I did inventory ordering for a large orange home improvement store. I moved on after nine months.

On day 1, I was told no order should exceed $6,000. I had no idea what I was agreeing to. My first order was $30,000. I ordered one item of everything missing in a fence product we carried; Minimum orders were $15,000 to place an order as well. I sold $45,000 in fencing that week and was written up for going over the agreed $6,000 limit. They literally wanted barren shelves if the order was over $6,000.

As the months went on, I had several orders exceed that $6,000 limit. I sold $2,000,000 in roofing in one week. I was written up for ordering too much, and then they tried to write me up a minute later when they found out we were out of stock… I told them I had three trucks due that night and I was written up again for going over the $6,000 limit. Three write-ups in one day.

I increased sales by 30% from the previous year when everyone else was down 20%, had little “extra” stock and almost no “out of stocks”. I left after they promoted someone for the job I was doing. They promptly dropped 20% from the previous year instead of getting the 30% over… they had no one to fight to place orders that exceeded $6,000 and quickly ran out of product to sell.

The guy who was promoted went on to other stores to promote this limited ordering strategy. And sales dropped there too…

I personally don’t shop at stores that do not have stock… that was why I stopped shopping at Sears years before their bankruptcy. Empty shelves were a sign of them making those same mistakes. When you have nothing to sell, how does a company profit? I never understood the motive behind ordering less to save money when you are running out of product.

Noncompetes Are Dead—and Tech Workers Are Free to Roam

A new rule from the US Federal Trade Commission invalidates most noncompete agreements, frequently used to bind tech workers. It could unlock higher wages and more entrepreneurship and innovation.

More US workers will soon be free to leave their employers to work for rivals, thanks to a new federal rule that will block the long-standing practice of locking in workers with noncompete agreements.

The US Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday issued a final rule that bans most noncompetes nationwide. The agency estimated that by allowing people more freedom, the change would lead to the creation of 8,500 new businesses annually, an average annual pay increase of $524 for workers, lower health care costs, and as many as 29,000 more patents each year for the next decade.

The FTC says about one in five US workers are bound by contract clauses that prevent them from taking new jobs from a competitor, or starting their own competing businesses, for some period of time. The agreements can trap workers and slow career advancement and wage increases—two things workers often achieve by hopping jobs.

The agreements also disproportionately affect workers in tech and certain other roles: 36 percent of engineers and architects work under noncompetes, as do 35 percent of workers in computer and math fields, according to research from the Universities of Maryland and Michigan.

Under the FTC’s new rule, “tech workers will probably experience a rise in the outside opportunities that they face,” says Evan Starr, an associate professor of business at the University of Maryland who worked on the research. “They’ll have more freedom to work where they want; they will be more likely to be paid higher wages.”

Opponents of noncompetes say they hurt workers by keeping them in lower-waged jobs and also stifle innovation, preventing people from starting their own businesses or putting innovative ideas into practice. Noncompete supporters argue that the arrangements encourage investment in staff and protect trade secrets. But recent research from Starr indicates that banning noncompetes hasn’t led to an increase in trade secret litigation.

The new FTC rule has a carve-out to keep existing noncompetes for senior executives in place. But it blocks companies from creating new noncompetes for these high-level workers. The rule is due to take effect in about four months, but it’s expected to face challenges. Two commissioners who voted against the rule saw it as overstepping the FTC’s power. The US Chamber of Commerce quickly announced after the rule passed that it will sue to try to block it.

Several states, including tech hub California, have already banned enforcement of noncompetes. But a recent tidal shift has seen the issue resonate in dozens of states. In the 2023 legislative session, 38 states introduced 81 bills that sought to ban or restrict enforcement of noncompetes. California’s long-established law is seen as part of the reason Silicon Valley became a hub for innovation, while Massachusetts’s once-similar tech corridor didn’t soar in the same way.

Tech executive Daniel Powers has battled noncompetes twice in his career. In 2010, IBM tried to delay his move from New York to Seattle to work for Amazon Web Services, the online retailer’s cloud division, by a year. The parties settled on Powers taking six months off. Fortunately for Powers, Amazon agreed to pay him even while he couldn’t work.

Two years later, the tables turned. When Powers attempted to take a job with Google Cloud, Amazon sued him, saying he had agreed not to work for one of its competitors within 18 months of leaving. The incident drew headlines as the first noncompete case Amazon had brought against someone inside fast-growing AWS, Powers recalls.

Powers had to move to California—where noncompetes aren’t legal—for the new gig, and his attorney told him to get there as soon as possible. By living in a different state, the lawsuit could be tried in federal court, where his attorney felt Amazon had less of an advantage compared to Washington state court. A federal judge ended up siding with Powers, and he lost only about three months of work at Google while the case played out.

Amazon, IBM, and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Had Powers not received discounted legal help over the years, he says, he could have easily spent over $100,000 battling noncompetes. “It’s just not fair to the employees,” says Powers, who now runs cloud advisory firm What’s Next Consulting. “When I won, I got hundreds of emails and texts from Amazon employees thanking me for beating them.”

People in Washington state who want to leave one of the tech giants often must have difficult conversations with their families, advisers, and potential new employer about the risks of litigation and potentially being without a paycheck for a long stretch. Powers estimates that he has aided over 200 former Amazon and IBM colleagues in the process. California workers have no such concerns. “It’s just, ‘OK, goodbye,’” Powers says. “There’s nothing companies can do about it.”

If the new FTC rule ends up in front of the US Supreme Court, he says, his message to the justices will be simple. “Taking away a person’s ability to work in an industry they are trained in, have skills in, and have been in is a massive disservice to the employee,” Powers says. “It’s not the right thing to do to have these agreements.”

Some fun comics

US next-gen B-21 bomber likely obsolete upon delivery

B-21 behind the times of China’s improving air defense, hypersonic spy planes and stealth fighter-launched hypersonic weapons

by Gabriel Honrada

While the US mulls acquiring more of its next-gen B-21 bombers, fast-moving technological advancements could make the type obsolete upon delivery.

This month, The Warzone reported that US Air Force (USAF) Chief of Staff General David Allvin has hinted that the service is considering purchasing more than the 100 B-21s currently planned.

Allvin stated that the B-21 is the future of the bomber force and that the number of B-21s is expected to reach 100 by the mid-2030s and beyond.

The USAF is exploring options to supplement or replace B-21 production while also planning to fly updated B-52s equipped with the Rapid Dragon palletized munition system as an inexpensive means of creating long-lasting, low-complexity stand-off strike platforms.

It is also considering buying all 100 B-21s despite cost issues, which are coming down after negotiations with Northrup Grumman. However, the threat environment that informed the B-21’s design a decade ago has significantly changed.

The B-21 is a member of the Long Range Stand-Off (LRSO) family of systems and can be used for future variations or derivatives along with the AGM-181A LRSO stealthy nuclear-armed cruise missile and other advanced systems such as munitions, sensors, electronic warfare packages and communications systems.

However, The Warzone says that acquiring additional B-21s contradicts evolving trends in aircraft procurement and capabilities. The bomber mission is changing due to survivability demands, evolving integrated air defense networks and longer-range and more capable counter-air munitions.

It also states the importance of using cost-effective, quickly designed and readily deployable stand-off systems is increasing on the battlefield. At the same time, the B-21 may be the last new USAF bomber.

While strategic bombers have been the long arm of US airpower during the 20^th and early 21^st centuries, technological advances may force a rethink of stealth bombers’ role in increasingly transparent aerial battlefields.

In an August 2022 Air University article, Mel Deaile mentions that stealth technology in aircraft has advanced since 2001, emphasizing the importance of bombing tactics that leverage low-observable characteristics.

Deaile also expounds on the role of the bomber over the past 30 years, noting the shift from multiple bombers attacking a single target to one bomber hitting multiple targets with precision.

However, he points out that China’s growing airpower poses a challenge to US strategic bombing capabilities, noting that the People’s Liberation Army – Air Force (PLA-AF) is the third largest air force in the world. As of October 2023, the PLA-AF has 1,900 fighters and has operationally fielded its J-20 stealth fighter, whose numbers are expected to grow in the coming years.

Deaile also points out that China has a robust and redundant integrated air defense system (IADS), operating radars, fighters and surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems that can reach up to 300 nautical miles offshore to defend against an impending attack.

China has made considerable efforts to defeat US stealth aircraft such as the B-21, leveraging AI and more advanced sensors. In December 2023, Asia Times reported that China had simulated shooting down a B-21 using new stealth aircraft, advanced radars and hypersonic missiles.

The simulation showcased new technologies, such as stealth aircraft with “conformal skin” that detects heat and electric signals, unmanned wingman drones and hypersonic missiles with adjustable solid-fuel pulse engines. It also emphasized the potential of AI in air-to-air combat, with decision-making shifting rapidly between pilots, drones and missiles.

In addition, China has reportedly developed a small and discreet anti-stealth radar that can be quickly and quietly placed on rooftops, contrasting with traditional systems that need large antennas to detect stealth aircraft.

Chinese engineers have also reportedly designed a compact infrared search-and-track (IRST) system based on medium-wave infrared technology capable of detecting the signature of fast-moving aircraft from considerable distances. The device can identify the aircraft’s outline, rotors, tail and number of engines from the infrared spectrum image.

Furthermore, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported this month that Chinese researchers have developed a method to increase an F-22’s radar signature up to 60,000 times using multiple radars and “smart resource scheduling.”

SCMP says the technology allows a centralized networking radar system to enhance the intensity and tracking accuracy of radar signature and save valuable resources for handling other targets by adjusting beam parameters and the power of each radar based on characteristics and real-time positional changes of stealth aircraft, achieving comprehensive tracking of F-22 fighters with just three radars.

The SCMP report says the information can be rapidly transmitted to interceptor fighters or SAM batteries, enabling prompt F-22 fighter intrusions. It notes precise calculations for target coordinates and movement speeds that can reportedly be completed in 0.02 seconds.

SCMP says these radars can be strategically positioned on land, islands, ships and aerial platforms, bolstering China’s anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) in the South China Sea and Western Pacific regions.

Harvey Weinstein’s Rape Conviction Was Just Overturned. Here’s What That Means

April 25, 2024

in News

In 2017, The New York Times and the New Yorker reported that, for years, Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein had been using his power to sexually abuse women. In 2020, he was convicted in New York on two counts of sexual assault, which became the #MeToo movement’s first major victory. On April 25, 2024, however, that conviction was overturned by the New York Court of Appeals. So, what does this mean? And, maybe more importantly, what happens now?

Here’s what we know so far about Harvey Weinstein’s conviction, why it was overturned, and what happens next.

Why was Harvey Weinstein’s conviction overturned?

In its decision, the New York Court of Appeals wrote, “We conclude that the trial court erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes,” per Associated Press. Put more simply, the court decided that Harvey Weinstein, 72, didn’t get a fair trial because the judge at the time allowed alleged victims who were not part of this case to testify against him. Over 100 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct, according to the New York Times, but this case was about just two of his accusers. Four other accusers testified against Weinstein in court, but their allegations weren’t part of the criminal charge against him.

The Court of Appeals decision was 4-3. Per AP, Judge Madeline Singas, one of the four judges who voted against overturning Weinstein’s conviction, wrote in her dissent that the majority was furthering a “disturbing trend of overturning juries’ guilty verdicts in cases involving sexual violence.” She wrote, “The majority’s determination perpetuates outdated notions of sexual violence and allows predators to escape accountability.”

Does this mean Harvey Weinstein is getting out of prison?

Though his New York conviction was overturned, Harvey Weinstein is still not a free man. He was also convicted of rape in Los Angeles in 2022, and sentenced to 16 years in prison, per the Los Angeles Times.

Could Harvey Weinstein be tried again?

The judges on the New York Court of Appeals said that the proper remedy is a “new trial,” and prosecutors have said that they intend to try Harvey Weinstein again. “We will do everything in our power to retry this case, and remain steadfast in our commitment to survivors of sexual assault,” a spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney’s office said, per the New York Times.

This would mean that Weinstein’s alleged victims would be put through the trauma of a trial all over again. Said Douglas H. Wigdor, an attorney who has represented eight of Weinstein’s accusers, “Overturning the verdict is tragic in that it will require the victims to endure yet another trial,” according to AP.

How have victims and activists responded to the news?

Alleged victims of Harvey Weinstein and leaders of the #MeToo movement have reacted with shock, describing the decision as a step backward and a loss for all victims of sexual assault.

Per the Times, actor Amber Tamblyn called the decision, “a loss to the entire community of women who put their lives and careers on the line to speak out.” Weinstein accuser Katherine Kendall called it “a terrible reminder that victims of sexual assault just don’t get justice. I’m completely let down by the justice system right now. I’m sort of flabbergasted.”

Others had more to say on social media. Mira Sorvino, another actor who has accused Weinstein of sexual assault, tweeted that she was “horrified” by the news. “Since when don’t courts allow evidence of pattern of prior bad acts to be admitted? He’s a prolific serial predator who raped/harmed 200+women! Disgusted w/justice system skew twds predators not victims,” she tweeted. Ashley Judd, one of the first Hollywood actors to accuse Weinstein, reportedly told journalist Jodi Kantor, “That is unfair to survivors. We still live in our truth. And we know what happened.”

Per Variety, the Silence Breakers, a group of Weinstein accusers, released a statement reading, “The news today is not only disheartening, but it’s profoundly unjust. But this ruling does not diminish the validity of our experiences or our truth; it’s merely a setback. The man found guilty continues to serve time in a California prison.”

Hot and Sour Soup

Yield: 7 to 8 servings

Hot and Sour Soup Ingredients:

To make this hot and sour soup recipe, you will need:

Broth: Either chicken or veggie stock (or broth) will do.
Mushrooms: I highly recommend using shiitake mushrooms, but baby bella or even button mushrooms would also do.
Rice vinegar, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, ground ginger: To flavor the broth.
Cornstarch: To thicken the broth.
Eggs: Which we will whisk, and the drizzle into the soup to make those lovely egg ribbons.
Firm tofu: Which we will cube and add to the soup.
Green onions: To stir into the soup and also sprinkle on top as a garnish.
Toasted sesame oil: An essential flavor in the soup, which we will drizzle at the very end.
Salt and pepper: Hot and sour soup is traditionally made with white pepper, which (heads up) has a different and much stronger flavor than black pepper. I recommend adding in a pinch, and then you can always add in more later. Or if you don’t have white pepper, black pepper will also do.
Optional: Many restaurant versions of hot and sour soup are also made with bamboo shoots. I’m personally not a fan of them, but you are welcome to add some in if you would like.

Ingredients

1/2 pound lean, boneless pork loin, cut into thin strips
1/4 pound sliced mushrooms (about 7 whole)
8 ounces canned water chestnuts, canned, drained and sliced
1/2 cup bamboo shoots, cut into strips
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup firm tofu, cubed
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
Sliced green onions (garnish)

How To Make Hot and Sour Soup:

To make this hot and sour soup recipe, simply…

Make your cornstarch slurry. Whisk together 1/4 cup of the stock and cornstarch until combined. Set aside.
Bring the soup to a simmer. Add the remaining stock, mushrooms, bamboo shoots (if using), rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, ginger and chili garlic sauce to a large stock pot, and cook until the soup reaches a simmer. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and continue cooking for a minute or so, until the soup has thickened.
Drizzle in those beautiful egg ribbons! While stirring the soup in a circular motion with one hand, use your other hand to slowly drizzle the whisked eggs into the soup.
Season the soup. Stir in the tofu, half of the green onions, and sesame oil. Then season the soup with salt and black pepper (or white pepper) to taste.
Serve. Ladle up your servings while the soup is nice and hot, garnished with extra green onions.

Instructions

In slow cooker, combine all ingredients except green onions.
Cover; cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours.
Ladle into individual bowls.
Garnish with green onion slices.

Pain and Discomfort Are the Gatekeepers of Success

April 25, 2024

Most of us spend our entire lives doing everything in our power to avoid pain and discomfort at all costs. We tiptoe through life, praying to whatever gods may be that we don’t have to face hardship, challenge, or god forbid, failure.

But here’s the thing…

Pain and discomfort aren’t just inevitable parts of life – they’re the damn gatekeepers to success. You literally cannot achieve anything worthwhile without meeting them face-to-face and duking it out.

Most people see pain and discomfort as flashing red warning signs telling them to turn back. To stay in their cozy, lukewarm bubble of mediocrity where nothing can hurt them. Where they can just fade into the background and waste their potential.

Well I call bullshit.

The cold, hard truth is that no one achieves true success and fulfillment without traversing through the suck. Without facing down their demons, looking hardship square in the eye, and saying “let’s dance.”

Pain creates us. It molds us. It’s the fire that forges us from fragile, breakable glass into hardened, unbreakable steel. The crushing pressure that transforms coal into diamonds.

In the immortal words of the modern Stoic philosopher Ryan Holiday, “The obstacle is the way.”

What stands in the path becomes the path. What blocks the way becomes the way. The challenges, hardships and “oh shit” moments aren’t roadblocks – they’re the required curriculum.

If you think you’re going to luck into an existence devoid of pain, where everything is handed to you on a silver platter and you never have to bleed for your dreams…

Well, keep dreaming. That’s not how this works. It’s not how any of this works.

Pain is the entry fee. Discomfort is the cover charge. You don’t get to go around them – the only way out is through.

And here’s the really wild part…
Once you accept this – once you stop avoiding the suck and just decide to embrace the pain, a funny thing happens…

You start to enjoy it. To get a sick thrill out of facing adversity head on. To respect the struggle.

You realize pain is just weakness leaving the body. Discomfort is just the feeling of your limits expanding.

So stop running. Stop hiding. Stop waiting for shit to get easy.

The path to success goes directly through the gatekeepers of pain and discomfort. And you need to meet them head on, shake their hands, and thank them for the opportunity to get better.

Because on the other side of pain and discomfort?

That’s where all the rewards lie in wait. And trust me, it’s a hell of a lot more fun over here.

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If you sat next to a famous celebrity in a restaurant, would you start a conversation? What would you say?

About 15 years ago I was down town Portland for lunch. Place was crowded but found a seat for myself and two co-workers. After we ordered we noticed this crowd coming in and a lot of activities. Next thing I know George Karl who was the Head Coach for the Denver Nuggets sat essentially beside me. Spending the 90s in Seattle I knew who he was but my co-workers didn’t.

Coach Karl got his food before I did… he ordered the same thing I wanted. I was a little bothered by the service. When I thought he wasn’t looking I jokingly reached towards his plate. He caught me.

Instantly he asked if I wanted some and then he asked the waiter what I ordered that was taking so long since I had been seated prior. The waiter told him what I ordered. Coach asked if the waiter messed up and gave him my food. I felt bad because the young waiter didn’t know what not to say. He told coach that he was told to serve him first.

Coach wasn’t happy. He asked for the manager. Manager comes over and asks him if everything was OK. Now I felt bad for the manager because it was obvious that the waiter didn’t prepare him before they came to the table. Coach went on to say that he was not happy that he got served before me. Shaking his head he said “that just isn’t right”

Coach then said to bring out a plate and he was going to give me half of his food. Then he paused and cracked a smile. He told the manager than when they served his food to me, he wanted half of it.

Finally everyone was eating. Coach turned to me and asked me how much should we tip?

Have you ever had an experience that made you believe in the afterlife or spirit world?

My friend group consisted of a trio, and we were inseparable.

About 2 years ago, one of our trio got diagnosed with cancer. He put up a really strong fight, but passed away about 6 months ago.

That night, I had a dream. The 3 of us were on a public bus, sitting and talking. We sat back and laughed at all the crazy things we had done, especially the things the one that passed did. Towards the very end of the dream he leaned in and said “thank you guys for being my friends. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

I woke up, and didn’t give it a ton of thought. I wasn’t surprised I had a dream about him, he had just passed away the day before. I did question why we were on a public bus. Interestingly enough, none of us had never ridden a bus together in our entire friendship.

I met up with my other friend that day, and it was a very somber time. Until I mentioned the dream I had the night before. My friend turned pale as a ghost. He had had the exact same dream. The 3 of us on the bus talking.

We went back and forth to make sure the other wasn’t lying. We traded off walking the other one through the dream. It was identical. We had both had the same dream, word for word. Location, subjects of conversation, everything.

At that moment, this Agnostic got a pretty big dash of religion in his body.

The very simple rule which the US Commerce Department has missed

The US Commerce Department believes that by sanctioning key high-end technologies, the US can slow down, even stop, China’s aim of becoming a technology leader.

This plan misses a very simple point though: In many fields, China is aiming at revolutionary new technologies to replace current technologies.

These new technologies do not need current technologies now held by the US and the west. This is how China aims to become the technology leader in many fields.

In addition, China has the manufacturing capacity to quickly bring these new technologies to market.

The way for the US to beat China is not through sanctions, but through massive investment in new technologies the same way China has done. The problem is that the US does not have the budget to do this kind of investment; most liquidity has been siphoned off into the private pockets of VCs and hedge fund managers, who believe in ROI, not in investment.

This is why the US government does not have the money, power and influence to fund an industrial manufacturing policy.

The US has painted itself into a corner.

I have a staff member who produces brilliant work but is consistently late every single day. I can’t fire him because it will take months to find someone to fill his position. What can I do?

I once hired a woman who did brilliant work but was not a good team player. It’s not that she was destructive or hostile. It was more that, in an industry that typically thrives on collaboration, she was an independent contributor.

Another employee was always late. I felt it reflected a lack of interest and discipline but he consistently delivered high quality work.

Another had to leave early, every day, no exceptions, and was never available or reachable outside of traditional office hours. Public Relations, the industry I worked in all my life, is not a 9:00 to 5:00 job. It often requires people stay late. If someone always leaves early it puts the burden on other team members.

Another employee was terrified of doing a presentation and would freeze if he needed to speak in a room full of people. Except, he was incredible at research.

Another was a conceptual thinker who could not only detect industry trends before anyone else, but who had real vision, except, he was not a good writer.

Another exhibited enviable work ethic but was easily stressed and tended to regard everything as a crisis.

All of these employees were unique and gifted in certain aspects of their job, but lacked characteristics that I believed were “essential”.

As a manager, for years I strived to “correct” these kinds of idiosyncrasies. I tried to get the independent contributor to become a team player, to get everyone to show up on time, to encourage a bit of flexibility in the person who was never available after hours.

I tried to work on people’s “shortcomings” instead of playing to their strengths.

Then I realized that what I was doing was trying to make everyone the same in an environment that was suffering from a lack of original, creative, disparate thinking.

That there was no such thing as someone who was good at everything.

That the best thing I could do as a manager was find the right place for an employee, where who the person already was would contribute to making the operation as a whole integrated and successful.

If you interview high level executives – such as CEOs – and ask them what keeps them up at night, the consistent reply is “talent”.

People who deliver brilliant work are hard to come by.

It’s our job as managers to make our business environment flexible enough to give every brilliant employee a place to thrive.

Do you drink every day and function?

I used to do that from about 1990 to 2015. Life at my place meant coming home to a 750ml bottle of wine, which I would empty, by myself, starting at about 17:00, and finishing by about 22:00. And often enough, I’d round that off with a glass of whisky or cognac or gin.

During that time, I worked in eight countries, achieved three academic qualifications, and lived a perfectly normal life.

To keep things in perspective, I’m 1,90 metres tall, weigh 112 kg, and tend to eat very well. So that amount of drinking over the time periods as mentioned wouldn’t have resulted in the sort of blood alcohol levels binge drinkers achieve by downing the same or more in a short time.

But I noticed while I went through an experimental raw vegan phase that saw me also avoiding alcohol in 2015 that the absence of alcohol in my life had magnificent effects I had not expected:

my mood lifted drastically; I basically turned into a giggling silly-bunny 24/7;
my sleep quality became superb;
my ability to concentrate increased a lot;
my temper became much more even and sunny;
my interest in food declined, which made my weight drop.

It was an eye opener. I had been consuming alcohol at a high level for so long that I mistook its effects for my own personality. So since 2015, I no longer drink regularly, and I function a lot better, no doubt. And on days following alcohol consumption, I really feel it. It’s like the whole world has turned grey, and everything is hard, and the only glimmer of hope is another drink at the end of it. And that’s when I think “whoa, you actually were that miserable for 25 years! Poor bastard.”

Much of that alcohol consumption was due to routine, too. These days, I actually ask myself, “do I really want a bottle of wine?” And I may not. When a bottle of wine or whisky finds its way to my home these days, it’s often the result of a week or two of contemplation. It’s much more appreciated, too.

I think that in itself is an indicator of functioning, because it shows attunedness to ourselves.

How Much Can You Know About Yourself If You’ve Never Been in a Fight?

April 25, 2024

In our sanitized, safe, padded modern world, most of us go through life without ever throwing a punch or taking one to the face. We avoid conflict, physical or otherwise, and pride ourselves on staying out of the fray.

But let me ask you something…

How much can you really know about yourself if you’ve never been in a fight? If you’ve never had your mettle tested, your resolve challenged, your limits pushed?

I’m not saying go out and start a bar brawl tonight. But there is something primal, something raw and real about the crucible of physical conflict that reveals us to ourselves in a way few other experiences can.

Think about it…

In a real fight, there’s nowhere to hide. No room for self-delusion or bullshit. You’re stripped down to your essence, forced to confront your true nature in a visceral, immediate way.

Will you crumble under pressure or rise to the occasion? Will you succumb to fear and pain or push through? Will you quit at the first sign of adversity or dig deep and find a new gear?

These are the questions that can only be answered in the heat of battle. When the fists are flying and the blood is flowing. When it’s just you, your opponent, and the truth.

Now, I know what some of you are thinking. “Fighting is barbaric, primitive, beneath me.” And sure, on one level, that’s true. We should aspire to resolve our differences with words, not violence.

But let’s not kid ourselves. The capacity for violence, the ability to protect and defend, to stand up for yourself and those you love – that’s hardwired into us. It’s part of what makes us human, for better or worse.

And pretending otherwise, avoiding that side of ourselves entirely, leaves us incomplete. Untested. Unproven.

So while I’m not advocating for gratuitous violence, I am suggesting that there’s value in controlled exposure to physical conflict. In pushing yourself to the brink to see what you’re really made of.

Take up a martial art. Train in boxing, wrestling, BJJ. Put yourself in situations that force you to face down your demons and confront your own capacity for aggression and tenacity.

Because at the end of the day, life is a fight. And the better you know yourself – your true self, tested in the fire of adversity – the better equipped you’ll be to handle whatever battles lie ahead.

So get in the ring. Step onto the mat. Throwdown and scrap it out. You might just be surprised by what you’re capable of. By the depths of courage and resilience lurking inside you.

And that, my friends, is a hell of a lot more valuable than an unblemished record or a pretty face.

Why didn’t Blinken have a red carpet during his two visits to China? Is this right for China?

The Secretary of State is the world’s most powerful diplomat. His underlings at the UN wag fingers at foreign colleagues and go “do you want to be consulted, or insulted?”

And yet no Secretary of State had visited Beijing for 6, 7 years, until Antony barged in.

The Chinese did not fete him or court him. He was not accorded priority, because he wasn’t the honored state guest on a carefully coordinated state visit.

His job was to personally deliver an invitation to President Xi for him to toast and grace the greatest gathering of American capital in recent years.

This time, his job is to mirror what Janet did recently, reading off a script on the Beijing podium criticizing and threatening the host, to show the public that America still has to chops to make others listen. Delivering the message in the evil enemy’s capital fills the air with American machismo.

This isn’t diplomacy. It’s poorly fleshed out domestic politics.

Let’s save the red carpet for others on the level because Antony’s job isn’t to secure cooperation but subservience through the scourge of power.

A Chinese Intellectual Genius revealing the grand strategy of the US in the 21st Century.

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Ingredients

How many times has either Anthony Blinken, Janet Yellen or Gina Raimondo traveled to China to meet with Chinese officials in the past 12 months as of April 26th , 2024? Why are they repeatedly doing this & why can’t they do this over the internet?

THE ANGRY RED PLANET –

Homemade Pretzel Bread (Pretzel Rolls)

Pretzel Bread Dough

Baking Soda Bath

Topping

Instructions

How to Make Homemade Pretzel Bread

Rise once

Baking soda bath.

Bake immediately.

Brush with melted butter.

How to make pretzel rolls

To make in advance

Serve

Store

Freeze

Homemade Pretzel Bread: Ingredient Substitutions

Notes

How to make Pretzel Rolls

To make in advance

Ingredient Substitutions

Store

Freeze

Nutrition

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How To Make Hot and Sour Soup:

Instructions

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Why didn’t Blinken have a red carpet during his two visits to China? Is this right for China?

A Chinese Intellectual Genius revealing the grand strategy of the US in the 21st Century.