It appears obvious. You know, right? The United States is forcefully and intentionally forcing the world into two sides.

You can see this with what happened with Italy. Sure they love China and the BRI investment, but a unified surrogate EU must be beholding to the USA. So we are seeing things play out.

The USA is trying to secure Europe. But the major nations of Germany, and France are trying to shake off the American pre-defined role that they MUST act as they are for the USA while moving against it. So is Italy, trying to walk a thin line.

One face gives big fat wet kisses to the USA, and the other face, is one where Italy is in bed having gymnastic sex with China.

So…

Do not be confused by scant NGO / NED successes in Pakistan, Thailand, and Mongolia. Those are not going to amount to anything and are not going anywhere.

Asia is united with China.

Africa is united with China.

The Middle East is united with China.

South America is now in play. And it is quiet. Too quiet, but things are going on.

If anything is printed in the “news”, it will be long after the bodies are buried.

Meanwhile, the “news” media screeches and howls about war, and this and that. They are just noise makers designed to keep the rabble in line. Don’t listen to them. It’s all bullshit.

…

Meanwhile, I could use a nice apple pie ah la mode. With a nice hot fresh cup of coffee. That is what I could use right now. How about you all?

Today…

What is the most disturbing fact you know about psychology?

This is important because it could happen to anyone. How easy is it to control groups of people, and how far is a person willing to go to serve another?

I have worked alongside anti-cult groups and wrote an article exposing one of the biggest cults in the world. Before I got involved in researching new religious movements I had a very narrow-minded view of the kind of people that join cults, but the reality was much different.

When I first joined the group I was researching I was recruited by a doctor, and a respected one who was also an author. She was smart and attractive and when we first talked, she had a very warm personality, not what you would expect from a group that believed Aliens had come to Earth to give their leader the secrets to life.

As my research continued, I began to meet similar intelligent people who where working high end jobs, and I even met a psychologist who was a member of this group.

Imagine volunteering to be buried alive. This was one of the initiations into the upper levels of the group. At this stage, the cult has broken down so much you are willing to climb into a hole to be buried alive.

So how do smart intelligent people get to that point? Well, it starts gradually.

When you join these groups, you will be subjected to what you would call love bombing, and it comes in many forms, and it happens with every cult. This is the time you start making connections with other like-minded people in the group. If it’s a large cult, then these groups would be split up all around the world, and each of these groups would have an instigator.

Some people do well in these cults, and they always have similar personality traits as their leader, such as narcissism. These are the people that will start breaking you down. One example of this would be Keith Raniere’s, NXIVM cult, and the actress Alison Mack who was his instigator and helped control the girls in the group.

Like I said, the abuse starts gradually, and the abuse comes in the form of it being beneficial to you. It could be minor things like what you eat. They like to control what you eat because the fewer nutrients and calories you get from food makes you lethargic, which makes you more malleable.

They start to control who you talk to, like family members and friends outside the group. This isolates you from people who will try to make you see reason, and when you are around only the people from the group, it becomes hard to question the red flags. They slowly strip you of who you are, and by the time the abuse is ramped up, you’re so desensitised to it you don’t even know you are being abused.

What does it feel like to be in this state? There’s always a mix of fear from the many veiled threats you will receive from the leader of the group, and this will come from the instigators as well. You will be in a constant state of brain fog, and everything that was once normal to you will be distorted by the group’s beliefs, and it will become unfamiliar and menacing.

I had a friend who was a notorious conspiracy theorist, and I didn’t like how his views would try to distort my reality into being something to be fearful of. But again, my friend was a prime example of how this form of group thinking can drastically distort one’s reality.

So how does a cult turn deadly? Someone willing to volunteer to be buried alive is know different then volunteering to die or even kill someone. It’s all dependent on the leaders ideology and how far he’s willing to take that control he has over his members. If you are willing to endanger yourself to the point of death, then you will be willing to anything.

Deadly cults like Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple, Mansion and his family, Heavens gate, they all have one thing in common, a leader who was willing to cross that line. The people in these groups where all the same, brainwashed into believing death was the only option.

Tex-Mex Spaghetti

Ingredients

• 12 ounces spaghetti
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound chicken, cut into cubes, or 1 pound ground beef
• 1 large red onion, sliced and julienned
• 2 bell peppers, sliced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 (15 ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken or beef broth*
• 1/4 cup Half-and-Half
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
• Fresh cilantro, for serving

* If using chicken, use chicken broth; if using ground beef, use beef broth.

Instructions

1. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook spaghetti according to package directions until al dente. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add chicken or ground beef and cook 6 minutes.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add onions and peppers and cook until tender, 4 minutes more.
5. Add chili powder, cumin, and oregano and stir until coated.
6. Add tomatoes and stir, then add chicken or beef broth and Half-and-Half.
7. Add cooked spaghetti to skillet and toss until coated, then add cheeses and stir until creamy.
8. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Prep: 15 min | Cook: 10 min | Yield: 4 servings

Are American restaurant portions bigger than those in other countries?

The United States is famous (or infamous) for the size of its restaurant portions. Honestly, if you didn’t grow up in the United States (or Canada, which isn’t quite as bad, but knows about it) you will be astounded by how much food you get for a reasonable amount of money.

Travel YouTuber Mark Wolter talks about his experience in Chicago with their famous “deep dish” pizza. He’s from the midwest and travels a lot, and when he goes to Chicago’s most famous pizza places he orders a “personal” because even though he’s a fairly large fellow, he knows he can’t eat a small. On one of his trips, a European came in alone and ordered a “small”. Wolter tried to warn him, but the fellow insisted he had eaten small pizzas by himself lots of times and never had a problem. He couldn’t finish half of it.

Food is extremely cheap in the United States.

I completely disagree. But this is an American, who never left the USA and only knows what he knows. -MM

… because the production of much of it is either heavily subsidized or relies on agricultural produce that is heavily subsidized (like beef and alcohol, both the result cheap corn). The United States has 157 million hectares of arable land (only India comes close, and it has triple the population) and grows far more food than it can reasonably consume. There used to be a large export market for American food, but although it still exports, that export market is constrained. For example, since 1940, the U.S. population has doubled, but corn production has quintupled, and the vast majority of corn grown isn’t for human consumption, even when you take into account American favourites like corn flour, corn oil, and corn grits.

The bottom line is that food in the United States is cheap, plentiful and largely delicious. If you run a restaurant, food costs are the least of your worries – labour is a much more important expense, as is the cost of renting or buying land.

These are actual soft drink sizes sold in actual food retail establishments in the United States. Yes, at some 7-Eleven locations, they will sell you a 128 oz fountain drink. That’s 3.7 liters of soda.

The cost of the smaller 40 oz “Super Big Gulp”? Generally around $1.59 plus 25 cents for the cup. Once you buy the cup, refills are only $0.99.

Why does Mike Pompeo hate China so much?

Mike Pompeo doesn’t really hate China. He’ll tell you he only hates the government but not the people. He’ll even tell you how much he loves Chinese food. In 2019 a whistle blower has accused him of using his taxpayer-funded security detail to pick up Chinese food, walk his dog, and chauffeur his college age son to and from Union Station in Washington DC. How can he hate a country he hardly knows?

Interestingly, China wasn’t on Pompeo’s mind while he was the Republican congressman from Kansas’s 4th District. However all that changed when he became Donald Trump’s CIA Director and later Secretary of State. He had an advisor who hated China—Miles Maochun Yu. Now all he could think about is China.

Yu was born in China and had a PhD from the University of California at Berkeley and taught at the US Naval Academy as a professor of modern China and military history. He was also a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institute, a conservative think tank.

Whatever scraps of knowledge Mike Pompeo have of China come from his chief China policy planner and strategist, Miles Yu. Now he knows how to stick it to the Chinese government in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Xinjiang.

The real question is why does Miles Yu hate China so much? We know that he has listened to Voice of America when growing up and supported the Tienanmen Square protests. In his social media account, he has considered sanctions against China as “a badge of honor.” He is also in favor of NATO expansion in Asia to contain China.

Phyllo Potato Knish

These unique appetizers with savory potato and onion filled phyllo pastries come with a small taste of comfort in every bite.

Prep: 30 min | Cook: 30 min | Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

• 18 (9 x 14 inch) sheets Athens Phyllo®Dough, thawed
• 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut in half
• 1 teaspoon + 1 pinch salt (for boiling potatoes)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 large egg + 2 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons milk

Instructions

1. Thaw one roll of Phyllo, following thawing instructions on package. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place potatoes in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover and add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, and then simmer until tender. Drain, mash and set aside to cool.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add onions, cooking covered over medium heat until they become soft and begin to brown. Remove from heat to cool.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine mashed potatoes, salt, pepper, onions and any remaining oil. Mix in one egg.
5. Unroll and cover Phyllo sheets with plastic wrap, then a slightly damp towel to prevent drying out.
6. Lay one sheet of Phyllo dough on a work surface and brush lightly with butter. Place a second sheet on top and brush with butter. Place one more sheet on top but do not butter. Cut layered Phyllo in half widthwise, so you have two stacks, each 9 x 7 inches. Place 1/3 cup filling on each stack toward the bottom (an ice cream scoop is perfect for this). Fold long sides over the filling and then roll from the bottom up, making two packets. Repeat the process with remaining 15 sheets of dough, yielding a total of 12 knishes. Place knishes seam side down on a baking sheet.
7. Whisk together egg yolks and milk. Brush the egg yolk mixture over the top and sides of each knish.
8. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

What is your comfort Chinese dish or food that can bring you smiles, when it is needed?

Poached chicken aka white cut chicken.

It has its most famous manifestation as the Hainan chicken rice. However it is also a dish by itself.

At its best, it uses capon chicken ie castrated cocks.

The French has their version in Bresse chicken.

In fact some say only the Chinese and French appreciate the nuances of poached chicken.

The Chinese go further with condiments of shredded ginger, spring onion soy sauce. Tomato sauce or chili sauce should not go as condiments for this iconic dish, although some use them, because they overwhelm the flavour.

Biden’s Childish Move Brings Shame US Technology Policy On China Shattered!

The US has never had any experience in dealing with real smart enemies.

The experience it had during the Cold War with the USSR didn’t have technological and economic factors in it.

The war against China is of a different nature.

Had the US had smart politicians at all, the war shouldn’t have happened. It started with the cocky President Trump, the real estate man who had never had any political experience before, and then passed on to Biden with his Neocon cabinet, together with the support of equally prejudiced Congress.

https://youtu.be/lm-RE4cgzSk

Did NASA fake their first moon landing?

The most popular answer says that Neil Armstrong was a terrible actor, and that’s why the moon landings had to be done for real. Well, only the first part of that is true. Neil Armstrong was indeed a terrible actor. We know this from the Apollo 11 press conference:

Have you ever watched this recording?

The comments under it are truthfully hilarious:

These comments go on and on and on…

Seems quite a few people have been able to face the facts and overcome their cognitive dissonance.

That’s one small step for man, one giant lie for mankind.

Are gas driven cars cheaper to manufacture than electric cars? Or vice versa?

EVs have far fewer parts. There is much less mechanical complexity. The modern EV is a flat, skateboard-like platform, with some bodywork bolted on the top.

Assembly requires far fewer man hours what assembly there is can be automated more easily.

So to build an EV costs a manufacturer far less – especially if they re-tool their production line for EV-first assembly. No fuel tanks, pumps, hoses, transmission tunnels, gearboxes, spark plugs, carburettors, manifolds, exhausts, catalytic converters, clutches – all gone.

The only issue remaining is the traction battery. This component costs a lot to buy, and the supply of batteries is less than the demand. So we see EVs with slightly higher prices than their ICE equivalents.

If battery pack manufacture and supply was improved, the cost of building an EV would be significantly less than the equivalent ICE vehicle. Whether car makers will pass that on to customers, is another question.

UNSOLVED: The Creepiest TV Hack in History

THE MAX HEADROOM INCIDENT. November 22nd, 1987 was a pretty normal evening for television viewers in Chicago. That night, like every night, Dan Roan was covering sports on WGN-TV, Channel 9. Then suddenly, the signal was disrupted and screens across the city cut to black. Engineers at WGN-TV thought their transmitters were failing.

They weren’t.

A few seconds later, something crazy happened. WGN’s broadcast signal had been hijacked in what is now known as “The Max Headroom Incident”. WGN-TV was able to act quickly and get their signal back. But, Two hours later, it would happen again to another TV station and there was nothing they could do to stop it. What happens next remains one of the most bizarre unsolved crimes in television history.

What misconceptions did you have about China that you didn’t dispel until you went to China?

I was born in Singapore, and someone in my family can speak Chinese, so I have been able to speak Chinese since I was a child.

But it doesn’t mean I understand China. Actually, I knew nothing about China until I was 25 years old.

My knowledge of China comes from Hollywood movies, BBC news, Mediacorp, and BBS.
It was a place ruled by an evil regime, and people wore gray and blue clothes, rode bicycles, and wore the same hats .
They ate dog meat every day, and baby girls were killed. Anyone who says a bad word about the leader is gone the next day.The air is full of smog, food and powdered milk are poisonous.
All in all, a horrible place.

Until ten years ago, when social media became popular, I saw many real pictures and videos of China. While there is still a lot of bad content, there is a lot of good content coming out. However, I still think it’s a terrible place.

5 years ago, I went to China for the first time because of my work. I went to Shanghai, Chongqing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, and even a village in Guizhou Province.

Within an hour of leaving the plane, I was shocked by this country, and for the next hundred hours, I was shocked by this country every hour.
I found that all my images of China in the past were wrong. This is a super-modern country, people are very orderly, and the degree of modernization of buildings, roads, and cities surpasses all countries I have been to, including European and American countries.

There are no gray-blue clothes, and no one eats dog meat.
The girls are very fashionable and beautiful. Their cops don’t even have guns and batons, and they rarely show up.
We can drink in the street and take a walk late at night. In the pub people talk about elections in America, stocks in London. The milk tea is very delicious, and all kinds of food are very delicious.

Chinese people don’t use cash or credit cards, they use QR codes for all payments. Made me look like a redneck on my first shopping trip.

In the following years, I traveled to China twice. 2020 break. I went there again this year, and China has undergone tremendous changes again.
On the streets of Shenzhen, at least half of the cars have been replaced with green license plates. That’s the massive EV revolution.

I don’t know how many words to describe the change in my view of China. Perhaps, only when people go to China can they experience all this.

Niger France Embassy Siege Moving To Forceful Removal, Macron To Deploy Troops To Protect Citizens

“I as a Tennesseean I stand with any country who seeks to throw off the yolk of neo-colonialism and freely rule themselves”

What do you do if your flight arrives at 5am in the morning and your hotel doesn’t allow check-in until 2pm?

Here’s what I did;

My flight arrived just after 5 and I got to the city centre around 7.

I went to the hotel and told them about it. They said they’d be happy to hold my luggage, and if I’d like a cup of coffee they could let me know soon if an earlier checkin might be possible.

It was, but still only at 12 noon. Would I like to visit the breakfast buffet? I’d need to pay, though. Yes, no problem, I’d love to.

Would I like to use and hang out by the pool? Yes! Especially as I could shower there as well.

At around 10, as my luggage was safe and sound I did some exploring around the neighborhood, found a supermarket, got a few bits and pieces (water, snacks, a little flask of booze, some soap nicer than hotel soap, toothpaste). I did some early gift and souvenir shopping, got t-shirts and stuff to take back home, had more coffee, and kinda bumbled around in an air-conditioned mall.

Found a food court and had an early lunch. My energy was fading.

Got back to the hotel around 11:30 expecting to wait, maybe with more coffee, and was greeted with “actually a room is ready for you. We just said 12 because we have to allow enough time for the cleaners. Would you like to go up now?” Oh yeah, I would.

Had a deliciously cool shower and flopped onto the bed for a huge nap, then woke up and headed out again. It worked out!

Why Does Biden Look SO DIFFERENT? TWO Bidens? A MASK!? We Finally Have The ANSWER

Beneath all that is actually Scrappy Doo trying to be a world leader.

Joe Biden is MULTIPLE PEOPLE.

What impact will the resumption of Boeing sales to China have on US-China relations?

It’s call de-risking!

I thought the U.S. is trying to de risk from China? Don’t sell them planes! They may copy it!

Oh they already have their own jets! Never mind keep your Boeing and sell it to your slaves and cronies. They will buy but give them 50 years to recover from the recession first!

You see China learns from the U.S. fast. You think only you needs de-risking? China needs to de risks from you too! Why should China buys from Boeing, who the. Makes money and fund its weapons subsidiaries to armed the U.S. to threaten and attack China? These are real tangible risk for China!

Remember you stop buying from DGI and Huawei because of de-risking or decoupling? Well China is de-risking and decoupling too! We learn from you!

Don’t do on to others what you don’t want them to do on to you! Learn this and leant it quick. China just stop 500 billion dollar jet planes purchase from Boeing since you de-risk we de-risk too!

P.S. apologies to the thousands of U.S. worker who lose their jobs!

Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave Documentary, July 14 – 16, 2023

In Philadelphia as a whole, violent crime and drug abuse are major issues. The city has a higher rate of violent crime than the national average and other similarly sized metropolitan areas. The drug overdose rate in Philadelphia is also concerning. Between 2013 and 2015, the number of drug overdose deaths in the city increased by 50%, with more than twice as many deaths from overdoses as homicides. 2 Kensington’s high crime rate and drug abuse contribute significantly to Philadelphia’s problems.

Because of the high number of drugs in the neighborhood, Kensington has the third-highest drug crime rate by neighborhood in Philadelphia, at 3.57. The opioid epidemic has played a significant role in this problem, as it has in much of the rest of the country. Opioid abuse has skyrocketed in the United States over the last two decades, and Philadelphia is no exception. In addition to having a high rate of drug overdose deaths, 80% of Philadelphia’s overdose deaths involved opioids, and Kensington is a significant contributor to this figure. This Philadelphia neighborhood is said to have the largest open-air heroin market on the East Coast, with many neighbors migrating to the area for heroin and other opioids. With such a high concentration of drugs in Kensington, many state and local officials have focused on the neighborhood in an attempt to address Philadelphia’s problem.

What is an act of kindness you witnessed today?

I was at a mall today, paying bills, having lunch and planning on a visit to the gym (pat on the back: I did all three!).

As I walked to the bank, I noticed an older man sitting by a water feature, dipping his fingers in the pool. This was unusual as people here in Thailand rarely do this in a mall.

When I passed him again 10 minutes later, he was standing in the middle of the walkway, searching to his left, then to his right, over and over, looking distressed.

I was about to approach him when a group of (uniformed and backpacked) high school students got to him first. They spoke to him respectfully and quickly realized that he didn’t know where he was or who should be with him.

One young man sprinted off to Information while the others tried to distract the old man to calm him.

A few moments later, a female security guard approached the group, having been notified by Information. She told the kids they could leave, but they refused, feeling they should stay and keep ‘grandfather’ happy.

An announcement was made, and within a few minutes, a very worried, middle-aged couple rushed over to the old man, and although they fussed at him for disappearing, they were clearly relieved.

The high school students were thanked, and then they respectfully took their leave.

The old man watched them go, turned to the couple and asked, “Where are the grandkids going?”

The couple smiled at him and gently said, “It’s ok, Father. They are going to school.”

The old man replied, “They are such good kids. You raised them well.”

China DESTROYS the Neocons as Biden’s WAR Fails w/ Brian Berletic

“I joined Brian Berletic of The New Atlas on his channel to discuss my trip to China and what I learned about this successful defeat of US and European war plans against it.”

This is really good. Listen to what they have to say. Learn something.

Is China economically done? Nike gone, Samsung gone, and Puma gone. Vietnam is rising as the new manufacturing giant of Asia and the US is thrilled. Is China done?

Typically Consumer Products dont leave a country unless it’s market has reduced so much that there is no point in continuing

Today China has at least 100 Local Brands of Shoes ranging from the 21.99 Yuan a pair Danis available in every Hypermarket to the 2199 Yuan a pair LiNing in select showrooms in Malla

They have taken over sponsorship of events and Athletes begin buying them over brands like Nike or Puma

PUMA or Nike have so much unsold inventory in China that they typically offer mass discounts during Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year

Nike was very arrogant when it has a two third market share in China

It priced itself in Dollars

It sold shoes without it’s “Air”

Now Nike and Puma simply can’t sustain operations because CHINA ISN’T BUYING THEM ANYMORE

Domestic Brands in China have surged with Nikes market falling from 53% in the Middle of 2014 to 8% by 2021 while Domestic Shoe Brands rose from 6% in 2014 to 61% in 2021

Plus Chinese Brands Anta and Nining rose their Asian market share from 0.8% in 2015 to 8.6% in 2023

And if Nike gets such a mauling, imagine Puma!!!!

---

Plus the Nike production in Vietnam is 66,000 Pairs a day Or 2 Million a month

In China?

It was 14.8 Million Pairs a month in 2016

Almost 7.5 times higher

---

As for Global Exports – Prices to make Nike Shoes have surged in China due to higher labor costs

The Chinese say

You pay us 110 Yuan a pair for our Factory make, pay our wholesellers 240 Yuan a pair and you sell retail for 1300 Yuan a pair

Sorry, either you pay us more or we start making Anta or Lining which pays us more and shares price more evenly

Vietnamese don’t

They need these numbers

---

Same with Samsung

Once Samsung dominated Consumer Electronics in China with a 31% market share and Mobiles with a nearly 18% market share

Today?

Samsung Electronics have a 3.2% market share on the mainland and their phones have near zero demand

---

It’s market forces purely that many brands are pulling out of China

China has domestic equivalents now at half the price and same quality

Why would China pay twice the money just for a brand?

Chinese are some of the most practical people on earth when it comes to money

Only a few foreign brands like the Iphone or Macbook hold a fascination for the Chinese even today

INTERVIEW: The odds are on a nuclear war

Retired US colonel Tony Schaffer says there’s an 80% chance of war between America and Russia in the next year. No one in power understands the Russian perspective.

US Commerce Secretary Raimondo said China is “uninvestable”; does China want investment money from the US?

China is taking a very close look at investment money now, and in many areas, US investment money is not attractive because:

• US legal jurisdiction claims to be above the law of other nations, giving the US the ability to sanction other nations for US IP products and services within the nation’s own borders;
• US investment money favors New York as the world’s capital market, and the role of the US dollar as the global reserve currency. The Chinese government wants to cut back on the US dollar as the only global reserve currency, which is why it is active in BRICS.
• The US keeps its global economic dominance through the Big 4 accounting firms which act as gatekeepers to US equity markets for raising capital. Same goes for US investment banks.

For these reasons, China is looking at diversification, especially in the area of manufacturing.

In order to find an alternative to US investment money, China has built very strong trade and investment relations with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, both of which were recently admitted to BRICS. Both are just starting to invest in Chinese projects in China and in their countries, and the new BRICS entrants of Egypt and Ethiopia.

This Middle East capital will flow into China and come without many of the strings which come with US investment capital.

This is part of China’s decoupling policy with the US.

24 Times Paulie Walnuts Had The Best Lines On “The Sopranos”

This is fun.

How dangerous is it to be a Night Stalker in the US Army?

This question strikes close to home, thanks for asking Luther.

I was in the 160th in the early days, May 83 – Mar 88. I ended my 20 year career and retired out of the 160th. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the ultimate, there is no unit like it and after being in the 160th there’s no other place to go. *Everybody* in the Night Stalkers is a volunteer; officer, warrant officer, NCO, enlisted. You are so highly trained and the mission so specialized that once in the unit the Army will leave you there until you ask to be reassigned or the unit leadership asks you to leave.

There were several training accidents in my day resulting in a lot of casualties. So many that at one time the big Army considered shutting the unit down. Understand that we were charting new territory, what we did in establishing new procedures and ways to operate had never been done before. Things improved tremendously, the unit got better, provided the SOF community with a capability it never had before. The big Army realized this, we persevered and now the 160th SOAR(A) is the best unit of its kind in the entire world. Hell, it’s the *only* unit of its kind. It was born out of the disaster that was Desert One, the Iran hostage rescue attempt in April, 1980.

Our “customers” are the best of the best and the Night Stalkers will not let them down. They are why the unit exists. To them you can be one of two things, an asset or a liability. Nobody wants to be the latter. No matter the weather, no matter the terrain, no matter the opposing force capability, the Night Stalkers will get them to the objective. And most importantly the Night Stalkers will get them out. Time on target plus or minus 30 seconds.

To completely define a Night Stalker you need to also consider the spouses, the families. They are just as dedicated and it can be said that their job is the hardest.

Yes, you could consider it dangerous, probably more so than any other aviation unit. The training is intense, you train like you fight. It gets the call and is exposed to hostile action more often than any other aviation unit so the risk is always there. Its aircraft are not “off the shelf”. They are tailored and modified for the unique mission and is the best you can get. Night Stalkers and its customers are involved in some operations that you don’t hear about and never will. Everybody is a volunteer. The unit personnel are the best of the best and you don’t become a Night Stalker until you successfully complete assessment and initial training. Certain personalities are drawn to this kind of unit. Those that will willingly risk their lives for their buddies, for their Country. To them, the risk is worth it. To the rest of the country, be proud and comforted knowing that those types of individuals exist.

And ya know what? If you were to pass a Night Stalker on the street you’d never know it. They don’t brag, they don’t boast, they don’t thump their chests. Ah, they might in jest amongst themselves or their customers, but never in public. They look and act like your typical guy or gal that lives next door to ya.

“To those who have fought for it, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.”

Night Stalkers Don’t Quit!!

Roasted Blue Cheese Potato Salad

Get rid of that boring old potato salad recipe and change things up in the flavor department with this delicious Roasted Blue Cheese Potato Salad.

Prep: 10 min | Bake: 25 min | Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients

• Pam® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
• 1 yellow onion, sliced in 1/4 inch thick rounds
• 3 pounds baby red potatoes
• 3/4 cup diced celery
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray the bottom of a baking sheet generously with cooking spray.
2. Evenly spread out the onion slices and potatoes onto the baking sheet.
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the potatoes are browned and tender.
4. Chill immediately.
5. Next, dice the chilled onions and place them into a large bowl along with the chilled potatoes, celery, mayonnaise, blue cheese, basil, salt and pepper and mix until combined.
6. Serve chilled.

USA mad!

The USA is now into sanction inception! Say what? The USA will sanction already sanctioned companies for not respecting sanctions…

Again wut? Chinese companies that do business with another Chinese company, under US sanctions will get sanctions.

😀 😀 😀 😀

It’s like they think they can pass laws for other countries!

This Is WORSE Than China’s Treasury Dump!

China’s treasury dump has hit a 14-year low with $11 billion more bonds sold, but this is nothing compared to the tsunami of debt coming from America itself. Yellen is going to flood the economy with nearly $2 trillion dollars worth of treasuries which is putting enormous pressure on bond yields. While this might push the economy towards a recession, the real risk is accelerating towards a fiscal cliff which is unthinkable!

US Gov’t Begins Probe Into Huawei’s Breakthrough Chip

So here we go!

Huawei Technologies Co. roared back into the spotlight this past week after a Bloomberg report showed their new phone is powered by a 7nm processor, which is just a few years behind Apple’s iPhone. And who’s getting the jitters over this new development? Those very same Capitol Hill lawmakers, who, for the last several years, sanctioned not only Huawei but also China’s chip sector to stymie homegrown tech progress. That move didn’t pan out as planned.

Now, the US Commerce Department is panicking while it rushes to understand how sanctioned Huawei was able to design and manufacture a 7-nanometer processor for its new Mate 60 Pro smartphone. The whole purpose of blacklisting the company and many other Chinese tech firms was to restrict access to US technology to make these sorts of devices.

Mate 60 Pro went on sale while the US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was on a trip to China last week. This is a sign that China is ‘thumbing their noses’ at the US for the wave of sanctions that have failed so far.

“We are working to obtain more information on the character and composition of the purported 7nm chip,” a Commerce spokesperson said in a statement.

According to Bloomberg. the Commerce Department will begin its own investigation into Huawei’s new phone. The Commerce Department’s Office of Export Enforcement will likely lead the study to determine if China’s top chipmaker, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp.’s Kirin 9000s chip, was made using US technology.

The Mate 60 Pro news is a sign that suggests President Xi Jinping’s efforts to develop technological self-sufficiency are working. The Bloomberg report on the phone showed it has “an unusually high proportion of Chinese parts … a sign of the country’s progress in developing domestic tech capabilities.”

Meanwhile, China has banned iPhone use by central government employees and has expanded it to to local governments and state-owned companies. Such curbs threaten multinationals like Apple, which derives 25% of its sales from China.

Tom Nunlist, an associate director from the Beijing-based consulting firm Trivium, said, “Chip tech export controls may have been Washington’s one and only ace in the tech war.”

Tex-Mex Street Tacos

Flavorfully-seasoned flank steak cooked to perfection, and then wrapped in soft warm corn tortillas.

Yield: 4 servings; 2 cups Pico de Gallo

Ingredients

Tacos

• 2 pounds flank steak
• 1/4 cup silver tequila
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 jalapeño pepper, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• Cotija cheese, crumbled
• 16 corn tortillas

Toppings

• Minced white onion
• Chopped cilantro

Optional Toppings

• Cojita cheese
• Lime wedges
• Pico de gallo

Pico de Gallo

• 4 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
• 2 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, ribs and seeds removed, minced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

Tacos

1. Place tequila, soy sauce, garlic, lime juice, orange juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper, jalapeño pepper, shallot and cilantro in a freezer proof zip-top bag. Add flank steak. Seal and marinate 6 hours to overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Heat gas or charcoal grill to 400 degrees F.
3. Remove meat and discard marinade. Place steaks on oiled grates and grill for approximately 4-6 minutes on one side or until moisture startes to pool on the top and beef releases easily from the grates with tongs. Flip once, grilling on the other side for 4 to 6 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F with meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the steak. Transfer steaks to a platter and let rest for 3 minutes before slicing against the grain, into 1/4-inch thick strips.
4. Warm the tortillas for 30 seconds on each side in a dry skillet or on the grill.
5. Stack 2 tortillas, add beef, toppings and lime juice if desired.

Pico de Gallo

1. Pico de Gallo: Combine Pico de Gallo ingredients in mixing bowl and toss thoroughly.