – via videoconference.

Translation: Putin tested Pretoria and exposed it to the whole Global South as a fragile node of the “jungle” – actually the Global Majority – easily threatened by the western “garden” gang and not a real independent foreign policy practitioner.

St. Petersburg-Shanghai via the Arctic

This South African decision by itself raises serious questions about whether BRICS-led geopolitics is just an illusion.

Geoeconomically though, the group has entered a whole different ball game, illustrated by the multiple BRICS interconnections with the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Chinese trade with BRI nations increased 9.8 percent in the first half of 2023 – compared to the same period last year. That contrasts sharply with the 4.7 percent overall contraction of trade between China and the collective west: Down with the EU by 4.9 percent, and down with the US by 14.5 percent.

Chinese trade with Russia, meanwhile, alongside exports to South Africa and Singapore, raised exponentially by 78 percent. As an example, late last week, a Chinese cargo set sail from St. Petersburg loaded with fertilizers, chemicals, and paper products. It will cross the Arctic and arrive in Shanghai in early August.

Zhou Liqun, chairman of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Russia, went straight to the point – this is just the start of the “routine operation of the Arctic freight shipping route between China and Russia.” It’s all about “the security of logistical channels” inbuilt in the Russia-China strategic partnership.

The Arctic Silk Road, from now on, will be increasingly strategic. The Chinese can keep it open at least from July to October every year. And as a bonus, a warming Arctic allows better access to oil/gas resources. A trademark “win-win” – no wonder since 2017 the development of the Arctic Silk Road is part of BRI.

All of the above shows a sharp shift in the Chinese commercial drive towards the Global South. Trade with China’s BRI partners now amounts to 34.3 percent of China’s total global trade in terms of value – and that number is rising.

From the UAP railway to the Greater Bay Area

On the Russian front, all eyes are on the 7,200 km-long, multimodal International North-South Transportation Corridor (INSTC) – which alarms the collective west as a de facto replacement of the Suez Canal. The INSTC cuts shipping costs by about 50 percent and saves up to 20 days of travel compared to the Suez route.

INSTC trade – via ship, rail, and roads linking Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, India, and Central Asia – should triple over the next seven years, as Russian Transport Minister Vitaly Saveliev noted at the recent St. Petersburg forum. Russia will invest over $3 billion in the INSTC up to 2030.

Increasing trade between Russia, Iran, and India via the INSTC connects to something that until recently would be regarded as a UFO: the Trans-Afghan Railway.

The Trans-Afghan will emerge as a follow-up to something very important that happened last week, when Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan signed a joint protocol to connect the Uzbek and Pakistani networks via Mazar-i-Sharif and Logar in Afghanistan.

Welcome to the UAP railway – which could be hailed not only as a BRI but also as a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) project – where Tashkent and Islamabad are full members, and Kabul is an observer. Call it a much-needed trade corridor doubling up as a classic Chinese “people-to-people exchange” platform.

The Uzbeks estimate that the 760 km-long railway will reduce travel time by five days and costs by at least 40 percent. The project could be finished by 2027.

The subsequent 573 km-long Trans-Afghan Railway has already got its road map: it’s bound to connect the intersection of Central and South Asia to ports on the Arabian Sea.

All of the above expands Chinese trade in several directions. Which brings us to a fascinating symbiosis in progress between south China and West Asia – symbolized by the Greater Bay Area.

As Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman turbo-charges his immensely ambitious Vision 2030 modernization project, the Greater Bay Area is being hailed by Saudis as no less than “the future of Asia.”

Every investor from Jeddah to Hong Kong knows that Beijing is aiming to turn the Greater Bay Area into a prime global tech center, centered in Shenzhen, with Hong Kong playing the role of privileged global finance hub and Macau as the cultural hub.

The Greater Bay Area, not by accident, is a key BRI plank. As a whole, the nine cities in Guangdong, plus Hong Kong and Macau (more than 80 million people, 10 percent of Chinese GDP), will be configured as an astonishing first-class economic powerhouse by 2035, largely overtaking Tokyo Bay, the New York Metro Area, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

With Saudi Arabia aiming to become a full member of both BRI and SCO, Beijing and Riyadh will turbo-charge their tech cooperation on top of energy and infrastructure.

All eyes on South Africa next month are on how BRICS will work to solve its internal issues while organizing the expansion to BRICS+. Who will get to join the club? Saudi Arabia? UAE? Iran? Kazakhstan? Algeria? The top two BRICS countries, China and Russia keep investing in a geoeconomic roll that has dozens of countries lining up to join.

The tragedy of American dating

We will continue to look a little into the Passport Bros movement. In particular, how the West; the American ideal of “family” is so messed up and there numerous people who are upset about this. And it is really heartbreaking. So many lonely girls, and at the same time, so many men are showing zero sympathy.

Is this America today?

I cannot believe it. The USA is so damn fucked up!

I suffer and feel for all the single mothers in the video. I feel for the lonely guys, and the confused people who are just looking for some appreciation and love and care and concern.

But ideology keeps getting in the way.

Ugh!

Do not get too caught up. Focus on your friends. Focus in your family. Be kind and caring. Expand outward. Control your thoughts and control the circle of people that surround you. Your life will be so much easier.

Ok, here’s a video…

When Women Regret Feminism – Strong, Independent Woman Can’t Find A Man

Yes. There is a biological clock that ends in a hard wall. If you are a woman in your early 30’s check for fibroid cysts. It’s normal, but they will really mess up your insides when it comes to having babies.

And, please, I know many of the younger women are so full of themselves, but the clock of life is harsh.

Show some sympathy.

Show some empathy.

It is a tough and difficult world out there.

Give people a chance.

Show some compassion. Do not be the jerk who laughs at others tears!

Iran, S. Arabia, UAE, Oman to form joint naval force under China support

June 3, 2023 – 17:6

TEHRAN – A Qatari news website reported on Friday that Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Oman are to form a joint naval force under China’s support in line with increasing maritime security in the Persian Gulf.

Al-Jadid said China had already begun mediating negotiations among Tehran, Riyadh, and Abu Dhabi aimed at reinforcing navigation’s safety in the strategic body of water.

Back in March, China successfully helped broker a deal between Tehran and Riyadh according to which Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to reestablish diplomatic ties after seven years of estrangement.

According to analysts, the consent of the Persian Gulf states to Beijing’s mediation in such sensitive matters shows China’s growing influence in the region as opposed to Washington’s declining influence.

Iran has long been saying that only regional countries can guarantee the security of the Persian Gulf.

Iran, Saudi Arabia to form naval coalition in northern Indian Ocean

Iranian Navy Commander Shahram Irani also announced on Saturday that a naval coalition will be formed in the northern Indian Ocean with the involvement of Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Iraq, Pakistan, India, and other countries in the region.

Meanwhile, the UAE has announced quitting a U.S.-led naval force.

On Wednesday, the website of the Emirati foreign ministry said Abu Dhabi had withdrawn from the Joint Maritime Forces that operate in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.

The ministry said the Emirates had decided to ditch the naval coalition following an extensive evaluation of its security needs.

Analysts say Abu Dhabi has made the decision in line with its ambition to diversify its security relationships.

The Rise of Men Going Their Own Way #2

Mean and women going “their own way”. Ugh!

Please show understanding and compassion!

I’m telling you…

Laugh at these people now, suffer their fate later on!

https://youtu.be/ojBkdOrtftI

LGBQ+ everything

2023 06 07 16 27

“GOD Please SAVE Me!” | 35+ Yr Old Women Hit The Wall HARD

I am actually horrified. I am so sad for the girls here. I am really sad that the young men are laughing about it.

People need compassion.

Anyways, the wall exists.

Network with friends and family. There is no such thing as strong and independent. Do not fall for that lie.

Stay Calm in the Midst of Chaos

May 30, 2023

Always stay calm. You are a rock. You are her rock.

Be calm when she becomes emotional. All women are emotional to an extent. You can’t change it.

There is no point in even trying. But also, do not run away from the situation. This doesn’t work either and she’ll resent you for it.

What you must do is face her head-on like a MAN.

Do not react to her.

She’s testing to see whether you can be pulled into her un-needed drama.

She wants to see if she can bring crazy storms into your life – don’t give in.

A hallmark of a great man is composure.

So many fights can be avoided if you just don’t give into her chaos and stay grounded.

That’s what she wants – but she won’t tell you. You’re suppose to know this.

Obviously, if it’s a serious issue, than handle it with compassion and respect.

Otherwise, staying calm, humor and positivity is usually the way to go 90% of the time.

队长YoungCaptain/黄礼格 – 11 『Cause you know 爱意就像大雨落下怎么能让人不牵挂。』【動態歌詞】

There’s no point in holding dialogue with a bully

Much has been made recently of a “close call” incident whereby a Chinese fighter jet intercepted an American F-16 in the South China Sea at close proximity. The incident, a clear show of discontent from Beijing towards the United States, prompted condemnation from Washington who subsequently demanded “dialogue” and “communication” in order to prevent mistakes from being made. This theme carried on into the Singapore based Shang-Ri La Dialogue last week, a forum which is of course used by the US and its allies to advance their geopolitical goals. H ere, US Secretary of Defence Llyod Austin again reiterated a call for open channels, but he did not get a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, amidst protests over him being sanctioned by the United States previously.

Austin of course, continued in presenting his vision for a “free and open indo-pacific”, which as American politicians do, depict themselves as a bringing of peace, stability and freedom for the nations of that given region against so-called “coercion” and “bullying”. In reality, the United States is aiming for the comprehensive militarization of Asia in the bid to contain China, and of course frames Beijing’s reactions to this hostile activity, be it Taiwan or the South China Sea, as acts of aggression and instability, with the US frequently of course then prescribing itself as the solution to the problem they are subsequently creating. Likewise, China’s lack of willingness to “cooperate” is then spun as being unreasonable.

But this is manipulative and completely misleading in so many ways. If a bully decides to move into your garden, sets up camp and brings weapons, is it reasonable to object to it, and of course to be hostile in response? Yet, on demanding that bully leave and stop interfering with your property, do you think anyone would take it seriously if he then says that you are the one being unreasonable? And that you should talk with him to make sure you don’t get into a fight? As that is exactly what is happening here. The US is response is literally this: “We’re going to continue to get new bases around you, we’re going to continue to build new alliances targeting you and bring more military assets into the region, and continually sale warships off your coast, but oh, please make sure you talk with us just to make sure no problems arise from it.”

In doing so, the United States has no intention of changing course or “understanding” China more, let alone respecting its interests and finding a position of co-existence. Rather, it is about gaslighting Beijing as the aggressor and using a misleading logic that frames China as the one being unreasonable. The United States knows that the more it can provoke and fan the flames of tensions in the region, the more it can subsequently advance its own military agenda and thus force other countries to take sides. The US does not respect the neutrality of ASEAN, and will make regional harmony, economic and political integration, as well as trust, completely disintegrate in the bid to escalate its own ideological conflict.

We have subsequently seen the exact same situation pan out in regards to Ukraine, where it has already started a major war, which has been wholly to American benefit. China has made it clear they do not want such a war, and it is not in their interests to do so, yet that does not mean the United States will change its path or stop provoking, thus forcing Beijing to continue to respond in tandem. In other words, the cycle of escalation or “the security dilemma” is already well underway, and no matter how many sweet words the United States may speak about dialogue or talks, the structural reality of what they are pursuing is not going to change and therefore the risk of conflict continues to grow irrespectively.

There is little walking away from the emerging arms race now, and while China must avoid making abrasive decisions, and it is absolutely right nonetheless that there is no point in talking to the United States and taking heed of this gaslighting about “communications” and “guardrails”, because it distracts from the obvious reality that the perpetrator is trying to project on the victim and force it to be responsible for a situation it is creating. The US has chosen the path of confrontation, and must subsequently bear the consequences for it. You do not be nice to someone who moves into your garden.

Woman That Got KARMA On Divorce Court!

Show compassion , understanding and empathy. Put yourself in the shoes of others.

https://youtu.be/HBgz6smgTwA

Xinjiang’s 5G Network Reaches Every Corner: 39,000 Base Stations and Counting!

Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region had built 39,000 5G base stations by the end of April 2023, amid the region’s efforts to push head with 5G networks, local authorities said on Wednesday.

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Currently, all the region’s prefecture-level cities, all its counties and 99.16 percent of its townships are covered by 5G networks. There are 15 5G base stations for every 10,000 residents in Xinjiang.

Last year, Xinjiang’s information and communication industry invested 1.7 billion yuan (about 244 million U.S. dollars) in building 5G base stations, said Ma Zhuqing, head of the regional communications administration.

Xinjiang is also speeding up integration and innovation of its key 5G industrial applications, with 70 major 5G applications in relevant industries underway, including the construction of a smart land port in the China-Europe freight train (Urumqi) assembly center, Ma said.

Terry Zhong – Goodnight Stranger (feat. 习谱予 Cheryl Xi)

Nvidia founder: don’t underrate China’s resolve to make advanced chips

Nvidia founder Jensen Huang warns about China’s resolve to build its own advanced semiconductors

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The Taiwan-born American entrepreneur says mainland China has dedicated a ‘massive’ amount of resources to build its own high-end chips.

Nvidia and its US peers must ‘run very fast’ to stay ahead of Chinese competitors, Huang says during Computex Taipei.

Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang Jen-hsun said China’s ability to catch up in chip technology should not be underrated, as the country pours massive resources into shoring up the sector amid mounting export restrictions by the US and its allies.

The world’s most valuable chip maker, which has been barred by Washington from selling its most advanced chips to customers in China, must “run very fast” to stay competitive, Huang told reporters at a round table at Computex Taipei, an annual technology industry expo, on Tuesday.

“Whatever the regulations are … of course we will absolutely comply, but I think China will use the opportunity to foster their local entrepreneurs, and that’s why there are so many graphics processing unit start-ups in China,” Huang was quoted as saying by Nikkei Asia and several Taiwanese media outlets.

Graphics processing units (GPUs) have simpler architecture than central processing units at the heart of most personal computers, making the former easier to design.

“If you weren’t in the chip industry and you wanted to start a chip company, what company would you start? You would start a GPU [company]. And there’s a whole bunch of GPU start-ups in China,” Huang reportedly said.

“The amount of resources that has been dedicated to this area in China … is quite massive, so you can’t underestimate them.”

Huang made similar remarks in a recent interview with the Financial Times, warning the Biden administration to be “careful” with its semiconductor restrictions, because “if [China] can’t buy from … the United States, they’ll just build it themselves”.

To comply with Washington’s rules, Nvidia currently offers lower-end versions of its most advanced GPUs that are tailor-made for the mainland Chinese market.

Huang’s net worth is US$36 billion and he is Chinese who was born in Taiwan.

Judge Judy on Fathers’ Rights to Their Children

What are some of the most heartbreaking images of poverty in China?

After China eradicated extreme poverty in 2019 — 2020, there is no heartbreaking images of poverty in China.

Here’s a poor village in China.

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SHADOW OFFICIAL VIDEO – 朱婧汐JING

Is the US considered a third world country?

Now that you mention it, I was forced to cook part of a meal outside over an open flame even though the weather was cold the other day.

That’s because it was Thanksgiving, and the oven had been full of other food since 6am that morning, preparing for a 5pm meal. Yes, eleven hours of cooking different things, and it still wasn’t enough. That’s how much food we had. I had to cook the ham outside on the grill.

Well, it’s not really cooking the ham… it’s reheating a pre-cooked, pre-sliced 10-pound ham. The most difficult part of the entire thing is opening the bag of charcoal.

I spent the day after Thanksgiving playing video games, answering questions on Quora, and shopping online. Some of the things I bought in the morning were delivered that afternoon.

My plan for today is more of the same.

If this is what it’s like to live in a third world country, I don’t see what’s so bad about it.

【Engsub】侠客（Xia Ke)｜The Knight | 老胡khufu – Lao Hu Khufu | Rap vibe

An Englishman staggers, ashen-faced, into a roadside bar, demanding a large brandy. The barman is concerned. (source: Reddit)

An Englishman staggers, ashen-faced, into a roadside bar, demanding a large brandy. The barman is concerned.

“Well,” says the man, “I was just driving along and my BMW suddenly gave up the ghost! So I cruised into the layby just along the road here and opened the bonnet. But I have no idea how these modern cars work! I was about to call the Automobile Association when I saw two horses come up to the fence and peer at the engine. And one of them actually spoke! Clear as day! Couldn’t believe my ears!”

“Oh, yes – what did it say?”

“Well, this is the extraordinary thing – it told me to press down on some bit of plastic until I heard a click. So I did that – and then this horse told me to try the engine – and it started immediately!”

“Ah,” said the barman. “And tell me, what color was this horse?”

“Color? Color? Whatever do you mean? The damn thing spoke to me, clear as day! In fact, it was a brown horse!”

“Thought so,” says the barman, polishing the next batch of glasses.

“Thought so? Didn’t you hear what I was saying? This horse dam’ well spoke to me!”

“Well”, says the barman, “I thought it would be her. The white one knows nothing about BMW ignition systems!”

Should I allow my 13 year old to lock their bedroom?

Do you want to walk in on them when they are masturbating? Or perhaps your daughter taking her bra off? Or your kid doing a handstand, so you would directly hit them and break their neck in result?

If you smell weed, smoke, hear screams, moans, loud obnoxious music, then have a problem with it. In the end, don’t you think a screwdriver or a bobby pin would easily unlock their door?

Knock on the kid’s door, and ask if you can come in. Give at least some fundamental privacy.

YOU’RE The Reason The Passport Bros Are LEAVING

More confusion.

Both sides need to come together.

Find solutions do not seek perfection.

How can America become as competitive as China in manufacturing?

Amerikkka has literally never managed to even develop without plunder. They understand very well that Amerikkka has no resources (unlike organic civilizations, settler states are artifically founded and hence don’t respond to material conditions). That’s why they have exclusively relied on plunder their entire history and why they terminally collapse clinging to endless wars, because they have no other options. This is internally well understood by every Amerikkkan regime.

Truly wealthy countries are like China: they develop at record breaking speed without plunder at all (which means, this is perpetual, unlike short-lived, self-imploding plunder), and keep inflation consistently low due to material abudance. Notice that this is not some historical aberration either (like the anti-competitive and very short lived post-WW2 world that artifically propped up the settler Amerikkkan regime, suffering a brutal depression beforehand), but the historical norm: the region where China is has been the most prosperous on the planet across all human history, that’s why China never needed plunder. Unlike what western orthodoxy claims, ideology is also a product of material conditions, not the other way around. Because China never needed plunder due to its material conditions, it never developed colonialist ideology. Because settler/colonial regimes lack resources, they invented their ideologies to justify their plunder. A big indicator of a nation’s wealth is the ability of that nation to create peace and benefit from it. China’s assistance in this process is yet another consequence of China’s immense wealth. Another huge problem for Amerikkka is the fact that it is geographically isolated, removed from the center of the global economy (EurAsia), which further imposes higher costs and yet another barrier for Amerikkka to compete. Reminder that the true scale of China’s reserves are only known by China. China is a massive gold producer and no gold ever leaves China. China has been getting rid of useless Amerikkkan debt for a long time, and ultimately getting more gold.

America was facing terminal collapse even before WW2, stuck with a brutal depression. Only the huge historical aberration that was WW2 artifically extended the regime. They were literally stuck in a decades-long depression before WW2, precisely because they never naturally developed, they relied exclusively on plunder (sounds familiar? Amerikkka now suffers the same problem and it has no way out). Amerikkka developed the fastest when it was literally a widely non-competitive world, the highly anti-competitive colonial and post-WW2 era. Today, that’s just impossible to redo, which is what drives the Amerikkkan regime so deranged.

Anyone can claim to compete in such environment because there is no competition. The post-WW2 era was not competitive to begin with, and Amerikkka terminally collapsed since the moment they had to compete. What matters is how you deal with inevitable competition and Amerikkka can’t compete at all. It literally had to destroy Japan, its own neocolony and threatened its European vassals with military means in order to “compete”. China literally developed at the fastest speed in history in that highly-competitive environment, because China has vast resources and capabilities, it never depended on plunder. Why do you think it started a trade war (which lost in catastrophic fashion due to lack of resources)? meanwhile Chinese car manufacturers today outcompete everyone in the most competitive era in history. Ford (which benefited from the Nazi war machine) never achieved that. In fact, it has terminally collapsed since the moment it faced competition, like every Amerikkkan industry ever.

The fact that China has started banning Amerikkkan semiconductor companies outright indirectly reveals the high degree of maturiry in the fully Chinese semiconductor chain.

Reminder that, years ago, China appointed intelligence experts to all Chinese semiconductor companies and institutions to protect them from leaking any information about breakthroughs (for example, it’s well known that China does the same with its supercomputers to the point it doesn’t list them anymore), which is why these developments have caught South Korea, Amerikkka, Japan and Taiwan completely off guard. This once again shows why you should never assume you know everything that is happening or has happened, what you don’t know far exceeds what you know, especially if you can’t speak Chinese and don’t live in China. China doesn’t care about propaganda or boasting, it doesn’t need to announce what it does because it focuses on self-sufficiency. The Western propaganda is of course pure copium. The “worldwide demand” never existed, it was always “China’s demand”. Those “supply chain realignment post pandemic boom” excuses no longer work, just like they didn’t work for the alleged “temporary inflation” in Western economies. The results speak for themselves: south korea’s semiconductor industry has collapsed, Amerikkkan semiconductor companies suffer devastating losses as they shrink and reduce operations (e.g. intel reporting its worst losses ever), Taiwan entered a recession, and Japan now suffers permanent deficits vs China, with no way out whatsoever. More information that leads to the same inference: China is ready to terminate Micron too. This wouldn’t be happening if there was any degree of uncertainty in China’s capabilities. Meanwhile, Chinese companies keep growing at accelerated rates, having free access to the, by far, largest semiconductor market on the planet. With the money they get from that, plus the exceptional investments only China can afford, they expand even more. It won’t be long before these companies go global, much like the Chinese car industry has displaced Japan and Europe to become the largest exporter worldwide.

Amerikkka has neither the talent, nor the resources, nor the market, nor the investments, nor the infrastructure to create such industry. It’s the same reason why Amerikkka has no industry to begin with, it’s not by choice but due to material reality. Without access to the Chinese market Intel could have never survived no matter what it did. The only reason why the Amerikkkan semiconductor industry could justify itself was by having access to that huge and growing market, but they lost it, and it will never come back. They were afraid of Chinese competition because they knew full well they couldn’t compete, so they bet it all on sanctions but lost (much like incompetent Western economies as a whole bet it all on the trade war they lost in catastrophic fashion). This is typical behavior of incomeptent Amerikkkan monopolies who want to impose a global monopoly due to the terminal collapse of the Amerikkkan economy. It’s the inherent incompetence and corruption of these monopolies. Thriving, innovative companies behave like Huawei or Chinese car manufacturers and are never afraid of competition. Theatrics can’t remotely change material reality, and Amerikkkan semiconductor companies understand that well too as they rapidly shrink and suffer devastating losses, while refusing to invest. The whole point of the theatre was the same as in the trade war: they really thought their theatre could serve as leverage against China, but China never fell for it. China correctly never considered empty propaganda as leverage and simply moved on. Now that the theatre collapsed, you should understand the reason for the existential panic and impotence of Western economies. The same desperate theatrics Amerikkka also tried to use regarding Taiwan, but China didn’t fall for it because desperation is never leverage.

To understand how defeated the Amerikkkan regime internally sees itself, it’s important to understand why the Amerikkkan regime can’t stop producing useless propaganda, only for China to defeat Amerikkka and continue to ignore it (e.g. Xinjiang, Hong Kong, trade war, Taiwan, etc.). The Amerikkkan regime has literally no wealth at all, so it can’t offer anything in material terms, hence why it tries to use propaganda as leverage as a substitute for actual wealth. The broke and incompetent Amerikkan regime truly thought China would have considered propaganda as leverage against China and reached an agreement, but China never fell for it, so Amerikkka cornered itself and has no way out. Trade and real wealth define relations, not the ambiguous colonialist mindset Westerners shamelessly repeat. People can’t eat ideology, they need real things to develop. Who do you think produces those things while others can’t? Ask yourself why Brazil openly dumps the dollar and doubles down on integration with China. Even Bolsonaro doubled down on integration with China, theatrics aside. Material reality, not ideology, define the world. People will never understand the sheer panic of Amerikkka if they don’t understand how terminally collapsed and impotent Amerikkka is as a result of having no wealth at all, of not being able to plunder anymore (this is manifested in the brutal shortages, inflation, deficits, recession, collapse of life expectancy that plague the Amerikkkan economy).

For example, people should listen to what Huawei’s chief has said to understand that propaganda like “Alibaba begins rollout of its ChatGPT-style tech as China A.I. race heats up” has little to do with “AI race”: the overwhelming majority of AI (98%+) is not facing the public but is used internally by industries, that’s where the real value of AI is. Why do you think China has pushed 5G so hard across all industries? because you need that kind of infrastructure for AI to be viable at large scales. Look at how the actual industry actually uses AI to understand how AI is actually used and applied in the real world to solve very complex problems (see here or here or here for examples). This is where the real value of AI is, anyone who thinks AI is like in the movies has no idea what they are talking about. Trying to pass stuff like ChatGPT (has anyone ever asked how this would serve the real, physical economy, or the people, in any productive sense? It’s a word mangler that literally makes up false information, it can’t fix or alleviate ignorance, the same way search engines didn’t fix ignorance in societies which suffered from it) as the focus is a manifestation of the fact that Amerikkka has no industries to speak of. You can’t make use of AI if you have no real economy to begin with. Terminally collapsed Western economies don’t even have decent telecom infrastructure.

There is not redeeming quality whatsoever in post-colonial societies, they can’t continue existing at all so everyone suffers (that’s the root reason why the Amerikkkan regime and its propagandists are having daily existential panic attacks). See, for example, life satisfaction polls, life expectancy collapse, suicide statistics, or anti-depressant usage to understand the brutal scope of Amerikkkan and European post-colonial misery. Notice how China has been systematically moving all investments away from Europe due to the recessions plaguing European economies. shrinking economies stuck with brutal shortages and inflation are terrible places to invest (as German companies doubling down on moving to China know). That money is better used in any BRI country with growth opportunities or useful resources.

It’s funny to see China humiliate Amerikkka by using Amerikkka’s incompetence against them. The Amerikkkan regime has to beg now and China just says no, and no country thinks China is being unreasonable. It also shows how defeated the Amerikkkan regime sees itself internally, but it can’t do anything else due to propaganda. Hence why China set this great trap. This is the new world order and there is nothing Amerikkka can do about it. No begging or crying can change reality:

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin wants to meet Li Shangfu, China’s new defence minister, at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore in June. However, arranging such a meeting is fraught with difficulty because Li was sanctioned by the US in 2018 in relation to Chinese imports of Russian arms when he was serving as a general.

The US has told China that the sanctions do not prevent Austin from meeting Li in a third country. But several people said it would be almost impossible for China to agree to a meeting while they remain in place. Li became defence minister in March.

The root of Amerikkkan self-destruct is white supremacist ideology, which is widely explicit, as the crimes against humanity of Europe and Amerikkka in the Middle East have shown. Amerikkka is literally founded on proto-Nazi ideology and served as direct inspiration to Hitler’s regime. USA only joined WW2 when Soviet Union was threatening to liberate the continent, and spread revolution to European countries. At the time there were socialist movements in France, Britain, everywhere. Up to the point USA joined the war they never went against Nazi germany in any form, going as far as to negotiate with Nazi germany on a large scale and their elite literally funded the rise of Hitler (Bush family dynasty) and the Nazi regime’s war production (Ford, IBM etc). And when Nazi Germany got defeated by the Soviets and the war was over, USA founded NATO and guess who were invited to be top ranking officials of NATO? Yep, Nazi Germany officials. Mainstream media never talks about this, for obvious reasons.

In few words, USA was never ideologically against Nazi germany. Which is why Nazi Germany fell in the 40s but up to the 60s black people in USA didnt even have the same civil rights as white Amerikkkans. And which is also why white supremacy culture is still extremely dominant in USA, and USA is the Number One exporter of this ideology to the rest of the world.

What is different now is that with the terminal collapse of Western regimes, these proto-Nazi regimes can no longer control the extremism domestically, which is why that extremism has further destroyed Western societies, even as Western regimes tried to mitigate the damage. Ultimately, there is no dialing back decades and decades of indoctrination and extremely bad levels of education, which is why Western regimes double down on repressing their own people and trying to sedate them with propaganda. They internally know that the problem can’t be solved. Amerikkkan media did everything they could to hide its history. They called the WW2 generation heroes, they made movies showing the bravery of their soldiers, they built a narrative to be taught in schools that their soldiers defeated the Nazis. But if you study history, they are basically the forefather of the Nazis, and the Nazis were basically noob compared to Amerikkkan when it comes to actual, endless holocausts. British colonialism directly inspired fascism. Hitler literally said “the Russian space is our India”.

It’s important to understand material reality because otherwise you will never understand why the Amerikkkan regime (or colonialists in general) behaves as they do. Under Western-centric assumptions, one has to also conclude that Amerikkka has willingly chosen to terminally collapse, instead of actually develop, but everyone knows that’s just not true, Amerikkka tried it all and lost due to its post-colonial material poverty (the trade war showed this clearly: mass scarcity in Amerikkka is what drives Amerikkkan inflation, shortages, deficits and recession), hence why those assumptions should be reconsidered.

Sanctions is basically the symbol of Amerikkkan utter defeat. So anyone can just issue sanctions to pay debts? Anyone can just scream out of panic to pay debts? sanctions are not wealth, they don’t serve as leverage at all. It’s basically trying to use propaganda as leverage, which China has consistently laughed at. It’s not China’s problem that Amerikkka is so poor that it has no real leverage. From a material standpoint, sanctions are not leverage either, as China has made very clear by humiliating the Amerikkkan economy in the trade war. Amerikkka has been defeated, which is why China just ignores it. Why do you think it’s China’s duty to waste money on Amerikkka? look at 2023 trade data: BRI countries eclipse all of Japan, Europe, Amerikkka combined in terms of trade with China.

Westerners know there is a way to measure how an economy deals with resources right? China has consistent trade surpluses, a much higher population, and low inflation due to material abundance (this is also the historical norm, not some aberration). The total opposite, which is what colonialists suffer, is a clear indication of material scarcity. Rich and wealthy countries don’t need plunder to develop. We already know the world order that results from natural material conditions, history didn’t start with colonialism. That region of the planet could never sustain high populations for a reason. I suggest you do some reading on how the world was before the colonial era, because that’s the word where we live today, colonialism has terminally collapsed. The era of civilization states has returned. Colonialism was just a historical aberration. Stealing is not and never was development.

The colonialists can’t do anything even as their puppet Nazi regime has been annihilated, Nazi Arming Terrorist Organization (NATO) has been disarmed in the process. All of them are suffering stagflation, including Amerikkka. There is a reason why they are so desperate in the first place (in fact, if you don’t understand this, you can’t understand the source of their desperation): they have no answers whatsoever because they can’t plunder anymore. Let the colonialists suffer in utter impotence as their crumbling regimes terminally collapse and their people violently revolt against them. Check how foreign entities are getting rid of Amerikkkan debt to grasp the terminal collapse of Amerikkka. Why do you think dedollarization has rapidly accelerated? why do you think the whole Arab world has ditched Amerikkka? China, as the largest trading nation on the planet, already uses Yuan more for cross-border transactions. In ASEAN, people in trading houses trade with China for years with little usage of USD as possible. Increasingly, USD usage drops each year in terms of border trade. For example, see how the ASEAN, the fastest growing economies besides China, rapidly switching to other currencies for trade. Same all over Asia (the Iran-Saudi Arabia deal facilitated by China naturally entailed that). Trade is what defines this. This is enormous, especially when you see the collapse of the dollar as global reserve (already below 45% and plummeting fast). Furthermore, the usual propagandists can’t track this info, since the systems used to process the transactions are beyond their reach. It’s a catastrophe for Amerikkka, it can’t even diagnose the terminal collapse of the dollar. Another reason why global dedollarization rapidly accelerates naturally: the parties involved are from the Global South and China is their largest trade partner. Even better: these economies are developing so they have a lot of room for even more growth (especially with Chinese investments), which in turn means even more market for China. It truly is a “shared future”. What’s funny is that, seeing what’s happening, even NATO regimes like France turn against the Amerikkkan regime. Nobody wants to starve with Amerikkka after all. More and more to follow.

Most importantly, the Western propaganda hilariously relies on invoking the long debunked western copium notion that China and Russia “don’t trust each other”, which reality has already destroyed. Merely two years ago, western “experts” claimed that China and Russia were secret enemies (makes no sense to begin with, that’s the intellectual depth of western “intellectuals”). Today, China and Russia openly say they enjoy a “relation without limits”. Why would it be remotely surprising that China and Russia like each other a lot? They are neighboring countries and both are essentially self-sufficient, they don’t need to plunder. It’s completely natural that their relation has developed they way it has. There is nothing wrong with China and Russia cooperating militarily too and they do so at an increasingly deep level: from patrolling around Japan to keep the ruined the delusional fascist Japanese regime in check, to having each other’s units under each other’s command, to cooperating in formation of new forces, etc. This relation won’t stop just because NATO lost, and is precisely what China means by “shared prosperity”, and China, by virtue of its vast wealth and capabilities, can demonstrate that, since China doesn’t need plunder at all. The only ones bothered by this, and trying to find bizarre justifications, are NATO regimes, because they know they can’t ever hope to compete with them. It’s hillarious how NATO regimes think they are the only ones that can cooperate militarily, anyone else must not cooperate for some reason. Again, what kind of logic is that? NATO’s inferiority complex perhaps, since they know China + Russia are much larger than all of them combined?

NATO applies the same logic to economy: NATO is very spooked by Brazil calling for a common currency in South america, while NATO themselves can have their own currency in Europe. But, sadly for incomeptent NATO economies, it goes deeper than that: South america is also dumping the dollar and the worthless euro with it, as they develop deeper integration with China. The annihilation of NATO in Ukraine follows the annihilation of NATO in Afghanistan. The humiliation of NATO is traumatizing for NATO regimes because they know the Global South is watching this, and taking notes. That’s why global dedollarization has rapidly accelerated, and why sanctions against Russia or China are completely ignored by them. The Global South has resources which NATO can no longer access in a multipolar world order based on cooperation, and NATO economies can’t continue existing without plunder. This is not true at all for China or Russia. You see, USA can only hold hostage the non-competitive colonial economies. The Global South has no problem with this, as you can also see in the way they easily control inflation. Westernized narrative ignores the superior material conditions of non-colonial countries.

Notice how life has no value in western societies, the pandemic has shown that clearly. See also how Western societies treat their elders and children, and then visit any city in China to see what elders and children do in public, with no fear, no discrimination. This is the eternal curse of settler regimes and why they never stood a chance at surviving like civilizations. Their inevitable fate is to suffer dissolution (e.g. land back movements) amidst brutal violence and scarcity as we already see in america too (e.g. brutal inflation and shortages because the american regime can’t plunder anymore). This also can be observed in Kkkanada, which is a dystopian horror movie, as the brutal depression and suicide statistics of those stuck there also shows. The settler regime even asks people to kill themselves . As the settler regime crumbles, the land back movements will partition KKKanada, as they should. The settler land theft were bound to be dystopian short-lived experiments, because they never had the material conditions to exist as a civilization, they exclusively relied on ephemeral plunder to artificially prop themselves up. But once that plunder ends, so do the settler regimes.

The reason why Western societies face countless psychological traumas as they suffer terminal collapse is also because they can’t deal with reality and the obliteration of the lies they told themselves. Their terminal collapse means their illusions are completely shattered and are no longer of any use to stomach their depressing lives. That’s why the amount of late-stage terminal collapse unhinged propaganda in Western societies is highly correlated with depression in Western societies.

China vs USA – Who is the Real Superpower?

The US warships are several generations behind of Chinese warships as shown in the the US agrressive & provocative actions in Taiwan straits. The US has lost its military superiority to PLA over Taiwan & the SCS. Why are US so lousy militarily?

The US military-industrial complex produces lots of useless junk, like the Patriot surface-to-air missile system:

Recently, Zelenskyy claimed Ukraine shot down some Kinzhal hypersonic missiles using the Patriot system. No. Ukraine did not shoot down a single Kinzhal using the shitty Patriot missile system. That would be like claiming that Kim Jung-Un beat Usain Bolt in the 100-meter sprint. Zelenskkly’s story would’ve been more credible if he had claimed Ukraine shot down the Khinzals with slingshots.

The US doesn’t even have a hypersonic missile. For crying out loud, Iran now has hypersonic missiles:

These dumb US and British reporters (redundant) doubt Iran has hypersonic missile capability. Hey, US and British dumbbells, hypersonic just means going faster than the speed of sound. Iran isn’t claiming to have solved the riddle of dark energy. Iran is claiming capabilities other countries already have, just not the US.

In high school, American History was largely propaganda. Lots of Americans believe that we’ve never lost a war, despite mostly losing after World War 2. Lots of American dingbats think the US won World War 2 single-handedly. Russians did most of the fighting and dying. Without Russia, we’d all be speaking German and giving the sieg-heil to ridiculous dickless Adolf statues.

Teaching Americans propaganda is the problem with the US. We have a bunch of fat, stupid fuckers who believe we’re the best at everything. The only potential some of these fat fuckers have is self-imploding into a black hole. If that happens it will happen first in the US and should be celebrated, These days, the US has little else to celebrate.

Joe Biden excels at falling down. He can fall off a bike. He can fall going up the ramp of a plane. If there’s one sandbag within a ten-mile radius, Biden will find it and trip over it.

Biden has another neat trick. He can imitate a wind pavilion, like the one in Figure 1. Biden stands in the breeze and lets the wind blow in one ear and out the other. The wind resonates in his hollow head and gives off a hum which is certainly more pleasest than listening to Biden butcher a speech.

Figure 1. Wind pavilion.

I think the US is in the “mad emperor” stage of empire decline. We have clearly mentally deficient people running the empire. We’re teetering on the brink. Economic catastrophe is close at hand. Hell, it’s already here.

Why aren’t there more homeless people in China?

Mars Snow Globe Ditches Snow For Swirling Martian Dust Storm

Designer, Dan Abramson (previously), is at it again with the Mars Dust Globe, a modern twist on the classic water snow globe, where the snow is a mesmerizing Martian Dust Storm.

Features detailed texture of Valles Marineris, the Tharsis volcanoes, and Olympus Mons – the solar system’s tallest known planetary peak. Sculpted by the talented, Tim Barry.

More: Kickstarter h/t: neatorama

The globe had to not only achieve a great swirl, but it also had to eventually settle and become clear. Adding too much material would stain the water, and too little was no longer stunning.

The Wallflowers – Angel On My Bike(unplugged)

Download Cool Buddy Icons for Free

Download cool ‘Buddy Icon Set’ absolutely for free. Created by Iconka.

These Filipinas STRIKE BACK At WOMEN In USA They Understand Passport Bros

Pennsylvania Dutch Meat Loaf

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 (8 ounce) can Hunt’s tomato sauce, divided
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 tablespoon vinegar

Instructions

In a medium bowl, lightly mix beef, bread crumbs, onion, green pepper, 1/2 can tomato sauce, egg, salt and pepper. Shape into a loaf in a shallow baking pan.
Combine remaining tomato sauce with remaining ingredients. Pour over loaf.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 1/4 hours. Baste the loaf several times during baking.

Yield: 6 servings

Hotel in China

Meanwhile in Egypt

David Lee Roth – Drop In The Bucket (Guitar Cover)

The Ukrainian Military Is In Bad Shape

Erik Kramer and Paul Schneider are two former U.S. special operations soldiers who have been in Ukraine since 2022 to train Ukrainian troops.

At War on the Rocks they paint a dark picture of the state of the Ukrainian military. Their intent is to get money for more training, thus the real picture may be less dark than they describe. But even if one takes that into account it is still a sad state for an army that has been at war for more than a year. Some excerpts:

Based on our nine months of training with all services of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, to include the Ground Forces (Army), Border Guard Service, National Guard, Naval Infantry (Marines), Special Operations Forces, and Territorial Defense Forces, we have observed a series of common trends: lack of mission command, effective training, and combined arms operations; ad hoc logistics and maintenance; and improper use of special operations forces. These trends have undermined Ukraine’s resistance and could hinder the success of the ongoing offensive.

What ongoing offensive?

Under mission command, the German Auftragstaktik, the leader disseminates his intent (“to attack through the northern woods to take town x”) and authority to subunits that is passed down with the mission to empower subordinates at all levels. Each subunits can make its plans to coordinate and execute the mission as best as possible. The contrast is an order command where every detail of execution is ordered from the top down. Both have advantages but to have a mixed system, as Ukraine currently has, is the worst of all places.

In our experience, across many units and staffs, the Ukrainian Armed Forces do not promote personal initiative and foster mutual trust or mission command. As Michael Kofman and Rob Lee recently discussed on the Russia Contingency podcast, elements of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have an old Soviet mentality that holds most decision-making at more senior levels. Amongst military leaders at the brigade level and below, our impression is that junior officers fear making mistakes.

But to use mission command down to the lower levels of a Platoon one needs noncommissioned officers (sergeants) to run the show. Those the Ukrainian military had are by now probably dead:

Having trained every component of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, we have continually seen a lack of an experienced noncommissioned officer corps. It is common to see field grade officers running around during training counting personnel and coordinating for meals. In the United States, it takes years to develop just a junior noncommissioned officer.

The next big lack is combined arms training and use. Tanks protect the infantry, the infantry protects the tanks, the artillery covers the battlefield to allow tanks and infantry to maneuver, command takes care that all three coordinate their actions.

The armor/infantry relationship is supposed to be symbiotic, but it is not. The result is that infantry will conduct frontal assaults or operate in urban areas without the protection and firepower of tanks. Also, artillery fires are not synchronized with maneuver. Most units do not talk directly to supporting artillery, so there is a delay in call for fire missions. We have been told that units will use runners to send fire missions to artillery batteries because of issues with communications.Most of the military’s operations are not phased and are sequential. Fires and maneuver, for example, are planned separately from infantry units — and infantry units plan separately from supporting artillery. This mentality also carries over to adjacent unit coordination, which is either nonexistent or rare and causes high rates of fratricide. Unit commanders have concerns about collaborators and thus are hesitant to pass on critical information that can be used against them to sister units.

These issues are compounded by unreliable communications between units and with senior leadership. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have a hodgepodge of radios that are vulnerable to jamming. Further, battalion missions are mainly independent company operations that do not focus on a main effort coupled with supporting efforts. The armed forces do not combine effects, so operations are piecemeal and disjointed. The separate missions are not supporting each other, nor are the missions of lower level units “nested” under a higher level mission. Sustainment is not synchronized with operations, either.

Due to the wild mix of weapons and for lack of trained mechanics logistics and the maintenance of equipment are a mess.

This lack of coordinated maintenance and logistics also translates into medical care. Medical evacuation and care are haphazard. Experienced Ukrainian combat medics have repeatedly stated that many of the evacuees would have survived it they had reached definitive care in a timely manner. The Ukrainian Armed Forces can solve this issue with a systematic logistics process.

Ukrainian special forces are mostly used as infantry even as they should be used for more demanding missions. There also are gimmick missions:

Ukraine special forces units comprised of international volunteers shop around their services to conventional unit commanders without a mission being tied to a strategic or operational goal. One example of a mission was a conventional brigade commander who had reported to his command that he had occupied a village taken from the Russians. When he realized that the information he had was mistaken and they had stopped short, he asked the international special operations forces unit to go into the occupied village and take a picture of a Ukrainian flag placed on top of a building in the center of the village.

A suicide mission to hide the commanders false reporting …

The authors claim that most of the above problems could be fixed by more ‘western’ training which they are more than willing to sell. However, what has become of the last armies ‘western’ forces have trained in Iraq and Afghanistan? Both fell apart. An army must reflect the local society and culture. It can not be formed top down by outside forces.

Since 2015 the Ukrainian army has been build up and trained by U.S. and British forces. What the WotR authors describe is the result of that.

Posted by b on June 3, 2023 at 17:01 UTC | Permalink

No secrets

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-G2ljW720E

Pepper Hash

This is an old Pennsylvania Dutch recipe.

Ingredients

1 head cabbage, shredded
2 green bell peppers, coarsely ground
1/3 cup vinegar
1/3 cup honey or granulated sugar
Salt and pepper to your taste

Instructions

Shred and chop the vegetables.
Add the vinegar, honey, salt and pepper.
Serve.

Natasha Wright

May 26, 2023

The situation will in all likelihood turn sour even more because NATO cannot stop its woeful warmongering and waging endless wars.

We are living in turbulent times indeed. Vital volumes of history are being written right before our very eyes.

You may have noticed that “Dr Doom” is sending out doom-and-gloom messages yet again. Fortune reported back in April that Nouriel Roubini (aka Dr Doom) is warning of painful stagflation caused by a new Cold War with China and the balkanization of the global economy.

Al Jazeera also reported on Roubini’s downcast views, saying, “the world is headed for dark times in the next 20 years.”

No wonder Dr Doom, who leapt to financial stardom by predicting an economic catastrophe in 2008, is now warning the world that the conflict between the United States and China is simmering – and surely not only in the area of economics.

However, the global situation is so frighteningly serious that it will most surely crescendo into a double-dip recession for a plethora of other factors as well as from the prevailing sentiments in the Pentagon predicting a forthcoming war with China.

We are living through truly turbulent times. There are countless politically crucial things happening globally that boggle the mind. If one remembers the events only this January when Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO secretary-general, visited Japan and Korea, one can sense, to paraphrase Shakespeare, “something rotten in the state of NATOstan”.

During the course of both fleeting visits, Stoltenberg pledged to foster bilateral relations due to the historic challenges that NATO is dealing with, such as the war in Ukraine. He went on to brag that NATO already has established liaison offices globally, the main ones in New York and Vienna, and particularly indicative is the one in Ukraine. At its foundation at the inception of the Cold War in 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization comprised 12 nations set up at the behest of the U.S. The military bloc now comprises 31 members and is increasingly appointing itself with a global role.

As a reminder, NATO already has permanent liaison offices in the following countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. A proposed Japan office caused considerable commotion.

NATO claims to be based on the right of states to determine their own foreign policy and to exercise collective self-defense. Despite lofty claims of upholding “democratic values”, the U.S.-dominated military alliance has been strong-arming a number of countries to join without their populations exercising a democratic mandate by holding referenda.

NATO likes turning its alleged allies into geopolitical dwarves held at gunpoint, regardless of their size or geography. Claims by the military bloc – that opening a regional liaison office in East Asia is merely an indicator of changing global security environment – sound euphemistic.

Some political analysts have observed that if NATO meanders into Asian affairs it will likely bring Russia and China even closer together. Ironically, the expansionism of the U.S.-led military bloc brings with it self-fulfilling prophecies. The global insecurity it incessantly warns about is of its own perception and making.

Nevertheless, Beijing is fully aware that if NATO places its head in a crouching tiger’s mouth, then one day it might get bitten off.

NATO has already brutally provoked the war in Ukraine, yet now the U.S.-led military vehicle wants to expand to the Far East. Its solicitous focus on Japan is particularly alarming given the vile history of Japanese genocidal aggression toward China.

That is a toxic thorn for China stuck into Asia and it will be therefore pulled out, according to the Global Times. The news outlet can be seen as reflecting the thinking of the political leadership in Beijing. The Chinese are thus fully aware of NATO’s encroaching thorns and they will not be sleep walking into disaster.

The Global Times continued: “Japan should not forget that while the Meiji Restoration made it richer and stronger, it also brought about the Westernization of Japan and its policy of leaving Asia and entering Europe, which at one time made the desire for empire extremely strong. The madness of pursuing Asian hegemony and sphere of influence led it to become a militaristic war-mongering demon, which brought deep disaster to Asian countries.”

Moreover, the Global Times’ editorial warned: “Japan wants to introduce NATO into Asia for its security. However, Japan’s security can never be achieved by relying on the military support of the U.S. or NATO. In fact, the more closely Japan cooperates with the U.S. or NATO militarily, the less it will obtain the security it wants, and the less likely it will be able to change its image as a geo-strategic dwarf.”

Don’t you just love how Beijing is calling a NATO spade a spade? “The sewage of the Cold War,” is how the Global Times referred to the U.S.-led military bloc.

And all that comes in perfect unison with Moscow’s increasingly contemptuous views of NATO as a threat to world security.

Lest we forget, the United States has instigated the vast majority (80 per cent) of the 200 or so armed conflicts that are estimated to have occurred globally from the end of World War Two until 2001. If we include the post-9/11 decades up to the present, the American responsibility for global violence might be as high as 90-95 per cent. And this is for a nation whose population is only 4.25 per cent of the globe. How utterly nefarious and condemnable is that odious record?

Shall we now mention some significant military mathematics? The Economist reports on research comparing military power of the U.S. vs China. The U.S. military budget is four times bigger than that of China. But the Chinese Navy surpassed the U.S. Navy as the biggest in the world sometime around 2020. The Pentagon continues using euphemisms, such as it considers China a “pacing challenge”.

The dilemma that appears to exasperate Western military commanders is whether China can continue on the same path and expand its military capacity to challenge the U.S. hegemony, or whether China’s relative power might be reaching its peak. The shipbuilding industry requires exorbitant investment since it requires a booming industrial base. The dilemma for the U.S. is its economic stagnation and the number of its warships are declining, in contrast to a sharp increase in the number of Chinese ships.

As for the total number of military vessels from aircraft carriers to submarines, frigates and destroyers, China surpasses the U.S. by a ratio of 390:296. It is forecast that China will have 400 warships in the next two years whereas the number of American ones will decrease to around 290. The ones which have fallen into obsolescence are to be written off. The Chinese advantage stems from having the biggest shipbuilding industry in the world. Some 44 per cent of all the ships built worldwide in 2021 were from Chinese yards.

China and its military forces are currently fully focused on Taiwan whereas the U.S. forces are scattered around globally in over 800 bases owing to untenable hegemonic ambitions. China has pledged to reclaim Taiwan if necessary by force, so tensions are running high on both sides.

Time though works in Beijing’s favor.

In the long run, the situation will in all likelihood turn sour even more because NATO cannot stop its woeful warmongering and waging endless wars.

Seven Mary Three – My My

China sets record in sixth rocket engine trial of crewed lunar mission

China recently completed the sixth test run of the main rocket engine for its future crewed lunar missions, setting a new record in the sector, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

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The 130-tonne class liquid oxygen kerosene rocket engine had a cumulative test run time of 3,300 seconds after this recent trial, a new record for the longest trial of a single 100-tonne class engine in China, according to the corporation.

As the main engine for the country’s future crewed lunar missions, the device needs higher comprehensive performance and reliability.

The trial broke the previous record for the longest test run, which was achieved less than six months earlier, according to the corporation, adding that the operating time of the engine in the trial exceeded its required mission by more than 10 times, which it said verifies its reliability.

Crewed lunar landing before 2030

China plans to achieve a crewed lunar landing before 2030, Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the China Manned Space Agency, announced on May 29 at a press conference.

Lin said China recently initiated the lunar landing phase of its manned lunar exploration program, aiming to achieve China’s first manned landing on the moon by 2030 and carrying out lunar scientific exploration and related technological experiments.

According to Lin, China is also aiming to master key technologies, such as an Earth-moon manned round-trip, a short-term stay on the lunar surface, a human-robot exploration, performing multiple landing, roving, sampling, researching tasks, returning, and forming an independent capability of manned lunar exploration.

The international lunar research station

China formally established its lunar exploration “Project Chang’e” in 2004. In December 2020, the Chang’e-5 lunar probe brought back 1,731 grams of samples from the moon, marking the completion of the three-step lunar exploration program of orbiting, landing and returning.

In 2022, the China National Space Administration announced a plan to begin the fourth phase of the lunar probe program, including launching three missions dubbed the Chang’e-6, Chang’e-7 and Chang’e-8, and the construction of an international lunar research station on the moon, said Wu Weiren, the chief designer of the lunar exploration program.

The Chang’e-6 mission is expected to retrieve lunar soil samples from the far side of the moon around 2024, which will be the first time humankind will collect soil samples from the far side of the Earth’s natural satellite.

The Chang’e-7 mission is prepared to land on the south pole of the moon, looking for traces of water, Wu said, adding that the Chang’e-8 mission, which is planned to be launched around 2028, is designed to work with the Chang’e-7 to lay the foundation for the building of a lunar research station on the south pole of the moon, and facilitate a series of experiments on lunar resources exploration and utilization.

The chief designer also said China welcomes partners and scientists from across the globe to join the construction of the international lunar research station on the moon, as the country plans to launch multiple spaceflight missions to finish the station’s basic structure by 2030.

Former FBI agent REVEALS truth in UFO whistleblower story

What impact could the rare victory for journalism in Hong Kong have on the press freedom movement in Asia?

The abuse of press freedom was more evident in Hong Kong during the chaos a few years back, if that’s what was considered a victory.

That rare victory sent ripples through press freedom movement in Asia like when readers consider journalists as script writers for a fictional political drama.

True journalism is as dead as a do-do bird can be.

Our neighbor’s 8-year-old drops by our house almost every afternoon and chats away about anything and everything until we ask him to leave. He’s a sweet kid, but it’s becoming a pain; what should we do?

I hope you don’t mind, but I would like to tell you my story.

I was that 8 year old child once.

My father was an alcoholic, my mother severely depressed. I raised my sister and provided her with the emotional support when our parents were too immature and abusive to give that to us.

I would get beat up, thrown against the wall, kicked, punched repeatedly on the head by my father, his rage would shake my soul. My sister and I would drown ourselves in books, homework and play as quietly so we wouldn’t anger our father. Our mother was verbally abusive, she would break everything in our home.

My father would tell us to get lost, to get out of his way, to shut up, leave him alone, brain dead kids.

He hated us.

One day my sister and I went to the neighbors house and asked them if they had candy.

It was an elderly lady and her husband. They giggled and came out with candy for us and told us to have a good day.

A few days passed and we knocked to ask them again. This time they pulled out some chairs and sat down with us. We talked for a few hours. We told them about our hobbies, favorite books, favorite everything. They gave us candy and told us to go home and not be out so late.

The next day we visited the elderly couple and they played the piano for us. We were so amazed by their warm atmosphere, love and kindness.

Some days we would go visit and they would just sit on the front porch showing them our sweet rock or toy collections, our art and we would even sing classical songs with them.

With time they began to tell us they were busy, then they didn’t open the door anymore.

We wanted to do something nice for them and picked out flowers for them and left them at their doorstep.

I still look back and I’m thankful to have met such a sweet couple. I strive to be like them one day as an old lady with my husband.

You have no obligation, but for me those strangers meant something worth remembering in my rough childhood.

Low and behold…Blinkedin… Biden… Crazy….

I caught a low grade cold from my chief engineer. It’s like COVID only about 1/20 the intensity.

Maybe it is COVID, only a different intensity. Who knows.

But I’m on the mend.

I am finally starting to get better.

Still have a sore throat, but the headaches are lessening. The coughing is down, but the spitting of flem still continues.

I see light at the end of the tunnel.

I’m still living life.

Are you?

…

Still rebuilding the damage to the world-line templates. Who ever caused the damage over-estimated their abilities. Did not understand the nature of the task that they had before them, and had a elementary understanding on the nature of the template construction.

But damage is damage.

Oompaloomas still churning on, but the mushroom growths are still there, getting flattened, but it’s a lot of repairing that must take place. All is in good hands. Do not worry.

…

This low grade cold is giving me vibrant, and unusual dreams. Almost hallucinatory. There’s meaning in them… sort of… maybe…

Oh well.

Todays…

Blinken is visiting China on 18 June 2023, would he cancel his trip if another weather surveillance balloon from China flew into the US airspace again?

Not according the the Chinese government he isn’t.

Though all the Western government propaganda media say that he is.

main qimg 0a89bf70b9a4c69f2429174d602d241d

NYT, CNN, AP, FOX, NYTImes, APnews are all reporting this.

Now read the article carefully.

He intends to visit China.
He is planning to go to China.
Nothing has been confirmed.
There are no travel plans.

And what about China?

Nothing at all on the Chinese news outlets. And most especially the Chinese government official website.

On the Chinese official websites we have this…

main qimg 1d1f8d422cfbf46dc3678df62e0ae9df

Unless it is written on a Chinese website it is just another one of the endless string of lies.

Do NOT believe it.

As far as I can ascertain, there are no formally scheduled visits between China and the United States in any capacity what so ever.

main qimg 65400b2ff386163a5e94e8a36c07b587

That’s correct. The AI model cannot confirm these events as they are fictional.

There is NOTHING.

I strongly suggest you stop listening to Western “news”. It’s all science fiction, with no basis on reality what so ever.

BUT…

A former CIA boss flew to China, and paved the way for his visit. Don’t ya know. And it was because of that plow-though that China accepted the visit.

And we all know what happened next…

Yep. That Biden clown-show and bullshit begins anew.

Best not even bother to read the “news”.

Meanwhile in the USA…

I-95 Bridge Collapse Near Philadelphia

Nation Hal Turner 11 June 2023

A tanker fire underneath Interstate 95 northbound in Philadelphia has caused part of the highway to collapse. Multiple lanes of the highway were reduced to rubble. I-95 is closed in both north and southbound directions in that area.

Video from TV Station ABC-6 shows the scene:

The fire broke out just after 6 a.m. Sunday on Cottman Avenue, right underneath the I-95 overpass.

The scene is between Exit 32 for Academy Road and Exit 30 for Cottman Avenue in the Tacony section of the city.

Manholes have been exploding in the area because of the fire. Everyone is being asked to avoid the scene.

I-95 will remain shut down for an extended period of time.

As a flight attendant, what’s the best thing you’ve seen another passenger do for another passenger or for you?

Q: As a flight attendant, what’s the best thing you’ve seen another passenger do for another passenger or for you?

A: I’m not a flight attendant but was asked to answer the question.

I was on a flight from Utah to San Jose which was about 2 hours. There was a woman that was obviously a nervous new mom, her baby was less than 3 months old and she could not get him to settle down. The baby was crying and screaming disrupting everybody’s travel.

I was traveling alone, but I was 3rd of 8 children and I was changing diapers by the time I was five. After the seatbelt light went off I went and talked with her.

I discovered the baby was cold and gassy. She was exhausted hadn’t slept well. I asked her if she minded if I hold her baby for a while. I was doing the bounce step down the aisle not very far and burped her baby. After about 10 minutes I went to return the baby to the tired mom to find she was asleep.

I didn’t mind I enjoyed playing with babies I left her a note with my name and seat number. I entertained the baby the rest of the trip. it’s not like I can go anywhere mid flight on an airplane.

I half expected the mom-to-be furious that I wasn’t right there when she woke up. Instead she was really gracious and appreciated the nap and a break from being Mom 24/7.

I was playing peek-a-boo with him when I felt someone watching me. The baby was giggling, I turned over my shoulder to see Mom smiling and she thanked me profusely.

I actually appreciated the distraction.

We talked a bit heading to baggage and I gave her her more tips. We never saw each other again, but I like to think her trip went better and had an easier time managing a new baby after the experience.

What medical condition from history was treated with a technique we might consider highly inappropriate today?

In the 1913 study, The Sexual Impulse in Women, it was reported that about 75% of women suffered from “hysteria,” a condition with symptoms ranging from headaches to epileptic fits to verbal outbursts. It was essentially akin to epilepsy.

Any female behavior could be deemed as an indicator of hysteria, and the primary treatment was pelvic massage: clitoral stimulation was a palliative cure for this condition.

Who was supposed to handle this? The doctors, who apparently found no pleasure in doing so!

For Victorian women, clitoral stimulation was not even considered a sexual act, as it was believed that they were incapable of experiencing sexual desire.

If a woman moaned during a pelvic massage, she was said to be having a “hysterical paroxysm.” After reaching this state, patients would temporarily ease their issues.

The invention of the steam-powered vibrator came as a savior for these specialist doctors, relieving them from the hand-cramping work.

main qimg 96e19ca390f693b7f5ada5da1cf1e30a lq

Little Mermaid BOMBS in China: U.S. calls Chinese RACIST!

Smothered Chicken

Here’s a real southern specialty. We love Smothered Chicken served over noodles or rice with a sprinkling of crisp-cooked bacon and shredded cheddar cheese (or whichever cheese you prefer). This recipe is easily halved. If you halve the recipe, you can make it in a large skillet instead of a Dutch oven.

Ingredients

10 tablespoons vegetable or extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs) or 1 whole chicken, cut up
Salt and pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour plus 4 tablespoons, separated
2 medium size onions, sliced
4 teaspoons minced garlic
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup water
1 to 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Rice or noodles for serving

Instructions

Heat 8 tablespoons of oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste.
Dredge chicken breasts lightly in 1 cup flour then brown in Dutch on both sides.
When browned, remove chicken from Dutch oven and drain on paper towel. Set aside.
Scrape the bottom of the Dutch oven to loosen all the browned bits.
Add the onion slices to the Dutch oven and saute for about 5 minutes until a bit browned and tender.
Add minced garlic and saute for 1 minute.
Add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to Dutch oven, then sprinkle on remaining 4 tablespoons flour.
Allow the flour to brown, whisking constantly, then pour in chicken stock and water and whisk together.
Turn heat to high to bring to a boil and season with salt and pepper.
Whisk in Worcestershire sauce, then turn heat down to medium.
Add the chicken back to the Dutch oven and cover with lid. Allow the sauce to thicken until it coats the back of a spoon and chicken is tender.
Serve over rice or noodles. Garnish the top of each serving with crisp bacon bits and cheese, if desired.

Russia SEIZES BILLIONS In EU Assets

https://youtu.be/xcXMq0aiCEk

One Year in China

…is a lifetime in America

Godfree Roberts

Jun 11, 2023

The stats have been audited, and here’s China’s 2021 track record:

Eliminated extreme poverty.
Achieved 98% home ownership.
Mastered Covid, with a death rate 0.6% of America’s.
Sold $140 billion retail online in 24 hours. Amazon’s record is $5 billion.
Made 55% of global energy savings.
Generated enough renewable energy, 1 TW, to power every home in China.
Produced a new billionaire and 300 millionaires every work day.
Completed new train lines in seven countries, including Laos’ first.
Ran 12,000 cargo trains to and from Europe, up 30% yoy.
Joined RCEP, the world’s biggest trade pact.
Launched the world’s first central bank digital currency.
Grew GDP by $1+ trillion PPP, 4x America’s.
Dominated scientific research and issued the most patents of any country.
Built three exascale computers + one for AI.
Brought two gas-cooled Pebble Bed nuclear power plants online.
Brought a cheap, safe thorium reactor online (no expensive, toxic uranium).
Certified a Covid treatment that reduces hospitalizations and deaths 78%.
Became the world’s largest movie market.
Built a programmable quantum computer 10,000x faster than Google’s.
Operated the first integrated, 3,000-mile, commercial quantum secure network.
Installed one-million 5G base stations. Tibet has better 5G service than New York.
Communicated between satellites 1,000x faster than radio waves, via lasers.
Successfully fired the world’s most powerful solid fuel rocket engine.
Flew three hypersonic missiles around the planet.
Released a fractional orbital bombardment missile while traveling 17,000 mph.
Commissioned three warships simultaneously to become the biggest navy by far.
Became the richest country on earth.

I will publish the 2022 list next week, and a 2023 half-year report next month.

Did reading the list make you pause and think? If it did, perhaps you would forward it to thoughtful friends.

She’s EXPOSING the truth in China, and they’re furious

Operation Z: The Last Chance Against Nazism

May 25, 2023 ByGuest Writer InHistory

With thanks to Batiushka, the writer

Introduction: Two Civilisations

The tragic Washington-Moscow war which is starting to come to an end after nine long years on the battlefields of the Ukraine, where very many Ukrainian men are dying in futility, may well be entering its last year. The Western arming of the Kiev regime which began the war and prolonged it is the result of the attempt by the Western world to expand eastwards in yet another ‘Drang nach Osten’. Once more the West crossed over the civilisational line, which separates Western Secularism from Orthodox Christianity and runs through the far west of what is at present called the Ukraine. More exactly it runs through Galicia, formerly part of south-eastern Poland, formerly part of the ill-fated Habsburg Empire, centred in Lemberg/Lviv/Lvov. It is a civilisational line which should not be crossed. When France and its allies crossed it by invading what was then the Russian Empire in 1812, it led straight to the downfall of Napoleon. When Austro-Hungary crossed it by invading Serbia in 1914, it caused World War I and, ultimately the tragedy of 1917, when a Western atheist ideology was imposed by Non-Russians on the former Russian Empire and killed tens of millions of its hoodwinked peoples.

When Nazi Germany crossed that line by invading what was then the USSR in 1941, it led it to its suicidal downfall, the destruction of Berlin, and to lose World War II. After Washington crossed that same line by overthrowing the democratically-elected Ukrainian government in 2014, Washington suicidally signed the death-warrant of its own US-run, dollar-driven, unipolar Western world. For the centre of Western Secularism is today the American Empire elite in Washington, however much it disguises itself with euphemisms like the EU, NATO, the G7, the ‘free world’, the ‘international community’, the ‘rules-based order’ etc. And the centre of Orthodox Christian Civilisation, however far it has fallen, lapsed and been deformed and divided, is still in Moscow. Whenever Western Secularism, as ever inspired by the Pagan Roman example, has tried to expand eastwards in order to steal land and exploit resources, whether it was under Charlemagne, the Teutonic Knights, the Poles, Charles XII, Napoleon, Hitler or Biden, it has failed. Such is the case again today. Some people never learn.

Why Civilisation is at a Turning-Point

At the Victory Day Parade in Moscow on 9 May 2023 President Putin stated that ‘Civilisation is at a turning-point’. He was referring to the war in the Ukraine between the West and the Rest that began in 2014 and declared that the neocon ambition of American hegemony is ‘insane’, adding that, ‘any ideology of superiority is criminal’. He also stated that ‘the globalist elites keep insisting on their exceptionalism; they pit people against each other, divide societies, provoke bloody conflicts and coups, sow hatred, Russophobia and aggressive nationalism, destroying values that make humans human’. He described Washington’s ‘rule-based order’ as ‘a system of robbery, violence and suppression on the international stage’. He compared this to the Russian view, the view of the vast majority, that there are ‘no unfriendly peoples in East or West’, that ‘the Ukrainian people are hostage to a coup d’etat and a regime that is in the hands of the West’. However, he promised that ‘we shall defeat terrorism’. On 23 May, he repeated that ‘Russia will end the war that the West started in the Ukraine’.

Meanwhile, in Washington, the neocon supporters of the Neo-Nazis are repeating the mistake of the old Nazis. The latter thought that they could defeat Russia so then they could move on to the (as they saw it) bigger problem of defeating the Anglo-Americans, not realising that they were being defeated outright in Russia. Today, the Neo-Nazis similarly want to move on to the (as they see it) bigger problem of defeating China, not realising that they too are being defeated outright in Russia. Blinded by the same hubris as the old Nazis, today’s neocon propagandists do not understand this. Russia is not at war; if it were at war, it would have destroyed everything before it, the whole infrastructure of the Ukraine would long ago have been wiped off the face of the earth. This is a military operation to free Russian-speaking Ukraine and demilitarise and denazify the rest of it. This is why it is preserving civilian lives, towns and infrastructure with great care. This is an existential war for Russia; for the neocons it is only a war for their hubris and vanity. Civilisation is at a turning-point because the threat from Washington is to destroy all Civilisations.

Russophobia And The ‘War’ That Could End Tomorrow

Where does Western Russophobia come from? It is very ancient, for it began with ‘The Father of Europe’, Charlemagne, whose prize, unsurprisingly, was awarded to the Ukrainian actor-president on 14 May in Aachen, together with another 2.7 billion euros of German military equipment. It comes from the same hatred that the West feels towards the Muslim world. The (Orthodox) Christian world and the Muslim world are not exotic and therefore cannot be mocked as the West mocks distant Civilisations, but are the nearest geographical rivals to the Western world – therefore they must be destroyed. We can see this in old history; the Crusades were directed against Muslims in Spain, then in the Middle East and North Africa, but also against Christians in Constantinople (sacked in 1214 by barbaric Western troops) and then in Russia, which the equally barbaric Teutonic Knights tried to destroy in 1242.

However, all of this was only after the long centuries when the Western elite had murdered and raped its way through the Western peoples, enslaving in their barbaric feudalism Gauls, Saxons, Celts, Mozarabs, Milanese, English and Slavs alike. Sadly, the barbarians are not, as some imagine, at the gates, they have been in control from the outset for over a thousand years, tearing away the people from their saints. Deceit has always been their way. ‘Castles, dungeons and torture-chambers are good for you’, claimed the barbarian sadists. But modern Western Democracy is only the same castle racketeering – vote for us or else. Thus, on the 5 May, the notorious ‘we are the garden, they are the jungle’ Borrell, the European Union’s racist foreign policy chief, said in Florence, ‘If I stop supporting the Ukraine, certainly the war will finish soon’. ‘Ukraine will fall to the invading Russian forces in a matter of days without military support from Western countries’. His words denote the intensely aggressive and warmongering mentality inherent in the barbarian Western elite. They could end conflict and death, but they refuse to do so, willing to fight until the last hoodwinked Ukrainian is dead. Indeed, only the unhoodwinked will be left alive.

Operation Z

The Russian Operation is called Operation Z, named after the last letter of the alphabet, because it is the last chance for Civilisation to survive the Anti-Civilisation of the Western world. And any Civilisation means the Global Majority, called the Global South. The Russian Federation deals with the Global Majority, from which the Western world has isolated itself. Thus, when President Macron declared that Russia is becoming the vassal of China, what he means is that France long ago became the vassal of the USA, whereas Russia and China are part of the multipolar world. Similarly, those in the Western world like the German Chancellor Scholz, who state that the Ukraine is defending ‘Western values’ condemn themselves. The US-installed Neo-Nazi regime in Kiev has persecuted the Church and closed hundreds of them, imprisoned minorities, murdered Russians and banned other political parties. Yes, these are ‘Western values’ – Nazism is a unique Western value and ideology. Several German, EU and Canadian politicians are indeed the grandchildren of Nazis, some of them were members of the SS. This then is the meaning of Operation Z – the last chance to save the Global Majority, but also the last chance to save the Western world from itself.

On 20 May 2023 Artiomovsk/Bakhmut was at last liberated by pro-Russian forces after eight months of fighting and fifty thousand Ukrainian dead. The leaders of the G7 Western ghetto, meeting at that very moment for a weekend in Hiroshima, where a US president committed the genocide of Japanese civilians 78 years before, were not at all pleased and so pretended that the liberation had not taken place. Its mention in the Western media is strictly forbidden and censored, as is the critical condition of General Zaluzhny, the seriously wounded head of the Kiev Armed Forces. However, the introverted G7 itself is increasingly irrelevant to the real world, a relic from the past. The world has moved on since 1945, which is what the G7 is about, as it is formed from the Western victors and the two vanquished nations from that past era. Once more, however, the G7 pretended not to notice its own irrelevance and went on navel-gazing through its World War II eyes. There is no greater example of this than its fantasy that it can defeat Russia through its Kiev-based puppets, then overthrow the highly popular President Putin and divide up Russia between various transnational corporations.

Conclusion: The Prophecy of Atlantis

The result of the Western arming of the Kiev forces is that what began as a small police operation to liberate the people of the Donbass has become little short of a World War. It is Russia versus the Combined West. Russia has concluded that nothing save total victory will make the Americans and their British and EU poodles understand that it means business and there will be a neutral, sovereign Ukraine independent of US control, so no longer a hostile neighbour. As President Vladimir Putin told the Russian Parliament last July: ‘We have already heard a lot about the West wanting to fight us ‘to the last Ukrainian.’ This is a tragedy for the Ukrainian people. But everyone should know that, by and large, we have not started anything in earnest yet’. What will the USA do once it has lost in the Ukraine? It will just abandon it, just as it abandoned Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, and return to its big island across the ocean 4,000 miles away. Then the world will be free.

Here will be prepared the Second Atlantis. Yes, Atlantis, for Plato’s story of Atlantis was never history, but in fact a prophetic warning for the future. The story of the fictional island of Atlantis was an allegory about hubris and concluded with Atlantis falling out of favour with the gods and sinking into the Atlantic Ocean. As it seems now, this story is precisely about the USA, which is the real Atlantis, which will sink beneath the waves of hubris and depravity. However, the story is even more than that, it is also about all those who associate themselves with the USA, for example, in Western Europe, not forgetting the Russian oligarchs and traitors who so admire the West that they choose to live in New York, London, Tel Aviv or elsewhere in the Western world. This is the warning and, alarmingly, it is almost too late for it to be heard. Most are not listening to the prophecy, but the writing is on the wall. Time is almost up.

India rejects US’ offer ahead of PM Modi visit:

'Not suitable, has no intention of joining NATO plus...'

The critical remarks from India came weeks after a powerful Congressional Committee recommended strengthening NATO Plus by including India.

Article HERE

What is something people would overlook in a zombie apocalypse?

How important covering up is.

When all hell breaks loose, people are screaming, running for their guns, trying to get to their cars, or trying to reach the top floor of tall buildings for some reason.

But what if you don’t have a gun, or you can’t get to a car, and you get cornered by a zombie?

What’s your best defense? Your first one? Before you even pick up a weapon?

What you’re wearing on your body, that’s what.

Zombies attack with their teeth. Human teeth, as I’m sure you’re aware not the best at biting through live flesh.

As long as you cover your body with something that can withstand human teeth, you’ll be much safer.

One type of body covering that can be acquired easily and is effective against zombie attacks is the good old motorcycle gear.

Motorcycle pants, jackets, and gloves are designed to prevent road rash injuries and are very tough.

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(Maybe lose the heavy helmet).

Good running shoes can also come in handy.

Covering the body, especially the arms, neck, and legs can be very useful, and may be your last line of defense.

When hit in the face with a zombie apocalypse, let’s always remember to cover up, then we can run screaming for our guns or cars or the nearest tall buildings.

What type of upbringing causes narcissism?

Have you ever found a baby lying in the middle of the street crying, all alone, hungry, not getting the love it needs, not getting the food it needs, starving and dying?

This is how narcissist parents treat their children. And they learned this from their parents.

Narcissists do not care for anyone or anything but themselves! They have no idea how to CARE or LOVE anyone.

They are 100 percent occupied with their own wants, interests, desires and needs.

The baby has to be JUST like THEM.

Love is conditional. It is based 100 percent on how the narcissist wants the child to be.

The narcissist feels that they can show the world what a PERFECT PARENT they are!!!

The baby is not allowed to be a seperate person with their own wants needs and desires.

And if that baby does have any wants, needs or desires of their own then the narcissist feels abandoned and will PUNISH that child to conform to what THEY want need and desire.

If the child doesn’t conform or does doesn’t matter (confusing right!!). This is a method of coercion to control everyone in the family.

EVERYONE in the family will do the narcissists bidding. These words are not spoken, the child either knows how to read the parents mind or harsh treatment will be brought down.

If the child does do what the parents want it is belittled and double binded into subconscious submission as the narcissist needs to have IT (the child is an object to a narcissist) to regulate their emotions.

Without the child there the narcissist cannot regulate their emotions and will feel empty. They will absolutely panic if there isn’t someone around to regulate their emotional state of mind.

Essentially it’s like the child as a real person doesn’t exist and that it’s just an extension of the parents wants, needs and desires.

Try growing up in a family like this and being able to have any semblance of self…you won’t.

You will have turned into a false self to please the narcissist parents as a survival mechanism.

Either that or a way to overly empathetic person with no idea what a boundary is or why their gut feels so horrible around the narcissist. These people struggle with destroyed wants, needs and desires too.

But instead of everything being all about them their lives are all about others.

Both are the survival mechanisms of growing up in a narcissist family.

Both are like leaving a newborn child on their own to fend for themselves.

Both have not received and do not know how to receive real love.

P.S.-

Unless you have grown up in this kind of family dynamic you do not truly know what it is like in any way. I have been receiving a lot of comments from people saying “This isn’t true, they were just spoiled children, that’s what forms narcissists!” From my own experiences this is a half truth. It’s difficult enough to know you are simultaneously being spoiled and abused at the same time let alone for an outsider to understand this dynamic. That’s why they call it Covert…I have never talked to a narcissist who was just formed from being spoiled. It is a combination of the two (or just abuse). Most people will not see any abuse, just a rich spoiled child. Well, it’s Covert (hidden). And the child has no idea he’s been abused let alone that he’s a narcissist.

The US is dangerously playing with fire off the coast of China

June 7, 2023 Byamarynth InChina

MOSCOW, June 5, 2023, RUSSTRAT Institute. The Indo-Pacific Command of the US Armed Forces accused the Chinese Air Force that a Chinese fighter jet made an aggressive maneuver against an American aircraft over the South China Sea on May 26. The pilot of a Chinese fighter jet intercepted a spy plane, flying in close proximity to the RC-135, and creating a turbulence zone for the frightened American. According to Pentagon officials, the United States aircraft was simply ” performing a routine safe mission in the area.”

On June 3, the following conflict situation occurred between the PLA and the US Navy. The US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon and the Canadian Navy’s Halifax-class frigate HMCS Montreal have entered the Taiwan Strait. According to Beijing, the American ship ignored the appeals of the Chinese side, so the PLA Navy destroyer “clipped” the US ship, which forced the Americans to change course and reduce speed to avoid the crash, and then together with the Canadian frigate to leave the strait zone.

The US press, at the suggestion of its military, inflates the news about “dangerous maneuvers of a Chinese ship 150 meters in front of the nose of an American destroyer.” What the US military did off the coast of China, 12 thousand kilometers from their native land, Western media do not report.

The official representative of the Ministry of Defense of the People’s Republic of China, Wu Qian, called the actions of the Americans a provocation and an invasion of the zone of vital interests of China. At a meeting on the sidelines of the Singapore Security Summit, Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu said: “If someone tries to separate Taiwan from China, the Chinese military will not hesitate for a second, and China will be reunited.”

Lloyd Austin, for his part, indicated that the United States will continue to use warships and aircraft in international waters and skies near China, as well as continue to support Taiwan. Is it any wonder that Li Shangfu, who is under US sanctions, refused to hold any talks with his American counterpart?

It is noteworthy that shortly before the scandals described, CIA Director Bill Burns made a trip to China. It was allegedly about stabilizing relations after the February incident with a spy balloon, which Washington considered Chinese.

Given that Burns traveled to Moscow shortly before Russia was forced to launch a CDF on the territory of the former Ukrainian SSR, it can be assumed that with adequate negotiations (on an equal footing, with the construction of an honest dialogue that takes into account the interests of all parties) The US representatives have big problems. This was also noticed by The American Thinker.

Analysts of the American publication explain the inconsistent, rude and unproductive policy of the White House by the incompetence and incompetence of the Biden administration.

They are echoed in the editorial office of The National Interest. They believe that the United States should not and cannot afford to seek primacy everywhere — for geographical reasons alone, American influence in remote regions cannot be dominant, and this is natural. Thus, the United States is unable to dictate its will to the Global South, especially in view of the weakening of American influence in Central Asia.

Why is the United States so uncompromising and aggressive? Americans have always lived at the expense of other countries. Unleashing wars on the territory of third countries, they received dividends from this. Times have changed, but the White House’s tactics have remained the same. The dissonance is amplified by the interests of the ruling circles of the United States, which for a long time do not coincide with the national interests of the former “hegemon”. For the implementation of domestic policy, the US authorities need extra-constitutional power, which can give a new military conflict. Therefore, Washington is mindlessly seeking war, even though the United States is not ready for it. Needless to say, such “games” put the world on the brink of nuclear catastrophe.

Have you ever stumbled across a valuable rare find at a garage/yard sale or a secondhand store and knew you were getting too good of a deal? If you bought it, did you feel guilty and tell the other party what you found was worth at some point?

I was in a second rate art gallery and for some reason he had a bin labelled $2. I asked why $2 and he said it was better than just tossing it all away. Most of the stuff was awful and then I found it. This piece and I took it to the gallery owner and asked if he was sure. He said, give the me the $2 and it is yours. I took it home, and then studied the seal that I had seen in the bottom corner, it had been displayed in an art exhibit at the Columbia Exposition of 1892. I love this piece, I have had it on my various walls for 40 years now and an art appraiser asked me if I wanted to auction it. No, it is going to my family when I depart. Best $2 spent ever for me. The seal in the corner is just below the matting, not viewed here.

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What was the most bone-headed thing you did at work that you thought you’d be fired for doing?

Oh man, I almost did get fired for this…

About twenty years ago I used to teach kindergarten. There was a boy in my class, “D”, who had a rough home life. His mother was out of the picture because of intermittent jail time, and his father worked constantly as a car mechanic. Dad usually had a girlfriend to help him out with D. These women came and went before D had time to bond with them. It was just as well.

As the one female who spent the most consistent time with D, I became somewhat of a surrogate mother. Besides being a little rowdy and precocious, D was a good little guy with a big smile and freckles on his face. My heart went out to him. We had a successful kindergarten year together.

The following year my grade assignment changed to a first-second combination class. I got to loop (bring students from the previous year) a few students. Of course I brought D with me…he needed the stability of being with me another year. Well one day we were all singing and being kind of silly and D just would not stay in his chair. I teased him by saying I’d tape him to his seat if he didn’t sit down. Of course he didn’t, and begged me to tape him to his chair. I was caught up in the moment of silliness with all the kids and brought out the duct tape and wrapped the tape once around his upper thighs to his chair. There was nothing punitive about it. That little rascal stood up, chair and all, and danced with his back end wiggling with the chair attached. The rest of the kids thought this was hilarious, and D got a moment of attention that he enjoyed.

The chair dance lasted only a minute before I cut him loose, then we all left for an assembly. The kids were still giggling over all of this when the principal asked what was so funny. So I told him what just happened, and before I knew it I was being called into his office. The district HR person was there, as were the district attorneys and my union President. Needless to say I was reprimanded on a scale you wouldn’t believe. I was told that there was no statute of limitations on my actions and that it would stay in my personnel file indefinitely. I was basically told that if I stepped out of line again, I’d be fired. I was told not to talk about it with anyone, especially D’s father (whom they’d contacted), and never to have duct tape in my classroom-EVER! I felt like a criminal with duct tape being my weapon of choice.

In the days that followed D’s father tried repeatedly to contact me, and after no response sent me a letter saying he was worried about me and hoped D didn’t get me in trouble. I so wanted to reach out to assure him that D had done nothing wrong, but I would’ve been fired had I done so.

Fast forward fifteen years and a 20 year-old D came to visit me at school one day. We laughed about what happened and I sent him on his way with a job reference.

Yes, I understand the seriousness of my actions even though I meant no harm. Would it happen again? Not likely. It took me a few years of walking on eggshells to keep my reputation clean. And I still don’t keep duct tape in my classroom…

Southern Hamburger Pie

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped
1 pound ground chuck
Salt and pepper to taste
1 small can corn or green beans, drained (optional)
1 (9-inch) frozen pie shell
5 slices Velveeta cheese, about 4 to 5 ounces
1 can flaky biscuits

Instructions

Begin thawing pie crust. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet on medium heat, breaking up the beef with the back of a spoon, and cook until onions are soft.
Drain excess fat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add corn or green beans if using.
Put meat mixture into the pie shell and evenly distribute the cheese over the top.
Separate biscuits and layer in a circular pattern over the pie, covering it completely (you may not need all the biscuits).
Cut a few small “steam slits” in the top and bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown.

Serves 4.

What are the best romantic relationship tips?

Make them happy, nothing should make you happier than to see them being themselves an dhabing an authentic smile on their face. Always find ways to make their life easier, and be there for them, not with advice, but with arms open and ears ready to hear without intervening or trying to fix the problem.

General of the Russian Army Valery Gerasimov talks with China’s General Li Shangfu

June 9, 2023 Byamarynth InSouth Asia

Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, First Deputy Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation General of the Army Valery Gerasimov during talks with counterpart Li Shangfu from the People’s Republic of China:

‘Comrade General. It is a pleasure to welcome you.

First of all, I would like to congratulate you on your appointment to the post of Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission of the People’s Republic of China and wish you success in your responsible post in defending the motherland, strengthening its defensive capacity, and further modernising the People’s Liberation Army of China.

I am confident that your extensive experience will aid in the growth of the People’s Liberation Army as well as the expansion of military cooperation between our countries.

The visit to Moscow in April by Minister of Defence of the People’s Republic of China General Li Shangfu was of great significance for the development of defence cooperation between Russia and China.

We appreciate the fact that after his appointment to his post General Li Shangfu chose Russia as the first country for his foreign trip, as did Chinese President Xi Jinping, who paid a state visit to Russia in March.

President Vladimir Putin and President Xi Jinping have confirmed that the Russian-Chinese comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction are at the highest level.

Against the backdrop of recent global events, the decisions taken constitute long-term national development and security goals enshrined in our leaders’ joint statement, including issues of expanding military cooperation.

Coordination between Russia and the People’s Republic of China in the international arena has a stabilising effect on the world situation.

An example of this is joint military exercises both bilaterally and within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and ADMM Plus that promote the deepening of positive defence contacts.

The practice of joint operational and combat training by the Russian Armed Forces and People’s Liberation Army of China should continue to be a priority in the future.

I am convinced that today’s talks will serve to further strengthen the Russian-Chinese strategic partnership in the defence sphere.

I’d want to take this occasion to encourage you to visit Russia whenever it is convenient for you’.

Article HERE

—o0o—

The Russian Military and the Chinese Military have open doors between them. On the Russian side, we know what is happening and watch it daily. On the Chinese side, the pressure, from the US and a new NATO office in Japan, is being ratcheted up unbelievably. The latest:

The commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral John Aquilino, highlighted the military’s threatening posture towards China, speaking at the annual meeting of the National Committee on US-China Relations last month. The group is known for encouraging engagement between the world’s two largest economies.

In yet another confirmation that the White House has overturned the long-standing “strategic ambiguity” policy regarding Taiwan, Aquilino went so far as to say President Joe Biden and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin have tasked him to win a war against China if Beijing attacks the island.

“What I can tell you is the secretary and the president have tasked me with two missions. The first is to prevent this conflict. And then the second one is if I fail at Mission One to be ready and prepared to fight and win… the United States military is manned, trained, equipped, postured and ready to execute both of those missions,” the INDOPACOM chief said. https://libertarianinstitute.org/news/indopaccom-chief-the-us-is-ready-to-fight-and-win-a-war-with-china/

As I’ve explained before, Taiwan is the word, it is the name. It is easily remembered by most that actively support a war against China. This war, and the possibility that there will be one is actively being prepared for. We see the US encroaching in the Asia-Pacific, under the name Indo-Pacific and doing their preparatory work, not only regarding Taiwan, but the full first island chain and various countries are being set up as war proxies, militarised and weaponized. Think of the Philippines and South Korea, Japan, and Australia being the bigger ones. It is quite actively being discussed.

This war is planned as a boots-on-the-ground war + proxies. It may look at the moment as if it is a lost cause and the US + NATO are not prepared and from our circles, the ability to fight a war is questionable.

Yet preparations are being done actively and this is why Chinese and Russian militaries hold joint aerial strategic patrols in the Asia-Pacific region. The last patrol consisted of Chinese H-6K bombers and two Russian Tu-95 bombers, escorted by two unidentified Chinese fighter jets. They flew together over the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan on the 6th of June, just a few days ago.

What is not generally known, is that this is not an exercise, but Chinese reports call this a patrol amidst rising tensions and US provocations in the region. The Shangri-La dialogue was taking place and what is also not generally known is that a PLA Navy flotilla consisting of a 055 large destroyer Anshan and a 054A frigate Linyi sailed from the East China Sea through the Tsushima Strait into the Sea of Japan a day before the aerial patrol. In addition, the Russian Pacific Fleet launched an exercise in the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk on the 5th, sending over 60 warships and 35 aircraft, according to a statement released by Russia’s Defense Ministry on the day.

Was there military coordination between the Russian Pacific Fleet and the PLA Navy flotilla and the aerial patrol? I don’t have anything that specifically tells me so, except the readout of the conversation between Valery Gerasimov and Li Shangfu that talks about strengthening the Russian-Chinese strategic partnership in the defense sphere and the open-door policy. I have a musing on probability though. I’d love to see the document between the militaries where they spell out the probability of kinetic action in the region vs expected timing. One would think there is such a document and one would think it is a continually updated document, not passive.

Currently, there are large-scale PLA drills around Taiwan and Xi Jinping called on Chinese border troops to enhance their capabilities in border defense and control to forge a “great wall of steel” along the country’s borders.

Have you ever stumbled across a valuable rare find at a garage/yard sale or a secondhand store and knew you were getting too good of a deal? If you bought it, did you feel guilty and tell the other party what you found was worth at some point?

Yep. My family likes to shop at resale shops or yard sales. We play a game called Who got the best find today. Often Ill call my dad and say I won resale shopping today! Then detail what I found and why its a win. Or my mom will call me and tell me what they found.

There is no guilt though. Its all fun. Someone donated it or didn’t want it. We did.

The BEST story though is about a 1956 Harry Ferguson (Yes HARRY not Massey) tractor my dad found at an auction. It wouldn’t start. He walked over looked it over but didn’t touch anything. There were a bunch of Good Ole Boys standing around talking about it and why it wouldn’t run. My dad ended up paying about 50$ for it. A lot of money 45 years ago for a lawn ornament. After he took ownership he walked over fiddled with a wire and the thing started up. He says he got out of there as fast as he could he thought they might lynch him.

How can someone learn to be humble?

4 years back i and my dad went to purchase a pair of shoes from a footwear shop nearby. There was a man with a great height and physique , around the age of 30 sitting there holding a girl child of around 4 years. He kept seeing my dad for few seconds , later while going back he gave a pleasant smile and asked my dad

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“You are from’ x’ village right, with the home in the outskirts of the village”.

My dad was surprised and said “ya but sorry i couldn’t make out, how do u know me?”

He spoke with the calmness , pleasant smile on his face”i was one among the construction workers who built your house( he said it in a local slang ಗಾರೆ ಕೆಲಸ ).i used to sleep there only at night.I can’t forget those days. Happy to see you”

My dad was surpised hearing this”ohh, u still remember it. What are u doing now?”but my dad was not able to recognize him as it was around 10 yrs back

He said in the most humble way”i am the circle inspector here , came to purchase slippers for my daughter” and asked whether i was his daughter to which my dad replied yes , that man continued,’she was a small child when i last saw her, she is a grown up girl now ‘with the brotherly love in his eyes.

How can someone be so humble, the one who is a circle inspector now, recognized my dad and said that he had worked as a construction worker for his home without any hesitation even when my dad failed to recognize him. That humbleness he had when he spoke was just inspirational.

He remind me of one saying”wherever you go, whatever you become you should never forget your roots, you should be proud of them”

To all those who are asking who is a circle inspector, he is a police officer who is in charge of 2 or more police stations, he supervises the subinspectors of those stations.

What are some weird facts about Japan?

One of the weirdest things about Japan is the way Japanese treat the watermelon.

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First of all, a watermelon, or “suika” is classified as a “vegetable” by many Japanese, not a fruit. If an English teacher asks “What’s your favorite vegetable?” to a student, a very likely answer will be “watermelon” (though “strawberry” is another popular choice). This is because traditionally, in Japan, “fruit” grew on trees and “vegetables” were basically any type of plant that grew above ground but not on a tree.

Second of all, in the summer time, Japanese children play the game suika wari (スイカ割, “smashing the watermelon”). They are blindfolded and given either a baseball bat (see above) or a wooden sword. The first child to successfully smash open the watermelon is the winner. It’s like smashing a piñata, basically.

The Densuke Watermelon is a rare “black” watermelon that is often auctioned off to the elite. It can go for $6,000. Don’t use that in a game of suika wari!

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No, your eyes don’t deceive you. That watermelon really is almost US$200. Don’t knock it over… It is a watermelon to be *revered*.

China Orders 15,000 Iranian Drones

World Hal Turner 11 June 2023

A very serious development has taken place: China has placed an order with Iran for 15,000 “Shaheed 136” military drones, with differing types of engines for different war fronts. The entities with whom China expects war?

According to a Commander with the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) which accepted the order, China is preparing for war in Taiwan, Japan, and Australia.

Iran has created a huge business opportunity for themselves selling these drones, which appear to be incredibly effective for Russia inside Ukraine right now.

Based on how many they are already selling to Russia, Iran must already have tens of thousands; which should give pause to their pipsqueak, but big-mouthed neighbor, Israel.

Historically, this is interesting because ancient Persians were known for shooting crazy amounts of arrows into the sky against their enemies to completely overwhelm them.

And the entire world looks at the United States and sadly shakes its collective heads

A little bit dated post. Maybe two weeks old. I’m finally getting around to it.

So there was a meeting between Blinkin and Xi Peng inside of China. China remained firm and resolute, but the over all tone of the meeting was positive.

US-China pledge to stabilise ties after Xi-Blinken meeting

Earlier on Monday, Mr Blinken met for three hours with China's top foreign policy official, Wang Yi. Mr Wang presented an ultimatum on Monday, saying the US must choose between “cooperation or conflict”.

China’s president uses notably positive language despite no ‘big ticket’ agreements being reached. From HERE paywall.

By Sophia Yan 19 June 2023 • 11:11pm

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That feeling lasted for a good four hours, and then all HELL broke lose when President Biden starts to make fun of Xi Peng, calling him names, and generally being quite provocative…. and insulting.

As we can see plainly here…

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Resulting in a very fierce Chinese response…

China hits back after Biden calls Xi a ‘dictator’

By Trevor Hunnicutt and Ryan Woo

June 22, 20233:43 AM GMT+8

KENTFIELD, California/BEIJING, June 21 (Reuters) – China hit back on Wednesday after U.S. President Joe Biden referred to President Xi Jinping as a “dictator”, saying the remarks were absurd and a provocation, an unexpected flare-up following attempts by both sides to reduce friction.

Biden made his comments just a day after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken completed a visit to China aimed at stabilizing relations that Beijing says are at their lowest point since formal ties were established in 1979.

At a fundraiser in California, Biden said Xi was very embarrassed when a suspected Chinese spy balloon was blown off course over U.S. airspace early this year. Blinken had said on Monday the chapter should be closed.

“The reason why Xi Jinping got very upset in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two box cars full of spy equipment in it was he didn’t know it was there,” Biden said.

“That’s a great embarrassment for dictators. When they didn’t know what happened. That wasn’t supposed to be going where it was. It was blown off course,” Biden said.

Xi became China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong after securing a precedent-breaking third term as president in March and head of the Communist Party in October.

He presides over a one-party system that many human rights groups, Western leaders and academics call a dictatorship because it lacks an independent judiciary, free media, or universal suffrage for national office.

Critics of Xi and his party are censored online and risk detention off line.

Biden also said China “has real economic difficulties”.

Biden as president has previously referred to China as “essentially” a dictatorship and “a place for the autocrat, the dictator,” while saying no other world leader wants to be Xi.

But Tuesday’s remarks about the Chinese leader were some of his most direct.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning called the remarks “extremely absurd” and “irresponsible” and said they seriously violated facts, diplomatic protocol and China’s political dignity.

“They’re an open political provocation,” she told a regular briefing.

U.S. State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel, asked if Biden’s comments would affect future visits by U.S. and Chinese officials, said Washington continued to expect engagements “in due course, when the time is appropriate.”

“The president believes that diplomacy … is a responsible way to manage tensions, clear up misperceptions, avoid miscalculations and all of this in our interests to do that,” Patel said. “That does not mean of course we will not be blunt and forthright about our differences.”

LASTING DAMAGE UNLIKELY

AMERICAN Political analysts played down the likely damage to U.S.-China engagement.

“Biden’s big mouth is a loose cannon,” said Wu Xinbo, director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai. He said the remarks would affect mutual trust, including in communications between the leaders, but would not erase what Blinken had achieved on his China visit.

Yun Sun, head of the China program at Washington’s Stimson Center, said she thought the U.S. side “wants to let this quietly go away.”

“And the Chinese will not want to blow this out of proportion, ruining the prospect of a process leading to Xi’s bilateral summit with Biden in November,” referring to a possible meeting when the United States hosts the APEC forum.

Blinken and Xi agreed in their meeting on Monday to stabilize the U.S.-China rivalry so it did not veer into conflict. While the visit did not yield breakthroughs, both sides agreed to continue diplomatic engagement with more visits by U.S. officials in the coming weeks and months.

Biden said later on Tuesday that U.S. climate envoy John Kerry may go to China soon. On Monday, he said he thought relations were on the right path and indicated that progress was made during Blinken’s trip.

Biden has often defined the current state of global politics as a battle between democracy and autocracy, and said democratically-led countries should establish economic ties to balance autocratic-led countries, aiming at Russia and China.

Beijing in the past has bristled at that definition. Xi told Biden during a November 2022 meeting that China has “Chinese-style democracy,” Chinese state news reported then.

Chiming in from Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday that Biden’s comments contradicted Blinken’s efforts to ease tensions with Beijing, describing the remarks as “incomprehensible”.

“However, that’s their business,” Peskov said. “We’ve our own bad relations with the United States of America and our very good relations with the People’s Republic of China.”

Other world leaders seemed reluctant to get involved. Asked repeatedly about the situation, the spokesperson of German chancellor Olaf Scholz said only: “The Federal Government has taken note of the American President’s statement.”

So you have to wonder, what is going on?

Perhaps this will provide some insight…

US Coast Guard ship transited Taiwan Strait after Blinken’s China visit -US Navy

Nope. Same bullshit. All the time.

Reuters

June 22, 20233:16 PM GMT+8

TAIPEI, June 22 (Reuters) – A U.S. Coast Guard ship sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday in a transit that China described as “public hype”, after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken having wrapped up a high-profile, widely watched visit to Beijing a day earlier.

The national security cutter Stratton made a “routine” Taiwan Strait transit on Tuesday “through waters where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law”, the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet said on Thursday.

The politically sensitive strait, which separates China from the democratically governed island of Taiwan, is a frequent source of tension as Beijing steps up its political and military pressure to try to force Taipei to accept Chinese sovereignty.

“Stratton’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails and operates anywhere international law allows,” the 7th Fleet added in its statement.

The mission happened the day after Blinken ended a visit to Beijing, in which the two countries agreed to stabilise their intense rivalry so it does not veer into conflict, but failed to produce any major breakthrough.

Taiwan’s defence ministry said the ship sailed in a northerly direction, and its forces monitored the situation which it described as “normal”.

The Chinese coast guard described the ship’s transit as “public hype”.

Chinese vessels tailed the U.S. ship “all the way”, a spokesperson at China’s coast guard said in a statement, adding that China will “resolutely” safeguard its sovereignty and security and maritime rights and interests.

A security source told Reuters the U.S. ship left the strait in the early hours of Thursday morning.

U.S. military vessels, and on occasion those of its allies, have routinely sailed through the strait in recent years, to the anger of China, which views such missions as provocation.

This month the U.S. Navy released a video of an “unsafe interaction” in the strait, in which a Chinese warship crossed in front of a U.S. destroyer operating with a Canadian warship.

Taiwan’s military reports almost daily Chinese incursions in the strait, mostly warplanes that cross the waterway’s median line, which once served as an unofficial barrier between the two.

On Wednesday, Taiwan said Chinese warships led by the aircraft carrier Shandong sailed through the strait.

US Troops Are in Peru to Counter Chinese and Russian Influence in Latin America, Reports Peruvian News Outlet

By Nick Corbishley

Peruvian troops’ “training alongside US forces will help to improve their capabilities and strengthen the operational performance of [Peruvian] Special Forces, boosting their interoperability with NATO systems and doctrine.”

As Peru descends even deeper into political chaos and ungovernability, the main priority for its unelected President Dina Boluarte is basic survival. So says a piece in the Peruvian daily La Republica, adding that Boluarte’s dire approval rating (14%-17%) is a result not just of the 60 protesters’ deaths on her watch but also her abject lack of management ability. As vice president, Boluarte helped to topple and replace her former boss, Peru’s elected President Pedro Castillo, now languishing in jail, sparking riots throughout the country. But since then (December 7), her short-lived presidency has brought nothing but bloodshed, chaos and division.

Peru is currently in the grip of its worst ever Dengue outbreak, which is hitting poor communities — many of the same communities that voted for Castillo — particularly hard. Five days ago, the Health Minister Rosa Gutiérrez resigned over criticism of her management of the crisis. Gutiérrez’s replacement, César Vásquez, faces allegations in Peru’s Congress of influence peddling in early 2021. It is against this febrile backdrop that Boluarte chose to break the news five days ago that she will not be calling general elections until 2026 — despite the fact she has repeatedly pledged to call new elections some time this year, has zero democratic legitimacy, is broadly despised by the public and is under investigation for numerous human rights violations.

But Boluarte still enjoys the support of the US Embassy*, and for the moment that is what counts. In fact, there are 1,172 US soldiers on Peruvian soil right now or at least on their way there. As I reported in my May 26 post, Why Are US Military Personnel Heading to Peru?, the Boluarte government and Peru’s Congress — which ranks even lower in the public’s estimation than Boluarte — have authorised the entry of US troops onto Peruvian soil between June 1 and August 29. They also authorised the entry of 11 US military aircraft, two boats, two trucks, rockets, grenades, detonators, satellite communication equipment, machine guns, pistols and ammunition.

War Games in the New Cold War

Since that article, more details have seeped out about the US military’s presence in Peru, which is certainly out of the ordinary. US troops have entered Peru periodically for decades, but never for periods as long as this. “Juegos de Guerra”(War Games), an in-depth report published by the weekly newspaper Hildebrandt en sus trece, wagers that the main reason for the US troops’ mobilisation is as a show of force to Washington’s main strategic rivals, Russia and China, which are “eroding” US influence in the region.

“There is a global political confrontation between the United States and China and Russia. Peru is key because we are located at a strategic point in the Pacific basin, a gateway for China and access point to Brazil’s huge market on the Atlantic seaboard. We are a hinge”, Wilson Barrantes, former director of Peru’s National Intelligence Directorate (DINI), told the weekly newspaper.

Most of the US military personnel will be taking part in Resolute Sentinel 2023, a military exercise that will be staged across a number of regions of Peru between June and August. The 12th Air Force-led U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) exercise was first held in 2021 when the US deployed 129 military personnel to Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. A year later, the military contingent was multiplied by seven and Belize joined the list of participating countries. The third edition will be held for the first time in South America, in a single nation: Peru.

Before the exercise begins, a contingent of 42 members of the US Special Forces will participate in training with Peru’s Joint Intelligence and Special Operations Command, the Joint Special Force and the FAP Special Forces Group. An additional 160 US soldiers, manning nine aircraft, will train with personnel from the Peruvian Air Force, Special Forces (GRUFE), the Space Operations Centre (Copes), and the National Satellite Image Centre (Cnois). Then, a total of 970 members of the US Air Force (USAF), Space Force (USSF) and the US Special Forces will participate in Resolute Sentinel 2023. An additional 65 US military personnel will be staying put until the end of the year to oversee ongoing training programs.

Preparations for the exercise were thrashed out between the US Embassy in Lima and Ana Cecilia Gervasi Diaz, Peru’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. Gervasi Diaz was appointed to the role by Boluarte on December 10, just three days after Castillo’s impeachment and imprisonment.

NATO’s Moves in Latin America

In late December, shortly after Castillo’s fall, the Mexican geopolitical analyst Alfredo Jalife-Rahme warned in one of his video conferences (which we covered here ) that the United States and China are “in a war for Peru’s soul”. As I noted at the time, this “war” of which Jalife speaks is rather one-sided, given that China, unlike the US, does not tend to meddle in internal politics in the region, or at least hasn’t until now. Now, six months later, Hildebrandt en sus trece, a widely respected Peruvian news outlet, has reached a similar conclusion by tracing some of the steps that led to the US military’s current presence in Peru (text, including the excerpts of Admiral Craig Faller’s document, translated from the Spanish by yours truly):

“In May 2019 Admiral Craig Faller, then head of Southern Command, presented an internal document called “Enduring Promise for the Americas.” It was about a plan for winning allies in Latin America and the Caribbean up to 2027 with the goal of “improving security, protecting the US homeland and our national interests,” says the report.

In the document SOUTHCOM singles out two threats in the US’ “backyard”: Chinese influence and the growth of organised crime. On the spectre of Xi Jinping, Faller paints a bleak picture: “In many areas around the world, including this hemisphere, our competitive advantage is eroding (…) China has expanded its ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative in Latin America and the Caribbean at a pace that could one day eclipse its expansion in South East Asia and Africa. Its trade and investments are increasing rapidly and it is now the biggest creditor to the region. Chinese control of deep water ports and infrastructure connected to the Panama Canal bolsters its operational position. Its investments in telecommunications and access to space tracking facilities put at risk military operations, intellectual property and data privacy, says the report.

Faller proposes three lines of action to counter US rivals. The first strategy consists of “increasing” US presence in the region by strengthening its alliances. “We will take advantage of our bilateral security assistance programs to enhance regional cooperation.”

As if to confirm this, the documents presented to the Peruvian Congress requesting authorisation for the entry of US troops and military equipment argue that (emphasis my own) “training alongside US forces will help to improve the capabilities and strengthen the operational performance of [Peruvian] Special Forces, boosting their interoperability with NATO systems and doctrine.”

Since as far back as 2019 the Peruvian Army — one of the last remaining institutional backbones in Peru, according to Jalife — has made no bones about its aspirations to join the North Atlantic Treaty Association at some point in the future, despite Peru’s geographic position perched on South America’s Pacific coastline.

NATO already has three partner countries in South America and is on the lookout for more. In 2017, Colombia became one of NATO’s eight global partners, along with Australia, Iraq, Japan, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan and the Republic of Korea. The apparent benefits of membership include interoperability with NATO forces as well as the opportunity to participate in NATO-led operations and missions around the world. Like Colombia, both Brazil and Argentina are also “major non-NATO allies,” a designation awarded by Washington to close allies that have strategic working relationships with the US Armed Forces but are not members of NATO.

NATO is certainly keen to expand its influence in Latin America, especially in the context of the current conflict in Ukraine. In 2019, the US State Department even suggested that Mexico should join the military alliance, despite the country’s long, albeit interrupted, history of neutrality. In 2020, the Atlantic Council even argued that securing Mexico’s membership could be key to keeping the United States, then under Trump’s presidency, “committed” to the Alliance. Between them Brazil (334,000 active military personnel) and Colombia (200,000) alone would contribute more assets to NATO than the European members annexed in the 1990s, according to the the Latin American Strategic Center for Geopolitics (also known as CELAG).

At an event on the sidelines of the 2022 NATO summit in Madrid, King of Spain Felipe VI proposed that Spain could serve as both a bridge and a nexus between NATO and the former Spanish colonies of Latin America — an idea that will no doubt have met with the approval of EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell.

A month ago, Colombia’s first left-wing President Gustavo Petro dismayed many of his supporters by committing to strengthen Colombia’s cooperation with NATO in areas such as climate change, human rights, integrity building and cyber defence. As I’ve noted in a previous article

, Petro has his hands largely tied when it comes to dealing with the US military, given that Colombia is one of the biggest recipients of US military aid, is home to seven or eight official US military bases and has suffered through a decades-long civil war that is not nearly resolved. But even I was surprised by the extent to which Petro appears to have caved in.

Peru: “The Most Chinese Country in South America,” Until Now

Peru’s Ambassador to China during Pedro Castillo’s government, Luis Quesada, described China as the “most Chinese country in South America.” That was in July last year. At the time, there was even talk of upgrading China’s free trade agreement (FTA) with Peru. China is already Peru’s largest trading partner on both the exports and imports side while Peru is the second largest destination for Chinese investment in Latin America, behind only Brazil. A whopping 32% of Peru’s exports go to China, compared with just 12% to the US.

But according to the report in Hildebrandt en sus trece, citing other documents by Craig Faller, Washington’s soft-power arm USAID will also be playing a part in the US’ counter-offensive against China and Russia in Peru. The notes that USAID is investigating “foreign agents” in Peru, with a particular focus on “unethical” practices by Asian (read: Chinese) multinationals.

The companies that have so far been targeted allegedly include China Railway Tunnel Group ― with whom the Ministry of Transport and Communications recently cancelled an $87 million contract ― and Cosco Shipping, which is under investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office for a landslide at one of the company’s tunnel construction sites at the $3.6 billion Chancay mega-port it is helping to build. Located 50 miles north of Lima, the port is expected to become (in the words of Mercopress news agency) “a colossal infrastructure that will transform the 65,000 people former fishing village into a milestone of China’s increasing trade and influence in Latin America.”

Chinese companies have also invested huge sums in Peru’s mining sector over the past decade and a half. But US and European interest in Latin America’s strategic resources is also on the rise as the race for lithium, copper, cobalt and other elements essential for the so-called “clean” energy transition heats up. In recent months the region’s largest economies have received state visits from both Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholtz and EU Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, who last week unveiled €10 billion of Global Gateway investments in Latin America and the Caribbean.

As readers may recall, Craig Faller’s successor at the helm of SOUTHCOM, General Laura Richardson, has been explicit about the US government’s intentions to “box out” China and Russia from strategic resources in Latin America. And while Peru may not form part of the Lithium Triangle (Bolivia, Argentina and Chile), it does boast significant deposits of the white metal. By one estimate , it is home to the sixth largest deposits of hard-rock lithium in the world. It is also the world’s second largest producer of copper, zinc and silver, three metals that are also expected to play a major role in supporting renewable energy technologies.

The problem is that Peru’s economy is hugely dependent on Chinese money for its mining industry and infrastructure projects, and that economy is — as Jalife put it — one of the few “fractals” that continue to provide some degree of stability. And while the US and NATO may offer guns and war, they cannot compete with China on investment or trade.

* The US Ambassador to Peru, Lisa Kenna, is a former adviser to former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a nine-year veteran at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). She almost certainly gave the green light for Castillo’s toppling during a meeting with Peru’s Defense Minister Gustavo Bobbio Rosas the day before (December 6). A retired brigadier general, Bobbio Rosas was appointed defence minister just one day before his meeting with Kenna and was replaced a couple of days later by Jorge Chavez Cresta , a graduate of the West Virginia National Guard and the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies in Washington. According to a tweet by Peru’s Ministry of Defence, the meeting between Kenna and Bobbio was meant to tackle “issues of bilateral interest”.

So what is really going on?

Why did Biden call Xi a dictator in a fundraising event a day after Blinken’s visit to Beijing? A BBC report.

Now you see why these days, the Chinese government prefers dealing with American oligarchs over any of their politicians?

main qimg 24aff702cd942942d259ce552845e1ec

You simply cannot treat a western democracy (especially one as polarised and unhinged as the US) like a normal state, because their politicians/political parties are more fixated on winning votes than any sort of long-term planning in domestic or foreign policies. Winning votes means staying in power, staying in power means receiving more bribes/”lobbying funds”.

Their promises and assurances are therefore meaningless. They can act friendly to your face, and then behave in a completely different way the very next day, with no chances of being held accountable.

So what China is beginning to do, is skip the middle man, and talk directly to the people in charge, the ones who own all the politicians.

Oligarchs care about business and profits. China can provide both. They can be reasoned with, and they don’t have to look “tough on China”.

The real owners of America are accountable not to childish voters who think they’re free, but to amoral shareholders and the rules of the “free market”. American businessmen, rather than diplomats, will be taking up a more important role in shaping the future of Sino-US diplomacy.

Not saying it’s necessarily a good thing, but it will restore some much needed maturity, gravitas and dignity to US foreign policy.

New Academy Awards Rules Exclude Movies That Aren’t “Woke” Enough!

Pennsylvania Dutch Banana Bread

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups unbleached regular flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup soft margarine
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
2 cups mashed ripe bananas
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Dash of cinnamon (optional)
Dash of nutmeg (optional)

Instructions

Cream sugar and margarine; add eggs and mix well.
Stir in baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Add oil and stir again.
Add bananas and mix.
Add flour, 1 cup at a time, and stir well after each addition.
Grease and flour 4 to 5 bread tins.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour. Test for doneness with wooden pick until it comes out clean.
When cool, wrap in plastic.

Loaves may be frozen.

US tampering with political commitments on one-China policy: Chinese FM

By Global Times Published: Jun 21, 2023 03:35 PM

Photo: CFP

The approach from the US that connects the peaceful resolution of the Taiwan question to its one-China policy is not reiteration and insistence of its commitment to China, but a tampering of its policy, Yang Tao, director-general of the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said on Monday, as he briefed Chinese and foreign media about US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to China.

In an address on Monday as Blinken wrapped up his visit to China, he reiterated the US’ one-China policy, which he said was guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three Joint Communiqués, and the Six Assurances. While Blinken said “We do not support ‘Taiwan independence,'” he also said “We remain opposed to any unilateral changes to the status quo by either side. We continue to expect the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait differences.”

Yang said that the Taiwan question has always been the most important issue in China-US relations. The US has made a clear commitment on one-China by acknowledging there is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China.

“These commitments are clearly reflected in the three China-US Joint Communiqués, which also means that the US recognizes the real status quo in the Taiwan Straits, that is, there is only one China in the world, and both sides of the Taiwan Straits belong to one China. The US calls it the ‘one-China policy,'” said Yang.

However, the US has unilaterally attached the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances to its one-China policy, Yang pointed out, adding that these are not consensus reached by both China and the US and are opposed and not recognized by the Chinese side.

“The US’ characterization of the peaceful resolution of the Taiwan question as the core content of its one-China policy is a tampering of its political commitment,” said Yang.

When meeting with Blinken on Monday, Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said China has no room for compromise or concession on the Taiwan question.

He urged the US to earnestly abide by the one-China principle set out in the three China-US Joint Communiqués, respect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and unequivocally oppose “Taiwan independence.”

Global Times

Chinese premier calls for more cooperation between China, Germany

Visiting Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday said China and Germany should work more closely, make more contributions to world peace and development, play the role of stabilizer in the midst of changes, and speed up building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Premier Li remarked when co-chairing the seventh China-Germany inter-governmental consultation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

They heard reports on the progress of China-Germany cooperation in relevant fields from the heads of 22 departments, including foreign affairs, economy and trade, industry, finance, justice, transport, education, science and technology, health, environmental protection, and development.

Li said that the consultation was efficient and pragmatic and achieved fruitful results. Under the current circumstances, the two sides should seize the opportunity of green transformation and promote the upgrading of cooperation.

Li proposed that China and Germany should partner in green development, strengthen communication and coordination on green and environmental issues, promote green energy technology development and industrial technology upgrading, and deepen cooperation in new energy vehicles, green finance and third-party markets.

China and Germany should adhere to a pragmatic and open attitude to better achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, Li said, adding the two countries should also strengthen cooperation in global economic governance, ensure the stability of international industrial and supply chains, and promote an early recovery of the world economy.

Scholz said the inter-governmental consultation mechanism reflects the special significance of the relations between the two countries.

The German side is willing to maintain close communication with China on all issues between the two countries and to jointly address global challenges such as climate change, food security and debt problems, he said.

Scholz said Germany has no intention to decouple from China and is ready to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation with China to promote world development and prosperity.

The two sides agreed that bilateral cooperation is solidly based and dynamic and that it is in the interests of both sides to deepen cooperation at a higher level, with higher standards and higher quality, and to jointly maintain the stability of the global production and supply chains, which is also of great global significance.

The two sides also agreed to set up a dialogue and cooperation mechanism on climate change and a green transition, hold the third China-Germany High-Level Financial Dialogue as well as new editions of the Sino-German Environmental Forum and health dialogue, and continue to deepen cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, investment, automobile manufacturing, high-tech, new energy, digital economy, and humanities.

After the consultation, Li and Scholz witnessed the signing of a number of bilateral cooperation documents in the fields of climate change response, innovation, advanced manufacturing, and vocational education and met with the press together.

Before the consultation, Li held a meeting with Scholz.

Li pointed out that the economic and trade cooperation between China and Germany has been developed for more than half a century, and it is not easy for the two sides to achieve today’s results, which have brought real benefits to the two peoples.

He hopes the German side will continue to keep an open mind, uphold the independent policy and properly handle relevant issues on the basis of international rules and in the principle of the spirit of contract.

He said the two sides should vigorously promote the facilitation of personnel exchanges and strengthen people-to-people exchanges.

Li proposed tackling climate change as one of the guiding visions for China-Germany cooperation in the future, adding that the two countries should promote cooperation in green technology and industry, and explore the establishment of a rational and orderly division of labor in the green energy industry chain.

Scholz said the German side welcomes China’s development and prosperity, noting that Germany rejects all forms of decoupling and “de-risking” is not “de-sinicization.”

Germany is committed to developing stable relations with China and is willing to strengthen bilateral exchanges further, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and reach more cooperation consensus in addressing climate change and green development, he said, adding that Germany supports two-way investment and will provide a sound business environment for Chinese enterprises to invest in Germany.

The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern.

Before the meeting, Scholz held a grand welcome ceremony for Li at the square in front of the Federal Chancellery. With a military band playing the national anthems of both countries and Chinese and German flags flying high, Li, accompanied by Scholz, reviewed the guard of honor.

It’s time to test US’ credibility again: Global Times editorial

By Global Times Published: Jun 20, 2023 12:42 AM

Chinese President Xi Jinping (center) meets with visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing on June 19, 2023. Blooming lotus ffowers are seen placed in the middle of the meeting table. The Chinese word for “lotus” has similar pronunciation with the word of “peace” and “harmony.” Photo: Xinhua

On June 19, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing, which was the most important and highly anticipated part of Blinken’s China visit. Until the last moment, whether Blinken would secure a meeting with President Xi was a topic of great interest in the US media, carrying significant indicators to measure the achievements of Blinken’s visit and the level of easing in China-US relations. Therefore, once the meeting was confirmed and the scene of the meeting was released, it immediately became one of the most significant international events of the day. Against the backdrop of the international community’s widespread concern over the downward spiral of China-US relations, this meeting has released the expected signal of relief.

Though the meeting was not long, it carried substantial information. President Xi expounded on the principled stance for stabilizing and developing China-US relations, providing strategic and guiding suggestions. President Xi emphasized that the world needs a generally stable China-US relationship, and whether the two countries can find the right way to get along bears on the future and destiny of humanity. The vast expanse of the Earth is big enough to accommodate the respective development and common prosperity of China and the US, Xi pointed out. The Chinese, like the Americans, are dignified, confident and self-reliant people, Xi said, adding that they both have the right to pursue a better life, and the common interests of the two countries should be valued, and their respective success is an opportunity instead of a threat to each other.

These words are full of sincerity and goodwill, while also targeted. Some people in the US view China’s development with a narrow mindset of zero-sum game or even negative-sum game, perceiving it as a threat rather than an opportunity. Their biases toward China, catalyzed by the complex political and diplomatic environment in Washington, have become the crux of the twists and turns in China-US relations. In other words, the US’ own problems have turned into problems in bilateral relations, which need to be resolved by the US side.

China has consistently demonstrated its strategic clarity to the US, which is a sharp contrast with US side’s strategic ambiguity. The three most commonly used adjectives by both sides for their high-level communication are “frank, in-depth and constructive.” Clarity represents frankness. We believe that Blinken deeply understands this during his visit. China has thoroughly explained the root causes of the low point in China-US relations, the urgent tasks for both sides, China’s intentions and goals for development and revitalization, and the most prominent risks in the bilateral relationship. China does not harbor ill intentions toward the US, but it will definitely counteract any suppressive actions. If the US still has any misunderstandings about China’s strategic intentions, then we can only assume that they are deliberate and pretending to be ignorant.

Overall, in a situation with low expectations from various parties and having experienced twists and turns, Blinken’s visit to China has achieved some specific consensus, and the communication has been efficient and in-depth. It is worth noting that during the talks, Blinken made some statements that moved toward China’s position. For example, he said that the US is committed to returning to the agenda set at the summit between the heads of state in Bali and reiterated US President Joe Biden’s commitment of “five noes.” Some of Blinken’s statements during the press conference held on Monday evening also reflected this point. However, it should be pointed out that the “stability” of China-US relations requires both sides meeting each other halfway, especially for the US to be consistent in both words and deeds.

Even though it is still too early to determine if it was a successful visit, China-US relations made positive progress because of the trip. This is in the interests of the US, China, and even the world, which is also what the international community hopes to see. The world once had unprecedentedly low confidence in the turnaround of China-US relations, but now there are more expectations for the stability of China-US relations.

China and the US have taken a step forward, but it is still far from enough. The key lies in the next steps. It goes without saying that there are still differences between the two countries on many issues. No one expects Blinken’s trip to resolve these divergences. Its greater significance lies in the possibility of reversing the highly unhealthy and tense atmosphere in bilateral relations and thus creating conditions for managing and resolving the differences. China’s reception of Blinken also showcases China’s demeanor as a major power and its sincerity in stabilizing China-US relations and strengthen communication. Previously, the US gave the world the impression that China was unwilling to communicate, but it is clearly not the case.

Some media outlets noticed that the blooming lotus placed at the center of the meeting table between President Xi and Blinken was particularly eye-catching. It is currently the season of lotus blooms, and “lotus” has the same pronunciation in Chinese as “harmony,” conveying the expectation of peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation between China and the US. We hope that after returning to the US, Blinken will comprehensively and objectively convey the information received in China, generating new momentum for stabilizing China-US relations, and never again leaving the impression that the US says one thing and does another.

Funny, but so very true…

Russia Begins Process to WITHDRAW from World Trade Organization and World Health Organization

World Hal Turner 20 June 2023

The Russian government is starting the process of unilaterally withdrawing from a series of international bodies, including the World Trade Organization and the World Health Organization, the Russian Duma’s Deputy Speaker Pyotr Tolstoy said on Tuesday.

“We have work to revise our international obligations, treaties that today bring no benefit, but instead directly harm our country. The Foreign Ministry sent a list of such agreements to the State Duma,” Tolstoy said. “Together with the Federation Council, we plan to analyze them and to propose to withdraw,” he added.

(Hal Turner Remark: So Russia removes the Rothschild corrupt private banking system which enslaves citizens. He bans GMO farming. He sanctions crooks like Clinton, Biden, & Obama & now he’s withdrawn from the WHO & WTO. Does anyone still think they are the bad guys?)

SHOCKING! Letter Exposes Top-Secret UFO Programs Involving Canada and Five Eyes Alliance

Chinese FM clarifies position on US-claimed ‘rules-based intl order’

By Global Times Published: Jun 21, 2023 04:48 PM

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

China never rejects communication, but the key is how to communicate and whether it can achieve desired results, Yang Tao, director-general of the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told the Global Times on Monday, as he briefed Chinese and foreign media about US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to China from Sunday to Monday.

“Communication does not mean only seeking one’s own concerns while ignoring the concerns of the other,” said Yang.

A statement on Sunday by a US State Department spokesperson said that Blinken said the US will “work with its allies and partners to advance our vision for a world that is free, open, and upholds the rules-based international order.”

Yang said that the original intention of President Xi Jinping in advocating a community with a shared future for mankind is to maximize international solidarity and cooperation to jointly address global challenges.

“China is the first country to sign the UN Charter. It is the creator, defender and beneficiary of the current international order. Why should China change the existing international order?” said Yang.

“Some people always talk about the ‘rules-based international order.’ What rules are they based on? If it is the UN Charter, China has no problem. If it is the rules formulated by a handful of countries, China, as well as many other countries, will find it difficult to agree,” Yang said.

According to the State Department statement, Blinken emphasized the importance of maintaining open channels of communication across the full range of issues to reduce the risk of miscalculation. Yang said that both sides have agreed to jointly implement the important common understandings reached by the two presidents in Bali, Indonesia, effectively manage differences, and advance dialogue, exchanges and cooperation. Blinken invited Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang to visit the US, and Qin expressed his willingness to visit the US at the convenience of both sides.

Yang stressed that China never rejects communication, but the key is how and what the desired results are. Both parties should make sure the communication is effective. One party cannot only seek to solve its own concerns while ignoring the concerns of the other party. No party should say one thing but do another, Yang said.

China is willing to conduct constructive communication and dialogue in the spirit of mutual respect, and the US side should also show sincerity and take action. Stabilizing China-US relations requires both China and the US to work together and meet each other halfway, Yang told the Global Times.

President Xi Jinping has put forward four principles, called for joint efforts in four areas and shared three observations on Ukraine, which outline China’s fundamental approach to the issue, Yang noted, adding that these are China’s basic principles in dealing with the Ukraine crisis. The core idea is to promote peace talks and political settlement.

China supports all efforts that are conducive to ceasefire and promoting peace talks. China will continue to uphold an objective and fair stance, and promote peace talks in its own way. China will not do things that are biased or worsen the situation, let alone take advantage of the crisis, Yang said.

No country can force China to take sides, let alone distort and smear China’s position. The illegal unilateral sanctions on Chinese companies and individuals must stop. If China has to choose a side, it will choose the side of peace, peace talks, and political settlement, Yang said.

Some countries have asked China not to provide arms to Russia. The whole world can clearly see who is providing arms to the conflicting parties. We urge relevant countries to stop fueling the fire and stop smearing and slandering China, Yang noted.

Two Massive Explosions on Crimea

World Hal Turner 21 June 2023

There have been two massive explosions on Crimea in the city of Sevastopol.

Over the weekend, Russia accused Ukraine of planning to attack annexed Crimea with long-range U.S. and British missiles and warned that it would retaliate if that happened.

watch this video, trust me

https://youtu.be/9bT2KLaPuE0

I am back in Metro NYC – Didn’t even take ten minutes to remind me why I walked away three months ago

World Hal Turner 20 June 2023

I drove back to NJ today because I have this absurd notion that I had to get my wife away from New York City for this weekend with the NATO exercise coming to an end. I sincerely believe NATO will either find an excuse – or MAKE one – to go into direct warfare with Russia. NYC is a major nuke target and I want my wife out of here. Well, it didn’t take ten friggin minutes before I realized why I walked away three months ago . . .

Traffic; nightmarish. Filthy, dirty, roads in bad repair – everywhere. Graffiti on the highway overpass pilings . . . . ahhh yes, “Diversity” from all the little savages brought here by Democrat political scum.

Then, my wife . . . . Oh I have to be back here on the 27th for some window repair appointment for the sliding glass door in our condo.

Then she starts with her bullshit “I’m not even going to Pennsylvania, I’m staying home.” So this time, I said “Good. Stay home. Now it’s off my conscience whatever happens to you.”

I don’t think she expected that, at all. So a few minutes later, she came around and said she’ll go. But I can already see it’s not something she wants to do and if I know her at all after 31 years being married to her, I can look forward to a whiney, complaining, aggravating time up there.

That’s my first fifteen minutes home after three months.

How’s yours?

How will the United States respond to China’s effective ban on Micron Technology memory chips?

Do not think they have any good option since they started the chip war. Only doing to the United States what the United States did to China. They could take it to the World Trade Organization but considering that the US started it, not sure it would get the judgement it wants since probable the WTO would tell the US and China to both stop trade restrictions.

The US has so many disputes compared to China

Sort of astounding to see how little problem China has with the world and vis versa compared to the Untied States.

US seems to hate everyone.

Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken and Flat Dumplings

Ingredients

1 large (5 pound) washed chicken
1 large onion, quartered
3 stalks celery, cut into large chunks
1 teaspoon whole peppercorn
2 1/2 teaspoons salt

Instructions

Place chicken in a 6- to 8-quart stockpot. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to boil. Simmer until chicken is done, about 2 hours.
When cool, remove bones and fat from chicken. Cut into pieces, and return to pot.
Noodles: In a bowl, mix together 2 cups flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Make a well in the center, and gradually work 4 eggs into the flour until stiff dough is formed, adding water a little at a time if necessary. Knead until smooth. Divide dough in half. Roll each half as thin as possible then cut into thin 1-2 inch squares.
Bring the broth back to rolling boil. Drop noodle squares one at a time, making sure each are drenched in broth. Reduce heat, cover and continue to cook until noodles are done, about 8 minutes. DON’T PEEK!
Serve in large bowl and ladle onto plates at the table. Serve with chopped onion.

NATO’s secret TERROR armies exposed in newly declassified documents by The Grayzone | Redacted News

Biden Blows Up Blinken’s Diplomatic Mission to China

21 June 2023 by Larry Johnson

Dementia Joe does it again. Less than 24 hours after Secretary of State Blinken genuflected before the Chinese, assuring them that the United States really, really, really is sincere in supporting the One China policy and eschews calling for Taiwan’s independence, Biden opened his yap and called Xi Jinping a dictator. While this garnered applause from the American financial donors, it destroyed Blinken’s credibility with the Chinese and confirmed their worst suspicions about U.S. intentions.

When it comes to the art of diplomacy, saying what you really think or believe is not an acceptable practice. While many Americans believe that China’s Xi is a dictator and are wondering what the fuss is surrounding Biden’s intemperate, off-the-cuff remark, saying this in public stiffens Chinese doubts about U.S. intentions and makes it virtually impossible for the United States to have any kind of productive working relationship with China going forward.

Just a day after Blinken’s weekend visit to China, U.S. President Joe Biden called Chinese President Xi Jinping in a move that has infuriated Beijing and left U.S. officials perplexed. Biden said the comments in front of donors at a California event.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning called the comments a “provocation” and “irresponsible.” U.S. officials have privately sought to inform the Chinese that this doesn’t represent a shift in tone or mood since the Blinken visit.

https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses/27593

I suspect there were some of Xi Jinping’s foreign policy advisors who warned that receiving Blinken was a mistake and that the U.S. could not be trusted to live up to its promises. Guess what? They are serving up a big load of crow to those in the Chinese Government who advocated for the meeting with Blinken. Those advocates have lost face; big time.

American political leaders, including those in the Biden Administration and Republicans, need to make a choice — cool the bombastic, threatening rhetorical comments or prepare for deteriorating relations with China that will inflict enormous damage on the U.S. economy for the foreseeable future. There is no middle ground.

Many of the so-called American China mavens advocate more deterrence (i.e., more cowbell). CSIS published the results of a China/America war game in January:

CSIS developed a wargame for a Chinese amphibious invasion of Taiwan and ran it 24 times. In most scenarios, the United States/Taiwan/Japan defeated a conventional amphibious invasion by China and maintained an autonomous Taiwan. However, this defense came at high cost. The United States and its allies lost dozens of ships, hundreds of aircraft, and tens of thousands of service members. Taiwan saw its economy devastated. Further, the high losses damaged the U.S. global position for many years. China also lost heavily, and failure to occupy Taiwan might destabilize Chinese Communist Party rule. Victory is therefore not enough. The United States needs to strengthen deterrence immediately.

The proposal to “strengthen U.S. deterrence”, which is academic jargon for building up U.S. military capability in the Pacific, is a non-starter. The U.S. already is bogged down in Ukraine, has depleted critical weapon supplies and lacks the industrial capability to rapidly replace weapons and build tanks, combat aircraft and ships required, in theory at least, to deter China.

China is likely to become more firm in defining its territorial waters and air space and will make normal commerce with Taiwan more difficult for the United States, but it sees war as a last resort. China has a number of other cards to play. The most important of these is the January 13, 2024 election in Taiwan where the party that wants a closer relationship with the mainland appears to have a chance to win the Presidency. If the Kuomintang prevails then the door is open for a peaceful reconciliation between the mainland and Taiwan. This will be a punch to the gut for the United States and will upend Western plans to foment a rift in the Communist Party.

You can be sure that Western and Chinese intelligence agencies will be actively interfering in this election to secure their respective interests. Hypocrisy alert — don’t be surprised that many of the American politicians who decried alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election will be enthusiastic supporters of the U.S. Government and its subsidiary agencies meddling aggressively in the Taiwan election. We can do it to you but don’t do it to us.

If you’re holding your breath in hopes of a peaceful resolution to this conflict you will pass out from lack of oxygen. I fear that the American political dynamics are so toxic and twisted that we are setting ourselves up for an inevitable war with China. I also worry that the Chinese leaders have reached this same conclusion and will ramp up their efforts to work more closely with Russia in building a new world order that will weaken American influence and will bolster its naval, air and hypersonic missile capabilities.

The “chart”

American English Spoken on Ukraine Battlefield; While US Gov’t Claims “Not a Party to the conflict.”

World Hal Turner 20 June 2023

Americans are fighting against Russia on the battlefield of Ukraine as proved by the brief videos below. Why are Americans fighting in a place where our government claims “We are not party to the conflict?”

Video #1:

Video #2:

The US Government and NATO are almost constantly telling the world “we are not party to the conflict.”

Yet New Jersey Congressman Tom Kean, Jr. sponsored a Resolution in Congress just the other day, calling for LONG RANGE MISSILES to be given to Ukraine:

Even other members of Congress are pointing out how insane the US Gov’t is acting:

How long will it be before Russia decides that the USA and NATO **** are, in fact *** parties to the conflict, and starts bombing us?

Six US Citizens Indicted in Venezuela on Conspiracy Charges and Related Crimes (+Operation Gideon)

main qimg f687e59d84b5e23ea048c9aec7ba48d0

US mercenary Airan Berry after being captured by Venezuelan authorities in 2020, following the failure of the coup plot known as Operation Gideon. Photo: Screenshot of VTV video/File photo.

According to a report by news outlet Últimas Noticias

, “seven men and one woman of US nationality are being criminally prosecuted in Venezuela,” according to records from the Ministry for the Penitentiary Service published this Tuesday, June 20.

It is worth noting that six of the eight Americans detained are being prosecuted for conspiracy and related offenses. Two of the prosecuted have already sentenced to 24 years in prison each: Airan Berry and Luke Alexander Denman. According to the investigation of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, both were captured on May 3, 2020, in Chuao (Aragua state), when they came to execute US-backed Operation Gideon, aimed at the overthrow of President Nicolás Maduro.

It should be further noted that Berry and Denman are former US soldiers and were hired by mercenary contractor Silvercorp USA—owned by former Green Beret Jordan Goudreau—to carry out mercenary operations in Venezuelan territory, under a contract signed by Juan Guaidó, who had presented himself to the world as the so-called “interim president” of Venezuela.

Últimas Noticias reports that both US nationals “admitted their participation in the mercenary plot, and consequently the Fourth Anti-Terrorist Court sentenced them on May 3, 2021, for conspiracy, criminal association, illicit trafficking of weapons of war, and terrorism.”

The other defendants charged with conspiracy and criminal association are Jerrel Lloyd Kenemore and Eylin Alexis Hernández, captured in San Antonio del Táchira for entering Venezuela illegally in November 2022.

Jason George Saab, captured in Zulia, is being “prosecuted for conspiracy, resistance to authority, and criminal association,” while Joseph Ryan Cristella, also captured in Táchira in October 2022, is being prosecuted for conspiracy against the Venezuelan state.

New World Order w/ Ambassador Chas Freeman, Alexander Mercouris and Glenn Diesen

And Then Biden Blew It …

The talks Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had in China were somewhat useful. On his way out he at least used the right words on Taiwan:

'We do not support Taiwan independence,' America's top diplomat said in Beijing after meeting with Chinese president Xi Jingping.

The U.S. had practically begged for the meeting and that it took place is itself a small success:

To stabilise their relations, China and the United States must first arrest a downward spiral. That may turn out to be the achievement of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s talks with Chinese leaders in Beijing. It was unrealistic to expect any more just now. The negative fundamentals of the relationship remain the same. Both sides described Blinken’s talks with Foreign Minister Qin Gang and top diplomat Wang Yi as “candid” – meaning very frank. But they paved the way for a meeting between Blinken and President Xi Jinping, which did no harm to hopes for a Xi- Joe Biden summit.

Along with Qin’s acceptance of an invitation to Washington, that suggests the two sides found some common ground – particularly the need for more stable ties and to reduce the risk of military conflict.

Then, within just 24 hours, President Biden blew it:

US President Joe Biden has called Chinese President Xi Jinping a dictator at a fundraising event in California.

His remarks came a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Mr Xi for talks in Beijing, which were aimed at easing tensions between the two superpowers.

Mr Biden also said Mr Xi was embarrassed after an alleged Chinese spy balloon was shot down by the US. 
..
"The reason why Xi Jinping got very upset, in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two box cars full of spy equipment in it, was he didn't know it was there," Mr Biden said at the event on Tuesday.

"That's a great embarrassment for dictators. When they didn't know what happened," he added.

The Chinese government was not amused:

China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning called Mr Biden's remarks "extremely absurd and irresponsible". Speaking at a regularly scheduled press conference on Wednesday, she said that the comments were "an open political provocation" that violated diplomatic etiquette.

The whole Biden remarks with regards to China from the White House website:

And so, things are changing. We put together in Southeast Asia — and, by the way, I promise you we’re going to — don’t worry about China. I mean, worry about China, but don’t worry about China. (Laughter.)

No, but I really mean it. China is real — has real economic difficulties. And the reason why Xi Jinping got very upset in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two boxcars full of spy equipment in it is he didn’t know it was there. No, I’m serious. That’s what’s a great embarrassment for dictators, when they didn’t know what happened. That wasn’t supposed to be going where it was. It was blown off course up through Alaska and then down through the United States. And he didn’t know about it. When it got shot down, he was very embarrassed. He denied it was even there.

But the fo- — did — the very important point is he’s in a situation now where he wants to have a relationship again. Tony Blinken just went over there — our Secretary of State; did a good job. And it’s going to take time.

But what he was really upset about was that I insisted that we — we reunite the Qu- — so-called Quad. He called me and told me not to do that because it was putting him in a bind. I said, “All we’re doing — we’re not trying to surround you, we’re just trying to make sure the international rules with air and sea lanes remain open. And we’re not going to yield to that — on that.”

There are several issues in there that need some clarifying.

China has no real economic difficulties, just minor issues:

The Chinese economy this year is expected to grow faster than previously forecast and exceed the government's target of "around 5%," according to a survey of local economists.

A survey of 28 economists in March revealed that, on average, they expect the Chinese economy to grow 5.4% in 2023, up from 4.7% they forecast in December. The survey was jointly conducted by Nikkei and Nikkei Quick News.

The hope for China this year was 6% GDP growth. China’s central bank just lowered a key interest rate by a small margin to achieve that.

Biden acknowledges that the weather balloon was ‘blow off course’ and thereby debunks previous claims that it was steerable. China had no intent to let the balloon cross Canada and the United States. And if there had really been ‘two boxcars full of spy equipment’ on the balloon why hasn’t the U.S. shown any of it?

Why would or should a president of the U.S. or China know of some weather balloon floating somewhere?

Xi was embarrassed by the circus the U.S. made over that affair?

Xi is a dictator? The man came to his post by merits (scroll down) and through a complex representational election system. He can even be dismissed.

Xi denied that the ballon was where it was to whom? And the U.S. would know about that how?

Then comes the tale over the Quad. Biden claims that Xi called him over a quad meeting which is most likely a blatant lie. There are typically read-outs of phone calls between leaders at that level but I do not find any of a Xi-Biden call during the relevant months on the White House website. Nor was there any news of one.

The Biden talk, made official by posting it on the White House site, is an insult to China. Whatever Blinken has said or done to smooth the relations is no gone. It was already known that the U.S. can not be trusted with anything that it says. What counts is what the U.S. does and there it has so far shown no positive move towards China.

I am not sure that Biden intentionally talked about the balloon incident or was selective with his words on China. But even if it was somewhat accidentally it would not change anything. What matters is the effect. He has sabotaged the results of Blinken’s talks in China and the U.S. will rightly be blamed for again worsening the relations.

As Yves Smith summarizes:

I wouldn’t bet on the minimal commitments from the meetings, like a return to pre-zero Covid levels of passenger flights, to be implemented.

The worst is that this insult does not simply demonstrate that the US is incapable of diplomacy. It shows we are so interested in dominance that we’ve lost sight of what our interests our. So institutionally, we are engaging in the same sort of self-destructive behavior that Trump practices personally. Perhaps that is the real reason Democrats hate him. Despite decorating in gold, the essence of his behavior is not all that different than theirs.

Posted by b on June 21, 2023 at 15:40 UTC | Permalink

Lao President Visits Communist Party Secretary in Chongqing, China

June 22, 2023

Mr. Thongloun Sisoulith, President of Laos, made a visit to Mr. Yuan Jiajun, Communist Party Secretary of Chongqing City (Photo: KPL)

Mr. Thongloun Sisoulith, President of Laos, visited Mr. Yuan Jiajun, Communist Party Secretary of Chongqing, on Monday.

During his visit, the Lao president praised Chongqing’s achievements in socio-economic development, particularly its success in eliminating poverty, transforming Chongqing into a major economic center, and building land-sea transportation links from western China to other countries, according to Paxason

The two leaders also discussed the future of Laos-Chongqing relations and agreed to explore cooperation in a variety of areas, including development in rural areas and the transportation of goods

between Laos and Chongqing through the Laos-China railway, which will open up the Laos market to export its goods to the central-western part of China.

The Lao president asked Mr. Yuan to urge Chinese investors and businesses to invest in Laos and for Chinese tourists to visit the country more frequently.

Mr. Yuan expressed his gratitude for the participation of the Lao delegations in a recent international conference held in Chongqing City. He was pleased to observe that the top leadership of both countries made significant efforts to enhance bilateral cooperation.

Additionally, the Lao president visited the Hongyan Revolutionary Memorial Hall, an important historical site as well as an important industrial production base in Chongqing.

Mr. Thongloun’s official trip to China also included visits to Yunnan Province

and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Was Blinken’s overall visit to China a successful one for him?

For him personally? Yes, he saved his job.

For the US-China relations? No, it’s a total failure, a verschlimmbesserung. Blinken is an inept diplomat. A cocky prick. China doesn’t give a sh!t about the “Xinjiang human rights violation” hoax he mentioned in his press conference speech after Xi had given him an attaboy. It only proved to the Chinese again that this guy doesn’t walk the talk. His visit was a disaster for the US, but not necessarily bad for the rest of the world. More countries are shifting from this United Syndicate of Arsonists. A showdown between the two may be welcomed by all the oppressed developing countries.

And his boss is a demented senile loose cannon with an overblown ego calling Xi a dictator, trying to divert attention from Hunter Biden pleading guilty to two counts of criminal charge and this diplomatic flop. What a disaster.

BREAKING! WE’RE GOING TO WAR, RUSSIA COUNTERS, MEDIA CRACKDOWN, CRIMEA NUCLEAR COUNTDOWN BEGINS

I’m not offended; I am just confused.

If the US were a human it would be doing this:

main qimg 952444052822b7f3c38e2871185e662c lq

This isn’t about whether Xi is or isn’t a “dictator”, it’s about how the US President actively, repeatedly, and cartoonishly undermines his own foreign policy. With one hand he’s sending out Blinken to repair ties with China, and with the other he’s slapping China in the face.

It’s a matter of diplomatic protocol that world leaders do not insult other world leaders. The US isn’t supposed to call Xi a “dictator” in the same way China isn’t supposed to call Biden a dementia-addled, fundamentally corrupt tool of the corporate state.

This is not a lone incident. Biden has a habit of promising to defend Taiwan only to be vetoed by his own White House the next day:

Biden “misspoke” on this same topic four times, and was “clarified” by his own White House four times.

All of these incidents give the perception that “no one is flying the plane” in Washington DC. Say what you will of Trump, but the man was definitely flying the plane, even if he was crashing it into a mountain.

main qimg cf71286dd587b8acf5395a48c8576c9c

Biden blows up China rapprochement, calls Xi Jinping a dictator

The quiet and confusion before the next steps

Never trust a single word that comes out of the (United States) lying machine. 

What America has agreed to amounts to this: the US will sanction and ban whoever, whatever and whenever they like because they're defending American values and their rule of law, but they will not do so when they need to buy Chinese rare earths and EV batteries. 

Meanwhile, China should not decouple by continuing to buy American corn and low-end chips from Micron. 

This is American fair and free trade. 

It's a Kabuki show and China is playing along. It's a game two can play. Anyone who believes in a single word these liars say are morons and deserves to be scammed, pillaged and plundered. 

-PM

Use this time to take care of yourself.

Listen to me.

Found a new way to make Double Cheese Pizza! No kneading! Incredibly easy! Best pizza in the world

China trashes US request for restoration of military communication

China suspended regular military contacts with US in August 2022 after the then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. However, the problem existed even before her visit

Umang Sharma June 21, 2023 14:46:00 IST

China has clearly denied one of US’ requests of restoring military-to-military contacts between the two countries. During his recent visit to Beijing, Secretary of State Antony Blinken repeatedly raised the issue of military communications but was rebuffed by the Chinese.

Blinken said it was “absolutely vital” US and China have these kind of communications and it was something the United States will keep working on.

Why China does not want to restart military communications?

China suspended regular military contacts with US in August 2022 after the then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. However, the problem existed even before her visit.

The US says since 2021, China has declined or has failed to respond to over a dozen requests from the Department of Defence for top-level dialogues.

Meanwhile, China said it has refused to restart military communications as sanctions have been imposed by US. Beijing was possibly referring to sanctions on its defence minister, Li Shangfu.

The sanctions on Li were part of a broad package of measures against Russia, even before its invasion of Ukraine, imposed in 2018 over his involvement in China’s purchase of combat aircraft and anti-aircraft missiles from Moscow.

Yang Tao, Chinese Foreign Ministry official overseeing North American affairs at a press briefing earlier this week said, “The US side is surely aware of why there is difficulty in military-to-military exchanges.”

“One of the reasons is unilateral sanctions against the Chinese side. They first need to remove impediments and create conditions for military-to-military cooperation,” Yang said.

Earlier this month, Li declined an invitation to speak with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of a defence forum in Singapore.

“The US says the sanctions don’t prevent Li from holding talks with US officials, but culturally, Chinese officials may expect a form of public remedy before agreeing to re-engage after sanctions,” Li Nan of the National University of Singapore said.

“You impose sanctions on the guy, and then you also want to have dialogue with the guy from the Chinese perspective, that doesn’t make any sense,” Nan said.

Why US wants to restore military contacts?

Washington wants to restore military contacts as it wants to avoid an incident similar to one in 2001 when the US Navy aircraft and a Chinese interceptor jet collided in mid-air off the Chinese island of Hainan. The incident led to the death of the Chinese pilot and the US aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing in Hainan without Chinese approval.

There is also fear among the US and other nations of a potential accident involving the militaries of United States and Chinese that could spiral out of control.

Tension between Beijing and Washington has increased over the recent months, including a suspected Chinese spy balloon over US territory.

Earlier in June, a Chinese warship unexpectedly cut in front of a US destroyer in the Taiwan Strait, forcing it to slow down to avoid impact. Few days ago, a Chinese fighter jet flew in front of a US warplane over the South China Sea in a manoeuvre the US described as unnecessarily aggressive.

“The most important thing for the US side is to avoid these accidents,” said Nan.

France to Join BRICS? This Changes EVERYTHING!

Southern Summertime Lemonade

If desired, a few strips of lemon peel may be added at the beginning for a more intense flavor.

Ingredients

2 fresh lemons (about 1/3 cup juice)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 quart water
Sprigs of mint
Ice cubes

Instructions

Squeeze lemons; add sugar, water and mint. Shake well and refrigerate for flavors to mellow (1/2 to 6 hours).
Pour over ice cubes and serve.

This will make 4 large glasses.

What is the rudest thing that anybody has ever said directly to you?

I was a middle manager in a multi billion dollar corporation. One of my direct reports told me that he thought I was “making too much” of my husband’s brain cancer. Meaning that the occasional schedule changes I had to make because of emergencies or treatment were inconveniencing said direct report. He felt like he was an authority on such things because some relative of his who had cancer (not a terminal frontal lobe brain tumor) didn’t have emergencies and managing it was “easy”.

And I didn’t lose my cool. I didn’t scream at him. I remained as professional as I could given how profoundly offended I was. But I made sure to pass him off to someone else to manage. I wasn’t ever going to be impartial again. I’m sure karma will catch up with him one day.

Some tweets

Hua Chunying 华春莹 on Twitter: "1⃣If unexpected military conflict were to arise between China and the U.S., it would not be caused by China taking provocative moves of sending military vessels and jets to LA or anywhere off the coast of California." / Twitter

https://twitter.com/SpokespersonCHN/status/1670050207604813825

Hua Chunying 华春莹 on Twitter: "Rather, it would be triggered by US warships or warplanes close to China’s territory. In dealing with a country the size of China, mutual respect is the ground rule." / Twitter

https://twitter.com/SpokespersonCHN/status/1670050210339500033

Woman Near-Death Experience After Ending Her Life Reveals Future And A Memory Sealed Into My Soul

Who are the main customers of Chinese-made vehicles?

Russia and Mexico are top buyers of Chinese automobiles

Bofei Zheng and Jiang Jiang

Jun 21, 2023

Official figures showed that China overtook Japan to become the biggest car exporter in the world in the first quarter of 2023, shortly after surpassing Germany as the second largest in 2022.

As both the largest automobile market and exporter, where were the Chinese cars exported to? How much is the potential of the Chinese market and car manufacturers?

Caijing Magazine, China’s leading economy study magazine, analyzed the latest trends in the car market and warned car manufacturers of the past mistakes made by Chinese exporters, and highlighted the significance of favorable foreign trade policies, cost-effective products, and innovative momentum in new technologies. Your Ginger River believes it is a worthwhile piece for anyone interested in the market to dive into.

Some highlights first:

In 2022, Russia imported approximately 117,000 passenger vehicles from China, a 40 percent increase compared to the previous year. China has become the main source of imported passenger vehicles in Russia.
Mexico’s position as the second-largest buyer of Chinese automobiles among the top ten countries is surprising, since Mexico itself is a major automotive producer, ranking seventh globally in terms of production volume.
In Australia or Southeast Asia, Chinese automobiles possess an advantage in terms of price over European brands. They are gradually capturing consumers who used to buy from Honda, Toyota, Mazda, and other manufacturers, offering them affordable vehicles.
In Middle East countries, customized designs tailored to the local environment and affordable quality services are key factors contributing to the popularity of Chinese automobiles.
Although China ranks first in total automobile exports globally, it cannot be simply considered an automotive export powerhouse … Chinese automobiles still face the perception of being “disorganized, weak, and small” in overseas markets, and the negative perceptions of “low quality, low price, and copying” are deeply rooted.
In summary, stable supply chains, competitive pricing, advantages in NEV research and development, and preferential foreign trade policies are reasons for the export achievement of Chinese automobiles overseas.
However, the obstacles currently impeding the competitors will inevitably be overcome in due course. The question of how Chinese automakers can boost their competitiveness beyond just offering cost-effectiveness remains to be answered with time.

Why does the US sanction China if it only makes China stronger?

US tried everything, threats, intimidation, economic and technological sanctions and embargoes, diplomatic and military encirclement, nothing worked, it has to do something, sanctions is the only thing US can do, nothing else.

At this point, even war cannot stop China.

Even if U.S. wins an air-sea battles, it cannot stop China from producing, energy, food, natural resources just keep on pouring in from Russia and Central Asia. The only way to stop China is a total land invasion, but there is no place to land troops into China, all land entries are blocked. It is suicidal to invade China in a land war.

If while I’m boarding a commercial plane I notice there’s a crack, should I say something?

Absolutely, you should!

I remember reading about a case where a passenger had seen an accumulation of ice on the wings and alerted a flight attendant, who told him that the captain was probably aware of the ice accumulation and knew how to manage it.

In fact, the captain wasn’t aware of the ice.

The plane then stalled and crashed.

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Never assume that the crew is aware.

Once, a friend of mine, who works in the aviation field, saw a streak of liquid leaking from one of the engines. He reported it to the cabin crew, but the flight attendant brushed him off saying that it was a normal situation and that it always happened, blah blah blah…

When he identified himself, her tone changed and she went to the captain.

When they landed, he saw a team of mechanics opening the engine cover, swarming like a bunch of flies on a piece of butter. He later found out that a seal had broken and that it could have led to the engine shutting down, if he hadn’t promptly reported it.

So yes, please, if you think you see something unusual, even if you risk not being listened to, report it for the sake of your own life and others!

UPDATED 5:50 PM — Europe Reveals Map BREAKING-UP RUSSIA into 41 new countries

World Hal Turner 27 April 2023

Gunther Fehlinger, Chairman of the Austria NATO non-governmental organization (NGO), publicly revealed today, the West’s “plan” for Russia: Broken-up into 41 new, autonomous countries! There wouldn’t BE a “Russia” anymore. Russia’s response was simple: If there isn’t going to be a Russia anymore, then there isn’t going to be a Europe or USA, either. World War 3 is officially on its way.

Here is Gunther Fehlinger and the West’s (suicidal) map of a world without Russia:

The revelation of this map is literal PROOF that it is the actual intention of the West to do-away with Russia. By even manufacturing such a map, the West has shown its intent. Russia now faces an ACTUAL existential threat. Their very existence is at stake.

Think about the time and effort that was necessary to research the populations and ethnicities in each of these areas, where they are, and how to draw actual lines along the geography of the demographics, to create this vision of new, autonomous, countries. The research and planning alone had to take . . . YEARS.

Now that the map is actually out, and the entire world can see that the West has literally been planning for YEARS to completely do-away with Russia, we can all now see that the situation with Ukraine was intentionally manufactured BY THE WEST to provide the impetus to set in-motion, their nefarious plans.

With the release of this map, it seems to many observers that war is now a foregone conclusion.

What many people, myself included, really want to know is, Whose idea was this?

Who decided this needed to be done? Because that person, or those persons, need to be directly confronted and engaged.

This plan is suicidal. Whoever thought of it, and whoever is promoting it, is a clear and present danger to the lives of millions.

People have a right to self defense against this monstrous and deadly plan. That self-defense may have to be applied to the people who are promoting this and to the people who thought it up.

UPDATE 5:50 PM EDT —

I have engaged in locating Gunther Fehlinger and much to my shock and dismay, he is presently HERE in the United States. Two hours ago, he was in Philadelphia where, among other stops, he entered the Masonic Temple. He then departed Philadelphia by car and, at this update, is presently on the New Jersey Turnpike, heading north, into New York City!

He is scheduled to appear at the Hudson Institute!

Biggest Fall U.S Technology Sector Crushed After China Imposed Bans

https://youtu.be/Qtlbty2-O2E

Southern Buttermilk Cornbread

Buttermilk makes every bite of classic cornbread moist and tender.

Prep: 10 min | Total: 40 min | Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups yellow, white or blue cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs or 1/2 cup fat-free egg product or 4 egg whites

Instructions

Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Grease bottom and side of 9-inch round pan or 8-inch square pan with shortening or spray with cooking spray.
In large bowl, mix all ingredients with spoon until blended. Beat vigorously 30 seconds.
Pour batter into pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve warm.

Notes

Nutrition information: 1 Serving (1 Serving) Calories 150 (Calories from Fat 50), Total Fat 6g (Saturated Fat 1g, Trans Fat 0g), Cholesterol 35mg; Sodium 370mg; Total Carbohydrate 19g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 2g), Protein 4g

What is the most spherical object in the world?

Only the material used to make this ball is worth millions of euros. It’s a sphere made of silicon crystal.

main qimg 974e600cef46f57b752cf12f859119b9

It is the most perfectly round object ever constructed. The perfect roundness is achieved because the atoms in this sphere can be precisely counted. In proportion, if the Earth were this round, Mount Everest would be four meters tall.

It is a perfect sphere made of silicon crystal and weighs one kilogram. The ultimate goal is to redefine the definition of the kilogram based on the exact number of atoms that a specific element contains. To do this, it is necessary to know exactly the atoms that make up the silicon crystal sphere Si-28, and this number will become the new definition of the kilogram.

How fast is the dollar losing its value?

This is an important article to read.

It was very detailed and documents the irreversible trend of de-dollarization and the important role that BRICS and its New Development Bank has played in building a multipolar financial order.

De-dollarisation unstoppable, BRICS cooperation fostering multi-polar currency world

As a global movement to reduce reliance on the dollar-centric financial system emerges, what can the BRICS nations offer in the establishment of a multi-polar currency system?

Article HERE

Amidst the growing flaws of the dollar-centric financial system and the concerning geopolitical weaponisation of the reserve currency, participants at this week’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF)

convened to discuss the transition from a unipolar currency-based international financial system to a new world order centred around a multipolar currency.

Moreover, the forum will explore the significant role of BRICS partnerships in shaping this emerging economic landscape.

De-dollarisation is occurring ten times faster than the decline witnessed in the previous two decades. From 2021 to 2022, the dollar’s share in global reserves dropped eight points, from 55% to 47%, compared to 73% in 2001.

What has led to this rapid de-dollarisation in recent years? Sanctions played a significant role. As Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, warned in a recent tweet

: “If you weaponise currency enough times, other countries will stop using it.”

In response to the Ukraine crisis, the US-led West imposed wide-ranging sanctions on Russia.

Some financial sanctions involved banning Russian banks from the SWIFT financial messaging system and freezing $300 billion worth of assets from Russia’s Central Bank reserves. The economic sanctions have backfired, serving as a wake-up call for many countries worldwide, particularly in the Global South.

“Every night I ask myself why all countries are forced to do their trade backed by the dollar. Why can’t we do our trade backed by our own currencies?” Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva asked these soul-searching questions during his state visit to China in April, which summed up the growing sentiment and frustration regarding the dollar hegemony in international trade.

While actively advocating for local currency settlements among BRICS countries, Brazil signed an agreement with China to conduct trade settlements in their respective currencies before Lula visited China, meaning the annual bilateral trade flow of US$150 billion would be conducted using the Chinese and Brazilian currencies, rather than using the US dollar as an intermediary.

Meanwhile, as a member of the BRICS, Brazil has also been striving to encourage other Latin American countries to join the bloc. During a visit by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to Brazil in late May, he expressed a clear desire to join BRICS, a sentiment supported by Lula, who emphasised his dream of using local currencies for settlements and reducing reliance on the US dollar.

While Brazil is leading the movement to de-dollarise Latin America, South Africa, another BRICS member, is also actively involved. Earlier this year, South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor expressed her concern and emphasised the importance of creating a fairer payment system as an alternative to the dollar. He believes that the current dollar-centric financial system tends to “privilege” wealthy countries, but developing nations like South Africa must incur additional costs when making payments in dollars. Pandor highlighted this as one of the reasons why the BRICS bloc established the jointly-run New Development Bank (NDB) in 2014.

In the face of the weaponisation of the dollar, Europe also seems to be taking steps to undermine the dollar’s supremacy. French President Emmanuel Macron recently called to reduce the European continent’s reliance on the “extra-territoriality of the US dollar”. Also, Macron has reportedly requested an invitation from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to attend the BRICS Summit scheduled for August in Pretoria.

While Ramaphosa did not make any commitments to Macron, this bold and innovative move by the French president indicates that his vision, at least regarding international financial reform, aligns with that of the BRICS countries.

So how can the New Development Bank assist in building a multi-polar currency system that is friendly to developing countries and emerging markets?

Firstly, let’s delve into the vision behind establishing the NDB. As the first new multilateral development bank created by developing countries since the end of World War II, the NDB aims to mobilise resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS countries and other emerging economies. Its ultimate goal is to contribute to building a fair, just, and diverse international economic order.

Contrary to the goals of the NDB, the World Bank and the IMF, the two pillars of the Bretton Woods system, have long been focused on establishing and maintaining an international financial system with the United States at the helm and other Western countries and Japan playing supporting roles. Their objective has not been to serve the interests of developing countries genuinely. This is where the NDB steps in to fill the void and address this shortcoming.

Current NDB members include the five founding nations of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) as well as Bangladesh, Egypt, the UAE, and Uruguay. More countries are applying to enter or are in the process of joining the bank, such as Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Zimbabwe, and Honduras.

It’s worth noting that the combined GDP of the five BRICS nations (31.5% of the global total) surpassed that of the G7 nations (30.7%) this year, making it the world’s largest economic bloc. It is expected that by 2030, as more countries join BRICS Plus, the disparity between the two groups will further widen. This will increase the economic influence of the BRICS nations, making the New Development Bank even more attractive to other developing countries.

Secondly, the NDB has demonstrated institutional innovation in its operational processes, particularly in equitable governance structure, local currency financing, and sustainable infrastructure projects.

In terms of governance structure, unlike the World Bank’s approach to shareholding, the NDB has equally split shareholding among its five founding member countries. With an equal contribution totalling $100 billion as the initial authorised capital, each member country has equal voting and decision-making rights. More importantly, no country holds veto power, ensuring equal mutual benefits and respect among the nations.

Regarding local currency financing, the NDB stands out from the IMF and the World Bank, which primarily use the U.S. dollar as the dominant currency for international transactions. This new development bank for the Global South offers loans in multiple currencies, including the US dollar, euro, Chinese yuan, and other local currencies. And the approach effectively mitigates exchange rate risks associated with loan projects, reduces the vulnerabilities stemming from excessive reliance on the US dollar, and fosters the growth of member countries’ domestic capital markets.

For instance, as of the first quarter of 2023, loans in local currencies accounted for 21.5% of the NDB’s loan portfolio. And the bank aims to increase the share of project financing conducted in the national currencies of its member countries to 30% during the strategic cycle of 2022-2026.

This objective underscores the NDB’s commitment to promoting financial stability, enhancing regional cooperation, and bolstering the economic resilience of its members.

Regarding investment projects, the NDB focuses on sustainable infrastructure initiatives, including renewable energy, digital infrastructure, smart cities, water resources, and sanitation facilities.

Infrastructure development represents a significant bottleneck for economic growth in developing countries. Existing international multilateral development banks often adopt a cautious approach towards infrastructure investment due to the high costs, complex processes, and politically sensitive nature of environmental concerns and resettlement issues. However, the NDB is determined to make a unique and significant contribution.

The NDB’s “2017-2021 General Strategy

“ shows that about two-thirds of its investments are dedicated to sustainable infrastructure projects. In its ”2022-2026 General Strategy“, 40% of the funds are allocated to projects that promote climate change mitigation and adaptation. These strategies highlight the bank’s commitment to addressing global development challenges by prioritising sustainable infrastructure investments.

Lastly, the BRICS emergency reserve fund , also known as the Contingency Reserve Arrangement (CRA), complements the role of the NDB. With a full scale of US$100 billion, China has pledged the largest share of US$41 billion, while South Africa has committed US$5 billion, and the remaining BRICS countries have each pledged US$18 billion. The function of the CRA is to provide liquidity support through currency swaps when a member state faces a long-term shortage of U.S. dollars and struggles to repay foreign debts. This mechanism allows fellow member states to offer assistance, reducing dependence on U.S. dollar reserves and ensuring stability within the bloc’s financial system.

In summary, the vision of the BRICS bloc and its New Development Bank is focused on enhancing financial autonomy for participating nations, providing assistance to emerging markets and developing countries, and diversifying and stabilising the global financial system. The Global South has been neglected for far too long. They deserve sovereign development and the opportunity to thrive.

Former US spy reveals why Poland sabotaged South Africa peace delegation

Cardboard Cat Forts: The Ultimate DIY Project for Feline Fun

Picture this: You’re sitting at home, surrounded by Amazon boxes that you’ve been too lazy to recycle. You’ve got some time on your hands, a cat on your lap, and you’re feeling a little bit creative. What do you do? You build a cardboard cat fort, of course!

h/t: sadanduseless

Congress Tells Treasury Secretary to “Prepare for China to DUMP U.S. Treasuries”

World Hal Turner 19 June 2023

In an absolutely stunning exchange on Capitol Hill, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, appearing before a Congressional Committee, was told by Congress to Prepare for China to DUMP $859 Billion in U.S. Treasury Debt Notes — “overnight.”

The exchange went like this:

Congressman: “We did a tabletop exercise, and in response to Sanctions against a Chinese scenario where there would be an invasion of Taiwan, the scenario was that China, the second largest foreign creditor of US Treasuries, would dump that $859 Billion in Treasury Securities. How are you working with our Allies internationally and also the Federal Reserve to deal with a situation where China would dump that volume of Treasury Securities OVERNIGHT?”

Secretary Yellen: “So, uh, we are not engaging in specific exercises to address such a risk, but the United States National Security Council is certainly concerned on an ongoing basis.”

Congressman: “Madam Secretary, I would encourage Treasury to make preparations and be on-the-ready for that scenario.“

Here is video of that specific segment of the Congressional hearing:

Chinese readout of Xi Jinping-Anthony Blinken’s meeting

And an interview with Professor Wu Xinbo on Blinken's visit to China

Jiang Jiang ,Yu Liaojie,,Jia Yuxuan,Xitong Yue, and 1 other

Jun 19, 2023

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited China on June 18-19, a trip that was postponed in February due to the “balloon incident”.

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Blinken at the Great Hall of the People on Monday (June 19). Blinken also spoke with Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee on Monday, and State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Sunday.

Blinken’s China visit marked the first visit to China by a U.S. Secretary of State since Joe Biden took office as the U.S. President, and the first visit by a U.S. Secretary of State to China since 2018. His visit to China has drawn significant attention from China watchers and the international community.

Today’s newsletter included two parts: firstly, the Chinese readout of the meeting between Xi Jinping and Blinken, and secondly, a translated interview of Professor Wu Xinbo, dean of the Institute of International Studies and director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University. Professor Wu shared his views on the significance of Blinken’s visit to the China-U.S. relations.

Part 1: Chinese readout of Xi-Blinken meeting in Beijing

1) The Chinese readout via Xinhua

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Great Hall of the People on Monday.

Noting that the world is developing and the times are changing, Xi said the world needs a generally stable China-U.S. relationship, and whether the two countries can find the right way to get along bears on the future and destiny of humanity.

Xi pointed out that the vast expanse of the Earth is big enough to accommodate the respective development and common prosperity of China and the United States. The Chinese, like the Americans, are dignified, confident and self-reliant people, Xi said, adding that they both have the right to pursue a better life. "The common interests of the two countries should be valued, and their respective success is an opportunity instead of a threat to each other."

Xi said the international community is generally concerned about the current state of China-U.S. relations. "It does not want to see conflict or confrontation between China and the United States or choose sides between the two countries, and it expects the two countries to coexist in peace and have friendly and cooperative relations."

The two countries should act with a sense of responsibility for history, for the people and for the world, and handle China-U.S. relations properly, Xi said, adding that in this way, they may contribute to global peace and development, and help make the world, which is changing and turbulent, more stable, certain and constructive.

Xi stressed that major-country competition does not represent the trend of the times, still less can it solve America's own problems or the challenges facing the world. China respects U.S. interests and does not seek to challenge or displace the United States, and in the same vein, the United States needs to respect China and must not hurt China's legitimate rights and interests, said Xi. "Neither side should try to shape the other side by its own will, still less deprive the other side of its legitimate right to development."

Xi said China always hopes to see a sound and steady China-U.S. relationship and believes that the two major countries can overcome various difficulties and find the right way to get along based on mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, calling on the U.S. side to adopt a rational and pragmatic attitude and work with China in the same direction.

Xi pointed out that the two sides need to remain committed to the common understandings he and President Biden reached in Bali, and translate the positive statements into actions so as to stabilize and improve China-U.S. relations.

For his part, Blinken conveyed President Biden's greetings to President Xi. He said President Biden believes that the United States and China have an obligation to responsibly manage their relations, adding that this is in the interests of the United States, China and the world.

The United States is committed to returning to the agenda set by the two presidents in Bali, Blinken said, adding that the United States stands by the commitments made by President Biden, namely that the United States does not seek a new Cold War, it does not seek to change China's system, its alliances are not directed at China, it does not support "Taiwan independence," and it does not seek conflict with China.

The U.S. side looks forward to having high-level engagement with the Chinese side, keeping open lines of communication, responsibly managing differences, and pursuing dialogue, exchanges and cooperation, he added.

Xi asked Blinken to convey his regards to President Biden.

Wang Yi and Qin Gang, among others, were present at the meeting.

2) The U.S. readout on the conversation between Secretary Antony J. Blinken And People’s Republic of China President Xi Jinping Before Their Meeting

PRESIDENT XI: (Via interpreter) Mr. Secretary, welcome to China. Director Wang Yi and State Councilor Qin Gang have met or held talks with you at length, and generally speaking the two sides have had candid (inaudible) discussions. The Chinese side has made our decision clear, and the two sides have agreed to follow through the common understandings President Biden and I had reached in Bali. The two sides have also made progress and reached agreement on some specific issues. This is very good.

It’s safe to say that interactions should always be based on mutual respect and sincerity. I hope that through this visit, Mr. Secretary, you will make more positive contributions to stabilizing China-U.S. relations.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Mr. President, thank you for receiving us today. President Biden asked me to travel to Beijing because he believes that the United States and China have an obligation and responsibility to manage our relationship. The United States is committed to doing that. It’s in the interest of the United States, in the interests of China, and in the interest of the world.

Over the past few days I have had candid and constructive conversations with State Councilor Qin Gang and Director Wang Yi. We covered a broad range of both bilateral and global issues. I appreciate this opportunity to discuss the way forward with you. Thank you.

UPDATE: The U.S. State Department’s readout is now available:

Secretary Blinken’s Visit to the People’s Republic of China (PRC)

Part 2: Professor Wu Xinbo’s view on Blinken’s China visit

In a recent interview with The Paper, Wu Xinbo, dean of the Institute of International Studies and director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University, said that Blinken’s visit was a consensus reached during the meeting between the two heads of state in November last year. It is a vital link to promote high-level exchanges between the two countries, and at the same time, this visit also intends to confirm with China the “road map” and “timetable” for the following high-level exchanges between the two sides.

According to Wu Xinbo, China and the U.S. may gradually resume their dialogues in the economic, trade, and climate fields for some time to come. Part of the “three cancellations and five suspensions“, countermeasures announced by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in response to the then U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to China’s Taiwan region, are expected to be removed.

In addition, there may be some progress in cultural exchanges between China and the U.S. Apart from the issues above, Wu believes that, more importantly, Blinken and other US officials are closely monitoring whether Chinese leaders will attend the APEC summit in November in San Francisco.

Here are some excerpts from the interview, with certain omissions in Wu Xinbo’s responses regarding the potential topics that Blinken’s visit to China may address, since the specifics of Blinken’s three meetings with Chinese leaders have already been officially released.

How to define the nature of Blinken’s China visit?

The Paper: How should we define the nature of Blinken’s visit and the political signals it sends? Can it be seen as an “ice-breaker” in bilateral relations?

Wu: In fact, Blinken’s visit to China now aligns with the consensus reached during the meeting between the Chinese and U.S. presidents in Bali last November to advance high-level exchanges between the two countries. Previously, the visit had been postponed due to the “balloon incident” and Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen’s so-called “transit” trip through the United States.

However, this visit cannot be exactly considered as an “ice-breaker” since there have been prior contacts between China and the United States at the high-level. From May 10 to 11, Wang Yi met with Jake Sullivan, U.S. National Security Advisor, in Vienna. [Editor’s note: It counts as the highest-level contact between the two countries since the “balloon incident”]

From May 25 to 26, China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao met with US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai respectively in Washington.

Therefore, Blinken’s visit can be seen as a willingness from both China and the United States to end the recent deadlock and continue advancing high-level interactions. The aim is to address prominent issues within the bilateral relationship and promote coordination and cooperation on certain matters. As for the outcome of this visit, it would require further bilateral interactions to make a definitive assessment.

What communication channels between the two countries are likely to be restored?

The Paper: As far as you know, what communication channels between the two countries are likely to be restored in the days to come? In what fields can the two countries be expected to reach consensus?

Wu: First and foremost is the communication between the commercial and trade sector of the two countries. For instance, many are discussing the expected visits of U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. U.S. climate envoy John Kerry is also expected to visit China. These are some of the fields where bilateral dialogues and exchanges may likely resume. We may even have U.S. secretary of transportation in China to discuss the issue regarding the airlines connecting the two countries. Two of the major issues that obstruct the flow of people between China and the U.S. are overpriced airline tickets and too few airlines.

In the meantime, we are looking at the possible resumption of certain mechanisms which were suspended or canceled as part of China’s countermeasures in response to Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi’s visited to the Taiwan region last year, including the talks on climate change and cooperation against transnational crimes:

BEIJING, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) — In disregard of China’s strong opposition and serious representations, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited China’s Taiwan region. Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday announced the following countermeasures in response:

1. 1. Canceling China-U.S. Theater Commanders Talk.
  2. Canceling China-U.S. Defense Policy Coordination Talks (DPCT).
  3. Canceling China-U.S. Military Maritime Consultative Agreement (MMCA) meetings.
  4. Suspending China-U.S. cooperation on the repatriation of illegal immigrants.
  5. Suspending China-U.S. cooperation on legal assistance in criminal matters.
  6. Suspending China-U.S. cooperation against transnational crimes.
  7. Suspending China-U.S. counternarcotics cooperation.
  8. Suspending China-U.S. talks on climate change

As for the two militaries, it is expected that one or two work-level exchange mechanisms will be revived. However, due to the current atmosphere of bilateral relations, resumption of work-level exchange mechanisms is perhaps the most we can achieve so far. Exchanges between high-level military officials, such as defense ministers or the chief of staff of China’s Central Military Commission Joint Staff Department and the U.S. chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, are still hard to realize.

The Paper: Problems with visa issuance between the two countries are also public concern. You mentioned that Blinken would talk about people-to-people exchanges with China. If that is the case, will the visa issuance policy be improved?

Wu: The two sides have actually been in touch with each other on this issue. As much as I know, senior officials of the US government discussed with Chinese envoy to the U.S. about this issue at the beginning of this week. A few days ago, China’s vice minister of education Chen Jie also talked about people-to-people exchanges between the two countries during a visit to the U.S.

People-to-people exchanges are a highlight of Blinken’s visit, which is expected to bring about some concrete results, even though the problems cannot be solved once for all. But it is for sure that progress will be made in this regard, as well as continuous progress in the future.

[Check a latest GRR podcast episode with Stephen D. Mull, Vice Provost for Global Affairs at the University of Virginia, on the importance of U.S.-China people-to-people exchanges]

The APEC summit in San Francisco in November

The Paper: Do you think Blinken’s remarks are meant to heat things up for future visits of U.S. Cabinet members?

Wu: I wouldn’t say that. When the Biden administration interacts with a foreign country, it would, in principle, go through diplomatic procedures before other departments step in, so as to achieve better coordination in terms of policy. Compliance with decision-making procedures is the most marked feature of the Biden administration compared to the Trump administration.

Whatever topics of interest may follow must fall under the charge of more specific agencies. Blinken’s visit is more of a confirmation of the “road map” and “timetable” for the next high-level exchanges between the two countries.

The Paper: Can you give us a sketch of the “road map” and “timetable”?

Wu: Judging from what I learned during my recent visit to Washington DC, the U.S. side believes that China-U.S. Interactions are currently on a very tight schedule, because many of the visits that should have taken place before June were not made possible until recently, owing to the postponement of Blinken’s visit to China in February. That means we have to move faster, and the U.S. side is also eager to make these visits as soon as possible.

In fact, the biggest concern for the U.S. is still the APEC summit in San Francisco in November. When I was in Washington DC, the chairman of the U.S.-China Business Council told me that they were somewhat at a loss, not knowing who was going to represent China at APEC. There weren’t many hotel rooms left and they had to make bookings now. So it seems that the U.S. side is also doubtful of the situation.

The Paper: Some believe that as the 2024 U.S. presidential election unfolds, the “time window” for improving the China-U.S. Relations is now nearing its end. As you said, the U.S. thinks they are on a tight schedule. Do you think the “time window” is disappearing?

Wu: Yes. With the U.S. focused on the APEC summit, there is little time left between now and November. Yet it would take much longer than that to make preparations if Chinese leaders were to attend the summit.

At the same time, the U.S. presidential election next year will cast a negative impact on the overall attitude towards China. It will then be politically difficult to improve China-U.S. relations and strengthen interactions.

The terms on which China and the U.S. interact is not up to U.S.’s whims

The Paper: Looking back on the past four months, how will these events influence the current and future China-U.S. relations? What are the lessons and implications to be learned by the two countries?

Wu: First, the China-U.S. relations are, for the most part, brittle and unstable. If any incident occurs at this delicate moment, it must be handled tactfully and calmly, with caution against excessive influence of domestic politics.

Second, the United States must handle the Taiwan question, which involves China’s core interests, with caution. China has a clear position and a firm resolve on the Taiwan question, and has increasing capabilities to guard its interests.

Third, the terms of China-U.S. interactions must be agreed on by both sides and not decided unilaterally by the United States. The United States is not allowed to come whenever they want and then wave away the decision. Blinken postponed his visit to China in February and said he wanted to resume the visit in April. But in fact, it is really not his decision.

More about Wu Xinbo:

Wu Xinbo is Professor and Dean, Institute of International Studies, and Director at the Center for American Studies, Fudan University. He teaches and researches China’s foreign and security policy, Sino-U.S. relations, and U.S. Asia-Pacific policy. Wu also serves on the policy advisory board of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and on the editorial board of many renowned English language journals.

Currently, he is a member of the Advisory Council of Asia Society Policy Institute, as well as a member of The Trilateral Commission. Wu actively engaged in academic research and government decision-making consultations, undertook research projects entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was invited to participate in expert meetings, and led a team of experts and scholars to conduct research abroad.

Last year in November, Wu Xinbo, as a member of a diverse group of former Chinese officials and scholars, visited New York in the largest semi-official diplomatic initiative in Sino-US relations in three years. After the visit, GRR posted an article introducing the interview of Wu who shared his observations from the delegation’s visit to the United States, as well as some in-depth insights into the 2022 midterm elections in the US, bipartisanship and social and political ecosystems in the US, and the meeting between Chinese and U.S. defense chiefs.

From June 5 to 11, Wu Xinbo visited the United States for exchanges and co-hosted “the 13th China-U.S. Young Diplomats Dialogue”, an event supported by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Chinese Embassy in the United States, and the U.S. Department of State. During his stay in Washington, Wu Xinbo exchanged views on the current China-U.S. relationship with officials from the U.S. Department of State and experts from think tanks. He also paid a visit to Xie Feng, China’s new ambassador to the United States.

“One of my observations from this visit to the United States is that the U.S. side currently holds some expectations for the restart of China-U.S. relations. Although these expectations are not high, let alone optimistic, there is still a sense of effort to promote the rebooting of bilateral relations. This also aligns with the interests of the U.S. side,” said Wu Xinbo.

This is why the Chinese are ahead

How significant is Antony Blinken’s visit to China, considering it is the first by a US Secretary of State since 2018?

Senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi (2nd R) meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (2nd L) in Beijing, China, June 19, 2023.

It is hard to predict the significance of Antony Blinken’s Beijing trip and to which extent can it thaw the frosty China-US ties.

Antony Blinken arrived at the Beijing Capital International Airport on the morning of June 18. He was greeted by Yang Tao, Director General of the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, and U.S. Ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns. There was no red carpet, flowers and applause.

This is the first trip to China by a US Secretary of State in almost five years. The visit comes at the lowest point of China-US ties, at a critical point where a choice needs to be made between dialogue or confrontation, cooperation or conflict.

A planned Blinken visit in February was called off after a suspected Chinese spy balloon flew in US airspace. The “twists and turns” of this visit itself highlights the highly complicated and difficult situation of bilateral relations.

Low expectations

Neither China nor US has high expectations on the trip, but information released by both sides after the talks on the first day has brought some positive expectation.

Daniel Kritenbrink, the State Department,s top diplomat for East Asia said a day ahead of the visit:

“We’re not going to Beijing with the intent of having some sort of breakthrough or transformation in the way that we deal with one another. We’re coming to Beijing with a realistic, confident approach and a sincere desire to manage our competition in the most responsible way possible. We do hope at a minimum that we will achieve that goal.”

US words and actions of the US are inconsistent

The US side asks for communication on the one side, yet on the other, suppresses and contains China by every possible means. In recent months, while pushing to resume high-level diplomatic talks, the US has slapped sanctions on Chinese companies, pushed allies to restrict semiconductor tech exports to China, rallied other advanced economies to counter Beijing’s “economic coercion” and signed a new trade deal with Taiwan.

The mixed signals sent by the US side are very confusing. This makes the Chinese side have no particularly high hopes for Blinken’s visit. It resulted in the attitude change of Chinese toward Blinken’s trip.

But this does not mean that China refuses to engage and improve China-US relations. On the contrary, the Chinese are more strategically determined and patient about the stabilization and improvement of China-US relations.

We hope that Blinken’s visit can be a good start for more communication, and we also hope that he can bring back the accurate information obtained in China to American society. The information is, in short, mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, cooperation and win-win. These short words deserve Washington’s careful consideration.

Rosemary Rolls

Ingredients

1/4 cup salted butter
2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (or 2 teaspoons dried rosemary)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Melt 1/2 teaspoon butter in each cup of a 12-count muffin tin.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, milk, mayonnaise, sour cream, rosemary and pepper; stir to mix well.
Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling half full.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

The Trammps – Disco Inferno (Original Long Version – Tony Mendes Video Re Edit)

China donates 20,000 tons of fertilizer to PH

By: Jean Mangaluz – Reporter / @JMangaluzINQ

INQUIRER.net / 11:38 AM June 16, 2023

MANILA, Philippines — The People’s Republic of China on Friday donated a total of 20,000 metric tons of urea fertilizer to the Philippines, which President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. himself received from Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian.

During a ceremonial turnover event, Marcos thanked China for the urea fertilizer, which is a common type of fertilizer rich with nitrogen.

“On behalf of the Filipino people, let me extend our deepest gratitude and appreciation to the Chinese Government and its people for this donation—a solid gesture of friendship and goodwill that is in keeping with our long and storied history of trade and cultural exchange,” said the President during the ceremony in a National Food Authority (NFA) warehouse in Valenzuela City.

“This donation that came from China is a product of our request from our friends from all over the world,” said Marcos.

According to the President, who also sits as the chief of the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Philippines had difficulty procuring affordable fertilizer.

“This donation that came from China was a product of our request from all our friends around the world during the crisis when fertilizer — well, what we are still feeling now when fertilizer prices went up and the availability was also because of the supply chain problems that we are experiencing with our usual suppliers and China did not think twice and immediately came up,” said Marcos.

China turns over 20,000 tons of fertilizer to the Philippines, contained in a warehouse in Valenzuela City. (Photo from Jean Mangaluz)

The Chinese Ambassador said that “the arrival of the fertilizers speaks for China’s actions and sincerity, and demonstrates China’s friendship to the people of the Philippines”.

Xilian added that fertilizers are crucial to production and feeding the population, and that he hoped that the fertilizers will help Filipino farmers.

The 20,000 ton donation was delivered on June 7 and stored in the Valenzuela warehouse until the ceremony. It was then received by DA Regional Field Offices from Regions 1, 2, 3, 5 and Calabarzon.

The ceremony was also attended by Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian. Officials from the DA, NFA, Department of Budget and Management, and other agencies also attended the event.

Urea fertilizer Fertilizer prices previously hiked following the Russia-Ukraine war, with the Philippines struggling to secure fertilizer deals with other countries.

The Phantom Time Hypothesis | 300 Years ARE MISSING from the Calendar

First Tangible Sign that NATO “Exercise” May Go to LIVE WAR with Russia in 4 Days

World Hal Turner 19 June 2023

The first tangible sign that the ongoing NATO “exercise” dubbed “Air Defender 2023” will go “live” to direct war with Russia, has come out: British mass-media outlet SKY NEWS is running a piece calling for Western Air Power to directly enter the Ukraine war and bomb Russians.

On Sky News, an Op-Ed piece lays it out. The piece is titled:

Western intervention is the only credible way to protect Ukraine’s counteroffensive from Russian air power

It lays out all the pertinent facts as to why Ukraine stands NO CHANCE AT ALL of defeating Russia, and concludes “Kyiv needs modern air power, not a squadron or so of second-hand F-16 platforms that are neither supportable nor credible, against modern, stealthy Russian fighters.”

Written by Sky News “Military Analyst” Sean Bell, the piece introduces to readers the notion that the West entering the Ukraine Conflict with air power is “needed.”

(HT REMARK: Folks, Western Media Outlets do not — E V E R — print things like this unless they have been told to do so by government. As you might guess, government plants stories like this to begin to mold and manipulate public opinion, because not only does government WANT to do something, it INTENDS to do it. They want to prime the public to have this in their minds.)

What I see going on here is a coming media blitz, to manipulate the general public into preparing for, or expecting, Western air power intervention into the conflict. That a UK Media Outlet is the first step in this process is no surprise; the UK has been at the forefront of every step of the escalation in Ukraine.

Conspicuously absent from the Sky News piece are the exact, precise CONSEQUENCES of such a move: World War 3, that will go nuclear.

Today is June 19. NATO’s ongoing air exercise “Air Defender 2023” is scheduled to be completed THIS FRIDAY, June 23.

I have been warning for weeks that I think NATO and the collective West will either find an excuse — or make one — to convert that air “exercise” into a LIVE war with Russia.

My logic was simple; governments of NATO did not move three-hundred-thousand troops, and with “Air Defender 23” 225 war planes and air crews consisting of ten-thousand men, over to Europe, just two small countries away from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as an “exercise.”

When governments move that many troops, tanks, artillery guns, armored personnel carriers, planes, and air crews, THEY INTEND TO USE THEM.

I even reported to you last week, that NATO created a temporary refueling station in Wunstorf, Germany, loaded with 2.4 MILLION Liters of aviation fuel! For an “exercise?????” Uhhhhhh, no.

Now we see a major piece in a major British media outlet, Sky News, taking the first step to putting in the public mind, the idea of NATO Air Power entering the Ukraine-Russia conflict. That Op-Ed piece can be read at its source, HERE.

Make no mistake, Russia has long anticipated something like this and they explicitly told us “If Article 5 Collective Self Defense is activated against Russia, and NATO conventional troops enter the conflict, Russia will have no choice but to use its nuclear weapons.”

They’ve told us this over, and over, and over again.

Seems like no one in the West is listening. Either that, or the West is deluding itself that something so horrifying as actual nuclear war, “could never happen.” I think it CAN happen and I also think Russia WOULD do what they say, because if they fail to do so, then Russia would no longer exist.

Folks, I hate to repeat this, but the simple truth is, we could be only four short DAYS away from nuclear war.

You need to have Emergency food, water, medicines (the ones you need to live), a generator to make electric power if the grid goes down, and fuel for that generator. You also need COMMUNICATIONS gear such a CB or HAM radio.

Make a plan for your family: What will YOU do if nuclear bombs are launched against the US. Where will you and your family meet? Where will you all go (if anywhere)? What route will you take to get there? What if that route is blocked; what alternates can you take?

Right now, NATO has at least 225 aircraft taking part in the largest air drill in its history, in Germany; just two small countries away from the Russia-Ukraine conflict. NATO has also positioned three-hundred-thousand (300,000) troops near Russia’s border. You don’t move those numbers of troops and planes, then not use them.

NATO has supported Ukraine, but is losing, badly. Ukraine’s __only__ hope is if NATO becomes directly involved in the conflict, and if that happens, Russia has already made clear, it will use nuclear weapons to defend itself. Those weapons will not merely be used in Ukraine, they will be sent to NATO countries . . . . including the USA.

Some people erroneously believe Russia would never hit the US because of mutually assured destruction, but that notion is no longer true.

Russia has hypersonic missiles, the USA does not.

Russia’s hypersonic missiles can avoid our missile defenses.

Submarine-Launched Russian nuclear missiles can reach our nuclear silos BEFORE a Presidential Order to launch can get OUR missiles out of the silos! Our missiles get blown up inside their silos without ever being fired.

Russia has bomb shelters for its population; we DO NOT.

Russia has stocked those shelters with food, water, medicines, generators, fuel, and machine tools; WE HAVE NOT.

Russia has installed hospital operating rooms in all their shelters, with surgical gear and medicines; WE HAVE NOT.

Put simply, if the missiles fly, Russia survives, WE DO NOT.

If a nuclear bomb detonates on US soil, there will be chaos, havoc, and fear. People will panic throughout the entire country. Millions will rush out to supermarkets trying to get food and water. Shelves will be stripped bare in minutes.

The detonation of a nuclear bomb __could__ take out vast electronic networks, making credit and debit cards useless. You must have CASH MONEY in your possession to assure you have a way to buy things.

June 23 is when NATO “Air Defender” exercise ends and many, many people believe NATO will either find an excuse to enter the war, or make-up an excuse with some “false flag” event to justify it’s entry into the war.

Once NATO enters, or declares “Article 5 collective self defense against Russia” that’s it. That’s the end. The missiles will fly within minutes.

DO NOT be one of the families who find themselves with no food, no water, no medicine, no generator, no fuel. Because no one will share __theirs__ with you. Sharing with you means taking food out of THEIR family’s mouths to feed YOUR family. Few if any people are going to do that.

Prepare this week. Do not wait.

Just think about what you’ve already seen in years past when people panic before a hurricane hits: Food stores stripped bare:

10b60c7465bcab6a092ea6b00ab5b2ddfe68e7faaf6af86146f4b59fc2a22367 4082187

At gas stations, people panicking and fighting with each other trying to get gas:

If they panic like THIS for a Hurricane, what do you think they’ll do when nuclear bombs are coming? It will be freak-out city. Mad Max scenario!

Better to have extra food and not need it, than to need it and not have it. If things do NOT go bad, you can always eat the food, and put the cash back in the bank. But if things DO go bad, the shear panic that arises will make it all but impossible for you to get supplies.

Plan, don’t panic.

Get some extra rice, beans, canned soups, canned meat like chicken, canned tuna, boxes of pasta, jars of sauce. Have a way to HEAT FOOD / COOK, if the grid goes down; a propane barbecue grill or something similar. Get a gas can and fill it (but do NOT store gasoline in your house, store it outside.)

Your lives may depend on you planning and taking some small steps NOW, in case the SHTF. You have only 4 days left – maybe.

Yvonne Elliman – If I Can’t Have You

China leads world in 19 of 23 critical tech; US way behind in hypersonics, electronic warfare, undersea capabilities

In other key technologies such as autonomous systems operation technology, advanced robotics, adversarial AI-reverse engineering and protective cyber the collective strength of the AUKUS countries shifts this picture, and they take the global lead

FP Staff June 07, 2023 16:31:24 IST

In bad news for US-led West, China is leading in “high-impact research” in 19 out of 23 technologies, with “commanding lead” in hypersonics, electronic warfare and undersea capabilities.

This was revealed in the Critical Technology Tracker report of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI).

“China is leading in high-impact research in 19 of these 23 technologies and has a commanding lead in hypersonics, electronic warfare and in key undersea capabilities. But in other key technologies such as autonomous systems operation technology, advanced robotics, adversarial AI-reverse engineering and protective cyber the collective strength of the AUKUS countries shifts this picture, and they take the global lead,” the report said.

In a dangerous trend, the report cited an unassailable gap between China and other countries in some key technological areas.

“But across a number of technology areas China’s lead is so great that no aggregation of countries exceeds its share – highlighting the importance of the accelerating effect of greater collaboration between like-minded partners.”

“For some technologies at least 9 of the world’s top 10 research institutions are based in China (for autonomous underwater vehicles it’s 10/10) and they are collectively generating 8 times more high-impact research than the second-ranked country (in all cases the US).”

“In these 23 technologies, ASPI’s talent tracker dataset shows 14.2 per cent of high-impact authors working in China completed postgraduate training in an AUKUS country (US = 8.5 per cent UK = 3.8 per cent, Australia = 1.9 per cent), while 4.3 per cent trained in the EU, 1.9 per cent Canada, 1.6 per cent Singapore and 1.1 Japan. That knowledge import is highest in defence categories like hypersonic detection (AUKUS 19.5%) and electronic warfare (AUKUS 17.6 per cent),” ASPI added.

What is ‘Critical Technology Tracker’

According to ASPI, its ‘Critical Technology Tracker’ “provides – beyond datasets showing research performance – are unique insights into strategy, intent and potential future capabilities.

It also provides valuable insights into the spread and concentrations of global expertise across a range of critical areas. Sometimes countries are leading because they are well ahead across the entire technology (research, commercialisation, manufacturing, supply: for example China’s stunning lead in electric batteries).

In other cases, a country is leading in high impact research output because they (and their institutions: universities, national labs and companies) are seeking to catch-up through significant investment, typically incentivised by government funding and policy directives.”

Super Sweet Tea

Ingredients

1 gallon spring or distilled water
1 healthy pinch baking soda
4 – 6 family size tea bags (I like Great Value Decaf)
2 – 2 1/4 cups sugar

Instructions

In a 2-quart saucepan add 1 healthy pinch (about 1/8 teaspoon) of baking soda and fill pot to about 3/4 full and boil.
Remove from heat and add tea bags. Let bags set for about an hour, dipping 4-5 times every 15 minutes or so.
While waiting for tea to steep, in a 1-gallon pitcher, add the sugar and add roughly 1 quart of water to dissolve the sugar.
When finished steeping, add tea to sugar water mixture and add remaining water; stir and chill.

A Taste Of Honey Boogie Oogie Oogie

Why is the Tejas aka Indian-Hindu fighter jet a failed project in the export market?

Simple

main qimg 6420799912fa65fd5d0c1ad3a110aa4e lq

The Tejas and it’s delivery can be stopped in exactly fifteen minutes

The Tejas runs on as many as seven different export licenses for it’s engines and radar

Literally every piece of core technology than runs the Tejas is licensed from other nations

This means to sell a single aircraft,we need seven export certificates every single time

So that’s a major minus

Second is that the Tejas is untested in every possible way

Even the IAF doesn’t fly the Tejas as its largest flyer

So why would anyone buy the Tejas?

First build a reputation with your own Air Force,then build an Indigenous supply chain

Then sell the Tejas and find buyers

Otherwise nobody will buy it and it will only be political platitudes with zero actual orders

No-Knead Thin Crust Pizza

What would happen if China sinks an American warship in the South China Sea?

Anyone remember this guy?

main qimg 8a0585be98d8d31a36c37ff8b25478bc lq

That’s Francis Gary Powers. In 1960, his U-2 spy plane was shot down over Soviet skies during a CIA black op.

This didn’t trigger a thermonuclear war, not even close.

Now how about these people:

main qimg 7d74da52e8d841bc076e64250d4bc5cf lq

That’s the crew of the EP-3 spy plane captured by the PLA. Again, no war.

And what about this incident:

main qimg 25540ce8a02ffffbca7bad9e3a4aad85 lq

That’s the South Korean warship Cheonan after a North Korean torpedo hit it. Major incident for sure, but war was never a real possbility.

Point here is that war between major powers, or even minor powers is serious business. Singular incidents rarely spark wars unless one side already really want it or there’s some colossal mismanagement of diplomacy.

The last time an attack on an American warship sparked a war was with the Maddox in Vietnam. And that incident didn’t actually happen. It was used as an excuse to send troops to South Vietnam.

Blinken gets his just rewards

3 years ago this man (unfortunately) died:

main qimg 992a01da8851c980432943243d4e9872 lq

That guy’s name was Joseph Samuel Girardi. And he was nothing special.

Yet he was voted the best seller of all time by the Guinness World Record Book.

His job?

Salesman in a car dealership.

His talent?

It was IMPOSSIBLE for his clients to resist him.

No matter what company he worked for: he was consistently the BEST car salesman, EVERY time.

His colleagues began to wonder:

Was he cheating?
Was he manipulating his customers?
Was he threatening them to buy?

No one knew.

Until the day when…

A psychology researcher – Robert Cialdini – decided to study how Joseph sold.

After several weeks of research, Robert Cialdini made an astonishing discovery:

This good old Joseph.. was JUST a nice guy.

Yes, yes.

That was his secret.

He was literally… nice.

People bought from him because they liked Joseph.

But Cialdini deepened his research. And he found 3 details that made Joseph sympathetic:

1/ He often complimented

This is one of the most UNDERESTIMATED techniques of influence.

And yet it works better than anything else:

Joseph often gave sincere and laudatory compliments (not trivialities like: “You are beautiful”)

He found what interested his client, and he complimented him on it.

2/ He was looking for similarities

Joseph talked easily.

“Oh you like canoeing? I did it last summer with my son Eliott!”

“Your son’s name is Eliott? Like my dad, it’s fun!”

It’s the kind of (very) mundane discussions that bring people together – like it or not.

3/ He gave attention

One of Joseph’s craziest feats:

It is to have sent to + 13,000 customers greeting cards for the holidays. With the inscription inside: “You are a friend.”

Nothing more.

Sympathy is perhaps the ultimate form of manipulation. The one no one sees.

Yet it is more powerful and influential than anything else.

Because no one notices.

Kozyrev Mirrors and massive geopolitical change

Personally, I remain guarded and reserved about any changes in United States Geo-political policy. Simply because, the most effective propaganda is that which YOU WANT TO BELIEVE.

Ah, Isn’t that exactly what is going on now?

…

What I see are two vectors.

[1] a deconstruction of the entangling of the Ukraine fiasco.

[2] Monied interests demanding that the Chinese situation stabilize.

…

Both of the vectors are being driven by monied interests funding the radical neocons. I do not see that baseline problems being resolved. Instead, I see trivial “walk backs” from the brink of catastrophic global war.

…

I am very interested in the Kozyrev Mirrors. Please make sure that you check them out later on (down further) in this article.

Summary;

Do not pull out your Champagne yet. It is but tiny steps walking away from a catastrophic situation, but the fundamental underlying drivers are still in place and are not changing. As long as Tom Cotton and Victoria Newland are still holding the reins of power, there can be no peace.

Potato and Onion Fry-Up

potato and onion recipe 10 500x500 — potato and onion recipe 10 500×500

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
4 to 6 large potatoes, peeled, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1 large onion, halved, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 eggs, beaten

Instructions

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat.
Add potatoes and onions; cook, turning with spatula, 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium; cover, cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
Add salt and pepper.
Cook, uncovered, turning mixture with a spatula, until onions are golden, potatoes have begun to break apart and are slightly crunchy, 9 minutes.
Stir in eggs; cook until firm, about 1 minute.

Yield: 6 servings

CONFIRMED: TACTICAL NUCLEAR BOMBS TRANSFERRED TO BELARUS

World Hal Turner 16 June 2023

For the first time, actual, live, Tactical Nuclear Bombs have been transferred from Russia into Belarus, just north of Ukraine. This was publicly confirmed by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his speech to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum today.

resident Vladimir Putin delivered a keynote address at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, highlighting positive macroeconomic trends in the Russian economy and expressing doubt about the sustainability of Ukraine’s military operations suggesting that Kyiv heavily relies on external sources for equipment and fighting capabilities.

During his speech, Putin also revealed that Russia has successfully transported its initial batch of tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus. This move comes as part of a previously announced plan, which has raised concerns and increased tensions with the United States and its allies in relation to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Putin said, “The first nuclear charges were delivered to the territory of Belarus. But only the first. This is the first part. But by the end of the summer, by the end of the year, we will complete this work.”

Ukraine war

“Soon Ukraine will stop using its own equipment altogether. Nothing remains of it. Everything with which they fight and everything that they use is brought in from the outside. You can’t fight for long like that,” he said, as per a translation of his speech by Reuters news agency.

Regarding Ukraine’s counteroffensive, President Putin commented that Ukrainian forces did not achieve their objectives in any of the sectors they targeted. He expressed doubt about the prospects for success and opined that the Ukrainian armed forces face significant challenges in the conflict.

“They did not achieve their goals in any of the sectors … I think that the Ukrainian armed forces have no chance here…,” said Putin.

When discussing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Jewish heritage, President Putin said, “I have many Jewish friends. They say Zelensky is not a Jew, he is a disgrace to the Jewish people.”

U.S. Admits Defeat In War On Russia And China

Confronted with the realities of life the Biden administration has in the last days acknowledged defeat in two on its most egregious and delusional foreign policy games.

The Ukrainian counter-offensive has failed. Its army is getting slaughtered on the battlefield. The ‘counteroffensive’ of the ‘NATO trained’ Ukrainian brigades has made no real progress on any front. The high level of losses of men and material make it impossible that it will ever again regain the initiative.

The U.S. aim was to integrate the Ukraine into NATO. It would then have been able to station U.S. troops in Ukraine and to put its weapons into reach of Moscow so that any independent Russian move could be countered with a threat of imminent annihilation.

After more than 20 years of pursuing that aim the U.S. threw the towel:

President Biden on Saturday said he won’t make it easier for Ukraine to join NATO, adding that the country at war with Russia has to meet the requirements to be a member.“They got to meet the same standards. So, I’m not going to make it easier,” Biden told reporters. “I think they’ve done everything relating to demonstrating the ability to coordinate militarily, but there’s a whole issue of is their system secure? Is it noncorrupt? Does it meet all the standards … every other nation in NATO does.”

And yes, that is a change. A big one:

Biden has reportedly previously expressed that he is open to removing the Member Action Plan hurdle for Ukraine to join NATO, which requires countries that want to join the alliance make reforms militarily and democratically.

Still, it is not enough:

Biden has not said anything new. Biden senses that the US lost the proxy war but he must not and cannot admit it. So, in the absence of a time machine, which could have taken him all the way back to 1999 when the NATO’s expansion began unfolding, Biden simply walked back to the default position of the 2008 NATO Summit at Bucharest welcoming Ukraine into the alliance via the MAP route — as if that moment fifteen years ago is now the past and cannot be pulled back to the present. Russia is not going to accept it.

Though packaged in nice words the European Union gave Ukraine a similar negative outlook (machine translation):

An EU report on Ukraine’s membership bid states that Kiev has so far met two of the seven conditions required to start formal EU accession negotiations.
…
“There is progress. The report will be moderately positive. This is not about embellishing reality, but about recognizing progress, for example, there are well-known anti-corruption cases. In particular, in the case of the head of the Supreme Court Knyazev,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
…
“In terms of reforms, the glass would be half full, we would never take a negative tone towards Ukraine at the moment. Judicial reforms have made some progress, although there are still key ones that need to be carried out. Not everything is satisfactory.”

The much hyped counter-offensive has indeed become a death trap for the U.S. EU and NATO.

The other U.S. defeat was acknowledged by U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken at the end of his trip to Bejing:

The United States will not support Taiwan breaking away from China, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has said, amid a series of confusing statements by Joe Biden on the issue.’We do not support Taiwan independence,’ America’s top diplomat said in Beijing after meeting with Chinese president Xi Jingping.

This was more than a verbal change in Blinken’s pronouncements:

The US State Department has updated its fact sheet on Taiwan again to reinstate a line about not supporting formal independence for the Chinese-claimed, democratically governed island.
…
“We oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-Strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means,” according to the document, referring to the strait separating the island from the Asian mainland.Last month, the State Department changed its website on Taiwan, removing wording both on not supporting Taiwan independence and on acknowledging Beijing’s position that Taiwan is part of China, which angered Beijing.

Blinken’s change of heart came after an extremely short meeting with President Xi which had followed a series of lectures by other high ranking Chinese officials:

Wang gave a comprehensive explanation of the historical logic and inevitable trend of China’s development and rejuvenation, and elaborated on the distinctive features of Chinese modernization and the rich substance of China’s whole-process people’s democracy.

He urged the U.S. side not to project onto China the assumption that a strong country is bound to seek hegemony and not to misjudge China with the beaten path of traditional Western powers. “This is key to whether the United States can truly return to an objective and rational policy toward China.”

Wang demanded that the United States stop playing up the so-called “China threat”, lift illegal unilateral sanctions against China, stop suppressing China’s scientific and technological advances, and do not wantonly interfere in China’s internal affairs.

He stressed that safeguarding national unity has always been the core of China’s core interests. It is where the future of the Chinese nation lies and the abiding historical mission of the CPC.

On the Taiwan question, China has no room for compromise or concession, Wang said.

The Chinese language readout of the Blinken-Wang meetings is reportedly even more scornful than its English translation.

The next step for China is to stop the provocative ‘innocent passage’ drive-bys by U.S. military ships and airplanes in the Taiwan Straits. To do that it simply has to apply the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea:

Article 38
Right of transit passage1. In straits referred to in article 37, all ships and aircraft enjoy the right of transit passage, which shall not be impeded; except that, if the strait is formed by an island of a State bordering the strait and its mainland, transit passage shall not apply if there exists seaward of the island a route through the high seas or through an exclusive economic zone of similar convenience with respect to navigational and hydrographical characteristics.

A view on a map shows that this evidently applies to the strait between mainland China and the Chinese island named Taiwan.

biggerIf the U.S. really has a One China policy it will have to accept that the Strait is off limits.

This double whammy of defeat in its wars on Russia and China will take some time to stick.

In the Ukraine conflict there are still dreams of creating some kind of stalemate, of implementing some kind of a Korean cease-fire demarcation line on the 38th parallel:

U.S. officials are planning for the growing possibility that the Russia-Ukraine war will turn into a frozen conflict that lasts many years — perhaps decades — and joins the ranks of similar lengthy face-offs in the Korean peninsula, South Asia and beyond.The options discussed within the Biden administration for a long-term “freeze” include where to set potential lines that Ukraine and Russia would agree not to cross, but which would not have to be official borders. The discussions — while provisional — have taken place across various U.S. agencies and in the White House.

Russia wont have any of that. It will thoroughly defeat the Ukrainian army. It will retake the parts of Ukraine which for centuries had been Russian before the communists assigned those administratively to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.

The rest of a then neutral Ukraine, cut off from the sea and the mineral riches of the east, will be handed over to the underling that Russia is willing to accept.

The double defeat in its wars against the ‘rest of the world’ marks the end of the Wolfowitz doctrine:

The doctrine announces the U.S.’s status as the world’s only remaining superpower following the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War and proclaims its main objective to be retaining that status.

Our first objective is to prevent the re-emergence of a new rival, either on the territory of the former Soviet Union or elsewhere, that poses a threat on the order of that posed formerly by the Soviet Union. This is a dominant consideration underlying the new regional defense strategy and requires that we endeavor to prevent any hostile power from dominating a region whose resources would, under consolidated control, be sufficient to generate global power.

The end of ‘unilateral moment’ is there for anyone to see.

The Republicans will of course loudly blame Biden for this even though they are just as guilty of overreach as the other side of the isle. Biden may well have to sacrifice Blinken as the pawn guilty of losing the game.

Anyway, neither will help him to get reelected.

It is, by the way, not just a coincident that Israel, on the same day of the U.S. admission of defeat, got whacked by fighters of the Palestinian resistance. This another of those U.S. sponsored global problems that China is eager to solve.

Posted by b on June 20, 2023 at 9:42 UTC | Permalink

Breaking News: Denmark Officially APPROVES Providing 4th Generation F-16 Fighter Jets to Ukraine

World Hal Turner 18 June 2023

Denmark’s Acting Defense Minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, has said that Denmark will send F-16 fighters to Ukraine if the U.S. approves. (It’s on!)

There are 43 F-16 Fighting Falcon jets in service with the Royal Danish Air Force, 30 of which are an active part of the fleet. But they are now being replaced by the more modern American fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighters.

Ukrainian pilots will soon come to Denmark, where they will be trained to fly and maintain F-16 aircraft. The training will take place at the Skrydstrup base in Jutland.

Hilarious Vintage X-Rated Movie Posters From Your Dad’s Era

In a day and age where sex is literally at our fingertips, where we can see x-rated pictures and films in the privacy of our own bedrooms (or even bathrooms), it’s hard to imagine that at one point in time people had to venture out into public in order to see porn.

They had to be seen entering an “adult” theatre, purchase a ticket and sit in a room full of jerk offs in order to see a porn flick. And the x-rated film industry had to create enticing posters to lure viewers in to said theatre, to make them want to risk someone they knew from work or school or church seeing them walk into one of these houses of ill repute.

While porn flicks today have names like “Butt Job 7” or “Only Teen Anal 18,” the adult film industry had to be more creative in their presentation of x-rated films half a century ago. Here’s a collection of pretty hilarious vintage adult movie posters that may have gotten your dad or grandpa excited enough to go to the movies by himself.

h/t: cvltnation

Bending Time: The Successful Time Travel Experiments using Kozyrev Mirrors

Kozyrev Mirrors… Very, very interesting.

You can access the book for FREE online. HERE.

Brown Sugared Turkey Bacon

maple and brown sugar bacon 3050910 hero 01 bbb394fe5c174185aeb633e0380dd9b9

Ingredients

1 (12 ounce) package turkey bacon
Vegetable cooking spray
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper

Instructions

Arrange bacon in a single layer in an aluminum foil-lined broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar and pepper.
Bake at 425 degrees F for 14 to 18 minutes or until done.
Serve immediately.

If 98% of Chinese citizens are satisfied with their government, why would anyone want to change that?

Democracy – is a very very dangerous concept

It is like a Ball of Polonium. It has to be handled very carefully. If you handle it carefully and utilize it perfectly – it gives you the finest result but the slightest mistake and it can be disastrous.

Reason – People are NOT equal

This is the Golden Rule!!!!

In any Successful Country – you must always have Ruler and Ruled

The Biggest mistake with Countries which had Ruler and Ruled was the conclusion that Rulers are BORN. Its why most Monarchies ultimately could not go forward. Rulers eventually became incompetent like Louis XVI or Nicholas II or John Lackland or Wilhelm II etc.

China rightly says Rulers are Chosen based on Sheer MERIT and ABILITY

You can count on your finger tips the number of Democracies Post World War II which are successful today. Most Democracies are Disasters.

Why?

People are not equal

A Toilet Cleaner or a Rag Picker cannot have the same decision making ability as a Professor or a Businessman or a Clerk or an Army Officer

They are all different

So how can they all be given the same rights and choice of their leader?

The Poor will obviously sell to the highest bidder or will be most likely to be brainwashed

The Middle Class will be most likely to vote based on taxation or morals (Abortion or Toughness on Crime)

The Upper Class will be most likely to vote based on who provides the maximum financial advantages

Why is Democracy so dangerous?

Atal Bihari Vajpayee is the best example

He was a Good Leader and could have taken India easily to a much better position than it is today had he remained PM until 2009

He had a terrific team of Ministers and Excellent Advisors

HE LOST

He Lost because the Rabble voted him out because he did not appease them enough

In China – the RABBLE are put in their place. They do what they are told to do or else….

This may look a bit like slavery but it creates superb efficiency where everyone does what he is best suited to do.

And if someone from the rabble is talented enough – he can rise to the top and easily become a EXCOM Member and a Top Minister

The fact is in China – the Best of the Best Govern and Decide on the Policies and if those policies fail – they are replaced by other meritorious candidates.

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And…

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This Concept works well in China, Singapore, S Korea, Taiwan – because eventually – since the Governing Class do their best for a Strong and Prosperous Country – The Country always prospers and the People always prosper.

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Now introduce Western Concept of Democracy into these countries – create Multi Parties and you will split the unity and create new concepts like division by categories like language or race, appeasement etc

So it is NOT TRUE that 98% of the Chinese are satisfied with their Government

The Fact is – The Governing Class do their best for a Stronger and Prosperous China and if the People are not satisfied – They can go to hell!!!

I am 100% Confident that had we abolished Elections in 1975 and given Mrs Gandhi full control of India – We would have been far, far ahead than we are because

(a) No Appeasement would have been necessary for Votes

(b) No Slew of Welfare measures that bankrupted our Nation

(d) Meritocracy would have been the news of the Day

So to conclude – Democracy is the best form of Government but only when the People are WORTHY enough and in 80% countries today , less than 10%-30% of the population are actually worthy enough

So the Greatest Hope for India…

…is to have a Man or Woman who can become a Deng or a Lee Kuan Yew. And thus take us forward as an Autocracy where the Rabble can be put in their place.

This would be to maximize efficiency and Democracy and Elections become a Distant Dream for at least half a century (Not Modi …. Certainly Not Modi or any of the present BJP or Congress or AAP leaders)

Does Kozyrev Mirror Mechanize Ascension?

VIDEO: Mexico Military Massing Near U.S. Border

World Hal Turner 18 June 2023

Video has come in to the Hal Turner Radio Show which shows a very significant number of Mexican military troops and armed vehicles massing just south of the US Border in the California area, LAST NIGHT.

No word from anyone as to why.

No word from sources in US Gov if this is related to Drug Cartels or some other domestic Mexican law enforcement action . . . or if this a military operation instead of law enforcement.

Here is the video that was sent in:

Clearly this came from Social Media and the caption in Spanish translates to “Waiting for the war cry”

But . . . . war with whom?

Given the vast movement of US military equipment, personnel and aircraft yesterday, one wonders what’s really in preparation.

As is well known, the US has severely depleted our Strategic Petroleum Reserve to less than HALF its capacity. We have also depleted our artillery and missile inventories, giving all away for free to Ukraine.

Over 100,000 US military troops are now out of the country on NATO’s eastern flank staring at Russia.

Hundreds of tanks and armored personnel carriers are also gone, out of our country, given away to Ukraine or assigned to NATO over in Europe.

What is someone who knows all this, has decided that maybe NOW might be a good time to try to invade . . . . us?

Time Mirrors: Experiments at the North Pole

UPDATED 10:33 AM EDT — US – China Talks, Fail

World Hal Turner 19 June 2023

“US-China relations are at their lowest point, ever” according to Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang.

He noted that such a situation is not in the interests of the United States or the interests of China.

It remains an open question who will have to yield in this fight.

Outcome

In China, talks were held between Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and the head of the Chinese diplomatic mission of the PRC, Qin Gang.

Warning signs that this would be a nasty meeting began from the outset as Secretary Blinken arrived in China. When his plane landed, there was no red carpet, no flags, no big delegation. In fact, there were no high-ranking Chinese officials to greet him, just staff flunkies.

The aggravated contradictions between the two powers have long asked for dialogue, and now it has taken place.

The list of controversies is long. From the Ukrainian conflict to the American intervention in Taiwan and the state of human rights in China.

The American side did not reach an agreement on any of the points of the meeting. Beijing refused even the most insignificant requests. For example, Washington was denied a curb on the production and export of fentanyl precursors.

As a result of the negotiations, neither side was willing to give up their positions. Nothing was accomplished.

UPDATE 10:33 AM EDT —

This just in . . . Blinken’s trip to Beijing was such an abject FAILURE, China even refused to set up crisis military-to-military communications with the U.S..

This was a significant goal of his visit because China’s military has **NOT** taken any phone calls, video conferences, or even answered the Hotline with the US military, for MONTHS!

President of Russia Publicly Announces Conditions where Russia WILL BOMB NATO Bases

World Hal Turner 17 June 2023

Russian President Vladimir Putin put the West on notice yesterday during his speech at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

President Putin made clear he knows the West is planning on supplying fighter jets to Ukraine, and that the US insists the F-16’s be nuclear capable.

He pointed out that those jets, especially U.S. F-16’s, require very large and complicated maintenance, which cannot now be done in Ukraine without fear of being hit with Russian missiles. Thus it would be necessary for the planes to use bases that are presently safe.

Therefore, he said, if those fighter jets takeoff from NATO bases outside Ukraine, and enter Ukraine for battle, Russia will not be able to know if those planes are armed with Tactical nuclear bombs and will have to assume THEY ARE.

Under such circumstances, Russia will have no choice but to hit those NATO Bases, and may have to do so with Tactical nuclear weapons.

Below, video from the SPIEF where Putin talks about this. The video has English sub-titles but is only a small portion of what Putin said. You get the jist of it:

Southern Biscuits and Gravy

216391 easy sausage gravy and biscuits TTV78 3x2 1 c21e8cfb2c524a7b882bd9c5300dadd3 — 216391 easy sausage gravy and biscuits TTV78 3×2 1 c21e8cfb2c524a7b882bd9c5300dadd3

Ingredients

1/2 pound bulk pork breakfast sausage
2 tablespoons chopped yellow onions
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups hot milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 batch Southern Biscuits

Instructions

Heat frying pan and fry the sausage and onion until the sausage is brown and the onion clear.
Drain off all grease except for 2 tablespoons.
Stir in the flour and cook for just a minute.
Add the hot milk. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens and then season with salt and pepper.
Serve over warm opened biscuits.

Weird stories, adventures, and some fun stuff as well as the Betz Mystery Sphere

The Betz Mystery Sphere certainly can up-turn your life. Please check out the video later on in this article.

Hum.

Lots of mysteries today.

Now you know…

St Petersburg Forum this weekend, Russian President Putin showed for first time a document agreed upon by Ukrainian side at spring 2022 peace talks. 

It appears that Russia withdrew forces from around Kiev, before Ukraine changed its mind…

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Putin: “…here’s the document. 18 pages & addition to it. It exists. They signed it. It guaranteed Ukraine’s neutrality & as per agreement we pulled out our military from the Kiev region. But as always Kiev threw away this document into the junk-yard of history.”

He said:

📌The treaty with Kiev included provisions for neutrality & security guarantees, but they threw everything out.

📌 Kiev initialed agreement with Moscow in Istanbul, but after the withdrawal of Russian troops from near Kiev, Ukraine threw it into the dustbin of history.

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Istanbul document on Ukraine was initialed, everything was there, right down to the number of armed forces, to military equipment, personnel, they threw everything away, Putin added….

“The maximum number of personnel and military equipment”. Treaty on PERMANENT Neutrality and Security Guarantees for Ukraine.

Of course, US and UK were having none of it.

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NATO got the war it wanted. Europe’s economy decimated, ‘Defense’ industry record profits.

Harsh

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What are some common mistakes people make when designing cities?

Modern cities, particularly in the United States in Canada, aren’t built for people. They’re built for cars.

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This is Kansas City, Missouri (thanks to Twitter user Jonathan Berk). Arrowhead Stadium (right) holds over 76,000 people. Kaufmann Stadium, on the left, holds almost 38,000. But note, as Mr. Berk did, that the Truman Sports Complex is mostly a parking lot.

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This, by contrast, is Wembley Stadium in suburban London. Yes, it does have some parking, but it’s surrounded by other uses.

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Similarly, this is Scarborough Town Centre in a Toronto suburb, developed in the late 1970s as a shopping and municipal center, and now the home of a major transit stop. Note how little land is actually covered by buildings.

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And here is Toronto Eaton Centre in downtown Toronto (middle third photo) a shopping and office complex that was developed at about the same time. It does have parking, but it’s in a parking garage hidden in the structure. Again, very little in the way of roadway around it.

But if you look at a typical car dependent stadium or shopping mall, in addition to noticing how much parking there is, you notice how empty it is most of the time. You also need an extensive road network around those big parking lots. As it turns out that empty space is quite expensive, adding to your land needs for the structure as well as money to maintain it, and for the municipality it actually generates a lot less revenue

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Meanwhile, in places built before cars, like Montmartre here, you would be hard pressed to believe that its in a city with nine million people and you’re probably within a ten minute walk of a metro station.

The Chinese perpetually short on space, understand this. They were once derided for building new metro stations literally in the middle of nowhere. However, a few years later, those metro stations are surrounded by high density housing and commercial uses.

Before

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After

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Meanwhile, back in North America

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This is the layout for Pickering GO Station on Toronto’s commuter rail network. No housing to be seen anywhere nearby although there is a large shopping mall across the freeway from the rail station. The good news is the world’s longest pedestrian bridge crosses the twelve lane freeway. The bad news is that the bridge is mostly to allow people who park in the transit lot on the othger side of the freeway to reach the train station. Throughout North America, train stations are surrounded by parking, not residential or commercial uses.

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This is the transit system for Milton, Ontario – about 40 minutes west of Toronto and one of the fastest growing municipalities in Canada. The bus system has one primary purpose – getting you to the GO station to downtown Toronto. Other uses, like getting around town, are secondary. For that, you should really have a car.

It’s not all terrible. Hamilton, Ontario, a large city just south of Ontario across the lake, actually has a transit system to get you around Hamilton. Its easier to get around in a car, but it’s possible to get around on foot or by transit.

And, frankly, people often like living where they don’t have to drive. The highest in demand residences in the City of Toronto are on car-free Toronto Island, which is only accessible by ferry. The process to even get on the waiting list is nearly impossible.

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In addition to demanding massive amounts of space, cars are what make cities noisy.

There are lots of options. Walkable neighbourhoods. Intensification and commercialization of existing neighbourhoods. Better transit. However, what’s more likely to happen is road widening and parking garages, neither of which solve traffic problems and both of which maintain car use.

Why IS AFRICA Choosing CHINA over THE USA?

Aren’t Americans embarassed to show the world that their President Election candidates have to be either Biden or Trump? Don’t they have better persons than these 2 old hats that are a shame to the country..

Anyone who believed that Americans get to choose their own leader is totally and absolutely mistaken. A year before the presidential elections they carry out primaries. What are primaries?

They are essentially selection dressed u to look like election to get the candidate from essentially 2 parties. Who get to select? Not the voters. The delegates. Who are the delegates. They are essentially? They are a select group of party elders who are very rich and powerful. No different from a cartel closely knitted elders who is essentially ensure a safe candidate.

Let me defined “safe” The candidates must tow their superiority complex behaviour to ensure the rich ages richer and the poor blacks, coloured and white are hardly their concern. They must protect their own kind and safeguard their own narrow agenda. Generally they are conservatives and xenophobic who sees the world as in the 1950s that U.S. rules the world. Many Neo conservatives are there.

This group essentially choose 2 candidates such as Trump and Biden to carry out their agenda. People like Bernie Sanders do not stand a chance. They don’t want to risk it. They don’t want to change the status quo. So the U.S. can change the government but it cannot change policy. It must allow gun ownership no matter how may school children dies.

It cannot stop wars it is the biggest war monger. Because many people are in the military industrial complex is amongst the most powerful block of delegates. So the U.S. will fight till it totally bankrupt itself. I won’t allow free college education because the delegates. Can afford their children college education easily. They don’t want a more successful coloured group of people to challenge the whites.

All these means voting is simply a charade. Nothing more nothing less. That is why less than 2/3 of eligible voters votes. The 1/3 knows it is all set up. The 2/3 are either the ignorant or the uneducated and the delegates group. You can also say roughly 0.8% decides for America. They can never lose. Heads they win and tails you lose.

JOHN TITOR: Time traveler, soldier, savior

Fun, but there’s much more to the story than what is presented here.

What would happen if the US stopped importing electronics from China?

It must be understood that there are realities involved in this question that one must understand. Nothing is ever so simple as one would believe if reading the “news”.

The realities are…

What is loudly announced and discussed in the “news’ media are often deceptive, misdirection, exaggeration, or outright lies.
When political-based laws are passed, manufacturing and industry, often use work-around clauses and exceptions to keep in business.
In regards to China, it is portrayed as incompetent, bad, evil, and unable to do anything right. While the United States is portrayed as an innocent, doing great and wonderful things.

With those realities well understood, we can expect the following to happen.

The functional implementation of any importation-interruption to be delayed by years.
China is expecting a time when these polices will manifest in full force and are running counter programs. They will be able to compensate and mitigate any negative influence.
It is not enough to ban a product. One must change the structural infrastructure of those that use that product. Something that no American legislation is doing.

Thus, the end result is very clear and well-understood in industry…

The vast bulk of products will continue to use Chinese electronics. The market share will increase over time.
Chinese cutting edge electronics is going mainstream, and the USA simply cannot compete.
Thus, China will eventually be the sole source of most all electronics in the world.
Leaving the United States military to develop it’s own electronic systems independent and out-of-step with the rest of the world.

The Secret Room Inside Mount Rushmore and Other Little Known Facts

Southern Biscuits

Ingredients

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons Crisco
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon Crisco (for frying pan)

Instructions

Mix dry ingredients together.
Blend in the Crisco until the mixture is coarse and grainy.
Stir in the buttermilk with a fork. Do not over-mix.
Put out onto a floured board and knead just a few times. Pat out the dough to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut with a biscuit cutter or glass. Flour the cutter. Do not handle the dough too much or it will get tough.
Using a heavy cast iron frying pan, place 1 tablespoon of Crisco in the pan and put the frying pan in the oven for about 7 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and place the biscuits in the pan. Turn each once in the oil and bake the biscuits at 500 degrees F for 10 minutes, or until light brown.

Have you ever seen an employer fire someone without realizing what a crucial role the employee played?

Employees in critical roles being terminated happens quite regularly.

Scenario 1.

In the early 2000’s, Boise Office Solutions (formerly Boise Cascade Office Products) wanted to break into the consumer side of the office supply business. OfficeMax came along and said they were available. What great timing! So they do the filings and all the lawyer stuff but the Boise leadership discovers that OfficeMax uses SAP while Boise had an assortment of products including JD Edwards software.

So there’s a big purge within IT since they don’t need double our numbers. Quarter end approaches and someone realizes that they’d let go a key person for the JD Edwards stuff. Oops. I heard they had to hire that guy back as a contractor for some appropriately outrageous amount so we could get past quarter closing. Nice, huh?

Scenario 2.

After coming back to Sears as a contractor, our business unit had gotten a new VP (4th in 2 years!). This assclown makes the claim that he could replace me with three offshore people for the rate they were paying me. Some weeks later, this person from some offshore consulting service shows up in the guise of “helping” me. All that was really happening was that she would try to learn my job to turn around and train some offshore team. It’s completely obvious what was going on but as a professional, I do my best to streamline the reporting process. My last day comes and goes.

Less than a month later, I found out that all three of my offshore replacements had quit due to the stress of just one part of my job! Seriously? The thing I did every morning between 7:30 and 8:00 was so stressful that they couldn’t handle it. All three of them! Never mind the truly crazy requests that come in during the rest of the day.

A Time Travel Story | The Dodleston Messages from the past and future

So much fun! Enjoy!

Keeping in view the massive military modernization of the Chinese military, will they be a global military superpower around 2027?

Today China along with US and Russia are the only three nations on earth that cannot be invaded and that are invincible as far as defensiveness is concerned.

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Yet the Chinese can offensively push and force across a radius of upto 200–300 Kms at the most from their outermost boundary

US can do this anywhere in the world at any point on the map and that’s what makes them a Global Military Superpower

So while i believe the offensive ability of the US will weaken due to stronger defensive ability of other nations over time , China’s offensive ability won’t strengthen because THEY DONT WANT IT TO

China only want to be able to be stronger than all those who lie within the 200–300 Km radius from their outermost boundary

They already are starting to

Today,

China can defeat Taiwan, Japan, India, S Korea, Phillipines individually in battle

By 2027,

China can win any Naval battle on the Sea of Japan and the South China Sea against the US , Japan, India and Aus (Quad) and it’s total force combined

By 2035 , China hopes to depend no longer on any foreign core technology and either to evolve it’s technology on a parallel path or catch up with the West on their core technology

Thus 2035 is the year which experts say could make China the rising superpower especially with an assured oil & gas supply from Russia.

Another Dimension? Time Portal? Another Planet? What’s at the Bottom of Mel’s Hole?

Wagging the Moondoggie: Part V

by Dave McGowan | Oct 1, 2009

Stars are not the only thing missing in the Moon photos. Also conspicuously absent is any indication that the lunar modules actually landed in the locations in which they were photographed. Specifically, there is no crater visible under any of the modules, despite the fact that NASA’s own artist renderings clearly showed the presence of a substantial crater. Also, not a speck of dust appears to have been displaced by the 10,000 lb reverse-thrust engine that powered the alleged descent.

NASA’s artist renderings also depict a considerable quantity of smoke and flames shooting out from the bottom of the modules, though nothing of the sort is visible in the purported video footage of the first landing of a lunar module, allegedly shot from inside the module as it set down on lunar soil. In addition, despite the ridiculously close proximity of the immensely powerful rocket engine, no noise from that engine can be heard on the video.

As can be seen in the photo above, the area directly under what is supposed to be the nozzle of the descent stage engine is completely undisturbed. Not only is there no crater, there is no sign of scorching and none of the small ‘Moon rocks’ and not a speck of ‘lunar soil’ has been displaced! And if you refer back to the earlier close-up of the module’s landing pod, you will see that not so much as a single grain of ‘lunar soil’ settled onto the lunar modules while they were setting down.

Your initial response to this may well be, “Well, duh! … why shouldn’t the surface of the Moon be undisturbed?”

Glad you asked. The answer is that the lunar modules were not placed upon the Moon by the hand of God. They had to actually land there. And in order for them to land there in one piece, they had to make use of powerful reverse-thrust rockets. If they hadn’t, they would have made landings roughly comparable to a piano falling off the balcony of a high-rise apartment building.

“But,” you say, “isn’t the gravitational pull of the Moon considerably less than that of the Earth?” Of course it is, but that does not render objects weightless. A vehicle with a curb weight of 33,000 pounds here on Earth (what the lunar modules weighed, according to NASA) still weighs close to three tons on the Moon, so it’s not going to make a very soft landing without assistance. And the assistance options were necessarily limited.

NASA could not have used parachutes, such as were used with the returning command modules, because parachutes don’t really work without air, so that would have been a dead giveaway that the landings were faked. They also couldn’t use a helicopter-type rotor, because those also don’t work in an environment devoid of atmosphere. What they allegedly used then to provide the necessary ‘brakes’ was a powerful, reverse-thrust rocket engine.

That is why, in the artist renderings of the landings (the landings obviously couldn’t be filmed, because no one was supposed to be there yet), an enormous blast of flame and hot gas is seen shooting out of the bottom of the module. This massive reverse force would have served to counteract the effects of the Moon’s gravitational pull, allowing the module to gently set down in the lunar dust, unharmed and intact. And needless to say, that is kind of important when that very same vehicle is your only ride home.

The ‘debunkers,’ by the way, like to pretend as if the hoax theorists made those artist renderings up themselves, as if to say, “Hey, look over here! I just made up this drawing of what I think the landings should look like and NASA’s landings looked nothing like my drawing!” The reality though is that NASA’s own artists provided those images, based on the way that NASA claimed the modules would perform. What the ‘debunkers’ are telling you, in other words, is that NASA didn’t really understand how their own technology was supposed to work.

Given the manner in which the modules allegedly landed, the problem here is that – unless the landing surface was paved with, say, concrete – an inordinate amount of material should have been displaced by the force of the rocket blast as the module was setting down. As Plait likes to say, you can easily verify this yourself. All you have to do is get hold of a rocket with 10,000 pounds of thrust (there probably are some surviving members of the von Braun clan that can hook you up), and head out to the nearest desert location.

Once you find a suitable spot to conduct this experiment, hold the rocket aloft (you might want to wear gloves and an asbestos suit for this part, but it’s up to you) and fire that son-of-a-bitch up, directing the blast towards the desert floor (it might also be a good idea to grab on to a stationary object with your free hand and hold on real tight). Let it rip for whatever you think would be a reasonable amount of time to complete a landing procedure, and then shut it off.

If you’ve done this correctly, the result will be a fairly large crater and a blinding dust storm. That dust will, of course, eventually settle, leaving a heavy coating of dust on you and your rocket. You may also notice that the blast has lent the desert floor a distinctive scorched look. If you run the experiment for too long, you may even find that the intense heat has fused the cratered sand into something resembling a large bowl of glass.

The point here, of course, is that nothing of the sort is evident in the pictures allegedly brought back from the Moon. The lunar surface is, as noted, completely undisturbed and the modules are as clean as if they had just rolled off the assembly line. It appears as though they did not land at all, but were rather set in place with a crane or other such device. And of course we all know that there were very few crane operators on the Moon in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s.

How then did the modules get there? Could it be that the lunar surface was so compact that even the considerable force of the rocket could not dislodge it? That might be a credible explanation were it not for the fact that the astronauts themselves, who with the Moon’s reduced gravitational pull weighed in at about 30 pounds apiece (maybe 60 pounds each with the additional alleged weight of their packs), made readily identifiable footprints from the moment their feet hit the ground. It appeared, in fact, as though the lunar soil had roughly the same consistency as baby powder. And yet, amazingly enough, not a single grain of this soil seems to have been displaced by the landing of the modules.

The ‘debunkers,’ naturally enough, have an explanation for this. According to them, it’s all about throttle control. As Plait explains, “Sure, the rocket on the lander was capable of 10,000 pounds of thrust, but they had a throttle. They fired the rocket hard to deorbit and slow enough to land on the Moon, but they didn’t need to thrust that hard as they approached the lunar surface; they throttled down to about 3000 pounds of thrust.”

Plait also notes that originally on his site he had said “that the engines also cut off early, before the moment of touchdown, to prevent dust from getting blown around and disturbing the Astronauts’ view of the surface. This was an incorrect assertion.” The funny thing is though that he voiced that “incorrect assertion” just as forcefully and as arrogantly as he voices all the other assertions on his page – which makes sense, I guess, since everything else on his page is incorrect as well.

Phil has obviously never landed a lunar module. Or given much thought to how you would go about doing so. Actually, that’s probably not true. Phil is most likely just a shameless liar. Not a particularly good one, mind you, but you have to remember that he is working with a handicap – he has to weave all of his ‘debunking’ arguments around NASA’s lies.

Let’s try to inject a little sanity into this discussion, shall we? First of all, no one with an ounce of common sense is going to cut the engine and let their three-ton spaceship simply drop onto the lunar surface. Nor are they going to cruise on in while progressively easing up on the throttle, effortlessly setting the module down, as Plait claims, like “a car pulls into a parking spot,” as if they had been landing lunar modules since the day they were born. Because the reality is that the six astronauts who allegedly landed the six lunar modules hadn’t done it before and they only had one chance to get it right.

And do you know why, Phil? Because that module was their only ride home, and if they damaged it in any way, they weren’t going home. Ever. They weren’t going to do anything except die within days in the most desolate place imaginable. And that is why it is perfectly obvious that, if they had really gone to the Moon, they would not under any circumstances have landed the modules in either of the ways that Plait has suggested.

Has anyone ever seen a helicopter land? That is essentially how you would land a lunar module as well. The basic technique is to line yourself up with your landing site while hovering a fairly short distance above the ground (with the module, I presume, you would hold your position by utilizing those clusters of horns). Then, when you’re stabilized and lined up just where you want to be, you very slowly ease off the throttle so as to very gently set it down. And if you’ve never done it before, you’re definitely going to want to take your time.

And that is why there quite obviously should be blast craters under those lunar modules. That is why NASA itself indicated that there would be blast craters under the lunar modules. And that is also why it is fundamentally impossible for the modules to be as impeccably clean and dust-free as they are in all of NASA’s photos. And no amount of spinning from the ‘debunkers’ will ever explain that away.

As previously mentioned, there was much about the Apollo project to stand in awe of. Every individual phase of the missions was, in and of itself, a breathtaking technological achievement. Just blasting men into Earth orbit is a daunting task – so much so that in the nearly half-century that has passed since the first two nations did it (the US and the USSR), only one other (China) has managed to join that elite club. And China has only done it a few times. In the entire history of space exploration, just over 500 men and women have ever orbited the Earth.

And achieving Earth orbit was just the beginning. Then there was the 234,000-mile journey through the unknown to get to the Moon – on a single tank of gas in an unshielded spaceship. Then there was the main ship giving birth to the lunar module, and that untested lunar module then flying down and making a perfect landing on the surface of the Moon. Then there was that same untested lunar module blasting off from the surface of the Moon without the assistance of any ground grew and ascending 69 miles to attain lunar orbit. Then there was the ever-reliable lunar module finding, catching and docking with another ship while in lunar orbit, utilizing yet more untested technology. Then there was the command module shedding the lunar module and then commencing that 234,000-mile journey back home.

But as remarkable as it was to get the astronauts safely to and from the Moon, their survival while on the Moon was equally remarkable. To say that the Moon is an environment incompatible with the survival of humans would be a considerable understatement – which brings us to our next topic of discussion: those amazing NASA Moonwalking suits.

Those suits were able to provide the astronauts with everything they needed to stay alive in the Moon’s harsh environment. Remember NASA’s elaborate rendering of what a Moon work station protected from space radiation would look like? Neil and Buzz didn’t need any of that fancy stuff because they were wearing the magic suits. And those extreme temperatures of +260° F to -280° F? Not a problem when you’re wearing the magic suit. Not only could they provide the cooling needed to combat the searing temperatures in the sun, but they could also provide the heat to counteract those frigid shadows.

As can be seen in NASA’s photos, the egress side of the lunar modules (the side with the ladder and hatch) was usually in the shade (though almost always well lit). What that means is that, after traipsing around in the sun for a spell, the astronauts would have had to step into the shadows to reenter the spacecraft. And when they did so, those spacesuits were apparently smart enough to react instantly and switch over from turbo-charged air conditioning to blast-furnace heating in the blink of an eye. Awesome!

In addition to providing radiation protection that today’s technology is unable to match, and a climate control system that is beyond anything available in the twenty-first century, the magic suits also provided the astronauts with breathable air, which definitely came in handy. What the suits did, in essence, was provide the astronauts with their own little portable, climate-controlled, radiation-protected atmosphere.

Of course, to actually do that (if we’re pretending that it could be done at all), the suits would have had to have been pressurized. And it is perfectly obvious from all the photos that the suits were not, in fact, pressurized, because if they were, the astronauts would have looked like the Michelin Man bouncing around on the surface of the Moon.

The magic suits had to perform one other function as well: they had to serve as head-to-toe body armor. Because the Moon, according to NASA, has a serious problem with drive-by shootings from outer space. Seriously. I’m not making that up. I read it on NASA’s own website.

In the very same NASA post that discusses Moon rocks being constantly bombarded with absurdly high levels of radiation, another curious admission can be found: “meteoroids constantly bombard the Moon.” Our old friend from NASA, David McKay, explains that “Apollo moon rocks are peppered with tiny craters from meteoroid impacts.” NASA then explains that that “could only happen to rocks from a planet with little or no atmosphere … like the Moon.”

“Meteoroids,” NASA continues, “are nearly-microscopic specks of space dust that fly through space at speeds often exceeding 50,000 mph – ten times faster than a speeding bullet. They pack a considerable punch … The tiny space bullets can plow directly into Moon rocks, forming miniature and unmistakable craters.”

According to NASA, every square inch of every exposed surface of every rock allegedly gathered from the surface of the Moon shows this pattern. By extension then, we know that every square inch of the lunar surface is peppered with meteoroid craters. There really is no safe place to hang out. There you are minding your own business lining up your golf shot, and the next thing you know a meteoroid is ripping through your spacesuit at 50,000 mph. That has to sting a little bit.

Actually, what it would do is kill you. Almost instantaneously. Not the projectile itself, which probably wouldn’t be lethal after passing through the spacesuit, but ripping or puncturing your magic suit while on the Moon is certainly something that you would want to avoid. You know that old saw about how “nature abhors a vacuum”? How that applies here is that any penetration in your suit would result in all the air being immediately sucked out. And then your blood would begin to boil. And that can be rather unpleasant.

I guess the Apollo crews really, uhmm, dodged a bullet on that one. Not one of the astronauts was hit, nor any of the lunar modules, nor any of the lunar rovers, nor any of the equipment that was used. I have to say here, by the way, that those Apollo guys were studs of the highest magnitude. Did they know what they were signing up for? What did NASA’s ads say?

“Astronauts wanted. No experience necessary. Duties will include taking a trip to the Moon. Return trip cannot be guaranteed. Applicant must be able to withstand levels of radiation higher than anything that can be generated here on Earth. Applicant must also be able to work comfortably in heat in excess of +250° F, as well as in cooler conditions approaching -300° F. A continuous supply of breathable air may or may not be provided by employer. Snacks and water will necessarily be limited to what fits in employee-provided lunchbox. Rest room facilities will not be available. The ability to dodge 50,000 MPH space bullets is not required, but would be helpful. This is a great money-making opportunity! Paychecks can be picked up upon return to Earth.”

The Apollo guys didn’t have to worry about any of that, of course, because they were wearing the magic suits. Apparently those suits were yet another example of NASA digging deep into the well of lost 1960s technology.

A huge shout-out, by the way, is in order here for the guys at NASA for posting that article about the Moon rocks being bombarded with radiation and meteorites. It makes it so much easier for me when NASA has already done so much of the work of debunking the Moon landings.

When President George W. Jetson announced on January 14, 2004 that America was going to be returning to the Moon, we were quickly advised by NASA types and various television talking heads that such a goal would require about fifteen years to achieve. No one in the media thought to ask why it would take fifteen years to do with twenty-first century technology what it took only eight years to accomplish with 1960s technology. Not one voice was raised to ask how with the twin advantages of improved technology and prior experience it would still take twice as long this time around.

It’s not, after all, as if we have to reinvent the wheel here. Not only have we done this before, but we have done it safely and reliably. How could NASA possibly improve upon the record of the Apollo missions? What could they come up with that could outperform those vintage Saturn V rockets that made it to the Moon damn near every time, and made it home safe every time? And how do you improve upon a lunar module that not only performed flawlessly every time, but that was also the very model of lightweight, compact efficiency?

When you have a system that performs flawlessly on six incredibly technologically complex missions, and that delivers your astronauts home safely even on the one occasion that the system runs amok, why in the world would you toss it in the trash and start from scratch the next time around?

According to a Fox News report published the day after Bush’s announcement, “The effort to return to the Moon will require building new spacecraft and sending out robotic craft to provide materials to be used later by human explorers, say experts.” I wonder why they would need to do that? We didn’t have to do shit like that last time. Why does NASA keep insisting on reinventing the wheel here? Why do they seem to have forgotten that we are old hands at this sort of thing?

Other people have forgotten as well. Following Bush’s attempt to wag the Moondoggie, Republican Senator Sam Brownback sternly warned, “You’ve got the Chinese saying they’re interested – we don’t want them to beat us to the moon!” This may seem like a rather bizarre concern, until you realize that not only is China working on developing a Moon rocket, they are also rumored to be close to completing work on a time machine, which will allow them to transport their Moon rocket back to the mid-1960s and thus beat America to the Moon.

On a more serious note, I’m guessing that since China has managed, in the 50+ years of the space race, to put three whole spaceships into low-Earth orbit, there won’t likely be any Chinese flags waving on the Moon anytime soon.

Anyway, doesn’t it seem just a little strange that experts would now suggest that if we get to work right away, we might be able to land men on the Moon by the year 2020? Isn’t that like saying that with a lot of hard work and a little luck, we might be able to develop a video game as technologically advanced as Pong by the year 2025? Or that by 2030, the scientific community might produce a battery-operated calculator small enough to fit into your pocket?

And do you think that, if we do ‘go back,’ the voice actors will be given a better script? Will we be given something to replace Armstrong’s cheesy “One small step” line and Aldrin’s poetic “magnificent desolation” line? Have I mentioned, by the way, that Donald Bowman, who worked at the Houston Space Center, has said that Armstrong was indeed handed a script before embarking on the alleged mission? That obviously does not prove that the Moon landings were faked, merely that Washington was very concerned with how the alleged missions were presented.

A NASA statement released in July of this year contained a rather curious assertion: “Conspiracy theories are always difficult to refute because of the impossibility of proving a negative.” It is not, of course, NASA that is being asked to prove a negative, but rather those pesky ‘conspiracy theorists.’ NASA is merely being asked to prove a positive, which should be a relatively easy task. All they have to do is produce some actual evidence, beginning with all those reels of tape containing the telemetry data, the biomedical data, all voice communications, and all the original videotape. They could also release the plans and specifications for all that fancy space hardware. And maybe offer some kind of reasonable explanation for why so many of the official photographs are demonstrably fraudulent.

Alternatively, they could just send some guys back there, to prove that it can be done. It’s been thirty-seven years and counting since the last guests on the Moon checked out. NASA allegedly filmed that final lift-off from the Moon, by the way. In case you haven’t seen the historic film footage, you can view it here. It’s a very short clip and it’s actually quite funny, so be sure to check it out.

I can’t be 100% certain of this, of course, but I have a very strong hunch that NASA picked up the footage off the cutting-room floor after Ed Wood had finished editing Plan 9 From Outer Space. Actually, I probably shouldn’t joke about the clip because I do feel kind of bad for the guy that they had to leave behind to operate the camera. I wonder how he’s doing these days?

Actually, NASA claims that the camera was mounted on the abandoned lunar rover (even in space, Americans are arrogant litterbugs), and that the pan and zoom functions were operated remotely by the ground crew back on Earth. You couldn’t control your television from across the living room in those days, but NASA could pan and zoom a camera from 234,000 miles away. Awesome! And there apparently either wasn’t any delay in the signal or NASA had the foresight to hire a remote camera operator who was able to see a few seconds into the future.

You really have to hand it to the NASA boys – those guys think of everything.

George W. Jetson’s visionary proposal envisioned the Moon as a steppingstone for manned travel to Mars. How that works though is a bit of a mystery to me. The distance between the Earth and Mars varies depending upon where the planets are in their respective orbits, but the minimum distance astronauts would have to travel to reach Mars from Earth is 36,000,000 miles. And the minimum distance astronauts would have to travel to reach Mars from the Moon is, uhmm, also 36,000,000 miles. So I guess what I’m wondering is: what exactly would be gained by making a pit stop on the Moon?

Are there gas stations there to fill up the tank? Some nice hotels maybe where the astronauts could get some R&R? A couple of hot space hookers? How would making a technologically complex landing on the Moon, followed by a lift-off that would require an excessive amount of additional fuel, help get our boys to Mars?

Let’s take a big bite out of the reality sandwich here, shall we? The human animal is quite simply not equipped for space travel beyond low-Earth orbit. There is virtually no chance that we are going to send men to the Moon anytime soon. Despite what NASA would like you to believe, the combination of lethal space radiation, lethal temperatures, a complete lack of breathable air, and a lower gravitational attraction that produces serious health problems, including rapid tissue and bone degeneration, is simply not compatible with human existence. Neither is getting pelted with “space bullets.”Neither is a lack of food and water.

And as for Mars? A roundtrip ticket there would earn you about 75,000,000 frequent flyer miles. I wouldn’t count on that happening anytime soon.

Astronaut Steve Lindsey, after being chosen to command the final planned mission of the space shuttle, had this to say: “Everybody at NASA feels the same way. We’re in favor of taking the next step and getting out of low-Earth orbit.” So while technology in every other realm of human existence continues to take giant strides forward, everyone at NASA appears to want to take a big step backwards. To 1969.

Before bidding adieu, I have one final note to add: a certain Dr. Thomas Gold was an early skeptic of the feasibility of landing on the Moon. He made headlines prior to the alleged flight of Apollo 11 when he predicted that any attempt at a Moon landing would be disastrous. NASA, of course, purportedly proved the good doctor wrong.

Longtime readers will remember that Dr. Gold was America’s most prominent proponent of the abiotic theory of oil and gas production, and that he went and dropped dead just before the ‘Peak Oil’ propaganda started to heat up. Dr. Gold was recently proven to be correct on the origins of so-called ‘fossil fuels.’ The article, curiously enough, refers to the research as “revolutionary” – which it is, I suppose, if you ignore the fact that the Soviets and Ukrainians did the same research and drew the same conclusions some fifty years ago.

We all know that that can’t be true, however, because it would be impossible to keep a secret of that magnitude from the entire Western world … right?

The World Won’t Believe The Massive Infrastructure Developments In China, How China Builds Subway.

What is one single important fact that a person needs to be successful?

The brutal truth?

Meet a demand. People will judge you based on your usefulness at any given moment.

That’s it, NOTHING else really matters, at all. If you can meet a demand then you’ll be successful nothing else matters. But I’m a good father I go to church, I donate to charity… nah it may make you feel better but in the end it doesn’t matter.

The best case study to illustrate this is an emergency situation a car crash happens… a family were in the car. The children and wife are unharmed but the husband is severely injured bleeding out and dying.

What they need now is a medical professional to meet their needs.

You can heroically jump in and try to help but you’ll be told to fuck off. It doesn’t matter if you’re a good father go to church. In that moment the family need somebody who have the equipment and skills to save the husband.

This is an extreme situation… but we go through this process 10000s of times each day.

China is way ahead of the U.K. and that is a fact.

What is the most offensive thing someone has ever asked you?

When I was the supervisor in a Social Security office I would occasionally have the staff ask me to speak with someone who was dissatisfied with our service.

A very frustrated man came in with his wife to complain about how long it had been taking to get a decision on his disability claim and he was not accepting the interviewer’s explanation so she asked me to speak with him.

I introduced myself and asked him how I could help him. This was his request.

“ I want to pull down my pants, bend over and have you kiss my bare ass.”

His wife nearly fell out of her chair. “Oh Thomas, how could you!”

I merely looked at him and said “We don’t offer that service here. Now what can I really do for you?”

He couldn’t phase me. He wasn’t my first disgruntled person and he wasn’t my last.

Woman Dies; Gets Shown Other Planets, Civilizations And Told Human’s Purpose (NDE)

What are you ashamed of as an Indian?

This was told to me by a friend while we were sharing an apartment via Airbnb. He is an Indian mariner working for some UK based shipping company. He travels around the world on a ship carrying petroleum products, visiting various ports in UK, Africa, Middle East, South and South East Asia. His crew contains mariner of many other nationalities.

He shared the embarrassing moments he has to face whenever his ship docks in any of the ports in India. The Customs Officers comes in with large bags, steals a good part of their cigarette cartons, packed meats, drinks, and many other stuffs from ship’s inventory(storage), meant for the mariners travel needs. Many a times he had been through these awkward moments, and he said you should see the looks on his co-mariner’s faces. He feels ashamed of being an Indian every time this happens.

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This Is How Some People Actually Work From Home

With the government strongly suggesting that people work from home you may also think that it’s a good idea… until you take a look how clean and tidy some people keep their home offices…

China has intruded in Arunachal Pradesh, but India is still silent. What are the reasons?

Without a concise border agreement, what exactly can India do?

If we ask China to withdraw from any intruded territories in Arunachal, it would mean acknowledging that China has indeed intruded in Arunachal Pradesh and that would be humiliation for the Modi Government

If we militarily intervene , it could be another debacle like GALWAN where with knives and metal rods and sheer gumption ,China gained 1070 Sq Kms territory in a mere 4–5 days — equivalent territory for which Russia has to spill the blood of 5000 of its soldiers and kill around 45000 enemy soldiers over 4 1/2 months to acquire

Jaishankar openly called out Pakistan repeatedly in front of the global media and in front of the Foreign Minister

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Yet not once did he whisper about China in any forum

It’s because China is TOO STRONG & POWERFUL for India to get into a direct conflict

China is so cautious about getting into a direct conflict with US despite the two nations being within 25–33% of each other

So India has to be much more cautious because China is almost 600% stronger and mightier

Thats why

Diplomacy means humiliation for the Modi Government

Military means certain and brutal defeat in the medium term

So just ignore everything and pretend things are hunky dory

It’s called LINE OF LEAST RESISTANCE and that’s what India is doing today

Oh SH*T! Germany is going down a DARK road against anti-war voices

What was your first job experience like?

Working for a supermarket.

For most of my life I’ve gone to school. I’ve done odd chores for my parents that could be classified as “work” but that was just it.

In the Christmas break of 2021, I got my first ever job as, part-time at a supermarket. Stocking shelves, assisting with the daily count, even manning the counter.

It was incredible.

People treated me like furniture.

I was invisible until they needed to use me. Some people were very kind, all pleases and thank yous, others were like, “hey, get over here! Get me that!”

I was repeatedly encouraged by my coworkers not to be idle.

During slow hours I arranged and rearranged shampoo and perfume bottles meticulously, I dusted invisible dust, I slowly stocked the hats so I’d have less time to be idle. I paced, I observed customers with what I hoped was an interested gaze, ready to spring into action should they need any help.

Because Idleness = Lazy = Bad worker.

Soap was my section’s bestselling item, next to that was lotion.

People can have too much trust in shop workers to know everything about the products. Some even expect you to make decisions for them.

Customer: “Does this shampoo also work against dandruff?”

Me: “Uhm…”

*Picks up another bottle, scans it quickly.*

Me: “No, it doesn’t.”

”Would I save more money if I got one of the 300 mL bottles or two of the 150 mLs?”

*Glances at the prices tags, makes quick calculations.*

“Same price total; no difference.”

“What should I get, then?”

“Umm..Will you use the perfume yourself or are you sharing it with someone?”

”My daughter uses my stuff sometimes.”

“Then I’d recommend you get two, so she can have her own bottle.”

”Ok”.

”My child has sores on his legs, would this soap irritate them?”

“To be honest sir I’m not sure.”

“Oh.”

“These mouthwash, why are the big bottles and those smaller ones the same price? Is it because the bigger one has less quality?”

*Takes them, scans over the labels quickly.*

“The smaller ones are imported.”

“But is it a lesser quality?”

*Makes quick judgement, hope I’m right*.

“I don’t believe so.”

We just work there, we didn’t make those products. There’s only so much we can know.

I think the best part of that job was interacting with customers, especially for someone like me who doesn’t get out that often.

Southern Baking Powder Biscuits

Basic biscuits can be great biscuits. These are straightforward, relying only on baking powder for leavening.

These are simple biscuits to make with only five ingredients. If you wish to use self-rising flour, you can make these biscuits with only three ingredients.

They will rise tall and are slightly salty with no added sugar. If you like, you may add a tablespoon or two of sugar—but then they wouldn’t be authentic Southern biscuits.

A baking sheet, preferably a dark one that will not reflect the heat

A pastry knife or pastry knife

The following recipe can be used to make these biscuits.

You can also make biscuits with a mix. We make a buttermilk biscuit mix, a sour cream and chive biscuit mix, and a cheddar cheese biscuit mix.

These mixes are just-add-water and you should have them in your oven in about five minutes.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cold shortening
1 1/2 cup milk

Instructions

Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the shortening until the mixture forms coarse pieces.
Add the milk and stir the mixture with a fork until most of the dry ingredients have been moistened.
Turn the ingredients onto the counter and knead and fold until the dough is formed. Do not knead longer than necessary.
Roll or pat the dough to about 3/4-inch thickness and cut with a biscuit cutter. Place the biscuits on a greased baking sheet with the edges touching.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until the tops are just golden brown and biscuits sound hollow when gently tapped.
Serve warm.

Yield: 15 large biscuits

EATING IN A CHINESE VILLAGE APARTMENT AS A BLACKMAN, WHAT COULD GO WRONG?!! BLACK IN CHINA

What do poor people in the United States of America eat?

I grew up very poor. My mom would make giant pots of stews like lentils and peas and it would go on for days. Getting thicker and thicker as the week goes on

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We’d put it in the middle of the bread and butter to try to change the flavor a bit… oh, when I say butter, I mean margarine, which cost about 25 cents and came in a giant jar.

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This was a typical dinner as a kid… a giant portion of what she called “ goulash ” and canned vegetables.

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We never really had fun snacks or chips or crap, these were considered luxury items. I remember spending the night at a friends house and being super excited that they had bags of chips of all varieties, Jell-O and brand name soda! We only had RC COLA or SHASTA.

We almost always drank Tampico

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Oh yeah, who cares about Sunny D when you have Tampico.

We often cook tortillas on the stove, like this:

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Then melt the butter (margarine) and sprinkle with a little salt.

We drank a glass of milk every day with dinner (in hindsight, that probably helped us feel full). But sometimes, when the gallon of milk was half empty, my mother would fill the other half with water. I hated it! Watery milk.

We always had hot dog sausages, but never buns (we used sliced bread for everything), of course, packets of ramen (not the cups) slices of fake cheese… basically anything that wasn’t from the famous brands. We drank tap water.

My mother did her best and was very good at making the most of what she had. I learned a lot from her. She knew I hated bologna and would fry it in a pan and somehow make our sandwiches bearable. If on Monday she made a stew, we would have stewed it for days and it would never get stale in any way. I still like sliced tomato mayo sandwiches to this day haha.

Do you think that China’s growing influence in the Pacific region poses a threat to regional security? Why or why not?

It’s simple

Laos is the best example

Five years ago they opened up trade with China and contracted China to build their Railways

Today their economy has shown 5.87% growth against a mere 2.13% inflation

In 2017 they had 5.19% growth against 3.88% inflation

You do the math

Same for Pacific countries

To this day Australia and USA gave them alms and kept talking about defence, defence, defence and more defence

China gave them TRADE

China built them ROADS

China built them SCHOOLS

China built them NETWORKS

China built them Ports

So it’s simple that these nations and their people want Chinese friendship

It’s some leaders who are US puppets who are Anti China just to please their masters in exchange for Swiss Bank accounts , like those mongrels Zelensky or Von Der Leyen

China is no threat to anybody

Only the US is.

How did China’s Realme sell 50 million phones in just over 2 years in India? Why can’t an Indian company do this?

Why cant an Indian Company do this?

Produce a Good Quality Product at affordable prices and any Indian, Botswana, Kenyan, Ugandan company will be able to do this. This is basic 101.

China doesnt offer earth shattering technology or something unique and revolutionary. It just offers a good product at affordable prices.

Quality thats a word that doesnt exist anymore. Our Companies simply cannot give us the Quality that foreign companies are providing us with.

Simple example Horlicks. Just take Horlicks from a foreign country sold in a duty free shop and our Indian Horlicks and mix it with hot water or milk. The Froth that the foreign Horlicks generates is more than twice that the Indian Horlicks generates.

Take USB Cables and Chargers. Made in India Charger costing Rs. 320/- Retail – charges as fast as a China made Charger costing Rs. 200/- with the same cable. A China made charger costing Rs.350/- can charge twice as fast.
A MI Powerbank once fully charged can charge my phone for 5 nights compared to any Indian Powerbank of the same strength (20000 MAH). Only Ambrane is comparable and gives power for 3 nights.
Shoes, Slippers, Watches, Smartphones, Laptops, Pickles, Food Products, Soft Drinks – all of them have shoddy quality, dubious manufacturing processes and tremendous lapses in quality controls.

Not just for us- but for our Heroes – the Army – our Blankets are atrocious for the Ladakh cold compared to the Bangladeshi Imports. Something called Ghirodes (Knots per Square Inch) have been compromised time and time again.

Now why cant an Indian Company provide good quality.

Surely Indians cannot genetically be crooks right?

The Answer is – Why should they?

Until recently – most of them have had monopolies and little competition.

They know worst case – the Consumer courts will take 10 years to decide to award the poor consumer Rs. 5000/- or Rs. 10,000/- in damages

They know worst case- a Briefcase or two of “Booty” can ensure that their operations continue smoothly – even if it is harmful to consumer life forget atrocious quality

They know worst case – our Media – will pursue them for 3 days and go back to Akshay Kumars cooking parathas during COVID 19 or making conspiracy theories

What should be done

Make them Afraid

Implement a Law like Chinas dreaded CAPA (English Translation) where

A Company can be nationalized in less than 48 hours by a Provincial Industrial Committee or a Higher Body for a temporary period of not more than 180 days if they receive complaints on sub standard manufacture.
During this stage the Companies big bosses will all be decided by the Provisional Commitee which will make the decisions for the next 180 days. All Accounts, All Inventories will be under Committee Control.
If the Company is guilty of sub standard manufacture or quality compromise – then the Company may be imposed to a huge fine which if not paid will result in the Shareholding of the Company being forcefully yanked away and sold free market and the fine amount recovered from the sale.

So imagine if a Leather Tannery that pollutes the Yamuna river can be nationalized in 2 days and the Owners stripped off their shareholding or fined Rs. 500 Crore for pollution?

In ten minutes – every Owner will scramble to ensure he follows the law right?

Billy Joel…

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Have you ever stood up for someone being bullied?

Yes, I did one day as a brave little nine-year-old girl. I came out of my apartment because I heard The neighbor kid crying. I follow the sound and just around the corner are four teenage girls probably ranging from 15 to 17 years old and they’re basically beating up this 11-year-old kid. I just remember my cheeks got hot and I just start screaming for them to get off of him. They had put a grocery cart on top of him and were jumping on it and he was a little heavier and he was losing breath and screaming and panicking and it scared the crap out of me so I get up in this one girl‘s face and I’m nine and she’s 15 and all the sudden she just slaps my face as hard as she can.

Well, my mother was just a few feet away in the laundry room and she had heard the commotion and was looking out and sees the girl slap me, and that was one of the few times I ever saw my mother come to my defense, like an angry bear, ready to rip someone’s head off. As a matter of fact, for about two or three seconds I was really worried for the Obnoxious teenage girl, because my mother was beautiful and petite and quiet, and that was not what was coming at that girl. Matter fact, the arms were flailing!!!

Anyway, as I was going to somebody else’s defense against a bully, my mother was coming to mine.

How has China rearranged its diplomatic pieces ahead of a potential conflict with the US?

Russia and its endless oil, gas, fertilizer, grains, timber, minerals and all natural resources, pipelines and railways plus more pipelines and railroads in construction, to/from Russia and Central Asia. Rapid developments of Manchuria, Siberia, Sakhalin island and the Arctic.

China and Russia are now back-to-back strategic partners. The biggest joint strategic partnership in the world. Potential US blockade in Indian Ocean or Malacca Strait is no longer relevant.

To the south, China-ASEAN trades reached US$1 trillion, double China-US trade, equal China-US+EU trades.

Don’t you see it by now?

China has already prepared to decouple from US.

US made the threat, China took it seriously.

Alien Probe, Sentient Machine, Nuclear Weapon, or Junk? What is the Betz Mystery Sphere?

What’s the saddest “card declined” moment you’ve seen?

I owned a bar and had a young couple come in and sit in bottle service. They told anyone who’d listen that they just got engaged and wanted to celebrate. They ordered the full service champagne with a bottle of our cheapest Andre we kept around just to spray the crowd for fun. Our server brought out strawberries and whip cream, the bottle, and the staff made the big baller fuss across the dance floor. Everyone was giving them the works. The bill came and the young man’s card was declined. He was completely embarrassed. He asked to speak to the owner, that’s me. He was brought to my office and I could see he was a little nervous. He explained he’d deposited his paycheck earlier and his bank account showed that the funds were available. He showed me on his bank app. He asked if I could trust him to bring the money the next day. He was about 22 years old. I saw myself in a similar situation with a gallon of milk as a young father 25 years earlier. I told him to consider it an engagement gift, no worries. No need to flip out over a $3 bottle of champagne, my cost, and $3 worth of strawberries. He enjoyed the rest of his evening and left. The following Monday, that kid stopped by with a $20 bill. He’d forgotten to tip the server and felt badly. I thought this kid had heart and I respected him for coming back. I put his tip in an envelope for the server and wished him the best. I know it’s not like paying for someone’s groceries, but it still made me feel good.

What are some examples of the United States’ decline as a superpower?

A decade ago your debt is 10’000’000’000’000 and today it is 31’400’000’000’000. Easy to understand for you?

OK. What about in 1945 your share of world GDP is 52%. Today it is a mere 15% and dropping fast. Enough?

More. Today as many as close to a million homeless people are living in tents at all you city! How about American standard of living has stagnated back to 1960’s level and dropping further. Eg. This year your forecast growth is 0.5% but your inflation is at least 5%. You guys are poorer by 4.5%! Good enough?

The U.S. growth used to be the biggest today China’s growth is bigger than the entire G7 put together! The U.S. life expectancy is the lowest among industrialised nation, in 2021 for the first time China’s life expectancy exceeded the U.S. and repeated that in 2022!

Still not convince? The U.S. handled the Covid amongst the worst in the world. It lose 1.1 million people! China by comparison has less than 1% of US death in spite of it having 4 times its population! Your infrastructure are totally dilapidated without improvement.

Not enough? Oh your nation fought some rag tag mountain tribe in Afghanistan for 20 years and lost. You blew 3–4 Trillion dollars and after 20 years invited the Taliban back. Taliban is the only reason you guys went to war in Afghanistan.

How about you fought another war against village folks in rice paddies in Vietnam for another 20 years till you lost all your gold. And lost the war. Running away on the roof top of the U.S. Embassy!

Still not convince? In the 1980 Moscow Olympics you gang up nations to boycott the Games and 65 countries supported you. By the 2020 Beijing Olympics you tried the same shit. And 5 nations agree to withdraw uninvited officials.

OK my last shot to convince you. When the U.S. order, coerce, bribed and threaten nations to support sanctioning Russia. Zero nations in Latin American, the Caribbean, Africa supported the U.S. 3 out of 30 nations supported the U.S 2 of them are your slave vassal state Japan and Korea. The third support to win you billions.

2/14 Oceania nations supported the U.S. Australia and New Zealand! In an international business forum invited by Russia. More than 100 nations participated!

US is a spent force burning cash as fast as they earn it and being dumped by the whole world except for some few racist nation and it Anglo brothers and your slaves who had no rights to say no. That is barely sufficient. It cannot afford to care for its own citizens let alone interfere in a hundred nations simultaneously, afford 800 Military bases overseas and trot around the world at a billion a week expenses on each Aircraft Carrier.

Ukraine alone will cost the US. a trillion dollars a year. If it don’t change course the U.S. debt will hit 100’000’000’000’000 or a hundred trillion dollars. Just at 3% interest it need to spend 3 trillion a year. As such. The U.S. is effectively a broke and a bankrupt even now.

Its all happening in China but half the world isn’t noticing

A battle between the American State Department and the Pentagon

I watched the American spokesman statement. The purpose of the Blinken trip to China was to “strengthen America’s ability to out-compete China”. Further he stated, that there were three key points that Blinkedin will tell China.

[1] To establish communication channels that are “open and empowered”.

[2] Communicate clearly and candidly on a range of issues regarding American displeasure in how China conducts its domestic matters.

[3] Will investigate potential area of cooperation on trans-national issues, but ONLY when it is in Americas interest.

Finally, he does not expect any “break throughs” on this trip.

And of course, we all know what happened next. China reamed him up and down and all around though out, and when he reported the news to Biden, that son-of-a-bitch complained in a long diatribe in front of his donor class.

Sigh.

Next…

In your opinion, what steps should be taken to support China’s economy and prevent further decline?

Ah yes

Of course

The Debt ceiling was raised recently to a whopping $ 33 Trillion right?

Obviously the West will deflect and bury the serious dire straits of their economies and pending recession to China

That’s what they always do

Whenever they have trouble at home, they deflect and jump to a foreign country that may be much much better off

Is China’s economy declining?

China’s economy shows resilience

Don’t ask me

Ask the 77 Countries who now have over 15% of their Trade share in Yuan since 1/1/2022

China’s economy is Sluggish

The reason is simple

Its two biggest earners have taken a hit

Exports have taken a hit due to Sanctions by US and mainly due to weakening global demand due to recession/inflation in EU and US

Many Producers aren’t sure how much to manufacture now because of their worry about exports and being saddled with excess inventory

The alternative domestic consumption to replace potential loss of export share will take time and confidence by the producers and consumers

Maybe 3 years or so

Second is Real Estate

China’s own Government have dynamically and drastically modified real estate lending causing a plunge in real estate markets

So it’s like a Cricket team with two big stars in bad form

The fact that any other country would have buried these facts stands out

China is dealing with them on a day to day basis

Promoting Domestic spending, reducing rates to rise liquidity and slowly ensure the export pain is mitigated by local demand

China is modifying it’s real estate

It’s bringing a real estate sector once controlled by 6% population now to a 60% population using economies of scale

Profiting $ 1 Million per flat through speculation to be replaced by Profiting $ 50,000 a flat for 20 flats by actual sales and market demand

It takes time for this 60% population to realize that the sector is good for them

Like say tomorrow 50% Indians investing in shares from 4.1% today

China has very temporary problems

It’s situation is changing and its adapting and that is causing blips

Now USA and the West on the other hand are in deep trouble

They have in print nearly $ 15.3 Trillion equivalent of currency circulating in Pounds, Euros and Dollars

They have to rise rates repeatedly to push the currency into institutions and prevent them from staying in the global economy and plunging in value and causing more Inflation

It’s a ticking time bomb

And unlike China, the West neither has the populace to absorb the hit nor the resources like Russia

The end result will be 1929 type depression unless the large shock detonates through a series of smaller shocks which will weaken the US significantly but help it survive and bounce back , which is what China is waiting for (Why else is China not retaliating to all the US Coercion? Because it knows time is on its side)

It’s 100 times more serious

Hence why the West is deflecting on to China

RED ALERT! OUR MILITARYS HUGE SECRET ABOUT WORLD WAR 3 (I CANT BELIEVE THIS!)

Can India afford to ban Chinese products?

I was in a Video Conference yesterday. There was this slick controller from Cisco. I picked it up and turned it around to see the sticker that said: “Made in China”.

We have all heard the phrase. So much so that it has become a cultural meme, like this creative advertisement.

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Every machine, and I mean it in the broad sense of the word, people use, almost certainly, has components made by the most populous nation of the world.

We are at a stage where manufacturing is synonymous with China. China’s total exports in 2017 were more than the GDP of India, at ~$2.26 trillion.

[1]

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US is close with $1.5 trillion, but there is the catch.

US exports are primarily expensive stuff like airplanes, gems, assembled cell phones etc. But China makes the “cheaper” things — the components of your phones, the clothes you buy, the filaments in your bulbs, the shoes you are wearing right now.

More than a decade ago, a US family tried to rid themselves of all things “made in China”

[2]

. Here are some excerpts from their experience.

When our son, then 4, needed new shoes it took me two weeks of frantic mall trips and phone calls across the country before I located Italian-made sneakers. (They cost almost $70, an obscene amount, and I bought him just that one pair of shoes all year to compensate for my excess.)

We boiled water for coffee every morning after our drip machine broke and the only affordable replacements we could find were made in China. Kevin stole —he likes to say borrowed—sunglasses from the lost-and-found at our kids’ preschool when he needed new ones and the only ones that fit our budget were made in China. We were barred from the market for humane mousetraps (I made my own), birthday candles (we used votive candles on our cakes instead) and the monster trucks and light sabers that our son dreamed of all year.

As December approached, we made lousy homemade Christmas presents, spent too much on toys from Germany and waited for the year, and our boycott, to fade into history.

And Chinese manufacturing has become even more pervasive and ingrained in the last ten years. Good luck with your attempt!

Why is the CCP so hellbent on unifying Taiwan with mainland China? If Taiwan do not want to be ruled by the CCP why does it appear as if China is forcing themselves on Taiwan? Why can’t the two countries not co-exist?

First of all, Taiwan is NOT a country. Neither the United Nations nor the United States recognize Taiwan as an independent state. Moreover, Taiwan’s own constitution stipulates that the mainland and Taiwan are one country.

The entire world adheres to the One China principle.

Second, no country is willing to give up any piece of its territory. Would the USA give up Hawaii or Texas? Would France give up Corsica?

Third, Taiwan is a remnant of China’s century of humiliation when the great powers of the time descended on China like vultures and carved her up like a turkey. It’s a painful reminder and a point of national pride.

Fourth, China and Taiwan can coexist. They’ve coexisted peacefully for decades now. They have massive trade with each other.

China seeks peaceful reunification, and she is very patient. But the United States is determined to stir up shit in Taiwan. Just leave them alone!

Fifth, since Taiwan is China’s domestic matter, it is absolutely none of our f*cking business. Why are we sticking our nose into it?

Do we want to start a war with China over this matter?

Are you f*cking insane?

What will make the US loose its status as the most powerful Nation in the world?

Hubris.

“My cup runneth over with hubris”, rather than “In God We Trust”.

Who in his right mind can praise America for being well led, when the President is 80 and belongs in a nursing home, with the primary competition 76 belonging in jail?

And yet those are the candidates two ailing parties who have swapped musical chairs for 250 years throw up, with NO ALTERNATIVES in sight.

Just like guns and drugs, even abortion.

Live with it, the American will say, because the Constitution is sacred.

I say God bless America.

America has visibly declined or regressed this century. Even life expectancy has dipped below third world China, courtesy of the horrendous response to covid for the country rated No. 1 for pandemic readiness by Johns Hopkins in 2019. The debt pile is growing too fast, struggling under the weight of living beyond means.

Barring a paradigm shift in domestic politics, terminal decline is but a matter of time. I will pay attention to the quality of life of the bottom 50 percent who share 2 percent of the wealth. Too miserable and the have-nots will stoke tensions and accelerate the process.

I have not heard much beyond doubling down on the current playbook.

And that is a road to ruin.

The question is one of when, rather than if.

The American people are getting tired!

Will Hong Kong ever be democratic under Chinese rule?

Under 150 years of British rule, Hong Kong wasn’t democratic. Why would we expect that to change?

Cheesy Tomato Casserole

Ingredients

1 (35 ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/2 cup round buttery cracker crumbs (about 15 crackers)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 large egg, well beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Instructions

Stir together all ingredients.
Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 8-inch square baking dish.
Bake at 325 degrees F for 30 minutes or until golden.

That girl don’t live here anymore…

How prepared is the United States of America for war with China?

The United States is as ready as it ever will be.

It has an enormous military budget, and bases everywhere. It’s got top of the line fighters, vessels and state-of-the-art equipment. In fact, if anything, I think that it is “over kill”. But that’s just my personal opinion.

The United States military is world-class in force projection, and they will glad-fully take the war to the shores of China and beyond. With the handful of proxy nations acting as “cannon fodder”, the United States would just sit back and watch the Australians and Japanese die in droves. Let them all be barbecued alive. As long as not one American is harmed.

So the United States force doctrine is one where the disposable peoples of Australia, Korea and Japan (with the Philippines) would be sacrificed first.

There is no question that the United States would choose Sydney, and Perth to become major battlefields. And with the rubbleing of Osaka, Tokyo, and Manila, the American military would wait out the carnage comfortably from afar in safe bunkers, Ukraine style.

Eventually, the Chinese force would peter out to an “approachable” level.

At that moment, the United States would pounce for a double “one two” blow that would destroy Chinese cities, and an invasion force in strength would seize the nation. Oh, the fighting might take a decade, but eventually the United States would win, and China would be partitioned into pre-determined bite-sized chunks for organized looting and seizure.

(Some interesting articles on this particular subject. It’s already been divided up! Though, I would advise “don’t count your chickens until the eggs hatch”.)

Anyways, there one teeny-tiny issue.

The only issue is would China really use it’s mass-casualty weapons. That’s of course, the Dong Feng, and the other novel and unique enhanced radiation and wave technologies. You know those massive enhanced radiation city-busters. Those hyper-velocity AI controlled stealth delivery systems, and the invisibility cloaking technologies.

But I am told it doesn’t matter.

As many in the “West” are very confident that “China would never…”.

So, if you (the reader) are part of this clutch, then by all means rest assured that the United States can destroy China, and it couldn’t do anything. The logic is simple. Simply because China has invested such a HUGE portion of it’s military to weapons of MASS DESTRUCTION. Leaving only a fraction of it’s military for conventional warfare. If China decides never to use the nuclear systems, then China would be handicapped to reliance on old-fashioned conventional systems.

So the United States would rip China a new behind.

…

But…

But, were China to be attacked, I am of the belief that China would use every weapon at it’s disposal. I mean, after all, why devote such a large proportion of your defensive equipment to nuclear and novel systems if you have no plans to ever use them? I figure that even if you have a Bentley in your garage, you do go and take it out for a spin from time to time. Even if that is the last thing that you do before you die.

Thus, the first cities to experience nuclear destruction would be American. I recon complete destruction of the top 35 cities.

This would really throw a monkey-wrench into the plans listed above.

The American “leadership” would be pissed and they (well the ones still alive and not wearing diapers) would order a MAD response. And the nukes would start a flying.

Correct me, if you disagree, but when the dust settles, I don’t think the world would be the same. You might think differently, but I think that nothing will ruin your day faster than global thermonuclear war.

…

Sigh.

So who ever asked this question, please stop asking about the end of the world. It’s not a pretty image. Go play with your army men elsewhere. War is not a game. It’s real, and very horrible. I strongly advise that it be avoided at all costs.

No one is going to win a US-China war.

How smart are the Japanese?

For over 700 years, the Japanese have been using a special method called Daisugi to grow trees without cutting them down.

It started in the 14th century and involves planting trees for the future and then pruning them like large bonsai trees. By doing this to cedar trees, they can get high-quality wood that’s straight, smooth, and perfect for building.

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With Daisugi, instead of chopping down the trees, they carefully prune them so they can keep growing and producing wood. This way, they can sustainably use the wood while also making sure the trees stay healthy and continue to live for a long time. Daisugi shows how people and nature can work together, using resources wisely while protecting the environment.

Discovery That Shocked NASA As China’s Discover 270 Billion Tons Of Water On The Moon

https://youtu.be/1_gNERd_Lt4

Was the US involvement in the Korean War a result of arrogance? Was the US too proud after WW2?

Not exactly arrogance, if arrogance, it was a well deserved arrogance, as US was supreme in economy, diplomacy and military as a superpower liberator. US actually saved the world with great sacrifices.

It’d have succeeded except the miscalculation on China entrance into the war, that changed the result. That was arrogance to underestimated the Chinese determination and ragtag poorly equipped military, which was a total surprise to everybody.

It is human nature that it is very difficult for warriors to stop fighting, Alexander the Great just couldn’t stop, Napoleon couldn’t stop, Hitler and Japanese couldn’t stop and US couldn’t-can’t stop.

Normal little people like us always wondered what if these superpowers just stopped at some points, enough is enough, I have enough, let me stop and build on my successes and conquered empires, let me treat my subjects well but none could. But warriors can’t stop, they must keep on going until the empires were destroyed by over expansions.

What China is going to do to Blinkin in his visit…

Oh, and it isn’t going to be reported.

https://youtu.be/S4cuIeNB114

What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you while you were camping?

When I was a kid our family spent a lot of time camping with a tent trailer in northern Canada. One weekend we were at a campground which was circled by a ring road. There was one group of campers that were partying hard with a giant bonfire and despite the campground rules for being quiet after 11 p.m. they carried on.

They threatened anyone who asked them to tone down the noise. Then they thought it would be funny to use the ring road as their own race course so they were doing loops on the road speeding and revving their engines and terrifying the other campers.

This was before the days of cell phones so a couple campers left the campground to drive to the nearest Ranger’s station to complain.

Soon after they got back, and with the partiers still going hard, we heard a helicopter approaching in the night. We could hear it getting closer until it was directly overhead. Then we heard a giant swoosh as the Rangers dumped a bucket of water directly on the partiers. And by bucket I mean the 300+ gallon bucket suspended on a cable carried by the helicopter to deliver water for aerial firefighting.

Needless to say, the party ended instantly and they were all gone by the time we got up the next morning.

Watch NOW before they silence me.

https://youtu.be/nRW5PlphZ4M

FT reported that the US, Japan and Taiwan region will share real-time data from naval reconnaissance drones. What are your thoughts on that?

For over seven decades, Japan has been subject to ongoing occupation by the United States, maintaining a presence through a network of over 90 military bases and an extensive arsenal of more than 65,000 military assets. Similarly, Taiwan is under the control of local collaborators aligned with the United States, who wield authority over both the island’s military and political processes, contrary to the One-China policy. In both regions, the United States not only dictates the sale and deployment of weaponry but also determines the conditions for their use, the required troop numbers, and the deployment locations, while providing comprehensive training.

Given the high level of military integration and influence, publicly disclosing real-time shared military information would only intensify local concerns regarding the potential loss of lives and livelihoods after being dragged into a war initiated by the United States, especially in light of recent devastating events in Ukraine as reported by the media.

Gravitas: Japan says no to NATO membership

How do you think China will respond to the Quad’s efforts to contain its rise?

QUAD is US, G7 is US, AUKUS is US, NATO is US. Whatever alphabets they added or changed, it is just US.

UK, Australia, Japan, India, France, Italy or whatever don’t matter at all to China, there are like the group of thugs accompanying the main bad guy in kungfu movies, they take turn to be punched and kicked by the kungfu master, and the first to run away or fake death. Faking death in the safest way to survive. They rarely charge forward all at the same time.

It is just US, that’s a handful all by itself.

Do you think that money gives you absolute happiness?

Whatever your opinion may be about this man, Dan Bilzerian, he said something very true in an interview, and I would like many people to reflect on it.

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In the Joe Rogan Podcast (the most famous and most listened-to podcast in the world), Rogan asked him the same question:

Joe: Hey Dan, for the people who are listening to us, and most of them won’t even make a quarter of the money you’ve made, do you think money brings happiness?

Dan Bilzerian: Money, Joe, brings satisfaction. Money can undoubtedly give you a lot of satisfaction, but never complete happiness.

When I go to a fancy restaurant, when I drive a brand new car, when I party at the best clubs, for me, that’s already normal.

But the day I can’t afford to eat at a restaurant of the same quality, or drive the latest car, or go partying, how do you think I’ll feel?

In my case, I raised the ‘satisfaction bar’ so high that I have to maintain this lifestyle forever because if I don’t, I get depressed.

Happiness, even if it sounds cliché, cheesy, or however you want to call it, comes from within, from your person. It doesn’t come from material things. Material things give you ‘satisfaction,’ but they will never give you happiness.

There’s always someone who says something like:

‘Money doesn’t bring happiness, but I’d rather cry in a Lamborghini.’

Now, let me ask:

Wouldn’t you rather smile from ear to ear in a Kia?

First Impressions of China in 2023 🇨🇳 CAN’T Believe What I Saw

Will Biden’s best salesman charm India into the arms of the US?

Washington has sent Jake Sullivan to New Delhi with an array of tempting offers to bring the country in line with the west

By Joydeep Sen Gupta, Asia Editor

US President Joe Biden’s administration is working overtime to give top billing to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official state visit to the US from June 21 to 24 in a key election campaign year. The visit will be Modi’s sixth to the US since he assumed office in 2014.

Biden wants to present Modi’s upcoming trip as being bigger than the Indian premier’s Manhattan moment

in 2014 when he was hosted by Barack Obama, and Howdy, Modi!

in 2019 during the Trump administration.

To that end Biden sent his trusted aide, US National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan, to New Delhi on a two-day trip on Tuesday, to lay the groundwork for the high-profile event, and build upon last week’s visit

to India by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Prominent Indian geopolitical commentator, C Raja Mohan, has suggested

that Sullivan’s visit may pave the way for Modi’s Deng Xiaoping moment in leveraging India’s unique situation into significant gains for the country. However, the current global churn is many times removed from the visionary Chinese leader’s time in office last century, and the US is more transparent in its efforts to create a unipolar world order.

Sullivan’s agenda

Economic cooperation is at the heart of the Sullivan’s India trip. The top US security official held talks with Modi, his Indian counterpart, Ajit Doval

, and minister for external affairs, Dr Subramanyam Jaishankar

, on a range of issues that go beyond the optics of bilateral diplomacy. Doval and Sullivan also attended the second Track 1.5 dialogue on the Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) initiative, which was organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

They unveiled an ambitious roadmap for Indo-US collaboration in seven specific hi-technology areas, including semiconductors, next-generation telecommunications, artificial intelligence and defense.

Sullivan said the iCET is about people-to-people relationships, building skills, trust and confidence between the societies and governments of the two countries. He said it is also a way to deepen defense cooperation that will help both the countries strategically and economically.

Meanwhile, Modi’s upcoming US visit has been heralded as a new era of “future ties” amid a “robust outcome document” that is in the works. However, the underlying motive is the desperate US desire to gain access to one of the biggest markets in the world following its deteriorating

trade and diplomatic ties with the world’s second biggest economy – China.

Sullivan is playing the role of a traveling salesman, hawking US interests in key global capitals much like before his elevation

to the NSA.

On this trip, he pulled out all stops to impress upon the Modi government the ease of doing business with the Biden administration, which is all but a lame duck, ahead of a key election to be held later this year.

Sullivan’s talks centered on opening a $2.7 billion semiconductor chip-making facility in India by Micron Technology, which is headquartered in Boise, Idaho and sharing technical know-how regarding quantum computing technology. India imports about 80% of its semiconductors.

New Delhi is believed to be wooing Intel Corporation to set up shop in the country following fears of a disruption in supply chains in light of escalating tensions between China and Taiwan.

Significantly, the pièce de resistance is Sullivan’s last-ditch bid to jointly manufacture US aircraft engines for Indian defense forces by General Electric (GE) in partnership with state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Will the transfer of technology (ToT) be a fillip to Modi’s ambitious “Make in India”

initiative? ToT is a key aspect in Indo-US bilateral relationship, where past misadventures such as the 2008 civil nuclear agreement between the two nations stick out like a sore thumb. The US is dragging its feet over ToT unlike Russia, which has been

an all-weather ally to India.

Biden has unpacked the top brass in his administration ahead of Modi’s visit. China – the elephant in India’s room – also figured prominently during Sullivan’s trip because he is being accompanied by US Indo-Pacific Coordinator at the National Security Council Kurt Campbell.

Washington has been raising the China alarm with New Delhi and accuses Beijing of flexing its military muscle over Taiwan and the South China Sea while underscoring India’s primacy in the elite grouping of the Quad

Truth be told, since its revival

in 2017, the grouping largely remains a non-starter as questions abound whether it is hitting the right notes to keep a belligerent China at bay.

The US is seemingly ratcheting up further bilateral tensions between the two most populous nations and nuclear-powered neighbors

as a means to insert itself as part of India’s solutions to security.

How does the US hypocrisy stand exposed?

Public memory, as the cliché goes, is short indeed. In 2005, PM Modi was denied

a US visa because of his alleged role

in the Gujarat pogrom against minority Muslims in the western Indian state in 2002, when he was the Chief Minister.

The US changed its tune in 2014 after Modi’s right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) enjoyed a landslide win against the incumbent Congress-led opposition alliance.

US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki had said Modi would receive a visa to the country once he took office and formed a government. And an AI visa, which is the eligibility norm for all heads of state, was made available to him. Washington then started making overtures towards him in a true bipartisan manner with Obama, Trump, and now Biden have been rolling out the red carpet for him as they seek to tap India’s growing middle class, whose strength is more than the total US population at last count.

But such foreign policy misadventures

have been the hallmark of the US in the name of championing democracy in all corners of the globe for which the UK fell

for hook, line and sinker.

With such checkered records and doublespeak, should the Modi government be enamored by Sullivan’s charm offensive?

The US seldom delivers what it promises, if its deeply flawed foreign policy is a marker of Washington’s overreach

Is the Biden administration on the same page?

There is a lack of clarity regarding whether the Biden administration’s various arms share Sullivan’s enthusiasm about Modi and India. Historically, the US State Department has been hostile towards New Delhi about ramping up bilateral engagement in the field of defense and hi-tech.

However, the jury is still out whether Sullivan, aided and abetted by the Pentagon, can ensure joint manufacturing of GE’s F-414 engine in India, which if Washington manages to pull off, will go down in the annals of history. At the same time, it will open a new front in the Arab world in the Middle East, where the US has been arming

them to the teeth in the name of twin threats from Iran and Israel. President Biden’s largesse may help India’s state-run Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) to indigenously develop the Tejas Mark II fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force. US defense majors are also looking for an opening to manufacture other hi-tech weapons including loiter bombs, air-to-air missiles and long-range guided bombs amid stalled arms supplies from Russia owing to fear

of disruption in payment mechanisms over US-led Western sanctions on the ongoing special military operations in Ukraine. Sullivan aims to reboot several existing mechanisms such as upping the ante in sectors such as telecommunications, rare earth metals mining and space. Both NSAs discussed this during a meeting on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) in Washington on January 31.

The mechanism received a boost during the first India-US Strategic Trade Dialogue meeting

in Washington on June 4 and 5.

US commerce secretary Gina Raimondo’s visit to New Delhi in March was a precursor to this high-level engagement that set the stage for Sullivan’s trip to iron out the rough edges in the bilateral ties.

Is Sullivan the ace of spades for Biden?

The New York Times stated

in 2021 that Sullivan, who has been equated with Henry Kissinger, has long been a “figure of fascination, somewhere between sympathy and schadenfreude.” He has been Biden’s go-to man for all reasons and seasons. He held

crucial talks with key Chinese officials and has a similar historic opportunity to make Modi seem to be a global leader, whose life has come full circle since Washington dubbed him a pariah. And time is of the essence as Biden’s fate is likely to be decided in a few months, even though Modi’s hold on power appears to be as firm as ever.

Sullivan had an inkling about Russia’s special military operations in Ukraine a couple of months before the conflict started in February of 2022. He tried to shape global opinion against Russia, including pushing through the sanctions. Has he managed to strengthen NATO, including Finland’s membership, is an open-ended question?

His speech

at the Brookings Institution in April laid bare the growing US challenges amid a new pivot known as the ‘new Washington Consensus’, a euphemism for geo-economics. How much has he achieved will be judged by posterity.

Sullivan has been single-mindedly pushing for a technological alliance with “trusted partners” such as India to stymie China’s dominance.

The Indo-Pacific maritime is his other pet project that has grabbed the headlines, even though he is not a foreign policy hawk. He seeks to be on an even keel with China, especially his recent engagement with Foreign Minister, Wang Yi.

India, according to Sullivan, connects all these dots, despite New Delhi’s deep historic ties with Moscow. But can the US play a “long game” since the presidential election may change the foreign policy outreach in the next few months.

Biden’s last hurrah?

According to a report

in The Washington Post, the US seeks to expand the developing world’s influence (read India) at the United Nations (UN). This hurriedly-thought through bid appears to empower the UN Security Council (UNSC) because of the latter’s ineffectiveness as a global body to stop conflicts such as the ongoing military standoff in Ukraine. This mechanism, which has long been in the works, is also Washington’s bid to push through a unipolar world narrative and keep Russia and China out of the frame. Wooing India helps because it is part of the strongest anti-US bloc in BRICS, where Brazil and South Africa bring up the rear

, to create an alternative world order.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, President Biden’s envoy to the UN, is reportedly consulting with diplomats from the organization’s 193 member states to gather feedback about a potential expansion of the UNSC ahead of world leaders’ annual gathering in New York in September.

But Washington is unlikely to create a consensus in a fractured world, where the US is seen

as a perennial big bully. Besides, it’s unclear which countries in the Global South and from Africa and South America are likely to make the cut.

For instance, any nation such as Venezuela, Cuba, Egypt and Morocco will not be welcome to join the exclusive club because of their close ties with Russia and by extension are considered as rogue states by the US.

The US is unlikely to have its way because India’s seat at the global high table will be opposed tooth and nail by Pakistan.

A tricky road for Modi

Modi, who is known to have an elephant’s memory, may do well not to bite the US bullet ahead of his re-election next year, where he appears to be in the driver’s seat, despite a few recent domestic setbacks.

As for Biden, it could be a classic case of too little, too late to woo American voters with last-minute optics. The maxim “It’s the economy stupid

” could seal his fate for a second-term in the White House. His historically low approval ratings are an indictment for lording over an economy that’s teetering on the brink, despite his lofty pronouncements of a rosy outlook.

China war party vs. Russia war party

A must watch. -MM

What is the biggest opportunity you, or someone you know, has wasted?

It was 1974 and I was about to graduate from college. My adviser called me into his office. He informed me that I had the top cumulative average in the Business school of Marketing and Advertising at the university. I was shocked as I never expected that (I was sure he would be telling me I needed more credits to graduate.). He then told me that the graduate program had some openings for the upcoming fall semester. He stated that if I applied, I would not only be accepted, but that his department would pay for it. In essense, I could get a masters degree for the cost of books alone.

I was the first person in my family to go to college, much less graduate. Nobody I knew had a masters degree at that time nor did anybody impress upon me the importance of obtaining one. I politely thanked him and stupidly declined, stating I had a job offer to work at the family business. I was tired of studying and simply wanted to get out into the working world.

It was the biggest mistake I ever made. The family ruled with an iron fist and I was prevented from making any meaningful changes there. The products they sold changed with the times and eventually disappeared but the business never changed with it. I could see that it was dying and would not survive much longer. Unfortunately, too many years had lapsed and I was no longer marketable. Masters Degrees were becoming the norm to get a higher level business job and I foolishly had turned down an opportunity to get one.

I ended up returning to college, disillusioned with the business world and secured a teaching degree and, eventually, a master’s degree at my own expense. I found I really liked that job and I am still teaching nearly thirty years later. Had I taken that original offer though, back in 1974, I could have been working for a large corporation, at a much higher salary, with a good retirement plan and a lot more perks. I would have been able to retire with a 401K and turn to teaching as a second career, with a lot more money saved and with a second retirement plan ahead of me.

Fast forward to 2005. My son graduated MIT, first in his class in the school of Mechanical Engineering. He won the Presidential Award and received a similar offer from them to obtain his masters degree. I recounted my story and urged him to take it, which he did. When he was nearly finished, his adviser presented him with a free ride to get his PhD. He was hesitant but I pushed him to accept. He graduated at age 26 and started his first job at six figures.

Never turn down an opportunity for free education. It is time consuming and a lot of work, but the rewards pay back in the form of higher salaries and a better lifestyle.

Simpsons predictions…

What do Taiwanese people think about the Nanking Massacre? Do Taiwanese people hate Japanese like Mainland Chinese people?

When I young in Taiwan, all students must watch a one hour long documentary, Roar of China 中國的怒吼, documentary of all the atrocities of Japanese killing and bombing. Once a year, every year for many years. Attendance was mandatory for all, we had to write essay on the Japanese atrocities. That built a deep hatred towards Japan and Japanese. All Japanese movies and books were banned.

Occasional reports of Taiwan people love Japan and Japanese are wrong. As decades passed, that hatred gradually faded away to lesser degree, but among older Taiwan people, hatred of Japan is constant and in daily conversations.

I no longer hate Japan or Japanese, but I did not forget.

Gonna be more and more common in the USA…

Why didn’t the US give serious support to the Republic of China government in Taiwan to recover mainland China from the Communists in the 1960s and 1970s?

The Korean war.

In the early 1950’s, the United States (fresh from fighting World War II), along with its allies invaded Korea. The stated reasons were “democracy”, “freedom” and “fighting Communism”. Of course. The real reason was to attack and seize China while it was still weak. Then, from that captured territory, place military bases on the Russian Southern flank for an eventual World War 3.

Well, the Korean war was a fiasco. The United States lost bigly.

In fact, the losses were so very horrific, that the retreat became a rout. And the piles of equipment and stockpiles in warehouses had to be bombed remotely, by the sea and the air, to prevent capture. (This is by definition a rout. Remote demolitions of abandoned material is a characteristic of a rout.)

General Douglas MacArthur was so upset and defeated that he demanded that President Truman start using nuclear weapons on China, but Truman refused.

Instead President Truman initiated a multi-decade long campaign of carpet bombing China with bio-weapons. (Which didn’t do much to China, except make it very VERY resilient to bio-weapon attacks.)

This kind of stealth; passive-aggressive, attacking continued for decades. Well into the 1970s.

So when the 1960s rolled around, the United States was busy fighting on China’s Southern borders; Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. All trying to obtain a “toe hold” there. But Chinese-backed Vietnamese forces were putting up a good fight.

You must realize that at that time, with a hostile and unstable SE Asia, and a very VERY pissed off China, the United States was in no way ready to take on China. Because over the decades of covert hostilities, the Chinese grew stronger, and angrier with each passing month.

So in the 1960s and into the 1970s, the United States did not attack China overtly. It’s not that the United States did not want to attack China. It is just that it simply could not. China was a very formidable fighting force, and the anticipated American (and allied) losses would have been enormous.

Tony has some words…

https://youtu.be/uHK30wl_0oo

What does it mean when the Chinese government turned down the request of the US Defense Department for the US and China defense chiefs to meet in Singapore to have discussions in June 2023?

It means that the Chinese are not fools. The United States sanctioned the Chinese defense chief, and if they would meet, that would be in violation of the sanctions.

Who knows what other “dirty tricks” the Biden administration has “up its sleeve”?

But also, and most importantly, nothing productive would come out of the meeting. The United States has proven itself to be two-faced, fork-tongued, lying, scheming, manipulating bastards that have only one goal which is to belittle, and ultimately destroy China.

Why would an American want to move to China?

Different people have different reasons.

I came to China because the Chinese government agreed to support my research and give me opportunity to build a team to pursue solutions for health problems with genomics. I tried again and again through the grant process and VC channels in the US. For grants, if you weren’t part of the group that gets most of the grant money or one of their proteges (“the club”), you weren’t getting a grant. And, if you weren’t 20 something with no experience but full of wild ideas VC funds weren’t interested, they are all looking for the next Zuckerberg or Gates. They didn’t care about sound business plans.

So, I came to China where I was first able to almost immediately raise money from VCs and then after a year the Chinese government agreed to support me, my team and my projects.

China is the land of opportunity for talented scientists. They are putting a lot of money into developing a broad group of technologies of which biotech is one. A key focus of the education system is STEM graduates. So, for me, China was the obvious choice.

Note: I could’ve gotten a job in the US and been paid a very good wage, although I am doing well, especially by Chinese standards, I would’ve made more in the US. But, here I am supported to pursue my passion. And, it is a very good opportunity to experience the culture and the people.

The largest group of American expats here in China are teachers though. In China, teaching is a very well respected profession and the teachers are well compensated with lots of perks. They came here, some for the experience, most for the increased wages and respect that they found they lacked in the US.

Fried Okra with Tomatoes and Onions

Ingredients

2 slices bacon
1 pound sliced okra
1/2 onion, chopped
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Fry bacon crisp. Remove from skillet and drain.
Fry okra in bacon drippings.
Add onion. Cook until tender.
Add tomatoes; stir well.
Add bacon and salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes.

What is the creepiest unexplained event you know of?

In 1989 two hikers who got lost while climbing Mount Asahidake in Daisetsuzan National Park were found when a helicopter saw the distress sign written on the side of the mountain and rescued them.

Great for the two hikers and lucky because this is where the story gets strange. The police in the area were sure the hikers had made the SOS sign that was made by stacking large birch trees on top of each other, the sign was quiet large. When the police questioned the two hikers about their ordeal they swore they knew nothing about the sign. It was just pure luck on their part.

This got the investigators worried because if they didn’t make the signal, who did? This led the police back to the area with a search team to find another potential missing person. After a few hours of searching the area the police discovered human bones with bite marks and fractures from before they died. This is where the story goes from strange to bizarre.

As they continued their search they came across a hole big enough to fit a human. In the hole they found a human skull, four cassette tapes, a tape recorder, some amulets, a backpack, tripod, some men’s shoes, two cameras, a notebook and a drivers licence belonging to Kenji Iwamura, a 25-year-old male office worker.

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Photo of Kenji Iwamura

On one of the tapes was the voice of a man screaming for two and a half minutes. A translation of the man shouting on the recording is as follows:

SOS, help me, I can’t move on the cliff, SOS, help me.
The place is where I first met the helicopter. The sasa [a type of bamboo plant] is deep and you can’t go up. Lift me up from here. The police were sure the bones belonged to the guy on the drivers licence but went sent for testing they came back as belonging to a female between the ages 20–30.

The rest of the tapes included music from the anime TV shows, Macross and Magical Princess Minky Momo In addition, a cut out of artwork of “Magical Princess Minky Momo” was used as a case for the cassette tape. This strange disappearance had the police perplexed.

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The wooden letters of the SOS sign were made by stacking large fallen birch trees, and it was estimated that it took about two days and considerable effort to create such a giant sign. It was speculated that the sign was made by the missing person that the skeleton belonged to, but in the autopsy of the skeleton that was found, who investigators believed was Iwamura, the body was described as thin and weak and that it would have been impossible for him to make the sign on his own.

No axe that would have been used to cut the trees down to make the sign has been found. There is also no record or report of a missing woman that could be connected to Iwamura.

Lx24 – Мокрые губы – 抖音BGM 2023

What was the most “Canadian” thing you’ve ever done or seen someone do?

I saw this video on the internet.

A wild lynx had broken into a farmer’s chicken coop and ate some chicken. (British Columbia, February 2021.)

So what does the farmer do? He corners the lynx, picks it up by the scruff of the neck, and takes it into the coop to show it the damage it has done – all the while scolding the lynx casually in the way that a person would scold a naughty cat who has scratched up a cushion.

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I think it has become a pet now.

Broke into a farmer’s coop, annihilated two chickens, gets a polite scolding and some selfies with the farmer. Only in Canada.

What is the best life advice you would give?

I’m in my 40s, if you’re still in your 20s and 30s read this:

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1. Your 3 most important life choices are:
I) Your spouse
II) Your career
III) Where you’ll live
Therefore, do not rush these decisions. Take your time and think.

2. To get what you want, you have to deserve what you want.
To attract the right people, be the right person.
The world isn’t crazy enough to reward a bunch of undeserving people (Charlie Munger).

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3. Stop listening to what people say and watch what they do.
Words lie, and actions reveal the truth.
It is, therefore, important to listen and keep your eyes wide open.

4. The cowards never started and the weak died along the way.
There’s wisdom in age.

Study things and people who have been around for a long time in:
• Art
• Nature
• Architecture
• Classic books
• Classic movies

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5. Take care of your health.
Have a healthy body:
• Take 10k steps a day
• Be intentional and regular about exercising
• Adopt a high-protein diet
• Take only nutrient-dense food
• Drink 2-3 liters of water daily
• Avoid processed sugar and alcohol

In the long run, it is inevitable that you will have;
• Clear Skin
• A Clear mind
• High energy

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Your mind is your greatest asset.
So walk, write, think, stretch, be in solitude, meditate, and spend time in nature.
Avoid;
• News
• Politics
• Toxic relationships
Stop reacting to everything and instead, be proactive.

6. Attitude and mindset are extremely important.

Poor mentality traits:
• Waiting for motivation to start
• Quitting when the motivation fades
• Doing only what you think is your best

Rich mentality traits:
• Getting motivation after starting
• Showing up every day (no matter what)
• Doing what it takes
So, which one would you choose?

7. It’s not the strongest or smartest who survive, it’s the ones who are most adaptable to the changing environment.
Consistency beats intensity and the compound effect is one of the secrets to success.

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8. Don’t let people push you around, and stand up for the weak.
Fight back against anyone who pushes your boundaries.
Most people will not bother you if they know you’ll retaliate.

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9. Be a mad Scientist.
Life is one big experiment.
So whenever you feel stuck, adapt and try something new.
There are no failures, only experiments that go too long.
And never learn without taking action.

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10. Never play the victim.
Life will test you. It’ll test everyone. So you’re not special.
Learned helplessness is a trap.
Face your problems head-on to build character and resilience.
Instead of thinking about why the problem is happening to you, flip the script and acknowledge that it has already been done and it’s too late to undo it. From there you’ll be aware of the fact that the best thing you can do is move forward.

11. Practice Problem-Solving.
The bigger your problems, the bigger your opportunity.
Be thankful for your problems. God only gives you what you can handle.

12. Take responsibility for everything.
Blaming people or circumstances gives them power over you. Only blame yourself.

13. Find mentors.
Find mentors that are years ahead of you.
Absorb everything they teach you.
Learn from their failures so you don’t have to learn the hard way.
If you can’t find a mentor, read books.

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14. You will be happiest when building:
• Your mind
• Your body
• Your business
• Your family

Learn these skills and never worry about money:
• Selling
• Marketing
• Negotiation
• Copy Trading
• Copywriting
• Critical Thinking
• Creative Creation
• Emotional Intelligence
• Communication

15. Do what is difficult when it is easy.
You’re young, therefore:
• It’s easy to stay fit
• It’s easy to experiment and fail
• It’s easy to be open-minded and learn

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16. Financial freedom unlocks your extreme potential.
You get to experience and express your true self when you know your livelihood isn’t 100% reliant on other outside forces that might be uncontrollable by you. So when you achieve financial independence earlier on in your life, you are going to invest in yourself and believe in yourself regardless, you are going to work out and exercise because you will not be limited by time.

If you’re still employed, don’t be discouraged, just look for ways to make an extra buck and save it gradually till you have what you’d consider enough to get started. In one of my sources of passive income, I got started with just $500 and within a month, I saw immense results.

Growing old while the world decays

When I lived in Boston (actually Milford, MA), I remember an incident. I was sitting at a red light on the East side of town, and watched this little old man (90+ years) go to his office. He looked like he was on “deaths door”; just a short shabbily dressed old man. He hobbled down the sidewalk to this old store front.

The storefront was dusty. Inside the windows were pile and piles of papers, and the windows looked like they haven’t been scrubbed for decades. He produced a key and went in. Then closed the door behind him, turning the “We’re open!” sign on the old fashioned door.

I remember thinking about this older gentleman. Still running his business (whatever it was) in and out through the years. Insurance? Records? Dry cleaning? Attorney? Who knows. But he continued. It was part of his life.

Perhaps it was his responsibilities, and habits that helped him live into his grand old ages. Perhaps it is the idea of a “retirement” that is actually the death-blow to everyone.

We must provide purpose.

We must maintain responsibilities.

We must provide value to continue…

Bizarre Discoveries Found In Unexpected Places

Can US wage a war with China without suffering huge casualties and huge damage in bases like Guam etc and bases circling China and in carriers, fighter planes, subs, destroyers and space assets which are of utmost important to US in every way?

No they cannot. And the US generals know this and that is why they continually advise the politicians against war with China.

When the Pelosi visit happened, the USA pulled back its two carrier groups further away from Chinese Taiwan coastal waters. Now you know they always travel in protective formation for the sake of the carriers. When the Chinese conducted military drills including live missile firing off Taiwan in protest they landed enough missiles on every single position that the carrier group had been in 8 hours previously To the meter. Every single US ship in that group would have been sunk if that had been a real opening of the war. All of the US fleets in those waters would be lost in a real war. The chances of USA not using nukes as retaliation for this is near zero. That means 5 minutes after US nuke launch the Chines missiles would launch and China would take massive casualties. USA would lose Hawaii Guam Wake All the Japanese bases and most of American mainland cities. (There are only 30 US cities with more than 1 million people, so 30 nukes and they are gone) and most of the 100 US bases on home soil.

I suspect North Korea would take out the South Korean bases and cities and maybe even some Japanese along with Alaska. Im pretty sure China cannot or would not touch the US bases in Europe but they can reach all cities in USA with maybe the exception of Florida. . I guess maybe 100–300 million deaths in China and much the same in USA with the loss of all above ground bases on the mainland and in the Pacific. The generals all know this. The politicians dont, or dont care.

I wonder if Russia would take the opportunity to join in and get rid of their biggest warmongering problem altogether. 7000 nukes can make a mess of NATO and mainland USA if they did.

Carolina Hot Dog Chili

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds ground beef
1 large onion (about 1 cup chopped)
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon cider or white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (optional)

Instructions

Place the beef, onion and 2 cups of water in a Dutch oven or soup pot over high heat. Bring to the water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and stir to begin breaking up the meat.
Add the tomato paste, ketchup, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper, if using. Stir well until the tomato paste and ketchup are dissolved and the meat is mostly broken up.
Continue to cook at a simmer, stirring about every 5 minutes, about 15 minutes. As the chili thickens, you may need to reduce the heat to medium-low or low so it doesn’t stick. Refrigerate, covered, up to 2 days, or freeze in small freezer bags for up to 6 months.
Thaw or reheat in a microwave, stirring often.

If you want a finer texture, you can cool the chili at least 20 minutes and process in a blender or food processor for 30 to 45 seconds.

Approximate nutritional values per 2-tablespoon serving: 55 calories; 3 grams protein; 3 grams carbohydrate; 4 grams fat (58% calories from fat); 12 milligrams cholesterol; 0 fiber; 174 milligrams sodium

IMPOSSIBLE Places People Were Found

Hongkong media SCMP has tracked the number of US warplanes/warships at China’s door-step.

1,200 times in 2022 ! If this is not deliberate provocation & fight-picking by USA, what is it? Who is aggressive?

The key word here is : DOOR-STEP

Door-step in this article means outside your property line. Not inside.

Let say I walk at your door-step. On the street which is a public area. I have not entered your property line.

I carry something that looks like a rifle to you. Bullet-proof vest & helmet.

I have a track record that I made trouble for other households in the society.

How will you react to my appearance at your door-step if it is daily?

Now …

Let’s replace “I” with “USA”. “my rifle” with “US warplanes/warships”. “me at your door-step” with “USA at the door-step of China”.

Remember I am outside your property line. Same for US warplanes/warships outside China’s borderline according to UNCLOS.

Also, now replace “my daily” with “USA’s 1,200 times”

How will you react to my appearance at your door-step, daily?

If this is not DELIBERATE provocation & picking fights, what is it?

Minding one’s own business?
Assisting in keeping the region free of pirates?
Being there to help ships in distress during storms?

There is police/law to stop my malicious action towards you. If there is not, will you do everything to protect your family?

There is ICC & UN laws eg Non-Innocent Passage as I said in other articles. But ICC is believed to be “controlled” by USA. USA was not charged for war crime in the 2003 Iraq war.

Hence China must protect itself.

Now USA scolds CHINA BEING AGGRESSIVE ???

Only a bully or mafia is that unreasonable.

OK, so now replace “my freedom to walk on public street” with “US freedom of navigation”

Only a bully or mafia will turn the logic upside down & conveniently use Freedom as god.

It is this type of twisted logic that USA justified their action to instigate riots/coups/wars in the world 82 out of 100 times, since WW2. Causing millions of deaths & human suffering.

We must ask :

Why USA instigated riots/wars in Middle East for the past 20 years. OIL.
What about China? Rise of China that, in US words, threatens US status on world stage.

China works hard to better itself & thus achieves a lots. IMF said China contributes 30% of world GDP.

Am I not allowed to get A+ in my exam just because you get F- in yours?

Only sore losers have the type of mentality to contain others.

Search Quora for a question:

What is Innocent Passage under UNCLOS ?

Woman Dies During Stroke; Shown Past Lives & Life’s Purpose During NDE

“If you ignore the lessons, they’ll keep throwing them at you.”

No Collapse Is the Real Dystopia

Still waiting for the Big Collapse

Robert Stark • June 10, 2023

So far the 2020s seem more chaotic than previous decades. Based upon current events, economic and sociological data, and looking at historical cycles like the 4^th turning theory and Peter Turchin’s research, it looks like there will be a major historical crisis this decade.

In contrast, the 2010s felt very stagnant, despite the recession at the beginning of the decade, and political movements such as Occupy Wall Street, nationalism and populism in Europe, the Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders movements, and the beginning of the Great Awokening.

Looking specifically at years, 2016 was a turning point with the election of Trump, 2017 was somewhat chaotic with political strife between antifa and the alt-right, then both 2018 and 2019 felt very stagnant.

Obviously 2020 was a chaotic year with the pandemic, as well as the BLM riots and acceleration in woke politics and cancel culture, with certain moments feeling apocalyptic. However, with the exception of Jan6th, 2021 was another stagnant year, with covid easing and the peak of the stimulus bubble and market euphoria.

Also in 2021, the right was totally demoralized and cancel culture had become the new normal. There was some return to chaos in 2022, with the onset of inflation and the Ukraine war. While this year has seen a banking crisis, dept default scare, migrant crisis, more political turmoil such as the inditement of Trump, and increased political instability overseas, overall things feel stagnant again, or perhaps a calm before the storm.

The perma bulls just won’t give up

It initially seemed that the Silicon Valley Bank crash would put an end to copes about economic recovery.

Despite recent fear of a debt default, major vulnerabilities in the financial system, higher interest rates, unprecedented levels of debt, sticky inflation, and the worst yield curve inversion in over 30 years, there is still a lot of bullish propaganda.

For instance talk of a mild recession, soft landing, a new bull market, and that we may have even dodged a recession altogether.

The bulls’ basis for optimism is a combination of the debt ceiling deal, official unemployment stats still being low, a slight dip in inflation, and hope for a pause in Fed rate hikes.

Not to mention the new cope of an AI boom saving the economy and ushering in a new bull market, which is just creating another bubble in stocks, on top of the existing super bubble.

This propaganda is in line with Janet Yellen’s infamous statement that we will never have another financial crisis again in our lifetime, the arrogance that the system is perfected to withstand collapse.

The cringiest bull take so far, is that the economy is doing great because of the exorbitant prices for Taylor Swift concert tickets, as obviously there are many affluent girls who use Daddy’s credit card to buy tickets.

If anything this just further shows the scope of the debt bubble, and high levels of income inequality.

The current vibes remind me a lot of January’s bullishness before the banking crash, though we will probably see some repeat of cycles of coming close to the imminent crash, followed by more copes of a recovery, before the inevitable big crash.

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Source

While bears have been vindicated, looking at the overall trajectory of the economy, there have been times over the past few years, when bears appeared wrong or overshot their predictions about the severity of an impending crisis.

For starters, expecting that covid would cause a depression, which did not anticipate stimulus propping up the economy, at least for the time being.

There was also concern, including from the mainstream media, that the Ukraine war was going to cause a global famine, the worst in modern history, by last fall.

However, there was a successful deal, negotiated by Turkey between Russia and Ukraine, to allow the safe shipments of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.

The question is whether a prolonged conflict, delaying Ukraine’s planting season, will mean a global famine within the next few years.

There were also expectations that Europe would have a catastrophic energy crisis last winter, which also did not pan out.

Even Russia limiting oil production did not spike oil prices as high as anticipated. Europe lucked out by having a mild winter, and enough petrol and natural gas saved up in their reserves, and extra help from America, as Biden depleted America’s strategic petrol reserves.

Overall it was a combination of certain supply chain issues getting resolved from the pandemic and war, but also a decline in global demand, and just kicking the can down the road.

In order to have a healthier economy, it is necessary for super bubbles to pop, and a similar case can be made for social and political ills.

Since the pandemic mostly exacerbated the worst trends of the 2010s, such as social atomization, the mental health crisis, the sex recession, income inequality, the establishment consolidating power, cancel culture, cultural decay, and overall cringe, the question is whether a severe economic collapse would clear out societal bullshit or just make these problems worse.

An economic soft landing or stagnation scenario would likely exacerbate the worst existing trends, so I totally get the doomers and accelerationists who cheer on the collapse.

However, dissidents, who are often in despair, or feel that the current system is stacked against them, have this fantasy cope, that when the big collapse occurs, either they or their ingroup will do better or be liberated from systems of oppression, which is incredibly naïve. Dissidents have no institutional power and this doomer mentality is very passive, primarily fulfilling a psychological need. If one’s life and inner psyche is in chaos, one tends to want to see the cold indifferent society around them collapse as well.

Doomers rely upon this fantasy that one external shock to the system, or Black Swan event, will cause the entire system to come crashing down like a house of cards, but the system has shown itself to be much more resilient than that.

California shows that a one party liberal hegemonic system can last much longer than one would think, though it has been sustained by Silicon Valley revenue, and the exodus of the middle class acting as a safety valve for discontent. The financial propagandists who talk of a soft landing are partially correct, in that it is a soft landing or no recession for those at the top.

In fact, America is working great for the people who run it, but not for those with no power and influence.

The incoming severe recession may just mean more urban blight, homeless encampments, increased deaths of despair, and widening income inequality, but not necessarily a collapse of institutional power.

Anonymous 4chan post from 2013

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The prophet of despair, Michel Houellebecq, has been totally vindicated in his prediction from the beginning of the pandemic that post pandemic life would be “the same but worse.”

Collapses are often gradual and not overnight, and not necessarily a Mad Max scenario, but rather collapse just means a lower quality of life for most people. This is even true for third world nations that have collapsed, like Sri Lanka, or with the current high levels of inflation in Turkey and Argentina.

“The nightmare is not the “collapse.” The nightmare is that they pull off the End of History, and things just gradually get worse – more crime, more poverty, more degeneracy, fewer services, and a population incapable of anything other than demanding larger doses of the poison,” tweets VDARE’s James Kirkpatrick.

Basically a gradual decline in people’s quality of life or a frog in the boiling pan scenario, where people just get used to degradation, and may never actually reach that breaking point but rather merely adjust their expectations and standards.

Dissidents rely upon this fantasy of the masses awakening and rebellion, but with lower wages and higher unemployment, there is just greater leverage to those in power and less to the people.

The political elite must factor in that some type of economic crash means that people will be desperate enough to work for little or nothing and give up their freedoms and autonomy.

The question is whether Americans, especially middle class Whites, can psychologically handle the decline and transition to a post-American order?

Federal Reserve Chart of change in Foreign Exchange Reserves

Source

A probable scenario is where the US economy has a quasi-soft landing but at the expense of the rest of the world, by abusing the reserve currency to export inflation abroad.

For instance, nations being forced to play catch up with the Fed’s rate hikes in order to save their currencies.

This will accelerate the migrant crisis and increase resentment against America, with the potential for retaliation against the dollar.

America would go into a depression, if it lost its reserve currency status, but the dollar still dominates foreign exchange reserves, with no clear competitor.

On a similar note, an AI boom could turn the economy around after the recession, perhaps even a period of rapid economic expansion, but would also exacerbate income inequality and gradually erode the value of labor.

While there will likely not be a debt default anytime soon, the main danger now is the Treasury being forced to sell treasury bills and bonds, which would drain liquidity in the financial markets, thus exacerbating the banking crisis, push commercial real estate over the edge, and cause a pension solvency crisis.

Not to mention, exacerbating the financial trap that the Fed is in, where if the Fed pivots or bails out the banks, inflation resurges, but if rates are kept high, there will be a liquidity and debt default crisis.

Whether this will be the financial event that causes the big crash is hard to say.

Overall, the main vulnerability in the economy is the sheer levels of debt, both public and private, in which the response will likely be inflating the dollar to pay off massive debts.

The crash has taken much longer than anticipated, like watching paint dry, and I am done trying to guess when this mega crash will occur.

Generally I take the view that the economic bubble is just being propped up further, and that the inevitable is being delaying, which will lead to a much worse economic crisis.

However, what if this is all part of a successful managed decline, or manufactured stability, which is really depressing and demoralizing.

America is in decline but it is a stretch to say collapse, but rather a long term multidecade process, a slow motion decay, analogous to Rome’s decline as a late stage empire, which took a very long period of time to fall. America has both advantages over other nations and major vulnerabilities.

(Republished from Substack by permission of author or representative)

People are being killed over this – UFO whistleblowers EXPOSE the deep state agenda

US Attempts ’Divide and Conquer’ Strategy Against BRICS

Pepe Escobar • June 12, 2023

Something extraordinary, at least on the surface, happened on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore earlier this month – a somewhat pompous affair self-described as “Asia’s premier defense summit”.

Intel heads of 24 nations met in de facto semi-secrecy, because in the end the event was duly leaked (Western spin qualified it as an “informal” meeting).

Among the 24, the real deal comprised the US and all the other Five Eyes, plus representatives of two BRICS members, China and India. All the others were not identified with certainty or preferred to remain anonymous – presumably due to their “hanger on” status.

Crucially, key BRICS member Russia was not represented.

Reuters swore the information about the not-so-secret gathering came from five different – unnamed – sources. A Southeast Asian diplomat independently confirmed the presence of the Five Eyes, China, India and Singapore – and that was it.

The de facto sponsor of the meeting was Singapore’s Ministry of Defense.

Things gets curioser and curioser when we examine the leak a bit closer. So many sources basically corroborating each other point to a concerted spin – practically on an official level. If this was meant to be really secret, as in the past, that would have been the case, with every involved lip conveniently sealed. So why leak it?

Washington’s Divide and Conquer Strategy

Such spy vs. spy meetings, historically, take ages to prepare, especially one involving 24 nations and featuring superpower rivals US and China. That implies countless qualified sherpas redacting documents; very complicated logistics; an ultra-secure environment; and an extremely detailed script covering every intervention.

All of that must have been discussed in excruciating detail for months, side by side with putting together the larger agenda for the Shangri-La Dialogue: and all the while there were no leaks.

And then what was leaked, after the meeting, was just that it happened. With only selected participating players fully identified.

There’s absolutely nothing on substance.

It beggars belief that the Five Eyes would openly discuss Western security fears and/or procedures openly with the Chinese, not to mention the other minor hangers-on. After all the Beijing leadership is fully aware the US-UK is engaged in full hybrid war against China, with the Five Eyes and containment mechanisms such as Quad and AUKUS in tow.

The main reason for the leak is a dead giveaway when we see what US Think Tankland is spinning: the US was talking security with China and India behind Russia’s back.

Translation: the US is trying to undermine the BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) from the inside.

This is purely wishful thinking – because no one knows anything about the substance of the discussions. The meat of the matter was not leaked on purpose.

The dead giveaway about the leak being engineered to undermine the BRICS – at least in the Western public sphere – would have to come from the usual suspects themselves: US think tanks, inserted in what the indispensable Ray McGovern, a former CIA analyst, christened as MICIMATT (Military-Industrial-Congressional-Intelligence-Media-Academia-Think Tank complex).

The chairman of the Eurasia Group laid it all out in detail: US foreign policy needs essentially to deploy the whole arsenal of Hybrid War techniques to seduce, coerce or subdue 6 so-called “swing states” in the geopolitical arena: Brazil, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Turkiye.

It’s no accident three of these are BRICS members (Brazil, India, South Africa) and the other three (Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye) are prime candidates to the inevitable expansion, BRICS+, already being discussed and about to get started during the upcoming BRICS summit in August in South Africa.

The American tactics remain predictable: classic Divide and Rule; attempts to undermine BRICS from the inside via P.R. operations and a vast 5th brigade; and if all goes wrong, attempts at color revolution and regime change.

Recently, the tactics miserably failed against both Turkiye and Saudi Arabia, and are also failing in terms of provoking mischief within the key RICs trio (Russia-India-China).

Growing Signs of US Desperation

The leak was, once again, shadow play: an extra layer of fog of war – and related to an ongoing war. It’s quite intriguing the “secret” gambit took place right before the green light from the usual suspects for Kiev to bomb the Kakhovskaya dam, and the de facto start of the spun-to-death Ukrainian “counter offensive.”

To have DNI head Avril Haines and her Beijing counterpart Chen Wixin discussing this on the same table is as far-fetched as it comes.

A more realistic scenario would have China and India on the same table discussing their intractable border issues. But they don’t need to go to Singapore to do that; they do it in the framework of the SCO, of which both are members, with Russia playing a mediator role.

US Think Tankland/MICIMATT spinning, predictably masquerading as political analysis, never reaches beyond the level of guesswork: they assume that China was discussing security with the superpower that really matters – the US – while ditching their comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia.

Nonsense strikes again: top security issues concerning both are discussed at the highest level, for instance during the recent visit to Moscow by China’s Minister of Defense Li Shangfu, complete with a personal encounter with Putin.

Even without any input on the substance of the meeting, it’s fair to consider all about the leak that points to Ukraine.

The American intel narrative would go something like this: we need an exit strategy, badly, immediately. So let’s get Chinese intel to convince the Russians to freeze the battlefield as it stands – a ceasefire of sorts. Then we can re-weaponize Kiev and have another go at it later on.

Anyone following Russia-China high-level interaction these past few months knows this is – once again – nonsense. Beijing may have its 12-point plan for peace – which Moscow respects. But facts on the ground, imposed by US/NATO hubris, have engineered a major game-changer.

And then there’s the really fundamental question: when and how Russia will decide to cross the Dnepr. Only after that Moscow will be willing to discuss any possible “peace”, and only under its own terms.

At the same time, both Moscow and Beijing are fully aware that the proxy US/NATO war in Ukraine against Russia is a rehearsal inbuilt in the ongoing Chronicle of a War Announced: the real one, up next, against China, with Taiwan as pretext.

To believe that Chinese intel would willingly bend to the whims of the Five Eyes because they feel China is in a precarious geopolitical position does not even qualify as laughable. And yet that’s also inbuilt in US Think Thankland spin.

It’s as laughable as the Beltway narrative, imposed 24/7, of “China threatening war over Taiwan” when it’s the Hegemon that is using Taiwan as a remixed Ukraine, forcing Beijing to lose its Taoist patience.

So in the end what really stands out in this spy vs. spy saga? Not much. Except yet another whiff of Hegemon desperation.

(Republished from Sputnik International by permission of author or representative)

JOHN TITOR: Time traveler, soldier, savior

Will China go bankrupt if it is no longer able to sell to the US market?

Nope.

People often think that China is extremely, extremely dependent on manufacturing goods and exporting to other countries.

Actually, China’s services sector is already bigger than its industrial sector. Furthermore, manufacturing is only one of three components in its industrial sector (the other two being construction and mining).

In addition, the biggest market for Chinese goods is actually China itself. Which also happens to be the biggest consumer market in the world.

Finally, it’s worth noting that while the USA is the biggest importer of Chinese goods, what the USA imports is only about the amount purchased by Hong Kong, Japan and Korea each year.

Meanwhile, there are still 120+ other countries that buy more goods from China, than any other country on earth.

To summarise, China doesn’t just manufacture & sell goods for a living. That isn’t even its main thing. Furthermore, while the USA is its biggest customer, the USA is still just one customer, out of MANY customers.

Egypt Shocking Announcement Joining BRICS: What It Means for the World Economics

https://youtu.be/w-92OEYxqMc

Amid U.S. “de-risking” rhetoric, world relies more on China’s exports — SCMP

Amid so-called “de-risking” rhetoric led by the United States, as the world relies more on China’s exports, China is learning to rely more on itself, reported the South China Morning Post. So far, Washington’s actions have little to show for results.

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According to official U.S. data, the United States’ merchandise trade deficit with China was larger last year than when former President Donald Trump took office, and the overall trade deficit is at a record high.

Moreover, U.S. imports of manufactured goods have not moderated, with import penetration rising to 34 percent from 31 percent in 2017, the article said.

There has been a dramatic decline in China’s importance to U.S. trade, but China’s exports to the world have risen to record highs in recent years.

China has moved on from being largely an assembler of imported components to a manufacturer of sophisticated products, which has made China more self-sufficient.

12 ALIEN CRAFT In US Custody, Intel Confirms; One Source Claims PILOT Found: Michael Shellenberger

Why did Dell publicly announce their decision to move all their production out of China and stop using chips made in China by 2024, leading to a 45.1% fall in sales in that market, when they formerly were one of the top ranking brands in sales?

Ah!!!

Other way round

Dells announcement came after their market share fell in China

It’s simple

Dell doesn’t have a good market in China anymore

It’s sinking by the day

When I visited the previous time, i wentto the malls to see the laptops and saw a lot of Dell, IBM & HP Laptops dominating in every showroom and shop

This time I saw only Realme, Xiaomi, Redmi, Honor (Huawei) laptops selling like hot cakes with only Apple selling at the same demand

Nobody is buying Dell in China anymore

So Dell will move out of China because they lost the huge Chinese market

They have no chance in US except with high level IT infrastructure where IBM dominates the market or laptops where Apple is the king

Like Samsung

Dell will come to India and hope to make India a cornerstone market because Dell is our leading laptop and our Domestic laptops are a big disaster to date

Kenya Drops The U.S. Dollar

Should the US enter into a Cold War with China?

US still mired in a Cold War mindset, but tide is turning

At his long-awaited face-to-face G20 meeting with President Xi Jinping, US President Joe Biden reaffirmed that notwithstanding vigorous competition, mutual conflict must be avoided. He cited the need for cooperation in a range of transnational challenges, including climate change, debt relief, health security, and global food security.

According to Chinese press reports, Biden doubled down on earlier pledges of nonconfrontation to encompass “five no’s” and “four no-intents” — no seeking of regime change; no new Cold War; no ganging up against China; no support for “Taiwan independence”; no support for “two Chinas”; no intention of conflict with China; no intention to decouple from China; no intention to hinder China’s economic development; and no intention to contain China.

However, these nine specific pledges do NOT appear in the relevant Washington readout. Rhetoric and diplomatic niceties aside, anti-China hype, postures and measures are likely to persist, fueled by strong bipartisan consensus of a systemic “China threat” echoed by a “hegemonic coalition” of America’s closest Western allies.

I experienced this continuing anti-China blowback firsthand as a sponsored speaker during a recent international conference, From Crises to Crises: Towards a New World Order — MEDays 2022 — held in Tangier, Morocco, from Nov 2-5. My three American co-panelists, all senior foreign policy advisers across the aisle, seemed to sing from the same robust anti-China hymn book.

I commenced by saying that I didn’t see how constantly antagonizing a targeted adversary can be regarded as a strategy.

I pointed out that all decoupling, sanctions, tariffs, denial of key technology access, and corralling Western allies to suppress China do not seem to have yielded meaningful outcomes.

With Ukraine-war disruptions and a faltering global economy, they have backfired on the United States (and the rest of the world), necessitating unprecedented serial interest-rate hikes to curb rising inflation.

With the possible exception of some of America’s closest allies in the so-called Five Eyes alliance, many countries do not wish to be forced to take sides, as China has become the largest trading partner to 128 out of 190 nations across the globe.

China’s centrality to the global supply and value chain is particularly prominent in the world’s largest trading bloc (accounting for one-third of the global economy and one-third of the world’s population), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which comprises the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as well as their principal trading partners — Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Singapore.

I also pointed out that the Chinese government, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, has been successfully winning the highest support and trust of the vast majority of the Chinese people, multiple rankings above many other Western democracies, including the US, according to the most recent comparative studies conducted by the Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center and the Edelman Trust Barometer.

Although I didn’t have the time to go into the details, the Edelman findings show that China is the biggest people’s trust winner in this year’s survey, thanks to the decisive action taken to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic within the nation and a rising pride in China’s global gravitas despite escalating US tensions.

I contrasted the legitimacy between China’s CPC-led system and Western adversarial democracies. The all-time CPC imperative is to bring about much better lives for people across the whole nation, while adversarial democracies tend to focus on vested interests and voters supporting the winning political party in every election cycle.

As for alleged “technology theft”, I mentioned the example of China’s success in building its own space station from scratch. China had also succeeded in landing a robotic probe at the back of the moon ahead of all other nations.

I said that despite substantial advancement, China has neither the intention nor the full military, financial and monetary capability to supplant the US as a world hegemon.

As is clear from the CPC’s 20th National Congress, what China is seeking is to realize the “China Dream” of national renaissance by 2049 — the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China — to reestablish China’s historic place in the sun, so to speak.

I admitted there have been substantial US-China disagreements and concerns. But building a bridge with a multitrack dialogue would be more productive than constructing fences and barriers.

How China responds to what President Xi calls a world “crossroads” amid “momentous changes unseen in a century” is embedded in his speeches at the 17th G20 summit in Bali (Nov 15-16) and at the APEC CEO summit in Bangkok (Nov 17), as well as in Premier Li Keqiang’s speech at the 25th China-ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh (Nov 11).

Xi outlined a clear vision for an “Asia-Pacific community with a shared future”. The region is “no one’s backyard”, nor should it become “an arena for big power contest”. It should embrace “openness and inclusiveness”, guided by “diversity and nondiscrimination”, enabling “win-win cooperation” and “regional economic integration” free from any supply-chain disruption or dismantling.

Rejecting a “Cold War mentality” and “bloc confrontation”, Xi puts forth the idea of “common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security” in a “Global Security Initiative” based on the United Nations Charter.

Specifically, Xi proposes building a “free trade area of the Asia-Pacific”, including reform of the World Trade Organization, better alignment among the RCEP, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement,

For the world at large, Xi stresses that “drawing ideological lines or promoting group politics and bloc confrontation will only divide the world, and hinder global development and human progress”. He espouses a Global Development Initiative, under which more than 60 countries have joined a GDI Group of Friends.

China has established the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, and will increase its funding for the China-UN Peace and Development Fund, in furtherance of the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Xi refers to China’s submission of 15 projects to the G20 Action for Strong and Inclusive Recovery, working with G20 members on delivery.

Opposing the politicization of food and energy issues, the president points to China’s joint Initiative of International Cooperation on Resilient and Stable Industrial and Supply Chains, the Global Clean Energy Cooperation Partnership, and the International Cooperation Initiative on Global Food Security in the G20.

It’s clear that under President Xi’s leadership, China is proactive in taking on a much larger role to help build a better world in a “community of common destiny”, bound together by global challenges like climate change, pandemics, food and water security, terrorism and development bottlenecks. This should be welcome.

The pivotal question is whether the US, as the world’s leading superpower, can rise beyond “American exceptionalism” and a zero-sum, “win-lose” mindset.

For decades, the CPC has been consistently misunderstood, misjudged and misrepresented, if not thoroughly demonized, by the West, including some of the most respected authors, broadsheets, think tanks, journals and other media outlets.

The so-called “China threat” is reaching a crescendo, portraying the US-China rivalry as a “life-or-death” contest between “democracy and autocracy”. This can be seen in tomes like The Hundred-Year Marathon: China’s Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower (2015), The Return of Great Power Rivalry (2020), and Danger Zone: The Coming Conflict with China (2022). According to the Washington-based Pew Research Center, unfavorable views on China are reaching historic highs in many countries.

Rhetoric aside, Biden’s assurances at his three-hour-long meeting with Xi in Bali focused on guardrails rather than blue-sky thinking. The upcoming 2024 US presidential election and the election for Taiwan’s leader are also likely to politicize issues prone to upsetting the apple cart, though not necessarily resulting in war. I’m, therefore, not overoptimistic about a lasting breakthrough in US-China relations.

However, according to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development calculations, developing countries will account for nearly 60 percent of the world’s GDP on a purchasing-power parity basis by 2030. More are becoming confident enough to exert their national interests, individually or collectively, in defiance of hegemonic strong-arm tactics. OPEC’s recent refusal to expand oil production on the US’ say-so is a case in point. More are likely to have China as the largest trading partner and to welcome a more-inclusive world order not drawn on ideological lines, as espoused by Xi.

As the pandemic recedes and as its economy resumes running on all cylinders, China is likely to be on track to become the world’s largest economy in nominal terms, perhaps by the early 2030s, and a strong, more-advanced socialist economy by 2035 as planned, thanks to rising productivity (despite worsening demographics) driven by robotics and a digitized economy, technological innovation, high-speed-rail-connected supercharged urbanization, and a rapidly expanded middle class of some 800 million by 2035.

If China could manage to bust the West’s allegations concerning trade, intellectual property and human rights “transgressions”, Xi’s panoply of concrete ideas, initiatives and proposals for a global community of common destiny are likely to gain faster traction and momentum, regaining for China its rightful place in the sun as the “China Dream” of national renaissance is eventually realized.

China Will Protect Taiwan “At ANY Costs”

https://youtu.be/9tzlT0VPwpE

On The Failure Of The Ukrainian Counterattack

On June 4/5 the Ukrainian military launched its long announced counteroffensive in southeast Ukraine. Ten days later there is no significant progress.

biggerThis is not the outcome the war propagandists expected:

[General Petreus] spoke about the situation in Ukraine to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.On the counteroffensive, he said:

I think that this counteroffensive is going to be very impressive.

My sense is that they will achieve combined arms effects in other words, they will successfully carry out combined arms operations where you have engineers that are breaching the obstacles and diffusing the minefields and so forth; armour following right on through protected by infantry against anti-tank missiles; air defence keeping the Russians aircraft off them; electronic warfare jamming their radio networks; logistics right up behind them; artillery and mortars right out in front of them.

And most important of all … is that as the lead elements inevitably culminate after 72-96 hours, physically that’s about as far as you can go, and they’ll have taken losses … you have follow-on units that will push right on through and capitalise on the progress and maintain the momentum and I think that can get the entire Russian defence in that area moving, then I think you have other opportunities that will open up on the flanks as well.

Back in reality the lead elements of the Ukrainian attack got slaughtered. They ‘culminated’, i.e. lost their ability for further attacks, in less than a day:

The men of Ukraine’s 37th Brigade were freshly trained and armed with Western-supplied weapons, tasked with an initial push through Russian-occupied territory in the early days of a long-awaited counteroffensive.They would pay a heavy price.

Within 20 minutes of their June 5 advance south of Velyka Novosilka, in the southeast Donetsk region, mortars exploded all around them, soldiers said. A 30-year-old soldier known as Lumberjack saw two of the men in his vehicle bleeding heavily; one lost an arm as he cried out for his family. Lumberjack crawled into a crater, but the shrapnel from a mortar went through the soil and pierced his shoulder.

“We were left there in the field, without tanks or heavy armor,” said Lumberjack, who spoke to The Washington Post on the condition that he be identified only by his call sign because he was not authorized to discuss the battle. “We were shelled with mortars from three sides. We couldn’t do anything.”

There were fewer than 50 men in the unit, he said, and 30 did not return — they were killed, wounded or captured by the enemy. Five of the unit’s armored vehicles were destroyed within the first hour.

Whoever trained those units made grave mistakes:

For the first hour and a half of the 37th’s assault near Velyka Novosilka, the Russians bombarded the unit with nonstop shelling that penetrated their AMX-10 RC armored vehicles, according to Grey, another soldier in the battalion who spoke on the condition that he be identified only by his call sign. The armored vehicles, sometimes called “light tanks,” were not heavy enough to protect the soldiers, Grey said, and had to be positioned behind them instead of in front.

The AMX-10 isn’t a tank and can not be used as one. It is a wheeled light reconnaissance vehicle built by France 50 years ago to dominate insurgents in its former African colonies. One of its main features is to have a good speed when in reverse gear. This to bail out as soon as serious counter forces are detected.

The Ukrainian counterattack is now stuck in the Russian defense security zone, miles away from the real defense lines. This was predictable.

As the U.S. Field Manual 100-2-1 described the Soviet army in defense (pg 93ff):

When the defense is established before contact with the enemy, the Soviets establish a security echelon up to 15 kilometers forward of the main defensive area. The elements which make up the security echelon come from the division’s second echelon. A security force of up to battalion size may be deployed in front of each first echelon regiment.A detailed and coordinated fire plan is developed. Weapons are positioned so that the maximum amount of fire can be brought to bear directly in front of the [Forward Edge of the Battle Area]. Enemy penetrations are blunted by shifting artillery fire and by conducting counterattacks.

biggerThe Ukrainian army used at least four brigades for its attack. At least two of those were from the 12 brigade reserve that had been built up for the counterattack. With losses of some 30% those involved were seriously mauled for little to no gain:

The Russians are trying to inflict as many casualties and destroy as many vehicles as possible in a battle zone ahead of the main defensive line, depleting Ukrainian forces before they reach it. In effect, it turns the area in front of the main defense line into a kill zone.
…
If the Russian strategy proves effective, Ukraine could lose too many of its newly trained troops — which number in the tens of thousands — and too many tanks and infantry fighting vehicles to breach the main line.Even if they get that far, the forces might be too weakened to stream south and help accomplish a major objective: severing the so-called land bridge that connects Russia to the occupied Crimean Peninsula. This would be done by reaching the Sea of Azov, about 60 miles away.

The Ukrainian forces were obviously not trained for this. They also attacked in too many places. The map at the top shows attack arrows in 7 places and four main directions. One or two attack directions, with more concentrated forces, might have created better results.

The Russian President Putin recently described the Ukrainian casualties:

I will not give the number of personnel losses. I will let the Defence Ministry do it after it runs the numbers, but the structure of losses is unfavourable for them as well. What I mean to say is that of all personnel losses – and they are approaching a number that can be called catastrophic – the structure of these losses is unfavourable for them. Because as we know, losses can be sanitary or irretrievable. Usually, I am afraid I may be off a little, but irretrievable losses are around 25 percent, maximum 30 percent while their losses are almost 50/50. This is my first point.Second, if we look at irretrievable losses, clearly, the defending side suffers fewer losses, but this ratio of 1 to 10 is in our favour. Our losses are one-tenth of the losses of the Ukrainian forces.

Since the start of the counterattack the Russian daily report has listed a total of some 10,500 Ukrainian casualties.

A second large attempt to cross the Forward Edge of the Battle Area (FEBA) with the remaining Ukrainian forces is expected, but is unlikely to have a better outcome. The long promoted Ukrainian counterattack is likely to end with high Ukrainian losses and no gains.

This then will soon become a huge political problem:

As he heads into next year’s reelection campaign, Biden needs a major battlefield victory to show that his unqualified support for Ukraine has burnished U.S. global leadership, reinvigorated a strong foreign policy with bipartisan support and demonstrated the prudent use of American military strength abroad.
…
A muddled outcome of limited gains in Ukraine would provide grist for all of those critiques and further cloud the already murky waters of NATO and European Union debate over future posture toward both Ukraine and Russia. A less than “overwhelming” success would probably also increase pressure in the West to push Kyiv to negotiate a territorial settlement that may not be to its liking.

There is little the Biden administration can do to change the grim picture. Congress will likely prevent it from openly using the U.S. military in Ukraine. The European NATO allies have now seen what the Russian army can do to its enemies. They will not be eager to see the same done to their own troops.

That leaves negotiations as the only way out.

The question for Russia is when and with whom. Talks with only Ukraine, a mere U.S. proxy with no real say, would be insufficient. It is the U.S. government that must agree to a new security architecture in Europe. The Russian conditions for peace will be harsh and it will still take a lot of time, and many dead Ukrainians, until the U.S. agrees to them.

Posted by b on June 16, 2023 at 14:47 UTC | Permalink

Chinese says 24 hypersonic anti-ship missile will sink #USSGeraldRFord carrier fleet

What are some of the reasons why China would never start a full-scale military conflict with the United States, even though they have a military advantage over us?

There are many reasons.

[1] China is a peaceful nation. It considers war to be the absolute result of failure to resolve differences. And, China, being a merit driven nation, avoid failure at all costs.

[2] China has no need to fight the United States. There is nothing the United States has that China wants. This aspect of reality is at odds with the American narrative, but seriously trade with the United States is trivial, and what ever technologies that remain in the United States is not exclusive. China has “work-arounds”. The idea that “China would collapse without the United States” is a trope that feeds a proportion of the most ignorant of Americans.

[3] China is doing quite well right now. There is no need to change the status quo one way or the other. China is content to leave things stay as they are.

Of course, these reasons are pretty basic.

There is ONE REASON why China actually WOULD start a full-scale military conflict with the United States. This is the one and only reason. That is if China is attacked.

To avoid being attacked, China has clearly explained to the United States what an attack entails. That way there is no ambiguity. China might be many things, but when it need to be blunt, it spells out its position clearly.

For those who cannot read Chinese, or cannot find the English versions, here is a quick summary…

Shooting, attacking, killing, wounding or harming China or the Chinese people.

I know, I know, that American neocons like Tom Cotton, and Mike Pompeo believe that this is a trivial and silly reason, and that China “would never” respond to an American attack with military force. But, aside from those ideological fanatics, China is quite clear that bombing Taiwan, shooting at Chinese vessels or planes (as of this writing) would result in catastrophic war.

China has also created clear “trip wires” that would automatically trigger a military action. These “trip wires” are often called “red lines”, and they function as a clear delineation of action for the PLA forces.

Supporting or assisting anti-Chinese terrorist and separatist actions.
Placement of offensive weapons inside of Taiwan.
Invading Chinese air space, land or operational regions.

Overall, the Chinese “trip wires” are identical to American versions. And for the longest time, a calm status quo has been maintained, but the 2022 collapse of the American society, and the raging incompetence of the American government has created a domestic need to acquire a scapegoat, and that has become China.

We can hope that the United States focuses inward on the multitude of domestic problems that are symptomatic of the ruins of American society, but my personal opinion is that it will take decades, and a major restructuring of the very structure of the United States government.

Meanwhile, China will continue to avoid conflict to the point whereas it must engage the United States militarily. And then, when this sad failure in diplomacy occurs, China will go VERY, VERY HOT militarily.

ONE FINAL NOTE

China has already ascertained that China and the United States are in a war. As such, China has already developed a Casus Belli in support of it. China has already made the necessary arrangements and have coordinated with Russia as well as numerous other nations) on how to prosecute this campaign.

Therefore, you can expect the United States to continue to “ratchet up the thermostat” as a prelude to war, but do not misunderstand.

China has already determined the time, the methodology, and the rules, and the mechanism in regards to this conflict. China will continue to ignore the insults and provocations until it is the proper time to enact and conduct war on its terms.

She wants YOU to pay for her extra airline seats

If China succeeds reversing their birth rate decline, will other countries follow suit and enact policies similar to China’s?

The problem with this line of thinking is 99 out of 100 countries won’t be able to follow in China’s footsteps.

China banned after-school tutoring overnight to equalize the playing field. Can other countries do it?

China eradicated extreme poverty by sending officials to the poorest villages to fight poverty on the finest granular level. In the final decade, more than 3 million officials were dispatched, with more than 1,800 cadres sacrificing their lives due to the difficult conditions. Can other countries afford that kind of extreme commitment?

China built 40,000km of HSR in 15 years, enough to circumnavigate the earth. That’s more high speed rail than the rest of the world managed in the last 60 years. Can other countries catch up with China’s rocket speed?

China, the second largest economy, handles 300m containers with a network of automated ports served ably by excellent road and rail. The United States, with a far longer coastline and access to two oceans, struggles with 50m. Can other countries play the Chinese shipping game?

Don’t try to emulate China. That is a road paved with tears and disappointment.

Southern Chili

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds ground meat
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 cans tomato paste
2 tomato paste cans water
1 (No. 2) can tomato juice
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 cans chili beans, drained

Instructions

Brown meat with onion, garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper and chili powder.
Combine remaining salt and pepper with remaining ingredients except beans; add to meat mixture. Bring to a boil; simmer for 2 hours.
Add beans during final 15 minutes of cooking.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Young Girl Dies In Crash; Shown Afterlife And The Importance Of Thoughts (NDE)

Going into the rabbit hole as we explore the chronicles of the future

One thing that I do enjoy is the smell of pine. I used to live in Hattiesburg Mississippi and the pine forests were huge. During the Spring, if you were not careful, you would get one heck of an allergy attack, though. But pines are nice, and dare I say it, magical.

Of course, being a PA boy, I like hard-woods, but pines are easy to walk through and magical on snowy nights. It’s an exercise in white and black. Quite and experience. You all should try it some time. If you live in the Northern climes, please take the time to make your nights during Winter magical.

Take care everyone.

Todays…

Why is Bill Gates visiting China now?

Simple we’re meeting the real leaders of the USA.

What you thought your votes meant anything? The USA is a corporate dystopia owned and run for the mega corporations.

The president the government are simply going through the motions and most people can’t see through it.

China supports Palestinian people’s just cause of restoring legitimate national rights — Chinese FM

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang met with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki in Beijing on Tuesday.

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Al-Maliki is accompanying Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on his state visit to China from June 13 to 16.

President Abbas is the first Arab head of state to be hosted by China this year, which speaks volumes about the special friendship between the two countries and China’s support for the just cause of Palestine, Qin said.

He said he believes the two heads of state will plan the future development of bilateral relations and advance the traditional friendship to a higher level.

China has always firmly supported the Palestinian people’s just cause of restoring their legitimate national rights and will continue to support peace talks between Palestine and Israel and contribute wisdom to resolving the Palestinian question, Qin said.

Al-Maliki said China is a trustworthy, reliable friend, and Palestine appreciates the proposals pushed forward by China’s head of state for resolving the Palestinian question.

He added Palestine follows the one-China policy and will continue to support China on issues concerning China’s core interests.

10 REAL Cases Of Time Travel That Cannot Be Explained

Interesting, but don’t get too caught up on this kind of stuff. Who knows how valid any of this is. All I know is that time is our own PERSONAL experience record. Time travel isn’t really something that can exist, but rather a hopping or jumping upon the template.

POLAND SAYS BORDER TROOPS “FIRED UPON FROM BELARUS”

World Hal Turner 15 June 2023

The government of Poland has just issued a statement claiming its Border Guards were “fired upon from the territory of Belarus.”

No further details have been released at this hour, 5:28 PM EDT. Check back for Updates.

What were wills that you do not see every day?

In June 1948, farmer Cecil George Harris accidentally put his tractor in reverse.

The tractor overturned, trapping Harris’ left leg under the rear wheel.

His wife didn’t find him until 10:30 that night, and he died at the hospital.

When neighbors investigated the accident scene days later, they found that Harris had carved an inscription into the tractor’s fender with his work knife.

main qimg 626b50d4768ccc251cecc8e8ae0d6633 lq

It read:

In case I die in this mess, I leave everything to my wife. Cecil Geo Harris.

The courts ruled that this was a valid will.

The fender was kept in the Kerrobert courthouse until 1996.

Today it and the knife are on display at the University of Saskatchewan Law Library.

This story reminds me of a Tuscan friend of mine who overturned his tractor and died.

Working a field with a tractor in mountains and hills is very difficult and dangerous, even though it looks easy to us who are just watching.

Lots of people die under a tractor every year.

Southern Pineapple Pound Cake

editedPineapplePoundCakjewithCreamChesseGlazeIMG 6164

Ingredients

8 eggs
2 cups Crisco
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
3 cups flour
3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Cream sugar and shortening.
Add eggs one at a time.
Add flour and salt gradually.
Stir in vanilla extract and pineapple.
Bake in a greased and floured tube pan at 350 degrees F for about 1 1/2 hours. Or bake in two greased and floured loaf pans for about 1 hour.

What is your opinion on the U.S.’s strategy to outcompete China?

It’s a pretty useless strategy. It’s failing badly.

It’s based on dirty tricks, typical Tonya Harding-style tactics.

The USA has no hope of restoring the semiconductor industry, nor general manufacturing, in the country. Labour is too expensive. The populace is too far behind in education. The populace is too fat and lazy. The population is shrinking, and for a population that is already a quarter the size of China’s, that’s a real problem.

The Amazing United States

President Biden – United States will build a railroad from the Pacific all the way across the Indian Ocean * this is something that even China cannot do Watch: * unable to compete with China, the Americans have turned “mental”

He Spent a Year in 3906 | This is what Paul Amadeus Dienach saw

This is very interesting.

The entire diary has been transcribed in a book titled “Chronicles from the Future”. There is all sorts of names, histories, places and stories worthy of review in the book. This you-tube video is simply just an overview. I am providing the full PDF of that book HERE for your reading pleasure.

A change in Mindset

The USA’s technology base is still the best in the world. Is that so, Mr. Zakaria?

According to a recent ASPI report, China leads the world in 37 out of 44 technological fields.

China has the finest infrastructure engineering in the world. That’s why it has spectacular bridges, high-speed rail, airports, seaports, dams, etc.

China is the world’s leader in green energy production, EV and battery production, thorium molten salt reactors, etc.

China has a spanking brand new space station, while the ISS is suffering leaks and is due to be decommissioned by 2030 with no replacement in sight.

China is the first and only nation to land on the far side of the moon.

China leads the world in 5G and 6G.

Despite US tech sanctions, China is rapidly creating its own semiconductor manufacturing chain with a number of major breakthroughs.

The USA is trying to spread good values? Perhaps that’s so but at what cost?

Over the past seven decades the USA has fought many dozens of wars and caused massive death and destruction everywhere (by some estimates, millions of civilian deaths). Is this worth the good values America is spreading? Please answer me, Mr. Zakaria.

Let’s be honest, the USA has no moral legitimacy.

The bad relation between Australia and China was Australia’s doing, sticking its nose into China’s domestic affairs.

India and China have had a long-standing border dispute. This can hardly be Xi Jinping’s fault. There’ve been border clashes for decades.

Vietnam and China still have positive economic relations, so I don’t know what Mr. Zakaria is talking about. Ditto for South Korea and China.

Moreover, China has vastly improved its relations with nearly every country in the Global South, including in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and Southeast Asia. What about BRICS, RCEP and SCO?

By contrast, the USA’s diplomatic relations around the world have fared far worse. US sanctions have driven a wedge between them. The USA alienated Saudi Arabia, esp. with the Khashoggi affair. When the USA went to Saudi Arabia pleading for increased oil production, Saudi Arabia dismissed them and did the exact opposite — cut oil production! Most of the world is massively de-dollarizing.

Why did China decide not to talk to the Americans? Consider this: for years, the USA has been demonizing China, sanctioning China, antagonizing China in Chinese waters, interfering in Taiwan, saying one thing and doing the exact opposite, and generally being a pain in the ass. Is it any wonder China is sick and tired of this crap?

The USA has proven itself to be duplicitous and dishonest. Is this a foundation for dialogue? Please answer me, Mr. Zakaria.

The USA needs to show China that it is willing to deal with China sincerely and consistently.

The choice between the US technology bloc and the Chinese technology bloc comes down to what each bloc has to offer. The US bloc offers military and security promises. The Chinese bloc offers peaceful economic promises.

If you have the mindset that says the world is after you and all is not safe, then the US bloc is the natural choice.

If you have the mindset that says the world can be peaceful through cooperation and common prosperity, then the Chinese bloc is the natural choice.

What is your mindset?

The United States returns to Africa BIG TIME

This is how the United States will counter China in Africa
AND ensure that America will reigned supreme into the next millennium

Watch speech by President Biden

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zACN35LNO5Q

that is one incoherent incomprehensible mumbo jumbo

The Most Convincing Time Traveler Story

He ended up in a mental hospital…

Israel Just Smashed Themselves . . .

World Hal Turner 15 June 2023

Israel confirms it will give Ukraine 200 Merkerva Tanks.

Stabbed Russia right in the back.

7 Mind Bending TRUE Time Travel

What is a meal you cannot recreate, even if you tried?

When I was a kid, we rented a house in the country. We had access to wonderful locally produced food. Our landlord had two Guernsey cows as well as chickens. We bought from him amazing whole milk with a very high butterfat content. The milk was not homogenized. The eggs were from free range hens. My mother grew vegetables and berries in a large garden. It was apple country so apples were very reasonable. My aunt canned vegetables and pears from her garden and kept a few hens. The meals I ate could not be duplicated since many of the heirloom fruits and vegetables are no longer available. The number of free range Guernsey cows is quite low in the US (which has mostly Holsteins). Modern homes tend to treat hard water but we drank the pure well water.

Many of the meals my mother cooked could not be duplicated but I will use the example of breakfast. I drank a large glass of whole milk (from a cow I was fond of). The toast was made from my mother’s home made bread. The bread was made using unbleached flour and water from the well which was in a limestone aquifer. The butter was locally made. The jam was jarred by my aunt. The eggs came the from chickens we saw every day behind our house. My mother squeezed the orange juice herself. We did not have bacon often but when we did it was locally sourced. We even had country style entertainment at breakfast – just before we ate, my mother would feed the wild birds at the stone porch ledge outside our kitchen window. We always had a wide variety of birds to watch while we ate.

We ate high calorie meals but we were very active. The local farmers lived to ripe old ages and could heft big feed bags even when elderly.

I was very fond of foraging in my mother’s garden and ate a lot of vegetables right in the garden. I would go into the fields and eat sun warmed berries. We gathered our own beechnuts and hazelnuts.

My mother and aunt were both excellent cooks who rarely bought premade food.

UH OH! BANKS IN AUSTRALIA ANNOUNCE WITHDRAWAL LIMITS

World Hal Turner 15 June 2023

From August 20th 2023 Westpac Bank Australia customers will be prohibited from withdrawing more than $1000 from their accounts per day.

Other Banks will follow.

Access to your own cash . . . . SEVERELY LIMITED.

Still think Banking troubles are about a computer Virus?

Then, there’s THIS:

One needs only wonder why, if Australian Banks are owned mostly by U.S. financial firms, the people of Australia will be limited to their own money? Since it is U.S. Firms that __seem__ to be affecting withdrawal limits in Australia, then wouldn’t it be logical to believe they might try the same thing here in the US or over in Europe?

Forewarned is forearmed. Act accordingly.

Australia Approves Mandatory (Bill Gates) mRNA Vaccines for ALL Agriculture

World Hal Turner 15 June 2023

Australia has announced plans to inject Bill Gates’ mRNA vaccines into all livestock destined for people’s dinner plates.

According to reports, the Australian government plans to make the vaccine rollout mandatory for all animals, regardless of whether cattle farmers agree or not.

On May 2, 2023, Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) announced funding for a project to ‘test mRNA vaccines that can be rapidly mass-produced in Australia in the event of a lumpy skin disease or other exotic disease outbreak’.

The Manager for Animal Wellbeing, released a statement declaring:

‘This project will develop a mRNA vaccine pipeline initially for LSD, but potentially for other emergency diseases. This will enable capacity for rapid mass production of a vaccine for LSD in the event of an outbreak. No LSD vaccines are registered for use in Australia yet. While some vaccines exist overseas, the path to registration in Australia for traditionally-produced [vaccines] is longer than that of an mRNA vaccine.’

Spectator.com.au reports: Why are traditional vaccines, which have safety records that outstrip mRNA vaccines, subject to longer approval periods than mRNA vaccines? That sounds like a significant structural failure within Australia’s health body that, instead of being fixed, has the potential to be exploited by manufacturers looking to cash in on mRNA.

mRNA vaccines are quick to produce and ‘nimble’, which is why pharmaceutical companies like them – but that doesn’t mean that they are safe, effective, or suitable for consumers whether those are humans or livestock.

A 2022 article in PubMed Central notes: ‘Recently, the successful application of mRNA vaccines against Covid has further validated the platform and opened the floodgates to mRNA vaccine’s potential in infectious disease prevention, especially in the veterinary field.’

Do you feel mRNA has been ‘validated’ over the last three years?

No doubt this is why we keep hearing bleatings of ‘emergency’ and ‘outbreak’ in the same breath as mRNA, as if to remind us of the mantra used during the Covid era to embark on what the former Health Minister referred to as the ‘largest clinical trial – the largest global vaccine trial ever’. Look how that turned out.

The fall-out of Covid mRNA vaccines is likely to continue for the best part of a century as a percentage of vaccinated individuals ‘die suddenly’ or suffer from long-term debilitating illnesses. These are quickly becoming a burden for the health industry and state finances after vaccine manufacturers hand-waved responsibility because it was an ‘emergency’. Most nations are setting up compensation pools of cash to cope with the growing list of individuals who claim to have been harmed.

Another excuse used to feather the nest of mRNA vaccines is that they are thought to provide the solution for influenza-style viruses which traditional vaccines have proven ineffective against. Everyone wants to see an effective vaccine against respiratory viruses, but it’s almost as if the doe-eyed vaccine industry has put on a blindfold for the last three years. mRNA Covid vaccines did next to nothing to combat or control the influenza-style Covid and do not, based on what we have seen, offer any advantage to traditional vaccines for this problem beyond the feel-good marketing headlines. There is a strong argument that for the majority of the population, they did more harm than good.

Instead of suspending all mRNA vaccines until we understand what went wrong, they are being given priority treatment by regulators and championed by manufacturers who love the competitive edge of speed their production offers. Governments, particularly the (broke?) Victorian state government, are funneling tens of millions into mRNA development to keep capitaliZing on the political popularity they enjoyed during the Covid era.

MLA note that mRNA vaccines should be ready for use within two years and while everyone is busy stressing that this will be a ‘voluntary’ option for the farming community, vaccines inside the agricultural industry rarely are if a producer wishes to sell their product into domestic and international markets. If we go down the mRNA vaccine production line, it is extremely likely that Australians will be eating mRNA-vaccinated livestock within a couple of years with very little understanding of what this will mean health-wise.

Anyone who criticiZes mRNA vaccines or their potential future within the agricultural industry are paraded through the press as ‘conspiracy theorists’ with publications quick to send out the fact-checkers to insist that it’s pure fear-mongering to suggest fragments of these vaccines will end up in the food chain.

Except, it was a ‘conspiracy theory’ to suggest that the human body would continue making Covid mRNA vaccines long after the injection, or to raise concerns that it would leave the site of the injection. Not only did the fears described as ‘conspiracy’ prove to be true, the behavior and side effects of Covid mRNA vaccines are reaching well beyond what anyone predicted.

How sure are we that in the rush to saturate the market with mRNA vaccines, that proper long-term testing will be conducted, particularly when it comes to lingering in meat and milk? Will it impact high-risk activities such as calving, given there is a strong suspicion that Covid vaccines are responsible for a spike in human miscarriages?

Keep in mind that we are still being told Covid vaccines are ‘safe and effective’. The Australian government, sitting on a pile of unwanted vaccines, is spending public money on marketing campaigns, encouraging Australians to go and get their booster shots at the same time other countries have removed Covid vaccines.

At least some States in the US are taking note, rushing to pass legislation to ban the use of mRNA vaccines for animals involved in the food industry whose meat or milk is produced for human consumption. Idaho is one example where it will be a misdemeanor to use mRNA vaccines – and that includes the Covid vaccines.

Australians need to be aware that mRNA vaccines are coming for the agricultural industry and they will likely be compulsory. America is having a serious conversation about whether this should be allowed, and Australia needs to do the same thing. It is perfectly reasonable to require extensive long-term safety data before we revolutioniZe agriculture.

This conversation will not happen on its own. Australia’s agricultural elite resemble a body of yes-men nodding furiously toward mRNA. Family farmers – disempowered, constrained, and demoraliZed – have no voice in this matter. Their wishes will be bulldozed by a small collection of billion-dollar farming entities, several of which are foreign-owned.

If Australians care about what they eat, it’s time to start making a racket. As for those of us in American and in Europe, it might be wise to STOP BUYING ALL AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS/MEATS, IMMEDIATELY.

Southern Peach Ice Cream

Ingredients

4 cups peeled, diced fresh peaches (about 8 small ripe peaches)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
1 (3.75 ounce) box vanilla instant pudding mix
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
4 cups Half-and-Half

Instructions

Combine peaches and sugar; let stand 1 hour.
Process peach mixture in a food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides.
Stir together evaporated milk and pudding mix in a large bowl; stir in peach puree, sweetened condensed milk and Half-and-Half.
Pour mixture into freezer container of a 4 quart hand-turned or electric freezer; freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Spoon into an airtight container, and freeze until firm.

Chinese FM holds phone talks with U.S. secretary of state on June 14. What did they talk about? What does this mean?

Let us compare their focus, shall we?

Qin: USA knows well who causes the difficult relationship between China & USA. Taiwan is China’s core among all core interests.

Blinken: USA & China must meet. (No main points)

Western media kept telling us that Blinken is going to China. Even has a date June 18.

But China maintains not to talk just for the sake of talking when USA never follows thru what it “promised” in meetings. It is a waste of time to talk empty.

This time US media said Blinken may meet 3 Chinese officials eg Qin Gang, Wang Yi & possibly Xi Jinping. (wow, Xi Jinping??? Right away we know it is exaggeration)

Like the Chinese “spy” balloon sage at the last minute of Blinken’s Chinese trip to China, this time there is suddenly a Chinese spy base in Cuba. Looks like USA is, again, preparing to say Blinken cancels the Chinese trip because of a spy base in Cuba.

Really, USA should learn that giving China pressure by fabricating a story wont get China to submit & meet US officials.

Treat China as a equal partner to USA. No more suppression. No more sanctions. No more LIES.

Today’s China is strong enough not to endure US “supremacy” any more.

Former NATO Chief Admits “We Decided Back in 2008, Ukraine WILL Become Member of NATO”

World Hal Turner 15 June 2023 Hits: 7447

Former NATO Chief Admits “We Decided Back in 2008, Ukraine WILL Become Member of NATO”

Folks who think the Russia-Ukraine conflict began on February 24, 2022 may be surprised to learn it’s been brewing since 2008. Former NATO Chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen admits in video below “We decided back in 2008, Ukraine WILL become a member of NATO.”

That decision caused today’s troubles.

In the video below, released by “Alliance of Democracies” which was founded by the former NATO Chief, Rasmussen speaks about the present Russia-Ukraine conflict and how NATO is trying to find a way to admit Ukraine even though it is presently at conflict with Russia!

Rasmussen points to the possibility that the US and NATO might give certain “Security Guarantees” to Ukraine BEFORE it is admitted to NATO. The Interviewer asks Rasmussen if such Security Guarantees might be worded similar to those between the US and Israel, and Rasmussen makes a STUNNING admission:

We don’t have to use that wording we can use the wording from 2008. “We decided in 2008 Ukraine WILL be admitted to NATO.”

At approximately 1m 57s into the video below, he makes that statement. Watch for yourself:

This is a stunning fact. This was not previously publicized, anywhere.

What this means is that the present troubles between Russia-Ukraine/NATO/US all began with that decision back in the year 2008.

From that decision, the US/NATO and the collective West, did what they thought necessary to lay the foundations TO DO EXACTLY WHAT THEY PROMISED RUSSIA THEY WOULD NOT DO.

Back in 1991, then US Secretary of State, James Baker, met with then-Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev and his then Soviet Foreign Minister, Eduard Shevrednadze in the Kremlin. It is noted in official US and UK documents that Baker, on orders from then US President George H.W. Bush, told Gobachev and Shevrednadze that if the then Soviet Union agreed to the re-unification of East and West Germany, “NATO will not move beyond the Elbe (River)” in East Germany.

Here is a snippet of the UK document, from the UK National Archive, outlining the facts:

ScreenShot Minutes Elba Meeting NATO Wont MoveEastOfElba

So NATO knew in 2008, that back in 1991, the US, UK, France, and Germany promised the then Soviet Union that NATO would **NOT** be expanded east of Germany and now we see above, straight from the horses mouth, that the very Chief of NATO back in 2008 agreed to admit Ukraine. He knew they were not supposed to do that, but they did it anyway.

The US, UK, France and Germany explicitly promised not to do that, and NATO went ahead and did it anyway starting in 2008.

That leads us to who was in charge back in 2008. In the US, George W. Bush (the son) was President.

Michael Hayden, a retired United States Air Force four-star general and former Director of the National Security Agency, Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, was Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Robert Gates, an American intelligence analyst and university president served as the twenty-second United States Secretary of Defense from 2006 to 2011.

Those are the men who needed to green-light such a move by NATO and, clearly, from Rasumussen’s admission in the video above, they must have actually done so.

Here we are, 15 or so years later, we are all on the verge of Nuclear World War 3 because of the decisions these men took in 2008.

Now, on several of my radio shows, I have wondered aloud if the people in our government are psychopaths based on the things they are doing which ARE leading us all into another World War?

The video above gives all of us a look into whether or not they actually ARE psychopaths.

When the Interviewer in the video above, asks Rasmussen “What will the Russians think about that (Giving security guarantees to Ukraine before it is admitted to NATO) Rasmussen replies “I don’t care.”

. . . and there . . . . right there . . . you now see the answer to whether or not these people are psychopaths.

We are facing nuclear World War 3 because of what men like Rasmussen did – and are still doing – and his response to the Interviewer is simply “I don’t care.”

With people like this, doing what’s being done, you and I seem to have no hope at all of avoiding nuclear world war 3.

Prepare as best you can with Emergency Food, Water, Medicine, a generator for electric, fuel for that generator, communications gear (CB/HAM Radio) and get right with God.

This Cat Table Gives Your Feline a Seat in the Table

Japanese online retailer Dinos has released a new line of cat furniture and part of their line-up includes this all-natural oak wood table.

With a perch underneath and a hole in the middle, it gives your feline friend a seat, right in the middle of the table. Expertly crafted with high-quality wood, the fashionable table is beautiful both with or without your kitty.

More: Dinos h/t: spoon&tamago

On 2023/6/2-4, in the 20th conference for world defense leaders, UAE announced that it has withdrawn from the US-led navy. Instead, UAE joins the Middle East navy alliance. What is Middle East navy alliance?

The Middle East navy alliance is formed by 8 countries: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Iraq, Pakistan & India. The job is to protect the waters in the gulf. Instead of asking USA for protection.

Iran navy spokesman said: we cannot find a legal reason to justify foreign (USA) navy to exist in Middle East. (I add) USA has no land, sea or air in Middle East. USA cannot “protect” gulf waters without invitation by ME. Middle East belongs to the peoples in Middle East.

Western media said UAE was not happy that US-led navy did not protect UAE well. Once a UAE oil tanker was said to have been detained, by Iran, western media said.

Then how to explain that UAE joins the Middle East navy alliance where Iran is in it?

The truth: after the Middle East reconciliation, ME countries compared notes. They found Iran did not detain UAE’s oil tanker. Who took UAE’s tanker? USA?

USA is like a gossiper who breaks up the friendship between people.

USA used threats to make others submit to USA.

ME was bullied by UK+USA. ME had no choice before. With the rise of China, & the help of Russia, ME rebels against USA. Simple.

In June 2023, Palestine representative visited China. Hope there is Palestine-Israel reconciliation in future. Israel+USA has turned Gaza into a hell. Violating lots of human rights. It breaks my heart.

US FedGov and NATO HQ Claims Under “Cyber-Attack” – Pro-Ukraine Group Promises to Blow-Up Kerch Strait Bridge within 36 Hours

World Hal Turner 15 June 2023

Several Agencies of the United States Government are saying publicly this hour (3:11 PM EDT) they are under “Cyber Attack.” NATO Headquarters in Brussels is also claiming to be under “Cyber-Attack” Meanwhile, pro-Ukraine groups are publicly promising to “Blow-Up” the Kerch Strait Bridge to harm Russia.

These are developing stories, check back.

UPDATE 4:04 PM EDT —

I was reminded of an unusual posting on Twitter from the Atlantic Council just ONE WEEK AGO, making clear a “Cyber Attack can trigger Article 5 collective Defense” as seen in the brief video below:

Interesting just one WEEK after the Atlantic Council reminds the world of this fact, lo and behold, there’s a cyber attack against NATO.

Gee, how convenient.

Maybe we should start a countdown or take bets to see how long it may be until they blame . . . . hmmmmmm . . . . who might they want to blame . . . . .

oh yes, RUSSIA!

This is so obvious it’s disgusting.

These people are treating the possibility of World War 3 as if it’s a game.

UPDATE 4:15 PM EDT —

Some people seem to be getting VERY carried away, but I am reporting this to you so you can see what’s already being spoken about on Social Media — it’s NOT good:

THIS IS SO OVER-THE-TOP I CANNOT BELIEVE ANY RATIONAL ENTITY WOULD HAVE ACTUALLY PUBLISHED SUCH A THING. YET, HERE IT IS.

This is precious

Why do Americans call the Chinese Communist government evil when it has lifted many people out of poverty?

To be more objective, rational, not all “Americans,” just a small group of them, especially the majority of those so-called “US elites” — including those in the political, military, financial, and media circles.

Not the vast in the trade and business circle — them with wide, deep and interwoven interests with China.

Not the vast in the education circle — basically they prefer more students from China, anyway, they equal to money to certain extent; also, most in the education circle still have some brain.

Not the vast of the ordinary Americans — they either would rather care less about anything China, or they personally have no those distaste towards Chinese government or the Chinese people.

Those Americans who really call the Chinese Communist government evil never really care about the human rights, wellbeings of other people, not even those citizens in their own country.

They only care about their own interests.

So, whoever “threatens” their already-possessed-interests, whoever blocks their way and becomes barriers for them to get more interests, is “evil.”

So, Chinese government has lifted some 800 million Chinese people out of extreme poverty in the past several decades? What’t their business?

But with more than a billion Chinese people uplifting their livelihoods, that means they need to consume more resources on the Earth. That would be “a miserable time” for “Australians and Americans,” as once said by Barack Obama.

Obama praises ‘smart but humble’ Rudd

So, isn’t the Chinese Communist government evil, by improving the over one billion Chinese people’s living standard? For us, it’s the realization of our China Dream, but for them, seems more like a nightmare.

China follows the political system of one-party-rule, with the other eight democratic parties providing consulations to its governance.

— How evil it is!

Because there leaves very very slim to no room for staging color revolutions in the country, especially on the Chinese mainland, where no “opposition party(ies)” for the US to infiltrate, and then to enstigate wide-spread anti-government protests, and hence be used as a weapon to shoot down the ruling administration!

But they never express it this way, they brand China as dictatorship, no election, no democracy! They are more than eager to “liberate” us Chinese people from the “tyranny,” and to force democracy onto us, even facts have spoken so loudly we are living a far better life nowadays without their “democracy.”

China “controls” its mass media, publications and also today’s online platforms.

— How evil it is!

Because there leaves very very slim to no room for the Western Mainstream Media to infiltrate into the mass media outlets, especially the state-owned media outlets here in China, but they still have achieved certain success, with spies infiltrated into even the highest level of state-owned media outlets. But on general, they can not control and manipulate the voices which should represent the Chinese people’s interests, as their louder speakers to demonize China, the Chinese government, the ruling Chinese Communist Party, the Chinese leadership as a whole and also as individuals — though they have been doing, are doing, and will continue to do all these outside China.

But anyway, the bulwalks are usually broken from within, no matter how strong they are. Now, with the “controlling” over the voices inside China by the Chinese government, we speak the same language, share the same vision, act in a unified manner, to build our country, our society, a better one, so the bulwark is strong enough as it should be. No possibility of being cracked by them into “a heap of loose sand,” so as to avoid being crushed one by one, with their philosophy of “divide and rule” — whether on regional powers or within a country with different parties/tribes/interest groups, etc.

But they never express it this way, they blame China for cencorship, they instigate that Chinese people are lack of freedom, they call Chinese living in an “Orwellian state”! But they would never shed even a drop of tear for the Chinese people once we live in a “free” world — like the then Russia immediate after the collapse of the Soviet Union, like the miserable Iraqis of today who are impacted by the US invasion, in the name of liberating the Iraqis and bringing democracy to the people there under the “dictator” Saddam Hussein……

China has most of its state assets “gripped” in the hands of the government, with a public system of — medical care, education, infrastructure, etc., or with its massive state-owned enterprises.

— How evil it is!

Because there leaves very very slim to no room for the Western capital to suck the Chinese blood like the leeches, or to even plough through the Chinese economic system and have a full control of the Chinese assets for their own interests, like what they have been parasiting on, exploiting and devouring many economies around the world.

But they never express it this way, they brand Chinese economy as “state-capitalism,” claiming Chinese economy not a free market economy, even though, it is the US who have listed more than one thousand Chinese companies, entities and individuals on its sanction list, while China is opening its arms as wide as it can, and welcoming CEOs and companies across the world to do business in and with China.

There are many other similar logic and similar cases.

In my opinion, whether a government is “evil” or not, we don’t necessarily need to listen to what the outsiders are trumpeting, we can see with our own eyes, hear with our own ears, feel with our own hearts, think with our own minds, experience with our own lives, whether the government has been serving the interests of the majority of its people, whether it has been delivering rather than shouting empty slogans and making empty promises, to its own citizens, as well as to the other peoples around the world.

As for what political system, what economic mode, what developmental road, etc., it takes, are all just tools serving the above goals and purposes.

We are living in a big enough world to accomodate various political systems, different economic modes and practical developmental roads.

And this, I believe, should be one of the key factors of a real democratic world.

Whenever I go to my favorite Chinese restaurant, I order pick-up. They’ll run my card and provide a receipt for me to sign. There’s a place for a tip, and they seem to expect a tip and act disappointed that I don’t. Am I wrong to not tip?

Let me preface my answer by first stating that I always leave an appropriate tip whenever I go to a restaurant and have a sit down meal that is served by a waitstaff. In the above case, however, this is going to be an unpopular and controversial answer but I stand by it.

My answer is “Absolutely not.” This is another example of “All participants get a trophy.” They are simply putting your items in a bag, ringing up the order and collecting your money. The same thing that happens in ANY retail store. Do you tip the Walmart cashier or the grocery store cashier? Of course not! This tipping nonsense for retail counter sales has really gone way too far. In fact, many times the “tip” section appears on your receipt is simply that the programmed computer simply does not differentiate as to how the food was purchased!

You have not been seated, no one brings your food to the table, no one cleans up after you. You bought an item at a retail counter and paid for it. If you were eating there and being served at your table (or counter) by a waitstaff it’s a different story.

That being said no one can tell you not to tip if you feel so inclined but do not feel obligated to do so.

Unexplained Mysteries That NEED Some Serious Explaining

More fun!

President of Czech Republic Calls for Russians in Europe to be put in Concentration Camps

World Hal Turner 15 June 2023

President Petr Pavel of the Czech Republic has gone on television and said Russian citizens throughout Europe should be rounded up and put in camps, as was done to the Japanese in the USA during WW2, because their country wages aggressive war!

How NAZI-esque of him! Just like Hitler did with the Jews!

Here’s the video:

If the little NAZI Gestapo leaders of Europe keep this up, the only thing it’s likely to do is to get their country steam-rolled by the Russian army like Ukraine. Except most of their countries are far smaller and with smaller military than Ukraine.

What are they going to do, call NATO? That’s a laugh. NATO is already running out of artillery shells from supplying Ukraine.

I’ve got to tell you, folks, this is getting scary; the willingness of these Politicians to do whatever it takes to actually START a World War, is terrifying to me.

When this is all over, I suspect the world is going to need Tribunals to put these politicians in front of, for fomenting a Third World War.

If such Tribunals are lawfully constituted and convened, these politicians from NATO countries should be tried, and if found guilty, the Tribunal should order them hung by their necks until they are dead.

De-dollarization: Bangladesh moves to settle $12bn Russian loan in Chinese yuan

Bangladesh has approved a payment of $318 million to a Russian nuclear power developer using the Chinese yuan, according to a Bangladeshi official, offering the latest instance of countries bypassing the U.S. dollar and using the Chinese currency to conduct international payments.

The decision to use the yuan was made at a meeting in the Bangladeshi Finance Ministry’s economic relations division on Thursday, Uttam Kumar Karmaker, who heads the ministry’s European affairs wing, told The Washington Post.

The decision resolves a payments deadlock between Bangladesh and Russia that has lasted for more than a year. The South Asian country has been unable to pay Russia for the power plant using dollars after Russia was banned from accessing the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT) international money transfer system last year because of sanctions over President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

The transaction, a payment for a $12 billion loan Bangladesh obtained from Russia to develop a nuclear power plant in Rooppur, will now be completed instead using yuan via the Cross-border Interbank Payment System (CIPS), developed by the Chinese in 2015 to combat the dominance of the dollar in international trade.

A representative for Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corp., the Russian contractor in charge of building the Rooppur nuclear power plant, confirmed the plan to use yuan for the loan repayment on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.

The Chinese online news outlet Sina reported Monday that a Bangladeshi official said that paying for the plant in yuan would be the most feasible option.

The majority of cross-border trade is denominated in dollars and flows through the U.S. banking system, which gives the United States the unique ability to impose sanctions on and freeze the assets of rival governments, such as Russia, Iran and Taliban-led Afghanistan. But critics of the sanctions accuse the U.S. government of “weaponizing” the greenback and undermining its global status.

The Bangladesh deal comes after several other countries signaled recently that they would opt for yuan payments to circumvent the need to use dollars. In March, Brazil said it would abandon the dollar for trade with China, a development that Chinese officials and state media celebrated as a step in the world’s gradual “de-dollarization” and the eventual collapse of American hegemony.

Putin: There Will No Longer BE a “Ukraine” – NATO Direct Intervention Will Not Change Outcome

World Hal Turner 15 June 2023

Russian President Vladimir Putin made remarks in a TV interview Wednesday that make clear: There will be no negotiated settlement of Ukraine conflict, there will no longer BE a Ukraine, NATO intervention cannot change the outcome.

Explaining to a TV interviewer why Russia entered Ukraine, he pointed to Luhansk and Donetsk which were being pounded by Kiev Artillery and Mortar fire because those two Oblasts (states) wanted to secede from Ukraine like Crimea did. He told the Interviewer “We were forced to try to end the war that the West started in 2014 by force of arms.”

President Putin then went on with remarks that are utterly staggering. He said:

And Russia will end this war by force of arms, freeing the entire territory of the former Ukraine from the United States and Ukrainian Nazis.

There are no other options.

The Ukrainian army of the US and NATO will be defeated, no matter what new types of weapons it receives from the West.

The more weapons there are, the fewer Ukrainians and what used to be Ukraine will remain.

Direct intervention by NATO’s European armies will not change the outcome.

But in this case, the fire of war will engulf the whole of Europe.

It looks like the US is ready for that too.”

When Putin said “And Russia will end this war by force of arms . . . freeing the entire territory of the former Ukraine . . . there are no other options . . .” That makes clear there will be no negotiations. This conflict will end with the complete military defeat of Ukraine. But within that statement, Putin also mentioned “freeing the entire territory of the FORMER Ukraine . . .”

Whoa. The “former Ukraine.” Such words can only mean one thing: There will not BE a Ukraine anymore!

What other meaning can the words “the former Ukraine” mean?

Lest there be any question about there being “no Ukraine” anymore, in his very next sentence, President Putin made that explicitly clear. He went on to say “The more weapons there are, the fewer Ukrainians, and what USED TO BE UKRAINE will remain”

WHAM! “. . . and what USED TO BE UKRAINE . . . . ” There it is again. No more Ukraine. It won’t exist anymore!

He then got directly in the face of NATO by saying “The Ukrainian army of the US and NATO will be defeated, no matter what new types of weapons it receives from the West.”

Clearly, President Putin is signaling to the West that no matter what weaponry the West sends to Ukraine, Russia will win. Period. Full stop. So what does THAT tell you about the weaponry Russia is willing to use? Most rational people will understand it means whatever weaponry NEEDS to be used, i.e. nuclear.

But President Putin’s next words were most staggering. He went on to tell the Interviewer “Direct intervention by NATO’s European armies will not change the outcome.” What does THAT tell you? It tells most thinking people that Russia already KNOWS that NATO is going to intervene directly and that Russia is already prepared for such an eventuality. Folks, this means we’re going to actual World War 3!

President Putin made that explicitly clear when he also immediately added ” But in this case, the fire of war will engulf the whole of Europe.”

There it is. Plain as day. “The fire of war will engulf the whole of Europe.” World war.

Now, you’re probably wondering to yourself, “Why am I not hearing about this from the Mass Media?” Simple: The mass media doesn’t WANT you to know. They want you blissful and ignorant. So when all this DOES happen, you’ll be frightened and looking (to them) for answers.

And what will they tell you? Whatever propaganda the people who started this want told.

The folks in our U.S. Government are literally starting World War 3, it will likely go nuclear, and they want YOU kept fat, dumb, and happy.

Are you going to accommodate them, or are you going to step up and raise hell to maybe try to avoid what’s coming?

Whatever you choose, bear this in mind: Yesterday, the Ukraine legislature approved Child Military Training camps. Among the instructors are already experienced 16-year-olds who train 12-year-old recruits to fight.

Ukraine is now drafting and training 12 year old boys to fight for them.

What kind of monsters are these Ukrainian government people? Maybe it is better if Ukraine does NOT exist anymore.

Do all Chinese restaurants have “secret” menus?

If you are talking about the type of Chinese restaurants that cater primarily to the Chinese…

You need to bring a Chinese friend with you.

Often times, specials will be hand-written on a piece of paper and taped to the wall. The problem (for non-Chinese-speaking patrons) is that it is written in only Chinese.

I find that the more authentic Chinese restaurants make little effort to cater to their English-only speaking patrons. Why? Maybe that sector represents an insignificant part of their business. Maybe they are not proficient in translating and writing the English equivalent. It’s hard to say, for sure.

I’ll ask my girlfriend, “Hey, what does that sign say?”

Her: “Lobster Special: $9.99/lb.”
Me: “Hmmm. I don’t see that anywhere on the menu. Is it only available to Chinese?”
Her: “No comment.”

Why is the ASEAN alliance, along with BRICS abandoning the U.S. dollar like a sinking Titanic?

Lots of reasons for it.

I would like to share one of my perspectives, in a very simple way.

Previously, most people believed the US is the heaven on the Earth.

Everything related with the US was glorified.

Until former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: “I was the CIA director. We lied, we cheated, we stole. We had entire training courses. It reminds you of the glory of the American experiment.”

People became sceptical, but still thought highly of the US, anyway, he talked just about intelligence, which is, somehow far away from our daily life, especially from our money bags.

But, with the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia, as one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, the second strongest military force with the most nuclear warheads in our world, also an ecomomic power (entered the top ten economies in the world for GDP in 2022 according to IMF, despite the war), its national assets, frozen or even threatened to be confiscated by US, as well as some of its allies; Russian citizens’ (mainly tycoons’) properties, frozen or even threatened to be confiscated, some actually being stolen; and Russia was kicked out of the SWIFT; Russia is now on the top of list with the most sanctioned entities, individuals in our human history, none of them can actually have any deal with US dollars.

Since now the US can “steal” money from Russia, actually, earlier, Afghanistan, and ongoing from Syria (oil and wheat, etc.)……who can guarantee it would not be the next one to be stolen?

And the best way to avoid such possibility is to turn away from US dollar, to reduce both the reliance and the holding rate of the US dollar. The less one has, the less could be “stolen” even if the day came.

US Dollar is a weapon, but double-edged, while it indeed hurt others, it can not spare the US itself as well.

There is an internet slang here in China, 不作死就不会死 (No Zuo, No Die), meaning, “You won’t die if you do not seek death. / You will not get into trouble if you do not seek trouble.”

A sinking Titanic is then its doomed fate.

Sincerely wish the US would learn from this lesson, and take a second and even a third thought before taking any actions against other countries now.

ALL would be boomeranged, just sooner or later.

Do all Chinese restaurants serve exactly the same dishes?

Exactly the same dishes.
Exactly the same menu.
Exactly the same cooks.
Exactly the same waiting staff.
Exactly the same chairs.
Exactly the same tables.
Exactly the same decor.
Exactly the same tea pots and tea cups too.
Exactly the same kid at the cash register who helps out his parents during the busy periods, and who, during the lulls, sits at exactly the same empty table doing exactly the same school homework.

So far, scientists have been unable to figure out how Chinese restaurants manage this incredible feat.
Some have posited that they all exist in a bubble universe, frozen at the same chronological point.

Explosion in Odessa so powerful, Registered as Earthquake

World Hal Turner 15 June 2023

Last night before Midnight eastern US time, an explosion took place in Odessa, Ukraine which was so large, it registered on earthquake seismographs in places as far away as Armenia!

Here is a seismograph image from a station in Kiev:

Whatever exploded took out all webcams and all internet connectivity in Odessa.

Below, another image from another earthquake sensor, this one located in Armenia. Same Odessa Explosion(s):

How come on Quora the Chinese expats never say anything negative about China? Is China a perfect country?

No, China is not a perfect country. There are no perfect countries. However, after reading so many negative comments about China on Quora and elsewhere, I feel the need to defend it. Most of the people I see criticizing China have never been there and are simply repeating racist, anti-Communist, or xenophobic lies. The truth, as always, is far more complicated and nuanced. I am an American, and I have found that, at least in the US, most people are not interested in the truth. Especially with covid, I am tired of hearing about the “China virus” or the “CCP”. I am sick of trying to discuss the reality of the situation, only to be called a “commie” or told to go back to China.

China is an amazing country. In many areas it puts the US to shame. However, half of America sees it as some comic book villain. I have watched my own country descend into fascism while claiming China is the bad guy. Even worse is the fact that my fellow Americans lap this up. I disagree with many things China does, but their government actually cares about their citizens. I can’t say that about my own government. If we ever get to the point where we can have an intelligent and fair discussion about China, then I can talk about both the negatives and the positives.

Southern Fried Chocolate Pies

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/3 cup cold water
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold margarine
Vegetable oil*

* Use peanut or safflower oil or solid vegetable shortening for frying.

Instructions

Crust: sift flour and salt together; cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knifes, until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
Add ice water a little at a time while tossing with a fork, until dough holds together. Do not get too moist.
Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into circles about five inches in diameter.
Mix cocoa powder with the sugar. Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of this mixture onto one half of the circle and place 3 very thin slices of cold margarine on top. Fold opposite side over mixture and seal with a fork dipped in flour.
Pour oil to a depth of about 1/2 inch in a cast iron skillet. Heat over medium-high heat until very hot.
Place pies in a single layer in oil and fry, turning to brown each side.
Serve hot, warm, or cold.

How does the food in the Chinese restaurants in America differ from authentic Chinese food?

This is just my personal impression. Tastes in food are different for everyone.

American Chinese food has more exaggerated flavors at the expense of subtlety and diversity. There’s a long running joke about American Chinese food that it’s basically “sweet and sour everything”. American Chinese food is so salty (soy sauce) and so sweet to the point that these are the ONLY flavors you taste. There’s no subtlety, no layer of different flavors hitting your taste buds. And everything is over cooked. As a result, no matter what you order, you end up tasting the same mouthful of mushy sweet and salty whatever.

Cantonese food (粤菜) was the first school of cuisine to enter the US with the initial immigrants from south-east coastal regions. The food they brough over was not even the most high end Cantonese food, but rather street peasant food. Hearty, heavy flavored dishes that are filling, easy to prepare, and go well with rice. So for a lot of Americans, Chinese food is Dim Sum, small dishes coming with bamboo steamer containers. And most of them are salty and sweet tasting that, on top of that, you have your over salted fried noodles and fried rice.

And more recently, some more “sophisticated” diners had been introduced Sichuan food, which is super spicy.

Chinese food is so much more beyond Sweet and sour everything, Dim Sim in steamers and Spicy chicken. But Americans wouldn’t have it.

I’ve talked about my story about taking 3 days to make soup for my ex-boyfriend, who had dumped soy sauce in it before he even taste it. (see: Feifei Wang’s answer to What horrifies the Chinese?) At one point, I had the suspicion that American’s taste buds are numbed by all these high flavored food. I mean think about it, all your favorite American foods, fried chicken, pizza, BBQ ribs, Hamburger, Fries… all of them are high sodium, high sugar, high fat, high everything foods. It’s like you started with a 10 and had to bring it to a 15 to be happy.

I had once dined with a Japanese friend, who complained about how Americans add too much wasabi when eating sushi or sashimi. “You’re only supposed to add a little for flavor, it’s never supposed to be burning-your-eyes-out-hot”.

I get the feeling that other kind of food also get the same “bring it up to 20” treatment when they are forced to adapt to US tastes. I went to Italy in 2015, and their pizza tasted very different to American pizza, full of flavor and texture. I went to Cancun in 2016, and the taste was very different to American Mexican food.

I wish American food would have less sodium, sugar and fat, and more subtlety and diversity.

An Empty World, A Time Traveler, Another Dimension | Liminal Spaces: The Reality In-between

Fun to watch. Do not take too seriously… for now.

Liminal Spaces.

“He woke up in 2027, and there was no one anywhere.” This is actually super interesting, and I WILL discuss this later. Especially the guy who is being challenged by the television station.

Noclip is very interesting.

How do Chinese restaurants get their beef to be so tender? Like beef in black bean sauce or Mongolian beef etc. It almost falls apart in the mouth.

BEEEEEEEF!!!!!

I remember when my mom first taught me this as a kid. She told me that it was an “ancient Chinese secret” of some sort, that involves praying to the beef gods to make it all tender and that if I was good that day, it would be nice and tender when I sat down for dinner.

Little did I know that in order to turn the cheapest cuts of beef into this…

main qimg c80e840ff8cab91f9d43935e4c3fff88 lq

that it took this…

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Corn Starch.

When the corn starch, ideally with a bit of soy or something along those lines, is mixed and coated over properly cut beef (I like to use flank steak personally), it breaks down the protein and makes it very tender and easy to cook.

You must have heard the term, “cut against the grain.” That’s the first important tip. When you’re cutting up the meat, take a look at how you’re cutting.

main qimg d409758fabdc87344fdd87a6295ac39b lq

See how it’s done? When you do cut it properly, the meat is much more tender already as it’s not structurally reinforcing its own integrity. Here’s a cross section of what it should look like when cut right.

main qimg ded899c2be9d366de0983d8189d3bc4f lq

So when that’s done, just get a decent sized bowl, and mix a little soy sauce with the corn starch. Something like this…

main qimg d21537233d82005c01ed3f3f1fb598a1 lq

Mix it up, and this a good time to get down and dirty. I see so many videos and tutorials that say use a spoon or whatever. Honestly, just wash your hands well, and mix it by hand. You’ll be able to get the feeling if the meat is thoroughly covered easily and it should feel a bit slimy to the touch.

Give it then a couple of minutes to let it break down the meat. Some cooks like to put it in the fridge for an hour, but I find that 10–15 minutes is also pretty good in a jiffy, especially if the meat was sliced thin.

After that, the meat is ready for the stir-fry, and you’re ready to start cooking!

Oh, and before I forget, this works well with even the cheapest pieces of meat. No need for using pricey rib or porterhouse steaks and prime rib. Flank steak will do quite nicely.

This does wonders for chicken breast and thinly sliced pork loin as well.
Several commentators have told me that what I called “mom’s ancient Chinese secret” is a method called “Velveting”. Thanks to all who told me about the right term!
Baking soda works, and thanks to all who have mentioned it. The only reason why I don’t use it and don’t talk about it is that if it’s not rinsed off properly, you get an incredibly unpleasant chemical taste.
For every single person that’s said “corn starch” doesn’t work, then it’s probably the combination of the starch, soy and the cut all in one, especially the soy with the high salt content and the cut, which I cover. For heaven’s sake, stop griping about it and actually TRY THIS METHOD. It actually WORKS.

Blinken’s imaginary journeys – here’s what should happen

LOL. A most entertaining event when you expose their silly games.

Time to enjoy the lost pies of Summer

One of my great “little” pleasures is a nice cup of good coffee and a fine pie. In the United States, this is a staple of American Diners. You just cannot get this at Fast Food or Chain restaurants.

You go in. Sit up at the counter, and ask the waitress if they have any pies, and if so, what would they recommend. I have long ago discovered that the best pie is a Southern Sweet potato pie. Most especially with a scoop of vanilla (French) ice cream on the top.

Today, for reasons that elude me, I am “hankering” for a nice pie.

Ah. I cannot get one. But many of youse guys can. Please have a great bite of pie and think of me!

Best Pies in Texas: Flying Saucer Pie Company | Worth the Wait

Foreign firms cast wise votes of confidence in China’s economy

China’s economy has shifted from high-speed growth to high-quality development. The enormous opportunities created by this shift have retained China’s position as a top destination for foreign investment.

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Citing the latest economic data such as the purchasing managers’ index, some Western media reports recently cast doubt on China’s economic growth prospects. But this is just a repetition of their habitual pessimistic tone. Foreign firms continue to cast votes of confidence in the world’s second-largest economy.

Despite various challenges, the Chinese economy has followed an unwavering trend of sustained recovery. Furthermore, China has maintained a leading position in main economic indicators among major economies this year. The World Bank lifted China’s economic growth expectation to 5.6 percent in its Global Economic Prospects report released on Tuesday.

The huge market and resilience of the Chinese economy are still proving to be cardiotonic to foreign companies’ confidence in China. A large number of international business tycoons including the leaders of Tesla, Starbucks, Alstom and Volkswagen have visited China to seek cooperation opportunities.

Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla, praised China’s vitality and potential, voiced confidence in the Chinese market, and expressed his willingness to deepen cooperation during his visit to the country last week.

These renowned enterprises are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to foreign companies’ willingness to continue to invest in China. A total of 11,000 new foreign-invested companies were established in China in the first quarter of 2023, a 7.6-percent increase year on year, the State Administration for Market Regulation said.

Last month, U.S. Consumer News and Business Channel quoted Procter &Gamble, Starbucks, and other U.S. companies as saying that Chinese consumers’ increased travel and leisure spending had helped these companies improve their overall sales. The report also noted that with a large population base and a growing middle class, China is a desirable market for multinationals.

The sound prospects of China’s huge market, the resilience of its economy, and the mature industry chain of the global factory, combine to offer ample reasons for international firms to cast votes of confidence in China’s economy.

Another reason is that China is gradually becoming a source of global innovation. Volkswagen inked an investment agreement of around 1 billion euros (about 1.07 billion U.S. dollars) in April to build a research and development, innovation, and procurement center in east China, while Tesla’s energy-storage product factory is scheduled to break ground in Shanghai this year.

These facts speak for themselves and illustrate clearly that China remains a popular destination for foreign investment. China always welcomes foreign companies to access its market and benefit from its development dividends. Certainly, China’s economy will continue to be a major driver of global growth.

The True value of Pie

Happy Π day, guys. Have some pictures of pie. If you choose to combine the two to judge the total volume of leftover slices in any of these photos, feel free.

But I’d say the true value went into the fun of choosing a recipe, fiddling with the ingredients and “design”, sharing them with friends and family and, of course, eating them.

Choosing a recipe: traditional? international? savory? sweet? seasonal?

Designing the pie: Patterned pastry? Display the ingredients? Or create a zombie binary? (I’ll leave that example to my brother)

Sharing: make two, probably. Leave one at home, or take both so the recipient can keep one to themselves and share the other?

Easy as Pie

A good pie starts with a good crust – I stick to the basics for traditional pastry: 1:3 proportion of shortening to flour, with just enough water to hold them together. A single crust pie is 1/3 cup shortening, 1 cup flour.

I mix with my hands so I can tell when the texture is right and the #1 trick is to keep the shortening cold and the water icy so it doesn’t mix too much and get gummy and touch. Other methods include grated frozen butter – a rich dough my brother is partial to – or using a food processor to cut in the fat to the flour. Some people even make oil crusts, though I can’t say I have.

Back to the Basics

I’m a big fan of traditional dessert pies – apple, pumpkin, humble pie. Humble pie is not merely a metaphor for having to publicly display that you know you were wrong – an unpleasant sensation – it is also a on old-fashioned concoction of strawberries and rhubarb. Which is, to me, an entirely delicious sensation that always says spring is truly here, since we can grab both from our garden if we wish.

Pie Presents

Pie comes in so many flavors, but seem tied to scent and visual memories more than cake for many of our friends. I’ve made pies for graduation presents because I wanted to bring in some good memories from family celebrations past or for birthday presents to bring back memories of a favorite local bakery:

Thanksgiving Pies

You can’t do Thanksgiving in our house without at least two kinds of traditional pies, though our traditions are likely to include homemade Concord Grape Pie, not one you’ll find in many bakeries or cookbooks.

International Pies

You’re more likely to find meat pies when you explore beyond the basics of American cuisine, though of course they’re very traditional in the UK. The Italian meat pie below is more of an American invention, layering spinach and ricotta with meat sauce, tomatoes, and cheese. Bisteeya is a Moroccan version of Chicken pie that is hardly recognizable compared to our common types – and completely delicious.

Custom Variations

The credit for the most visually interesting pies on this list goes to my brother, who was feeling inspired for a friend’s Halloween party one year:

Although I made the traditional apple pie while listening/watching a season or so of Walking Dead and then it appears the zombies manifested in the pie itself in the next apple one.

Cherry Pie

Of all the pies in the world, Cherry Pie tops the list as one of the easiest pies to make, and I’m excited to share the simple, delicious recipe with you all!

How to make Cherry Pie:

If using fresh cherries:

Pit and halve the cherries. Add them to a saucepan with sugar and lemon juice and toss to combine. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes until juices are released. Use a slotted spoon to spoon cherries out into a bowl. Spoon some of the sauce into a cup and stir in the cornstarch until dissolved. Return to pot with remaining juices and cook for a few minutes until sauce has thickened. Pour over cherries and set aside while you prepare the pie crust.

If using canned cherries:

Drain the juice from the cans of cherries into a saucepan, reserving ⅓ cup in a small bowl. Set the cherries aside.
Add cornstarch to the bowl with the reserved ⅓ cup of juice and stir well to combine.

Heat the saucepan (that has the juice in it) over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir well. Bring mixture to a low boil. Stir in dissolved cornstarch mixture. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in butter and lemon juice. Fold in the cherries. Add a few drops of red food coloring, if desired.
Allow mixture to cool to room temperature while you prepare the pie crusts.

Line pie plate with pie crust and cherry pie filling into it. If desired, cut the top crust into wide strips to lay a lattice crust on the pie, or place the whole, uncut pie crust over the filling and poke a hole in the top for steam to release as the pie bakes. (Here’s a lattice top tutorial if you’ve never made one on a pie.)
Pinch the edges of the top and bottom pie crusts together and crimp the edge, if you like. Brush a thin layer of beaten egg white over the top of the pie crust and sprinkle the crust pieces lightly with granulated sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 40-45 minutes.

Summary

Instructions

If using fresh cherries:

Pit and halve the cherries. Add them to a saucepan with sugar and lemon juice and toss to combine. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes until juices are released. Use a slotted spoon to spoon cherries out into a bowl. Spoon some of the sauce into a cup and stir in the cornstarch until smooth. Return to pot with remaining juices and cook for a few minutes until thickened. Pour over cherries and set aside while you prepare the pie crust.

If using canned cherries:

Drain the juice from the cans of cherries into a saucepan, reserving ⅓ cup in a small bowl. Set the cherries aside. Add cornstarch to the bowl with the reserved ⅓ cup of juice and stir well to combine.
Heat the saucepan (that has the juice in it) over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir well. Bring mixture to a low boil. Stir in dissolved cornstarch mixture. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in butter and lemon juice. Fold in the cherries. Add a few drops of red food coloring, if desired.
Allow mixture to cool to room temperature while you prepare the pie crusts.

Prepare Pie:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Set aside a 9” pie pan. (If using canned cherries, there will be enough filling for a deep dish pie dish).
Remove one chilled pie crust dough from the fridge. On a lightly floured counter, roll out your dough to about 12” in diameter. Gently place in the bottom of pie dish. Spoon the cherry filling into the unbaked crust and sprinkle a little cinnamon over the filling. (If using fresh cherries, add a few small pieces of butter on top).
Remove the second pie crust from the fridge and roll it out in a similar manner. Use a pizza cutter, knife or pastry wheel to cut the crust into long strips, about 1/2” wide. Lay strips over the crust in a lattice pattern. (If you’re lazy, like me, you can just lay half of the strips going one direction, and the others on top, going perpendicular, leaving a small space between each.)
Pinch the edges of the top and bottom pie crusts together and crimp the edge, if you like. Brush a thin layer of beaten egg white over the top of the pie crust and sprinkle some granulated sugar on top.
Bake at 400 degrees F for about 40-45 minutes. Check after about 25 minutes and gently place a piece of tinfoil over the top crust to keep it from getting too brown.
Remove to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool for several hours. Once cooled completely you can cut and serve it, or cover it and refrigerate it overnight to serve the next day.
Leftover cherry pie will last up to 5 days, stored in the fridge.

Notes

Make ahead Instructions: The cherry pie filling and pie crust can both be made a few days in advance, stored in the fridge until ready to use.

Freezing Instructions: Cover the baked and cooled cherry pie tightly and frozen for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. The prepared cherry pie filling and pie crust can also be frozen, stored separately.

Some Tips for perfect cherry pie:

Should you use Sweet or Sour Cherries for cherry pie? Sour, tart cherries (sometimes called “pie” cherries) are most commonly used in desserts like cherry pie. If using sweet cherries, decrease the sugar in this recipe by at least ⅓ cup.

Use a homemade pie crust! For pies like this that bake for longer in the oven, a homemade pie crust will make a difference in how the crust holds up as it bakes.

Most store-bought pie crusts are super thin and flimsy so the edges brown and dry out more quickly when baking. (Store-bought crusts work better for custard or pudding type of pie that only requires a pre-baked pie shell).

The good news, is my favorite pie crust recipe can be made weeks or even months in advance so that your pie dough is ready to “roll” (pun intended 🙂 ) when you need it!

Make ahead Instructions:

Both the cherry pie filling and pie crust can be made a few days in advance, stored in the fridge until ready to use.

Freezing Instructions:

Baked and cooled cherry pie can be covered tightly and frozen for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. The prepared cherry pie filling and pie crust can also be frozen, stored separately.

What is the largest, most populated city no one has ever heard of? What is it called and where is it located?

Globally, chances are you have not heard of this city. It is called Chongqing, which is quite possibly what John Bolton also calls every single Chinese city when he is drunk, but if the characters were reversed I wouldn’t even be allowed to say the name of the city.

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Either way, the municipal area of Chongqing, had no less than 32 million people living there in 2020, with 22 million living in the urban area, compared to 19 million living in the New York City urban area.

Chongqing is however quite large, so despite downtown Chongqing obviously being very densely populated, the actually total density of the city is just around 400 people per km2.

So indeed, a regional city in China that most people haven’t heard of is larger than NYC in most ways, and likely more cities in China will follow this path soon.

Craftsman Michael Plichta Created this Incredible Globe of Planet Mars

Look, we all have seen a globe on more than a few occasions. Recently we got a look at the art of globe making, which was certainly interesting. Today however, the typical globe gets reworked into something unique and quite amazing by Michael Plichta. This unique and rather eye-catching design is artist, eye-catching and one of a kind, rocking a 12-inch Mars globe showing the famous mars canal map by Percival Lowell.

During a debate comparing Chinese and Western systems of governance, held in Cambridge, Massachusetts, by the American nonprofit educational organization Intercollegiate Studies Institute on April 5, French entrepreneur and Internet influencer Arnaud Bertrand made a case for the suitability of China’s system for promoting the flourishing of its people.

Edited excerpts of his presentation follow:

One unstated idea that derives from comparisons between political systems is that models compete against each other and, if one is indeed better, it has the potential to take over the world.

I don’t believe this to be true at all. Take the Chinese model for example. It applies uniquely and only to China. It is the product of China’s very long and unique history, and it also fits the very particular economic and geopolitical context China is in today, but doesn’t fit or pretend to fit other countries.

As former U.S. National Intelligence Officer for East Asia Paul Heer said, “China is trying to pursue multipolarity and international legitimacy for their system, not impose it on other countries.” Similarly, Stephen Walt, a legendary professor of international relations from Harvard University, said “China explicitly embraces the idea that each country should determine for itself how it wants to be governed. The U.S., by contrast, loves to lecture others on how they should govern themselves and keeps trying to get other countries to embrace our liberal values.” Or again Henry Kissinger, who writes in his famous book On China that China never espoused the American notion of universalism to spread its values around the world.

Therefore, rather than comparing which system would be universally better for all, it makes more sense to look at which is better for their own people.

On freedom

We’ve progressively come to have a rather skewed understanding of freedom in the West, where we equate freedom with individual freedom, when it’s actually very much not the same thing. When you have a broader understanding of freedom as we used to have in the past, it becomes quite obvious that China might not in fact be the unfree place most people in the West picture it as, and vice versa: The West might not be quite so free.

A prominent example of this is China’s war on poverty. Unarguably an immense success: the largest and fastest reduction in poverty the world has ever seen. Even China’s biggest detractors agree with this.

The fact is that the extreme poverty has, by and large, been totally eradicated in China. I’ve traveled all over China, and the results are obvious. Can anyone genuinely make the case this made people less free, that they were freer when they were poor? Of course not, poverty is the antithesis of freedom. When you live in poverty, you’re quite literally a slave to your condition.

In contrast, there is a lot of poverty in countries like France and the U.S. You go to certain areas of Paris and you see hundreds of tents of homeless people. Any one of you can go to China today, travel all around the country and it’s extremely unlikely you’ll see homeless people on street.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 20.03 million people lived in deep poverty in 2021. Those in deep poverty represented 6.2 percent of the total population and 48.4 percent of those in poverty. Among them, a larger percentage of children under 18 live in deep poverty than adults in any age group. As defined by the bureau, “deep poverty” refers to living in a household with a total cash income below 50 percent of the national poverty threshold.

A recent study from the Urban Institute also revealed that, in 2022, a total of 25 percent of U.S. adults experienced food insecurity, meaning they sometimes can’t afford to eat. In France we’re at 14 percent of the population living under the poverty threshold. Can we genuinely say that those people are really free?

Many have forgotten this but Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1941 gave a so-called Four Freedoms speech in which he defined “freedom from want” and “freedom from fear” as two of the four freedoms America ought to achieve. He, too, recognized poverty alleviation was fundamental to freedom.

On the subject of “freedom from fear,” ask yourself a simple question: Do people feel free to walk alone anywhere in America at any time of the day or night? Do people have this freedom?

This freedom, by and large, does exist in China. The statistics are absolutely incredible: You’re 70 times more likely to be victim of a violent crime in the U.S. than you are in China. This is anecdotal, but in my seven years in China, not only have I never been a witness or victim of any crime but I’ve never had anyone in my acquaintance who was. It is a very, very safe country. This freedom from fear does exist.

The biggest form of freedom, a freedom that Charles de Gaulle, former French President, used to describe as the precondition for all other freedoms, is your independence as a country, your collective freedom to determine your own future.

Can anyone argue that when you’re a so-called “vassal state” or when you’re in a larger state’s so-called “sphere of influence,” you’re really free? Anyone can see that’s not quite true.

America isn’t of course anyone’s vassal state, quite the contrary in fact. But there is something that limits America’s freedom in that regard: its system of alliances. America is in many, many alliances: NATO, AUKUS, the Five Eyes, with Japan and so on and so forth. And of course this, too, limits your freedom of action since, on paper at least, you are committed to certain actions even if they might not be in your interest at that point in time. As we’ve painfully learned from World War I, alliances can be incredibly constraining and destructive.

China is unarguably the freest country in the world in this regard, as it cannot be even remotely considered as being any country’s vassal state and it just doesn’t do military alliances—it doesn’t have any. In fact, many argue that it’s precisely this independence that’s driving the current attempt to contain China. This high level of sovereignty allows China to focus on internal development and to maintain its freedom of action on the international stage.

On stability and prosperity

China is arguably the oldest continuous civilization in the history of humankind. If that’s not stability, I’m not sure what is.

Most surveys done on the Chinese population, even by Western institutions, show that the Chinese population is extraordinarily united and aligned in how they view their system. For instance, the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School conducted a 13-year-long study interrogating the Chinese population, which they summarized in a 2020 report entitled Understanding CPC (Communist Party of China) Resilience. Their conclusion is, I quote: There is little evidence to support the idea that the CPC is losing legitimacy in the eyes of its people. In fact, the survey found that 93 percent of people in China are satisfied with the Chinese Central Government.

The U.S. and Europe is, of course, a vastly different story. Satisfaction rates with public institutions are, as we all know, at all times low almost everywhere in the West. For instance, in the U.S., public trust in government went from more than 70 percent in the 1960s to a mere 20 percent today. In France, only 28 percent of citizens trust their public institutions. When you ask Americans, an extraordinary 43 percent believe civil war is likely within the next 10 years.

If we talk per-capita GDP or salary levels then obviously the average Chinese citizen is still less prosperous than their Western counterparts. They also obviously started their modern economic development from a much lower base, and much more recently, so the comparison isn’t quite fair.

The right way of looking at it, I believe, is therefore to look at the approach China is taking to make its citizens prosperous vs. the approach the West is taking, and which one is more likely to achieve sustainable prosperity over the long run.

China has spent close to 14 trillion yuan ($2 trillion) of all types of funding dedicated to lifting people out of poverty, roughly what the U.S. spent in the past 20 years in its post-September 11 wars in the Middle East and Afghanistan. This is quite illustrative of the different priorities of the two nations and how they impact prosperity.

To conclude, the Chinese system, with its emphasis on collective freedom, long-term stability, and unwavering investment in itself, has demonstrated its ability to provide a more holistic approach to societal wellbeing. While the American and European systems have their merits, it is the Chinese system’s unique blend of these attributes that ensures its citizens can enjoy greater overall stability, prosperity and freedom.

Giant Handmade Meatball Pies, Sold Out 200 Pies A Day!! – Korean Street Food

https://youtu.be/9orMPDg-hIs

Hackers promise to destroy Europe’s banking system in the next 48 hours.

World Hal Turner 14 June 2023

URGENT! Several computer Hacker groups, with a long track record of highly effective and devastating computer attacks, have announced “the strongest cyberattack in history” to bring down European Banks within the next 48 Hours.

Several hacker groups are allegedly planning to carry out a large-scale computer attack on the European banking system. As it became known to the

Hacktivists of “Killnet” along with representatives of “Revil” – which was long-considered defeated, as well as members of “Anonymous” say they have joined together to achieve this goal.

Put simply, Russian hackers have declared war on European banks.

According to sources who have seen it, a not yet published promo video dedicated to this attack has already been made. In the video itself, an unnamed representative of “Killnet” allegedly called on all active groups to engage in destructive activities against the European banking system.

“This is not a DDoS attack, the games are over. No money — no weapons — no Kiev regime” — this formula will work,” the masked man promised.

The leader of “Killnet” hiding under the nickname “Killmilk”, confirmed that preparations for the attack are already underway. It is expected to begin in the next 48 hours.

Cyberattack could be the largest in history

The representative of “Revil,” in turn, stated that “the world has gone crazy”, and the reason for this, in his opinion, was money. He also stated that it is the European banking system that governs the EU.

“No money, no problem. Revil is sufficiently familiar with the European financial infrastructure,” the representative of the group threatened.

A member of Anonymous also noted that European financial institutions will witness “the strongest cyberattack in the recent history of the world.” He urged them to be ready for the coming blow, and also stated that when it is struck, “it will be too late to fix anything.”

“Many European banks will be targeted, and we will strike without mercy,” concluded the representative of Anonymous.

VERY CONVENIENT FOR KLAUS SCHWAB AND THE W.E.F.

Klaus Schwab, leader of the World Economic Forum (WEF) has long warned, and recently reiterated, that some type of monstrous, worldwide cyber-attack, would cripple the civilized world, and would be more devastating than an actual war.

Isn’t a a bit convenient for him, that suddenly, these alleged “Hackers” announce “the biggest cyber attack in history?”

MORE:

Didn’t the United States adopt an official public policy that a Cyber Attack could be met with a military response?

That’s even MORE applicable here . . . look WHO is allegdly announcing this: “Russian” Hackers.

Oh, gee whiz, how convenient. NATO is all deployed for their Air Defender 2023 “Exercise” in Europe, and just itching to get involved in the Russia-Ukraine war on the side of Ukraine.

Right on cue, “Russian” Hackers announce a major attacking on the European Banking System while all those NATO troops and planes are deployed right near Ukraine!

If this cyber attack DOES take place, and it DOES take out European banks, NATO might just use that as the basis to claim they have been “attacked” (by Russia, of course) and wham, Article 5 of the NATO Treaty gets invoked, the NATO troops enter Ukraine, and the Russian nuclear missiles fly.

This is all a little too convenient for my tastes.

STILL MORE . . .

Today being Wednesday, 48 hours puts us all at FRIDAY.

Several years ago, weren’t we all warned by various other people, that before TPTB crash the system, the world would suddenly get word about some cyber attack problems with banks? Didn’t that years-ago warning tell us the attacks would start late in a week, explode on a FRIDAY, taking out the banks for potentially weeks?

Gee, how convenient that today’s announcement by Hackers fits all those details almost perfectly!

Folks, this _____ COULD _____ be the WEF/TPTB doing this. One would have to have his head in the sand not to see it.

You know the drill: Get some CASH MONEY from the bank – top live on . . . NOT TO PAY BILLS.

If these people do what they are saying, it is entirely ____POSSIBLE____ that bank ATM/DEBIT/CREDIT cards may go offline. And as Europe goes, so goes America as all the banks are connected worldwide.

So don’t panic — plan.

Remember, fuel up your vehicles, have food, water, medicines, and some cash to live on. For food, not for Bills. The Bills can wait if the choice is survival.

UPDATE 8:25 PM EDT —

I found someone on social media who has put up a copy of the Video announcement mentioned above:

Peach Cobbler Supreme

Ingredients

About 8 cups sliced fresh peaches
2 cups granulated sugar
2-4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup butter
Any pastry for a double-crust pie

Instructions

Combine first 4 ingredients in a Dutch oven; set aside until syrup forms.
Bring peach mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook for 10 minutes or until tender.
Remove from heat; add almond extract and butter, stirring until butter melts.
Roll half of pastry to 1/8-inch thickness on lightly floured surface, and cut into an 8-inch square.
Spoon half of peaches into a lightly buttered 8-inch square baking dish; top with pastry square.
Bake at 425 degrees F for 14 minutes or until lightly browned.
Spoon remaining peaches over baked pastry square.
Roll out remaining pastry, and cut into 1-inch strips to arrange in lattice design over peaches.
Continue to bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until browned.

U.S. B1-b “Lancer” Nuclear Bombers over Germany as Russian Tactical Nukes ARRIVE in Belarus

World Hal Turner 14 June 2023

Two United States Air Force B-1b “Lancer” nuclear bombers are flying in German air space this morning. One took off from RAF Fairfield in the UK and joined another for a flight near (but not into) Ukraine air space. This comes as Russian Tactical nuclear bombs are being delivered into Belarus for storage by Russia.

At about 2:00 AM eastern US time, one B-1-b took off from the UK to go to Germany:

The aircraft started Squawking over England.

Then, it went on-station over North Sea.

It later moved to on-station over southern Germany.

Now, on-station over northern Germany.

These nuclear bomber aircraft from the U.S. Air Force are flying as Russian Tactical-Nuclear Bombs and Missiles have begun to arrive at Storage and Deployment Sites in Belarus.

UPDATE 12:19 PM EDT —

Both B1-b Lancers headed toward the Black Sea . . . . AND . . . . upon going out over the Black Sea, BOTH planes switched OFF their transponders!!!

Total Stealth mode.

Africa STUNNER! Ditching U.S. dollar for trade Kenyan President’s Announcement Shakes Global Economy

Another Year in China

Was 2022 the biggest year ever?

Godfree Roberts

Jun 15, 2023

During a visit in 2022, Xi transformed the once-fractious Middle East into a community united around a shared vision. The leaders of Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, the Arab League, Palestine and Lebanon signed thirty-four agreements, among them: KSA can order missiles, helicopters and air defense weapons with a phone call, and no approval necessary; the region will harmonize its plans with the BRI; Huawei will install $30 billion of telecom gear; China will build a $1 trillion regional hub of 21st century industries; Egypt will get a satellite factory; China and the region will unite to liberate Palestine and protect Syria.

Apart from that..

Inflation stayed flat at 2.2%
Power generation rose 8%
SOE revenues grew twice as fast as GDP.
48 million kids began kindergarten
4.7 million kids earned STEM degrees
Chinese universities surpassed American in the Top 500
British researchers chose China over US
China led in the top 1% of scientific papers
110 cities had 1 Gbps networks (the US has 0)
China built four exascale computers
Quantum secure smartphones came on the market
Mao’s old co-ops sold $1 trillion of food
Half of Chinese farms are cooperatives
Xi spanked Justin Trudeau on camera
Serious crime fell 30% since 2012
B-2 bombers left Guam, F-15s left Okinawa
82% supported Dynamic Covid Zero
Putin serenaded Xi Jinping at the piano
The 1000-mile Grand Canal filled with water end to end.

Southern Crusty Coconut Pie

Ingredients

1/2 cup milk
1 1/4 cups shredded coconut
1/4 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell

Instructions

Pour milk over coconut and set aside while creaming butter and sugar together.
Add eggs to creamed mixture and beat well.
Add milk, coconut and vanilla extract.
Pour into an unbaked pie shell.
Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until pie is golden brown and firm.

Yield: 6 – 8 servings

This recipe may be doubled to make two pies.

Astroturfing For More War In Ukraine

Fellaraktar🇺🇦@fellaraktar – 14:46 UTC · May 29, 2023As a British citizen I want to say that arming Ukraine is the single best use of tax payer money for decades

My only criticism is that the west aren’t sending enough, fast enough

Ukraine is paying for political posturing with the lives of their sons and daughters

Do more now

—

Karen Goetz📯🇺🇦 @KarenGoetz362 – 22:18 UTC · May 29, 2023As a German citizen I want to say that arming #Ukraine is the single best use of tax payer money for decades. My only criticism is that the west aren’t sending enough, fast enough. Ukraine is paying for political posturing with the lives of their sons and daughters. Do more now!

—

Oksanna Oricia (Оксана Збігла) 🇺🇦🇨🇦 @Roxanne_Oricia – 1:46 UTC · May 30, 2023As a 🇺🇦 #Canadian I want to say that arming #Ukraine is the single best use of taxpayer money in decades.

My only criticism is that the west isn’t sending enough, FAST enough.

Ukraine is paying for political posturing with the lives of their sons & daughters.
#ArmUkraineNow ✊🏼

—

Thomas C. Theiner @noclador – 4:57 UTC · May 30, 2023As an Italian citizen I want to say that arming Ukraine is the single best use of taxpayer money for decades.
My only criticism is that the west aren’t sending enough, fast enough.
Ukraine is paying for political posturing with the lives of their sons and daughters.
Do more now!

—

brit engr 🇬🇧 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇺🇦 @brit_engr – 8:15 UTC · May 30, 2023As a British citizen, I want to say that arming Ukraine is the single best use of taxpayer money for decades.
My only criticism is that the West aren’t sending enough, fast enough.
Ukraine is paying for political posturing with the lives of their sons and daughters.
Do more now!

—

bitiv @bitiv30 – 9:29 UTC · May 30, 2023As a #Romanian citizen, I want to say that arming #Ukraine is the single best use of taxpayer money for decades. My only criticism is that the West isn’t sending enough, fast enough. Ukraine is paying for political posturing with the lives of its sons and daughters. Do more now!

—

Anne @KidsFromUkraine 🌷❤🌻 @AnneFella – 17:03 UTC · May 30, 2023As a 🇳🇱#Dutch citizen I want to say that arming #Ukraine is the single best use of taxpayer money in decades. My only criticism is that the west isn’t sending enough, FAST enough. Ukraine is paying for political posturing with the lives of their sons & daughters. #ArmUkraineNow

—

Thibaud Ochem @Thibaud_Ochem – 18:51 UTC · May 30, 2023As a 🇫🇷 citizen I want to say that arming #Ukraine is the single best use of taxpayer money 4 decades. My only criticism is that the West isn’t sending enough, fast enough.🇺🇦is paying 4 political posturing with the lives of their sons & daughters. Do more now! #weapons4Ukraine

—

MH @Mickhavoc – 1:14 UTC · May 31, 2023As a Canadian citizen I want to say that arming #Ukraine is the single best use of taxpayer money for decades. My only criticism is that the west aren’t sending enough, fast enough. Ukraine is paying for political posturing with the lives of their sons and daughters. Do more now

—

Bogdan Stech @BogdanStech – 22:07 UTC · May 31, 2023As a #Poland citizen, I want to say that arming #Ukraine is the single best use of taxpayer money for decades. My only criticism is that the West isn’t sending enough, fast enough. Ukraine is paying for political posturing with the lives of its sons and daughters.

—Well, by now you will have understood the idea …

There are many more such tweets.

In total I count more than one hundred by various NAFO troll accounts. All the tweets were issued between May 29 and June 6.

This is astroturfing on a fairly sophisticated level:

Astroturfing is the practice of hiding the sponsors of a message or organization (e.g., political, advertising, religious or public relations) to make it appear as though it originates from and is supported by grassroots participants. It is a practice intended to give the statements or organizations credibility by withholding information about the source’s financial backers. The term astroturfing is derived from AstroTurf, a brand of synthetic carpeting designed to resemble natural grass, as a play on the word “grassroots”. The implication behind the use of the term is that instead of a “true” or “natural” grassroots effort behind the activity in question, there is a “fake” or “artificial” appearance of support.

I wonder whose taxpayer money gets wasted on it.

Yesterday the Russian President Vladimir Putin had a public talk with war correspondents. Yekaterina Agranovich, a blogger, asked him about ‘western’ propaganda and the people deceived by it. Putin responded:

The information space is a battlefield, a crucial battlefield.So, if someone uploads or writes something and provides an address, this is one thing. However, if there is no address and it is not clear who is writing or speaking, this is a completely different story. You and I are well aware that you can post things online using well-known technical means, and you can make it look like millions of people have seen these videos and commented on them when in fact there is just one person behind it who simply uses modern technology to replicate it endlessly. But, of course, there certainly are people who have a certain frame of mind, and they can express their point of view.

What can we do to oppose this? I think this audience will know what I mean. This can and should be countered not so much by restrictions or administrative or law enforcement constraints, but by effective work in the information environment on our part. And I am really counting on your help.

Well, he did not talk to me. And no, I do not post at Moon of Alabama to help Russia or Putin, but to lay things out as I see them. If that is at times consistent with whatever this or that other public person says, it is likely to be a coincidental and temporary state.

—

Hat tip: Syriacide

Posted by b on June 14, 2023 at 13:20 UTC | Permalink

Luna: Bring the Moon Along with You

What beats looking up at a large, illuminated, full moon? Well now, thanks to this brilliant creation known as the Luna Moon Lantern. This dope and rather eye-catching design lets you have that large illumination any time, giving us something quite contagious and rather unique. The design boasts a construction of glass fiber and non-toxic latex.

The Luna Moon Lantern offers up a brilliant and beautiful way to add light to your life, and certainly adds an eye-catching and artistic appeal to any room in which it’s placed. The design comes in seven different sizes, ranging from the XXS 3.2-inch ball to the XXL 23.6-inches.

We find a cord and a device that will allow you to adjust its glow. Check out the eye-catching new design in the images below and speak your mind on it after the jump. Looking to add this to your home or office, head over here right now!

Chinese FM Qin Gang holds phone talks with Antony Blinken

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang had a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on June 14 at the latter’s request, clarifying China’s firm stance on core concerns such as the Taiwan question, according to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Qin pointed out that since the beginning of the year, China-US relations have faced new difficulties and challenges, and the responsibility is clear. China has always viewed and handled China-US relations following the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Qin clarified China’s firm stance on core concerns such as the Taiwan question, emphasizing that [1] the US should respect it, [2] stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, and [3] stop harming China’s sovereign security and development interests in the name of competition.

The Chinese diplomat said he hopes that [4] the US will take practical actions to implement the important consensus reached between the two heads of state at the G20 Bali meeting. As well as [5] the relevant commitments made by the US, move toward China, [6] effectively manage differences, [7] promote exchanges and cooperation, and [8] get China-US relations back on track to healthy and stable development.

Washington continued hyping China-related topics ahead of a reported trip by Blinken to China as the Biden administration said it has “taken diplomatic steps” that slowed China’s intelligence presence overseas following its recent hype over an alleged “Cuba spy base.” The latest US move was criticized by China on Tuesday as “taking the same page” of the US’ playbook.

Why does France want to join BRICS (June 2023)?

This is perhaps the biggest news of the Summer of 2023.

Taken together with previous trends we see some very interesting developments on the Geo-political stage.

A mere two months ago, Macron STUNNED the world when he arrived in China. He surprised everyone when he arrived with hundreds of trade representatives to cut deals with China.

This might not seem like much, but se made a very vocal, and public display of standing up against the United States. While the Untied States (and NATO) were expecting him to “toe the line” and regurgitate the (mindless manta) of “support Ukraine”, “sanction Russia”, “obey the USA or else”, and put pressure on China. Instead, he did the exact opposite, he supported, approved of, and embraced China.

And what can you expect?

The United States was infuriated, the raging up and down Washington DC was legendary.

So of course, the “police dogs” (used to keep the proxy nations in line with Washington dictates) began their disruptions, protests, and assaults. CIA operatives inside of France began their disruptions; their protests, and their threats of “color revolution”…

He didn’t care.

Instead he cut so many deals (with China) that the world was left a spinning. The sheer scope and size was unlike anything anyone expected.

Selling over 160 aircraft to China.
Joint ventures galore, and many new (BIG) factories to open up in Face to provide hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Allowing China to operate it’s Navy and use French bases on the third island chain! (Talk about “throwing a bucket of ice water” on the American neocons)

And so much more.

…

Nervous Chinese see the good and the threats of all this, but over all, the message is clear.

France is considering leaving the G7 and joining BRICS++. And if it is successful, the “rules based American order” is about to shrink in chunks and bumpy stages. We are (you and I) watching in real-time the repudiation of the American world order, the American USD, and the American LGBQ+ culture.

And France wants a seat at the table.

France, and Africa (both which are French speaking lands) are embracing a multi-polar world as equal partners and turning their collective backs to the shit-show; clown march of collapsed American society, and the massive crime syndicate that it represents.

Oh sure, there are many steps from here to there, and the United States is going to do everything to stop Micron before it’s too late. But as it stands now, France is waving the flag and is will to arrive in the embrace of a new world order.

One where France has a major seat at the table, instead of moldy American table scraps on the floor.

Rustic Southern Sweet Potato Pie

Sweet Potato Pie vs Pumpkin Pie

Sweet potato pies have a very similar taste and texture to pumpkin pie, but I prefer sweet potato pie. Typically a pie made with sweet potato is a little lighter in texture and sweeter with less spice and I think sweet potato pies are more buttery.

Ask any southerner and they will tell you that sweet potato pie is greatly superior to pumpkin pie.

Ingredients

Filling

2 large yams
2 large sweet potatoes
2 cups sugar
1 stick butter (melted)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons butter

Dough

3 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk

Egg Wash

1 egg
1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

Filling: In a large pot, boil yams and potatoes for about one hour or until tender.
Drain water and let potatoes cool.
When cool enough to handle, peel skins off and place yams and potatoes in a ricer or potato masher.
In a bowl, combine yams and potatoes, sugar, melted butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and vanilla extract. Mix well.
Dough: Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a small saucepan, heat the butter until it turns golden brown. When done, it should have a nutty-like aroma.
Remove from heat and let cool.
In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and sugar, mixing well.
In another bowl, whisk together olive oil, vanilla extract, milk and melted butter.
Pour into the flour mixture and mix with a fork. Dough should hold together. If too crumbly, add ice water, a tablespoon at a time.
Cover and let sit for about a half an hour.
Assemble: On a floured surface, roll out dough to fit a 14-inch round or rectangular baking pan. Place dough on pan.
Spoon filling into the center of the dough, leaving about a 1 1/2-inch border. Gently fold the sides of the dough up and over some of the filling.
Egg Wash: Mix the egg and tablespoon of milk together with a fork.
Coat the bread with egg wash using a pasty brush.
Sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for about 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

American society is now fully 100% collapsed. The government still functions at a trivial level, and the people are ignorant of this reality.

Today the theme is pop music from Cambodia.

When I was a boy, perhaps in third grade, my father bought me a cub-scout pocket knife. It was blue and had three blades. I carried it everywhere. It has one big blade that I used to cut branches off of Birch Trees and then suck on the root-beer tasting stems while we hiked in the PA woods. The smaller knife was difficult to get out, and I only used it a couple of times, but the third knife was a can opener, and we used to use it to open up a lid on a can of beans that we would cook over a campfire in the woods.

Summer is here. I hope that you too are reliving various aspects of your childhood in the fine and fresh seasonal air.

Here’s today’s installment…

Good morning, and welcome to the Global Situation Report for Wednesday, 14 June 2023.

FIRST UP: China pressures Taiwan to lift exchange restrictions

People’s Republic of China officials are pressuring Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to lift restrictions on student exchanges and cooperation with mainland China.
The PRC wants to send 50 students to Taiwan to “enhance mutual understanding, deepen their friendship, and make joint efforts to promote peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.”

Why It Matters: China prefers reunification with Taiwan through Kuomintang (KMT) political success, not military operations. KMT officials have visited mainland China for talks, and remain Taiwan’s pro-reunification political party ahead of next year’s presidential elections. A student exchange is almost certainly aimed at developing pro-reunification sentiment among Taiwan’s youth population, and would likely further enable unconventional warfare operations against Taiwan.

DEDOLLARIZATION: Egypt exits dollar in BRICS trade

Egyptian officials announced they’re moving away from the dollar in trade with BRICS countries, and instead will use the local currencies of major trade partners.

Why It Matters: Egypt’s decision to de-dollarize with BRICS is likely a precondition for their joining BRICS+, as India and China have imposed other pre-conditions on prospective members.

DEFENSE HANDBOOK: Taiwanese MoD publishes civilian war-time guide

Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense published an updated guide for civilians covering topics such as how to respond to foreign attacks, where to find bomb shelters, and how to distinguish between Taiwanese and Chinese soldiers.
The update to last year’s 14-page guide says that Chinese soldiers are likely to be wearing their PLA uniforms, while China’s unconventional forces would be wearing other clothing during infiltration into Taiwan.

Why It Matters: Civilian war-time guides are a common practice, including Cold War-era civil defense guides for Americans. Baltic nations have also published similar guides detailing how to conduct guerrilla warfare and stay-behind operations in the event of a Russian invasion.

MIDDLE EAST: China strikes strategic cooperation deal with Palestinian Authority

Chinese officials announced a “strategic partnership” deal with the Palestinian Authority, although neither side released the details of what that entails.

Why It Matters: China has replaced the United States as the region’s top security partner, largely due to U.S. inaction on numerous fronts. Additionally, Chinese officials have proposed peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians. This strategic partnership could put China in a position to solve the decades-long conflict, following success in negotiating peace between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

MEDVEDEV: Russia has no reason not to cut undersea cables

Russian National Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev accused the West of complicity in the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, adding that Russia now has “no constraints” on destroying undersea communication cables between the United States and Europe.

Why It Matters: Medvedev continues a long series of incendiary and outlandish comments. Some of his recent outbursts, however, are likely within his authority, which makes this implied threat notable. There are two worst case scenarios here: First, Russia is well within its capabilities to cut these vital undersea cables, which would disrupt global communications and international financial transactions. And second, the U.S. or NATO could target Russian ships suspected of plotting sabotage, causing a new front in the very messy war of narrative and escalating conflict outside of Ukraine.

THAT’S A WRAP: This does it for today’s edition. Thank you for reading. If you know folks who would also like to receive this email, would you please forward it to them? We appreciate you spreading the word. – M.S.

Southern Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients

3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 pounds large shrimp, (16/20 or 21/25 count), peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
6 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

In a bowl, toss garlic, salt and pepper with the shrimp, which may be refrigerated, well covered, for several hours at this point.
When ready to cook, heat oil in a large sauté pan over high heat until it shimmers, then add shrimp and move shrimp around in the pan for about 2 minutes, or until the color just begins to turn from translucent.
Remove shrimp, reduce heat to medium-high and add wine, scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes to reduce, then add butter and swirl the pan to melt it.
Put shrimp back into pan, stir about a minute to finishing cooking and add lemon juice.
Remove to serving dish, sprinkle with parsley and red pepper flakes, adding more pepper if desired.
Serve over rice or pasta or as is.

Yield: 2 to 4 servings

What’s the cleverest cheating you’ve ever seen as a teacher or student?

This happened a long time ago at the AF Academy in Colo. Springs, Colo. The architecture of the Academy was very modern for its time with tall buildings and all glass walls. Some of the class rooms had 18–20′ ceilings and floor to ceiling windows facing East . This design tended to make the class rooms very bright from the early morning sunlight so it was not uncommon for the students to wear sunglasses in the classes.

2023 06 14 18 23

A very important mid-term exam in engineering was given in one of these classrooms. The professor was not particularly looking for cheaters as much as just curious of how the students were doing on the test. He walked among the desks during the test.

As he walked, he noticed a lot of students were frequently turning and looking out the windows and then returning to the test. Almost every student in the classroom had on sunglasses. The professor also noticed that almost all the sunglasses were the same brand and style. That was very odd so he began trying to see if this was some kind of cheating.

After studying the students and the room carefully, he could see no outward sign of cheating so he concluded that there was something about those sunglasses. I speculated that they may have cheating information written on the lenses but decided these was unlikely since there simply was not enough room on the small lens of the sunglasses to get more than a few words or numbers plus he could look at the glasses and could not see anything unusual about them.

As the test went on, he finally decided to look at the glasses anyway just to confirm they had no writing on them. He went to one of the students and asked to see his sunglasses. The student was reluctant but obeyed the order. The professor held the glasses and examined them for writing on the frame or lens. There was none. Just before he gave them back to the student, he was curious how well they worked against the bright morning sun coming thru the large wall of windows. He put them on.

When he did, he say large letters and numbers in bold black print written on all of the windows. The writing were all the formulas and data related to the test. When he pulled the glasses off and looked at the windows, there was no visible writing.

The professor stopped the test and dismissed the class. A subsequent investigation discovered that three of the AF Cadets has used an alcohol and salt based liquid poured into a magic marker style pen to write on the windows. The liquid crystallized in such a way as to form a polarizing effect when the liquid dried. The sunglasses worn by the students all had polarized lenses. When viewed thru the sunglasses, the writing appeared. Without the polarized glasses, the windows just looked a little extra sparkly. It wasn’t perfect but it was readable. The windows were effectively a 40 foot by 15 foot cheat sheet.

The three Cadets were discovered. They had sold the glasses to their class mates for $30 each.

SK – រក្សាគម្លាត (Official MV)

Saudi Arabia seeks cooperation with China, ‘ignores’ Western worries — Reuters

Saudi Arabia wants to collaborate, not compete, with China, the kingdom’s energy minister declared on Sunday, saying he “ignored” Western suspicions over their growing ties.

As the world’s top oil exporter, Saudi Arabia’s bilateral relationship with the world’s biggest energy consumer is anchored by hydrocarbon ties. But cooperation between Riyadh and Beijing has also deepened in security and sensitive tech amid a warming of political ties – to the concern of the U.S.

Asked about criticism of the bilateral relationship during an Arab-China business conference, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said: “I actually ignore it because … as a business person .. now you will go where opportunity comes your way.”

“We don’t have to be facing any choice which has to do with (saying) either with us or with the others.”

Chinese entrepreneurs and investors have flocked to Riyadh for the conference, which came days after a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

OIL DEALS

In March, state oil giant Saudi Aramco announced two major deals to raise its multi-billion dollar investment in China and bolster its rank as China’s top provider of crude.

They were the biggest announced since Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Saudi Arabia in December where he called for oil trade in yuan, a move that would weaken the dollar’s dominance.

“Oil demand in China is still growing so of course we have to capture some of that demand,” Prince Abdulaziz said.

“Instead of competing with China, collaborate with China.”

The two nations’ momentum has also raised prospects for a successful conclusion to negotiations for a free trade deal between China and the Saudi Arabia-dominated Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), ongoing since 2004.

Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al Falih said any agreement would have to protect emerging Gulf industries as the region starts to diversify towards non-oil economic sectors.

“We need to enable and empower our industries to export, so we hope all countries that negotiate with us for free trade deals know we need to protect our new, emerging industries,” Falih said, adding he hoped a deal would soon be struck.

Glomyy Vincent – មនុស្សពិសេស (Special Someone)(SS) ft. Olica [Official MV]

Golden Fried Peach Pies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
4 tablespoons shortening
4 to 5 tablespoons water
1 (16 ounce) can peaches
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon melted butter
Confectioners’ sugar (optional)

Instructions

Sift the flour into a bowl and cut in shortening.
Add enough water gradually to hold pastry together and press into a ball. Divide into 5 parts and roll each part on a floured surface into a 5-inch circle.
Drain the peaches and mash.
Add the cinnamon and butter and mix well.
Place 2 tablespoons peach mixture on each circle and fold over. Seal edges with a wet fork.
Fry in deep fat at 375 degrees F until golden brown, and drain on absorbent paper.
When cool, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.

What is the biggest culture shock you have ever faced?

I was in a nice hotel in Japan. I got in the elevator with a young Japanese woman. When the door opened, I waited for her to exit. She did not move.

I gestured for her to go. To my surprise, in perfect English she said

“In Japan, the man always goes first.”

I saw this custom in action, as groups of Japanese were men first and women following behind.

គឺអូន | Sai ft. Tendo & Kamonrath | PlengxYellowLight

The Hegemon Will Go Full Hybrid War Against BRICS+

By Pe.pe Esco.bar

June 10, 2023

The Hybrid War 2.0 against the Global South has not even started. Swing states, you have all been warned.

U.S. Think Tank Land hacks are not exactly familiar with Montaigne: “On the highest throne in the world, we still sit only on our own bottom.”

Hubris leads these specimens to presume their flaccid bottoms are placed high above anyone else’s. The result is that a trademark mix of arrogance and ignorance always ends up unmasking the predictability of their forecasts.

U.S. Think Tank Land – inebriated by their self-created aura of power – always telegraphs in advance what they’re up to. That was the case with Project 9/11 (“We need a new Pearl Harbor”). That was the case with the RAND report on over-extending and unbalancing Russia. And now that’s the case with the incoming American War on BRICS as outlined by the chairman of the New York-based Eurasia Group.

It’s always painful to suffer through the intellectually shallow Think Thank Land wet dreams masquerading as “analyses” but in this particular case key Global South players need to be firmly aware of what awaits them.

Predictably, the whole “analysis” revolves around the imminent, devastating humiliation to the Hegemon and its vassals: what happens next in country 404, also known – for now – as Ukraine.

Brazil, India, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia are dismissed as “four major fence-sitters” when it comes to the U.S./NATO proxy war against Russia. It’s the same old “you’re with us or against us” trope.

But then we are presented with the six major Global South culprits: Brazil, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Turkey.

In yet another crude, parochial remix of a catch phrase referring to the American elections, these are qualified as the key swing states the Hegemon will need to seduce, cajole, intimidate and threaten to assure its dominance of the “rules-based international order”.

Saudi Arabia and South Africa are added to a previous report focused on the “four major fence sitters”.

The swing state manifesto notes that all of them are G-20 members and “active in both geopolitics and geoeconomics” (Oh really? Now that’s some breaking news). What it does not say is that three of them are BRICS members (Brazil, India, South Africa) and the other three are serious candidates to join BRICS+: deliberations will be turbo-charged in the upcoming BRICS summit in South Africa in August.

So it’s clear what the swing state manifesto is all about: a call to arms for the American war against the BRICS.

So BRICS packs no punch.

The swing state manifesto harbors wet dreams of near-shoring and friend-shoring moving away from China. Nonsense: enhanced intra-BRICS+ trade will be the order of the day from now on, especially with the expanded practice of trade in national currencies (see Brazil-China or within ASEAN), the first step towards widespread de-dollarization.

The swing states are characterized as “not a new incarnation” of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), or “other groupings dominated by the Global South, such as the G-77 and BRICS.”

Talk about exponential nonsense.

This is all about BRICS+ – which now has the tools (including the NDB, the BRICS bank) to do what NAM could never accomplish during the Cold War: establish the framework of a new system bypassing Bretton Woods and the interlocking coercion mechanisms of the Hegemon.

As for stating that BRICS has not “packed much punch” that only reveals U.S. Think Tank Land’s cosmic ignorance of what BRICS + is all about.

The position of India is only considered in terms of being a Quad member – defined as a “U.S.-led effort to balance China”. Correction: contain China.

As for the “choice” of swing states of choosing between the U.S. and China on semiconductors, AI, quantum technology, 5G and biotechnology, that’s not about “choice”, but to what level they are able to sustain Hegemon pressure to demonize Chinese technology.

Pressure on Brazil, for instance, is much heavier than on Saudi Arabia or Indonesia.

In the end though, it all comes back to the Straussian neocon obsession: Ukraine. The swing states, in varying degrees, are guilty of opposing and/or undermining the sanctions dementia. Turkey, for instance, is accused of channeling “dual-use” items to Russia. Not a word on the U.S. financial system viciously forcing Turkish banks to stop accepting Russian MIR payment cards.

On the wishful thinking front, this pearl stands out among many: “The Kremlin seems to believe it can make a living by turning its trade south and east.”

Well, Russia is already making excellent living all across Eurasia and a vast expanse of the Global South.

The economy has re-started (drivers are domestic tourism, machine building and the metals industry); inflation is at only 2.5% (lower than anywhere in the EU); unemployment is at only 3.5%; and head of the Central Bank Elvira Nabiullina said that by 2024 growth will be back to pre-SMO levels.

U.S. Think Tankland is congenitally incapable of understanding that even if BRICS+ nations may still have some serious trade credit issues to iron out, Moscow has already shown how even an implied hard backing of a currency can turn out to be an instant game changer. Russia is at the same time backing not only the ruble but also the yuan.

Meanwhile, the Global South de-dollarization caravan moves on relentlessly – as much as the proxy war hyenas may keep howling in the dark. When the full – staggering – scale of NATO’s humiliation in Ukraine unfolds, arguably by mid-summer, the de-dollarization high-speed train will be fully booked, non-stop.

“Offer you can’t refuse” rides again

If all of the above was not already silly enough, the swing state manifesto doubles down on the nuclear front, accusing them of “future (nuclear) proliferation risks”: especially – who else – Iran.

By the way, Russia is defined as a “middle power, but one in decline”. And “hyper-revisionist” to boot. Oh dear: with “experts” like this, the Americans don’t even need enemies.

And yes, by now you may be excused to roar with laughter: China is accused of attempting to direct and co-opt BRICS. The “suggestion” – or “offer you can’t refuse”, Mafia-style – to the swing states is that you cannot join a “Chinese-directed, Russian-assisted body actively opposing the United States.”

The message is unmistakable: “The threat of a Sino-Russian co-optation of an expanded BRICS—and through it, of the global south—is real, and it needs to be addressed.”

And here are the recipes to address it. Invite most swing states to the G-7 (that was a miserable failure). “More high-level visits by key U.S. diplomats” (welcome to cookie distributor Vicky Nuland). And last but not least, Mafia tactics, as in a “nimbler trade strategy that begins to crack the nut of access to the U.S. market.”

The swing state manifesto could not but let the Top Cat out of the bag, predicting, rather praying that “U.S.-China tensions rise dramatically and turn into a Cold War-style confrontation.” That’s already happening – unleashed by the Hegemon.

So what would be the follow-up? The much sought after and spun-to-death “decoupling”, forcing the swing states to “align more closely with one side or the other”. It’s “you’re with us or against us” all over again.

So there you go.

Raw, in the flesh – with inbuilt veiled threats. The Hybrid War 2.0 against the Global South has not even started. Swing states, you have all been warned.

Glomyy – ស្នេហ៍និងទំនួល Love and Responsible ft. Tendo (Official MV)

“I was driving up 75, and saw the trooper in the turnout…checked my speed, oh I’m good. A few minutes later, I see a dog in the ditch by one of the signs for exit 20. She looked bad.

I was in the left lane, heading to an appointment, and was torn. I decided I would go back southbound and risk a ticket by going to the turnout. I turned in and the trooper was still there! Yay! He rolled down his window and said “yep! I’m here” to which i told him about the dog and I didn’t want a ticket, but if I could help that dog, it was fine by me. He just asked where the dog was and was on his way! I followed and we found her, still there, panting like she was fixing to die. That trooper dumped his jug out and fashioned a water bowl for her. Then poured a couple bottles of water. The dog was scared of him, but frozen in weakness. She sniffed the water, then realized this kindness was for her! She drank that water down in minutes! The trooper went and got her some more, plus a Little Debbie. She watched him warily the whole time. She sniffed his hand but was still wary. Next thing, he goes to his vehicle and gets a chair and an umbrella. He told me he will stay here until she trusts him, so he can get her to a shelter, or take her home. I believe his being there at the right time, was one of those little messages reminding us of the good in our world. Meet Trooper Tudors of the TN State Highway Patrol. One of the good guys for sure.”

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Tena – Feel Good ft Tendo

State TV: United States is in Moscow’s Nuclear Crosshairs

World Hal Turner 13 June 2023

A Russian state TV host has warned that if the Ukraine war escalates to a “nuclear phase,” the Kremlin will strike the U.S. with nuclear weapons as it is “in the crosshairs.”

Russian political commentator and president of Russia’s Institute of the Middle East Yevgeny Satanovsky made the warning in a clip that has now gone viral:

This comes on the heels of a very high ranking Russian elected official, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council (Senate) who said “the likelihood of nuclear weapons being used, was growing by the day.”

“In my opinion, concerns about climate change is nothing compared to the prospect of being at the epicenter of an explosion with a temperature of 5,000 Kelvin (scale), a shock wave of 350 meters per second and a pressure of 3,000 kilograms per square meter, with penetrating radiation, that is, ionizing radiation and an electromagnetic pulse,” he said at an educational event in late April, according to Russia’s state-run news agency RIA Novosti.

“Is there such a prospect today? (Unfortunately), yes. And it is growing every day for well-known reasons,” he said.

Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings

From bestselling author and founder of popular satire blog TheCooperReview.com comes this all-new daily calendar with a year’s worth of tips for succeeding fabulously at work with minimal effort.

You’ll learn familiar corporate strategies for appearing engaged while zoning out, using meaningless buzzwords in the right context, creating impressive presentations of no value to anyone, and much, much more. Each daily page includes a valuable tip for fooling coworkers into thinking that you’re shrewd, engaged, and trying. With this perfect calendar for every office desktop, you’ll laugh each day at the fresh tricks and sly satire on corporate conventions.

Scroll down to see some of the examples from previous years.

More: The Cooper Review, Shop

Chinese Orange Chicken

Published: Jan 30, 2018 · Modified: Nov 16, 2020 by Melissa Stadler

Chinese Orange Chicken made with crispy fried chicken covered in an authentic orange sauce. The ultimate Chinese Orange Chicken Recipe which is way better than take-out.

My kids are always begging me to take them to grab Chinese food. They are obsessed with orange chicken but I am never really sure what’s in it….especially if they get it from a drive-thru. I wanted to create a version at home, made from scratch, with all-natural ingredients. It still has the same incredible flavor they love. It’s definitely a win-win in our home.

It is wintertime in Arizona which means that the citrus is ripe for the picking. I am surrounded by neighbors who have a plethora of fresh oranges and lemons hanging from their trees. This is the perfect time of year to whip up orange and lemon dishes especially this Chinese Orange Chicken.

This Chinese Orange Chicken is made with boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces, dredged, and then fried until golden and crispy. The orange sauce is divine! It is a sweet orange sauce made with orange juice, vinegar, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, red chili flakes, and orange zest. It is both sweet and spicy and full of flavor.

How to make Chinese Orange Chicken at home:

Start with boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs. Cut into bite-size pieces. Dredge the chicken in whisked eggs and cornstarch/flour mixture until nice and coated. Get these chicken pieces ready for the oil.
To make your homemade orange sauce, place orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and red chili flakes in a small pot and cook over medium-high heat. Add cornstarch and water and cook until thickened. Stir in orange zest.
Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. When frying foods, it is so helpful to use a thermometer. Let the oil heat up to 350 degrees. Once the oil is ready, in batches, cook chicken for about 2 minutes until light golden brown. Repeat with remaining chicken.
Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
Toss fried chicken with the sweet orange sauce. Top with grated orange zest and green onions. Serve immediately.

Ingredients

Chicken:

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts cut into bite-size pieces
3 Eggs whisked
⅓ cup Cornstarch
⅓ cup Flour
Salt
Oil for frying

Orange Chicken Sauce:

1 cup Orange Juice
½ cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar or White Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce use tamari for a gluten-free dish
¼ teaspoon Ginger
¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder or 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
½ teaspoon Red Chili Flakes
Orange Zest from 1 orange
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch

Garnish:

Green Onions
Orange Zest

Instructions

To make orange sauce:
In a medium pot, add orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and red chili flakes. Heat for 3 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 Tablespoons of water to form a paste. Add to orange sauce and whisk together. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken. Once the sauce is thickened, remove from heat and add orange zest.
To make chicken:
Place flour and cornstarch in a shallow dish or pie plate. Add a generous pinch of salt. Stir.
Whisk eggs in shallow dish.
Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture and then flour mixture. Place on plate.
Heat 2 -3 inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Using a thermometer, watch for it to reach 350 degrees.
Working in batches, cook several chicken pieces at a time. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes, turning often until golden brown. Place chicken on a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat.
Toss chicken with orange sauce. You may reserve some of the sauce to place on rice. Serve it with a sprinkling of green onion and orange zest, if so desired.

The Chinese Power: 👲🏻 Why They Are Different from Us – Douglas Macgregor

https://youtu.be/MIlzm4Qix6k

Is Gordon Ramsey as bad as he is on TV?

Not really, believe it or not, the famous chef entered a London prison to conduct a cooking workshop for inmates for 6 months.

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The UK has a prison population of over 85,000 inmates. Each one costs the state $58,000 a year, and faced with such a situation, Gordon Ramsay decided to do something out of the ordinary, teach prisoners their trade so they can get busy.

To accomplish this, Ramsay dedicated six months of his time to London’s Brixton prison, undertaking the ambitious task of transforming a group of inmates into skilled cooks. The ultimate goal was to enable these prisoners to market their culinary creations internationally through a catering company. By doing so, the prisoners not only earned income for themselves but also made a valuable contribution to the state. It was a venture aimed at providing inmates with opportunities for skill development, financial independence, and a chance to reintegrate into society.

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What is the most surprising thing when you first travel to China?

Born and raised in the United States, my first time to China was in 2016, shortly after I graduated from high school. Since I had studied Chinese for four years and high school, as a gift for graduating my dad decided to take me on a two-week tour of China. To say that this trip was one of the most eye-opening experiences of my lifetime would not be an exaggeration. There were five things that were surprising to me when I visited China and that were entirely different than what the Western media had taught me:

China is a beautiful place. Growing up in the U.S., pretty much all you hear about China is how “ugly” it is. Before I went, I expected the skies everywhere to be dark and clouded, and the air to be difficult to breathe due to all the media coverage that the pollution in China receives. However, when I actually got to China, I was shocked at how beautiful it was. The skies were blue, the cities were clean, and the pollution seemed just as bad as in any other big city that I had visited in the U.S. Not only that, but there were some landscapes in China that were just absolutely stunning. I particularly remember being blown away by the beauty of the countryside views in Guilin, and the massive rock formations on the Guangxi River.
Chinese people are very friendly. In the U.S., it is a common assumption that Chinese people are quite rude. My trip to China proved this assumption to be completely wrong. Every Chinese person that I met was extremely friendly, and they were always excited to approach us either to talk or to get their picture taken with us. It was like being a celebrity! Not only that, but everyone was always willing to try and speak English with us, and were very kind when I attempted to converse with them in Chinese. In my honest opinion, many of the people I met in China were friendlier than many people back home. One person that stands out to me in particular was our rickshaw driver in Beijing. Even though he didn’t speak much English, he still tried to point out all of the sights of Beijing to us the best he could, and even though he had a hard job he always had a big smile on his face.
Authentic Chinese food is good. Back in the United States, it is commonly believed that the food eaten in China is weird, abnormal, and unappetizing. However, all of the food that I ate in China was delicious (my favorite food being from Chengdu), and I actually preferred it to the Chinese food that you can find in America. Yes, there are several cultural differences in the type of food that we eat, but that doesn’t mean that it is bad! While I did see some foods that surprised me, including ants and rats, this was mostly out in the countryside. To any foreigner traveling to China, I would recommend trying as many foods as possible, even if they are a bit out of your comfort zone like they were for me. It’s worth it!
There are people in China who are very rich. Most of what Americans hear about the Chinese is the extreme poverty that they experience. While it is true that we did see many poorer families while on our trip, we also saw a very luxurious side of China that I didn’t even know existed. The area that appeared to be the wealthiest was definitely Shanghai. There were luxury stores (i.e., Gucci. Tiffany’s, Prada, etc.) all over the city, and there were always Chinese people shopping at these stores. Not only that, but there were also always very expensive cars driving around the streets of Shanghai. It was a side of China that I never even heard about back home, and it was great to be able to see how prosperous China has become.
Chinese people love their country. In the United States, it is a common thought that many Chinese people must feel oppressed by their government due to their country not being a democracy. However, while I was in China I saw nothing but pride and love for their country. Through many conversations with Chinese people, it was clear to me that they loved being from China. They had a lot of respect for their history, their culture, and for their government. In fact, it seemed to me that Chinese people had much less negative things to say about their country than many Americans do. This just goes to show that just because you don’t agree with a certain method of government doesn’t mean that the people living in that country have to share the same views as you.

UFO whistleblowers drop BOMBSHELL on D.C. | Redacted with Natali and Clayton Morris

Physics, Chemistry and China

Physics, all top five institutions are Chinese. MIT at number six.

Chemistry, all top ten institutions are Chinese:

WARRIORS | BALY FT .TOM | REAM PRODUCTION

Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Orzo

Published: Jun 12, 2023 by Melissa Stadler

Creamy Chicken Broccoli Orzo made with sauteed chicken, fresh broccoli, orzo pasta in a cheesy sauce. This easy Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Orzo Skillet 30-minute meal is creamy and delicious!

Chicken Broccoli Rice Skillet and use orzo in place of rice and everyone goes crazy for this recipe!

Ingredients overview:

This creamy chicken broccoli orzo skillet is super easy to make and uses only fresh ingredients.

Chicken Breast — cut and trim chicken breast into bite-size pieces

Oil — this is to saute the chicken to keep it moist and from sticking to the pan

Salt and Pepper — generously season the chicken breast with salt and pepper

Butter — saute onion and garlic in butter to soften and infuse flavor

Onion — use sweet yellow onion or red onion and saute until tender

Garlic — use minced garlic cloves

Broccoli — cut into small bite-size pieces and saute for several minutes

Orzo Pasta — this is a popular dried pasta that looks similar to rice

Chicken Broth — cook the orzo in chicken broth to infuse it with flavor

Cheese — use a mix of cheddar and parmesan cheese for the best flavor

Fresh Lemon — to add some brightness to the dish, squeeze in some fresh lemon juice

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon Oil
1 lb Chicken Breast (cut into bite-size pieces)
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Pepper
2 Tablespoons Butter
½ Onion (finely diced)
4 Garlic Cloves (minced)
1 ½ cups Broccoli (cut into small pieces)
1 cup Orzo Pasta
3 cups Chicken Broth
1 ½ cups Cheese (½ cup of parmesan, 1 cup of cheddar)
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
Fresh Herbs (basil, oregano, or parsley)

How to make Creamy Chicken Broccoli Orzo:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces, for about 3 minutes per side. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Once the chicken is no longer pink, remove it from the skillet and place the chicken plus the juices on a plate. Cover.
Add the butter, onion, and broccoli to the skillet and cook until softened about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Add the orzo pasta and toss to coat. Stir in the chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and cook until the orzo is tender, about 10-11 minutes.
Stir in cheese and stir to melt. Squeeze fresh lemon juice into the skillet and stir.
Top with fresh herbs, if desired, and freshly grated parmesan or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

WHAT TYPE OF CHEESE SHOULD I USE IN CHEESY CHICKEN ORZO?

I suggest using a strong cheese like parmesan for its robust and nutty flavor which is so perfect with this chicken and orzo skillet. I prefer to use two types of cheese in this cheesy chicken and orzo and the other cheese of choice would be medium cheddar or Colby jack cheese. You can use any type of cheddar cheese or cheddar combination.

How prepared is the United States of America for war with China?

The United States is as ready as it ever will be.

So the United States force doctrine is one where the disposable peoples of Australia, Korea and Japan (with the Philippines) would be sacrificed first.

Eventually, the Chinese force would peter out to an “approachable” level.

(Some interesting articles on this particular subject. It’s already been divided up! Though, I would advise “don’t count your chickens until the eggs hatch”.)

Anyways, there one teeny-tiny issue.

But I am told it doesn’t matter.

As many in the “West” are very confident that “China would never…”.

So the United States would rip China a new behind.

…

But…

Thus, the first cities to experience nuclear destruction would be American. I recon complete destruction of the top 35 cities.

This would really throw a monkey-wrench into the plans listed above.

The American “leadership” would be pissed and they (well the ones still alive and not wearing diapers) would order a MAD response. And the nukes would start a flying.

…

Sigh.

No one is going to win a US-China war.

គេជាមនុស្សបែបណា [ Ke Chea Mnus Beb Na ] By Eliza

We’re Not Finished

“You give me a piece of ground and a sword and I am going to take back this country with your help and the help of all the homeless Democrats and Republicans who are Americans first.” — Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Clusterfuck Nation
For your reading pleasure Mondays and Fridays
Support this blog by visiting Jim’s Patreon PageAnd thanks to all my Patrons for your support

If you’re wondering why our country is lost in lunatic raptures of lawless Lawfare and futile MAGAry, it’s because our economy has already collapsed, and our culture and politics with it downstream have also collapsed into spectacular degeneracy. It has already happened. Maybe you don’t know it.

The business model is broken. We’re a shadow of the industrial economy that won a great war and enjoyed a boisterous peace. You can’t replace ball bearing factories with theme parks and hedge funds. Sorry. The full faith and credit of the USA is not embodied in those frivolities, so our money is losing its mojo fast.

But get this: we will go on. This is not the end of the world or the end of history. It is the end of an era. Believe it or not, the economy will fix itself, it just won’t be what it was in 1957. It won’t be what the techno-supremacists think, either. (You need a dependable electric grid to run all those server farms and the apps they serve, and the AI supposedly looming.) It will fix itself because when things fail, as they are doing now, a lot of opportunities will open up to do things differently, even very differently.

When the chain stores fail along with their twelve-thousand-mile supply lines, Americans will figure out how to find stuff, make stuff, move stuff, and sell stuff at a smaller scale, maybe back on your Main Street (if it’s still there). There will be a lot less stuff, of course. But it may be enough stuff, and some of you will be busy making stuff of some kind. Imagine an economy where practically everybody has a useful role to play. Do you know how much more important it is to lead a purposeful, active life than to be lost in leisure and anomie with more stuff than you know what to do with? Which is where we’re at now, even for many who are statistically “poor.”

When the Happy Motoring colossus tweaks out, we’ll spend less time moving around and more time doing useful things, staying put around the places where we live. We’d be lucky if we could keep some railroads going, but the prospects are not great for that now. Sorry, we blew it. Should have re-started that project in 1970 when the handwriting was on the wall. (We made a lot of bad choices.) Cars and trains require elaborate networks of many interdependent technologies all integrated smoothly at the giant scale — oil, steel, plastics, electronics — and all of that is disintegrating. Pretty soon, you can forget about airplanes, too. That leaves… what? Yes, boats and horses. I know… it sounds inconceivable. Wait for it.

When our grotesque medical racketeering matrix fails, doctors will practice medicine at smaller scale, probably without advanced pharmaceuticals and techno-diagnostics. They’ll open small local clinics while zombies squat in the broken mega-hospitals. You’ll have to pay in cash, whatever form that comes in. You’ll have to take care of yourself, too, but there will be a whole lot less enticing, engineered, toxic crap available to stuff into your body — Froot Loops, Hot Pockets — and the food markets won’t be all that super. There will certainly be less food altogether, but there will be fewer of us to feed, and more of that fewer-of-us will be busy producing that food, one way or another.

That’s the reality I see coming. As you’ve seen vividly, the journey from where we were in, say, the year 2000, to where we’re going has been psychologically disordering at the mass scale. These days, people who ought to know better express ideas that would have gotten them laughed out the room in 1999. The catch is that few of you know that this mass disordering grew out of fear of the journey. It was a phenomenon of infectious mass anxiety over something only dimly apprehended. You just thought it was about bad people.

You’re now faced with the question: how to avoid committing suicide, directly or inadvertently, personally or as a whole society, slowly or quickly? — and its corollary, how to get through the madness in the meantime? Politics happen whether you pay attention to it or not. Politics is concerned with how a society navigates through history. Today, it seems that either A) somebody is steering badly; B) Nobody is steering; or C) some outside force has commandeered the ship’s wheel and is steering for us.

Any way you look at that, we need somebody to steer. Mr. Trump has volunteered to try doing it again. The first time, forces in every quarter of American power set out to bushwhack, sandbag, harass, hector, and hound him. In the process, they just about destroyed the rule of law. Then they simply dis-elected him surreptitiously, something you’re not supposed to say, but there it is, like so much meat on the table. Now they’re trying to hoo-rah him into jail. Whatever you think of his, er, complex personality, you must admire his perseverance through adversity. If he somehow manages to wriggle through the present obstacle course of Lawfare chicanery, his next term would be an extravaganza of retribution. The spectacle would provide much satisfaction but, in the end, it would just be a sideshow, and it is not the same thing as taking care of business.

“Joe Biden,” of course, the man who is not really even there, is only pretending to run for reelection, or at least a coterie around the Oval Office is pretending for him while they try to figure out what to do. They’re in an awful quandary. They hold all the levers of power and they have no other credible candidate, not a living soul, in their own official hatchery.

Outside of that ghastly edifice, Robert F. Kennedy is making a determined flanking move, an end-run near the sidelines. The Democratic Party in all its florid and mendacious lunacy is pretending to not notice him, especially their praetorian news media that is the vector for America’s mass mental illness. Mr. Kennedy put it so simply in April when he announced a run to preside over the stupendous mess that is our government. He said his mission is an experiment to see what happens when you tell Americans the truth. Hold that thought. How long has it been since you thought anything like that was possible?

There’s a broad-based assumption across the land, derived from our fading prime artform, the movies, that Americans can’t handle the truth. Like so much else in our national life, that is probably erroneous… fake truth. And what is so striking in Mr. Kennedy’s performance so far is an absence of fakery. It’s more than refreshing, it’s… startling. Makes you blink, a little bit. Makes you remember what it’s like to not be lied-to incessantly. Makes you want to see more of it because it gives you strength when you thought you were finished. Get this now: our world is changing, and deeply, but we’re not finished.

Banana Pudding

My brother lived in New York City for over 10 years and would rave to me all about the famous Magnolia Bakery’s Banana Pudding. I would seethe with jealousy as I knew he could walk into the bakery every single day and get his banana pudding fix.

Once I finally flew into NYC, we went straight to Magnolia’s to see what all the fuss was about. Maybe you don’t know this about me but I am super picky about bakeries. Okay, you probably could have gathered that by now! I did wonder if this would pass the test. My husband and I devoured the banana pudding in about 90 seconds so I would say that was a good sign.

Even though I love their banana pudding dessert, I wanted to create a similar copycat but make the pudding from scratch. It doesn’t take that much longer and there’s just something about handcrafted pudding, stirred with a wooden spoon, that makes it taste that much better.

This Homemade Banana Pudding Dessert is made by slowly cooking a mixture of whole milk, sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, butter and vanilla bean until nice and thickened. I could eat an entire bowl of this stuff! It is layered with fresh sliced bananas, Nilla wafers, and homemade fluffy whipped cream.

My sister-in-law, Laura, who is a brilliant cook makes this custard every single year at Thanksgiving time. She is the BEST custard maker I know and this is a tried and true recipe. It is a recipe from her Grandma Rappleye that has been passed down through the years.

This can be made in a large trifle dish, a bowl, a glass pan, decorative jars, or even scooped into small bowls. It is such a versatile recipe. I enjoy layering it into a glass trifle dish or my favorite jars.

Ingredients

1 box vanilla wafers
3 bananas
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups milk
2 eggs, separated
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

In a casserole dish pour about 3/4 of the vanilla wafers. Slice the bananas over that. Set aside.
Mix the cornstarch into the sugar and place in a large saucepan. Add milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly.
Beat the egg yolks with a fork and add about 4 tablespoons hot milk/sugar mixture into the yolks, stirring until well blended (this prevents chunks of cooked egg yolk). Pour the yolk mixture into the saucepan and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture begins to thicken.
Add vanilla extract and butter or margarine.
Pour the pudding mixture over the bananas and wafers.
To make meringue, beat the two egg whites until stiff. Add 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Spread over the pudding.
Brown slightly in 350 degree F oven.

A few tips for making out-of-this-world Homemade Banana Pudding Dessert:

Make sure you cook the pudding long enough for it to thicken. It needs to coat the back of a spoon. After cooking, let it chill to give it adequate time to set up. You can find my favorite wooden spoon HERE.
Temper the egg yolks. Adding a small amount of hot milk to the egg yolks brings them to a higher temperature slowly to prevent the eggs from cooking. After the eggs have been tempered, add them to the pan and continue to cook.
Add vanilla beans or pure vanilla extract after the pudding is removed from heat. If added while still on the heat, the vanilla flavor will be cooked off.
Use COLD heavy whipping cream and beat until soft peaks form. Adding powdered sugar brings out the flavor of the cream.
Bananas turn brown over time (oxidation) when exposed to air. Brush the sliced bananas with lemon juice or sprinkle with fruit fresh.

Brazil Gears Up To Become Fourth Largest Oil Producer

During 2022, Brazil was ranked ninth globally by oil production, ahead of Kuwait and behind Iran, lifting an average of just over 3 million barrels per day. Suppose Latin America’s largest economy is to become the world’s fourth-largest oil producer. In that case, it will need to be pumping more than 4.5 million barrels of crude oil per day so as to overtake Canada, which currently holds that spot.

Brazil’s energy ministry expects the country will be pumping 5.4 million barrels daily by 2029, which is a whopping 80% higher than the 3 million barrels of oil lifted daily during 2022. Consistent year-over-year growth in hydrocarbon production indicates that Brazil indeed possesses the potential to expand production and become the world’s fourth-largest oil producer.

Another key aspect that will support those plans is Brazil’s copious hydrocarbon reserves. According to the ANP, at the end of 2022, Latin America’s largest oil producer held proven or 1P petroleum reserves totaling 14.9 billion barrels, of which 77% were categorized as pre-salt. There are also 21.9 billion barrels of proven and possible or 2P reserves and 27 billion barrels of 3P reserves, known as proven possible and probable reserves.

This illustrates that Brazil possesses considerable hydrocarbon potential and the reserves required to support a significant increase in oil production. Those reserves will keep growing as exploration and development drilling gains momentum, with the Baker Hughes International rig count showing 17 active rigs at the end of May 2023 compared to 11 a year earlier.

What is the most courageous act of bravery a stranger has displayed in an emergency situation?

“Man attempts to catch woman falling from 11th floor of a building with his bare hands.”

When I first read this story I didn’t know how to react. It seemed like a mixture of pure bravery, selflessness and, honestly, maybe a little stupidity.

This happened years ago, in 2015.

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A Chinese man by the name of Feng Ning from Enshi City in central China’s Hubei Province was walking out of a restaurant when he heard screams. He saw a woman falling from a building. He reacted instantly to try to save her. CCTV footage captured him bravely trying to catch the woman before she landed.

But the height of the fall was too great, he could not save the woman. Instead he was knocked unconscious by the sheer force of the collision and suffered a number of injuries. He suffered injuries to his legs including a knee fracture and ruptured ligaments.

Speaking to CCTV+, Li Yanbing, doctor of spinal surgery department, Enshi Central Hospital, said:

He was knocked out by the impact and suffered injuries on his knee joints, and had a tibial plateau fracture. His anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments and the medial ligament have been dislocated.

Feng joined the army as a college student in 2013. He retired in September 2015 after full service. He said his first reaction was saving the woman’s life without considering whether he would be injured. He rushed to attempt to save the woman’s life while other people just watched her fall.

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Feng Ning suffered Knee joint injuries and tibial fractures, along with several ligament rupture. He will undergo surgical treatment. "

However, being a low-income family, Feng's parents can't afford the high treatment fees. Moved by Feng's bravery, many people gave their hands to the young man and have donated more than 15,000 U.S. dollars for his treatment.

“I don’t regret. It’s a shame that I couldn’t save her,” said Feng.

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A reality like no other

The repairs on the underlying foundation of our reality universe are about all patched up. Actually, it’s like a map of “rail road tracks” that are embedded in a kind of sticky quantum clay that lies under the template forms.

The instigators were trying to hoe rows into the clay like substance so that the tracks would be followed in great grand circles of many sizes and shapes and configurations.

But the Oompaloomas are just smoothing and polishing away, and the behavior tracks are really smoothed out. Its a good thing. But it will take some time before the templates react to the changes.

In other words, things are good. No worries.

Herman’s Words Of Wisdom | The Munsters

Hillary Clinton Rushed by Ambulance to Emergency Room

Nation Hal Turner 12 June 2023

3:59 PM EDT — Within the past hour, Hillary Clinton, wife of President Bill Clinton, was taken by ambulance from their home in Chappaqua, NY, to a nearby hospital emergency room.

Sources report that Hillary “was fine one minute, and in serious difficulty the next minute.” No other details about the sudden and debilitating situation were made available.

Fighting stuck in gray zone. Neocon escalation, tactical nukes

Have you ever bought something at a garage sale that turned out to be unexpectedly awesome?

I have indeed. I bought a non-running “fake” Rolex at an estate sale. The owner had died approx. a month prior and his kids (who clearly had no interest in being there – they were just trying to avoid a bill from a scrap disposal company) were selling off his possessions and personal effects. I asked about it. “It’s a fake, doesn’t work, two bucks”.

It wasn’t a fake – it was a 1972 Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date (Ref. 1500) with a sunburst grey dial. It simply needed a service and I had it back up and running again in under 4 hours – it kept great time, less than +/- 4 sec. a day. I did have to replace the acrylic crystal as it had a chipped edge, but I had spares in my stock. Being a small watch (34mm), it didn’t suit my wrist so I gave it to my nephew for his high school graduation gift. Should have heard his friends: “Dude, Ben’s uncle gave him a Rolex for graduation!”

These sell in similar condition for around $2500 – $3000 on the used market. Looks like this:

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US Tech Giant Crushed in China, No More Arrogance After Micron’s Defeat!

https://youtu.be/DyVuJWOR6Uc

How DOES one fight China at all?

China has it all: Nukes, HUGE manufacturing capability, A huge Air force and Army and even IF one defeats China, it'll be a loss because if anything happens to China, the world economy will be practically dead. How do you fight China at all?

This is a very good question.

You are right. Fighting China is committing suicide. China is always 3 steps ahead of its adversaries and they cannot be hurt more than them.

Look at Donald Trump’s trade war with China. China wins hands down and the U.S. suffers till today. From 2017–2022 collectively China grew 26.5% while the U.S. grew 6.5%! The U.S. imports of Chinese goods actually grew higher than before the war.

Half a million Americans migrated into the the homeless category and up to 50 million people moved from middle class to the poor category. The life expectancy of China exceeded the U.S. for the very first time in 2021 and repeated the feat in 2022!

Trump would have still be president if not for this trade war. The poor who suffered higher prices resulting from the tariffs voted overwhelmingly against him. While China handled the Covid-19 effectively keeping deaths below 10K the U.S. lost more than a million lives. China opened up at perfectly the right moment when the virus strain has become docile and weak. The U.S. freedom of individualism is greater than collective good of the society hurt them terribly.

China is the biggest consumer by far. Chinese middle class alone is 700 million. And Chinese growth alone is 36.4 share of the world. US and G7 combined adds up to a mere 24.6%. China now represents 30% of world demand but what is more scary 30% of all things made for the world U.S. made in China. So when you fight with China you are cutting off at least 50% of sales opportunities world wide.

Chinese are ready for you if you dare try to attack China. It has a thousand surprises waiting for you. It has now the biggest army, it has more planes, ships and tanks. And it makes the most modern drones and they have 100 times more than the U.S. So crawl back to Beijing and talk politely like what Blinken is trying to do.

Don’t fight China. Work out a plan to be a good partner with China. China is not spoiling for a fight , US is, but China is absolutely ready. You destroy a 1000 homes in China they will destroy the same number of homes in the U.S. you kill a million Chinese they will kill a million Americans in the U.S.

The Beverly Hillbillies⚡️Granny Learns to Drive

https://youtu.be/hqNFFiw90x8

Southern Karo Syrup Chicken

Ingredients

1 broiler-fryer chicken
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup Karo corn syrup
1/2 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

Cut up chicken.
In skillet over medium heat, cook chicken in butter about 30 minutes or until tender. Drain off fat.
Mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cook over medium heat, turning often, for 5 to 10 minutes or until glazed.

WKRP Dr. Johnny Fever Awakens From The Dead

What do you think of the Chinese college entrance examination requiring memorization of 32 classical Chinese essays and 40 poems?

I was born and grew up in Taiwan. In my days, the standard education required that a student memorize more than the amount you mentioned before the time of college entrance exam. Looking back, I see this as both necessary and a blessing. Not unlike classics in other cultures, the Chinese classics is not something you peruse on an as-needed basis the way you consult Wikipedia, but something that has to be internalized and regurgitated in your subconsciousness hundreds of times over decades until it is integrated into your foundation. If you miss the opportunity of learning it by rote at a young age, you lose the chance of having it become a part of your personal makeup, and will at best have a casual and superficial connection to it. From the perspective of a culture, this would not be acceptable. I believe China is not unique in this.

This is especially true with poetry. We memorized a large amount of classic poetry, cream of the crop, early on. They sounded beautiful, but didn’t really speak to me for a long time. It would be much later, at unexpected instants when I ran into them again, and suddenly everything clicked, every word carried power I did not know existed. The experiences were so transformative that I clearly remember the exact settings in which they happened, where I was, what I was doing, who were around, etc. Such experiences would not have been possible if I had not rote-learned these poems a decade earlier as a youngster.

Having said that, as I have mentioned elsewhere on Quora, I must say that all these efforts to instill the Chinese classics into standard learning are a desperate attempt to save an endangered, if not extinct creature. The form of the traditional Chinese culture is preserved by doing this, but it is not clear if the essence, or the spirit, is still identifiable through such efforts. The traditional, self-contained and self-consistent Chinese system could be extremely efficient, creative, harmonious and powerful when it hummed like a well oiled machine. Our only, but indisputable, evidence of this are hundreds of powerful characters it was able to generate, capable of accomplishing impossible feats in the face of insurmountable challenge and adversity. But that self-contained and self-consistent system is no longer known to us. We no longer know how it looked or felt. The best we have now is the system of rote learning as documented in texts, which was far from the real thing.

But it is still much better than nothing at all. It could be worse.

Blind dates haven’t changed in 50 years

Beijing, Wellington to push for pragmatic cooperation

Beijing expressed its willingness to maintain high-level exchanges with Wellington and to enhance mutual trust and bilateral pragmatic cooperation as New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced on Monday that he would visit China at the end of June.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin did not confirm the date of Hipkins’ visit, but told reporters to “stay tuned” for further information.

Hipkins said he would lead a major trade delegation to Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai, which will be the first visit by a New Zealand prime minister to China since COVID-19.

Relations with China are among New Zealand’s “most significant, wide-ranging and complex” bilateral ties, The New Zealand Herald quoted Hipkins as saying. “We have a robust, ongoing dialogue with China,” he said.

Calling China and New Zealand “important cooperation partners”, Wang said he expects the two nations to achieve greater progress in bilateral relations and bring more benefit to the two peoples.

China is the largest trading partner, export market and source of imports for New Zealand. In 2022, bilateral trade volume in goods reached $25.15 billion, a year-on-year increase of 1.8 percent, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Journalist visas with India

In another development, the Foreign Ministry spokesman urged India to meet China halfway regarding arrangements for journalists.

“Media outlets are important bridges for mutual understanding and friendly relations. China stands ready to maintain communication with India under the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit. We hope India will work in the same direction with China,” Wang said.

Since 2020, India has refused to review and approve Chinese journalists’ visa applications, and limited the period of validity of visas held by Chinese journalists in India to only three months or even a month. Some Chinese journalists waited as long as three years for their visas, according to Wang.

As a result, the number of Chinese journalists stationed in India has plummeted from 14 to just one, he said.

The Indian side still has not agreed to renew the visa of the last Chinese journalist in the country. For Indian media outlets, four have been stationed in China in recent years and one is still working and living in China, Wang said.

“China has treated Indian journalists as friends and like family. We have communicated with the Indian side with restraint and goodwill. Regrettably, India has yet to take any action to address the problem,” he said.

The spokesman urged India to “scrap undue restrictions on Chinese journalists”, and effectively review and approve their visas as soon as possible, in order “to create conditions for resuming normal exchanges between Chinese and Indian media”.

MOMOLAND – BBOOM BBOOM

What does U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken think about Chinese diplomats’ negotiation skills?

Antony (the idiot) Blinkin?

2023 06 13 16 01

Who the fuck cares what this train-wreck thinks? I mean, I could somehow give him some deference, but getting to be Secretary of States through butt-fucking isn’t high on my idea of achievement awards. The only thing that he brings to the table is an almost magical ability to fuck things up in spades. I mean when you spell disaster, you spell it B-L-I-N-K-I-N.

But, so much for his good points.

It’s common knowledge that he learned geography and Geo-politics by reading the instructions on the back of the free LGBQ+ condoms handed out to the homeless. And his opinions of others is difficult to gauge, as he doesn’t recognize that anyone else in the world exists. He’s me-me-me-me all the time, with no consideration of the thoughts, needs or feelings of others.

A perfect example of his exclusivity of penis wagging is his first meeting in Anchorage, Alaska with the Chinese diplomatic staff. His opening words were nothing short of acute diarrhea, vomited out with a speed of ill-mannered excess that astounded even the murders on death row have stayed in shock by.

It does not matter what this over-grown pustule of human feces thinks.

The Chinese diplomatic corps are giants compared tho this sniveling and breathing abomination. He is incapable of any form of communication. He only knows how to piss on the carpet and shit in his diaper. His ability to be butt-fucked may be legendary, but is useless on the grand scheme of things.

But I will say ONE good this about this festering, sniveling, pile of pestilence.

He hasn’t YET got the United States and China in a nuclear war. But, give him time. He’s one walking cluster-fuck if there ever was one.

Biden Is ‘In Denial’ Over Collapse Of Empire – Economist Richard Wolff

Southern Pan-Fried Chicken

A country ham (such as a “Smithfield” ham) is salt-cured, smoked and aged well. Whole country hams are expensive; it is possible, however, to buy country ham steaks. But you may also substitute thick-cut, smoked, streaky bacon for the ham in this recipe.

2023 06 13 15 28

Ingredients

2 quarts cold water
1/2 cup kosher salt (regular table salt will make the brine too salty)
1 (3 pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 quart buttermilk
1 pound lard
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup country ham pieces, or 1 thick slice country ham, cut into 1/2-inch strips (see note)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Combine the water and the salt, stirring until salt is dissolved.
Place the chicken pieces in a bowl and pour the salt water over.
Cover and refrigerate for 8-12 hours.
Drain the chicken and rinse out the bowl it was brined in.
Return the chicken to the bowl, pour the buttermilk over and cover and refrigerate 8-12 hours.
Drain the chicken on a wire rack, discarding the buttermilk.
Meanwhile, prepare the fat for frying: put the lard, butter and country ham into a heavy skillet or frying pan. Cook over low heat for 30-45 minutes, skimming as needed, until the butter ceases to throw off foam and the ham is browned.
Use a slotted spoon to remove the ham carefully from the fat. (Reserve the fried ham for another use, such as snacking.)
Just before frying, increase the temperature to medium-high and heat the fat to 335 degrees F.
Blend together the flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl or on wax paper.
Dredge the drained chicken pieces thoroughly in the flour mixture, then pat well to remove any excess flour.
Slip some of the chicken pieces, skin-side-down, into the heated fat. Do not overcrowd the pan; fry in batches, if necessary. Cook for 8-10 minutes on each side, until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through.
Drain thoroughly on a wire rack or on crumpled (not flat) paper towels. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

WKRP Venus’ 1st Day

Did Russia Destroy The Nova Kakhova Dam?

Propaganda will tell you that Russia detonated the Nova Kakhova Dam which was and is under its control. It thereby allegedly cut of Crimea from its major water supply and endangered the cooling of the six reactors of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The island as well as the power plant are under firm Russian control.

Well, so you can believe that. Or you can look for some facts hidden behind such ‘news’.

Battles Rage as Ukraine Tries to Retake Russian-Occupied Territory – New York Times – June 9, 2023

Experts say the dam, which was held by Russian forces, was probably destroyed by an intentional explosion within the massive structure. They say an explosion from the outside, like a missile strike, or a structural failure caused by earlier war damage and high water spilling over the top, were conceivable causes but far less likely.

—

Ukraine Claims More Small Advances in Counteroffensive, but No Breakthroughs – New York Times – June 12, 2023

Engineering and munitions experts have said that the dam was probably breached by an explosion from the inside, not by shelling or other external attacks, and not by a structural failure.

—

Britain has delivered long-range ‘Storm Shadow’ cruise missiles to Ukraine ahead of expected counteroffensive, sources say – CNN – May 12, 2023

The United Kingdom has delivered multiple “Storm Shadow” cruise missiles to Ukraine, giving the nation a new long-range strike capability in advance of a highly anticipated counteroffensive against Russian forces, multiple senior Western officials told CNN.

—

Storm Shadow – Wikipedia

The Storm Shadow’s BROACH warhead features an initial penetrating charge to clear soil or enter a bunker, then a variable delay fuze to control detonation of the main warhead. Intended targets are command, control and communications centres; airfields; ports and power stations; ammunition management and storage facilities; surface ships and submarines in port; bridges and other high value strategic targets.

“Two stage warhead punctures external shell, then detonates inside target”

ssss

—

Storm Shadown – Federation of American Scientists

When engaging hard targets, such as Hardened Aircraft Shelters or bunkers, the missile will strike the target at the estimated optimum dive angle, selected during mission planning. On impact the detonation sequence commences. The precursor charge will perforate the target structure, and any soil covering, and the follow through penetrator warhead will continue to penetrate inside the target to be detonated after a preselectable fuse delay.

Posted by b at 5:30 UTC | Comments (12)

“This is the 2nd phase of UFO disclosure” – Dr. Michael Salla confirms UFO whistleblower story

Complex Systems Won’t Survive the Competence Crisis

From HERE

At a casual glance, the recent cascades of American disasters might seem unrelated. In a span of fewer than six months in 2017, three U.S. Naval warships experienced three separate collisions resulting in 17 deaths. A year later, powerlines owned by PG&E started a wildfire that killed 85 people. The pipeline carrying almost half of the East Coast’s gasoline shut down due to a ransomware attack. Almost half a million intermodal containers sat on cargo ships unable to dock at Los Angeles ports. A train carrying thousands of tons of hazardous and flammable chemicals derailed near East Palestine, Ohio. Air Traffic Control cleared a FedEx plane to land on a runway occupied by a Southwest plane preparing to take off. Eye drops contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria killed four and blinded fourteen.

While disasters like these are often front-page news, the broader connection between the disasters barely elicits any mention. America must be understood as a system of interwoven systems; the healthcare system sends a bill to a patient using the postal system, and that patient uses the mobile phone system to pay the bill with a credit card issued by the banking system. All these systems must be assumed to work for anyone to make even simple decisions. But the failure of one system has cascading consequences for all of the adjacent systems. As a consequence of escalating rates of failure, America’s complex systems are slowly collapsing.

The core issue is that changing political mores have established the systematic promotion of the unqualified and sidelining of the competent. This has continually weakened our society’s ability to manage modern systems. At its inception, it represented a break from the trend of the 1920s to the 1960s, when the direct meritocratic evaluation of competence became the norm across vast swaths of American society.

In the first decades of the twentieth century, the idea that individuals should be systematically evaluated and selected based on their ability rather than wealth, class, or political connections, led to significant changes in selection techniques at all levels of American society. The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) revolutionized college admissions by allowing elite universities to find and recruit talented students from beyond the boarding schools of New England. Following the adoption of the SAT, aptitude tests such as Wonderlic (1936), Graduate Record Examination (1936), Army General Classification Test (1941), and Law School Admission Test (1948) swept the United States. Spurred on by the demands of two world wars, this system of institutional management electrified the Tennessee Valley, created the first atom bomb, invented the transistor, and put a man on the moon.

By the 1960s, the systematic selection for competence came into direct conflict with the political imperatives of the civil rights movement. During the period from 1961 to 1972, a series of Supreme Court rulings, executive orders, and laws—most critically, the Civil Rights Act of 1964—put meritocracy and the new political imperative of protected-group diversity on a collision course. Administrative law judges have accepted statistically observable disparities in outcomes between groups as prima facie evidence of illegal discrimination. The result has been clear: any time meritocracy and diversity come into direct conflict, diversity must take priority.

The resulting norms have steadily eroded institutional competency, causing America’s complex systems to fail with increasing regularity. In the language of a systems theorist, by decreasing the competency of the actors within the system, formerly stable systems have begun to experience normal accidents at a rate that is faster than the system can adapt. The prognosis is harsh but clear: either selection for competence will return or America will experience devolution to more primitive forms of civilization and loss of geopolitical power.

From Meritocracy to Diversity

The first domino to fall as Civil Rights-era policies took effect was the quantitative evaluation of competency by employers using straightforward cognitive batteries. While some tests are still legally used in hiring today, several high-profile enforcement actions against employers caused a wholesale change in the tools customarily usable by employers to screen for ability.

After the early 1970s, employers responded by shifting from directly testing for ability to using the next best thing: a degree from a highly-selective university. By pushing the selection challenge to the college admissions offices, selective employers did two things: they reduced their risk of lawsuits and they turned the U.S. college application process into a high-stakes war of all against all. Admission to Harvard would be a golden ticket to join the professional managerial class, while mere admission to a state school could mean a struggle to remain in the middle class.

This outsourcing did not stave off the ideological change for long. Within the system of political imperatives now dominant in all major U.S. organizations, diversity must be prioritized even if there is a price in competency. The definition of diversity varies by industry and geography. In elite universities, diversity means black, indigenous, or Hispanic. In California, Indian women are diverse but Indian men are not. When selecting corporate board members, diversity means “anyone who is not a straight white man.” The legally protected and politically enforced nature of this imperative renders an open dialogue nearly impossible.

However diversity itself is defined, most policy on the matter is based on a simple premise: since all groups are identical in talent, any unbiased process must produce the same group proportions as the general population, and therefore, processes that produce disproportionate outcomes must be biased. Prestigious journals like Harvard Business Review are the first to summarize and parrot these views, which then flow down to reporting by mass media organizations like Bloomberg Businessweek. Soon, it joins McKinsey’s “best practices” list and becomes instantiated in corporate policies.

Unlike accounting policies, which emanate from the Financial Accounting Standards Board and are then implemented by Chief Financial Officers, the diversity push emanates inside of organizations from multiple power centers, each of which joins in for independent reasons. CEOs push diversity policies primarily to please board members and increase their status. Human Resources (HR) professionals push diversity policies primarily to avoid anti-discrimination lawsuits. Business development teams push diversity to win additional business from diversity-sensitive clients (e.g. government agencies). Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), such as the Black Googler Network, push diversity to help their in-group in hiring and promotion decisions.

Diversity in Theory and Practice

In police academies around the country, new recruits are taught to apply an escalation of force algorithm with non-compliant subjects: “Ask, Tell, Make.” The idea behind “Ask, Tell, Make” is to apply the least amount of force necessary to achieve the desired level of compliance. This is the means by which police power, which is ultimately backed by significant coercive force, can maintain an appearance of voluntary compliance and soft-handedness. Similarly, the power centers inside U.S. institutions apply a variant of “Ask, Tell, Make” to achieve diversity in their respective organizations.

The first tactics for implementing diversity imperatives are the “Ask” tactics. These simply ask all the members of the organization to end bias. At this stage, the policies seem so reasonable and fair that there will rarely be much pushback. Best practices such as slating guidelines are a common tool at this stage. Slating guidelines require that every hiring process must include a certain number and type of diverse candidates for every job opening. Structured interviews are another best practice that requires interviewers to stick with a script to minimize the chance of uncovering commonalities between the interviewer and interviewee that might introduce bias. Often HR will become involved in the hiring process, specifically asking the hiring manager to defend their choice not to hire a diverse candidate. Because the wrong answer could result in shaming, loss of advancement opportunities, or even termination, the hiring manager can often be persuaded to prioritize diversity over competence.

Within specialized professional services companies, senior-level recruiting will occasionally result in a resume collection where not a single diverse candidate meets the minimum specifications of the job. This is a terrible outcome for the hiring manager as it attracts negative attention from HR. At this point, firms will often retain an executive search agency that focuses on exclusively diverse candidates. When that does not result in sufficient diversity, roles will often have their requirements diluted to increase the pool of diverse candidates.

For example, within hedge funds, the ideal entry-level candidate might be an experienced former investment banker who went to a top MBA program. This preferred pedigree sets a minimum bar for both competence and work ethic. This first-pass filter enormously winnows the field of underrepresented candidates. To relax requirements for diversity’s sake, this will be diluted in various ways. First, the work experience might be stripped. Next, the role gets offered to MBA interns. Finally, fresh undergraduates are hired into the analyst role. Dilution works not just because of the larger field of candidates it allows for but also because the Harvard Admission Office of 2019 is even more focused on certain kinds of diversity than the Harvard Admission Office of 2011 was.

This dilution is not costless; fewer data points result in a wider range of outcomes and increase the risk of a bad hire. All bad hires are costly but bad hires that are diverse are even worse. The risk of a wrongful termination lawsuit either draws out the termination process for diverse hires or results in the firm adjusting by giving them harmless busy work until they leave of their own volition—either way, a terrible outcome for the organizations which hired them.

If these “Ask” tactics do not achieve enough diversity, the next step in the escalation is to attach carrots and sticks to directly tell decision-makers to increase the diversity of the organization. This is the point at which the goals of diversity and competence truly begin displaying significant tension between each other. The first step is the implementation of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) linked to diversity for all managers. Diversity KPIs are a tool to embarrass leaders and teams that are not meeting their diversity targets. Given that most organizations are hierarchical and pyramidal, combined with the fact that America was much whiter 50 years ago than it was today, it is unsurprising that senior leadership teams are less diverse than America as a whole—and, more pertinently, than their own junior teams.

The combination of a pyramid-shaped org chart and a senior leadership team where white men often make up 80 percent or more of the team means that the imposition of an aggressive KPI sends a message to the layer below them: no white man in middle management will likely ever see a promotion as long as they remain in the organization. This is never expressed verbally. Rather, those overlooked figure it out as they are passed over continually for less competent but more diverse colleagues. The result is demoralization, disengagement, and over time, departure.

While all the aforementioned techniques fall into the broad category of affirmative action, they primarily result in slightly tilting the scale toward diverse candidates. The next step is simply holding different groups to different standards. Within academia, the recently filed Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College lawsuit leveraged data to show the extent to which Harvard penalizes Asian and white applicants to help black and Hispanic applicants. The UC System, despite formally being forbidden from practicing affirmative action by Proposition 209, uses a tool called “comprehensive admission” to accomplish the same goal.

The latest technique, which was recently brought to light, shows UC admissions offices using the applicants’ high schools as a proxy for race to achieve their desired goal. Heavily Asian high schools such as Arcadia—which is 68 percent Asian—saw their UC-San Diego acceptance rate cut from 37 percent to 13 percent while the 99-percent-Hispanic Garfield High School saw its UC-San Diego acceptance rate rise from 29 percent to 65 percent.

The preference for diversity at the college faculty level is similarly strong. Jessica Nordell’s End of Bias: A Beginning heralded MIT’s efforts to increase the gender diversity of its engineering department: “When applications came in, the Dean of Engineering personally reviewed every one from a woman. If departments turned down a good candidate, they had to explain why.”

When this was not enough, MIT increased its gender diversity by simply offering jobs to previously rejected female candidates. While no university will admit to letting standards slip for the sake of diversity, no one has offered a serious argument why the new processes produce higher or even equivalent quality faculty as opposed to simply more diverse faculty. The extreme preference for diversity in academia today explains much of the phenomenon of professors identifying with a minor fraction of their ancestry or even making it up entirely.

During COVID-19, the difficulty of in-person testing and online proctoring created a new mechanism to push diversity at the expense of competency: the gradual but systematic elimination of standardized tests as a barrier to admission to universities and graduate schools. Today, the majority of U.S. colleges have either stopped requiring SAT/ACT scores, no longer require them for students in the top 10 percent of their class, or will no longer consider them. Several elite law schools, including Harvard Law School, no longer require the LSAT as of 2023. With thousands of unqualified law students headed to a bar exam that they are unlikely to pass, the National Conference of Bar Examiners is already planning to dilute the bar exam under the “NextGen” plan. Specifically, “eliminat[ing] any aspects of our exams that could contribute to performance disparities” will almost definitionally reduce the degree to which the exam tests for competency.

Similarly, standards used to select doctors have also been weakened to promote diversity. Programs such as the City College of New York’s BS/MD program have eliminated the MCAT requirement. With the SAT now optional, new candidates can go straight from high school to the United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 exam in medical school without having gone through any rigorous standardized test whose score can be compared across schools. Step 1 scores were historically the most significant factor in the National Residency Matching Program, which pairs soon-to-be doctors with their future residency training programs. Because Step 1 scores serve as a barrier to increasing diversity, they have been made pass/fail. A handful of doctors are speaking out about the dangers of picking doctors based on factors other than competency but most either explicitly prefer diversity or else stay silent, concerned about the career-ending repercussions of pointing out the obvious.

When even carrot and stick incentives and the removal of standards do not achieve enough diversity, the end game is to simply make decision-makers comply. “Make” has two preferred implementations: one is widely discussed and the other is, for obvious reasons, never disclosed publicly. The first method of implementation is the application of quotas. Quotas or set-asides require the reservation of admissions slots, jobs, contracts, board seats, or other scarce goods for women and members of favored minority groups. Government contracts and supplier agreements are explicitly awarded to firms that have acronyms such as SB, WBE, MBE, DBE, SDB, VOSB, SDVOSB, WOSB, HUB, and 8(a).

Within large employers and government contractors, quotas are used for both hiring and promotions, requiring specific percentages of hiring or promotions to be reserved for favored groups. During the summer of 2020, the CEO of Wells Fargo, was publicly shamed after his memo blaming the underrepresentation of black senior leaders on a “very limited pool” of black talent was leaked to Reuters. Less than a month later, the bank publicly pledged to reserve 12 percent of leadership positions for black candidates and began tying executive compensation to reaching diversity goals. In 2022, Goldman Sachs extended quotas to the capital markets by adopting a policy to avoid underwriting IPOs of firms without at least two board members that are not straight white men.

When diversity still refuses to rise to acceptable levels, the remaining solution is the direct exclusion of non-diverse candidates. While public support for anti-discrimination laws and equal opportunity laws is high, public support for affirmative action and quotas is decidedly mixed. Hardline views such as those expressed in author Ijeoma Oluo’s Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America—namely that “any white man in a position of power perpetuates a system of white male domination”—are still considered extreme, even within U.S. progressive circles.

As such, when explicit exclusion is used to eliminate groups like white men from selection processes, it is done subtly. Managers are told to sequester all the resumes from “non-diverse” candidates—that is, white males. These resumes are discarded and the candidates are sent emails politely telling them that “other candidates were a better fit.” While some so-called “reverse discrimination” lawsuits have been filed, most of these policies go unreported. The reasons are straightforward; even in 2023, screening out all white men is not de jure legal. Moreover, any member of the professional managerial class who witnesses and reports discrimination against white men will never work in their field again.

Even anonymous whistleblowing is likely to be rare. To imagine why, suppose incontrovertible evidence was produced that one’s employer was explicitly excluding white male candidates, and a lawsuit was filed. The employer’s reputation and the reputation of all the employees there, including the white men still working there, would be tarnished. That said, we can expect to see more lawsuits from men who feel they have little to lose.

This “Ask, Tell, Make” framework, under various descriptions, is the method by which individuals with a vested interest in more diversity push their organizations toward their preferred outcome. Force begins requesting modest changes to recruiting to make it “more fair.” Force ends with the heavy-handed application of quotas and even exclusion. The American system is not a monolith, however, which means that the strength of the push and its effects on competency is not distributed evenly.

Competency Is Declining From the Core Outwards

Think of the American system as a series of concentric rings with the government at the center. Directly surrounding that are the organizations that receive government funds, then the nonprofits that influence and are subject to policy, and finally business at the periphery. Since the era of the Manhattan Project and the Space Race, the state capacity of the federal government has been declining almost monotonically.

While this has occurred for a multitude of reasons, the steel girders supporting the competency of the federal government were the first to be exposed to the saltwater of the Civil Rights Act and related executive orders. Government agencies, which are in charge of overseeing all the other systems, have seen the quality of their human capital decline tremendously since the 1960s. While the damage to an agency like the Department of Agriculture may have long-term deadly consequences, the most immediate danger is at safety-critical agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The Air Traffic Control (ATC) system used in the U.S. relies on an intricate dance of visual or radar observation, transponders, and radio communication, all with the incredible challenge of keeping thousands of simultaneously moving planes from ever crashing into each other. Since air controlling is one of the only jobs that pays more than $100,000 per year and does not require a college diploma, it has been a popular career choice for individuals without a degree who nonetheless have an exceptionally good memory, attention span, visuospatial awareness, and logical skills. The Air Traffic Selection and Training (AT-SAT) Exam, a standardized test of those critical skills, was historically the primary barrier to entry for air controllers. As a consequence of the AT-SAT, as well as a preference for veterans with former air controller experience, 83 percent of air controllers in the U.S. were white men as of 2014.

That year, the FAA added a Biographical Questionnaire (BQ) to the screening process to tilt the applicant pool toward diverse candidates. Facing pushback in the courts from well-qualified candidates who were screened out, the FAA quietly backed away from the BQ and adopted a new exam, the Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA). While the ATSA includes some questions similar to those of the BQ, it restored the test’s focus on core air traffic skills. The importance of highly-skilled air controllers was made clear in the most deadly air disaster in history, the 1977 Tenerife incident. Two planes, one taking off and one taxiing, collided on the runway due to confusion between the captain of KLM 4805 and the Tenerife ATC. The crash, which killed 583 people, resulted in sweeping changes in aviation safety culture.

Recently, the tremendous U.S. record for air safety established since the 1970s has been fraying at the edges. The first three months of 2023 saw nine near-miss incidents at U.S. airports, one with two planes coming within 100 feet of colliding. This terrifying uptick from years prior resulted in the FAA and NTSB convening safety summits in March and May, respectively. Whether they dared to discuss root causes seems unlikely.

Given the sheer size of the U.S. military in both manpower and budget dollars, it should not come as a surprise that the diversity push has also affected the readiness of this institution. Following three completely avoidable collisions of U.S. Navy warships in 2017 and a fire in 2020 that resulted in the scuttling of USS Bonhomme Richard, a $750 million amphibious assault craft, two retired marines conducted off-the-record interviews with 77 current and retired Navy officers. One recurring theme was the prioritization of diversity training over ship handling and warfighting preparedness. Many of them openly admit that, given current issues, the U.S. would likely lose an open naval engagement with China. Instead of taking the criticism to heart, the Navy commissioned “Task Force One Navy,” which recommended deemphasizing or eliminating meritocratic tests like the Officer Aptitude Rating to boost diversity. Absent an existential challenge, U.S. military preparedness is likely to continue to degrade.

The decline in the capacity of government contractors is likewise obvious, with the largest contractors being the most directly impacted. The five largest contractors—Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Dynamics, Raytheon Company, and Northrop Grumman—will all struggle to maintain competency in the coming years.

Boeing, one of only two firms globally capable of mass-producing large airliners, has a particularly striking crisis unfolding in its institutional culture. Shortly after releasing the 737 MAX, 346 people died in two nearly identical 737 MAX crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. The cause of the crashes was a complex interaction between design choices, cost-cutting led by MBAs, FAA issues, the MCAS flight-control system, a faulty sensor, and pilot training. Meanwhile, on the defense side of the business, Boeing’s new fuel tanker, the KC-46A Pegasus is years behind on deliveries due to serious technical flaws with the fueling system along with multiple cases of Foreign Object Debris left inside the plane during construction: tools, a red plastic cap, and in one case, even trash. Between the issues at ATC and Boeing, damage to the U.S.’s phenomenal aviation safety record seems almost inevitable.

After government contractors, the next-most-affected class of institutions are nonprofit organizations. They are entrapped by the government whose policies they are subject to and trying to influence, the opinions of their donor base, and lack of any profit motive. The lifeblood of nonprofits is access to capital, either directly in the form of government grants or through donations that are deemed tax-deductible. Accessing federal monies means being subject to the full weight of U.S. diversity rules and regulations. Nonprofits are generally governed by boards whose members tend to overlap with the list of major donors. Because advocacy for diversity and board memberships are both high-status positions, unsurprisingly board members tend to voice favorable opinions of diversity, and those opinions flow downstream to the organizations they oversee.

Nonprofits—including universities, charities, and foundations—exist in an overlapping ecosystem with journalism, with individuals tending to freely circulate between the four. The activities of nonprofits are bound up in the same discourses shaped by current news and academic research, with all four reflecting the same general ideological consensus. Finally, lacking the profit motive, the decision-making processes of nonprofits are influenced by what will affect the status of the individuals within those organizations rather than what will affect profits. Within nonprofits, the cost of incompetent staffers is borne by “stakeholders,” rather than any one individual.

While all businesses subject to federal law must prioritize diversity over competency at some level, the problem is worse at publicly-traded corporations for reasons both obvious and subtle. The obvious reason is that larger companies present larger targets for EEOC actions and discrimination lawsuits with hundreds of millions of dollars at stake. Corporations have logically responded by hiring large teams of HR professionals to preempt such lawsuits. Over the past several decades, HR has evolved from simply overseeing onboarding to involvement in every aspect of hiring, promotions, and firings, seeing them all through a political and regulatory lens.

The more subtle reason for pressure within publicly-traded companies is that they require ongoing relationships with a spiderweb of banks, credit ratings agencies, proxy advisory services, and most importantly, investors. Given that the loss of access to capital is an immediate death sentence for most businesses, the CEOs of publicly-traded companies tend to push diversity over competency even when the decline in firm performance is clear. CEOs would likely rather trade a small drag on profits margins than a potentially career-ending scandal from pushing back.

Whereas publicly-traded corporations nearly uniformly push diversity, privately-held businesses vary tremendously based on the views of their owners. Partnerships such as the Big Four accounting firms and top-tier management consultancies are high-status. High-status firms must regularly proclaim extensive support for diversity. While the firms tend to be highly selective, partnerships whose leadership is overwhelmingly white and male have generally capitulated to the zeitgeist and are cutting standards to hit targets. Firms often manage around this by hiring for diversity and then putting diversity hires into roles where they are the least likely to damage the firm or the brand. Somewhat counterintuitively, firms with diverse founders are often highly meritocratic, as the structure harnesses the founder’s desire to make money and shields them from criticism on diversity issues.

The most notable example of a diverse meritocracy is Vista Equity Partners, the large private equity firm founded by Robert F. Smith, America’s wealthiest black man. Robert F. Smith is one of the most vocal advocates for and philanthropists to historically black U.S. colleges and universities. It would be reasonable to expect Vista to prioritize diversity over competency in its portfolio companies. However, Vista has instead been profiled for giving all portfolio company management teams the Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test and ruthlessly culling low-performers. Given the amount of value to be created by promoting the best people into leadership roles of their portfolio companies, one might imagine this to be low-hanging fruit for the rest of private equity, yet Vista is an outlier. Why Vista can apply the CCAT without a public outcry is obvious.

The other firms that tend to still focus on competency are those that are small and private. Such firms have two key advantages: they fall below the fifteen-employee threshold for the most onerous EEOC rules and the owner can usually directly observe the performance of everyone inside the organization. Within small firms, underperformance is usually obvious. Tech startups, being both small and private, would seem to have the right structure to prioritize competency.

The American System Is Cracking

Promoting diversity over competency does not simply affect new hires and promotion decisions. It also affects the people already working inside of America’s systems. Morale and competency inside U.S. organizations are declining. Those who understand that the new system makes it hard or impossible for them to advance are demoralized, affecting their performance. Even individuals poised to benefit from diversity preferences notice that better people are being passed over and the average quality of their team is declining. High performers want to be on a high-performing team. When the priorities of their organizations shift away from performance, high performers respond negatively.

This effect was likely seen in a recent paper by McDonald, Keeves, and Westphal. The paper points out that white male senior leaders reduce their engagement following the appointment of a minority CEO. While it is possible that author Ijeoma Oluo is correct, and that white men have so much unconscious bias raging inside of them that the appointment of a diverse CEO sends them into a tailspin of resentment, there is another more plausible explanation. When boards choose diverse CEOs to make a political statement, high performers who see an organization shifting away from valuing honest performance respond by disengaging.

Some demoralized employees—like James Damore in his now-famous essay, “Google’s Ideological Echo Chamber”—will directly push back against pro-diversity arguments. Like James, they will be fired. Older, demoralized workers, especially those who are mere years from retirement, are unlikely to point out the decline in competency and risk it costing them their jobs. Those who have a large enough nest egg may simply retire to avoid having to deal with the indignity of having to attend another Inclusive Leadership seminar.

As older men with tacit knowledge either retire or are pushed out, the burden of maintaining America’s complex systems will fall on the young. Lower-performing young men angry at the toxic mix of affirmative action (hurting their chances of admission to a “good school”) and credentialism (limiting the “good jobs” to graduates of “good schools”) are turning their backs on college and white-collar work altogether.

This is the continuation of a trend that began over a decade ago. High-performing young men will either collaborate, coast, or downshift by leaving high-status employment altogether. Collaborators will embrace “allyship” to attempt to bolster their chances of getting promoted. Coasters realize that they need to work just slightly harder than the worst individual on their team. Their shirking is likely to go unnoticed and they are unlikely to feel enough emotional connection to the organization to raise alarm when critical mistakes are being made. The combination of new employees hired for diversity, not competence, and the declining engagement of the highly competent sets the stage for failures of increasing frequency and magnitude.

The modern U.S. is a system of systems interacting together in intricate ways. All these complex systems are simply assumed to work. In February of 2021, cold weather in Texas caused shutdowns at unwinterized natural gas power plants. The failure rippled through the systems with interlocking dependencies. As a result, 246 people died. In straightforward work, declining competency means that things happen more slowly, and products are lower quality or more expensive. In complex systems, declining competency results in catastrophic failures.

To understand why, one must understand the concept of a “normal accident.” In 1984, Charles Perrow, a Yale sociologist, published the book, Normal Accidents: Living With High-Risk Technologies. In this book, Perrow lays out the theory of normal accidents: when you have systems that are both complex and tightly coupled, catastrophic failures are unavoidable and cannot simply be designed around. In this context, a complex system is one that has many components that all need to interact in a specified way to produce the desired outcome. Complex systems often have relationships that are nonlinear and contain feedback loops. Tightly-coupled systems are those whose components need to move together precisely or in a precise sequence.

The 1979 Three Mile Island Accident was used as a case study: a relatively minor blockage of a water filter led to a cascading series of malfunctions that culminated in a partial meltdown. In A Demon of Our Own Design, author Richard Bookstaber added two key contributions to Perrow’s theory: first, that it applies to financial markets, and second, that regulation intended to fix the problem may make it worse.

The biggest shortcoming of the theory is that it takes competency as a given. The idea that competent organizations can devolve to a level where the risk of normal accidents becomes unacceptably high is barely addressed. In other words, rather than being taken as absolutes, complexity and tightness should be understood to be relative to the functionality of the people and systems that are managing them. The U.S. has embraced a novel question: what happens when the men who built the complex systems our society relies on cease contributing and are replaced by people who were chosen for reasons other than competency?

The answer is clear: catastrophic normal accidents will happen with increasing regularity. While each failure is officially seen as a separate issue to be fixed with small patches, the reality is that the whole system is seeing failures at an accelerating rate, which will lead in turn to the failure of other systems. In the case of the Camp Fire that killed 85 people, PG&E fired its CEO, filed Chapter 11, and restructured. The system’s response has been to turn off the electricity and raise wildfire insurance premiums. This has resulted in very little reflection. The more recent coronavirus pandemic was another teachable moment. What started just three years ago with a novel respiratory virus has caused a financial crisis, a bubble, soaring inflation, and now a banking crisis in rapid succession.

Patching the specific failure mode is simultaneously too slow and induces unexpected consequences. Cascading failures overwhelm the capabilities of the system to react. 20 years ago, a software bug caused a poorly-managed local outage that led to a blackout that knocked out power to 55 million people and caused 100 deaths. Utilities were able to restore power to all 55 million people in only four days. It is unclear if they could do the same today. U.S. cities would look very different if they remained without power for even two weeks, especially if other obstructions unfolded. What if emergency supplies sat on trains immobilized by fuel shortages due to the aforementioned pipeline shutdown? The preference for diversity over competency has made our system of systems dangerously fragile.

Americans living today are the inheritors of systems that created the highest standard of living in human history. Rather than protecting the competency that made those systems possible, the modern preference for diversity has attenuated meritocratic evaluation at all levels of American society. Given the damage already done to competence and morale combined with the natural exodus of baby boomers with decades worth of tacit knowledge, the biggest challenge of the coming decades might simply be maintaining the systems we have today.

The path of least resistance will be the devolution of complex systems and the reduction in the quality of life that entails. For the typical resident in a second-tier city in Mexico, Brazil, or South Africa, power outages are not uncommon, tap water is probably not safe to drink, and hospital-associated infections are common and often fatal. Absent a step change in the quality of American governance and a renewed culture of excellence, they prefigure the country’s future.

Grandpa’s… Wife?! | The Munsters

UPDATED AGAIN 5:30 PM EDT — TODAY! NATO “AIR-DEFENDER 2023” EXERCISE BEGINS . . .

World Hal Turner 12 June 2023

The largest air force deployment exercise in NATO history, Air Defender 23, kicks off today. Many people fear this “exercise” is actually a “cover” for NATO to directly involve itself in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and thereby commence World War 3, which would go nuclear.

From 12 to 23 June, 10,000 participants from 25 countries will train on 250 aircraft, including 190 combat aircraft, in European airspace.

Wunstorf Air Base in Germany is the centerpiece of the exercise, home to a purpose-built field tank farm.

The warehouse is the largest in Germany and holds about 2.4 million liters of kerosene. We are not hinting at anything.

On Saturday, about 300 people protested in front of the air base against NATO exercises. The protesters demanded diplomatic solutions instead of the use of weapons and called for an end to the conflict in Ukraine.

Hal Turner Editorial Opinion

Everyone is waiting for the other shoe to drop with the Russia-Ukraine Conflict which NATO uses as an excuse to involve itself directly. God knows NATO has done everything it knows how, to get Russia to attack them: NATO has provided Ukraine with guns, ammunition, artillery, shells, missiles, HIMARS MLRS, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconaissance and even targeting info on how and where to hit Russian troops. Countless BILLIONS in cash money has poured into Ukraine from NATO countries, to kill Russians.

That Russia has not taken this bait is amazing. The patience and self-discipline of the Russians and their leaders is mind-boggling. Yet, God bless them, the Russians have stayed the course.

In World War 2, Russia fought Nazi Germany. At the time, Russia was part of the then-Soviet Union, but it was Russia that lost the most in that war: 27 MILLION Russians were killed fighting NAZIS.

Fast-Forward to 2014, what pops-up in Ukraine? A NAZI infested government, installed by the West, after the West fomented, incited, and financed riots that toppled the government of President Viktor Yanukovich.

After overthrowing the Ukraine government, the West goaded Ukraine to start attacking the Russian-speaking populations of Luhansk and Donetsk. Those two provinces wanted to join Crimea and secede from Ukraine after it’s government was overthrown by the West. The new puppet government of Ukraine refused to allow those two provinces to secede, and instead, sent troops to begin attacking the Russian-speaking civilians there.

Russia covertly intervened with troops to help defend Luhansk and Donetsk. The two provinces, with Russian help, fought Ukraine to a standstill.

So the West got sneaky. A peace conference was called to meet in Minsk, Belarus. Ukraine, Luhansk, Donetsk, France, Germany, and Russia, attended. A peace agreement was signed . . . and Ukraine did not abide ANY of it for years after.

Turned out, the West overtly LIED during the Minsk Peace Talks. It came out later, that then-German-Chancellor Angela Merkel, and then-President of France, Francois Hollande, signed the Minsk Agreements knowing it was a ruse; they told the press in 2022, they just wanted to buy time to arm Ukraine!

So all the way back in the year 2014, it was the West’s intent to start a war between Ukraine and Russia!

For eight years, from 2014-2022, the West armed and trained Ukraine to NATO Standards. Ukraine had a standing army of 800,000; the largest in Europe.

In December, 2021, Ukraine massed more troops, tanks, artillery, fighter jets and the like, on the borders of Luhansk and Donetsk. The earlier years from 2014-2022 where Ukraine killed upwards of 13,000 civilians in Luhansk and Donetsk apparently wasn’t good enough; Ukraine was going to slaughter the people there.

Russia said “no” and stepped-in on February 24, 2022.

The West went nuts, claiming this was “an unprovoked aggression by Russia.” It wasn’t. It was provoked over, and over, and over again, by the West.

In the almost 16 months since the conflict began, NATO has done anything and everything it can to help Ukraine kill Russians. NATO failed. Ukraine is getting smashed on the battle field despite all of NATO’s help. Ukraine is losing the conflict – badly.

It is so bad for Ukraine that they have to draft 16 year old boys off the streets, at gunpoint – to force them to the front to fight. The bloodbath is horrifying, but NATO will not stop pushing Ukraine to fight further.

Yet for all its pushing of Ukraine to fight-on, and for all the equipment NATO has supplied to Ukraine . . . Russia is still winning. Russia just smashes all the gear being sent by NATO. Within the past 48 hours, look at what Russia did to NATO’s “advanced” weaponry:

Three out of the six Leopard 2R mine-clearing vehicles Finland donated to Ukraine have been lost in the same field.

With other engineering vehicles in the field as well, this is a massive loss for the brigade, no matter what.

Russia just moves right along, smashing and destroying everything NATO sends.

As you read this story on June 12, 2023, Ukraine’s only hope is for NATO to enter the war and fight Russia directly. But Russia has not attacked NATO. So at this point, an “incident” has to take place so as to justify NATO’s entry into the conflict. And THAT is what this “Air Defender, 2023” exercise is likely all about.

Someone is likely to create an “incident” which NATO will then use to justify its entry into the war.

From today through June 24, is the single most dangerous time in this world since the Cuban Missile crisis of 1962. If an “incident” is made to happen, and NATO enters the fight, it will go almost immediately to nuclear war. There will be no warning for any of us.

If you’re the praying type, now is the time. The world is going to look a lot different, and sooner than people might suspect. All it takes is one Keystone removed from the arch to threaten the entirety of the system upon which our society is based.

UPDATE 7:56 AM EDT —

NATO has already begun probing! NATO military aircraft are penetrating air space of the Black Sea:

Above is a “Rivet Joint” aircraft. The RC-135V/W Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft supports theater and national level consumers with near real time on-scene intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination capabilities.

Features
The aircraft is an extensively modified C-135. The Rivet Joint’s modifications are primarily related to its on-board sensor suite, which allows the mission crew to detect, identify and geolocate signals throughout the electromagnetic spectrum. The mission crew can then forward gathered information in a variety of formats to a wide range of consumers via Rivet Joint’s extensive communications suite.

Below, a NATO Fighter Jet:

This jet is a single-seat, Block 5 or later aircraft (built or upgraded from F2) and is known as Typhoon FGR4s. The new mark number represents the increased capabilities of the Block 5 aircraft (fighter/ground attack/reconnaissance). The FGR4 has from June 2008 achieved the required standard for multi-role operations.

The purpose of these flights is to test Russian reaction times and gather up-to-the-minute Intelligence. NATO is fixin’ for a fight.

MORE:

-RAF RC-135W Rivet Joint RRR7212

-RAF KC2 Voyager KAYAK31

-Italian Air Force King Air 350ER IAM1482

-US Army CH-47 Chinook R08457

-US Army Black Hawk 11-20392

UPDATE 8:45 AM EDT —

In Crimea, there has been an explosion on the railway tracks. This is reported by Russian media and telegram channels.

The driver of the freight train allegedly spotted the explosive device and applied emergency brakes.

As a result of the explosion, according to preliminary data, the tracks and a freight locomotive were damaged. According to some reports, two railway workers were injured.

The explosion occurred in the Kirov region of Crimea – in the east of the peninsula.

The movement of trains on the site has been stopped, repairs may take several hours, the head of the Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, wrote on his telegram channel.

(HT REMARK: This is clearly part of an effort to block Russian supply lines.)

RELATED ????

UPDATE 9:22 AM EDT —

RUSSIAN CONVOY HIT BY TURK DRONE STRIKE – SYRIA!

A Russian soldier has been killed and 3 Russian soldiers were wounded after being in a Turkish drone strike in northern Syria this morning.

The Russian military column was traveling between the villages of Herbel and Maarat Umm Hawsh outside Aleppo.

TURKEY IS A MEMBER OF . . . NATO . . . .

UPDATE 10:48 AM EDT —

This is my current assessment of the Ukraine situation:

Today is Day 8 of Ukraine’s “Great Counter-offensive” and all they have to show for it is a few fields, and more troops stuck in meat grinders.

The “Counter-Offensive” is bogged down — badly — and the Vilnius, Lithuania, meeting of NATO is coming up fast. That is the meeting at which Ukraine must show NATO that it is has made real progress with the Counter-Offensive, or future assistance from NATO goes into great jeopardy.

For what it’s worth, by Day 8, Ukraine was __supposed to__ be mopping up Melitopol, should have cut off Mariupol by standing on the AZOV Coast, and should have been starting the assault on Crimea.

Nothing is going as planned. Ukraine is taking huge losses, and have not even managed to reach the First defense line of the Russians – anywhere!!!!

Think about THAT for just a moment; they have not yet encountered Russian actual defensive lines yet . . . anywhere . . . along the front. All they’ve encountered are Russian Recon and Pickets; which are smashing and destroying much of what Ukraine has already put forth.

NATO equipment? Not nearly as good as everyone thought it was.

NATO Tactics? Utter failure at almost every turn.

NATO is a failure. Ukraine is the proof.

Thank God we didn’t have to find out via an actual invasion during the Cold War by the then-Soviet-Union; we’d have had our clocks cleaned.

Once again, the incompetents running Washington, DC and our military, made another a huge mistake….

UPDATE 5:29 PM EDT —

As of today, Ukraine has lost (or abandoned to caputre) fifteen percent (15%) of the M2A2 Bradley Infantry Fighting vehicles donated to them for their “Counter-Offensive.” They achieved this 15% loss in eight (8) days.

Trapped In The Bank Vault | The Munsters

The repair work on the damage to the reality universe is still in process.

The repair work on the damage to the reality universe is still in process. I am unaware of the organizational structure of the who, and where, and what. But the intention is clear. To stop the emergence of a calmer cleaner world led by the Global South, and instead push the corrupt Western model back into power.

Amateurs. But the repairs are also fixing other things that were “flapping in the winds”, and that is overall going to make things easier for all of us.

Today, I had an interview with DM about his prayer affirmation campaign, you can watch it here, if you haven’t already.

Now, for the rest of the stuff…

Dangerous and irresponsible for US and NATO to push Russia step by step

By Global Times Published: Mar 27, 2023 09:07 PM

When it comes to the Ukraine issue, the West and Russia have never stopped testing and pressuring each other. The greater the pressure the US and NATO apply on Russia, the greater Russia’s counterattack will be.

NATO criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for what it called his “dangerous and irresponsible” nuclear rhetoric on Sunday, a day after Putin said he planned to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Reuters reported. On the same day, the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell threatened on Twitter that “The EU stands ready to respond with further sanctions.”

As for the recent escalation, the reason is UK’s irresponsible decision to provide depleted uranium munition to Ukraine. On the one hand, depleted uranium munitions have already exceeded the red line that Russia can accept. On the other, this shows Western countries like the UK have no bottom line in providing weapons to Ukraine. As a response, Russia has opted for deploying tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus.

Now, NATO has come out to accuse Russia of breaking its own arms control commitments. But in fact, the US has long been a violator of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times that the US has deployed tactical nuclear weapons in European countries, including Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey, which means the US has long deployed its tactical nuclear weapons at Russia’s doorstep, posing a significant threat to Russia’s national security. Russia’s reaction this time is not just aimed at the UK’s move, but more about the US.

“Russia’s planned deployment of its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus is not only a response to NATO’s past and current provocations, but also is aimed at deterring US’ potential provocations, dealing with what is about to happen,” said Song.

Belarus is a key choice for Russia, as its geographical location is ideal. It is not far from Poland, Germany, the Baltic countries and even the Nordic countries. If tactical nuclear weapons are deployed there, it will have a huge strategic deterrent effect on some neighboring NATO countries near Russia, Song noted.

Nevertheless, whether the US and NATO impose various sanctions on Russia or continuously provide weapons to Ukraine, they are actually moving toward a more dangerous direction. It won’t help solve the Ukraine issue, but will only lead to a vicious circle, escalating the nuclear arms race and ultimately developing into a situation that no one wants to see.

Wang Shuo, a professor at the School of International Relations of Beijing Foreign Studies University, pointed out that knowing that the situation could get worse, the US is still pressuring Russia, and the purpose behind it is to maintain its hegemonic system. In addition, during the Cold War, the US used extreme pressure tactics against the Soviet Union, which eventually dragged the Soviet Union down, so today Washington still wants to apply the same tactics.

Now, the peace forces mediating the Ukraine-Russia conflict are still relatively insufficient. European countries have been kidnapped by the US to provide weapons to Ukraine, and even countries like Japan have gone to great lengths to provide assistance to Ukraine. This all serves the interests of the US, whose purpose is to force European countries, and even Indo-Pacific countries, to help the US counter Russia and drag it down. Since this goal has not been achieved, Washington does not want peace now.

It is the US that is pushing Russia step by step. Washington does not want to see a victory for Russia on the Ukrainian battlefield. If Ukraine loses, it means NATO loses, which also means the US loses its global leadership and hegemony, a price that it cannot afford. Consequently, when China proposed a complete, systematic and dialectical 12-point peace proposal, the US was among the first to come out to deny it. The peace proposal takes into account all aspects and is practical. The fact that the US is eager to dismiss it shows that it doesn’t want peace.

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine is a “proxy war” that the US has imposed on Europe. If the US and Russia cannot reach a compromise, there can be no peace between Russia and Ukraine. But if the conflict continues, not only will Russia and Ukraine be damaged, but also Europe’s security dilemma will worsen. The more Europe tries to be safe, the more insecure it becomes.

What should I absolutely not do when visiting the USA?

Don’t get out of your car if you get pulled over by police.

I was pulled over by a police officer while driving in Iowa. It was one week after I had arrived in the USA for the first time. I had accidentally made a minor mistake disobeying a traffic sign. Back home in Australia it’s considered polite to get out of your car and walk over to the police officer’s car and hand him your license* so he doesn’t have to get out of his seat. I wanted to be extra polite so I immediately jumped out of my car and walked towards his car while reaching into my back pocket.

I’m lucky to be alive.

If you come from a gun-free country like the UK or Australia you don’t have any natural instinct for gun culture. You don’t realize that police assume that everyone is armed.

Things got immediately serious. The police officer’s hand went to his weapon and I responded by dropping to my knees with my hands up. He yelled a bunch of things at me but my memory is vague because my heartbeat was suddenly pulsing in my ears blotting out all sound. I don’t know if he drew his weapon or not. I was staring intently at the ground, shaking and trying to project non-threatening vibes. My next memory is that there were three police cars around me and a bunch of cops who’d been called for backup. They were all keeping their hands close to their guns. After some time passed (a minute? 30 minutes? I have no idea) the tensions de-escalated and they told me to get up. I gave the officer my license and tried to explain why I’d approached him. It was completely incomprehensible to him that there was a place where people don’t fear cops and vice versa at traffic stops. It was as though I was trying to tell him that I came from Narnia and our cops were all talking animals.

I’ve spoken to several British people, New Zealanders, and Australians who have shared almost identical stories. They really need to put signs up in all major US airports.

Don’t get out of your car if stopped by police. They will assume you are armed and they might shoot you.

Edit: have a look at this story about an Australian woman who was shot and killed by an American cop. Ex-Minneapolis police officer sentenced to 12.5 years for fatal shooting of Justine Ruszczyk Damond

To me, the chilling part of the story is this passage:

“When police arrived, Ruszczyk Damond approached the driver's side of the squad car, and Noor, who was in the passenger's seat, shot her through the open window…”

In Australia, we would think it perfectly normal to approach a police car to talk to the police. She probably had no idea that she could be in danger. American police are far too ready to kill.

It’s sickening.

A REVOLUTION has Begun!

The Covid-19 coronavirus was “intentionally released” by the United States

The Covid-19 coronavirus was "intentionally released" by the United States in Wuhan, China, with the target to trigger a global pandemic to raise public acceptance of vaccines, a US businessman specializing in patent auditing said.

David Martin, the founding chairman of M Cam asset management company, said at an International Covid Summit organized by the European Parliament in Brussels earlier this month that the US was responsible for the making of both coronaviruses causing the outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome - or SARS - in 2003 and the Covid-19 pandemic in the past three years.

The third edition of the summit featured speakers from anti-lockdown advocates to medical academia to discuss the global pandemic response. The speakers shed light on the possibility that the coronavirus which caused the pandemic was man-made, instead of naturally occurring.

In his speech, Martin said: "The pandemic that we alleged to have happened in the last few years did not happen overnight. In fact, the very specific pandemic using the coronavirus began at a different time."

He said that in 1965, scientists discovered the coronavirus as a model of a pathogen - an agent that causes disease. They also found out that coronaviruses can be modified.

"Later we started learning how to modify a coronavirus by putting them in animals such as dogs and pigs," Martin said, adding that such a practice became the basis for US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer's first coronavirus spike protein vaccine in 1990.

But very soon the medical sector and drug makers found out that the vaccines did not work.

"Because the coronavirus is a malleable model, it mutates," Martin said. "Every medical publication concluded that coronaviruses escape vaccines because it modifies and mutates too rapidly for a vaccine to be developed."

In 2002, a university in North Carolina initiated a study to develop an "infectious replication defective," which Martin interpreted as "a weapon to target individuals, but not have collateral damage."

Characterizing the project as having "mysteriously preceded SARS by a year," Martin said the coronavirus that caused the highly deadly infection was not from China and that it was "engineered" instead of naturally occurring.

On Covid-19, Martin said the coronavirus - named as SARS-CoV-2 by the World Health Organization - was poised for human emergence in 2016, with a preview about an "accidental or intentional release of a respiratory coronavirus" from a laboratory in Wuhan.

He said the purpose of the coronavirus "release" was to boost global acceptance on universal vaccination.

Explaining the common concern among the medical industry, Martin said: "Until an infectious crisis is very real, present and at the emergency threshold, it is often largely ignored.

"To sustain the funding base beyond the crisis, we need to increase the public understanding of the need for medical countermeasures, such as the pan-influenza, or pan-coronavirus, vaccine. A key drive is the media and the economics will follow the hype.

"We [pharmaceutical firms] need to use that hype to our advantage to get to the real issue. Investors will respond if they see profit at the end of the process," he said.

The Covid infection was first reported in Wuhan, Hubei province in central China in late 2019, with initial clusters coming from the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market.

The disease turned into a global pandemic in early 2020.

As of Saturday, over 766 million infections have been recorded worldwide, with nearly seven million deaths.

The source of the coronavirus remained a mystery. Some scientists believe it transferred to humans from wild animals like bats and manidaes, while some politicians, in particular those from the US, accused the Wuhan Institute of Virology - a government-controlled lab - of leaking the pathogen.

A team of WHO-appointed experts inspected Wuhan in early 2021 to probe the source of the pandemic.

After the 12-day visit, including a visit to the lab, the scientists concluded that it is "extremely unlikely" that the lab could have leaked the Covid-19 coronavirus.

Article HERE

Paula Deen’s Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

4 cups cooked elbow macaroni, drained
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

Instructions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Once you have the macaroni cooked and drained, place in a large bowl and while still hot and add the cheddar.
In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and add to the macaroni mixture.
Pour macaroni mixture into a casserole dish and bake for 30 to 45 minutes.
Top with additional cheese if desired.

Norway canceled China top shipyard 13 billion dollar order, was it a conspiracy?

This Woman Creates A DIY Dollhouse Door Electrical Outlet Covers

We can all agree that COVID-19 has turned our world upside down. Everything we knew we did has changed. Some people are furstrated but there are some that never lose their spirit. Even in these difficult times there are people that show us that you can use every situation to your advantage. Discover something new create something you never did before.

h/t: art-sheep

Làm gì phải Hốt – JustaTee x Hoàng Thùy Linh x Đen | Official Music Video

Seoul is gradually falling into US’ strategic trap to contain China

By Global Times Published: Jun 11, 2023 08:54 PM

On Saturday, China’s Assistant Foreign Minister Nong Rong summoned South Korean Ambassador Chung Jae-ho to express his “serious concern and dissatisfaction” over Seoul’s “improper reaction” to comments made by Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming in a recent meeting with Lee Jae-myung, leader of South Korea’s largest opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea.

One day earlier, the South Korean Foreign Ministry summoned Ambassador Xing to protest his remarks on US-Korea relations, saying Xing had interfered in South Korea’s internal affairs by citing “inaccurate facts” and criticizing South Korean policy.

What exactly did Ambassador Xing say?

According to reports, he accused Seoul of being influenced by Washington and not respecting Beijing’s core concerns, including the Taiwan question, during a meeting with Lee on Thursday. Xing pointed out that the US is trying its best to suppress China and that some people are betting on the US to win and China to lose, which is clearly a misjudgment that fails to consider the broader historical context. He warned that “those betting on China’s defeat will certainly regret it later.”

Ambassador Xing was correct; he just made another factual and logical judgment. His remarks stem from South Korea’s provocative stance.

The US is mobilizing its allies in the Asia-Pacific region to form a containment ring against China, thereby compelling South Korea to take sides and assess the potential consequences of this strategic competition.

In an exclusive interview with Reuters before his visit to the US in April, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said that tensions in the Taiwan Straits are caused by attempts to change the status quo by force, and South Korea joins the international community in opposing such changes. Yoon also said that the Taiwan question is not simply an issue between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan but, like the issue of North Korea, it is a global issue.

By clearly copying the US position on the Taiwan question, the South Korean government is not simply following the US’ China strategy but also is expressing confidence in the US’ ability to prevail.

The current South Korean government is gradually falling into a strategic trap orchestrated by the US to contain China. We have every reason to believe that if this trajectory continues, South Korea will no longer be a mere follower of the US but could eventually find itself in a frontline role.

It would be prudent for the South Korean government to pause and reflect before taking the next step: Is China really an enemy of South Korea? If South Korea aligns with the US strategy and pushes China into a hostile position, can South Korea bear the consequences?

South Korea’s greatest concern is the security of the Korean Peninsula, but this can never be achieved by blindly adhering to the US agenda and engaging in confrontation with China.

It is not that South Korea does not have the ability to refuse to take sides; at least South Korea has some ability to maintain the balance. However, it appears that South Korea is now leaning toward the US side. We’re concerned that this decision will jeopardize the peninsula’s security, which the South Korean people desire for.

We acknowledge that a significant challenge to current East Asian cooperation is that the existing security system restricts our ability to draw closer to one another and fails to shield us from the chilling winds of the Cold War.

It’s akin to having a thermostat, but the remote control for that thermostat is held in the American military’s hands.

We can’t continue to be trapped in an outdated Cold War system. We should not allow the Americans to decide whether we are safe. What is certain is that once the desired reunification of the peninsula is achieved, there will no longer be a place for US soldiers.

Given increasing US pressure, China and South Korea now urgently need to expand cooperation on security issues and enhance communication and collaboration. But this can only happen if South Korea respects China’s core interests and security concerns and stops appeasing the US in a manner that “irritates” China. Such actions will not bring any real benefits to South Korea.

China and South Korea are close neighbors and cannot avoid each other. China does not want turmoil and war on the peninsula. The key now is how we can resist disruption and destruction by external forces and find the right path for Asians to solve our own problems through cooperation.

Why doesn’t the US bring North Korea freedom and protect the world from great danger? Surely Saddam fell for far less.

Oh! Watch out for that freedom shit. Everywhere the US brings freedom, it always ends up looking like this.

Beware of what you wish for, you’ll get it.

How can the USA and Russia bring peace between them without talking to each other directly?

Haven’t you noticed how peaceful it is for the moment where China does not talk to the US?

It’s the US that isn’t a good conversation partner. From just a talk, you may end up fighting with them, not unless you’re very subservient, like Japan or S. Korea (American Pie fillings)

What we get wrong about China.

Saucy Peach-Spiced Chicken

Ingredients

Cooking oil
1/2 cup flour mixed with 1 teapoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper
6 each fryer chicken legs and thighs or 2 breasts and 4 thighs
1 cup orange juice
1 1/2 cups sliced peaches (fresh, canned or frozen)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon mace or nutmeg
1 teaspoon sweet basil
1 clove garlic, minced
Hot, cooked rice

Instructions

Put oil to a depth of 1/2-inch in a large skillet.
While oil is heating, dredge chicken in seasoned flour.
Brown chicken in hot oil.
While chicken is browning, combine orange juice and peaches with brown sugar, vinegar, mace or nutmeg, sweet basil and minced garlic in a saucepan. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove chicken when it is browned, and pour off oil, retaining the flavored browned bits in skillet.
Replace chicken and pour fruit sauce over top.
Cover and simmer about 20 minutes.
Serve over rice.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Hoàng Thùy Linh – Duyên Âm (Love of Ghost) | Official Music Video

A MAN WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE

In 1987, a 74-year old rickshaw puller by the name of Bai Fangli came back to his hometown planning to retire from his backbreaking job. There, he saw children working in the fields, because they were too poor to afford school fees.

Bai returned to Tianjin and went back to work as a rickshaw puller, taking a modest accommodation next to the railway station. He waited for clients 24 hours a day, ate simple food and wore discarded second-hand clothes he found.

He gave all of his hard-earned earnings to support children who could not afford education.

In 2001, he drove his rickshaw to Tianjin YaoHua Middle School, to deliver his last installment of money.

Nearly 90 years old, he told the students that he couldn’t work any more. All of the students and teachers were moved to tears.

In total, Bai had donated a total of 350,000 yuan to help more than 300 poor students continue with their studies. In 2005, Bai passed away leaving behind an inspiring legacy.

If a rickshaw-puller who wore used clothes and had no education can support 300 children to go to school, imagine what you and I can do with the resources we have to bring about positive change in our world!

A tear in the fabric of our baseline reality

About a month ago, someone or something was really trying hard to reorder our baseline reality universe.

Seriously folks. There are people; someone, a collective activity, an entity… HUMAN… that is trying to alter the world Line MAIN template.

Amateurs.

Been busy stitching it back up. Sheech.

I know exactly what it’s all about. They don’t like how the human species is migrating to a Chinese led world of peace, order and control. They want the continuous cycles of purging destruction.

So, I don’t know if it is “old empire” ‘Bots.

Non-physical entities that have made nice “nests” for themselves in the chaotic cycles of destruction, or just practicing Magick at an amateur level.

It doesn’t matter.

It’s like trying to empty the ocean with a thimble.

Anyways, the mend it on. Wearing me out. But the fix is in.

But, why now? I have no clue.

Ok, guys be cool out there. Todays…

Never look at monthly payments. Negotiate on the final price.

June 2, 2023

This happens everywhere I go. Car dealership, “So what do you want your monthly payment to be?” Insurance agent, “Great so your down payment is $XX and your quarterly payments are $XX” etc..

Um, I want to know what the final out the door price would be?

“Well tell me what you can afford and I’ll see if we can make this work for you. So how much are you looking to pay a month?”

Why is this bad? Because you cannot compare apples to apples with just a monthly payment. Sure they can make your monthly payment super low and just extend your term to forever so they make more money. Or for insurance purposes you cannot compare that policy vs another one.

Also you should know the true cost of the items you are buying. Sure those $150 airpods at 5 bucks a month on your credit card is easy to afford. But once you factor in that 22% interest rate over how long it takes to pay it off were they REALLY worth the $180+ you just paid?

I feel like majority of uninformed consumers should be considering the true cost of items vs they I can afford that monthly payment mindset. No wonder people live paycheck to paycheck thinking they cannot afford to have an emergency savings because all of their money is going towards those monthly payments.

Wait emergency savings? I don’t need that, I have available credit on my credit cards!

The Sad Story of the Smartest Man Who Ever Lived

Numerous Russian Military Executive Jets Traveling from Moscow to Underground Bunker Area in Ural Mountains

World Hal Turner 31 May 2023

As of 5:00 PM today, 31 May 2023, numerous Russian military executive jets (TU-134A) are traveling from Moscow to the huge government underground Bunker facility in the Ural Mountains near (or beneath) Mount Yamantau.

It is not known which government officials are on those flights or why they are heading to their underground Bunkers.

Moscow is seven hours AHEAD of U.S. east coast time, so as this story is written, it is about 1:00 in the morning over there. A very odd time for such flights.

Further details if I get them, on tonight’s Hal Turner Radio Show airing at 9:00 PM eastern U.S. Time (GMT -0400).\

Tune-in on WBCQ 7490 or 6160 shortwave

or on

WRMI 5950 shortwave

or here on the net using this link: http://stream.halturnerradioshow.com:8000/ then click “LISTEN” or press the Play Button on the small player to tune-in free.

NOTE: This link does not go active until about one hour before show time. During that hour, it streams commercial-free music until the show begins.

Low Country Chicken Bog

Ingredients

1 (3 pound) whole chicken
6 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
1 onion, chopped
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup long-grain white rice
1/2 pound smoked sausage of your choice, sliced
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
2 cubes chicken bouillon

Instructions

Place chicken, water, salt and onion in a large pot. Bring to a boil; cook until chicken is tender, about 1 hour.
Remove chicken from pot and let cool. Remove skin and bones and chop remaining meat into bite-size pieces.
Skim off fat from cooking liquid and measure 3 1/2 cups of this chicken broth into a 6 quart saucepan.
Add rice, chicken pieces, sausage, herb seasoning and bouillon to the saucepan. Cover the saucepan. Let come to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes. If mixture is too watery or juicy, cook over medium low heat, uncovered, until it reaches the desired consistency. Stir often while cooking.

RUMORS from the Ground in Ukraine: “Tonight”

World Hal Turner 31 May 2023

There’s a TON of RUMORS coming from the ground in Ukraine all saying “Tonight.” It is believed these RUMORS are about the much-vaunted (but yet to happen) Ukraine Spring Counter-Offensive. But these rumors hint at something new: “Inside Russia.”

We all know that the first casualty of war is truth. It is entirely possible that this is a false RUMOR, perhaps even deliberately released in Ukraine as a Psy-Op against Russia; maybe to get their stress levels up.

But what’s coming out from people on the ground in several parts of Ukraine is all very consistent: “Tonight.”

The new twist is that the “Counter-Offensive” will actually begin “inside Russia.” Specifically, the RUMOR says “the opening salvo is going to be inside Russia, before the offensive will actually happen on the front lines in Ukraine.”

I am carefully reiterating this is a RUMOR for those who cannot discern very well. It may be false. But again, it is something very prominently being spoken on the ground in Ukraine and that, in and of itself, makes it unusual, and worth passing along.

Dido – White Flag (Official Video)

Have you ever seen someone being literally laughed out of a courtroom?

I’ve never seen someone laughed out of court but I did amuse the entire court staff, judge and audience pretty well. I used to work a rotation gig in south Florida, I’d be 3 weeks in the fun and sun then back to Minnesota for a week.

One time (in the winter) I was in such a hurry to get going I forgot my drivers license, naturally I got pulled over. The cop was nice but gave me a ticket for no DL in possession. I asked him what I should do. He said with so many tourists it was fairly common and because this was before computer storage those paper tickets took up a lot of space so they would sit on them for about 3 years then they’d toss the minor offenses and said not to worry about it.

A few weeks later I was back in south Florida and went to the courthouse to clear it up. The clerk of court said they were pretty full that day but since this was so minor she’d put me at the head of the list. When they called my name I approached the bench handing my ticket and license to the judge. He looked at me and said, “Wait a minute, you came all this way just to show me you had a license?” I said, “Did you see the national weather this morning…it’s 22 below zero in Minnesota, do I have to spell it out for you?”

The judge and the entire courtroom broke into laughter, he not only dropped the ticket but I could still hear people laughing on the way to my car.

Security guarantees, then Polish troops, and finally US troops

Yup. Walked into a world war 3.

Hackers Crash ENTIRE Russia Banking System – Get CASH Out Now Before Reprisal Attacks Today

World Hal Turner 09 June 2023

Americans and Europeans should get to their banks RIGHT NOW to pull out some amount of cash money to have at home after Hackers took out the ENTIRE Russian Banking System. Reprisal Hacking attacks now seem likely against the West and if you do not have cash, you may be financially paralyzed!

The entire Russian banking system is at a standstill nationwide because the ISP used for banking communication with the Russian Central Bank is down. Infotel, the ISP, is suspected to have been hacked by a pro-Ukraine group. Infotel runs the Automated System of Electronic Interaction (ASEI) for the Central Bank of Russia.

Very long lines have already formed outside cash machines this morning, similar to the ones seen in February, 2022 when Russia’s Special Military Operation began and Sanctions were applied; people ran to ATM’s (shown above in Feb. 2022) to grab cash.

The computer infrastructure of the ISP – InfoTel – has now been down and offline for nineteen hours:

A group calling itself Cyber.Anarchy.Squad has publicly taken credit for the bank computer network hacking.

The group posted Infotel’s full internal client list; 100 out of 400 are banks, the rest are credit institutions, car dealers, and of course the Russian Central Bank.

The group says the entire Banking infrastructure has been destroyed.

Americans and Europeans should get to their banks or to an ATM absolutely IMMEDIATELY to get some cash. It seems highly likely that reprisal hacking attacks are now going to be launched, perhaps by the Russian government, so as to retaliate against the West for what has just been done to Russia.

If YOU do not have cash money in your possession, and Hackers take out OUR Banking System, then none of your credit or debit cards will be able to work, and you will have no way to purchase food, fuel or other essentials.

Don’t wait – get to the bank or to an ATM immediately. Minutes count!

It is also advisable to make HARD COPY PRINT-OUTS of your bank account activity this month so you can PROVE how much money you still had in those accounts if the west Banks are attacked and destroyed like the Russian banks just were.

UPDATE 9:00 AM EDT —

Here is a direct link to the Internet Connectivity monitor of the Russian ISP, showing they are still totally offline (Click HERE)

Here is a direct link to Russian Media outlet PRAVDA confirming the banks are all offline (Story HERE)

Social Media postings are also confirming the story:

After posting this story above, I departed my house here in Pennsylvania and went immediately to the ATM to withdraw the maximum daily limit on my account: $2,000. Got it. No problems at all.

Of course, the ATM itself has an $800 transaction limit. So I had to put the card in, take $800, get the cash, the receipt, and my card back, then put the card in a second time to get $800 more, etc., then put the card in a third time to get the final $400. Pain in the neck, but the ATM’s out here in the country don’t allow single $2,000 transactions like the one’s back in New Jersey do. And the ones here only give out $20 bills, unlike the one’s in NJ which give $50’s and $100’s. In any event, I got the money, so I at least have some peace of mind in case Hackers in Russia do to OUR banking system, what Hackers did to the Russian banks.

I then went to the supermarket to get my last-minute “preps” because of that whole NATO “Air Defender 2023” exercise which simulates war with Russia. That “exercise” is scheduled to begin Monday, June 12 and last through June 24. I have a sickening feeling it isn’t going to be an exercise; I think they’re going to use it as cover for Ukraine’s counter-offensive, and some time next week or so, we’re gonna find ourselves at war.

So I got the stuff on my list at the supermarket . . . $343.00 and headed home.

Checked the fuel gauge in the truck, still full, so I didn’t need fuel.

Back at the house now, have to put all the stuff away.

Crazy morning . . . .

Mazzy Star – Fade Into You (Official Music Video)

INTEL – NATO BASE . . . CIVILIANS ALL GONE

World Hal Turner 10 June 2023 Hits: 9290

This content is for Subscribers only — Article HERE

Speaker of the House Sends Lawmakers HOME – Three Days Before NATO Exercise . . .that may start Russia War

Nation Hal Turner 08 June 2023

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) took the extraordinary and very unusual step of canceling votes for the rest of this week and sent lawmakers home today. Just three days before the largest-ever NATO “exercise” simulating war with Russia . . .

The “public reason” given by Speaker McCarthy is that this was due to a “revolt” by 11 members of the House Freedom Caucus, who banded together to grind proceedings to a halt in protest of the speaker caving to Democrats during last week’s compromise to raise the debt ceiling.

The looming and not-so-public fact is that NATO’s “exercise” simulating war with Russia starts in 3+ days – and that “exercise” — may turn out to be real.

Bear in mind, this action by the Speaker takes place just about one week after members of the Senate were all given Satellite telephones “in case a disruption to US communications occurs.” It also takes place just a few short days after the Memorial Day weekend holiday, during which, select high-level FedGov officials secretly spent the weekend at Government Bunkers with their families. a “practice run” for the real thing, maybe?

Or was it not “practice” at all? How many of those officials are STILL in those Bunkers? Is Congress now joining them?

I don’t believe the public reason given for this sending of lawmakers “home.”

Governing is always messy. It is always disordered. There are always disagreements and there is always upheaval. Yet, the Speaker chose to “send lawmakers home????” No, I don’t buy it. I don’t buy it one bit.

Who knows, maybe they’re planning some type off False Flag attack upon Washington, DC to be blamed on Russia?

Wouldn’t surprise me in the least.

Stay tuned . . .

Snow Patrol – Chasing Cars (Official Video)

The Biggest War Battle on European Soil Since WW2 is HAPPENING right now – almost not a peep from the Main-Stream Media!

World Hal Turner 08 June 2023

The largest war-fighting battle on European soil since WW2 is RAGING right now – today, June 8, 2023 – and not even a peep from the West’s so-called “main stream media!”

According to battlefield sources, Ukraine’s first attack on Zaporozhye is almost repulsed.

A lot of Ukrainian soldiers are laying down DEAD in the minefields. They were simply driven forward by their commanders without properly preparing the passages. They say the picture is terrible, the enemy has a lot of DEAD or seriously wounded just lying on the battlefield.

It is likely Ukraine will regroup and drive a few more waves to the slaughter.

The Russians say “Our boys are ready and charged.”

One Russian source said, “we are not sleeping, we are waiting!”

SO FAR . . .

From June 4th to June 8th, Ukraine has lost close to 400 armored vehicles, 115 tanks and close to 5,000 personnel on the Zaporozhye, Artemovsk (i.e. Balhmut), and Southwest Donetsk Tactical Regions. The intensity of the enemy attacks have decreased, however, a whole army in the reserve is waiting to attack. This will not be the end of their attacks. So far, no settlements have been lost (some changed hands but are back under the control of the Russian Armed Forces).

Importantly, in no instance, has even the first line of Russian defense been breached, and remember, on the Zaporozhye and Southwest Donetsk fronts, there are 5 lines of defense. Ukraine is targeting areas west of the Ugledarisky Tactical Region (nearby to the Velkya Novoselivka Tactical Region); as these regions are the least defended, however, geographically hard to conquer. This is primarily around the villages of Novodonetskoye and the Vremika Ledge.

To compensate for failures, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) attempted a counteroffensive on the Artemovsk(i.e. Bakhmut)/ Berkhovka area; they were subsequently wiped out. Enemy militants now resort to shelling of residential areas of the Belgorod, Russia, Region.

It is likely that Ukraine will attempt to cross the Left Bank of the Kherson River under the backdrop of the New Kakhovka Hydroelectric Dam being blown up; they have strengthened groupings with fresh reserves from Lvov and Zhytomr, Russian forces are pre-emptively striking accumulations of Ukraine manpower.

The battles are raging. Hundreds are dying. But since the mass-media is simply not reporting what’s taking place, people of the West have no idea at all how bad things are, or that the US and NATO will likely find out they have LOST . . . this week. Unless, of course, they create a false flag designed to get directly involved in the war, and bring on World War 3.

The general public, being clueless, will be blind-sided at the outbreak of such a war. They will be afraid, and looking to government for safety and answers. The same government that LIED to them for 2 1/2 years over Trump/Russia Collusion. The same government that LIED to them about COVID-19. The same government that LIED to them about the COVID-19 vaccines, which are still killing many of the people who took them.

The next two weeks could very well see the outbreak of nuclear world war, and a change to all our lives that will never return to “normal.”

Five for Fighting – Superman (It’s Not Easy)

Four Days Until NATO “Exercise” Begins . . . and Maybe Direct War with Russia

World Hal Turner 08 June 2023

SCENARIO: “Airspace over Eastern Europe is contested. Article 5 of NATO Treaty was activated. Within hours, hundreds of fighter jets from the US/NATO transfer to Germany to fly against Russia. Nuclear-capable F-35 stealth aircraft are prepped for deployment – the first hours of a major war have dawned.”

This scenario is the basis for the upcoming NATO “Air Defender 23″ exercise …”

which takes place from the 12th to the 24th of June.

The air war is simulated against an imaginary enemy who himself has a potent air force. The real meaning of this exercise is clear to anyone with a brain: Russia.

The maneuvering may still be cautious in their public communication, but Michael A. Loh, general of the US Air National Guard, expressed his motivation some time ago. In 2021, with a view to „ Air Defender “, he wished that his people „ think more about our impending dangers – China and Russia “.

The maneuver is carried out according to the principle „ Train as you fight “. Areas of application, tactics, logistics – everything should be as realistic as possible. It is therefore no coincidence that Germany becomes the central hub of the exercise. In an emergency, too, countless NATO jets would start and swarm out of German airfields. The flight routes that the fighter planes will test are just as realistic. They lead to the eastern borders of the NATO area, to the Russian and Ukrainian borders.

At first glance, what looks like a brazen but usual provocation is a tangible danger to world peace in times of war. An accident with Russian military aircraft, misguided navigation or a pilot error may be sufficient to make a training flight appear like an attack. It becomes particularly threatening if Ukraine uses the NATO exercise’s slipstream to carry out attacks, while Russian air surveillance is forced to pursue NATO activities. Russian territory is currently being bombarded almost every day, and the Ukrainian president is threatened with major attacks. The escalation potential of a Ukrainian military strike while NATO jets are patrolling nearby is obvious in this situation.

The federal government is not only willing to accept these enormous risks, it even suspends the usual security measures. Russian observers who could ensure that the exercise is not used to prepare for an attack are not invited. There shouldn’t even be a formal announcement. “We will not write them a letter. They will understand the news when our planes swarm out “, the highest German air force general Ingo Gerhartz replied at the beginning of April to the question of how Russia is informed.

This move away from an insurance policy is accompanied by a fight against diplomacy. Last week the Federal Republic of the Russian Federation banned the operation of four consulates. They must be closed by the end of the year.

So, shortly before the NATO exercise, the relationships are further burdened and important communication channels are sabotaged. The federal government appears to be doing everything it can to drive an escalation and increase the risk that the exercise could become a bitter reality.

NATO and its ilk have to decide very quickly. Obviously, the Ukraine offensive has stalled. It is indeed a question if Ukraine army is even capable of holding their positions or not. And the Russian army is making small but constant advances. It is probable that Ukraine army and state is on the verge of collapse. Because of that, it is time to make a decision. Either NATO enters officially into conflict or Ukraine is lost.

Of course, best moment to attack Russian army would be when all NATO equipment and personal are in Europe and are practicing that type of scenario. We only need a fabricated reason for war. Something like 9/11 at the WTC.

History shows the US federal government is perfectly willing to engage in treachery to cause the US to be involved in a major war.

In World War 2, the Roosevelt Administration KNEW the Japanese were coming to attack Pearl Harbor. They knew days in advance. While they told the US Military “you may be attacked” there was no ironclad statement that an attack WAS already on its way. The Japanese attack on December 7, 1941 caused the date to live in infamy. The American military was used as canon fodder to get hit and killed, bringing the US into the war.

The Gulf of Tonkin incident was an actual fabrication by the US to get us into the Vietnam War.

Former Secretary of State, Colin Powell, sat at a UN Security Council meeting, held up a glass jar containing ANTHRAX, and told Security Council members that Saddam Hussein of Iraq had “tons” of this bio-weapon and could destroy half the world. In to Iraq we went. We destroyed much of Iraq, searched high and low, but guess what? No weapons of mass destruction! It was all lies.

In 2014, the US, EU fomented, incited, and facilitated the forcible overthrow of Ukraine’s President, Vikto Yanukovich, then funded a puppet government favorable tot he West. The US/EU want to place American missiles on Ukraine soil, with a five minute or so flight time to Moscow. Russia said “no.” The West said “Too fucking bad.”

In December 2021, Russia tried to negotiate ironclad, legally enforceable security guarantees. The West laughed and basically threw Russia’s Diplomatic proposals in the trash can.

The Russians tried again, only this time warning that if Russia could not obtain ironclad, legally enforceable, security guarantees, via DIPLOMATIC means, they would attain them via military, or military-technical means. The West again quashed the Russian proposals.

On February 24, 2022, after giving Ukraine a five hour ultimatum that went unanswered, the Russian Army went into Ukraine. The West was mortified. It was never within the realm of possibility to them, that Russia would actually DO what Russia said they would do!

Here we are, over a year later, the war rages, hundreds of thousands are dead, and now NATO is (coincidentally) preparing its largest air defense exercise in history . . . right next to the Russia-Ukraine major conflict . . . where any misstep can open up the hellscape of World War 3.

Given the US track record of lying to get us into actual wars, is it any stretch of the imagination to believe that NATO and the US will do so again, four or so days from now?

Let me ask you: If, one day soon, you’re up in the morning doing what you usually do, and suddenly, the Emergency Broadcast System tones start coming out of your cellphone, or your nearby radio, or on your TV, and the announcement tells you “The United States is under nuclear attack from Russia, take shelter immediately.” what’s the first thing you would do?

For most people, they have no friggin idea . . . . at all. Do you call your spouse? Do you make a mad dash to get the kids from school? (You and everybody else . . . and find an instant “Mad Max” scenario on the roads.)

Do you have __any__ emergency food, water, medicine for after the bombs hit and the country is collapsing?

Do you actually think you’ll be able to go to the supermarket and buy food? Upon a nuke blast, do you think your credit/debit cards will actually work so you can buy food? Nope!

Better start thinking about these things, because the way things are going, four days from now could see your whole world change.

Matchbox Twenty – Unwell (Official Video)

Why does the United States demand the cancellation of China’s developing country status?

US bill seeks to undercut China growth.

It doesn’t really matter what the US government or what the House says because the US doesn’t provide any aid or preferences to China economically on the basis of this label, whether it’s a developing country or a developed country, So, whatever the House does at this level is immaterial. It has no real impact in terms substantively.

Since about 2005, the U.S. has been saying that China and India need to be reclassified as advanced developing countries or higher.

The whole thing is to have kind of basically bad intentions. The point is that if China is classified as a developed country, then China has to accept certain burdens, say at the climate change negotiations or in international trade negotiations, it can’t classify as developing. And so it needs to take added commitments. That is the main thing.

India has deliberately confronted China on many fronts, but on the climate issue, it has made a rare show of support for China. Because the Indian elite understands very well: after China’s status as a developing country is cancelled, the next country to be cancelled as a developing country is India.

Attempts to limit China’s development by depriving it of its rights as a developing country are a blow not only to the Chinese people, but to developing countries as a whole, which have benefited from China’s One Belt, One Road initiative.

Of course, the US Congress has never cared a great deal about the suffering poor in other countries indeed, nor of the suffering poor in their own country.

For the sake of the US population still suffering under the ‘benign neglect’ shown them by the US Congress, it is hoped that more attention will be paid to the general welfare of the common people of the United States than to the overblown pretensions of a political elite that has lost its moorings.

AUDIT: New York Voter Data “Completely Untrustworthy” – State is no longer a legitimate state because it has almost NO legitimately elected government at any level

Nation Hal Turner 31 May 2023

Auditors reviewing New York State Voter Data have uncovered so much fraud, so many invalid registrants, so much manipulation of vote totals, and a secret algorithm embedded in the database, that the “State of New York” can no longer be considered a legitimate state, as it has no legitimately elected Government at almost any level.

“Through auditing the voter roll databases, obtained directly from state and local boards of elections, auditors have uncovered millions of invalid registrations, hundreds of thousands of votes cast by legally invalid registrations, massive vote discrepancies, and the clear presence of algorithmic patterns reverse engineered from within the state’s own official records.

To be absolutely clear, there is no known innocent purpose or explanation for why these algorithms exist.

Auditors have been told by cyber-intelligence experts they indicate a ‘Total Loss of Control’ data breach, the most severe kind of data breach recognized by our federal government. The law says it renders the affected NYSVoter database completely untrustworthy.”

From UndercoverDC.com:

A peer-reviewed study in the Journal of Information Warfare (JIW) confirms a “Loss of Control” breach has occurred in the NYSVoter Database. A peer-reviewed paper of their results in a respected journal is a hard-won and “significant milestone,” according to Marly Hornik, Executive Director of the NY Citizens Audit.

The audit of the voter rolls was led by Marly Hornik and Andrew Paquette, Ph.D., Director of Research, who submitted the paper to JIW. Paquette “co-founded the International Game Architecture and Design Academy (now BUAS) in the Netherlands after a career in the feature film and video game industries. He received his Ph.D. from King’s College, London, in 2018 for a thesis on the development of expertise.”

In July 2021, Hornik and Paquette assembled a group of volunteers in New York that has grown to around 2000 individuals statewide to investigate the state’s voter registration rolls. Hornik presented the group’s preliminary findings to attendees at The Pit, sponsored by True the Vote, in August 2022.

In her recent letter to New York citizens, Hornik explains the seriousness of the group’s findings:

“Through auditing the voter roll databases, obtained directly from state and local boards of elections, we have uncovered millions of invalid registrations, hundreds of thousands of votes cast by legally invalid registrations, hundreds of thousands of votes cast by legally invalid registrants, massive vote discrepancies, and the clear presence of algorithmic patterns we reverse engineered from within the state’s own official records.

To be absolutely clear, there is no known innocent purpose or explanation for why these algorithms exist. I am told by cyber-intelligence experts they indicate a ‘Total Loss of Control’ data breach, the most severe kind of data breach recognized by our federal government. The law says it renders the affected NYSVoter database completely untrustworthy.”

New York Voter Registration Rolls Show a Catastrophic “Loss of Control Breach”

The “Loss of Control Breach” references standards published by the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) that reflect the level of impact of a given information security event where data has been compromised. According to the US-CERT Federal Incident Notification Guidelines, “the document provides guidance to Federal Government departments and agencies (D/As); state, local, tribal, and territorial government entities; Information Sharing and Analysis Organizations; and foreign, commercial, and private-sector organizations for submitting incident notifications to the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC)/United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT).”

A “Loss of Control Breach” is a catastrophic level of “impact,” both functionally and in terms of information lost. It is important to note that the designation indicates “recovery from such an incident is not possible.”

Journal of Information Warfare: Three Experts Agree With Paquette’s Paper

Paquette submitted a paper to the JIW summarizing the findings from the NY Citizens Audit. He says it took about “six months to see his article through the review process.” It was the second journal to which he submitted his paper. The first was rejected “for political reasons,” according to Paquette.

Paquette published a substack on May 17 about the significance of the peer-reviewed paper mentioning that he has “learned more about the algorithm” since he submitted his paper to JIW. Paquette also summarized his investigation in his May 22, 2023, article for the American Thinker.

In his Substack, Paquette comments on the significance of the paper’s peer review and publication:

“The point of peer review is not to rubber stamp an article (though that may happen at lower quality journals); the point is to perform a thorough check of the article to be sure it is accurate and represents a fair description of the facts both pro and con related to the subject.

Because peer review is a rigorous process, and reviewers tend to be experts, getting through peer review can be likened to putting three expert witnesses on the stand in a court of law to attest to the accuracy of the material.”

Paquette’s paper was reviewed by three peer experts from the JIW who confirmed his analysis was correct with only “minor corrections,” explained Hornik. The article in the Journal of Information Warfare (JIW), Volume 22, Issue 2, is entitled “The Caesar Cipher and Stacking the Deck in the New York State Voter Rolls” by Andrew Paquette.

According to the JIW peer-reviewed paper, “New York State voters are assigned two identification numbers. This study has discovered strong evidence that both numbers have been algorithmically manipulated to produce steganographically concealed record attribute information.” The “secret fraudulent phantom voter infrastructure” allows for the manipulation of elections in a way that is not easily detectable. Dirty voter rolls are often a primary vector for election fraud.

The excerpt below from the JIW paper discusses what seems to be a purposeful alteration of voter registration data to manipulate elections.

The paper also describes findings from the NY Citizens Audit “suggest[ing] that systemic election fraud is built into New York’s electoral process.” Algorithms were found in all 62 counties in New York. Notably, the presence of steganographically concealed records “renders the state’s elections illegal on their face,” explained Hornik.

Two-Plus Years of Persistence and Follow-Through

Volunteers from the NY Citizens Audit investigated New York’s voter registration rolls after the 2020 election only to find that “New York elections massively violate state and federal law,” according to Hornik. The group’s “Deficits Report” showed evidence of falsifying records, registrations with no trackable records, ineligible registrations, phantom voters, and many inaccuracies and discrepancies in the registrations that effectively make the rolls completely unreliable in terms of reflecting actual, registered voters in the state. Their investigation led to a Resolution for Audit requesting a “complete end-to-end audit of the New York State 2022 General Election.”

UncoverDC has closely followed the group’s work and touched base with Hornik again on May 19. Hornik and her volunteers have been actively campaigning at the Capitol in Albany since January 2023 “in order to educate our legislators about our findings, stated in our critically important report, “A Study in Deficits,” summarized here. The “Study in Deficits” report was delivered on January 24, 2023, to 89 members of the New York State Assembly.

Following the submission of the “Study in Deficits report,” Hornik and her volunteers persisted, making “follow-up calls and sending emails to arrange a presentation to the members of the Election Committees of both the Assembly and the Senate. Special efforts were made to communicate comprehensively with the senior staff of Assembly Member Latrice M. Walker, Chair of the Election Law Committee in the Assembly, and Senator Zellnor Y. Myrie, Chair of the Senate Election Committee,” according to Hornik.

Remarkably, Hornik and Paquette ultimately secured a presentation with Election Committee members from each Chamber with a Democratic majority State Assembly. The presentation, “A Technical Briefing: NYSVoter Type 2 Data Breach,” was given on May 1, 2023, in the Legislative Office Building in Albany. Some members could not attend because of the finalization of the state budget that same day. For those who could not attend, a link to a video from the briefing was sent on May 6 to each member.

On May 22, according to Hornik, “a visit was made to Albany to inquire if any action will be taken by the Election Committees of the Assembly and the Senate in order to address the critically important findings that the New York State voter database has been breached. The senior staff of the Chairs of both committees did not offer any assurance that action would be taken.” The Legislative Session ends on June 8.

Hornik is now leading a nationwide initiative to replicate what she and her team have done in New York. She says, in many cases, “the American people have already done the work.” She says it is time to review the findings, meet with legislators, and bring litigation where appropriate. Hornik says she plans to “hold election officials accountable” wherever possible.

Simple Plan – Perfect (Official Video)

OP-ED: Attorney Says Britain and NATO “At War” – Russian Military Strikes Against Them Would Be Lawful

World Hal Turner 31 May 2023

Attorney Christopher Black of Toronto says Britain and NATO are defacto at-war with Russia, and if Russians attack back, it would be LAWFUL.

Begin Op-Ed:

On the 19^th of May, the Financial Times quoted the British Minister of Defense, Ben Wallace, stating that the West could face the threat of full-scale war with Russia and China by the end of the decade and proclaimed defence preparation a paramount task for Western countries.

One has to wonder what universe Mr. Wallace and his boss, Rishi Sunak, are living in since Britain is engaged in war with Russia right now, has, with every step, every hostile action, set itself up for a full-scale war, a full-scale catastrophe, which they cannot prevent. Why Britain would go to war with China as well as Russia when China has not threatened it and is oceans away, no one can explain in rational terms. Yet, this is the British rhetoric, the fetishistic parroting of the words of their lord and master, the USA.

Many argue that statements, a war is not happening, that it is something that exits only in the future, are desperate attempts to fool the British people, to lie to them about their government’s intentions and what is coming. Others argue that they are signs that the British government has no sense of reality. But, in the end, one has to conclude that they are both at the same time.

Worse, these statements speak of a government, that seems to think it is untouchable, that the war with Russia will be limited in geographic space to Ukraine, that Britain’s participation in the war against Russia will have no direct consequences for Britain and its people, that Russia will not dare to follow military and political logic and conduct military strikes against Britain. Nothing could be further from the truth, yet the British establishment, dreaming of its past, is unable to accept reality, is leading the British people towards disaster, as the gathering storm of war edges ever closer to their shores.

The deluded thinking in Britain is an extension of the same psychosis that grips all the halls of power in the western world, a psychosis that has its roots in the deeply troubled societies which have developed in the west and whose causes will be the subject of study of future social scientists and historians if there are any. In fact, these governments display observable and classical symptoms of paranoia and delusional disorders, leading to the complete break with reality that constitutes psychosis. This is a very dangerous state of affairs because someone who is delusional, who has no grip on reality, who cannot make distinctions between reality and imagination or wishful thinking, will make decisions and take actions that are dangerous to everyone around them, in this case, Russia, and beyond, the whole world.

Just after Russian began its Special Military Operation, Britain declared its support for Ukraine along with the rest of NATO and announced it would supply it with weapons and munitions to fight Russia. Maria Zakharova, the Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, in response, stated that NATO states providing weapons to Ukraine could be hit in strikes.

Ms Zakharova said:

“Do we understand correctly that for the sake of disrupting the logistics of military supplies, Russia can strike military targets on the territory of those NATO countries that supply arms to the Kyiv regime?

“After all, this directly leads to deaths and bloodshed on Ukrainian territory. As far as I understand, Britain is one of those countries.”

The Russian defence ministry, after several attacks inside Russia backed by NATO, has repeatedly said:

“We would like to stress that the direct provoking by London of the Kyiv regime into such activities attacking Russian territory, should there be an attempt to realise them, will immediately lead to our proportional response.”

In April, when the UK announced it was sending depleted uranium tank shells to Ukraine, Russia said it would respond and did so, destroying those munitions in Ukraine just after they arrived, and now a radioactive cloud is drifting west towards Europe and the UK. Russian warnings of the danger of this happening were ignored.

On May 11, Ben Wallace announced a further act of aggression against Russia with the decision to send Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine, which have since been used to attack civilian centres in Russia. Again, Russia stated clearly that there would be a military response to this action.

On May 23, during his visit to Laos, Deputy Head of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev issued another warning, on the day Russian security forces destroyed the Ukrainian raiding force that attacked civilians in the Belgorod region, an openly terrorist action backed by the UK and the other NATO states. From Vientiane, he stated,

“The North Atlantic alliance does not take the threat of nuclear war seriously enough, thus making a big mistake. NATO is not serious about this scenario. Otherwise, NATO would not have supplied such dangerous weapons to the Ukrainian regime. Apparently, they think that a nuclear conflict, or a nuclear apocalypse, is never ever possible. NATO is wrong, and at some point events may take a completely unpredictable turn. The responsibility will be placed squarely on the North Atlantic Alliance,”

Medvedev pointed out that no one knows whether the point of no return has been passed,

“No one knows this. This is the main danger. Because as soon as they provide something, they say: let’s supply this, too. Long-range missiles or planes. Everything will be all right. But nothing will be fine. We will be able to cope with it. But only more and more serious types of weapons will be used. That’s what the current trend is.”

But Russia can strike using its conventional weapons as well, against which the UK has no defence whatsoever.

Still, the British attitude towards these warnings is to call on the magic of “legality” as if they can weave a protective cloak around the island with incantations. Yet, everyone knows that to use incantations to ward off danger, the formula used must have mojo or force; otherwise the words have no effect.

In 2022, for example, then Deputy Prime Minister, Dominic Raab, hit back, after Russia suggested it could target British military installations over its support for Ukraine, by branding the Kremlin’s claim “unlawful.” Wallace, Sunak, and others have repeated this claim multiple times.

Raab, and the rest, can only be right if Britain had maintained its neutrality in the war between Ukraine and Russia. But, as we know, this is really a war by the USA, Britain and their NATO mafia against Russia and has been all along. Ukraine is the present battlefield. So, for Britain to claim that it has maintained neutrality is an absurdity.

A neutral state violates neutrality by breaching its obligation to remain impartial, to not participate in the conflict. It violates neutrality by supplying warships, aircraft, arms, ammunition, military provisions or other war materials, either directly or indirectly, to a belligerent, by engaging its own military forces, or by supplying military advisors to a party to the armed conflict, by allowing belligerent use of neutral territory as a military base, or for the storage of war material or passage of belligerent troops or munitions in neutral territory, by furnishing troops to a belligerent, or providing or transmitting military intelligence on behalf of a belligerent are also examples of violations of neutrality.

A State’s neutrality ends when the State becomes a party to an armed conflict, or, in other words, a belligerent. A State becomes a belligerent under the law of neutrality by either declaring war; or participating in hostilities to a significant extent, or engages in systematic or substantial violations of its duties of impartiality and non-participation.

Britain meets all the requirements of a co-belligerent, that is, of a party to the war with Russia; it not only supplies munitions and weapon systems to Ukraine with the objective of attacking Russia and Russian forces in Ukraine it has a direct role in directing the war against Russia, including sending military officers and soldiers to advise and operate with the Ukrainian forces, by preventing any peace negotiations -we remember the action of Boris Johnson just as Ukraine and Russia were about to conclude a peace settlement-by the training of Ukrainian soldiers in Britain and transporting them to the front, by supplying the Ukrainian forces with reconnaissance and intelligence data, actively sending aircraft close to the war zone for this purpose, by providing communications systems, by providing financial aid to Ukraine at the same imposing economic warfare measure on Russia, euphemistically termed “sanctions. These conditions apply to all the NATO allies, of course, but Britain’s role is an especially egregious one.

In fact, Britain’s aggression against Russia began much earlier than 2022. Britain, as part of NATO, supported the insurgency in the Caucasus region in the mid -1990s. Britain took part in the aggression against Yugoslavia in 1999, part of the strategy to attack Russia, eliminating a potential Russian ally, just as Hitler did in 1941. The Georgian attack on Russian forces in 2008 was also supported by NATO.

All through this period, the UK government and media put out a constant stream of propaganda against Russia, culminating in the wild claims by the British that Russia tried to use novichok nerve poison to kill two Russian citizens, the Skripals, in the UK. That incident had one objective, to prepare the minds of the British people for war with Russia. That no one has seen or heard from the Skripals for several years now, that Britain rejects Russia’s right to meet with them to see if they are all right, is never mentioned in the West. They have disappeared, their fate unknown, two expendable pieces on the chessboard of war.

Lastly, Russia claims, with some evidence to back up their claims, that the UK was involved, with the US and other NATO nations, in the attack on the NordStream Pipeline, an act of war against both Russia and Germany, though the Germans, still occupied by US forces, are required to accept this humiliation and keep quiet.

So British claims that Russia has no legal right to retaliate against it are absurd. Britain, as with all the NATO countries, cannot claim to have a neutral status in the war. It has become in law and in fact a party to the war.

It follows that any action taken by Russia against the UK to force the UK to stop its assistance to Ukraine and end its participation in the war against Russia will be legitimate under international law and justified under the ancient military doctrine that a nation cannot suffer the attack of another without retaliating to stop the attack and making sure that another attack will not follow.

The NATO gang’s claim of acting in “collective self defence,” a phrase Ben Wallace likes to use a lot, so that they can claim to maintain a neutral status, is not a valid or logical one and does not apply. It is clear that the USA and NATO have been planning an attack on Russia for a long time, and the Ukraine war is a part of this attack. The conspiracy to commit aggression has been developed over decades. Part of the preparation for the war was the overthrow of the elected government of Ukraine and the installation in its place of a puppet government that was then used to attack the Donbass and Russia itself. They now openly admit that the Minsk Accords were a ruse to stall Russia while they prepared the Ukrainian forces for war against Russia.

Further, they cannot rely on Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, since that clause can only be invoked if there is an unprovoked Russian attack on a NATO country. But when a NATO country attacks Russia, and here we have them all joining in the attack, it is the aggressor and therefore cannot claim to be are acting in self-defence. It is also important to bear in mind Article I of the NATO Treaty, since it requires NATO to act in conformity with the UN Charter. It states

“Article 1

The Parties undertake, as set forth in the Charter of the United Nations, to settle any international dispute in which they may be involved by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security and justice are not endangered, and to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force in any manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations.”

But the NATO nations have done the exact opposite. They have blocked peace at every turn and push Ukraine to keep the war going. Their forces are directly involved. They have even attempted to expand their military bloc by inviting Finland and Sweden to join the war alliance, in order to increase the forces available to them, with one purpose, to prosecute the war against Russia. They now openly state their objective is to destroy Russia. So, the NATO nations are not only active co-belligerents in the war, they are, in fact, the main protagonists of the enemy camp that Russia faces. They are, therefore, all legitimate targets.

But is an attack likely, and what will its nature be, and what will be the consequences? These are questions only the Russian General Staff can know and foresee. We can only speculate. But speculation can be useful, especially for the British people to realise the danger their criminal government is putting them in.

Medvedev warns again of the dangers of nuclear war, but Russia has no need to resort to that to retaliate against Britain. Conventional stand-off weapons will be more effective, and what can the UK do if a strike on military airfields takes place, on port facilities, to stop the shipment of weapons, on army bases where Ukrainian soldiers are trained, on warehouses storing munitions and weapons marked for shipment to Ukraine, or eliminating the UK Trident nuclear submarine force in Scotland, or any number of other targets they could select? They can do nothing.

The National and Defence Strategies Research Group based in the UK stated in a report on Britain’s air defences in 2016, that,

“Since the withdrawal from service of the Bloodhound missile system in the 1980s, the UK’s Air Defence posture has diminished to mainly a homeland benign airspace policing and point defence posture for deployed forces. The UK no longer has a comprehensive, integrated, or robustly layered short to long-range Air Defence capability, nor a credible or enduring operational capacity.”

Nothing has changed since then, except to get worse. In other words, the UK is defenceless against modern Russian stand-off weapons.

I can remember, as a boy, my mother taking me several times on a bus through London. It must have been 1955 or so and I can remember mile upon mile of burnt-out blackened buildings, as far as the eye could see, especially in east London where entire districts were levelled by German bombs. The country, despite its heroic RAF fighter pilots, could not stop the bombing and then missile attacks which went on for five years.

The British government assured the people before that war, that all would be well, that they would have peace in their time. But they lied to the people then, as they are lying to them now. Britain was never the same after that war. It never really recovered from it. Once again, the British government, ever saluting the masters in Washington, leads the British people into a dangerous war, which they were never asked about, and which they do not want. It lies to them about the causes, it lies to them about the fighting, and it lies to them about the dangers they face, placing them in a distant future, and hides from them the consequences of its actions. The British people must be warned. Britain is at war, and no amount of bluffing and lying can protect them from the consequences their government is provoking. They are predictable and they will be catastrophic.

Christopher Black is an international criminal lawyer based in Toronto. He is known for a number of high-profile war crimes cases and recently published his novel Beneath the Clouds. He writes essays on international law, politics and world events, especially for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.

Are leopard tanks cheap toys getting destroyed by the Russians?

Oh come on

It’s not the Leopard

It’s the defense line and it’s layers

Let’s see

Layer 1

You have mined territory which can blow up any tank

Layer 2

You have the Russians with their Helicopters and Aerial fighters who can launch missiles on any tank and position

Layer 3

You have drones who drop munitions on tank positions, causing damage and since it’s impossible to repair the tank in Ukraine, it has to go to Poland and it’s not worth it. So the tank is abandoned

Layer 4

You have Russian MLRS and Artillery that can pound these tanks with longer ranges of as much as 100–150 km against around 60–80 Km for the tanks

Layer 5

Russian Armor

Finally you have Russian Armor (Tanks) and fortifications

Layer 6

Russian Infantry

You see?

Six Layers before you even reach the first line

How can any Tank survive? They may survive the mines and fighters and drones but BANG they will be hit with Artillery or eventually come face to face with T 80s or T 90s which are far superior to the Leopard 2A4s

It’s literally SUICIDE

No Tank can break such a formation

Ukraines present strategy is to punch holes in the Russian line which is so spread out that it is likely to be thinner or non existent in many parts

They will likely saturate the battlefield with APVs and other vehicles to absorb the artillery assaults while the Tanks somehow punch holes and capture some territory

Yet again Russia will be happy with the losses

Ukraine may lose upto 2000 men and 60 vehicles to gain 10 Sq Kms per the latest analysis

Russia may gladly kill 200,000 Ukrainians and 6000 Vehicles to lose 1000 Sq Kms and then capture it again because Ukraine simply cannot arrange another collection of weapons from an Exhausted NATO

FROM SIMP TO SOLDIER: HOW THE US MILITARY IS USING E-GIRLS TO RECRUIT GEN Z INTO SERVICE

By ALAN MACLEOD

Amid a crisis in recruitment, the U.S. military has found a new way of convincing a war-weary Generation Z to enlist: thirst traps.

Chief among these attractive young women in uniform posting sexually suggestive content alongside subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) calls to join up is Hailey Lujan. In between the thirst traps and memes, the 21-year-old makes content extolling the fun of Army life to her 731,000 TikTok followers. “Don’t go to college, become a farmer or a soldier instead,” she instructs viewers in a recent video. “Just some advice for the younger people: if you’re not doing school, it’s ok. I dropped out of college. And I’m doing great,” she adds.

If Lujan feels like a psyop (a psychological operation) it is because, technically, she is. Lujan is a psychological operations specialist; one of a small number of Army personnel whose job is to carry out influence and disinfo operations, either on or offline. Thus, she is using her femininity to recruit legions of lustful teens into an institution with an infamous record of sexism and sexual assault against female soldiers.

According to Lujan, being a soldier is the “coolest job in the world.” She certainly does make Army life look fun, as she abseils down walls, fires a howitzer, and flies around in an Apache helicopter. “101st airborne division knows what the girls (and boys) really want”, she notes as she plays around with a high-tech, remote controlled robot.

Until late last year, Lujan’s social media accounts were far more tame. But as she pivoted towards content of her in skimpy outfits or suggestive, military-related videos and pictures, her following exploded to nearly three-quarters of a million on TikTok alone. Judging by the comments, her army of followers sees military life in a new light.

There are many active duty service members with large social media followings, but what makes Lujan stand out is her offbeat, Gen-Z style humor and how she leans into the idea that she is a military propaganda operation. With videos titled “My handlers made me post this”, “Not endorsed by the DoD 😉 :3” or “most wholesome fedpost”, she revels in layers of irony and appears to enjoy the whole “am I or aren’t I” question that people in her replies and mentions constantly debate.

The ironyposting is dialed up to 11, however, with Lujan’s own videos about psychological operations. In a video entitled “no one is immune to propaganda”, she even shares content laying out how the U.S. government manipulates public opinion through the media. In true Gen-Z style, she captioned another of her videos “propaganda this propaganda that let me take a propa ganda at them yitties”.

As many popular e-girls have done, she has diversified her content, producing a calendar and t-shirts for her battalions of loyal simps to buy. Her official personal website is called Sike Ops.

Lujan’s content appears to be a part of a weird new strategy of military outreach, shocking academics and military experts alike. “My main reaction is disgust and disappointment. People like Lujan are why I ended up declaring myself a conscientious objector during the Iraq War,” Rosa del Duca, adjunct professor of journalism at Diablo Valley College and author of “Breaking Cadence: One Woman’s War Against the War” told MintPress, adding:

I can’t believe she’s getting away with posting some of this stuff. Everyone learns in boot camp that when you are in uniform, you cannot act unprofessionally, or you get in deep trouble. Maybe they [Army brass] saw how popular Lujan’s posts are, and how she’s basically doing recruiting for them and left her alone.”

Matthew Alford, a media and propaganda specialist from the University of Bath, U.K., was similarly amazed by her content. “Lujan’s content and messaging is wild. If she really is being used by the military for recruitment, then we have entered a brave, bizarre new world of Army recruitment strategies,” he told MintPress.

YVAN EHT NIOJ

There is no doubt that Lujan is aware that she functions as a new, avant-garde Army recruitment tool. In one short film made with a fellow military influencer, she stars as the pretty military bait, luring young men into service. Played for laughs, the film shows a young man standing outside an Army recruitment center, deciding not to enlist, only to see the dreamy Lujan enter the building, after which he joins up in a haze of horniness.

Thus, it is clear that Lujan is indeed a military recruitment tool. The only question is whether the famously image-conscious Army merely tacitly approves of her content, or whether they are intimately involved in its production. MintPress asked the Department of Defense for clarification, but has received no response.

Nevertheless, Edward Bernays, the father of modern propaganda, might conclude that it matters little if Lujan is or is not an Army psyop; the consequence is still to get impressionable young men to associate lust with the military, connecting sexual desire with the armed forces – in effect, making them horny for war.

The fact that Lujan is a psychological operations specialist with the Army makes the whole situation even more suspicious, given that her jobs is to convince, persuade and propagandize in creative new ways. The Army recruitment website description of the role sounds eerily similar to her own content. “As a Psychological Operations Specialist, you’ll be an expert at persuasion,” it reads, adding:

You’ll assess and develop the information needed to influence and engage specific audiences. You’ll broadcast important information through various mediums and assist U.S. and foreign governments, militaries, and civilian populations.”

Multiple videos suggest Lujan is connected with the 101st Airborne Division. Location data shows she is based at Fort Campbell, a large military installation on the Tennessee-Kentucky border that houses the storied division. Last year, she took part in Saber Junction 22, a huge military exercise in Germany, featuring thousands of troops from the U.S., Italy, Romania, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and a host of NATO ally states.

ARMIES OF SIMPS

Lujan is far from the only serviceperson on military TikTok (#MilTok) promoting military life, however. Juliana Keding – a military policewoman with over 900,000 followers – regularly combines thirst traps with videos about Army life. Meanwhile, U.S. Air Force medic Rylee (@RyeRoast, 468,000 TikTok followers), has even leaned into the idea that her online persona is also a psyop. Yet their content is less overt and there is no hard recruitment sell with them. Indeed, they rarely discuss it at all.

Nevertheless, it is clear that the powers that be appreciate their content subtly promoting military life. The official Air Force media guide states that “You are encouraged to use social media to share your experiences as an Airman” as “Your stories might inspire someone to join the Air Force, support the Air Force, comfort a parent or spouse, improve morale or correct inaccurate information.” Those experiences, however, better be positive ones, as it also warns that sharing the wrong kind of information (i.e. content showing the military in a bad light) “could jeopardize you and your Airman’s career”.

“My leadership is fully aware of my social media and actually are, in fact, very supportive of it” Rylee states in one video , “Id love to get payed [sic] for this lmao” she commented on another, suggesting that hers is a freelance operation.

Perhaps the closest star to Lujan in tone and content is Israeli Defense Forces military policewoman Natalia Fadeev, aka @GunWaifu . With 2.7 million TikTok followers, Fadeev is the queen of the simp-to-soldier pipeline, posting highly suggestive content alongside passionate defenses of Israel. Her videos (many of which have garnered over 1 million views each) suggest that Palestinians are an invented people, that Israel is a safe haven for LGBT groups and that the IDF is the most moral army in the world. In addition to the propaganda, Fadeev has also flirted with the idea that her account is an Israeli psyop.

YOUTUBERS JOIN THE MILITARY

TikTok is not the only battleground for young people’s minds, however. In the last year, a significant portion of the Biden administration’s record-breaking $857 billion defense budget went on advertising. The Army in particular has spent large sums of money collaborating with some of YouTube’s biggest stars to produce barely disguised recruitment videos.

YouTube star Michelle Khare (3.71 million subscribers) “joined the Army” for her video , traveling to Fort Benning, GA, where she tackled obstacle courses, practiced marksmanship, and trained to jump out a plane. Glossing over the fort’s infamous reputation for training many of the world’s most brutal military dictators, the video ends with the message, “To Army soldiers and veterans, thank you for your service.” The description box features multiple pro-Army hashtags, plus an affiliate link to sign up for service. The video has already garnered 2.8 million views.

In April, YouTube mega influencer Ben Azelart released a strikingly similar partnered video to Khare’s, called “YouTubers vs. U.S. Army” in which he also glamorized military life, interviewing one officer who told him that the Army is, at its core, about:

The absolute transformation of the individual into a more accomplished, better version of themselves. As a valued member of a team, stepping out of your comfort zone, doing something new, challenging yourself, but being encouraged along the entire way.”

And like Khare, Azelart was careful to direct his 20.8 million subscribers towards an Army recruitment link, stating, “The challenges we had to endure were both physically and mentally challenging, but so rewarding! The Army is an opportunity, a bridge to self-development, and a place where you can be a valued member of a team regardless of hometown, ethnicity, or gender.”

Meanwhile, pro gaming star Doug “Censor” Martin flew out to Fort Carson, CO, to shoot a fawning extended advertisement for the military, presenting Army life as just like playing military shooter video game “Call of Duty.”

“Without you guys, what do we have?” Martin says to the soldiers he encounters, adding;

We love you; we appreciate all of you guys. If you guys have any interest in joining the Army, there are so many different career paths, over 200 career paths. If you guys want to know any more information, click the links down below. I had so much fun coming out here, this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

This sort of content is far more potent than the simple advertisements between television programs of yesteryear. Firstly, because it is the show and allows the Army to showcase itself to millions of impressionable viewers, most of whom cannot differentiate between paid and unpaid content. Furthermore, it comes courtesy of stars viewers love, respect and trust.

WAR MACHINE

The difference, however, between these and other advertisements YouTube stars run is that they are not selling their suggestible young audiences soda or shoes, but are trying to convince them to join the world’s most sophisticated and ruthless killing machine. A new study from the Costs of War project at Brown University estimated that 4.5 million people have died as a result of the U.S.’ post-9/11 wars, primarily in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and Pakistan. In addition, the report estimates at least 38 million more people have been forced to flee their homes. Yet this sort of brutal devastation is not even hinted at in these promotional videos.

The United States is a nation addicted to war, spending 229 of its 247 years of existence in some kind of conflict. It controls a network of over 800 military bases spanning the globe, and, according to a Congressional report, has carried out a staggering 251 foreign military interventions since the end of the Cold War in 1991. A new report compiled by the Institute for Policy Studies shows that the U.S. spends more on its military than 144 nations combined.

This constant drive towards war takes a serious toll on those recruits who enlist. The job attrition rate is extremely high; only 17% of active duty military members stay around long enough to earn any pension whatsoever. Veterans complain of broken promises from recruiters, while every year, between 6,000 and 7,000 veterans commit suicide.

Del Luca also noted that women face a particularly hard time. “The military is extremely sexist,” she said;

Even the VA agrees that 1 in 3 women in uniform are sexually assaulted while ‘serving.’ I put ‘serving’ in quotation marks because I don’t see a useful service being done. Young people who join the military are taught how to kill and use weapons and follow orders and shut up.”

These carefully choreographed advertisements say nothing about these harsh realities, instead painting a rosy picture of life in uniform as one of endless opportunities and dignified service.

PROPAGANDA BLITZ

Faced with a shortfall in recruitment, the military has been aggressively marketing itself towards younger and younger generations. The Army has sponsored gaming tournaments, even fielding their own U.S. Army Esports team and directly trying to recruit teens on streaming sites such as Twitch. The Amazon-owned platform eventually had to clamp down on the practice after the military used fake prize giveaways that lured impressionable young viewers onto recruitment websites.

As detailed in a previous MintPress investigation , the Armed Forces also work closely with video game companies on titles such as “Call of Duty,” flying executives out to ensure they become, in their own words, more “credible advocates” for American power.

Meanwhile, Dr. Alford’s research has exposed how deep the connection between Hollywood and the Pentagon has become, with the Department of Defense essentially co-producing thousands of movies and TV shows. “In our 2017 book ‘National Security Cinema’ we listed around 2000 titles worked on by the state. By the time our film , ‘Theaters of War’ was out in 2022, we had evidence for 10,000. This suggests an incredible level of public manipulation – and cover up”, he told MintPress.

These titles include a vast array of blockbuster films, including “Iron Man”, “The Avengers” and “Top Gun: Maverick”, all the way down to light entertainment like “Teen Idol”, “The Price is Right” and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”.

Militaristic propaganda is everywhere in pop culture. Katy Perry’s music video for “Part of Me” is shot at Camp Pendleton in California and shows the star joining the Marines to better herself. Meanwhile, Major League Baseball held what it called a “military appreciation week” last month, where players, coaches and all on-field personnel were instructed to wear camo “service-inspired” caps and encouraged to sport camo socks, helmets and other gear. Some teams are going further: the Washington Nationals are hosting six “Branch Day” games this summer, dedicated to the six arms of the U.S. military. The events are sponsored by arms manufacturer Raytheon Technologies. Major League Baseball did not respond to MintPress’ questions, but previous ultra-nationalistic displays were not independent outbursts of patriotism, but carefully planned events paid for by the military, meaning that the taxpayer footed the bill to be exposed to such propaganda.

It is now well-established (if not well-known) that the Department of Defense also fields a giant clandestine army of at least 60,000 people whose job it is to influence public opinion, the majority doing so from their keyboards. A 2021 exposé from Newsweek described the operation as “The largest undercover force the world has ever known,” warned that this troll army was likely breaking both domestic and international law, and explaining that,

These are the cutting-edge cyber fighters and intelligence collectors who assume false personas online, employing ‘nonattribution’ and ‘misattribution’ techniques to hide the who and the where of their online presence while they search for high-value targets and collect what is called ‘publicly accessible information’—or even engage in campaigns to influence and manipulate social media.”

The Twitter Files further exposed the Department of Defense’s shadowy propaganda, showing how it worked with Twitter to carry out a Washington-run influence project across the Middle East, even as Twitter claimed it was working to shut down foreign-backed disinformation operations.

NOT OUR WAR

For all the creatively dystopian attempts to market itself as a positive force to young people, it is far from clear whether the military is succeeding in its goal. 2022 saw the lowest recruitment figures since the draft was abolished in 1973. The Army alone missed its enlistment target by 25%, or 15,000 active-duty soldiers. The numbers for 2023 are expected to be even more dismal. A great number of Generation Z do not qualify for service on medical grounds, and even fewer wish to join. According to a recent survey, America’s youth are decidedly against becoming a cog in the war machine; only 9% of Zoomers express any interest in enlisting in the Armed Forces.

This, according to U.S. Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth, is in large part down to many “misconceptions” people have about soldiers being sexually harassed, developing PTSD or driven to suicide by what they have seen. Others, such as del Luca, might consider those justified concerns. The military, she says, preys on desperate idealistic teens trying to find a way out of their life circumstances or go to college.

Every single veteran you meet will tell you that the expectations they had before enlisting were wildly different from how their service ended up,” she said; “I hope teens wise up to the fact that they are being hunted and lured by recruiters who have a quota to fill… If the military was a great, honorable profession, then they wouldn’t need to spend $6 billion a year bribing people to join.”

While it is still not certain whether they are actually directing and paying for it, what is clear is that the U.S. military is hoping that E-girls will be part of their recruitment solution, turning armies of horny American teens from simps into soldiers.

Santana – Smooth (Stereo) ft. Rob Thomas

Turkiye’s Proposal For A Kakhovka Dam Investigation Committee Is A Genius Soft Power Move

By Andrew Kory.bko

JUN 7, 2023

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Turkiye just threw the US and Ukraine into a dilemma since going along with the investigation risks revealing incontrovertible evidence that Kiev blew up the Kakhovka Dam while declining to participate makes them look guilty in the court of public opinion

Turkish President Erdogan proposed the creation of a multilateral committee

for investigating the Kakhovka Dam explosion during a call with President Putin on Wednesday. He suggested that it could comprise the two conflicting parties, the UN, and members of the international community such as his country, which has experience mediating between Moscow and Kiev during their grain deal talks. This was a genius soft power move that’ll powerfully shape global perceptions about this incident.

Russia and Ukraine blame one another for this terrorist attack, and while many might have predicted that the US would take its proxy’s side, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said

on Tuesday that “we cannot say conclusively what happened at this point.” This stance is almost certainly attributable to the fact that Ukrainian Major General Andrey Kovalchuk boasted to the Washington Post

in December about how Kiev tested blowing up the dam with US-supplied HIMARS missiles late last year.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova made sure that the entire world knew about this too by bringing it up during a press briefing the day after. She rhetorically asked

US officials “Were you aware of how American weapons, the weapons that are being supplied to Ukraine, are used? That trial tests of a terrorist attack against civilian infrastructure in third countries are being made? These are the questions that we directly pose in the public space before the White House; you must answer them.”

Considering that the US officially regards the dam’s destruction as a war crime, which its Alternative Representative to the UN for Special Political Affairs Robert Wood emphasized

during Tuesday’s Security Council meeting about this, it has every reason to support the investigation that Turkiye just proposed. As for Kiev, it insists that Russia was to blame, so refusing to participate in a truly neutral multilateral investigation would come off as incredibly suspicious by suggesting that it has something to hide.

The US and Ukraine, which are the principal antagonists in the NATO-Russian

proxy war, are therefore pressured to go along with this initiative from their mutual Turkish partner lest they risk stoking speculation that they’re afraid of a dark truth emerging. Neither can credibly imply that Ankara has any ulterior motives in proposing this investigation either since it’s a NATO ally that’s consistently voted against Russia at the UNGA and has even armed Kiev with drones

for use against Moscow’s troops.

Therein lies the reason why President Erdogan’s proposal was such a genius soft power move since it puts those two in a dilemma. Going along with the investigation risks revealing incontrovertible evidence that Kiev blew up the Kakhovka Dam while declining to participate makes them look guilty in the court of public opinion. Regardless of whatever they choose to do, Turkiye comes off as responsible member of the international community, which boosts its global prestige and especially that of its multipolar leader

Is it true that Chongqing has the prettiest women in China?

I am from Denmark myself, I have lived in Chongqing for the past four years but I have also spent time in Beijing, Shanghai, Changsha and Luoyang.

Many Chinese people tend to think that Chongqing girls are very beautiful. But like some others have said, it is an Asian beauty that isn’t always appreciated in the same way by foreigners. I am generally more attracted to Asian girls than western girls so I might be a bit biased. My girlfriend is a Chongqing local and when I tell people that, they’ll joke that I am very lucky to have such a beautiful girl. One thing that Chongqing girls have going for them is their light skin due to the sun mostly being covered, and because Chongqing is very hilly they often also have nicely defined legs and butts which I think any guy would appreciate. On top of that, Chongqing girls have long legs and I think the average Chongqing girl is a bit taller than most other chinese girls.

As far as I understand, the girls in Chongqing are also favorites because of their attitude. I find the girls here, especially in the main shopping areas, tend to dress nicely, they do their makeup quite well and also dress for their figure. They have a better sense of fashion and style than girls I’ve met in smaller cities like Luoyang and Changsha. But girls in Shanghai tend to be dressed in a more sophisticated manner, perhaps more classy, and I tend to like that more personally.

Chinese guys tend to like girls from the south because they are more cutesy and more dependent on their partners whereas girls from the north tend to be stronger and taller. Similarly, Chinese girls tend to prefer guys from the north because they’re taller and stronger. Many guys in Chongqing aren’t very tall and can appear less dominant than their northern counterparts.

But I also see a lot of girls in Chongqing whom I consider to be average looking. It is not that everyone here in chongqing is beautiful, but I do think that the beautiful girls here are in fact very beautiful. It may also be common in other cities but now that spring is here you’ll often see photographers with long zoom lenses hanging out around the malls photographing the pretty girls from a distance. It seems commonplace but I, personally, find it slightly on the creepy side.

Why are Men Saying NO ?

For the 20-sometings out there…

Medvedev: “British Politicians Now Legitimate Military Target for Russia”

World Hal Turner 31 May 2023

British politicians are now a legitimate military target for Moscow, a senior Russian official said, after the U.K.’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly argued Ukraine has the right to use force within Russian borders.

Speaking in Estonia Tuesday, Cleverly said Ukraine “has a right” to project force “beyond its own borders” as part of its self-defense, following a series of drone strikes that hit Moscow’s wealthiest neighborhoods. The map below shows the Drone impact locations:

The U.K. minister argued that Kyiv striking inside Russia would “undermine” the Kremlin’s ability to continue its war in Ukraine, which has officially denied responsibility for the attack.

Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and deputy chair of the Russian Security Council, hit back on Wednesday arguing that the U.K. is “de facto leading an undeclared war against Russia” by supplying Ukraine with military aid and specialists.

“That being the case, any of its public officials (either military, or civil, who facilitate the war) can be considered as a legitimate military target,” he wrote on Twitter.

Medvedev, who regularly makes blunt remarks about the war in Ukraine and has called for the killing of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, warned: “The goofy officials of the U.K., our eternal enemy, should remember that within the framework of the universally accepted international law which regulates modern warfare, including the Hague and Geneva Conventions with their additional protocols, their state can also be qualified as being at war.”

Cleverly’s remarks meanwhile appear to be at odds with the U.S.’ position. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing Tuesday that the U.S. was still gathering information on the reports of drones striking in Moscow.

“We do not support attacks inside of Russia. That’s it. Period,” she said.

Sheryl Crow – All I Wanna Do

How did the Chinese civilization survive for 5000 years while others couldn’t?

It started out as strong in agriculture;
Then it developed a writing system;
Then it developed an urban community and culture;
Then it developed a system of government bureaucracy which would unite the urban and rural cultures under a single government bureaucracy;
The government bureaucracy engaged in building canals to open up more land for agriculture; this made the population go up;
Then it developed a military system to defend itself from nomadic cultures in the north.
With Confucianism, the Chinese developed a practical social and political philosophy for social order which did not depend on worshipping any gods.

Basically, it started small and built up and became stronger over time. The writing system and Confucianist political philosophy attracted the interest and adoption of kingdoms around China’s periphery.

This meant that when it came to adopting an urban culture, political and social philosophy and writing system, Annam (Vietnam), the kingdoms of the Korean peninsula and Japan, these kingdoms mostly copied then modified what they got from China. For hundreds of years, being able to read and write in classical Chinese was the mark of the educated elite ruling class.

A sophisticated agriculture and food distribution system meant that Chinese dynasties were able to feed much larger populations than found in Europe.

What was the most disastrous comment you have ever made?

I was a primary school teacher for barely one year and accompanied my school to an away primary school netball game!

At one point during the game the home team was very rough and mean towards my team so much so they drew blood!

After 3 of my players received very serious scratches requiring first-aide I shouted from the sidelines. “Stop being so vicious!”

The teacher/coach overheard my comment and immediately stopped the game!

She then demanded that I explain to her why I was calling her players “vicious?”

I explained to her that they were unnecessarily rough and was demonstrating poor sportsmanship with verbal abuse!

She immediately ended the game!

She claimed that she ended the because I was disrespecting her players while I believed she ended the game because we were ahead by 10 points!

Uuummm … not only vicious but sore losers… 😂!

Blessings!

Lenny Kravitz – It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over

What’s something so bizarre that happened to you that you thought you were on candid camera?

Years ago I worked at a business that had a big construction job located across the street. Our neughborhood was really rough. There was lots of crime, a homeless encampment out back and city lockup on the corner. From time to time some nitwit would try to park a big construction vehicle in our lot, which inhibited our doing business. Normally I’d see them parking outside my office window and ask them to move but once in a while I would be running around someplace and wouldn’t know how to get rid of the vehicle once the driver had left.

One day I got back to my desk and noticed a big dump truck was in our lot but I was too busy to deal with the problem just then and the truck was gone the next time I looked. I was the last person leaving that day, several hours later. An angry construction worker approached me asking where I’d had his truck towed to. I assured him I hadn’t had it towed, in fact, it’s quite difficult and costly to get a vehicle that size towed so I was certain that my employees hadn’t had it towed either. He asked me where it was then. I wanted to say it wasn’t my day to watch it but instead told him that one of his coworkers must have retrieved it. He said “no” and I asked who else had access to the key. He responded “no one, They were in the truck.” I expected him to realize his mistake but he still seemed to believe I’d hidden that giant truck. I wished him luck and went home. I assume his boss explained why he was fired after he filed a grand theft report.

Canada says that China will lose if it launches a trade war against Canada. Do you agree?

Name 1, just 1, product or service that Canada sells to China that is irreplaceable. That is called market-making power.

America has its chips, airliners, pharmaceuticals, instrumentation, and of course, the dollar.

What does Canada have?

Canada is 38 million, blessed with unnatural abundance in natural resources. The economy is primarily commodity export driven, and joined at the umbilical with the US’s equally unnatural consumption.

Canada will rank 17th out of 33 administrative regions (inclusive of HK and Macau) for population. If Canada were to pit itself against Shaanxi, the 16th-ranked province, there may be a story.

Otherwise, it is just senseless chatter.

Edit: From the comments, for posterity. God save the king, for he doesn’t need enemies surrounded by ______.

China actually buys a decent amount from us. They are also invested in a good number of companies here. In order for China to get access to the North American automotive sector, in most cases they need to run factories out of Canada, USA or Mexico. We have a pretty skilled labour force with an attractive currency and health care system.

We also supply oil, grains, NG, fertilizer, beef and teach the idiots over there how to mfg our high tech jobs we sent over and can bring back if need be.

So if you wanna sit there and discuss who's dick is bigger, go right ahead…. We don't need shit from China, because at the end of the day we are fully capable of supplying all the resources and food needed here, while subbing out the cheap mfg/labour to other countries.

You will continue to make shit for us.

Hoppin’ John

Hoppin’ John is one of the finest comfort foods of the South, and it is traditionally served at the New Year.

Ingredients

1 pound smoked sausage, sliced, or 1 pound pork, cubed
4 (15 ounce) cans black-eyed peas, undrained
2 (10 ounce) cans Ro*Tel
3 cups beef broth
1 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 teaspoons Cajun/Creole seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice

Instructions

Cook sausage or pork in a large skillet until browned, about 5 minutes.
Place sausage in slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients, except rice. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours.
Pour uncooked rice into slow cooker. Stir. Cover and cook on HIGH for 20 to 30 minutes, or until rice is tender.

This Billionaire just DESTROYED America’s woke school system

“Today I was extremely sad and I thought “I can’t wait to go home and see my cat, he will make me happy”.

Ok well I found out he was more depressed than me”

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The Story Of The Chinese Farmer

May 31, 2023

Once upon a time there was a Chinese farmer whose horse ran away. That evening, all of his neighbors came around to commiserate. They said, “We are so sorry to hear your horse has run away. This is most unfortunate.” The farmer said, “Maybe.” The next day the horse came back bringing seven wild horses with it, and in the evening everybody came back and said, “Oh, isn’t that lucky. What a great turn of events. You now have eight horses!” The farmer again said, “Maybe.”

The following day his son tried to break one of the horses, and while riding it, he was thrown and broke his leg. The neighbors then said, “Oh dear, that’s too bad,” and the farmer responded, “Maybe.” The next day the conscription officers came around to conscript people into the army, and they rejected his son because he had a broken leg. Again all the neighbors came around and said, “Isn’t that great!” Again, he said, “Maybe.”

The whole process of nature is an integrated process of immense complexity, and it’s really impossible to tell whether anything that happens in it is good or bad — because you never know what will be the consequence of the misfortune; or, you never know what will be the consequences of good fortune.

– Alan Watts

Europe is riding a bumpy ride in the gallop towards the abyss

Yesterday, I was leaving the office and went to the bus station. (I tend to take the Zhuhai bus instead of driving. It’s cheap and I don’t have to fight traffic.) And there was my bus.

So I waved at the bus driver with my QR and tried to get to the the bus, but there was this doddering older couple just blocking the way. So I tried to get around them. Sure as shit, they moved in front of me, so I went around the other direction, there they still moved in front of me..

Intentional?

Poor sensory awareness?

Just pissed off and looking for a patsy?

I don’t know

So I got off the sidewalk, as it was blocked every which way I turned. And got off the bus station, and went on the road still waving my QR to the driver.

Wouldn’t you know it, but that senile couple jumped off the sidewalk and still continued to block me.

They actually got in front of me on the road!!!!

No shit. They got off the sidewalk. and blocked my path to the bus as I was trying to get to it on the street.

What was their malfunction?

So I forcefully plowed around them and got on the bus. Not rudely. I did everything I could to avoid touching them. I arched my back and scraped the incoming other bus with my backpack.

But, boy oh boy, they started up a bunch of complaining and bitchin! Some times I wonder why they picked on me to hassle. I’m not some dumb kid, I know when I’m being “cock blocked” intentionally, and three times is NOT an accident.

When you are in China, you may come across these senile old fixed minded people that start treating you disrespectfully, mistakenly believing that they (due to their age) will get an automatic pass for their behaviors. As they normally do.

The old are revered in China.

But not everyone is deserving.

I think that that kind of behavior is common in Washington DC these days…

What is Rear Adm. Mike Studeman referring to when he mentions “China blindness” at a military conference earlier this year?

Rear Adm. Mike Studeman might be referring to the phenomenon where individuals or organizations fail to recognize or intelligently address the strategic threat posed by China’s role as a significant global power.

This term “China Blindness” has been used to describe a range of issues related to China. In particular, it refers to a serious lack of understanding of what China is, how it operates, and what it is capable of. It is a “catch all” phrase that describes a cloud of ignorance of what China actually is today.

The Admiral is admonishing his peers as a warning. To believe the false narratives encapsulated in the public narrative is to risk serious defeat on the battlefield. To engage China, one must be realistic, and fully address the harsh and uncomfortable reality that confronts the USN. If it fails to do so, it could result in catastrophe.

As far as I can understanding it, the use of this term suggests a need for greater awareness and friendly engagement with China. As opposed to the politically-driven narratives of forcing and pushing China to follow United States dictates.

The real power of the JAMAICAN PASSPORT.

Why isn’t China’s space program as advanced as NASA’s or Russia’s or even India’s programs?

A major indication that a space program has achieved parity with NASA and Roscosmos (Russia) is the ability to successfully land a rover on Mars.

This is widely considered to be a world class achievement.

Evidently getting to Mars is the easy part… it’s landing on the surface that’s difficult.

As a matter of fact, it is insanely difficult.

The descent vehicle is unable to receive further instruction from Earth once it enters the Martian atmosphere.

Everything essentially has to be automated during the descent to ensure the rover lands safely on the ground, at or near the predetermined location.

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NASA engineers have described it as “7 minutes of terror.” And only three countries on Earth have achieved this milestone.

The Soviet Union was the first to succeed in placing a “lander” on Mars. In 1971 (albeit working for all of 20 seconds).

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The United States was the first to successfully land and operate a rover on Mars. As well as a helicopter (that flys). Which is neat.

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And now China has successfully landed and operated a rover on Mars as well. On the first try. Which is a huge technological leap…

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How I see the US after living in Europe for 5 years

Could the U.S. realistically take over China with current military strength and technology? If so, what would they do first?

No.

It’s an obvious answer. Even the most pro-war, anti-China hawks recognize this fact. Which is why RAND has “cooked up” various suppression strategies designed to cripple China.

The idea behind these strategies is to weaken China to a point where it collapses, and then the oligarchic vultures can flock in and loot China at will. Previous methods were tried in the past.

Perhaps the most successful was the “century of humiliation”…

Use military force to enter China, and then force the government to become your proxy. Then, get the population hooked on drugs and loot, and rape the nation until it holds nothing left of value.

Since that dark period, there were other efforts…

A military operation to seize China though Korea. This is known as the “Korean War”, and inside America it is known as a “strategic victory”. Though, in reality, it is an absolute failure, and the Chinese kicked the American invasion forces to a small toehold in Southern Korea where they sued for peace.
After that fiasco, President Truman ordered the carpet bombing of China with Biological weapons. Failed, but most of the last 70 years involved various aspects of this effort against China.
Soros, and Bloomberg tried on multiple occasionsto seize the Chinese banks and wrest financial control over China. And did they fail! Lordy! I’m surprised that they didn’t keel over and die from the shock that some nation was smart enough to see what they were doing.
Economic sanctions, tariffs and trade restrictions have been the hallmarks and “calling card” for most conservative members of the United States. China pretty much brushes off the efforts with a big shrug and a “meh”.
Color revolutions, NED sponsored, and many CIA direct interventions have occurred. From Hong Kong, to Xinjiang, to Tibet, to Inner Mongolia. All of which have failed.

The current plan is to encircle China. Then sanction it so that no one would trade, and if they tried, the United States would start sinking ships.

Crafty huh?

Not really, by the time when everything is at 70% readiness “good to go”, the most likely outcome is [1] a betrayal of the proxy nations in favor of their own survival, [2] emerging high technologies that will render Western might impotent, and [3] a generalized mega collapse domestically inside of the United States.

If it wasn’t for the massive propaganda machine, all of this would be quite obvious to the West.

Not that I want those things to happen, but the trend lines are clear, and they haven’t deviated from the 2008 prediction vectors one iota.

Using lawfare to knock Trump out of 2024 race

How long can a shipwrecked man drifting in a raft on the sea survive?

Quite a long time, if you have “balls of steel”.

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In the picture you see Poom Lim, a sailor from China. He survived 133 days on this “thing”, alone, in the middle of the sea.

Why someone took a picture of him before he was rescued….well, people have always been like that.

He boarded a British merchant ship in 1942. Shortly after the ship left Cape Town, it was torpedoed by a German U-boat.

The ship sank.

Poon had gotten a life jacket in time and put it on.

And he swam to a raft containing drinking water supplies, a flashlight, cookies and a couple of flares.

He estimated that the supplies would last for about a month. Actually, quite a good starting point.

And in that first month, Poon saw a freighter, a U.S. Marine patrol and another German submarine. They did not respond to his calls for help.

Poon later said those were the worst moments.

But he wasn’t the type to give up. He understood from what had happened that he could not rely on others to save his life.

He decided to take matters into his own hands that he could somehow control.

And he resolved to stay alive until he found land.

In order not to break down all his muscles and stay fit, Poon jumped into the water twice a day, where there were plenty of sharks, and swam a few laps.

This way he lost weight but kept his muscles.

When he ran out of water, he collected rainwater with a small tarp.

The last remains of cookie he used as bait to catch fish. He had formed the fishing hook from parts of the flashlight.

He always picked up a few fish scraps to use again as bait.

Poon collected seaweed and algae, from which he formed a nest that he felt with fish remains.

Seagulls were attracted to it. Poon caught them with his bare hands.

And Poon drank seagull blood against his thirst.

One day a shark bit his bait. Poon pulled him onto the raft , but the shark attacked him in the process. Poon had a water jug to stun the shark.

Day 131.

The sea changed color, from dark to turquoise. Flocks of birds in the sky.

A ship. Pool waved his shirt and shouted. The ship turned.

The Portuguese-speaking sailors (they were Brazilian) on board gave him water and beans.

They took him to a hospital in Brazil, where Poon recovered for a few weeks.

He later received a medal from the English king and his survival techniques ended up in a pamphlet that was deposited on all the life rafts.

After the war, Poon emigrated to the United States and died in Brooklyn at the age of 72.

Is Life Better in the USA or Europe? (An Honest Review)

What questions do you have about the tensions between the US and China over China’s conduct in the South China Sea and Taiwan?

US is 8,300 miles away from home in Chinese water. China will do it again and again. I have no question.

Why Do Europeans Dislike Americans So Much?

Baked Fresh Ham, Southern Style

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

6 pound fresh ham
2 bay leaves
1 hot dried red pepper
1 cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
1 tablespoon horseradish
1 garlic clove
Whole cloves
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

Instructions

Put ham in kettle and cover with boiling water. Add next 4 ingredients. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer for 2 hours.
Cool in the broth and refrigerate overnight.
Remove rind from ham.
Mix mustard and horseradish and rub on fat. Insert garlic in the fat. Put on rack and bake in preheated slow oven (300 degrees F) for 2 hours.
Score fat with a knife, stud with cloves and sprinkle with the sugar.
Bake for 1 hour longer, basting occasionally with drippings in the pan.

BLACK AMERICAN SHOCKS EUROPEANS SPEAKING 6 LANGUAGE

Graphic Art Between Renaissance And Modernity

The French artist Benedicte Piccolillo, graphic designer and street artist, is the talent hidden behind Voglio Bene. Based in Mauguio, South of France, she creates from “coups de Coeur” that she may have had on old paintings from masters. Initially a photographer, the artist is self-taught in digital graphic creation.

“I can fall in love with a piece from the Middle Ages as well as a Mannerist painting. My favorite period remains the Renaissance, especially Italian, but also Spanish. It is full of religious paintings, each one more beautiful than the next, which maintains and delights my spiritual sidem” she explains.

Depuis quelques années, Bénédicte s’intéresse de plus en plus à l’histoire de l’art et veut donner une dimension plus culturelle à son travail. “French castles and museums are beginning to be seduced and to approach me in order to launch collaborations”, she added.

More: Benedicte Piccolillo, Instagram h/t: fubiz

TARGATE (1994) | Activating The Portal | MGM

Why was Li Peng known as ‘Butcher of Beijing’?

Because he was tough on the people who were paid to participate in the US sponsored colour revolution trying to topple the government. The colour revolution happened in Muxidi which is 5 Km from the Tiananmen Square.

The Wikileaks has disclosed the parity-wise verified cable that there was no bloodshed in Tiananmen Square.

How are Uyghurs treated in China?

Just came back from visiting Xinjiang:

Their culture and religion is respected. All street names, airports etc. include the Arab characters as well. Mosques are open.
Economy and daily life is fine. The population is half Uyghurs and half Han and they live ok together, normally.
Security is very tight. Police, road blocks and monitoring of individuals movements anytime and anywhere. But couldn’t see any abuse or disrespectful attitude by the security forces.
I believe that there is zero tolerance to any radicals and potential jihadists. Unlike the west who only RESPONDS to terrorism (rather than PREVENT it in advance), China takes preemptive measures. Gets more scolded by the world but keeps its citizens out of harm’s way.

What is the most haunting “last moments alive” picture you’ve ever seen?

This haunting photo of Nicholas Mevoli, an American free diver, has been seared into my mind.

It was on November 17, year 2013, when he did his final free dive while attempting to set a new (American) deep dive record.

He had attempted to dive to 236 ft/72 m on a single breath. He began to turn back at 223 ft/68m, but somehow changed his mind and dived further downward.

He surfaced, gave the OK sign, tried to speak, then promptly passed out.

This picture was taken just moments before he passed out.

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The look in his eyes…he looks scared stiff, frozen in fear, as if he knows what is going to happen.

Unfortunately, he never regained consciousness after that and passed away soon after.

His death was caused by breathing complications due to pulmonary edema (meaning fluid accumulation in the tissue and air spaces of the lungs).

At least some semblance of peace may be gained by his family from the fact that he passed away doing what he loved.

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Can you name one of the most meaningful stand out “light bulb moments” of your life that stuck with you?

The younger of my two sons had been quite a problem as a teenager. We fought and I was worried about his character. Jeremy flunked out of college.

In his 20s, he worked in desktop computer support. The other support tech was senior to Jeremy, but Jeremy neither liked nor respected him. Nonetheless, the senior tech invariably got his way. Of course. Then one day the manager found out that the senior tech was gay. He dismissed him.

My son discovered this about 10:00. By 10:15 he had quit, informing the manager that he could not work for a company which treated its workers unfairly. He had no job, but his integrity was intact.

At that moment, I learned that I had raised a man possessed of both morality and strength of character.

As it happens, three weeks later Jeremy had a new job at nearly twice the salary of the tech job he had quit. Things worked out rather well, all in all.

BORDER EVACUATED, Nukes Being Moved Miles From NATO Summit, Huge Fires, 72 HR WW3 Exercise

Hampton Plantation Shrimp Pilau

Hampton Plantation was once the largest rice producer in the United States.

Ingredients

6 to 8 slices bacon
2 cups shrimp (raw, cleaned – save shrimp peelings)
1 cup rice, uncooked
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup celery, diced
2 tablespoons green bell pepper, diced
1 to 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 to 3 tablespoons flour
1 dash salt, to taste
1 dash pepper, to taste

Instructions

Fry bacon until crisp. Set bacon aside. Reserve bacon grease to add to water when cooking rice.
In a large frying pan on medium high heat, melt butter.
Add celery and green pepper and saute until soft and tender.
Add shrimp which have been sprinkled with Worcestershire sauce and dredged in flour.
Sauté shrimp until pink, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add cooked rice and mix until rice is all “buttery” and “shrimpy.”
Stir in crumbled bacon.
Serve hot.

Situation in Europe right now! (June 2023)

US ComSec Gina Raimondo said the US “won’t tolerate” China’s decision to ban chips by Micron Technology in some critical sectors, saying Washington sees it as “plain and simple, economic coercion” and won’t tolerate it.” How will the US retaliate?

How brain dead are the US leadership?

For years the US has been sanctioning China and now the US “won’t tolerate” a taste of their own medicine.

China doesn’t need the US, but the US needs China. Perhaps the US must be careful now and realise that their attempts at being “tough” on China to please their own voters look very stupid indeed in the international arena; the REAL WORLD.

American vs. European Suburbs (and why US suburbs suck)

This is surprisingly good.

What is up with the PRC’s refusal to implement crisis hotlines with the US, Japan, and the Philippines as well as its aggressive aerial maneuvers?

There is only one country here – the United States. As for Japan and the Philippines, they are American poodles, they do whatever their owners tell them to do, and they have no autonomy.

Is it possible that every time a US aircraft carrier crosses the Taiwan Strait or a US reconnaissance plane snoops over the South China Sea, it calls the China side in advance?

Once China side doesn’t answer the phone, Removal of guardrail, can’t the US playing “match-fixing” without fear?

Now, do US aircraft carriers dare to come to the Taiwan Strait?

Why have you lost your courage?

Isn’t the United States boasting all day about its control over the world?

Isn’t the United States boasting about its invincibility all day?

What are America’s “superheroes” afraid of?

Since there is no guardrail, the United States needs to find its own way!

Or, child, go back to your own home early, it is safest to move around outside your own home and risk areas are not the place for child to come.

Without high-level communication, many things would be different. You know!

Our soldiers cannot always exercise restraint if the enemy keeps snooping at our doorstep, and invaders from countries outside the region are not always lucky enough to return intact.

Our bomber pilots are very “not professional”, so if they get nervous and their hands shake and they accidentally “mistakenly bombed” a US aircraft carriers, we can only express our regret. 🤣

US bombers have “mistakenly bombed” the PRC Embassy in the FRY, and so can Chinese bombers. Wouldn’t you say that’s the case?

Calls to the Saudi Arabia side hotline from the US side, which the Saudi Arabia side do not answer.
Calls to the UAE side hotline from the US side, the UAE side does not answer.
Calls to the China side hotline from the US side, and China side doesn’t answer.

What does that mean?

It’s time for the United States to think about it and get a phone that works – Huawei P50s. Lol!

Working in USA vs The Netherlands: 12 Biggest Differences

My unpopular opinion

The year was in the early 1990’s. And I was working as a contractor at a electronics company that made high end military systems. Well, one day, I went to my boss and asked him for a raise. He said, “let me think about it”.

The next day he called me into his office. He accused me of being a fraud and a fake. He said that no one could find any background on me. And he spent perhaps the next two hours berating me up and down.

I left the office shaken.

Long story short, I made a few calls and got the entire mess all straightened out. But, you know, the damage was already done.

I came in wanting a raise, and left just happy that I had a job.

…

So the question is about US-China “tensions’.

Well, from my side, there’s no tensions in industry. No American companies are leaving China. If anything, more want to do more and more business with China. China is doing quite well. In fact, there is absolutely no correlation between the “news” about China and what is actually going on.

In fact, the smallest items are blown way out of proportion.

A wayward weather balloon becomes a network of spying technology…
A US spy aircraft gets close to the Chinese coast, and suddenly it’s a war provocation.
Two European warships hugging the Chinese coastline try to ram a Chinese destroyer, and it’s called a “serious incident”.

So my opinion is going to be very unpopular.

…

My opinion is that all these incidents, and “political song and dance” is for American domestic consumption. They are in NO WAY an attempt to force China to change policy or alter it’s Geo-political trajectory. Their only purposes is related to an out-of-control domestic situation.

My opinion is that the United States is impotent. It cannot do anything else to manipulate or suppress China. China has the United States in Check-mate. And any move that the United States does will hurt the USA far more than it would harm China.

Who is the most intelligent criminal in history? Why?

His name is Liu Zhaohua, who won the second prize in the chemistry competition when he was in school, taught himself to make 31 tons of drugs(methamphetamine), with a purity of 99%, and became China’s largest drug lord（He had only 9 years of schooling）! Until now many drug dealers are secretly inquiring, what method Liu Zhaohua used to make methamphetamine, what crystallization method he used.

Synthesized with various common chemical reagents, not based on ephedrine production. He changed the substrate and catalyst of the reaction and adopted the continuous generation + continuous crystallization method in 1999.

In terms of daily production, he can easily crystallize 1,000,000 grams of methamphetamine a day, which is one ton, and if it can be sold, five tons a day is not a problem. In terms of conversion rate he claims to have a conversion rate of 90%. Such a high capacity, such a high conversion rate, drug quality is still very good, and the production process is very environmentally friendly and pollution-free, even more environmentally friendly than some pharmaceutical plants, so much so that many top chemical and chemical experts and scholars can not believe.

Until today, there is not a single drug maker in the world, including some professor-level ones who can reach the overall quality (purity, crystallization, and appearance) of the meth produced by Liu Zhaohua. They may have no problem with the theoretical aspects, but the process technology they master cannot do it.

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He has a high IQ and an extremely strong psychological quality. He escaped from Guangzhou on his bicycle under the circumstances that the police had barricaded him all over the city, and carved “Liu Zhaohua, came here to visit” on the cave where he had been hiding, which made the police furious. At that time, Liu Zhaohua was staying in room 818 of the President Hotel in Guangzhou. The police were quickly dispatched and rushed to the President Hotel in Guangzhou, and at this time Liu Zhaohua had just returned to the hotel from outside. At the critical moment, Liu Zhaohua did not immediately twist and turn to flee the scene, but made an amazing move. He and the investigator took the same elevator, see the investigator pressed the 8th floor, Liu Zhaohua immediately pressed the 7th floor. And on the day of November 4, the Guangzhou police deployed a large number of police officers to impose martial law on the entry and exit gates and major traffic routes in the city. In particular, the suspicious vehicles leaving Guangzhou were checked, and the check was very tight. Buses, cabs, private cars along with cars hauling goods were checked one by one. Liu Zhaohua, who walked out of the President Hotel, knew very well that there would be checkpoints to arrest him at all major traffic roads in Guangzhou. The police will definitely check the vehicles entering and leaving the intersection of Guangzhou, so Liu Zhaohua chose a way to escape that no one expected – a bicycle. For Liu Zhaohua this is naturally the best disguise, Liu Zhaohua just rode a bicycle to escape from Guangzhou under the heavy police siege. And this is already the second time Liu Daohua slipped away from under the nose of the police.

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（Liu Zhaohua’s second wife）

He has three wives in the same time and four children, and his golden words are popular in the love scene: “The first wife is my favorite, the second wife is my most loving, and the third wife is my most loving.

In 2000. Liu Zhaohua settled in Quanzhou County, Guilin, Guangxi under the name of Li Senqing.He lived here, got married and had children, and was well known in the area. The neighbors of this “Mr. Li” said that he was kind to people, but rather petty, a rich man with the air of a small citizen. This time, Liu Zhaohua disguised very successfully. In fact, during the escape Liu Zhaohua also became a important guest of the local government. He leased more than 24,000 acres of land in the Phoenix Forestry in Lingui County, Guilin, claiming to complete a project with a total investment of 300 million yuan in three years. So, why is he going to do by renting so much forest land? Liu Zhaohua claimed that he did not have a sense of accomplishment in doing methamphetamine, while planting red bean fir gave him a sense of accomplishment because the area he planted was the largest in the world.

Liu Zhaohua is both cunning and arrogant, he does not follow common sense and believes that the most dangerous place is instead the safest. This is an important reason why he successfully escaped from the chase several times. During the years in Guilin, Guangxi, Liu Zhaohua made a big show of running his own business. The most important thing is that he did not shy away from getting himself into the newspaper and even became a local celebrity. on February 6, 2013, the Guilin Evening News reported a full-page story about a resident who bravely fought the thieves, and the resident who bravely caught three thieves was Liu Zhaohua, who changed his name.

After being caught, he said to the police in prison: “You can ask what you want to know, make a list, but don’t play with my intelligence, you can’t play with me.”

In court he sophomorically argued, “I don’t sell my drugs to domestic people, only to foreigners; foreigners used to open China’s doors with opium, and I should open their doors with meth too.”

In the eyes of the police, he is a misguided chemical genius who has cleverly escaped mass arrests by the police many times; in the circle of drug production and trafficking, he is a legend that cannot be replicated; in the eyes of his mother, he is a good student; in the eyes of his three wives, he is a master of “time management”; in the eyes of his children, he is a cold-blooded father who only cares about birth but not nurturing.

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Some people once described Liu Zhaohua as a real-life version of China’s “Walter White(Breaking Bad)”.The profession does not agree with this statement, because even Walter White, who has the aura of a protagonist, is several notches below Liu Zhaohua, both in terms of drug production technology (including methamphetamine quality) and production scale.

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In terms of influence, the fictional Walter White is even more incomparable. Liu Zhaohua is very famous in the global drug trafficking and drug production circles, and the Mexican drug lord “Shorty” Guzman, who was just released from prison in 2002, immediately sent his pals to inquire about the whereabouts of Liu Zhaohua, who was on the run, and wanted to pay a lot of money to seek cooperation.

In terms of life experience, Liu Zhaohua is also more legendary than Walter White in the movie and TV series.He has been a soldier and a bailiff. He has made meritorious achievements and received commendations. During his time in office, he was the backbone that every leader wanted to focus on training. If not engaged in drug trafficking, he has a bright future.

Of course, in terms of social harm, Liu Zhaohua is also worse, as he made 31 tons of methamphetamine. With his own power to influence the behavior of several industries in China, for example, the use of hydrochloric acid in some corporate factories, research institutions, schools, etc. need to be reported first.

American turned Dutch: Giving up US Citizenship

What should we remember as an Indian?

These are the same Russian submarines, which protected the Indian Navy by becoming a shield against America in the 1971 war.

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A story that has almost been erased from the Indian history books.

50 years ago in 1971, the US threatened India to stop the 1971 war. Concerned India sent an SOS to the Soviet Union. When Pakistan’s defeat in the 1971 war seemed easy, Kissinger prompted Nixon to send the US 7th Fleet Task Force, led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, to the Bay of Bengal.

USS Enterprise, 75,000 tons, was the world’s largest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in the 1970s with over 70 fighters. A moving monster on the surface of the sea. The Indian Navy’s fleet was led by Vikrant, a 20,000-tonne aircraft carrier, carrying 20 light combat aircraft. Officially, the USS Enterprise was sent to the Bay of Bengal to protect American citizens in Bangladesh, while unofficially it was to intimidate the Indian Army and prevent the liberation of East Pakistan.

Further, Soviet intelligence reported to India that a powerful British naval fleet led by the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle along with the commando carrier HMS Albion, along with several destroyers and other ships were approaching the Arabian Sea from the west in Indian waters.

The British and Americans planned a coordinated naval attack to intimidate India: British ships in the Arabian Sea would target India’s west coast, while the Americans would attack in Chittagong. The Indian Navy was caught between British and American ships. That was December 1971, and the world’s two major democracies were now threatening the world’s largest democracy.

An SOS from Delhi was sent to Moscow. The Red Navy soon dispatched 16 Soviet naval units and six nuclear submarines from Vladivostok to block the USS Enterprise.

Admiral N Krishnan, the chief of the Eastern Command of the Indian Navy, wrote in his book ‘No Way But Surrender’ that he feared the Americans would reach Chittagong. He mentioned how he thought of attacking the Enterprise in a do-or-die trick to slow it down.

On 2 December 1971, a task force of the US 7th Fleet led by the water giant USS Enterprise arrived in the Bay of Bengal. The British fleet was coming into the Arabian Sea.

The world held its breath.

But, unknown to the Americans, they were overtaken by submerged Soviet submarines.

As the USS Enterprise headed for East Pakistan, Soviet submarines came to the fore without warning. Soviet submarines now stood between India and American naval forces.

Americans_surprised_surprised_.

The 7th US Fleet Commander told Admiral Gordon: “Sir, we are too late. The Soviets are here!” no choice but to retreat. Both the American and British fleets retreated.

Today, most Indians have forgotten this huge naval chess battle between the two superpowers in the Bay of Bengal. It is important to know and remember.

If the US and China went to war, how long would it take the Chinese military to wipe out the US’ navy and air force?

Why ask questions that you know the answer to?

What are you, a sadist? Asking the same old questions day in, and day out. Hoping, praying, waiting, for some other tidbit of information that would make the reality easier to digest?

On paper, in theory, all of the 11 aircraft carriers that the United States fields (10 Nimitz and 1 Ford), could be destroyed by Chinese conventionally-armed DF-26 “carrier Killer” missiles. Given the flight times for the latest upgrades for the hyper-velocity versions of the DF-26 anticipated stopwatch from launch to destruction is within five minutes within the 4000 Km range.

They are very effective. And are designed to completely destroy Aircraft carriers.

From time to time, China takes them out as a warning to overly aggressive American neocons that are getting “too big for their britches”.

These units are not the ONLY weapons systems that are designed to destroy carrier flotillas, islands, and large bases like in Guam or Hawaii. There are many others. It’s just that the DF-26 is particularly good at it. Given the enormous numbers of launchers, and the insane levels of stockpiled munitions, one can only assume that all targets from land bases to submarines will be the prey for this missile.

The DF-26 appears to be designed specifically for high precision conventional strikes. The most likely target for the DF-26 missile would be Guam going by the range of the missile. Given the nature of the targets in Guam, which are mostly air bases (Guam has two large air bases where, as revealed by satellite imagery, B-52 squadrons are deployed), the DF-26 might be carrying specially designed cluster based bomb-lets to cause maximum damage to bombers spread out on the tarmac. In addition, there could be a specially designed deep penetration warhead for Hardened and Deeply Buried Targets (HDBTs).

Now, for the longest time, the USN and the ONI have been very quiet about the massive exponential increase in Chinese weapon lethality, survival-ability, and technology. The reports have been duly logged. The studies have been gamed out. The results and conclusions have been presented, filed and forgotten.

But it has only been during the last year that the USN admirals have become increasingly frenzied when dealing with hawkish Administration and Senate members. These people are not taking “no” for an answer, and want to find some edge; some justification, to “pull off” a “successful” war against China.

So, sometime, within the last nine months or so, the ONI through a number of key admirals, laid out the reality to the neocon “war hawks”.

And they are horrified.

The Chinese “just ran rings around us,” said former Joint Chiefs Vice Chair Gen. John Hyten in one after-action report. “They knew exactly what we were going to do before we did it.”

Dozens of versions of the above war-game scenario have been enacted over the last few years, most recently in April by the House Select Committee on competition with China. And while the ultimate outcome in these exercises is not always clear — the U.S. does better in some than others — the cost is. In every exercise the U.S. uses up all its long-range air-to-surface missiles in a few days, with a substantial portion of its planes destroyed on the ground. In every exercise the U.S. is not engaged in an abstract push-button war from 30,000 feet up like the ones Americans have come to expect since the end of the Cold War, but a horrifically bloody one.

And that’s assuming the U.S.-China war doesn’t go nuclear.

“The thing we see across all the wargames is that there are major losses on all sides. And the impact of that on our society is quite devastating,” said Becca Wasser, who played the role of the Chinese leadership in the Select Committee’s wargame and is head of the gaming lab at the Center for a New American Security.

“The most common thread in these exercises is that the United States needs to take steps now in the Indo-Pacific to ensure the conflict doesn’t happen in the future.

We are hugely behind the curve. Ukraine is our wakeup call. This is our watershed moment.”

So…

Please give me a break. Stop asking for answers that you do not want to hear.

If the United States drops one bullet inside of China, and Taiwan is China, the entire USN gets sunk. And the American losses in the first two hours will be absolutely horrific.

China issued a statement and the United States is left in mixed feelings.

https://youtu.be/I_GeZj3KZPM

The rules are draconian, but not applied equally. That is not fair.

I have said this over and over again. The world is changing. The West is going completely bonkers, and the “third world” is getting stronger and more aggressive.

If you are sitting in a pot of hot water, you will think that everyone in the world is experiencing what you experience, but that is not the case. You all need to step outside the cauldron. Cool down and enjoy yourself.

…

Many MM followers are writing to me and reaffirming their thoughts about all these “UFO disclosures” that seem to be very popular now. The over all opinion voiced here on MM is that it’s all a bullshit game, and the real deal is right here in MM land. I appreciate that. I really do.

Don’t get too caught up.

When one form of disinfo collapses, another one takes its place. The United States and the West) are so messed up that you will NEVER know the truth from the lies. Never.

…

Keep being yourselves and enjoy some nice Summer foods. Watermelon, tomato sandwiches, fried chicken, coleslaw, and all the rest. Like hotdogs over an open fire. Savor the good things.

Todays…

No empire has ever declined without going down fighting. Will it be the same for the USA, as China and Russia gain world hegemony?

Empires usually don’t collapse instantly, they degraded and decay slowly. Modern European colonial powers didn’t die and collapse, they didn’t fight each others, they fought in too many wars repeatedly, eventually they ran out of money. US didn’t fight UK, UK didn’t fight France in 20th century to destroy France.

Superpower can destroy itself if they mistakenly take on even more powerful opponent(s), such as the case of Germany and Japan, the result is total destructions and collapses.

Superpower often can defeat and destroy a rising power, as UK has done repeatedly, but each victory came with a heavy price, accumulating cost in money and manpower eventually diminished that superpower, as in UK, a shadow of its former empire, even India has a bigger GDP than UK.

China is not a lightweight but a super heavy duty global industrial and agricultural power bigger than US and all G7 combined. China and Russia combined is way beyond US and allies can handle.

War is not inevitable. If war is possible, US would’ve done it already.

I went to Canada and I was SHOCKED!

https://youtu.be/XBnaVQjLXfY

What honor remains in China?

Masses compared to the USA.

What deranged idiot wrote this question?

China; developed, civilised and well educated nation that spreads peace and prosperity around the world. Very honourable people if you go.

USA; crime ridden, poverty stricken hell hole full of deranged evil crazies (look at the pro US Quorans on this site) that spread war and suffering everywhere and hate anyone on this planet who complains about it. The US can go to hell. Leave the world alone. We; the people of the planet; over 90% who hate the USA have honour. You pro US ( and there are decent US people) hegemonic supporters have zero honour, courage, wisdom or anything anywhere near the decency that would warrant you being classed as an animal.

US Is Desperate For China’s Attention But China Isn’t Picking Up The Call

What is the biggest scam an auto mechanic ever tried on you?

Let me preface this by saying that I was a journeyman machinist and helicopter mechanic. At the time, circa 1975, my daily car was a 1967 Ford Fairlane 2 door hardtop with a 289 V8 and 3 speed Hurst shifter on the floor. And I did all my own work on it.

I took it into the local Montgomery Ward Car Care Center to get the annual Virginia state inspection. After a while a mechanic came in the waiting room and told me I needed new shocks and they “just happened” to have a sale on shocks going on. I asked him to show me the problem and he pressed down on the rear fender and said the car was bouncing too much, indicating bad shocks.

I grabbed my keys so they couldn’t move the car and called the local state police office which was nearby. The staties were responsible for overseeing inspectors. A state cop soon showed up and I explained the issue. He had the center put a new inspection sticker on my car and proceeded to pull the inspection license from the shop. They had to go to an administrative hearing and lost their inspection for several months.

Oh, and by the way, just a few days before I had just installed a set of expensive air adjustable shocks on the car which was the first thing I mention to the state cop.

Urgency to Flee Australia Before New Rules Take Effect

What is the craziest April Fool’s joke someone has ever pulled off?

Some smart guy named Porky Bickar fooled his whole town into thinking the nearby dormant volcano was about to erupt.

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This was in Sitka, Alaska, 1974.

Bickar was a local businessman, pilot and apparently the local prankster. He came up with the idea for the volcanic eruption prank as a way to promote his new helicopter charter business and to bring some excitement to the lifeless town of Sitka.

First, he secretly flew up a hundreds of old tyres to the volcano’s crater and tossed them in.

On April’s Fool’s he set fire to them.

As you can imagine, the resulting smoke and flames caused widespread alarm among the poor confused folks of Sitka.

Panic set in, immediate preparations for evacuations were made. Kids were sent home, families gathered their precious possessions, called in their pets.

The last eruption was over 4000 years ago. What’s happening? The Coast Guard sent a helicopter out to investigate. When the pilot arrived, he looked down and saw:

A spray – painted Happy April Fool’s message.

But don’t think of Bickar as careless. He had taken precautions and informed the authorities with the exception of the coast guard.

Once news got out that it was a prank, most Sitka residents thought it was hilarious. Even a flight that was leaving Sitka that day was diverted so that passengers could see the faux eruption. The admiral in charge of the Coast Guard in Alaska later told Bickar he thought the prank was brilliant.

Thankfully, people had a sense of humor back then so everyone pretty much laughed it off; it would have been considered an act of terrorism today.

White Man Scolds Black People For Not Listening To Malcolm X Regarding Lying Liberals

What advantages did the Germans have during Nazi rule?

Have a lot of sex, if you are young and considered genetically attractive. They breed healthy Aryan girls who fit any type of man. Blonde and blue-eyed to the front of the line. It’s free, no-strings-attached sex. Something that young people tend to like. And Reich cared for the babies in a special SS “Kindergarten” called Lebensborn to raise them in order to replenish conquered territory. Most would be adopted to select families, mostly from the SS. An estimated 900 pregnancies were caused by the Nuremberg demonstrations alone.

Sex between chosen, young, and genetically pure Germans is recommended. Awards, such as the Cross of Honor of the German Lady, were given to women who contributed most to the Reich. The German high command knew that it had to replace the millions of soldiers and civilians who would be lost in the war. They think for the long term. But the Reich lasted only 12 years, not a thousand, so it was all in vain. Sports and physical fitness are also widely regulated and encouraged. And people are taught to give birth naturally, not look down on it as in previous generations. So, life was pretty good for most Germans until the war came to their home.

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What is something that most people don’t know about you but if you tell it you’re afraid they wouldn’t believe you?

I saved all the passengers on a plane, including myself and my family, from a deadly airplane accident.

But not in the way you might think. It wasn’t like the pilot passed out and I took control of the flight or anything like that.

Let me explain. I was around 7 or 8 years old. I remember we were at the airport, about to board a flight to Miami (USA). The plane was running a bit late (as it often happens), but eventually, we boarded, about an hour later than scheduled.

We entered the plane, stowed our luggage in the overhead compartments, and took our seats. Of course, I chose the window seat. I was sitting next to my father, while my mother was in the row next to us.

The pilot announced that they were ready for takeoff and asked everyone to fasten their seatbelts and prepare for departure. However, what he didn’t prepare them for was what was about to happen next.

Just seconds before the plane was about to start moving, I began convulsing out of nowhere, something that had never happened to me before. According to my father, veins popped out on my neck, and I wasn’t responsive to what they were saying, so he decided to shout for the takeoff to be stopped.

All the passengers got scared, thinking there was some kind of attack when in reality, it was just my father causing a commotion to halt the plane. In the end, a flight attendant announced that there was an emergency situation, and the plane abruptly stopped just as it was about to take off.

The curious thing is that after a doctor checked me and my father signed some papers, he made the daring decision (he wouldn’t miss his vacation for anything) to continue the journey. If anything happened to me, it would be his responsibility.

What’s even more curious about the whole incident is that after many passengers complained about the delay caused by me, the plane prepared to start again. However, as it started, one of the turbine generators spontaneously caught fire. They had to evacuate us, and the same passengers who had complained earlier now called me ‘The Blessed Child’ while giving me crosses and saint stamps, thanking me for potentially saving them from a fatal mid-flight accident.

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So, technically, thanks to my sudden seizure, I ended up causing a delay, which led to the turbine catching fire while the plane was still on the ground. I saved the lives of the passengers on that flight.

Johnny Cakes

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup water
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil or bacon grease, plus more, as needed

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.
In another large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, water, eggs and sugar. Add the buttermilk mixture into the flour and stir until just combined. Do not over-mix or the pancakes will be tough.
In a cast iron skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until just barely shimmering. Spoon 1/2 cup of the batter in the skillet. Cook until bubbles form all over the surface of the cake. Flip the cake and continue cooking until soft and fluffy, and the center is completely cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more oil as needed.
Serve hot with butter, pure maple syrup, honey or your favorite pancake topping.

Biden Intensifies Warning To Uganda, Repeal Anti-Gay Law Or Else

Is Rishi Sunak’s assertion that China represents the “biggest challenge” to global security accurate?

I’m going to try to give a more sympathetic interpretation to Rishi’s comments.

I grew up in Canada and studied in the US at a time the West had just emerged triumphant from the Cold War. Francis Fukuyama had just written “The End of History”, trumpeting the ultimate victory of Western liberal democracy as led by the US. My view of China was formed by reading books such as Jung Chang’s “Wild Swans” about China’s Cultural Revolution. I knew little about China except that it was poor and umm… communist lol.

Then I moved to Hong Kong for work. I started going into China on business trips.

My first visits pretty much confirmed my biases. The country was very poor. But I also noticed something; it was developing very rapidly. I’d visit Shenzhen and each trip it seemed that a new office tower or highway had sprung up seemingly overnight.

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Shenzhen in 1990 (top) vs 2014 (bottom)

I consider myself reasonably knowledgeable about China — in part because of all the business I did there. And even though I was an eyewitness to the changes taking place, I still didn’t predict how fast the country would develop. Who would’ve guessed back at the turn of the millennium that in less than 25 years, China’s economy would be bigger (by PPP) than the US?

So yes, if by “global security” Rishi is talking about the US led post-war order, China is a threat. Because it is big enough and has a center of gravity that offers countries an alternative to the United States’ view of the world. I wonder if American policymakers realize just what a seminal moment the Saudi – Iran peace deal that China brokered was. By pulling off something America was unwilling or unable to do, it showed the limits of American influence — and demonstrated that meaningful geopolitical objectives could and would get done without the US.

Change can be scary. We live in a world that is changing so fast. And much like me at the turn of the millennia, Western policymakers have yet to come to grips with how fast China’s rise is or what the implications are. That’s why they view China as a “threat” to global security.

The unipolar world is dying. Long live the multipolar world.

It’s time to EXPOSE AFRICA, where are you for your people you enslaved?

A comparison of China and the US’s legacy in Africa

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Have you ever checked into a hotel room and found something unexpected?

This isn’t so much finding something unexpected as not finding something expected. One time when I was young and on the road home in an older car, my car broke down in the evening, on the off-ramp in the town of Port Hope, in Ontario, Canada. We managed to push my car to a nearby auto service shop and a nice guy drove us to a nearby hotel. The clerk gave us a key to a room and we went and found the room, but there was no bed in the room! We went back to the front desk and found the clerk in the pool room shooting pool and said “ummm, there’s no bed in the room you gave us.” He apologized and gave us a different room, which did have a bed. Aside from the missing bed, the people of that town treated us very well. It was a few days before Christmas and someone came in on his day off to fix our car while someone else showed us around town. I have fond feelings for the people of Port Hope, Ontario.

America’s Desperate Bid To Save The Dollar Just Failed

Paper: Saudi crown prince threatened to inflict ‘major’ economic pain on US amid oil feud

Friday, 09 June 2023 7:05 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 09 June 2023 7:12 AM ]

US President Joe President Biden (L) meets Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at Alsalam Royal Palace in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on July 15, 2022. (File photo by the Royal Court of Saudi Arabia)

A classified document has revealed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) threatened to impose significant economic costs on Washington after US President Joe Biden warned Riyadh over its decision to slash oil production last fall.

Even though the Saudi government publicly defended its actions politely via diplomatic statements, the 37-year-old de facto ruler of the country threatened in private to re-evaluate the Arab nation’s relationship with the White House and impose significant economic costs on the United States if it retaliated against the oil cuts.

According to the document, the crown prince claimed “he will not deal with the US administration anymore,” and promised “major economic consequences for Washington,” The Washington Post reported on Thursday.

The US intelligence document was circulated on the Discord messaging platform as part of an extensive leak of highly sensitive national security materials.

“We are not aware of such threats by Saudi Arabia,” a spokesperson with the US National Security Council said.

“In general, such documents often represent only one snapshot of a moment in time and cannot possibly offer the full picture,” the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, added.

“The United States continues to collaborate with Saudi Arabia, an important partner in the region, to advance our mutual interests and a common vision for a more secure, stable, and prosperous region, interconnected with the world,” the official said.

The Saudi Embassy in Washington has yet to make a comment on the matter.

Eight months after Biden vowed “consequences” for Saudi Arabia after oil output cuts, the US president has yet to take any measures against the Arab country and MbS has continued to engage with top US officials, as he did with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the seaside Saudi city of Jeddah earlier this week.

Biden, who had pledged to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” as a presidential candidate, now scarcely communicates with the crown prince but the president’s top aides have gradually rebuilt ties with him hoping the two nations can work together on pressing issues, including normalization with Israel, Saudi Arabia’s growing relationship with China, a long-sought peace deal in Yemen and continued disagreements over the supply of oil.

A second leaked US intelligence document from December last year also warned that Saudi Arabia plans to expand its “transactional relationship” with China by procuring drones, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and mass surveillance systems from Beijing.

During a news conference alongside Blinken in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Thursday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud highlighted that China and Saudi Arabia are close and strategic allies and have been increasing cooperation in the energy and financial sectors, and that “cooperation is likely to grow.”

He said Saudi Arabia’s ties with the United States and China were not a “zero-sum game.”

“I don’t ascribe to this zero-sum game,” Prince Faisal said in Riyadh. “We are all capable of having multiple partnerships and multiple engagements and the US does the same in many instances.

“So I’m not caught up in this really negative view of this. I think we can actually build a partnership that crosses these borders,” the top Saudi diplomat said.

Riyadh’s strengthening of its commercial and security ties with Beijing comes as US influence wanes in the Middle East region.

I prefer to raise my child in China over most Western countries.

What was the biggest jerk move by a park employee you have ever seen?

A man, who identified himself as Ante, took his girlfriend to Disneyland, and there he got down on one knee on a stage in front of Sleeping Beauty’s castle, ready to propose. He had his friends waiting a distance away, phone camera out recording.

Ante whips out the ring box, and as he’s asking the question, a Disney employee sprints in out of nowhere, snatches the ring box from his hands, and runs off stage.

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Why? Because people aren’t supposed to propose there, unless they got permission to.

According to the person who filmed, they had permission but that employee didn’t know this.

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He tells them to come down the stage and complete their proposal there.

In a daze, Ante told the employee, “She said yes.”

The man responded: “Yes, that’s great, but over here, it’s going to be even better.”

Disneyland Employee Interrupts Proposal After Man Got Permission || ViralHog

It was too late, though; he had fully ruined the couple’s moment.

I understand the employee was just doing his job but Jesus, have some fucking tact. He could’ve stopped them with his voice, yelled at them even, anything but snatch the ring out of Ante’s hands mid-proposal. That was disrespectful.

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Ante reacted quite well; many others commented they would’ve punched the man.

Disney apologised in a statement:

We have offered our sincere apologies to the couple concerned and we will do everything we can to make this up to them.

“Disneyland stands for dreams,” Ante said in a phone interview. “Our moment was destroyed.”

Undercover Boss Employees That Got BRUTALLY FIRED!

https://youtu.be/KF-ybeLfyHo

What was the extremely disturbing about the last century 😶?

Imagine for a moment that you were born in the year 1900. When you were 14 years old, World War I begins and ends only when you are 18 years old, leaving 22 million dead.

A little later, a worldwide pandemic, the Spanish Flu, appears, killing 50 million people. And you are alive, 20 years old.

At 29 years old, you survive the global economic crisis that began with the crash of the New York Stock Exchange, causing inflation, unemployment and hunger.

When you are 33 years old, Nazism comes to power.

When you’re 39, World War II starts and ends when you’re 45, with 60 million dead.

When you are 52 years old, the Korean War begins.

When you’re 64, the Vietnam War starts and ends when you’re 75.

A person born in 1985, for example, thinks that their grandparents have no idea how difficult life is, not knowing that they have survived several wars and global catastrophes.

Today we have been living with a great pandemic for more than a year. We are scared and tired. We lost friends and relatives, we are scared.

In the past, conditions were even worse, but yes, humanity survived under these conditions and overcame it.

Believe me, better days await us.

What is something movies always get wrong?

dig a grave

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This happens a lot in movies these days: someone kills someone else, and in an attempt to hide said body, they just go out and casually dig a 6-foot-deep grave big enough to fit a man with a shovel.

No. Crap. Chance.

Have any of these writers ever tried to dig a grave? Do you know what happens when you go below 8 inches of soil? Rocks. Clay. Slate. Very dense soil – you name it.

Very soon you will find that your shovel is completely useless.

Show at least someone with a pick, because that’s the bare minimum you need to dig a grave. And even with that, it takes you hours and hours.

Think about that too – if you assume the grave is 6 feet long, 3 feet wide and 6 feet deep – that’s 108 feet. mud. Dry mud typically weighs about 75 pounds per cubic foot. So one grave is 8,000 pounds of earth. 4 tons. Good luck feeling your hands after this.

Ukrainian Armored Columns Got SMASHED and AMBUSHED

Russia

What is Rear Adm. Mike Studeman referring to when he mentions “China blindness” at a military conference earlier this year?

China Prepares for Worst-Case Scenario

Is it true that a woman once tried to sue Keanu Reeves for child support?

Yup.

This was in 2009. The woman pictured, Karen Sala, filed a paternity suit seeking around $3 milion a month in spousal support plus about $150,000 a month in child support (going back to 2006).

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Sala claimed she had a sexual relationship with Keanu, that they lived together and that he was present at the birth of three of her children.

She said she had known him since she was four or five, as he grew up down the street from her.

“I didn’t know he was Keanu Reeves,” she said. “To me he was Marty Spencer.”

Marty Spencer, lol. The claim that that was his name should have been enough to throw the whole case out.

The strongest piece of evidence against her was of course, the DNA test results, which showed Keanu was not the father of Sala’s children.

It gets better. When presented with this evidence, Sara, who was representing herself, claimed Keanu could’ve used hypnosis to alter the test results. What the hell.

The judge threw the case out.

What is the saddest moment you have seen in a movie or TV?

I felt really sorry for this guy.

X-Factor New Zealand, 2015.

This man, Joe Irvine, stepped onto the stage and sang “Cry Me A River”.

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He sang well enough, nothing seemed to be wrong.

But when he was done, two of the judges ploughed into him, they completely laid into him. I mean they trashed him so bad they made Simon Cowell look like a sweetheart.

But why did they do that?

It wasn’t because of what he sang, or even how he sang. In fact it had nothing to do with his singing.

It was because of how he looked.

The two judges were Willy Moon and Natalia Kills, a married couple. Both of them are also singers.

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On that particular episode, the contestant Joe Irvine looked very much like Willy Moon.

Willy Moon, left. Joe Irvine, right.

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The couple claimed Joe Irvine changed his look so he could look like Willy Moon.

Willy Moon joined in the tirade, saying it felt cheap and absurd, and “like Norman Bates dressing up in his mother’s clothing”.

[1] (Norman Bates is the killer in the horror film Psycho).

All these comments were rude and completely unnecessary, and look at the poor guy’s face, he looked like he was about to cry.

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He didn’t say much back to them. He only said that he liked the way he looked.

The two judges’ tirade sparked an outrage on social media, causing both of them to be simultaneously fired from the show.

[2] They received so much hate that they fled the country to Los Angeles.

[3] The couple at the airport, accompanied by security, still trying to look fashionable as they flee the country. God, they look creepy.

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Joe Irvine received a lot of support on social media from the public and also from celebrities, such as Ed Sheeran.

New Zealand chart-topper Lorde sent him a letter and some cupcakes.

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Lorde’s letter read

I’m a performer too, and I wanted to say that no matter how many people make fun of me for how I dress, move and act, I’m being me – and that’s what’s important. Good luck and lots of love, Lorde.

People were understandably upset with those two judges. Those two judges said a lot of mean things to Joe Irvine, and even compared him to a (fictional) murderer.

On social media, people ridiculed those judges, and some people harassed them to the point where they felt they had to leave the country for the sake of their own safety.

No matter how much someone tries to copy your looks or style or whatever, you just can’t tell them they look like a psycho killer in front of thousands of viewers.

What I found hilarious were the memes made about the female judge, Natalia Kills.

She trashed Joe Irvine for copying her husband’s style, so people trashed her for copying the styles of other…..famous individuals.

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It’s kinda hilarious and she deserves it.

Southern Biscuits and Gravy

Ingredients

1/2 pound bulk pork breakfast sausage
2 tablespoons chopped yellow onions
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups hot milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 batch Southern Biscuits

Instructions

Heat frying pan and fry the sausage and onion until the sausage is brown and the onion clear.
Drain off all grease except for 2 tablespoons.
Stir in the flour and cook for just a minute.
Add the hot milk. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens and then season with salt and pepper.
Serve over warm opened biscuits.

A tale of pasta and Satan

When I was still in High School my maternal grandmother had a stroke. And while I was busy dealing with my jobs, and school, I was a tad divorced from the on-going strife and adventures with my grandmother. Which apparently was rather lively. She being a feisty old gal…

Well, my grandmother lived in a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA. And the word was out that a local spaghetti factory and warehouse was going out of business, and they were liquidating all their stock.

Seeing opportunity, my mother and my two aunties went to the warehouse and bought up an entire van of spaghetti. Perhaps a five years supply for all three families. No precise figure can be bantered about, but it was a van full of poxes of pasta. And all three paid some “hard earned cash” to stock up with.

Being so located in the city, after driving and getting the various types of pasta, they then drove to my grandmothers house.

There, they unloaded all the boxes of spaghetti, pasta, and various types of pasta into the living room, and then went off to the mall for some shopping and lunch. It was still early in the morning. Maybe 10am.

They returned back after eating dinner.

It was around 8pm.

They had been gone almost the entire day. And were not paying attention to the state of my grandmother, or what she might think of a living room filled with boxes of spaghetti and assorted pasta.

…

And when they went to my grandmothers’ house was sight to behold.

My grandmother (now, stroke impaired) had been busy all day cooking up the pasta. All 3 x 5 years worth. There was pasta everywhere in every pot and pan in the house, and then when she ran out, she used laundry baskets, and plastic garbage cans to hold the rest.

As well as old shoe boxes, and every plate and bowl in the house.

Obviously my mother and aunties were all disgusted, and didn’t say a word. In fact, they all refused to talk about the event. When we would bring it up, she would get a very ugly expression on her face and just turn away. It must have been painful for her.

However…

Us High School kids thought it was hilarious. But, perhaps we shouldn’t of. I’m sure that there are lessons abound for everyone to take heed of here.

I suppose.

…

First up today…

Can most Chinese families afford watermelons?

Oh, very funny question.

Before I answer it, may I know the reason you post this question? Is the watermelon every expensive in your country?

From my past 30 year life, watermelon is never a expensive fruit in China. I thought it is cheap in every countries.

The fact is, watermelon is a kind of fodder in China.

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I am not kidding.

How bad is it to live in China?

How bad is living in China ?

It is really bad :

Because I have some grey hair I am treated in the same embarrassing way every time I get on a city bus or on the subway …… younger people get up and offer me a seat.

Recently I had problems with a tooth. One morning I went to one of the dental hospitals. They did xrays and preformed a root canal in a 2 hours. It cost me 1/6th of the price of a root canal I had done 30 years ago in North America. Just terrible prices.

I am invited out to eat or to go to some celebration a few times a month. I never have to pay for the meal, while I am offered beer and cigarettes. I do not smoke so I decline the cigarettes but accept free beer.

Oh how terrible to invited out by the locals constantly. I have been to at least 25 weddings, more then dozen birthdays and half a dozen 100-day celebrations for babies.

There are 100+ channels on the TV, with a few in English as some western movies. The nightly news reports on all the major news around the world. I have internet access 24/7 and spent way too much time browsing the internet from Europe to North America. It is a terrible way to waste time.

I often visit my daughter who works 300km away in another Province. Being so far away, I am forced to take the train which takes 1hr 30 minutes to make the trip with 2 or 3 stops along the route. I could drive my car but that would make for a much longer trip.

The really bad thing in China is access to food.

We have 2 farmers markets within 2 city blocks. These are markets where the farmers come into the city around 6-7 am every morning to sell that days fresh crop of fruit vegetables and meat.
This in addition to 2 grocery stores and a Walmart in the area.
Then on my small city block, we have 14 restaurants, open 7 days a week.
There are even the evil food chains – KFC, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Starbucks, plus all the Chinese ones etc
We have the French Carrefour and Auchan super stores and the Germany’s Metro cash & carry stores.
Worst of all, we have these applications on our smartphones (80% of folks own a smartphone). Where we can see menus of hundreds of restaurants in our area, order food and they deliver it to your door usually within 30 minutes.

If we need to go to the bank, we can not go 365 days of the year. There are about a dozen days a year when the banks are closed.

Schools are much more demanding on students compared to North America, with homework every night.

However they do get a month off in summer.
My daughters students spend some of their summer travelling. The US and Europe for some, others within China or to nearby places like South Korea or Thailand.

So far no one has noticed any difference due to the Trump Tariffs, but according to western media China is under some sort tremendous pressure. Or maybe there were talking about the tropical storm? In either case it was a lot of wind.

That is how bad it is living in China.

Please have pity on our oppression, as we say in my group of expats who live in China as well, some for over 20 years.

Of course we live a large city. The situation differs in rural areas as it does in most countries.

Russia Jamming U.S.-Supplied “HIMARS” in Ukraine

World Hal Turner 05 July 2023

Russia Jamming U.S.-Supplied "HIMARS" in Ukraine

Russia has found a way to interfere with GPS-guided artillery rounds, including munitions for US-made HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, Defense Minister of Ukraine Aleksey Reznikov has claimed.

When those systems first arrived on Ukrainian battlefields last year they were “highly accurate,” Reznikov recalled, in an interview with the Financial Times on Wednesday.

However, Russia, which has strong radio-electronic systems, eventually found a way to jam GPS-guided artillery and HIMARS projectiles, he acknowledged.

“It’s like a constant pendulum. This is a war of technology,” the minister said, describing the ongoing conflict between Kiev and Moscow.

“The Russians come up with a countermeasure, we inform our partners and they make a new countermeasure against this countermeasure,” he explained.

Reznikov reiterated Kiev’s earlier claim that “for the military industry of the world, you can’t invent a better testing ground” than Ukraine.

Kiev’s Western backers “can actually see if their weapons work, how efficiently they work and if they need to be upgraded”, he said.

Ukraine has been supplied with several dozen High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), which have a range of 85 kilometers (53 miles), by its foreign backer since June last year. Western outlets described the system as a game-changer in the conflict.

In May, CNN reported, citing five sources from the US, Britain and Ukraine, that the US-designed multiple rocket launchers had been rendered “increasingly less effective” from the intensive blocking by the Russian forces. The electronic jammers throw off the GPS-guided targeting system of HIMARS rockets to cause them to miss their targets, the channel said.

Throughout the conflict, the Russian Defense Ministry reported destroying dozens of HIMARS systems through the use of kamikaze drones and artillery fire. However, these claims have been disputed by Kiev and Washington.

Now, there is no dispute. Russia can — and is — jamming HIMARS systems.

A Metal Container

A metal container from Roman times, believed to be around 2,000 years old, was found to contain a face cream with distinct ancient finger marks. The cream was analyzed and found to be a mixture of refined animal fat, starch, and tin. To recreate the cream, researchers followed the same recipe and applied it to their skin, resulting in a white layer with a smooth powdery texture. This texture was achieved by the starch, which is still used in modern cosmetics for this purpose.

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Professor Richard Evershed from Bristol University explained that in Roman times, white face paint was trendy and typically obtained its color from a lead compound. However, a tin compound could serve as an acceptable substitute, and since it was abundant in Cornwall, it would have been readily available.

Lead was widely used in ancient Rome and could be found in various items such as cups, plates, coins, pipes, cosmetics, face powder, paints, food seasoning, and even birth control. Surprisingly, research has revealed that tap water in ancient Rome had up to 100 times more lead than local spring water. Some historians speculate that lead poisoning might have contributed to the decline of the Roman Empire.

Finally, Satan Has an Instagram Account, And It’s Funny as Hell

We have compiled a list of the funniest Instagram posts from the Dark Lord himself who posts cheeky, biting one liners. Scroll down to check them out don’t forget to follow him on Instagram (not in real life).

More: Instagram

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Why has no video of forced cotton pickers labour in Xinjiang been leaked?

They have been leaked, here are some of the photos from there. This is how they are forced to pick cotton in China isn’t it bloody awful?

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Making those slaves drive those big horrible machines, there should be a law against it, we should report it to amnesty international.

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This is disgraceful, why are they not allowed to pick the cotton by hand?

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Like the USA says they should?

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Flight 235

An engine flame-out caused a domestic flight in Taiwan to topple in midair, then crash into the Keelung River in front of hundreds of eyewitnesses. 43 of the 58 people on board lost their lives. These are some of the frames from a dash cam video showing moments before it crashed.

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Burgers with Cream Cheese and
Sun-dried Tomato Filling

Say goodbye to boring cheeseburgers. These patties contain a hidden mixture of cream cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. Flavorful, moist and exploding with a delicious surprise.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) package Challenge Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup chopped (1/4 inch) sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil)
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 pounds lean ground beef (less than 12% fat)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
6 Kaiser or hamburger rolls
Lettuce, onion slices (optional)

Instructions

Thoroughly combine cream cheese, sun-dried tomato, and garlic salt in small bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix ground beef with salt and Worcestershire sauce.
Divide meat into 12 equal portions (about 1/3 cup each) and flatten portions into 4 1/2 inch round patties.
Place 2 tablespoons of filling on 6 of the patties and spread to within 1/2 inch of the edge.
Cover with remaining 6 patties and pinch the edges closed.
Grill or broil patties.
Serve on rolls with optional lettuce and onions.

Tiger kills 20-year-old in Delhi zoo ..

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In Sept. 2014, a mentally ill visitor at Delhi’s National Zoological Park jumped into a tiger enclosure. A white tiger attacked him for 15 minutes, leading to his unfortunate demise. Despite attempts to stop the tiger, the man’s screams echoed throughout the park.

Is nuclear war with Russia IMMINENT?

Logging

The giant sequoia tree pictured was a magnificent specimen that had an estimated age of 2600 years at the time of its unfortunate felling in the 1890s. Giant sequoias (scientifically known as Sequoiadendron giganteum) are among the largest and longest-living trees on Earth, and their existence spans several millennia. They are native to the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California, USA.

During the late 19th century, the logging industry experienced a significant boom in the United States, driven by the high demand for timber to support expanding cities and infrastructure projects. This period coincided with the industrial revolution, which led to an increased need for lumber. The immense size and durability of giant sequoias made them particularly sought after, and sadly, many of these ancient trees were felled during this time.

The cutting down of the 2600-year-old giant sequoia tree in the 1890s represents a tragic loss of natural heritage and a poignant reminder of the environmental impact caused by human activities. Today, there are efforts to protect and preserve the remaining giant sequoias, as they hold immense ecological value and are regarded as national treasures in the United States.

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“It’s a Bag of Lies”- Brace Yourself for the Unthinkable | Gregory Mannarino

China takes a HARD stance

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell was due to visit China next week for talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang.
But Beijing called off the visit without providing specific reason.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is due to visit Beijing on Thursday.
On Monday, China announced new export restrictions on two metals key to the manufacturing of semiconductors and electronics.

Beijing No longer want to waste time on unfriendly crusader who talks tough before visiting China.

Article HERE

What Are They Hiding Underneath? The Truth about the Denver International Airport Conspiracy

Survival

On November 17, 2012, José Salvador Alvarenga, a Salvadoran fisherman, embarked on a two-day fishing expedition into the Pacific Ocean from a small fishing village in Mexico.

Accompanying José was Ezequiel Córdoba, a 22-year-old day worker who tragically did not make it back to shore when their ship set sail.

During their journey, the two men encountered a powerful storm that left them incapacitated. Their boat’s engine failed, and lacking paddles and sufficient food supplies, they faced a dire situation.

For a staggering 14 months, their boat aimlessly drifted across the Pacific Ocean. Tragically, Ezekiel succumbed to starvation after just four months into the journey.

José, determined to survive, resorted to consuming anything he could catch using the only tool he possessed—a knife. His desperate diet included raw fish, turtles, small sharks, and sea birds.

In his struggle to stay hydrated, José resorted to extreme measures. He resorted to drinking turtle blood and even his own urine to sustain himself.

It wasn’t until January 30, 2014, that José was discovered naked on Marshall Island, clutching only a knife in his hand.

Throughout his harrowing ordeal, he had drifted for an astounding 438 days, covering a distance of over 10,000 kilometers. To put this into perspective, the Earth’s diameter measures 12,742 kilometers.

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Medvedev: “Any war can be ended quickly . . . using Nuclear Weapons”

World Hal Turner 05 July 2023

Medvedev: "Any war can be ended quickly . . . using Nuclear Weapons"

Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Federation Council (Senate) said today “Any war can be ended quickly, either with a peace treaty or by doing what the United States did in Hiroshima, using nuclear weapons.”

More as it becomes available

Funny

There is a black humor piece from Chinese:

When you have 1 nuke, you are a force of terror that must be eliminated at all cost.

When you have 10 nukes, you are dangerous rogue that must be dealt with carefully.

When you have 100 nukes, you are an important and responsibly nation guaranteeing regional peace and stability.

When you have 1000 nukes, you are the cornerstone of world peace and prosperity.

France under attack

by mattehret
Posted on July 6, 2023

The pawns are fighting in the streets of France, but the war is between France and the Anglo-American Empire.

By Alex Krainer [originally published on Trend Compass]

The government of French President Emmanuel Macron is under attack by the Anglo-American imperial establishment. The civil unrest that erupted across the nation was triggered by the 27 June 2023 Police killing of the 17-year old Nahel Merzouk (NM) in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. NM was driving a car without a driving license, failed to comply with police orders and for that he was shot point blank by two officers in full riot gear. NM was of Algerian origin. The next day, riots broke out in many cities across France: Paris, Marseille, Lille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Grenoble and also Brussels in Belgium. Some areas were left looking like war zones.

In fact, some of the riots did resemble low-intensity warfare. According to some reports, US weapons donated to Ukraine have found their way through black markets to the streets of French cities and into the hands of the protesters who used them in coordinated attacks on police and firefighters. Just on the night of Jun 30/July 1, 41 police stations were attacked, 79 police officers injured, 2560 fires were set in the streets, 1360 cars and 234 buildings were burnt. The government deployed 45,000 police and gendarmes to bring the situation under control, but thus far, the rioting has continued with great intensity for five straight days, threatening to destabilize the nation.

President Emmanuel Macron is under increasing pressure, not only from the rioters and the opposition, but more ominously, also from his own Police forces and the military. Police Unions of France wrote to Macron threatening to revolt: “Today the police are in combat as we are at war. Tomorrow we will be in the resistance and the government should be aware of this.” Certain military circles appear ready to turn against Macron. General Pierre Villiers, who is apparently well respected among the French military commanders said that the army should be loyal to the people, not to Emmanuel Macron.

Nothing is what it seems…

So far, the events may seem straightforward to understand at the levels of pawns opposed to one another in the streets of French cities: the abusive government of President Macron and its security apparatus is under attack by the people whose legitimate grievances went past the boiling point. From there, it’s easy to assume that Macron’s government even instigated the riots deliberately in order to crack down and tyrannize the people according to their plan. Heck, Macron is the Rothschilds’ errand boy and a loyal World Economic Forum young leader.

You’re either with us, or you’re against us.

All of that sounds plausible, but there’s a far broader context to this story. The present crisis draws root from the very strained relationship between French ruling elites and the Anglo-American imperial establishment, which spans centuries. A more thorough analysis of this relationship could fill many volumes but for now we’ll focus on just the more recent developments. In the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks in the US, President George W. Bush announced to the world that, “you are either with us, or you are against us.” He wasn’t just saying words: the empire was preparing to cement the unipolar global order, eliminate its rivals, establish full-spectrum dominance and launch its Project For The New American Century.

France has never accepted the role of a junior partner or unquestioning ally, let alone a vassal to the Anglo-American Empire. It has continued to be a pain in its side at critical junctures. Here are a few examples of the last two decades’ spats between the two sides:

2003: French opposition to US invasion of Iraq

In late 2002 and early 2003, the Administration of George W. Bush was working feverishly to secure its allies’ support for an invasion of Iraq. In February 2002, US State Secretary Colin Powell waved a vial of white powder at the UN Security Council, accusing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein of possessing biological weapons of mass destruction. French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin wasn’t impressed. In a searing speech he poured cold water on US case for war and called out Powell’s performance as dubious and unconvincing. A few weeks later, on 10 March 2003 President Jacques Chirac made it clear that France would vote against any UN Resolution authorizing US attack on Iraq. In this, France would vote on the side of Russia and China (talk about foreshadowing).

2008: France opposes Ukraine and Georgia joining NATO

One of the most important projects of the Anglo-American empire over the past three decades has been to encircle Russia by absorbing all of her neighbors to the west and southwest into the NATO alliance. In several waves of eastward extensions, NATO added 14 new member states, moving more than 1,600 km toward Russia. Ukraine and Georgia were next: at the April 2008 NATO Summit in Bucharest, the alliance proclaimed the Bucharest Memorandum. Referencing Ukraine and Georgia, they explicitly declared that, “We agreed today that these countries will become members of NATO.” While not yet a full-fledged member of the alliance’s integrated command, France was openly opposed to the resolution on the grounds that it would exacerbate the risk of war with Russia.

2019: Emmanuel Macron calls NATO a ‘brain-dead’ alliance

In an interview with The Economist in October 2019 titled, “Emmanuel Macron warns Europe: NATO is becoming brain-dead,” French President warned European countries they can no longer rely on US-dominated military alliance (note, by now France was a full-fledged NATO member): “What we are currently experiencing is the brain death of NATO,” and declared that Europe needed to “wake up,” as it stood on “the edge of a precipice” and needed to start thinking of itself strategically as a geopolitical power, otherwise as Europeans, we’ll “no longer be in control of our destiny.” Worse, when asked whether he believed in the effectiveness of Article Five which provides that if one NATO member is attacked all would mobilize to defend it, Macron gave a convoluted, cryptic reply: “I don’t know, … what will Article Five mean tomorrow?”

But President Macron and his government would become still more problematic for the Anglo-American cabal with the escalation of conflict in Ukraine. Of all European leaders, Macron has spent the most time visiting with or speaking on the phone with his Russian counterpart; he sought to improve relations between Russia and France and he tried to influence other European nations to chart a more independent policy on the continent.

2022: Macron says Russia has legitimate security concerns

In an interview that aired on Saturday, 3 Dec. 2022 Macron urged the West to take seriously Russia’s security concerns regarding NATO expansion near its border. He called for greater willingness to give Moscow the “guarantees” necessary for negotiations to be successful. He called them ‘essential’ if the West wants to get serious about talks and peaceful settlement. “We need to prepare what we are ready to do, how we protect our allies and member states, and how to give guarantees to Russia the day it returns to the negotiating table.” Macron added that, “One of the essential points we must address — as President Putin has always said — is the fear that NATO comes right up to its doors, and the deployment of weapons that could threaten Russia.” These comments elicited rage and disbelief among the Anglo-American allies and western media who accused the French President of being a pro-Kremlin stooge.

April 2023: Macron visits China, flirts with BRICS nations

Emmanuel Macron provoked even more rage and disbelief after his three day high-profile, red-carpet visit to China, from 6 through 8 April 2023. Western “national security experts” were so alarmed by this visit, they called the event “one of the greatest blunders by a major European power since the end of the Cold war…” Indeed, it was a slap in the face to the Anglo-American establishment.

On 7 April 2023 President Macron visited the Sun Yat-Sen University in South China’s Guangdong Province where he received an enthusiastic welcome. He delivered a speech on China-France ties and took questions from the students. There may have been a subtle message in the very venue chosen by his hosts. Sun Yat-Sen was a vocal critic of the British Imperial system and their foreign policy. In his book, “The Vital Problem of China,” Sun Yat-Sen wrote that,

“When England befriends another country, the purpose is not to maintain a cordial friendship for the sake of friendship but to utilize that country as a tool to fight a third country. When an enemy has been shorn of his power, he is turned into a friend, and the friend who has become strong, into an enemy. England always remains in a commanding position; she makes other countries fight her wars and she herself reaps the fruits of victory. She has been doing so for hundreds of years.”

[h/t Cynthia Chung for highlighting this passage]

We shouldn’t be America’s vassals

Speaking to journalists on the return flight from Beijing, Macron said that, “Europe must resist pressure to become America’s followers…” that the “great risk” Europe faces is getting “caught up in crises that are not ours, which prevents it from building its own autonomy,” and that, “Europe had increased its dependence on US for weapons and energy and must focus on boosting its defense industries.” In referring to Ukraine, Macron said that it was, “a faraway country of which we know nothing…” But even this wasn’t as unforgivable as his swipe at the “extraterritoriality of the US dollar.”

While in China, Macron signed many deals expanding bilateral trade between France and China, many of which will be denominated in Chinese yuan. Already before Macron’s visit, in March 2023 French companies began to strike such deals, the first of which was the purchase of 65,000 metric tons of liquid natural gas settled in yuan. French leadership’s willingness to craft their own bilateral relations with Anglo-American Empire’s chief rival and bypassing the US dollar is simply unforgivable. But Macron would soon go farther: according to the newspaper L’Opinion, during last month’s telephone conversation, French President asked his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa to extend him an invitation to participate in the 15^th BRICS Summit planned to be held in South Africa in late July/early August.

It’s about the two systems of governance…

It is important to keep in mind the broadest context of the current global conflict. As George Soros laid it out in his annual address to the World Economic Forum in May 2021, it is the conflict between the two systems of governance. Soros mischaracterized them as “open societies” and “closed societies.” In reality, we’re witnessing the conflict between the western imperial colonial system and pretty much the whole rest of humanity.

The imperial system governance is controlled by the western occult oligarchy which, while it gives lip-service to the rule of law, freedom, democracy and human rights, in reality it consistently sows mayhem abroad and misery at home. Truth be told, the French ruling elites have also enjoyed the massive privileges of this system for centuries. However, they never accepted subservience to the Anglo-American establishment and always sought to plunder and exploit its colonies on their own terms.

Ukraine is some faraway place to you?

We don’t know yet whether France will indeed be invited to the upcoming BRICS Summit, but in the world where not being “with us” equals being “against us,” the Empire simply can’t tolerate the uppity independence of France. You think our military alliance is brain-dead? You don’t want to be our vassal? You dare to strike trade deals with China and trade in yuan? You want to seek peace with Russia? And Ukraine is some faraway place to you? Clearly, this is unacceptable and the Anglo-American establishment has had enough of France’s insubordination. It was time to teach France a lesson and bring her into line with the Anglo-American agenda.

AUKUS alliance: a stab in the back to France

The most recent sign of the Anglo-American cabal’s contempt for the French was the 2021 announcement of the AUKUS alliance between the US, UK and Australia. In 2016, France made a deal with Australia to supply 12 conventional submarines for her navy. The deal was worth $37 billion – a very substantial amount by any measure. French diplomacy celebrated it as the “contract of the century,” important not only for its sheer size and the strengthening of France’s relationship with Australia but also in terms of securing French strategic influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

But then, on Wednesday, 15 Sep. 2021 US President Joe Biden, UK PM Boris Johnson, and “that fellow down under,” as Biden addressed Australia’s then PM Scott Morrison, announced a “historic” security alliance between the US, Britain and Australia. Part of the deal included US and UK providing Australia with nuclear submarines and a significant transfer of US military technology.

With no prior consultations or warning, Britain, Australia and the US, otherwise well known for the high value they place on sanctity of contract, simply sidelined France, tore up her contract with Australia and threw French interests overboard provoking indignation and anger in France. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian referred to the AUKUS announcement as evidence of duplicity, treachery, and a stab in the back to France from her supposed allies and partners.

France recalled its ambassadors to the United States and Australia and Le Drian stated that there was now a crisis of trust with the US. EU Council’s President Charles Michel also strongly criticized the AUKUS announcement, accusing the Anglo-American club of leaving Europe “out of the game in the Indo-Pacific region.” This was not the first massive humiliation dished out to France from the same “friendly” Anglo-American circles.

Haiti’s reparations: how the US punished France’s opposition to Iraq invasion

American diplomacy and secret services found it easy to punish France’s opposition to the Iraq invasion and the embarrassment that France’s Foreign Minister Dominic De Villepin inflicted on the US delegation in the UN Security Council in February of 2003.

Jean Bertrand Aristide had first become Haiti’s president in 1991, but was deposed in a military coup after less than eight months in office. He spent years in exile in the US before coming back to power again in 2000 elections, with the help of the US. His US liaison was the diplomat and CIA agent Luis Moreno. On 7 April 2003 Aristide suddenly started calling for colonial-era reparations from France (note, this was 18 days after the start of the US invasion of Iraq). The precise amount that Aristide was demanding was $21,685,135,571.48 – that sum represented the lower-end of the scale of estimated damage inflicted on Haiti by France.

Formerly known as Saint Domingue, Haiti was a French colony, supplying sugar, coffee and tobacco to much of Europe. It was a boon to French merchants, slave owners and financiers. But in 1791 Haiti’s slaves staged a successful rebellion and won their freedom. In 1801, when Napoleon sent a large armada to subjugate them again, they defeated his troops and in 1804 Haiti’s leaders declared independence.

But France wasn’t ready to give up Haiti. King Charles X sent another armada in 1825 offering to recognize Haiti’s independence, provided that Haiti’s government agreed to pay an extortionate tribute in the amount of 150 million gold Francs. How much money was that? In 1803, France agreed to sell the Louisiana territory to the United States for 80 million Francs – an area that was 77 times larger than Haiti. But Haiti’s choice was simple: pay up, or it’s war!

The French would have been able to impose a naval blockade on Haiti and entirely cut them off from global trade and payment systems. Haitians had no choice but to submit to French ultimatum. To pay the ransom, Haiti was forced to borrow the sums from French bankers and pay back the loans plus interest from the proceeds of their commodity exports. Incidentally, this was the beginning of the new model of colonialism based on financial debts rather than military occupation. That, essentially is the imperial model of governance plaguing humanity to this day.

Haiti’s tragic experience was the only time in history when freed slaves had to pay restitution to their former masters and borrow funds from them to meet the ransom payments. This is why Haiti’s humiliation was called the Double Debt: it took Haitians over 130 years to pay it back and doomed the nation to chronic austerity, underdevelopment and crushing poverty.

It also made Aristide’s demand for restitution legitimate and an absolute bombshell for France. His campaign grew bolder over time with banners, bumper-stickers, government adds and graffiti spread all around the country. Not only was Aristide demanding a very substantial amount of money from France in reparations, he also encouraged other former colonies to join his fight and demand their own reparations from France.

French government was stumped with this development which their Ambassador to Haiti Mr. Yves Gaudeul called explosive. He urged his government to open discussions with Haiti to diffuse the situation, but he was firmly rejected. Instead, France recalled Gaudeul and sent a less sympathetic Ambassador to Haiti, Mr. Thierry Burkard, who explained the situation in stark terms: “Algeria can perfectly make claims, as well as most of our colonies… There’s no end to it. It would have set a precedent that we would have been greatly blamed for.”

Thankfully for France, the problem disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. Before dawn on 29 February 2004 Luis Moreno, that same US “diplomat” who helped bring Aristide to power in 2000, came to his residence flanked with security officials and demanded Aristide’s resignation. Mr. and Mrs. Aristide were simply abducted and flown out of the country on a US-chartered plane back into exile. Haiti’s new, western-backed leader, Gerard Latortue dropped the restitution demands and the whole messy affair was closed.

Even though Jean Bertrand Aristide had been in power since the beginning of 2001, his calls for reparations came more than two years later, seemingly out of nowhere, but soon after France’s snub to the US over the Iraq invasion. Aristide demanded reparations from France, but never from the United States which had occupied it, or held it in debt bondage since 1915, subjecting it to equally rapacious exploitation.

Even before military occupation, in December 1914, US Marines landed in Haiti’s capital, Port-Au-Prince, broke into Haiti’s National Bank and simply took some $500,000 worth of gold belonging to Haiti’s government. Within days, Haiti’s gold was in the vaults of New York banks. Still, Aristide apparently made no precise calculation of damages inflicted on Haiti by the United States.

Furthermore, in an email exchange between Aristide’s government legal counsel Ira Kurzban, and their international law advisor Gunther Handl, the latter advised Kurzban that “Haiti must convey to France,” that there are suitable opportunities “for washing France’s dirty laundry in public.” It’s almost as though the affair was about pressuring and embarrassing France rather than securing justice for Haiti.

That notion is confirmed by the simple fact that France’s problem disappeared only after US agents removed Aristide from power, rather than after earnest negotiations with Haiti’s representatives and France’s acceptance of some obligation to Haiti. This fact alone suggests that France yielded to the United States in some backroom deal, not to Haiti. Perhaps France dropped its challenge to the New American Century and its full-spectrum dominance, and pledged her allegiance to the hegemon.

In 1966 under President Charles de Gaulle, France removed all her troops from NATO’s integrated military command and asked all non-French NATO troops to leave France. In 2009, only a few years after the Haiti affair (plus the destabilizing 2005 riots for a good measure), France once more became a full-fledged member of the North Atlantic alliance. But everyone did not live happily ever after and the relations with France remained difficult.

The Damocles’ sword of France’s colonial past

The Damocles’ sword of France’s ugly colonial past (though no more ugly than that of Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Great Britain or Germany), was brought up again in November 2022 when Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni appeared on Italian channel 7 airing some of France’s particularly ugly-looking colonial dirty laundry. She showed the Italian public two exhibits: a CFA Franc banknote and a photo of a child working in a gold mine in Burkina Faso: “This is called the CFA franc. It is the colonial currency that France prints for 14 African nations, to which it applies seigniorage and by virtue of which it exploits the resources of these nations…“

Meloni claimed that thanks to the CFA Franc, 50% of everything that Burkina Faso exports ends up in the French treasury. In addition to being the Prime Minister of Italy, Meloni is also a member of the powerful Aspen Institute. Headquartered in Washington, D. C., the institute is funded by some of the most powerful exponents of the Anglo-American establishment including the Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Carnegie Corporation and Lumina Foundation and Meloni might be doing their bidding in antagonizing France.

In another jab at embarrassing France, in May 2022, the New York Times published a 19,000-words long special report about the French colonial abuse of Haiti. Titled, “The Ransom: How a French Bank Captured Haiti,” the report reads almost as though it was the French who invented slavery and colonialism.

Preannouncing the attack on France

The most bizarre element that suggests that the current uprising in France is a planned destabilization attack by the Anglo American imperial cabal is the fact that it may have been preannounced in what appears to be their habitual modus operandi. Last month I had the privilege of participating in the Better Way Conference in Bath, organized by the World Council for Health. One of the speakers on my panel was Mr. Mark Devlin (@DJMarkDevlin) a DJ who made it his challenge to study how the ruling establishment use popular culture and entertainment to disseminate propaganda and manipulate the masses.

One thing he picked up on is that they invariably preannounce their plans to the public through popular films and TV series. Mr. Devlin claimed there are literally hundreds of examples of this, and he shared one with us: a short clip from the American TV show, The Dead Zone which aired in 2005. The plot involved a Coronavirus contagion. The virus originated from China and caused high fever and respiratory infections, necessitated lockdowns, quarantines, wearing of masks, tracking and tracing of contacts, etc.

The clip was profoundly disturbing to see, but it suggested that Devlin was onto something important. As it happens, the case of riots in France also corroborates his hypothesis. Namely, in 2022 Netflix launched a film titled “Athena” about a future ethnic civil war in France, which would erupt after the police killing of an Algerian youth. On 27 Jun 2023, French police killed an Algerian youth.

Seeking justice for Nahel by attacking Chinese tourists?

Another detail about the riots could have symbolic relevance: namely, Reuters reported that Chinese tourists were injured when rioters attacked a bus carrying a Chinese tour group in Marseille. The attack, which took place on Thursday, 29 June 2023 again reveals the cabal’s modus operandi. Recall, when the US and NATO bombed Belgrade in 1999, five U.S. Joint Direct Attack Munition guided bombs hit the Chinese embassy, killing three Chinese state media journalists. One bomb might have gone astray and hit the embassy by accident, but five bombs were a message, as was (probably) last Thursday’s attack on Chinese tourists. It would be difficult to explain why rioters who had grievances against the French government and demanded Justice for the young Nahel Merzouk, thought they’d obtain that justice in attacking the Chinese.

What now?

Should we regard Emmanuel Macron and his government as the good guys in this saga? Will they be able to pacify the situation, or will it escalate? For my part, I’ve never been even slightly fond of Emmanuel Macron, but I believe that today France’s sovereignty is at stake, and it was Macron who invited Anglo-American cabal’s wrath. If France fights back, things will get ugly. Yes, they’ll have to crack down and yes, western media will accuse them of all the standard faults of tyranny, repression, intolerance and censorship.

If France capitulates, things will get uglier still and uglier for longer. But to defend France, the government of Emmanuel Macron will have to try to bring together all of France and this could prove their toughest challenge. Macron represents the French elites which do have much to answer to – not only to their colonial subjects but also to the French people whose country has been stolen from under them (though Macron is not the only one to blame for this).

In 1996, when I moved to Monaco, I recall that for several years in a row, France was winning the top spot as the country with the highest quality of life (I believe the quality of life surveys were conducted by Conde Nast or some such publication). Over the last 25 years however, quality of life in France has deteriorated precipitously. If France is to survive and lead Europe once more, the elites backing Macron will have to reconcile and make nice with the people.

With regards to her colonial past, France will at the very least need to set up a truth and reconciliation commission and offer an earnest apology and a helping hand to its former colonies to rise and develop as equal trading partners rather than simply territories to strip mine of their resources and subjugate in a cold and inhumane fashion.

The world should consider offering a helping hand to France, because with the present struggle, a very large opportunity has presented itself to humanity: to defeat the imperialistic system of governance that’s caused the unspeakable tragedies of our colonial past and its most powerful beneficiaries, the Anglo-American imperial establishment. If they succeed at taming France and making her their vassal, they will grow stronger.

If France prevails and joins humanity, the multipolar integrations and the other model of governance, the imperial cabal will suffer a crushing blow. I know where 99.9% of us stand and for my part, I would love to see Emmanuel Macron in South Africa at the end of this month, for once listening and earnestly seeking partnership and reconciliation with the world and securing France’s place as an equal in a new community of nations.

The Mistake That Got So Many CIA Agents Killed in China🎙Darknet Diaries Ep. 75: Compromised Comms

A Letter

On the morning of May 19th, 1902, a huge explosion ripped through Fraterville Coal Mine in Tennessee, its devastating power instantly killing most of the 216 miners who were below ground.

For the 26 who survived the initial blast, a side passage of the mine proved to be a safe haven, but not for long—when rescuers eventually reached them, all had suffocated.

Found next to a number of the those 26 bodies were letters to loved ones, one of which can be seen below.

It was written by Jacob Vowell to Sarah Ellen, his beloved wife and mother to their 6 children, one of whom, 14-year-old Elbert, was by his side in the mine. (“Little Eddie” was a son they had lost previously.)

All but three of Fraterville’s adult men were killed that day; over a hundred women were instantly widowed; close to a thousand children lost their fathers. The Fraterville Mine disaster remains the worst of its kind in Tennessee’s history.

Last photo of the survivors of HMAS Armidale

Last photo of the survivors of HMAS Armidale, which was sunk on 1 December 1942 after being attacked by a Japanese aircraft. This photo was taken from a Catalina flying boat on the 8th but was unable to land due to rough seas. The men in the raft would never be seen again.

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The Western Societies…

Why you have “child-proof” caps on medicine bottles

On September 12, 1982, a 12-year-old girl named Mary Kellerman fell ill and was admitted to the hospital after ingesting a Tylenol capsule, a popular brand of acetaminophen. Tragically, she passed away the following day.

Around two weeks later, six more deaths occurred, including three individuals from the same family who had taken the painkiller from the same bottle.

Wednesday, September 29, 1982 was a school day, but 12-year-old Mary Kellerman woke up with a runny nose and a headache. So her parents told her to stay home, take a couple of Tylenol and get some rest.

“I heard her go into the bathroom. I heard the door close. Then I heard something drop,” recalled Dennis Kellerman, Mary’s dad. “I went to the bathroom door. I called, ‘Mary, are you OK?’ There was no answer. I called again: ‘Mary, are you OK?’ There was still no answer. So I opened the bathroom door, and my little girl was on the floor unconscious. She was still in her pajamas.”

Mary was pronounced dead at the hospital from unknown causes.

A few hours later, in a nearby suburb of Chicago, a 27-year-old postal worker named Adam Janus had also taken a sick day. After lunch, he complained to his wife about a headache and took two Extra-Strength Tylenol. Like Mary, Adam collapsed on the floor almost instantly and couldn’t be resuscitated. The paramedics ruled it a massive heart attack.

Adam Janus’s relatives rushed to the house to console his grieving wife. Overcome by Adam’s sudden passing, his younger brother and sister-in-law asked for some Tylenol. They were the next to die.

All told, seven people in the Chicago area died suddenly and mysteriously on September 29 and 30, 1982. One was a mother of four, including a week-old infant. Another, a healthy, 31-year-old, crumpled to the floor at work. The last victim, a flight attendant, was found dead in her apartment three days later, an open bottle of Tylenol still on the bathroom counter.

Investigators and toxicologists quickly identified the culprit: tampered capsules of Extra-Strength Tylenol. Someone had opened the capsules and replaced the pain-relieving medicine with deadly doses of potassium cyanide. One of the most common over-the-counter pain relievers had been turned into a murder weapon.

The 1982 Tylenol murders rocked the nation. The seven deaths were the top story in every major newspaper on October 1, the official start of the Halloween season, and the “Tylenol Terrorist,” as the media dubbed him, was still on the loose.

For decades, Americans had been told scary tales of Halloween treats supposedly spiked with razor blades and rat poison, but the Tylenol murders ratcheted up the anxiety around treat-or-treating to new levels, prompting cities and towns across the country to cancel Halloween.

The official response to the Tylenol murders was swift.

The manufacturer of Tylenol, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson called McNeil Consumer Products, initiated the largest consumer product recall in American history, ordering pharmacies and grocery stores to pull 31 million bottles of Extra-Strength Tylenol from their shelves. Several more bottles in the Chicago area were found to contain cyanide, but thankfully no one else was hurt.

The federal government also swept into action. Congress passed the Federal Anti-Tampering Act, which promised up to 20 years in jail for anyone found tampering with medications, food or other consumer goods. And the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) passed new regulations requiring drugmakers to package medications like Tylenol in new, tamper-proof bottles. (“Child-resistant” caps had been around since 1970.)

“[The 1982 Tylenol poisonings] was one of those pivotal moments,” says Dr. Alan Woolf, a pediatrician at Boston Children’s Hospital and a professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. “Forty years later, we take it for granted that bottles of over-the-counter medicine are shrink-wrapped in plastic and there’s a piece of foil that you need to peel back. Those tragic killings changed the pharmaceutical industry and changed federal labeling laws.”

The Johnson & Johnson lost so much… The company’s chair at the time, James E. Burke, abided by corporate responsibility and made the difficult and expensive decision to recall 30 million Tylenol products voluntarily. This cost the company over $100 million.

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“Haunted Beauty”: Mysteriously Bizarre Photo and Art Works of Natalie Shau

Natalie Shau is mixed media artist and photographer based in Lithuania (Vilnius). She found interest in fashion and portrait photography as well as digital illustration and photo art.

Despite her personal work, Natalie also creates artwork and photography for musicians, theater, fashion magazines, writers and advertisement. She also worked as an art director for a short 3d movie of Kamel Ouali musical “Dracula”

More: Instagram, Twitter, Behance, Foundation

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Formerly Jeff Bezos started an online bookstore from a garagebox, having access to the internet. What could a person start with low capital these days that could be a gap in the market?

That’s the entire problem…if an idea was easy to come up with – then it wouldn’t be a gap in the market.

TO PICK AN EXAMPLE:

This is a true story.

Back in 2004 (I think) a lady named Linda Katz decided to learn how to build a Web site. The Kansas farm which she lives on had recently been infested with tumbleweeds – a common problem in that part of the world. So for a joke, she created “Prairie Tumbleweed Farm”.

Supposedly, according to the (fake) web site – they organically farmed, harvested and sold the world’s choicest tumbleweeds: A small one for $15, $25 for a big one.

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To her extreme surprise, actual, for real orders started rolling in ones and twos – so grinning ear-to-ear, she found some cardboard boxes, stuffed a tumbleweed into each one – and mailed it off to her customers. Selling maybe one or two per month…not exactly a “business”. But it was hilarious…so she kept the website alive.

Then one day, a Hollywood movie props company needed some tumbleweeds for a Western movie set and ordered MANY HUNDREDS of them … at $25 each! THOUSANDS of dollars in one order.

This brought money AND publicity.

Then NASA bought a bunch of them to test the Mars Rover (Why?!? I can’t imagine!).

Then NPR did a radio show piece about the “farm” – I think as an April Fools thing…and with free publicity she was actually selling these generally worthless dead weeds at an impressive rate!

The website had to be translated into Japanese because tumbleweeds had become some kind of Feng Shui miracle!

She’s sold tumbleweeds for 13 years and claimed to earn around $40,000 a year.

ANALYSIS:

What’s the lesson here?

Nobody in their right mind would sit down one day and SERIOUSLY consider selling a dried up weed for $15 to $20. But there’s a thing on the Internet called “Long Tail Marketing”.

If you imagine a graph of the popularity of items that people need, it’s going to be something like this…

On the left are things like groceries, books, TV sets, lightbulbs…mundane things that a hell of a lot of people want. Being in that market is a major pain – you’re competing against the biggest retailers in the world. Amazon, Walmart, etc – it’s extremely price-competitive – you need to advertise – keep postage costs to a minimum…URGH!

But way over to the right – on the “long tail” of the curve are things like tumbleweeds – which VERY NEARLY nobody wants – and neither Walmart nor Amazon sells. In 2004 – if you searched on “Buy Tumbleweed” – there was only ONE hit.

The point being – in the era of brick and mortar stores – you could open a Tumbleweed store in a major city – and never sell a single tumbleweed for months on end.

But on the Internet – with a few billion people searching Google several times a day – if you can be the ONLY source for tumbleweeds – and then 100% of the (admittedly very small) market is yours – people will come to you to buy – and you won’t need advertising or to compete on price.

So the trick is to be the first – and to be the ONLY source for something. Even if it’s something incredibly rare and unusual. Because out of a few billion people, SOMEONE is looking for what you’re selling.

HOWEVER:

If you Google “Buy Tumbleweeds” today – there are DOZENS of businesses trying to do the exact same thing – with various degrees of seriousness.

It’s gone from being a fun, joke thing to being…well…BORING.

The original website for Prairie Tumbleweed Farm seems to have vanished…and I’m not surprised. The market for tumbleweed probably hasn’t grown by much – and with a dozen “Me Too!” knock-off websites beating down the prices – there’s simply no money in it anymore.

CONCLUSION:

If you can come up with a “long tail market” – and can get in, make money and get out again before Amazon is selling tumbleweeds too…you can do very well indeed.

But I can’t tell you what that product or service is…or how to make it…or how to be sure that people see your store.

It’s one of those things that – if it was both easy and obvious – everyone would be doing it.

This is one of those things that was easy in the early days of the Internet – because there were lots of things that you couldn’t find on the Internet – so you could be out on the long-tail and make good money.

You can still do that – but it’s just harder and harder to come up with an idea.

Tucker Carlson: Free Gonzalo Lira

https://youtu.be/to15UBjtswk

A tale of survival

In 1993, Emile Leray, was on a journey , enjoying his cruise across the Moroccan desert when he crashed his car in the middle of the desert.

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He was stranded and had to save himself or he would die in the desert. This was when his intelligence came to rescue him.

Emile Leray, a 43-year-old former electrician, had to rebuild his car, a Citroen 2CV into a motorbike using no special tools.

He built his motor bike in ten days using materials from his crashed car. He had no drills, no power tools or welding equipment, he screwed all the parts together.

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Seven Generations

In 1989, in Wisconsin, USA, an extraordinary feat was achieved: seven generations of a family were alive at the same time. This remarkable occurrence remains undisputed and stands as a world record. The individuals involved were Augusta Bunge, aged 109, accompanied by her daughter Ella Sabin, aged 89. Ella’s daughter, Anna Wendlandt, aged 70, was also present, along with Anna’s daughter, Betty Wolter, aged 52. Betty’s daughter, Debra Bollig, aged 33, attended alongside her daughter, Lori Bollig, aged 15. Lastly, Lori’s son, Christopher Bollig, aged only one month, completed the seven-generation lineup.

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Why do most Westerners continue to think of China only as a factory to serve their consumer needs, and do not attempt to understand the dynamics driving China’s development and foreign policy?

Simple

Chinas growth has simply been too fast

They transformed from a Manufacturing Base to an Economic Giant with a strong domestic market in a matter of 10 years

Back in 2012 – China was still a country to whom you went to build a factory and build your own stuff and export it globally.

Their Domestic Industry was very small and evolving

Today in 2022 – China is different. Its Domestic Industry is slowly getting dominated by Chinese Brands and they are spilling over Globally. They have taken the lead in High Speed Railways, 5G Communications and AI from the West and once they manage to lick their Chip problem – they could leapfrog by a further decade.

No Democracy can understand such growth that always happens under an Efficient Autocracy

As a Result the West cannot understand the Fast Growth of Chinas and constantly struggle to understand that China is on par or even ahead of them in several areas.

So they convince themselves that China is still the same old Manufacturing Factory it was 10 years or 15 years ago and they feel comfortable thinking so

Shots Fired! Iran Tries to Seize Two Vessels in Strait of Hormuz; US Navy Responds

World Hal Turner 05 July 2023

12:13 PM EDT — Within the hour, Iran tried to seize two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz that is the entry/exit to the Persian Gulf. Shots were fired.

The US Navy Responded and says it “prevented” Iran from seizing the vessels.

Marianne Williamson for president

Never heard of a sane, smart, brave, non-Trumpian, non-senile, non-token black and non-LGBTQ+ female presidential candidate telling the obvious? She’s scaring the shit out of the American voters with the simple truth. Everyone in the audience listening to her looks like a deer staring at a headlight.

Survival

In 1992, Annette Herfken’s partner of 13 years persuaded her to follow him on a romantic vacation; he never knew that would be his worst decision.

Fifty minutes into the flight going to Vietnam, the plane suddenly plummeted into the mountains. When she woke up, everywhere was dark with people screaming.

A dead passenger strapped to his seat was lying on top of her. Gradually, the noisy and chaotic enclosure was replaced with utter silence; everyone had died except her.

She was left alone with decomposing bodies until the 8th day when rescuers came, before then she battled the thoughts of cannibalizing the bodies around her to survive.

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Sleeping Beauty of Palermo

Known as the “Sleeping Beauty of Palermo,” the impeccably preserved body of Rosalia Lombardo is among the most remarkable mummies in the world.

When Lombardo died in 1920 just a to her second birthday, her heartbroken father took her to an embalmer and asked him to make her appear as if she would “live forever” before laying her in a glass-topped coffin and entombing her in the Capuchin catacombs beneath the Sicilian capital.

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The embalmer used a secret zinc mixture to petrify her body and even posed her with her eyes slightly open so that she would appear as if she was either just falling asleep or waking up from a nap.

In fact, this illusion is so convincing that some mourners who come to visit her still swear that her eyes opened and closed throughout the day, revealing beautiful blue irises beneath her delicate eyelids.

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Western ideas of beauty…

Before is so much more beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. How can anyone approve this downgraded architectural design.

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China unveils first open-source desktop operating system

By Fan Feifei | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2023-07-06 13:47

China rolled out its first open-source desktop operating system, called openKylin 1.0, on Wednesday, a key move that indicates the country has the ability to build its own self-developed operating system and fill the gaps in this field.

The openKylin 1.0 was developed by a group of Chinese companies led by China Electronics Corp, the country’s largest State-owned comprehensive electronic information enterprise group. Other participants include the China Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team, Kylinsec Technology and more than 10 other software companies.

The launch of openKylin 1.0 will help bolster the iteration and upgrade of the domestic operating system; guarantee the security in key fields such as government affairs, finance, communications, energy and transportation; and provide reliable basic software services for the country’s IT industrial chain.

Currently, China’s software operating system industry is dominated by foreign labels, such as Microsoft Windows, Google Android and Apple Mac OS.

The openKylin system can be applied in some hardware devices, including computers and mobile phones. Last year, CEC unveiled China’s first desktop operating system developers’ platform openKylin.

Flirty Witches and Naughty Demonic Beauties In Pin-Up Illustrations By Alejandra Oviedo

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Based in Bogotá, Colombia, Alejandra Oviedo draws funny and seductive pinup girls in all kinds of variations. Sometimes they are classic beauties, but most of the time Oviedo draws very unusual women – vampires, zombies and even pumpkinheads. And in each work there is a perfect balance of humor and sex – a real art.

More: Alejandra Oviedo, Instagram

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Flight 123

In 1985, a Boeing747 in Japan had a sudden explosive decompression in mid-air because of a faulty repair. The plane then crashed into Mount Takamagahara. All 15 crew members and 505 of 509 passengers lost their lives. This picture was taken by a passenger during the same incident.

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Kuwait Clears Country of 3,000 Trans-genders/Homosexuals

World Hal Turner 05 July 2023

Kuwait has deported 3,000 transgender “people” from the country, and strict instructions from the Minister of Interior stresses “the need to clean the country of homosexuals.”

Wow.

Do you think China’s move to manage exports of rare elements is justified? Why or why not?

Legally?

Not sure

Gallium and Germanium come under ‘Resources’

The US could argue that China is restricting exports of ‘Resources’ while US is restricting exports of ‘Technology’

Core Tech can be protected by law

Resources can’t be withheld unless you establish existing demand domestically

I am sure the Chinese will claim they need all the germanium and Gallium they can get

Bottom line is — US chose to play hard and fast with WTO rules, now they can’t argue that China is doing the same thing

Cheeseburgers with Caramelized Onion Butter

Prep: 30 min | Cook 15 min | Yield: 6 cheeseburgers

Ingredients

Caramelized Onion Butter

1/2 cup (1 stick) + 2 tablespoons Challenge Butter, softened
2 large yellow onions, coarsely chopped (2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Cheeseburgers

2 pounds lean ground beef (less than 12% fat)
6 Kaiser or hamburger rolls
6 slices sharp Cheddar cheese
Lettuce, tomato slices and bacon (optional)

Instructions

Caramelized Onion Butter

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine.
Cook onions slowly for at least 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. You may need to adjust your heat to low as well. Cook onions until they become translucent and golden brown and then allow to cool.
Cream butter in small bowl using a fork or electric mixer.
Gradually blend in caramelized onions. Butter mixture can be used while still soft; or it can be rolled into a cylinder in parchment paper or plastic wrap and refrigerated or frozen, then sliced into thin rounds.

Cheeseburgers

Divide meat into 6 equal portions (about 2/3 cup each) and flatten portions into 4 1/2 inch round patties.
Broil or grill patties.
Place 1 tablespoon of caramelized onion butter on each patty and top with a slice of Cheddar cheese.
Serve on rolls with optional lettuce, tomatoes and bacon.

Notes

Flavored butter can be stored a couple days in the refrigerator or it can be frozen for several weeks.

Marianne Williamson: ‘We should treat the drug issue the way countries like Portugal do’ | Conver…

Asked about the opioid crisis during the portion of her “Conversation with the Candidate” event that airs exclusively online, Democrat Marianne Williamson says the government should treat the drug crisis as a mental health crisis and make other changes to its approach.

She also answered a number of other questions including the abortion issue and how to address the national debt without harming Social Security or Medicare. Conversation with the Candidate is a town hall-style program.

It is intended to allow the candidate to convey their points of view on a wide range of topics. During the program, the moderator may challenge the candidates’ assertions, but every fact may not be checked in real time.

Britain Closed Waters off its East Coast July 4, Looking for Russian “Posiedon” Torpedo

World Hal Turner 05 July 2023

The British government issued Notice to Airmen and Mariners (NOTAM) closing almost the entire east coast waters off England yesterday for 15 hours. Turns out, they were searching for a Russian “Poseidon” autonomous Torpedo with a 100 MT nuclear bombs aboard! The public knew nothing.

It began around 4:00 AM UK time on July 4. Notices to Airmen and Mariners (NOTAMs) were issued by the UK closing vast swaths of ocean off the UK east coast as “Danger Areas.” The NOTAM below shows the enormous areas that were closed.

Intelligence sources inside the UK have revealed the British were extremely worried that Russia may have already deployed at least one of its “Poseidon” torpedoes off the UK coastline, to create a nuclear Tsunami that would destroy most of the country without warning!

They were also concerned that other Russian Ballistic Missile submarines may have already taken-up station off the coast, to launch missiles in retaliation for what the UK has been doing to Russia inside Ukraine.

British news services did NOT carry any information about this search, nor did they even report the vast parts of the ocean closed-off for the intense searches. The British public was left blissfully unaware.

POSEIDON

Russia’s new “Poseidon” autonomous torpedo is a nuclear powered device that can travel the world’s oceans unaided, and undetected. It can be programmed to travel to – and lay off the coast of – an adversary, at a depth of at least 1 km.

At the programmed time, the torpedo would detonate a nuclear bomb it carries, that has a yield of up to 100 megatons.

The design of the weapon is such, that most of the blast energy could not make it to the surface of the sea because of the great depth at which the explosion takes place. Instead, that energy would PUSH the water in a sudden, violent blast, causing a gigantic Tsunami tidal wave. As the wave approaches the coast of the adversary, the waters get shallow as they rise up to the shoreline, which causes the moving water to begin piling-up on itself.

When the wave finally comes ashore, it does so as a 1500 foot tall wall of water, moving at about 600 MPH.

Everything on the shore, and perhaps as deep as twenty five miles inland, is wiped off the face of the earth.

No warning. No evacuation time. Just a wall of water killing everything in its path.

What makes this especially horrifying is that all the nuclear blast energy is still in the water, so it is highly radioactive.

Once the water comes ashore, it deposits that radiation onto the land, making the entire area uninhabitable for over a hundred years.

If not killed outright by the wave, nothing would be able to survive once exposed to the tremendous radiation.

Russia is the only country on earth that has this technology. The west is fully aware of it, yet continues to “poke the bear” in Ukraine.

The west, it seems, has become suicidal.

…

Washington’s Real Policy Toward China

04.07.2023 Author: Brian Berletic

After an intense escalation between the US and China over the former’s persistence in “containing” the rise of the latter, and particularly over US interference with the island province of Taiwan, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken traveled to Beijing supposedly to repair tattered US-Chinese relations.

As part of the process, Secretary Blinken even publicly recited the US One China Policy, acknowledging that the US does not support Taiwan independence. However, even while acknowledging China’s sovereignty over Taiwan, Secretary Blinken reiterated US “responsibilities” under the unilateral Taiwan Relations Act “making sure Taiwan has the ability to defend itself,” or in other words, selling arms to Taiwan without Beijing’s approval and thus trampling Chinese sovereignty.

Following this, US President Joe Biden would refer to Chinese President Xi Jinping as a “dictator” during a speech featured on the official White House website. Days later, Secretary Blinken would affirm President Biden’s comments, as reported by US government-funded media outlet Voice of America in their article, “US Officials Agree: China’s Xi Is a Dictator.”

Why is the United States attempting to appear to be pursuing diplomacy while deliberately sabotaging any improvement in US-Chinese relations?

Before answering this question, it is important to understand just how long-running the US policy of containing China actually is and how unlikely it is we are witnessing any serious attempt to change it today.

US Policy Seeking to Contain China Stretches Back Decades

US foreign policy toward China has been for decades and remains focused on encirclement and containment. Even as Secretary Blinken traveled to Beijing, a myriad of US government-funded programs led by the National Endowment for Democracy (is banned in Russia) and adjacent organizations worked to coerce, destabilize, and even replace governments along China’s periphery in Southeast Asia to shape the region into a united front against Beijing.

The US is also still working closely to expand the activities of its two key anti-China alliances, the Quad (the US, India, Japan, and Australia) and AUKUS (Australia, the UK, and the US).

The US continues its military build-up in the Indo-Pacific region, including through expanding the US military’s presence in the Philippines and continuously sailing US warships off China’s coasts.

Additionally, US government and corporate-funded think tanks like the Council on Foreign Relations, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the Atlantic Council are currently planning both economic sanctions to impose on China, as well as, military intervention meant to enforce and exacerbate sanctions.

Today’s posture of US belligerence toward China is a continuation of a policy articulated decades ago in US government documents. On the US State Department’s official website under the Office of the Historian, a multitude of documents and memorandums explaining Washington’s policy of containing China can be found.

One document dated 1965 with the subject “Courses of Action in Vietnam” written by then US Defense Secretary Robert McNamara to then US President Lyndon Johnson would note:

The February decision to bomb North Vietnam and the July approval of Phase I deployments make sense only if they are in support of a long-run United States policy to contain Communist China.

China looms as a major power threatening to undercut our importance and effectiveness in the world and, more remotely but more menacingly, to organize all of Asia against us.

The memo would also note “three fronts to a long-run effort to contain China” which included, “the Japan-Korea front, the India-Pakistan front, and the Southeast Asia front.”

Omitting references to Vietnam and the Soviet Union, the memo sounds like it could have been written today, a reflection of how US foreign policy pursuing China’s containment has persisted for decades regardless of which US President resides in the White House and who controls the US Congress.

Feigned Diplomacy for Consensus Building Toward Sanctions and War

If the US has pursued China’s containment for decades and has no intention of stopping, why has the US State Department attempted to appear to pursue diplomacy with China?

The answer is simple. It fits a wider pattern of Washington attempting to portray itself as “diplomatic” and “reasonable” and its adversaries as belligerent and unreasonable. When the time comes to impose sanctions and even wage war, the perception that the US does so only reluctantly helps build consensus amongst American allies who are needed to help enforce US sanctions across the global economy and bolster US forces on the battlefield.

In 2009, then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would hand Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov a physical “reset” button as a symbol of Washington’s supposed interest in “resetting” relations with Moscow. However, even as Secretary Clinton conducted the charade, the US State Department and related agencies and organizations were engineering the upcoming 2011 “Arab Spring” and the violent overthrow of multiple Russian allies across the Arab World including Libya and Syria, the New York Times would later admit.

Another example is the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the “Iran Nuclear Deal.” While the agreement wasn’t publicly revealed until 2013 and only signed in 2015, US-based think tanks began planning for it years earlier.

In the Brookings Institution’s “Which Path to Persia? Options for a New American Strategy Toward Iran” paper, US policymakers would admit the proposal was essentially a trap aimed ultimately at regime change in Tehran.

The paper would admit:

The ideal scenario in this case would be that the United States and the international community present a package of positive inducements so enticing that the Iranian citizenry would support the deal, only to have the regime reject it.

In a similar vein, any military operation against Iran will likely be very unpopular around the world and require the proper international context— both to ensure the logistical support the operation would require and to minimize the blowback from it.

The best way to minimize international opprobrium and maximize support (however, grudging or covert) is to strike only when there is a widespread conviction that the Iranians were given but then rejected a superb offer—one so good that only a regime determined to acquire nuclear weapons and acquire them for the wrong reasons would turn it down.

Under those circumstances, the United States (or Israel) could portray its operations as taken in sorrow, not anger, and at least some in the international community would conclude that the Iranians “brought it on themselves” by refusing a very good deal.

While it was clear the US-Russia “reset” was disingenuous, the Brookings paper offers documented proof that the US uses apparent good will and diplomacy as a means of consensus-building ahead of predetermined sanctions and even military intervention.

Several years after the Iran Nuclear Deal was signed and put into effect, the US would unilaterally withdraw from the agreement, accuse Iran of having “violated” it, reimpose sanctions on Iran, and begin pursuing a combination of US-sponsored subversion within Iran (as planned elsewhere within Brookings’ paper) and proxy war across the Middle East region against Iran and its allies.

Just as was stated in 2009 by Brookings policymakers, the US attempted to appear to extend an offer of peace and reconciliation, only to then attempt to portray Iran as having violated the nuclear deal in bad faith, justifying sanctions and military actions the US had prepared against Iran and intended to inevitably use all along.

With Secretary Blinken’s recent visit to Beijing, the United States is pursuing a similar strategy against China.

US Sanctions and War with China Already Underway

Just as with Russia or Iran, the US has already planned and is implementing both a campaign of escalating economic sanctions and military aggression against China, both directly and through proxies.

The US has for years sponsored armed groups from Pakistan’s Baluchistan region to Myanmar in Southeast Asia, to the Solomon Islands in the Pacific to attack Chinese diplomats, citizens, infrastructure projects, and businesses.

The US has already implemented sanctions on Chinese economic activity. Through US government and Western industry-funded think tanks like the Council on Foreign Relations, further sanctions are being prepared, which are intended to be even larger than those imposed on Russia after the Special Military Operation began in February 2022.

The CFR’s paper, “U.S.-Taiwan Relations in a New Era, Responding to a More Assertive China,” spells out Washington’s plans to continue undermining its own agreements with Beijing over Taiwan, recommending a host of political, economic, and military measures to maintain US influence over the island province and thus US primacy over China in Asia.

Measures such as further arming Taiwan, separating Taiwan economically from the rest of China, and building up a US military presence in the region all aim to prevent China from stopping what is essentially the political capture of Taiwan by Washington. Maintaining control over Taiwan is key to an admittedly wider policy of maintaining US “influence” and “access” in Asia.

Echoing the 1965 memorandum published by the US State Department on its own official website, the CFR paper concludes “it is not only Taiwan’s future at stake but also the future of the first island chain and the ability to preserve U.S. access and influence throughout the Western Pacific.”

The paper even includes a map showing how Taiwan “anchors a network of US allies,” a network which clearly encircles and threatens China.

It is clear that the United States seeks to encircle and contain China. Because of China’s growing power, Washington is unable to do so alone. It requires increasingly extreme economic sanctions and military aggression in its attempts to subordinate the rising superpower, requiring consensus between itself, its allies, and nations around the globe it will attempt to coerce into supporting both its sanctions and military aggression as tensions expand.

Just as US policymakers stated regarding Iran, “the best way to minimize international opprobrium and maximize support (however, grudging or covert) is to strike only when there is a widespread conviction that” in the case of China, the US “tried” diplomacy, and it was “China’s” decision to pursue belligerence leaving a “reluctant” US no other option but economic sanctions and military intervention, hopefully convincing, compelling, or at least making it easier to coerce the rest of the world into going along.

It appears that both Russia and Iran were well aware of US duplicity in its supposed diplomacy. It is unlikely that China is unaware. China likewise seeks global support amid growing US-Chinese tensions, but is doing so through patience, persistence, and through constructively engaging with the rest of the world, providing a compelling and stark contrast to the accusations leveled by Washington against Beijing.

Judging at the rate of decline of the unipolar “international order” led by Washington, and the rise of multipolarism advocated by not only China but also Russia and Iran, it appears China is pursuing the winning strategy. Only time will tell if the increasingly dangerous and desperate measures Washington is resorting to in its long-running policy of containing China eventually succeeds, or ultimately backfires and unravels the current circles of power in Washington and on Wall Street who conceived and perpetuated this policy.

What made you laugh hard recently?

This photo that went viral recently. Amidst the riots in Paris a couple is enjoying their evening.

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It’s been compared to the “this is fine” meme on social media.

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The big game of chess is about to see some grand moves on the game board.

There is a lot of things going on. One of the big things is the apparent “disclosure” by the government that Aliens exist that that the United States government has been reverse engineering the vehicles for decade. Uh huh.

What is interesting is that the mainstream “news’ is ignoring this news.

Then you have this massive movement of NATO and the United States ready to take on Russia. That is NOT going to have a good result.

But…

I believe that China and Russia has already planned for this and are playing “this game of Chess” about 56 moves ahead of the USA.

Manifestations hitting hard! Good stuff.

Have you ever refused an inheritance? Why?

Yes. My grandmother died, and my aunt (her daughter) and uncle had lived with her for years and took care of her. My aunt died before my grandmother, so when my grandmother died, it left only my uncle living in the house. He approached me awkwardly and asked if I would sign over the deed so he could have the house. He needed me and my sister to do this, and we both did with no reservations. He had taken care of the house, my grandmother and my aunt for years, so it was the right thing to do.

Africans Vs African Americans

Interesting.

Speaker of the House Sends Lawmakers HOME – Three Days Before NATO Exercise . . .that may start Russia War

Nation Hal Turner 08 June 2023

The looming and not-so-public fact is that NATO’s “exercise” simulating war with Russia starts in 3+ days – and that “exercise” — may turn out to be real.

Or was it not “practice” at all? How many of those officials are STILL in those Bunkers? Is Congress now joining them?

I don’t believe the public reason given for this sending of lawmakers “home.”

Who knows, maybe they’re planning some type off False Flag attack upon Washington, DC to be blamed on Russia?

Wouldn’t surprise me in the least.

Stay tuned . . .

Liquor Store Owner Shoots Armed Robber With Shotgun

https://youtu.be/WanvSbJHbWI

A delicious layered Tex-Mex casserole using three different cheeses.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (15.5 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 (16 ounce) can tomatoes, with juice, coarsely chopped
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder, or to taste
1 (15 ounce) carton Wisconsin ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded Wisconsin Monterey Jack cheese
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
3 large eggs, beaten
1 (8 ounce) bag tortilla chips
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Sharp Wisconsin cheddar cheese

Instructions

Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat. Sauté green bell pepper and garlic until tender.
Add kidney beans. Set aside.
In saucepan, combine tomatoes, tomato sauce and chili powder. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
Add to kidney bean mixture. Combine ricotta and Monterey Jack cheeses, chiles, onions and eggs.
Spread 1/4 of cheese mixture evenly in greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish.
Arrange 1/4 of chips over cheese.
Spread 1/4 of tomato mixture over chips. Repeat layer 3 more times.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes.
Remove foil and top with cheddar cheese and bake 10 to 15 minutes more.
Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

(Real Zombieland) Visiting America’s Ruined City | 我走入美國加州最恐怖市中心華人為什麼還不離開?

Real.

What’s something a flight attendant did to you that you will never forget?

Flying into Jackson, MS, on USAir, my airplane stopped and people began to get out of their seats. I realized, though, that the hatch had not opened, and bumpety-bumpety-bump sounds were coming from it.

The captain came up on the PA. “Folks, there are marks on the ground where different aircraft types are supposed to park, in order to have their hatch lined up with the jetway. I’ve just been told that there is an error in ours. We’re going to have to be pulled back by a tug. Before that, everyone has to be sitting and strapped in.”

Grumble grumble. People sit down. Feeling of slight movement.

Bumpety-bumpety-bump. Bump bump. Hatch still isn’t open.

At that point, a flight attendant came up on the PA. In the most syrupy and seductive of Southern Belle voices, she oozed into the microphone, “Is it in?”

Unfortunately, the captain was talking to the tower, who heard this. I was later told that operations came to a halt for several minutes, until Air Traffic Control stopped laughing.

Let’s talk about some news (Live)

Interesting.

COVERT INTEL – U.S. POSITIONING MISSILE LAUNCHERS ALONG CALIFORNIA COAST

Nation Hal Turner 08 June 2023

From HERE. Paywall.

WARNING ⚠️ It’s MUCH Worse than People know! | shtf prepping news

Yah.

This Barbershop Will Give Kids A Discount If They Read

Reading is very important when it comes to a child’s development, and this barbershop in Ypsilanti, Michigan encourages kids to pick up a book. Every child who picks up a book and reads out loud will get $2 off their haircut. Barber Ryan Griffin says he was inspired when he discovered another barber shop in Harlem was doing something similar, and so far the idea is a big hit.

More info: Facebook

17 Things You Do Way Too Rarely For Your Cat

A must watch for cat owners.

The Biggest War Battle on European Soil Since WW2 is HAPPENING right now – almost not a peep from the Main-Stream Media!

World Hal Turner 08 June 2023

The largest war-fighting battle on European soil since WW2 is RAGING right now – today, June 8, 2023 – and not even a peep from the West’s so-called “main stream media!”

According to battlefield sources, Ukraine’s first attack on Zaporozhye is almost repulsed.

It is likely Ukraine will regroup and drive a few more waves to the slaughter.

The Russians say “Our boys are ready and charged.”

One Russian source said, “we are not sleeping, we are waiting!”

SO FAR . . .

The next two weeks could very well see the outbreak of nuclear world war, and a change to all our lives that will never return to “normal.”

People Made this Kitten Aggressive And Spicy But He Loves To Cuddle Now!

What a cute and wonderful video. It will put some joy in your heart.

https://youtu.be/DfDIXKhhs0w

Is the US really winning against China in the Chip War? Will the USA be able to thwart China in her attempt to be the number one economy?

Let’s see what the tech giant Bill Gates say about this.

On March 2, the Financial Times published an interview with Bill Gates. The Microsoft founder strongly believes in the potential of US-China cooperation and does not think a military escalation is likely.

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Bill Gates claimed that the US would not be able to achieve the desired result and limit Beijing’s ambitions through procurement restrictions – which include a recent attempt to get the chip industry back under US control.

Gates does not see much sense in restricting chip sales to China, as the Asian nation will be able to catch up with the US rather quickly at this scale, and expressed his desire for Washington and Beijing to cooperate closer with each other.

Bill Gates:

Well, I don’t think the US will ever be successful at preventing China from having great chips. You know, we are going to force them to spend time and a bunch of money to make their own chips, but given 5 to 10 years and they take money out of their poverty program. The idea that we could ever sell them chips, we’re just eviscerating that.

You know, we’re saying make your own jet engines, your own software, your own chips. And I think that’s a shame and I don’t get the logic. Given that they’re at scale to catch up fairly quickly and I don’t see how that’s some gigantic benefit.

So you know, I wish the US and China could get along better. We seem to be on a deteriorating trend which when we have things like health, innovation, climate innovation that are win-win things between all countries, but the most important relationship in the world is the US-China relationship. I’m disappointed and worried about how that relationship has evolved over the last couple of years.

Regarding a possible military conflict between China and the US within the next decade, Gates argues that restricting Chinese chip sales and manufacturing would only warn Beijing about the intention for military escalation and thus further damage bilateral relations and provide China with advance warning of a future threat. The billionaire personally does not believe in a military conflict between the two countries.

Why Southeast Asia Chose China (You Won’t Believe What USA Did)

What else is new…

Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Water RECEDING after Dam Blown Up

World Hal Turner 08 June 2023

The Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) sits at the edge of the giant reservoir kept full by the Novo Khakovka Dam. When that Dam was blown up three days ago, water levels in the Reservoir began to plummet. This is causing water in the cooling pond that feeds water to the ZNPP to plummet as well.

Without sufficient cooling water, the nuclear reactors at the ZNPP will not be cooled, resulting in a nuclear disaster.

This is like a ticking time bomb. No one knows how long water levels will remain high enough to provide cooling water to the reactors. Disaster could be just DAYS away.

China canceled orders worth billions of dollars from Germany

Yup.

https://youtu.be/6x-0QvIpIwE

What can the U.S. do right now to make sure that China never becomes the world’s leader?

Well…actually the US can do nothing to stop China’s development. What can the US do now is to find the right way to get along with China.

Just wanna share Noam Chomsky’s view: When asked whether he believes that China will become a world leader, Chomsky said, “It already is.”

According to prominent US academic and philosopher Noam Chomsky, China has already become a world leader and its entering the Middle East arms market shows the erosion of the system in the region that has been run by the United States for 80 years.

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Chomsky explained that the programs based on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) extend throughout Eurasia and considerably beyond.

“In the past few months, Saudi Arabia joined the SCO, followed by the second regional heavyweight, the United Arab Emirates, which had already become a hub of China's Maritime Silk Road, reaching from Kolkata in Eastern India to the Red Sea and on to Europe."

Renowned US investor Jim Rogers also told Sputnik earlier in May that China will become the next great country and most important nation of this century.

This isn’t right, Somethings Changed.

Indeed.

An Adorable Line of Miniature ‘Bread Cat’ Shaped Resin Toys That Look Good Enough to Eat

Korean designer Rato Kim has created a really adorable line of catloaf toys that range from the very realistic to the surreal. The toys are crafted from resin and can be easily mixed and matched with other equally adorable toys of Kim’s design.

h/t: laughingsquid

Mennonite Meat Balls (Fleischbolle)

Ingredients

3/4 pound ground pork
3/4 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped finely
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup rice, soaked in water
2 eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup ketchup or tomato sauce

Instructions

Mix all but the ketchup and form into balls; brown balls in a pan, put into an oven dish and cover with blended ketchup and 1 quart of boiling water. Let simmer in oven for 3 to 4 hours, making sure the balls haven’t gone dry.

ALIEN BODIES! Video evidence of U.S. held UFO handed over to journalists | Redacted w Clayton Morris

Hum.

Tex-Mex Capirotada

Ingredients

Pudding

12 slices stale bread, preferably French or whole wheat
8 to 10 ounces grated Monterey jack or cubed cream cheese
3/4 cup pitted prunes, plumped in hot water and diced
3/4 cup seedless white raisins or dates, diced
2 large bananas, sliced, or coarsely chopped apples
1 cup sliced almonds

Syrup

2 cups water
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Egg Mixture and Topping

2 cups water
1 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs, separated
4 tablespoons flour

Meringue

Reserved egg whites
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Presentation

Sweetened whipped cream or ice cream

Instructions

Toast the bread and allow to cool.
Using a well-buttered baking dish, 12 x 9 x 2 inches, make a layer of bread, using about half the bread. Top with half the cheese and fruits and all the bananas or apples.
Add another bread layer, then the remaining cheese, fruits, and the nuts. Set aside.
In a medium-size saucepan, boil the water, sugar, and cinnamon together for 5 minutes.
Pour syrup over the pudding mixture.
Remove 1 cup and beat with egg yolks and flour, then add this egg mixture to the remaining syrup and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until thick. Pour custard over the bread and fruits.
Cover and let stand several hours at room temperature, or refrigerate overnight.
When ready to bake the pudding, beat the egg whites until very stiff, beating in the sugar at the last. Spread atop the pudding and then bake at 350 degrees F for about 40 minutes, or until the meringue is well browned and the pudding is set.
Serve small portions with a dollop of ice cream or whipped cream.

Yield: 12 to 14 servings

Storage, Freezing, and Advance Preparation

The basic dessert, excluding the topping, may be prepared 24 hours in advance or overnight. Because of the sweet syrups, the bananas will not turn brown any faster than they would during ordinary baking. The topping should be added just prior to baking. The pudding may be served either hot or cold; it will reheat easily without changing consistency, either in a microwave oven or in a hot 400 degrees F oven, covered with foil.

Psychologist EXPLAINS Why Not EVERYBODY IS ATTRACTIVE

Hey you!