Let me tell you about one of my nightmares. This particular nightmare has a name; Mrs Schlen of the Syracuse Department of Welfare.
It’s a nightmare that used to be the norm. The time was around 1984. I was out of the Navy, but not yet in MAJestic training, and I had just gotten married. We were in Syracuse NY working at minimum wage jobs and had applied to the local welfare office for supplemental support to help us find a place to live and temporary food stamps.
At that time, welfare was the refuge of the lazy, and we were treated like the scum of the earth. Oh, for sure, this entire situation changed, but at that time, we had to deal with a nasty bureaucrat that treated us like earthworms in cow dung, and made our life a bureaucratic hellhole.
She had us dancing left and right. Paperwork forgot a period at the end of sentence. Our documentation was not in order; the pages were out of order. One reason, one excuse after the other.
“Well, I just happen to know that engineers never get laid off”.
Was her byline that I have NEVER forgotten. Ah. I hope that she is rotting in Hell right now. Bitch.
It’s been nearly fifty years now. She was old back then, and shes’ probably around 150 years old now. NOT! She’s in Hell. And I made sure that she’s loving her experience.
Ah. I’m not the forgiving type.
Painful bitch. Using the systems at her command to make others suffer. Just like some of the Bozos that wrote bullshit book reviews for MM. I do not forget, and I do not forgive. Only you can pull yourself out of the trap that sucked yourself into.
I’m glad that she’s out of my life.
Today…
Why is AK or machine guns so important to Americans but China doesn’t want it at all?
You don’t have to shoot anybody in China. The Police take care of the criminals so you don’t have to. The cameras, although intrusive, are protective and a deterrent to crime.
The American run of the mill home invasion is almost unheard of in China. Here in the US, my shotgun is my anti-home invasion weapon.
I went to see a house for sale with a realtor. The house seller had a shotgun, Japanese sword and a baseball bat strategically placed. I asked the realtor if the neighborhood warranted such measures, and then noted that the house was situated on a corner lot with through traffic. Hmm, maybe an AK would be necessary, and wear a bullet-proof vest to bed.
ALERT! “A CRASH THE WORLD HAS NEVER SEEN”- FALSE FLAG INCOMING?!
U.S. Government COVID-19 After-Action Report – The Conspiracy Theorists were RIGHT; Everyone else was wrong
The US House of Representatives “COVID Committee” has released its Final Report (527 Pages) and it’s now official: The “Conspiracy Theorists” were all right and everyone else was wrong.
The Official Report outlines what so many of us TRIED to tell all of you. But YOU thought YOU knew better. YOU thought you were oh-so-much-smarter than us. YOU mocked us, smeared us, vilified us as we employed common sense and you acted like emotional screaming-meemies . . . petrified of something that was no worse than a seasonal flu.
Then, when that phony mRNA “vaccine” came out, you rushed in-line to get yours. Once you did, YOU then demanded the rest of us be as foolish as you. When those of us who actually THINK, refused to take this gene-therapy masquerading as a “vaccine” YOU vilified us; said we should be rounded-up and quarantined.
Those of you who own companies and run corporations decided to act like tyrannical douchebags and arrogantly DEMANDED everyone get the phony vaccine or else be fired! When the vaccine made your employees sick, you chalked it up to “normal.” When the vaccine caused some of your employees to DIE, you denied their death had anything to do with what YOU demanded they take. When it came time to be accountable for what you did, you company owners and Boards of Directors ran from it like the cowards you actually are!
So many bigshot corporate executives ran and hid like scared little girls – because you started to realize it was YOUR FAULT that so many employees were getting sick and dying, and you didn’t want the blame for what you did. You wanted the power to tell people what to do with their own bodies, just not the responsibility when it turned out badly.
Did it ever occur to __any__ of you that maybe YOU were wrong? Did you ever once stop and think that maybe you didn’t know what was best? I dare say almost NONE of you ever even pondered those possibilities because you’re arrogant, self-righteous, scumbags.
Oh and you Doctors . . . . told people the vaccine was “safe and effective.” Some of you are still doing that to this very day! Liars you are. Cheats. The people who did that are not Doctors, they’re Quacks. They don’t practice medicine, they practice Quackery.
How about Hospitals that, to this day, refuse to treat people unless they’re COVID vaccinated? They should be stripped of their license and shut down so they can’t hurt anyone else. A lot of them are simply dangers to public safety.
So now that the official report shows that you weren’t nearly as smart as you thought you were; that you DIDN’T know what was best (for yourself or anyone else), will you kindly do the rest of us a big favor and shut the fuck up?
A lot of you are a combination of arrogant and ignorant. Your arrogance and ignorance killed innocent people. A lot of you, should kill YOURSELVES.
It would be a nice Christmas present to the rest of us if you would just sit in a warm bath, open up your veins with a razor blade, and bleed to death in the tub.
We’d finally be rid of people who are not only too stupid to continue breathing, but whose continued existence endangers the rest of us.
The Official Government Report finds:
- COVID-19 Origins: The COVID-19 pandemic likely originated from a laboratory or research-related incident.
- Misinformation: Public health officials and the Biden administration engaged in misinformation and disinformation campaigns to suppress the lab-leak theory and promote specific narratives.
- Government Overreach: The Biden administration’s mask mandates and other restrictive measures exceeded its authority and were often not supported by scientific evidence.
- School Closures: The decision to close schools during the pandemic was not supported by science and had severe adverse impacts on students’ academic performance, mental health, and physical health.
- Vaccine Mandates: The government imposed vaccine mandates that were not supported by science, ignored natural immunity, and caused significant collateral damage.
- Erosion of Public Trust: Actions by public health officials and the government led to a decline in public trust in institutions and a rise in misinformation and anti-science rhetoric.
- Financial Mismanagement: The government’s pandemic relief programs were vulnerable to significant fraud, waste, and abuse due to insufficient oversight and outdated financial management systems.
- WHO’s Failure: The World Health Organization (WHO) failed to uphold its mission, caved to pressure from the Chinese Communist Party, and did not hold China accountable for violating international health regulations.
- Economic Impacts: The pandemic and the government’s response had severe economic impacts on individuals, communities, and businesses, including job losses, business closures, and supply chain disruptions.
- Unintended Consequences: The government’s pandemic policies, including lockdowns and vaccine mandates, had severe unintended consequences that will likely have lasting effects on society.
Here is a direct link to the full 527 page report from the Government website: CLICK HERE
Husband BLOWS UP At Pregnant Wife After Her Temper Ruined Their Living Situation…Divorce Time?
Have you ever bought a gun and regretted it?
There have been a few like the S&W Victory Revolver that simply would not hit a target no matter what I did (it must have belonged to a Star Wars Empire Storm Trooper). Then there was the Sprinfield Armory ultra compact 1911 .45 that would not nfeed reliably EVER. Then there was the Henry Take Down survival rifle, that I still own, which NEVER ejected reliably. It turns out the feed ramp is integral to the magazine and not the body of the rifle and those magazije were made out of old beer cans. Regrets? I’ve had a few… BUT… the most memorable bad purchase was a .303 Lee Enfield Jungle Carbine. At the time some importer got a hold of a few thousand and reworked them. They kind of halfway sporterized them. They looked way cool and I just had to have one. But they were much more money that I could afford.
One day I went into Old West Gun Room in El Cerrito CA (Hi Bob!!) and there was an actual unrestored jungle carbine in pretty damn good condition. I was on it like a vulture on rotting meat. Bob, the owner knew me well as I did almost all my purchases there. He said flat out, “You don’t want that”. I was determined though so I ignored his sage advice and bought it along with some .303 ammo. That weekend I ran straight to the range and I discovered the bitter truth. I put that thing to shoulder and pulled the trigger… and thought I had been kicked by a mule in the shoulder. I am not recoil sensitive and I was in superb shape back then with 35 lbs more lean mass than I have now. That rifle HURT to shoot… and on top of it all, While I didn’t know it at the time, all those Lee Enfield Jungle Carbine had a problem called “wandering zero”. You would zero in the sights and normally they stay zeroed unless you drop the damn thing. This rifle? It would not hold zero for more than a shot or two. Shooting that was an exercise in frustration.
I figured I could use this as a last ditch “survival/car’ firearm. However, It was useless for anything more than a club. About a year after I bought it I went back to Old West and had Bob put it up for consignment. That was a painful lesson for my shoulder and my wallet.
Why can’t Chinese netizens ever admit China has faults? How does this affect credibility on other things they have claimed? How can China now rebuild credibility?
That’s tail wags dog, mistaking effect for cause.
If I want to find out what happens in America, what do I do?
Read the Chinese papers exclusively?
Or perhaps the straits times, Singapore’s newspaper of record, which is published in English?
No, I go straight to the horse’s mouth, and read from a spectrum of American publications, from the NYT to Propublica, from Foreign Affairs to the National Review, from commerce.gov to FRED.
That way, I can dissect the what, why and how of the American situation.
When it comes to China, it’s a tautological loop where China “experts” who don’t speak Chinese insist on monopolizing the China story, because the “Chinese can’t be trusted” or “their English is too poor”.
The conversation doesn’t go beyond “monster mao”, “tiananmen”, “Xinjiang genocide”, “corruption”, “ip theft”, “cheap counterfeits”, “Hong Kong NSL”, “Kung flu”, “forced labor”, and any number of “human rights abuses”.
In fact, the U.S. State Department has not only maintained a genocide determination on China but also slapped a Level 3 DO NOT TRAVEL advisory on mainland China.
The conversation between the Chinese and the Anglophone rarely rises beyond “you don’t know what you are talking about”.
Take me for example.
I’ve encountered innumerable anglophones here who lace the conversation with variations of “the CCP is a totalitarian regime controlled by the dictator Xi…”
They are offended when I point out the CCP doesn’t exist and use of the words totalitarian and dictator demonstrates a poor grasp of vocabulary, in an age where dictionaries are a fingertip away.
I welcome deep conversation on the real China, warts and all.
But the cost of entry is a modicum of fact, and a token of sincerity.
Yellow peril is extreme prejudice, only expressed.
Neil Oliver Interviews Kevork Almassian – WW3 & Counting!!!
Have you ever met or known anybody who is inbred?
I have met someone who was inbred. This is going to be confusing.
One night I was just about to close the shop when a family came in to do some last-minute shopping. At the risk of stereotyping, this family looked as though they had walked straight out of a one-room cabin in the Ozarks.
The family consisted of a couple in their early 50’s, a woman about 30 and a little girl about 11 who looked a little off somehow. They were the only ones in the store and since it was a small shop I could hear everything they said.
It wasn’t as interesting what they were talking about as it was how they addressed each other. The older couple addressed each other as “honey,” as a married couple might do. The 30 year old addressed them as “mama and daddy.” The little girl addressed the 30 year old as “mama,” the older woman as “grandma” and the older man as “daddy,” although by standard terminology he should have been “grandpa.” The way they were interacting was strange too. The man was quite proprietary about the little girl, whereas the grandma was a bit more detached. Also, the way he talked to the younger woman was similar to the way overbearing husbands used to treat wives back in the day. I thought to myself, “Well, I shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Shame on me.”
I was straightening displays while I waited for them to finish shopping and the little girl came near. I like kids so I asked her how her summer was going. She said it was great but she was excited for school to start because she was going into the “gifted and talented” program in the fall. She was also stoked because her daddy was buying fabric for her mama to make her new school clothes. As casually as possible, I asked, “So that’s your daddy?” Yup, he sure was. Well, at least her intelligence hadn’t suffered!
Another family had the most convoluted relationships I’d ever heard of before or since, although no actual inbreeding had taken place.
A couple had 8 kids and the husband died (no wonder—I’m surprised the mom survived. She had to do the hard part). The wife remarried and had several more kids with her second husband.
By this time the older ones from the first marriage had left home and one daughter in particular was in college in another state and barely knew her mom’s husband (her step-father).
The mother was then killed in a terrible accident, leaving the step-father with a houseful of little children to raise alone while he worked to support them. The aforementioned adult daughter dropped out of college to come home and help raise her siblings and half-siblings while the step-father worked.
Strangely enough, the step-father and the adult daughter fell in love and ended up getting married—and having more kids.
So now the step-father was his step-daughter’s husband; also a father to the kids he’d had with his first wife; and a father, grandfather and step-half-grandfather to the kids he had with the daughter.
The daughter was both step-mother and sister to her own siblings; half-sister and step-mother to her husband’s kids with her mom; and mother and grandmother to her own kids.
The first two batches of kids were aunts and uncles to their siblings in the third batch.
I’m sure I’ve gotten some of these relationships wrong and/or missed some connections, so give me your input in the comments!
When Evil Teens Think Murder is Hilarious
https://youtu.be/KC0GtU_Dtdo
What is the best random conversation you overheard?
Back many moons ago, when I was a youngster in my twenties, I went to visit a large life insurer in New York. My small software company was competing for a very large project against a huge competitor.
The insurer was in a very tall building. That matters in this story.
You see I got on the elevator with two other distinguished gentlemen. They looked at me and quickly ignored the kid.
And spent the long elevator ride discussing their bid. You see they were from my competitor. They laid out everything.
It was quite generous of them.
The first big project my team ever won. I wonder why?
When did you lose the court case but you really won?
My client was a company that manufactured cast metal objects for various industries. One of their products was cast hammerheads. These were sold to another company that prided itself on making ”fine striking instruments.”
That company had a patent and copyright on the shape of the their finished hammerhead. The hammers were designed to be used by construction framers. Nobody shows up on a construction project with a Craftsman hammer. Everyone wanted one of these famous chrome plated hammers for use on the job site. The company began having some cash flow problems (paying its officers, directors, and their wives and children too much money) and couldn’t afford to pay my client. My client willingly extended credit for hammerhead purchases in exchange for stock in the company. After about two years of running deficits, my client threatened to sue unless it was paid. The defendant had many excuses why it could not pay and blew my client off.
As promised, my client sued. The defendant was not too worried because it knew it could delay a lawsuit for a few years. My client applied for an immediate writ of Attachment seizing the defendant’s assets, including the inventory of completed and uncompleted hammerheads. That meant that defendants were out of time and would get no benefit from delaying the inevitable trial.
The defendant’s attorney put it to us bluntly. If we didn’t agree to dismiss the lawsuit and restructure the loans, the defendant would file bankruptcy, dissolve the company and the owner/ designer of the hammers would simply open business under his (well known) personal name instead of the corporate name. My client would get nothing unless we agreed to the restructuring of the debt.
We declined this generous offer. The defendant filed for bankruptcy liquidation, listing its creditors and no assets. Our civil case was dismissed. My client was, by far, the largest creditor.
A creditor’s meeting was held. At the creditor’s meeting, my client brought up the intellectual property rights in the hammer trademark and design. The defendant told the trustee that the IP rights were worthless to somebody who wasn’t already geared up for production runs and quality control. Since they were of no value then they could just float over to the debtor. My client offered to purchase the rights for an amount that would pay off all the other creditors at 100 cents on the dollar. The trustee accepted the offer.
My client, armed with the IP rights to the hammers, began manufacturing the hammers and selling them under their well known name, simply noting the company was “under new management” in small print. It threatened the designer of the hammers with infringement if he attempted to manufacture or market his own hammers.
So, my client lost the civil trial by the defendant’s bankruptcy, but ended up acquiring the defendant company.
Are you surprised by China’s aggression against the Philippines in the South China Sea?
China is invading the South China Sea? Who on earth could ask such a brainless question? ! It is the Philippines that has repeatedly provoked China.
Let me sort out the logical relationship between the South China Sea dispute between China and the Philippines:
The Philippines provokes trouble, and the Chinese Coast Guard takes countermeasures. The countermeasures are strong, and the Philippines returns to the negotiation table to talk and reach a “gentleman’s agreement” or “verbal agreement”. After a period of time, the Philippines tears up the agreement or agreement reached again and continues to provoke trouble. China retaliates again, and the cycle continues.
Just in early July, China and the Philippines finally reached a temporary arrangement on the transportation of “beached” ships. Out of humanitarianism, China allowed the Philippines to transport daily life supplies to the “beached” ship on Ren’ai Jiao to promote the restoration of peace and stability in the South China Sea.
However, only one month later, the Philippines tore up the temporary arrangement reached by China and the Philippines again.
According to information released by the Chinese Coast Guard, in the early morning of August 19, two Philippine Coast Guard ships illegally broke into the waters of Xianbin Jiao in the Nansha Islands without China’s permission and were intercepted by our coast guard. At 3:24 a.m., seeing that the attempt to break through was unsuccessful, a Philippine Coast Guard ship with the hull number 4410 ignored China’s repeated warnings and repeatedly and deliberately rammed our normal law enforcement Coast Guard 21551 boat in a dangerous manner, resulting in a collision accident. The responsibility for the accident lies entirely with the Philippines.
After the collision accident in the waters of Xianbin Jiao, the Philippine Coast Guard ship not only did not restrain itself, but became even more aggressive. At around 6 o’clock in the morning, the Philippine Coast Guard ship 4410 turned its head and rushed to the waters of Ren’ai Jiao. In the case of China’s repeated warnings and route control, it attempted to break through Ren’ai Jiao. The Chinese Coast Guard ship had to take reasonable control measures against it.
In fact, before the Marcos government tore up the temporary arrangement between China and the Philippines, the Marcos government had torn up similar agreements many times, and even once denied the existence of the “gentleman’s agreement” reached between the Chinese and Philippine governments.
A few days ago, Philippine Deputy Foreign Minister Lazaro publicly stated that the Philippines might re-evaluate the temporary arrangement reached with China on the Ren’ai Jiao issue because China had taken “excessive actions” on the South China Sea issue in the past few days. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Philippines tore up the agreement again after completing a replenishment of the “Sierra Madre” landing ship.
Ground Meat Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup minced onion
- 1 clove garlic, minced*
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 pound ground meat
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 (8 ounce) can mushrooms, sliced
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Sauté onion and garlic in butter over medium heat.
- Stir in meat and let brown.
- Stir in flour, pepper and mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Stir in soup. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
- Stir in sour cream. Heat through.
- Serve over noodles.
Some of my latest AI experimentation’s
As you all should know by now, it’s not so easy to generate what you want using this picture generation AI. It’s sort of like trying to drive a fast moving cement truck though a mall…
Ok. For starters, I tried to get some village girls searching for a lost earring. To me however, it looks a lot more submissive and dirty. *sigh*
Then the AI said that I could not use the term “girls” (sex exploitation rules) so I replaced it with “women” and this came out…
This is probably the best of the bunch….
How this came about I do not know, but I do like it.
Next I tried to have guys and (women) taking a bath in a village pond. And got this…
And this…
And this…
But when I switched the AI, and the SEED. As well as playing around with the formatting rules some really promising pictures emerged…
The cat is too big, but I love the textures on the clothing.
I also like, but it’s difficult to figure out where his legs are. But just look at their clothing!
Cats, wine, boats. What’s not to love?
Ahhh. So cute. Too bad the kitty is a tad messed up.
I like this one too.
Oh yeah. This one reminds me of some of the MM followers.
As does this one.
And this one also.
Love this fabric. I really do. His hands are slightly messed up. But it’s still great.
Nice.
Nice woman. Big cat. I do like this one.
And, here’s some pictures of Bacchus in bed with his followers.
Have you ever been approached by an undercover cop? Why?
Yes, in the 1990s, I went to my hometown in Alaska to visit family. (I was living in Seattle at the time.)
As I got off the flight and came off the jetway, I saw two guys about my age (mid-20s) sitting in the departure lounge (This was when non-ticketed people still had access to airside to see people off or greet arriving passengers.) I noticed the two men because they kept staring at me. Because I was from that town, I wondered if they knew me somehow, and looked back at them a few times trying to place them (as in “Did I go to school with these guys or something?”) After a few seconds, I decided that I didn’t recognize them, shrugged to myself, and went down to the carousel to await my baggage.
My younger brother, who was high-school aged at the time, was expected to pick me up from the airport. I collected my bags and waited for him. He was late enough that I was beginning to wonder if he’d forgotten. This was also before mobile phones were widespread (i.e. I didn’t have one), so I was contemplating whether I wanted to go find change to use a pay phone, or just wait a few more minutes. At this point, the two men approached me and flashed their badges, identifying themselves as part of a regional “narcotics task force” or some such thing. They asked me for my ID, and I gave them my Washington driver’s license. They asked me if I lived at that address, and why I was in that town. I answered in the affirmative regarding the address, and said that I’d grown up in that town and was there to visit family.
The following exchange then took place:
Cop: “We have a tip that someone matching your general description is transporting narcotics on this flight.” (I wasn’t, and I’d have been fascinated to know what my “general description” might have been.) “Are you transporting illegal narcotics?”
Me: “No.”
Cop: “You don’t have any illegal drugs in your bags?”
Me: “That’s right.”
Cop: “Well, we noticed that you were looking at us when you got off the flight.”
Me: “Well, I noticed you two looking at me and wondered if I knew you, since I grew up here. When I couldn’t manage to place you, I just moved on.”
Cop: “Would you mind if we have a look through your bags?”
Me: “What if I say that I mind and refuse?”
Cop: “Well, then we can’t look.”
Me: “Okay then—I mind. I don’t give you permission.”
Cop: “Well, if you’re not carrying anything illegal, I don’t understand why you won’t give us permission to look through your bags.”
Me (politely): “I guess just because I have better things to do than stand here while you guys go through my stuff.”
Cop: “You seem a bit nervous.”
Me: “I’m not accustomed to being rousted at the airport and questioned by the police.”
Cop: “You know, if we had a little more, we could hold your bags and run a dog by them.”
Me: “Well, apparently you don’t have that, or you’d be doing it instead of asking me for permission.”
Cop: “So you’re not going to let us look through your bags?”
Me: “That’s right.”
At this point my brother appeared, and I said “I’m free to go, right?” “Yes,” said the cop, “Thank you for your cooperation,” and I left.
What is the most frustrating thing about dating in your culture?
You talk to a woman online. She gives you her phone number. You have a long conversation. She seems excited to meet you.
Sure! Let’s get together! Tomorrow night? Sounds great.
Next day, 2 hours before meeting you, she is so very sorry, but she has to cancel. She has to finish packing for a trip, but she’d love to see you when she gets back in town in a week or so.
That’s the last you’ll ever hear from her.
You talk to another person. You feel like the conversation is moving very slowly. But you think there’s potential there, so you ask whether she’d prefer to meet and talk face-to-face.
She says yes. You meet. No spark on either end.
You wonder if you should give it another go. Sometimes you do, and there’s still no spark. Sometimes, she saves you the trouble and never replies.
You’ve gone on 3 dates with someone. Things seem to be moving super fast. You’re already talking long term plans. You’re talking about signing up for a ballroom dancing class together. You can’t keep your hands off one another.
You’re so excited that you delete all the dating apps from your phone.
You’ve been talking every day. Then she stops responding. All of a sudden, a million things are happening to her. She got busy at work. She was smoking pot and forgot what time you’d agreed to meet. She got stuck in a traffic jam. She got insecure and didn’t feel sexy. She had to stop on the road and rescue a wounded dog.
Oh, is it really Tuesday? I thought it was Monday, silly me!
Her house got flooded. She was robbed at gunpoint. She had to take her friend to the ER at the last minute. She got a phone call from NASA that she just had to take.
You don’t make a fuss. You nod. You leave her a goodbye message.
And you download the apps you deleted the week before.
You’ve been there before. This, too, shall pass.
What the Media Is HIDING About Ukraine/Russia
Have you ever mistakenly received a text you weren’t supposed to get?
Boy did I ever!
Unknown number: I am f**king done with him.
Me: Ok. Why? What happened?
Mystery person: Sheila saw him with his ex again!
Me: It could be innocent?
MP: At a motel.
Me: Oh shit! Is she sure?
MP: Yes. She sent me photos.
Me: What are you going to do?
MP: I don’t know. I can’t keep letting him hurt me. I deserve better.
Me: Of course you do.
MP: You really think so?
Me: Yes. Not only do I think so, I know that if you look around there are several new guys waiting in the wings for you.
MP: Really, who?
Me: Take your pick. But choose someone who isn’t going to be an asshole, this time.
MP: You’re a good friend.
Me: That’s my job.
My New Best Friend: Can you hang out now?
Me: Are you finally breaking up with this asshole?
MNBF: Yes. I am moving out. He can’t convince me to change my mind.
Me: Well, I’m working on something, but I can put it down for you. Pack an overnight bag and come over. But, let’s not talk about him anymore tonight, Just show me the bag and I will know you’re serious. Then we can hang out or do whatever makes you happy. Ok?
MNBF: I love you, you know that.
Me: Of course you do 😉
MNBFF: Ok, I am packing my stuff and coming over.
And that was it until the next day, when I received this text:
MNBFF: Who is this?
I didn’t respond, but I think he/she knew. This is your guardian angel, Unknown Caller. You’re welcome.
What is the creepiest unexplained event you know of?
Back in my community college days many years ago, I was studying Nursing and took a Psychology class with a professor who changed my entire thought process on what major I wanted. Dr Marino was an extraordinary man and the way he taught changed my major to Psychology. I took many classes with him and learned so much from him. We would sit before and after class talking about many topics and he was just overall a solid professor who loved to teach his students. Fast forward many years later, I took a left turn, dropped out from schooling, got married, bought a house, and had two kids. I was living in a quiet neighborhood when one day I opened my curtains to see a car idling across the street. It was odd, as usually only people who lived on my street came down it. I focused in on the driver and it was unmistakably Dr Marino!! He even turned to smile at me and waved. I ran into my bedroom to grab shoes, and as I walked outside, the car drove off. I tried to wave my hands, but he was gone. I immediately went inside to try to turn to social media to find him and say I just saw you and tried to run after you to say hello! Instead of finding his profile, I found his obituary. He had died a few days prior to this event. I know without a single doubt that it was Dr Marino. I think he was coming to say goodbye and encourage me to get back into school. I eventually got back in school for Social Work and will graduate in May. To Dr Marino I owe so much to. I’d like to think I’m even making him proud.
REVEALED: Secret Nuclear Strategy!
Jesus!
Why did To Lam come to China for his “first visit”?
Not long ago, To Lam was elected General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Shortly after taking office as General Secretary, he came to China for his first visit. For this visit, there are several data that are very worthy of attention.
(1) Visit China after taking office for half a month
Compared with the months between his predecessor’s election and his first visit, To Lam paid a state visit to China only half a month after he became the top Vietnamese leader, which is rare in history. Someone commented: “I knew he would come, but I didn’t expect to come so soon.”
(2) Two “first” statements
After becoming the general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam in early August, China became the first country visited by To Lam. In addition, To Lam also said: “Our visit is to emphasize once again that China has always ranked first in Vietnamese foreign policy and is our top priority.”
(3) the breadth and depth of the 14 cooperation documents
During the visit, China and Vietnam signed 14 cooperation documents covering economy, trade, humanities and other fields, which not only reflected the extensiveness and depth of bilateral cooperation, but also laid a solid foundation for the long-term stability and development of bilateral relations.
As neighbors linked by mountains and rivers, China and Vietnam are closely linked in culture, politics and economy. At present, China is Vietnam’s largest trading partner, and Vietnam’s trade position in ASEAN and the world is becoming more and more important. The cooperation between the two sides has great potential and broad prospects.
In addition, at the end of last year, China and Vietnam announced the new orientation of the relations between the two parties and the two countries, that is, on the basis of deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership, work together to build a strategic community of destiny between China and Vietnam. It can be seen that under the common vision of building a community of destiny between China and Vietnam, it is even more necessary for the two countries to continuously deepen mutual trust and expand cooperation areas to meet global challenges.
Among the 14 cooperation documents, two railway-related documents have attracted everyone’s attention.
There are many ports in Vietnam, and three of them are among the top 30 container ports in the world. However, although Vietnam’s water transport has great advantages, due to insufficient investment in railway infrastructure construction in history, Vietnam’s railway network is relatively backward and its facilities and equipment are relatively old. Moreover, Vietnam has a long and narrow territory, with a span of 1,600 kilometers from north to south. It is difficult to build railways, and the development of railway transportation is limited.
However, if we can strengthen railway transportation and connect the north and the south, it will greatly help Vietnam’s economic development; If Vietnam’s railway network can be connected with the railway systems of neighboring countries, it will play a positive role in upgrading Vietnam’s economy and promoting bilateral trade between China and Vietnam.
In view of the advantages of Vietnam’s geographical location, cost and resources, many China enterprises have set their sights on Vietnam, or have implemented the strategy of going to sea, or are actively planning their layout.
According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment of Viet Nam, in the statistics of the first seven months of this year, the most striking positive signal is that foreign direct investment (FDI) from China has begun to show the presence of large international enterprises engaged in high-tech, power and electronics, processing and manufacturing, infrastructure, renewable energy, electric vehicles and other fields.
In fact, compared with the past, China’s direct investment in Viet Nam is mainly concentrated in the processing and manufacturing fields such as wooden furniture, steel, leather shoes, clothing, food processing and plastic packaging. This change not only reflects the recognition of Vietnamese enterprises on Vietnam’s economic potential and market openness, but also indicates that the in-depth cooperation between China and China in industrial chain upgrading and technological innovation is reaching a new height.
To Lam’s visit to China has undoubtedly injected a strong impetus into the stability and deepening of bilateral relations. Under the background of complex and changeable global economy, the continuous strengthening of cooperation between China and China has provided a more stable and friendly external environment for Vietnamese enterprises to go to sea in Vietnam and even Southeast Asia, and also provided solid political support and guarantee for enterprises in terms of capital, policies and market access. The 14 cooperation documents signed by the two sides will also further broaden the business opportunities for China enterprises to go to Vietnam, and promote the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries to develop in a deeper and broader field.
Girlfriend Was ADAMANT That “The Past Is The Past” And “Numbers Don’t Matter” Until Learning…
Ugh.
Sister… small world, eh?
What’s the cleverest cheating you’ve ever seen as a teacher or student?
In grad school I was one of several teaching assistants assigned to proctor the freshman calculus final exam. Because all students took the same test it was given in the gymnasium, a lot like this photo except that the portable desks were somewhat less like punishment devices.
Our main job was to walk around the gym looking for anything unexpected.
Partway through the exam we were waved over to one desk where a student was standing up and a couple of TA’s were examining his calc book. The books all had bright red back covers, a bit like this:
The enterprising student had used a matching shade of red marker to fill the cover with all sorts of tips and formulae that students were expected to have memorized*. Viewed from most angles the marker was effectively invisible – but orient the book “just so”, and everything came into view.
He probably never would have been caught except for one of the TAs who was curious why he hadn’t stored the book under his desk like most other students had done.
(*) To this day I never understood why the university expected students to memorize complex formulas like trigonometric identities and so forth. I felt we should have been testing whether they understood HOW to use the formulas rather than how many gray cells could be filled with what cos(4𝛳) expands to.
Every Man Needs To See This
What is your best badass firearm story?
My hotel room lock was unlatched at 3am, and a shadowed figure began entering while I was sleeping (mostly alone) in bed. I had about 3 seconds of hallway light before that door closed, and I was left in pitch black (probably to be raped or murdered.)
Luckily for me, my 38 snub-nosed revolver was within arm’s reach on my nightstand keepingvme company! I had brought it into the hotel with me, so I didn’t tempt a thief by breaking into my truck to steal it. At home, I always sleep with it on my nightstand at arm’s reach, so did the same at the hotel. That night my firearm saved my life! All I had to do was pick it up & point it at the guy for ONE SECOND. Make no mistake, I’d have shot him in his chest had he taken another step forward. However; simply showing my little friend was enough to get him contort himself trying to get away fast enough. It was like the movie the matrix where they’re going backwards in mid air.
When the police arrived I was told the security cameras were all off/not working, so this was likely an inside job. The front desk attendant had previously asked multiple times if I was staying alone, which now made sense!
The police thanked me for protecting myself so they didn’t have to get called to a rape, kidnapping or murder instead. No word on the perpetrator. He never got caught, but he certainly knows now that not everyone will be an easy victim.
What life event made you take a drastic measure?
Suddenly life has turned upside down.
Back in December 2021, my mother suddenly lost a lot of weight. We took her for many general checkups in different hospitals and the only thing that came out is that she has iron deficiency anemia.
We were concerned but it felt fine as nothing came serious.
We continued her treatment in the AIIMS hospital, her blood count started improving but she was getting weaker and weaker.
Doctors said she will be fine but we couldn’t wait and on February 2022 we took her to vishakhapatnam.
We just wanted to make sure if that’s the only problem she has or there is something else as she is getting weaker and weaker.
We are four members in the family me, my mother, my father and my elder brother.
My brother stayed at home due to urgent reasons, me, my father and mother took off for vishakhapatnam.
After several checkups as I sat in front of the doctor, he said my mother has an impression of gall bladder carcinoma.
My father due to the language barrier and not knowing English couldn’t understand what the doctor just said.
I was shook i didn’t know how to react or say. I looked at my father and said everything’s okay as I had no courage to break this thing in front of him alone. My brother had the plan of arriving two days after us.
I waited and kept it to myself and said everybody that doctor has found the disease and everything will be fine.
The doctor we met was a junior doctor and so he couldn’t give us much comments. Now the senior doctor we had to meet was available two days later.
So for this two worst days of my life I kept it to myself. Whenever I looked at my mother I wanted to fight with god so bad I wanted to cry out loud I wanted to scream but I couldn’t.
Looking at my father and mother kept me shuddered. Those innocent faces oh my god.
The doctor asked us to go for CT scan and I can’t tell you the amount of weight I was holding to myself seeing my mother weak and going through that scan and tests.
Two days later my brother arrived and I told him about the carcinoma. He fell on his knees I had never seen my brother so helpless and weak.
Picking up ourselves we went to our father and very calmly told him about the cancer. He was shook and divastated he started crying badly. Me and my brother handled him and made him understand that everything will be fine.
We stayed in vishakhapatnam till march.
Going through all this I got supplementary in my exam. I didn’t want to tell anybody about it, also I didn’t really have anybody to tell.
We stayed in vishakhapatnam for the entire march month for the tests, treatment and 1st chemo.
On 1st week of April I had my supplementary exams, I stay away from my hometown for studies so I had to go to my college to give my exams. And I can’t tell you how tough it was for me to leave my people at this situation.
We didn’t tell my mother about the cancer, we haven’t till now as we know how weak hearted and sensitive she is. Doctor told her that she is having some infection in her gall bladder and for that they will give her with intravenous administration of medicine thats it.
It has been 4 months she is going through her 6th chemo cycle. And by god’s grace she is doing better.
But that whole situation of doctor telling me and me seeing my mother going through tests as I was the only one allowed beside my mother during her tests in that condition and me telling my father about all this, has stuck so bad in my mind that I am not able to get it out. Suddenly a word or a scenario comes in front of me and I am all shook and attacked by that whole situation.
I can’t tell this to my father and brother as they are being very courageous and strong dealing with this.
I have started going to college and there I have just nobody to tell that, “listen I am again getting this thought can you help me with it or can you just listen to me”. I have not bonded with anybody as i couldn’t attend the college much going through all this.
But luckily I have few childhood friends with whom I share this anxiety of mine.
I wanna stay with my mother but I can’t due to the attendance criteria. It’s really hard for me to go to the college and stay around people behaving everything is super fine. My eyes get teary every now and then.
I had lost 15kgs back in the year and now I have gained all that weight again and going through my contamination OCD as well.
I am trying really hard to keep myself together and be courageous but I just can’t.
I really want people to be kind to everybody around them, we have no idea what disaster the other person is facing. The least we could do to eachother is to provide love and kindness.
Classical Art
What is it like to be the child of a billionaire?
Not a billionaire but a millionaire and it was no picnic. In fact, it was a real lesson in learning how so many people in the US of lesser means might have lived. Some of the things I mention might be familiar as I’ve wirtten about some of them before in other posts.
My dad died with a net worth of over three million dollars. Today, it doesn’t seem like much but it was pretty high net worth back in the 1960s and 1970s. When I was growing up, he owned his own company. It was the largest antenna installation company and electronics repair firm in our state and was very successful. His hobby was collecting and shooting firearms, so he also ran the largest gun store in our state. From the way we lived, one would never know it as dad was extremely frugal (an understatement) with his money.
Growing up, mom made most of my clothes, often from hand-me downs given to us by friends and relatives. When she started buying store-bought clothes, they came from places that were the equivalent of a modern Walmart. Never saw a designer label. In fact, the only thing that saved me from ridicule was the fact that our school required uniforms. (Our coats and shoes, though, were cheap and out of style and the other kids did ridicule us for that and, of course, non of these items came from designers.)
For most of my growing years, we ate frugally…poorest cuts of meat (if there was meat) and meals that many poorer families would typically eat such as chick peas and pasta, macaroni and beans, escarole and beans, creamed tuna fish on toast, and the like. If we had meat for school lunches, it was one single slice of stuff like baloney between two pieces of American bread. Often, lunches were comprised of leftovers. When I turned twenty one, I weighed a whopping 132 pounds at six feet tall. (My wife actually saw me as undernourished and went on an all out campaign to bulk me up!)
Our house was literally falling down around us. The back brick corner near the steps had pulled away, creating a four inch gap. The roof leaked so badly mom had to put out five gallon buckets in a rain storm to catch the water. The plaster was falling off ceilings and the house was never updated at all. I could never invite friends over as a was ashamed to bring them into that house, especially after seeing the well-kept, albeit, modest homes they lived in.
We had a rodent problem, specifically rats, that was never addressed. One of my chores was to bait, set and empty the traps. We had a cesspool that had to service a family of six…no septic system, no sewers. When the cesspool waste got too high or would clog (this happened frequently), he would lower me (wearing waders) into it with a shovel rather than hire a company to pump it out. He would then lower down buckets which I would fill and he would discard in the woods behind outer house. The old cast iron waste pipes in the basement frequently leaked. His “solution” was to patch them rather than replace them. When they clogged one time, he instructed me to open an access plug and drain the waste into five gallon buckets. I did and I got smacked with a high pressure stream of waste directly in my chest. It’s amazing I never got hepatitis!
Mom had a washer but no dryer. We would be hanging clothes outside to dry, winter and summer. Sometimes a change in weather caused them to freeze on the clothesline and we had to carry them in, stiff like boards. If the washer broke down (and it did frequently), my mom was forced to make trips to a laundromat to get them washed and dried. Finally, it died completely and it took dad three years to finally buy a new one. She used the laundromat during all that time.
Our car was eight years old, unreliable and so rusty there were holes in the floorpan. Dad liked to run his vehicles “into the ground”. Only at that point would he replace them. Our driveway was filled with half ton vans from the business that had died but he would not pay to have them hauled away. Eventually, a neighbor registered a complaint with the town who forced him to get them hauled away.
When I bought my first car with my own money I earned from installing rooftop tv antennas part time for dad’s company starting at about fourteen years of age. Even so, he dictated what I was allowed to buy. He insisted it have an automatic transmission (which cost me two hundred dollars more) so my mom could use it. He did this to avoid having to buy his wife her own car; yet, I had to pay for the gas, maintenance, insurance, etc. He didn’t offer to help out at all. When he drove it and blew a brand new tire, he changed it and told me I needed to buy a replacement.
On the other end of the spectrum, Christmases were good. Mom would often sneak some treats into our lunches. We went on a one week vacation via automobile every year and a lot of family excursions on the weekends. We ate out at inexpensive restaurants at least once a month. He also paid for our state college educations though, in all fairness, tuition was pretty cheap at under $300 per semester.
There was so much more and, as I remember other things, I will keep updating this post but I think you readers have the general idea. I may be accused of making some of this up, but I swear it’s all true. I don’t look back with especially fond memories of my childhood. Of course, we didn’t know any better growing up but, as an adult, I sure learned what NOT to do with my family! In fact, this past Father’s Day, my oldest son paid me the highest compliment I’ve ever received when he wrote me a note in a card that said I really taught him the importance of family and set an example of how to raise children.
The real kicker, though, was that after his death, he left his entire fortune to his second wife of less than two years. None of his four sons saw a single cent!
When a Dad Realizes His Son is a Psychopath
https://youtu.be/nInpsReK8Sk
How do you handle cyberbullying or negative comments professionally?
Cyberbullying? I switch off.
Or I simply mock them more with strongly evidence comments. Right now there’s some british person who can’t do maths who thinks he knows everything, since he can’t actually argue against me he has decided to use racism and personal attacks against me.
But here’s the thing, you have to realise a LOT (I didn’t say all) of westerners are like this:
Wussat? That;s the Goa’uld from Stargate.
Here’s what the stargate wiki says
Doesn’t that sound like a lot of westerners?
The end bit is pertinent, these types thing they are right about everything and if you call them out, post counter evidence they’ll be like the Goa’uld in Stargate.
HOW DARE YOU TALK AGAINST A GOD! I know everything!
A few weeks ago there was a discussion with Duncan
He said I know for a FACT Russia is incapable of manufacturing anything! Bear in mind Duncan isn’t uneducated, he’s some sort of nuclear engineer. He spoke with absolute confidence.
So? I called him out on I asked him how do you know.
He just said he knew… implying he had some sort of omniscient powers.
I then asked him what colour the mug was on my desk, at which he said he didn’t know. So he went through some Olympic level mental gymnastics about how he knew everything but couldn’t see the colour of my mug on my desk.
Duncan doesn’t like me very much because I called out his omniscient god like powers. I frequently do this by challenging western KNOW IT ALLs to give me the lottery numbers. They seem to fail at this with predictable regularity despite their omniscience.
Here’s the other thing, Duncan types aren’t exactly rare. Day after day I get I AM A GOD I KNOW EVERYTHING TYPES talk down to me about how they know everything that happens in China and they see everything that happens in China too or wherever.
And here’s the funny thing. I rarely block them because it allows them to bleat on about their GOD like powers on and on and humiliate themselves over and over, yet their god like powers don’t let them see this for some strange reason.
What countries will you never visit again?
I’ve travelled to 20+ countries and I would not go back to India. This is unfortunate, because I really wanted to like India. Here’s why I won’t return:
- DIRTY: Extremely dirty with garbage everywhere. Step outside a beautiful airport (India has built some nice infra in the last 5 years), and you’re in piss and shit.
- CHEEK TO JOWL CROWDED: Crushingly and oppressively crowded and noisy with constant honking and yelling, (and barking by stray dogs).
- SCAMS: A million scams; fake certificates, fake scamming callcenters, fake police, adulterated food, you name a scam, it’s here.
- ANIMAL CRUELTY: Poor treatment of animals and nature. It’s upsetting to see people beat cows and stone stray dogs.
- POLLUTION & BAD AIR: Unbreathable, filthy air in most big cities and filthy rivers: an environmental disaster. Here’s a listing of the most polluted cities in the world, most are in India:
- MONUMENT DECAY: Not much to see: the monuments have a million hanger ons that harass you, and much of the history has been destroyed by rabid overpopulation. Sad to see gorgeous forts, with bollywood film posters pasted on, looted, and with and shoddy quality modern repairs.
- THE STARING: The constant staring; indians openly gape at white people and foreigners. Women report being followed and “eve-teased” an uniquely indian form of sexual harassment. If staring was a olympic sport, India would win all the medals.
- TREATMENT OF WOMEN: Extremely patriarchal society that mistreats women. Hardly any women work outside the house except in big urban centers.
- COLORISM & INFATUATION WITH THE WEST: A country that lacks self confidence and self esteem; a mindless aping of the west and a desire to be white (what indians call “light skinned”). Dark skin and traditional indian looks are disliked instead of admired..this is likely a colonial hangup. Advertising billboard have whitened faces, selling in a brown country..an odd malapropism.
A lot of Indians will lie and say India is great, but you only have to walk outside a US embassy (or any developed country embassy) to see hordes of people a mile long, desperately trying to get out. A pity, because this was likely a beautiful country centuries ago. A small % of rich live well, and a middle class (30%) manages, for the poor it’s a abject, brutish life.
Why doesn’t the West unite to plunder China’s wealth again? If China is completely defeated, we will not pay back the money.
The West never ever plundered China
They sold Opium and took advantage of the Chinese addiction but they never actually colonized China like they did to India or Sri Lanka or other places in Africa
They mainly TRADED with China
They didn’t steal the tea did they?
They purchased Silk and Tea from the Cohong merchants and in exchange paid them with Silver and later Opium
When their trade was threatened, they fought and bested the Emperor and got a few gains including HK
Yet the West never actually owned Chinese mines or lands themselves
They settled down in Cities and built factories and warehouses in places like Canton, Shanghai, Hongkong, Whampoa etc
The West never plundered China or Japan or Korea like they plundered India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka or even Malaya
This was 1850s
Imagine 2024
They will be crunched like a cola can
How to Escape the UK RIGHT NOW
Why is AK or machine guns so important to Americans but China doesn’t want it at all?
One thing, I must declare, is that the Chinese may not be what you think. The peace-loving Communist Party, and the Chinese are one of the bound in this regard.
The Communist Party is the conservative party of China, and the biggest hawk in China is in the people, and this is no joke.
In the 19th century, there was no ban on firearms in China.
In 1993, a large-scale gun battle took place between two villages in Hunan, in which 5,000 people participated and lasted 34 hours. There are even earth cannons, broadswords, mines.
Encyclopedias published in China in the 1970s on how to use and make grenades, firearms, electricians, machine repair, how to fight bayonets, how to attack airplanes with anti-aircraft guns.
You see that the Chinese love peace today, and that is all under the control of the Communist Party.
You should thank the Communist Party of China for its love of peace.
Shorpy
Do you think open-carrying a firearm in public is a good idea? Does it deter would-be criminals?
IMHO yes. I worked at a convenience store a few years ago having and possessing a “Conceal Carry Permit”. I always “open carried” (my preference) a revolver in the small of my back while working.
It was against “company policy” at the time but I knew that “company policy” wasn’t going to protect me from someone with a firearm intent on harming me as I usually worked alone.
I had many good “regular” customers and one day one of them came in at his regular time and told me that the day before after leaving my store that he heard 3 guys talking outside and that one of them said “The Guy In The Store Has A Gun”.
He told me that they then all drove off.
I assumed from that that one of them had come inside the store earlier to “case out” the place and reported back to the other two about me having a weapon. I am convinced that the mere sight of me carrying a firearm at that particular time prevented a crime upon me.
So to answer your question IMHO “open carry” does deter crime. I don’t believe that open carry makes me a target. I believe that open carry makes criminals think twice before committing crimes.
Life Is Hard As A Man
He’s a real man, and it is refreshing.
Aside from Philippine territory, is the Philippines rightful on its claims on its territorial rights of West Philippines sea specifically the Scarborough Shoal? Why and why not?
No need. Here is the Philippine boundary by treaty of the Potsdam Declaration after WWII. This meeting was controlled by the US and set by the US.
This is the extent of the Philippines. In other words, all of the SCS islands are Chinese. Which is what the declaration said.
What’s a Picture Worth?
Submitted into Contest #247 in response to: Set your story on a spaceship exploring the far reaches of space when something goes wrong.… view prompt
McKade Kerr
“We can’t go around it, Quixly.”
“We could go under it?”
“Can’t go under it.”
“Above it?” Quixly’s voice was shaking by this point.
“Can’t go above it.” Finnian replied. “We have to go through it.”
Quixly gulped in fear. “But why, sir? Why do we gotta go through a giant wall of dangerous, scary, horrible asteroids?”
“Great question, Quixly. The answer is simple. Because this isn’t a wall. It’s a bunch of orbiting asteroids. Think of them as tiny moons. They’re surrounding the ancient planet we’re going to photograph. The only way to get to the planet is by going through the asteroids.”
Quixly just stared at Finnian, and then at the seemingly impassible barrier in front of them. He had been too busy figuring out where the planet was to research the details of what orbited around the planet. Flying through those asteroids seemed way too risky. But he wanted to see this ancient planet just as much as Finnian, and he had a lot of trust in his companion’s ability to fly a spaceship. If Captain Finnian said they could do it, they could do it.
“Alrighty ighty ighty, Captain. I trust ya. If ya say you can fly through, then we can fly through. Wowza. I can’t believe we’re doing this.”
Captain Finnian smiled at his quirky green co-captain. He was grateful to have a friend and co-captain who trusted him that much. He didn’t plan on letting him down. “Thank you Quixly. Don’t worry, it’s going to be completely fine. And again, you don’t need to call me Captain anymore.”
“Yes sir, Captain!” Quixly said. Finnian rolled his eyes.
They both sat down in their respective seats and got to work. Captain Finnian moved the spaceship forward slowly, and Quixly started doing calculations on the size, speed, and direction of the orbiting asteroids to give Captain Finnian the best chance at getting through. They both silently wondered what the ancient, living planet would look like. No matter what it was like though, taking a picture of it would be unlike anything they’d ever photographed before. They’d be nearly as legendary as the planet itself once they had a picture of it.
As they got closer, Captain Finnian hit a button on his control screen that opened up the gunner’s control on Quixly’s screen.
“Captain,” Quixly said, “I think ya hit something wrong. You just pulled up the gunner screen on my end.”
“That was on purpose, Quixly.” Captain Finnian replied. “I want you to be in control of our laser guns as we drive through. You can blast any of the smaller asteroids that I can’t avoid. That’ll help me focus on the bigger obstacles.”
Quixly lit up at that news. “Wowza! Do ya mean it? You want me to use the guns!?” As a navigating assistant Quixly hadn’t been authorized to use the spaceship’s guns. His recent promotion didn’t have those limitations.
“You’re a co-captain now, Quixly. It’s well within your right to use the guns. And what better time to start than right now?”
“Sir, this is an honor! Thank you!” Quixly was so excited that he nearly forgot what they were about to do. He then looked out the window again and his eyes widened considerably. “But wait! I’ve never done this before! I don’t know how to do it! Shouldn’t we use the auto aim for the guns?”
Captain Finnian laughed. “Quixly, I trust you. You’re the most precise navigator I’ve ever met, I have no doubt that you’ll be precise with the guns.” He then looked at his own screen and pushed a few more buttons. “Also, I’m turning my guns on auto aim anyway, just to be safe.”
That seemed to be good enough for Quixly. “Alrighty then! Let’s show these giant space rocks who’s boss! Hi-dee ho let’s go!” With that Finnian pushed forward on the thrusters, and they entered the maze of asteroids.
The next 15 minutes were a crazy blur of activity. Captain Finnian had to maneuver around countless asteroids of all different sizes, some of them several hundred times bigger than their spaceship. Quixly was going berserk with the laser guns, blasting everything that got close to them, and many things further away too. Although they were too focused to talk for the most part, Quixly couldn’t help himself from yelling out the occasional ‘Wowza!’, ‘Gee wizz!’, and even an ‘Owabungowa!’ once or twice.
Finally, right when it started to seem like there was no end, they blasted through a final asteroid and could see the rocky planet in front of them. They slowed the spaceship down and looked at the ancient, historical, legendary planet. They looked a little longer. Then a bit more.
“I think it’s dead.” Quixly finally said.
“I think you’re right.” Captain Finnian replied, disappointment evident in his voice. The planet they were staring at looked like a gigantic asteroid. It was grey, rough in texture, and not as spherical as most planets. The only word Finnian could think to describe it was ‘anticlimactic.’ They had been flying through space for months in a search to find it, and it just turned out to be a gigantic rock. The legends said it was alive, but it sure didn’t look alive. It didn’t even look like it had any life on it. It was just a giant asteroid.
“Well, I’m sorry to have brought you all the way out here for nothing.” Finnian said to his green friend. “I suppose we can still snap a few pictures, but then let’s get out of here, what a disappointment.” He turned to go get one of his cameras when Quixly gasped.
“Sir!” He yelled, even though Finnian was standing right next to him. “It moved!”
“Don’t mess with me, Quixly. I feel bad enough as it is. And stop calling me sir.”
“No, sir, I’m serious! Look! It just moved again! I think it’s actually alive!”
Finnian turned back around to look out the window and nearly fainted. The entire planet was moving! It seemed to be unfolding itself very slowly. Before they knew it, the planet no longer looked like a rock, but it took the shape of a giant rocky man. It turned its massive head and looked at the spaceship curiously.
“Wowza, I was not expecting that!” Quixly said. He then waved at the giant creature. “Hello!!! We came to take your picture! It’s nice to meet you!”
Although the living planet couldn’t possibly hear or understand what Quixly had said, it somehow saw him wave through the glass, and it copied the motion, waving back at them.
“Oh my heck,” Captain Finnian said, finally getting through his initial wave of shock. “I need to take a picture!” He then ran back to the closet with all his cameras and threw the door open. After successfully navigating everything else on their journey that could have gone wrong, he couldn’t believe what he saw. On the floor in front of him were hundreds of broken camera pieces. He must not have strapped the cameras in properly last time, and the rough journey through the asteroids knocked them all off their shelves, destroying them as they crashed into each other. They were completely useless.
“My name is Quixly!” Captain Finnian heard his friend yell through the window, still unaware of the broken cameras. “What’s your name!?” Quixly then turned to face Finnian. “Sir, come quick, we need some pictures…..” his voice trailed off when he saw the broken cameras.
Captain Finnian slowly walked back up to the front of the spaceship and slumped down in his seat. Outside, the giant planet copied his motion, although he had no chair to sit in.
Quixly looked at his friend, looked at the broken cameras, and then looked at the living planet again. “Ya know, Captain,” he said. “I like taking pictures as much as you do, but this might be one of the most amazing things I’ve ever experienced. I plan on enjoying it, picture or no picture. And there’s no one else I’d rather do it with than you.”
Captain Finnian looked at his friend and smiled. Somehow Quixly always knew just what to say. He didn’t know how he was so lucky to have such a great friend as his co-captain. In that moment he remembered that life is about so much more than taking legendary pictures, career success, or becoming famous. It’s about good friendships and enjoying the moments, which is what got him into photography in the first place. Looking back out the window at the gigantic, friendly planet, he actually felt grateful that his cameras broke. Getting a reminder of what’s really important in life was so much more valuable than taking another picture, no matter how rare it was.
“You’re right Quixly, thank you. It’s a blessing to enjoy this moment. Thank you for reminding me of that.”
“Well, you know me, Captain, always pointing you in the right direction!” Quixly said. They both then looked out the window and continued to wave, make faces at, and try to communicate with the ancient, living planet. A picture might be worth a thousand words, but a moment with a friend is priceless.
Is China a fascist police state?
This is quite topical, because a highly controversial cop-killing incident happened in China recently.
A 16-year old girl declared she was suicidal. She then jumped into a river, but could not drown because she’s a good swimmer. A People’s Police officer passing by jumped into the water to fish her out. However, every time she was brought back ashore, she jumped back into the river immediately, and the cop had to dive after her.
This process went on for several minutes until the cop (who couldn’t swim) was absolutely fatigued. A bystander tossed a rope into the water so that the cop could grab it. However, at that moment, the girl deliberately swam towards the cop, pushed him away from the rope, and the cop drowned to death soon afterwards.
Why did the girl do it, you ask?
Only she would know. Some people, when they feel suicidal, are known to have this urge to “take a few others with them”. Or perhaps she was never truly suicidal in the first place, only putting on a dramatic display to seek attention, and was spiteful towards her “rescuer” for ruining her show.
What we do know is that she was doxed, and hackers alleged that she’s part of a feminist movement on Xiaohongshu (the Chinese equivalent of Pinterest), a highly successful app notorious for its misandrist tendencies. One post in particular (see screenshot below) is believed to have been viewed, “hearted” or shared by her account:
Translated to English, it says,
“Can some men please just die already?! Let me teach you a way to kill males. Find somewhere crowded, jump into a river and pretend you want to drown yourself. Worthless males are usually inclined to save you. That is when you hold his head down in the water, and claim you weren’t mentally stable when you fell into the river.”
This post was from three years ago, and has been “favourited” over 30,000 times as of this moment. The post is still active and hasn’t been censored.
Li Xie (李燮, 1985~2024), the Chinese cop who drowned, was only recently given accolades for his dedicated service, and he now leaves behind a loving wife and two kindergarten-aged children.
We know for a fact that in America, cop-killers usually aren’t let off the hook so easily. Even if they weren’t shot 100 times by other cops on the spot, they’d be “taken care of” in prison. So surely in the “police state” that is the People’s Republic of China, the girl was immediately arrested and executed by the authorities, correct?
Nope. She walks free. There are no charges against her. The authorities specifically requested the public not to “cyberbully” her.
This whole incident proves several things:
- The idea that China is a “police state” is demonstrably false. An actual police state would never tolerate a cop-killer. More importantly, policemen in an actual police state would never sacrifice their lives to save a civilian.
- The narrative that China is a “totalitarian dystopia” where no freedom of speech exists is likewise, demonstrably false. An actual totalitarian dystopia would never allow grassroots/foreign-sponsored activist groups (such as neoliberal feminists in China’s case) to evolve to a state where they are openly calling for the extermination of other people, put those words into action, and grow to such an extent that their ideology is challenging the state’s ideology (Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in China’s case).
- The conception of China being a “sexist/misogynistic” hellhole, as is often depicted by western media, is demonstrably false. If any sexism exists, it is towards men. Seriously, name another country where feminists can get off Scott free for killing males – not just any male, but an enforcer of the law.
I’ve been saying this since the Chinese feminists metoo’d the CCTV host Zhu Jun – the problem isn’t that China is too “Communist”, the problem is that it isn’t Communist enough.
Liberal democracy has been an utter shitshow in almost every country where it has been implemented. And given what its adherents have been doing in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other parts of the Sinosphere, there is no reason to believe the system would work any better in China.
Douglas Macgregor REVEALS: China’s Secret Weapon is in Iran, Israel _ U.S. FINAL Nuclear Warning!
Hamburger-Cream Cheese Casserole
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
- 1 (8 ounce) package noodles
- 1 cup creamed cottage cheese
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup green onion, sliced
- 1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Brown ground beef and onion in butter; stir in salt, pepper and tomato sauce. Remove from heat.
- Cook noodles according to directions on package; drain.
- Combine cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, green onion and bell pepper.
- In a 3 quart casserole spread half the noodles, cover with cheese mixture; top with remaining noodles.
- Pour ground beef mixture over top.
- Bake at 250 degrees F for about 30 minutes.
Notes
This may be frozen.
Car salesmen: who was the most “shrewd negotiator” customer you’ve ever had?
I have a friend who is an excellent negotiator when buying large items, cars, boats, houses… he will just wear you down, wait you out, and out last you. This story was about a boat he found at the boat show in Dallas Texas. Him and his wife, they are lake people, retired, has money (sold a business) and live a very nice life.
They find this Sea Ray, 32 footer at the show. And you know the dealer would rather sell the boat there rather than take it back. So my friend gets them all hot and bothered about selling this boat… they are selling, selling, and selling and he’s is the perfect buyer… lives on the lake, has a dedicated slip, has the cash, loves boats, husband and wife are together… they are closing hard. Let’s say this is March in Dallas.
They are talking price and terms and delivery and you have to know the salesman thinks he a commission in hand. He is closing hard. My friend, let’s call him Bob, will let that sales man go as far as he can go, then ask “is this the best you can do?” and “is there anyone else we need to get involved here?”. Then its the next man up. The general manager. Test drive after test drive. Try out the 42 footer, and the 28 footer. There is a used one, then there is a different brand… and Bob will work this guy as long as he can and ask…. “is this the best that you can do?” and “is there someone else we need to get involved here?” Now the dealer is on the clock. Bob will call about a newer model, last years model, this upgrade, that package… they have quoted him 4000 times. Bob knows the receptionist and the secretary by name, the “is this the best you can do?” and “Do we need to get anyone else involved here?” are relentless and he’s been told many times “this is it. it’s my call!” Until the manufacturer gets on board. We have this model, we have a demo, we have a boat show special, we can presale a next years model, and it just goes on and on and on, another boat show comes and goes. Bob has an office at the dealership, they share birthdays and anniversaries. He just wears them down… the conversation turns to “what do we have to do to get you to purchase the damn boat???” He answer “Is the absolutely the best that you can do on this? is there anyone else we need to get involved here?” The banker calls and says “we have a repo that is the same year, same model and same size, same package with very low hours on it.” and that’s the last thing the dealer wants to here.
By now the local boat dealer is almost out of it, would like to move the boat, there is no margin left in the offer… And Bob is still asking “is this the best you can do?” “do we need to get someone else involved?”
And finally, 18 months later, the boat has been sitting in dry dock, the dealership has wasted so many man hours with Bob, they have hired to CSR’s to deal with Bob. So many try it before you buy it deals. They strike a deal that Bob is happy about. They are basically begging Bob to take the boat, Yes, its full of gas, Yes, its a new battery, Yes, to new bumpers and ropes, Yes to a new Bimini top, Yes, we will delivery it for free… please take it, Go!
“Are you sure this is the best you can do? “Do we need to get someone else involved?”
Do the Chinese people remember who started the Opium Wars? What is the attitude towards Britain in China now?
I’m overseas born Chinese.
My dad taught me about it.
I remember, my children will remember.
What’s the difference? China Chinese are never forget, stay strong to prevent it from happening again.
As overseas Chinese? I want/need revenge. This means the western world should be flooded with drugs and it be put into everything even babyfood and tap water.
Has a nurse been inappropriate to you?
Not a nurse but a doctor. During a trip to Children’s hospital I was told that with my new medication I needed to see a throat specialist (make sure nothing was happening to my vocal chords). I’m referred to a nose, ear, and throat doctor the following week. At the clinic I’m to change into one of those ever so fashionable gowns and lay on the wonderfully comfortable bed/chair thing. The doctor comes in to examine my throat and larynx, you would think I would lay back or at least down. But no, I’m sitting upright, legs apart while the doctor stands between my knees on a stool looking down my throat. Everyone knows I’m extremely tall for my age (at this time I was 12 and 5’11. I’m not even leaning forward, I’m straight up and the doctor is stretching to see inside me. Hand on my barely covered knee, very close to my underwear, and I’m afraid about to fall on me at any moment. Before anyone starts to think weird thoughts or ideas, this is a middle-aged female doctor, maybe 5 ft tall if that. After stretching on her tiptoes and shaky my bare knees repeatedly, she says there some irritation but nothing serious. Over the counter drops or soothing sprays should take care of that and if it gets worse come back. All finished. Why did I need to get undressed for that? Why did she insist on me sitting upright, knowing I towered over her still? Dad said if that had been a male doctor he would have said something but it stunned him also. Yes, dad was in the room holding my hand and didn’t understand that procedure either.
Who was the craziest leader in history?
An often slept upon part of history is the Warlord Era of China, just a hundred years ago China was made up of a bunch of warring states. This produced many wacky leaders, but none come close to the insanity of this man.
Zhang Zongchang
Zhang Zongchang was a warlord for the Fengtian clique in the Shangdong region of Northeast China. He proved to be a capable leader and fighter, utilizing armored cars and White Russian Mercenaries fleeing from the war. He was also one of the first people to use women in his army. In 1925 he captured both Shangai and Nanking. However this one of the few normal things about him.
Let’s start with some of the nicknames he got
- Old Eighty-Six (believed to be named after his penis, which was 86 coins tall)
- Dogmeat General (named after his affinity for paijiu , a game popularly known as “eating dog meat.)
- 72 Cannon Chang (we’ll get into this one later)
- Three Don’t Knows (didn’t know how big his treasury was, his army, and his harem)
Now you are a sense of his character, let’s go over some of the crazy stuff he did
- He once promised to return victorious or a coffin from a battle. Since he lost the battle, he returned by parade in a coffin while smoking a cigar
- Zhang refused to drink any water except from a minor tributary of the Jinan River. He preferred to drink the water directly from the stream, often excusing himself from dinner to go drink from the stream
- In the later years of his life he lived in Japan, where he shot the Emperor’s Cousin in 1929. It was ruled an accident but it was likely intentional as allegedly, the cousin was flirting with one of his concubines.
- By far the craziest thing he did was during a famine in Shangdong. Many locals were at the Temple of Zhang Xian praying to a statue for rain. Upon arriving to the temple, Zhang decided to slap the statue and yell “f*ck your sister! How dare you make Shandong’s people suffer by not giving us rain” The next day he ordered his artillery to shoot at the sky in retaliation. It rained the next day, grant him the nickname 72 Cannon Chang.
On another note he also wrote poetry and it’s what you’d expect from a man like him.
“Poem about bastards”
You tell me to do this,
He tells me to do that.
You’re all bastards,
Go fuck your mother.
“Visiting Mount Tai”
From afar, Mount Tai looks blackish,
Narrow on top and wide at the bottom.
If you flipped it upside down,
It would be narrow at the bottom and wide on top.
Edit this blew up so I’ll give you another bonus fact:
- After seeing a basketball game for the first time, he allegedly asked “Why the hell are they fighting over a single ball? We’re the hosts. Are we seriously this poor?” He ordered all the players be given a basketball.
What is the worst thing you’ve been told during a date?
Date three, back at my flat, for ‘coffee’. Just so you know, if we invite you in for tea, that’s a whole different ballgame involving kettles, teapots and China mugs, but I digress.
He starts off nervously: “you know how I said I was on medication for epilepsy?”
“Yeeeeees…”
“Well, that wasn’t exactly true.” Proceeds to unpack a cornucopia of little yellow and brown bottles from his rucksack.
“Right, no problem. Um, do you mind if I ask what’s wrong with you?”
“Well, I used to do a lot of drugs and had a kind of psychotic breakdown a few years ago. Hearing voices and cracking up. I was hospitalised for a few months.”
Gulp. He is a big fella, all muscles and tattoos.
“Right, so these days….”
“Yes well they can’t decide if it’s schizophrenia or just manic depression. The problem is knowing if I should do what the voices say.”
Did I tell anyone I was inviting him over?
“Have you ever hurt anyone because of the voices?”
“Um….only myself. And one or two other people. I don’t remember very well but I never went to prison, just the hospital. There are a few years that are pretty hazy.”
Slowly getting up, moving to the kitchen, acting calm and natural.
“Do you think maybe we could meet another time? I’m pretty tired and my family is coming to visit tomorrow.” (Complete fabrication).
He packed all his medicine bottles back in his rucksack, but before leaving asked if he could send me some of his short stories.
Of course. I’d be honoured.
We stayed in touch by email and he sent me some extremely disturbing prose centring on faeces, menstrual blood and what a useless, untalented writing teacher he had.
I felt compassion for him, but was relieved when he left my flat.
Poor guy.
Breaking | China Just Picked a Side
Food yummy Porn
Col. Douglas Macgregor : US Foreign Policy Delusions
Do you salt both sides of a steak?
I can’t fathom other answers provided. It appears no one knows food science or cares to learn. Yes. You should salt BOTH sides, and generously too. I tend to salt most of my meats two or three days in advance of cooking. It’s the same reason BBQ pit masters apply a salty dry rub to meats and allow them to rest in that rub for multiple days before the actual cook. Here’s what happens. First, the salt draws liquid out of the meat which now mixes with the surface, causing the surface area of the meat to appear damp or wet. Eventually the meat reabsorbs that liquid, taking the “brine” with it. When salt mixes with water (in this case, the juices in the meat) it breaks apart into positive sodium ions and negative chloride ions. The chloride ions are attracted to the strands of protein in the meat and bond to them.
Imagine a telephone cable with birds sitting atop? The cable represents a protein strand while the birds represent charged ions. With enough time, the cable becomes supersaturated with birds (Alfred Hitchcock style). But there’s more than one cable. There’s billions of cables and trillions of birds. As the birds each share the same electric charge, they begin to repel one another, much as identical poles of a magnet repel one another. This causes the protein strands to spread apart, widening the gaps between them. These widened gaps make the meat more tender and permit more liquid to enter, deeper and deeper into the meat, becoming wide enough to allow larger flavoring molecules (like garlic, lemon, or whatever) to enter.
Salt is far more than a seasoning. It serves also as a tenderizing agent and paves the way for additional flavors to penetrate deep into the protein’s interior.
Shorpy
What is something you saw while on an airplane that you couldn’t believe?
I was flying out of Orlando. The flight was delayed due to weather in Atlanta affecting incoming flights. The gate agents were busy shuffling people around to get everyone rebooked. Needless to say, many of us were in a foul mood, but trying to make the best of a bad situation.
We finally board. Most of us would miss our connections, but we’re all just ready to go. Earbuds go in and we wait for take off. Nobody is talking.
Once airborne, the captain made an announcement. We would be able to see the Space Shuttle launching in a few minutes, but only from the right side windows of the plane. Everyone on my side looked towards the other side. Those folks would be able to see it. Not us.
Sure enough, in a few minutes there were oohs and ahhs from the lucky passengers. Then without a word, as if it were coordinated, people started getting up and gesturing for us to look out their windows. We all got up and squeezed past each other to get a glimpse of the shuttle.
To be honest, it wasn’t that exciting. It was a huge white tail going directly away from the earth. It was completely perpendicular. What made it amazing, however, was the spontaneous sharing of the view. Tired, irritated people got out of their seats to share. In all probability, none of us would ever see the shuttle from a plane again, and I was grateful for the opportunity.
Then we all awkwardly returned to our rightful seats. Some people started chatting, others returned to their earbuds, but everyone was smiling. What started out as a crummy situation suddenly became a memorable adventure, all because people shared something.
Police Officer Exposes THE TRUTH On Domestic “Situations” And How Men Can Protect Themselves
"I have a professional job and I’m a 20+ year veteran. I’ve never met a cop or deputy sheriff that didn’t treat me with suspicion and indifference even though I was going out of my way to be nice to them for what they do. Now later in life I’ve learned to treat them with more suspicion than they treat me. Always watch your own back. Trust no one."
Have you ever quit your job in the middle of the work day? Why?
Not me but a co worker I once had , he was a labour for bricklayers, he was a nice enough guy good worker if you could get him to concentrate for more than 30 seconds at a time ,and to be fair old mate was dumb as a rock and he was a danger to him self and others but he had a great sence of humour witch saved him a lot. this one day he came in and I’d say he had one to many breakfast bongs, every thing was going wrong and the brickies let him know about it too, then one of the brickies said to him “your as useless as a screen door on a submarine, might be time to get off the weed bro”, talk about the straw that broke the camels back, old mate flipped it he walked off around the house crying, then came back, and for no reason picked up a trowel off a motar board ,told the boss to go fuck him self and through the trowel over the neighbours fence. so old mate gets his lunch bag and starts to walk off the site, the boss walks down and says come back and we’ll discuss this , old mate middle of the day turns around at the top of his voice in the middle of the street screems “stick your f$#ken job up your ass!! ” and then for some reason through his lunch bag onto the next-door neighbours garage roof, and walked off down the street , we never heard from him again. Lunch that day on the job was a quite one
RFK Jr. Joins Forces With Donald Trump
Older, maybe obsolete. But IMPORTANT.