Radiation Spike – Was Yesterday’s “Earthquake” actually an Underwater Nuke Blast?

Ah. Ol’ Hal Turner is doin’ some diggin’.

Radiation Spike – San Diego, CA People wondering: Was Yesterday’s “Earthquake” actually Underwater Nuke Blast?

Hal Turner Nation December 06, 2024

After yesterday’s offshore “earthquake,” there is presently a significant Radiation Spike in San Diego, CA, which is now showing 600 Counts-Per-Minute (CPM) of Gamma Radiation in the 800 KeV range; about triple of everywhere else in California.

This reading comes from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Radiation Monitor Network, as being presently reported by the private sector website Nuclear Emergency Tracking Center (NETC).

Here is the reading coming from the radiation monitor network:.

Here is the extended Graph of Radiation Readings from this same station over time:

NETC Radiation Graph San Diego 12 06 2024

The reason this is peculiar, has to do with yesterday’s offsshore, Magnitude 7.0 earthquake, 647 miles farther north, off the shore of Mendocino, CA.

That earthquake took place where you see the large red circle offshore in the ocean on this map from yesterday’s United States Geologic Survey (USGS) website:

That “earthquake” has an interesting, and curious “Waveform” on seismic monitors. Here is what the waveform looked like; focus on the bright red lines on the bottom right seismic scale image – notice they don’t gradually build-up to the main quake, they just “explode:”

A number of observers have mentioned that this waveform bears more resemblance to that of an explosion than to an earthquake. The sudden, and massive surge of seismic waves is *NOT* what one typically sees when a large earthquake takes place. Usually, there is a small, but visible build-up to the main quake.

On social media, some people actually said this was a nuclear blast off the US Coast. Here is one such claim:

Which brings us back to the radiation reading off San Diego, 647 miles or so to the SOUTH of the earthquake location. If this radiation spike had anything to do with the earthquake, why are readings elsewhere in California “normal?”

It ____may___ have to do with the “North Pacific Current.” In fact, it makes PERFECT sense.

The image below, from Wikipedia, shows the generalized flow of the North Pacific Current as it approaches the continent of north America :

Yesterday’s “earthquake” took place off Mendocino, right about where the farthest left blue line of the North Pacific Current is flowing! That current moves . . . . south.

But more importantly, look what happens to that current when it reaches the “bight” of southern California: the current SPLITS. The main current continues south into Mexican waters but the split loops back north right around . . . San Diego!

If the “earthquake” was a nuclear detonation, the North Pacific Current, through its “Southern California Eddy” Which in Winter is called the “Southern California Countercurrent” would bring the radiation into the California coastline, right around . . . . . . . . San Diego.

And THAT is where we are seeing a significant radiation spike today. Right where the north Pacific Current would bring what was deep water up by Mendocino, into the shoreline area!

HMMMMMMMM.

We need someone with a Radiation Detector, to head out onto the beach at San DIego, and grab a reading of the radiation level — especially near the water.

Maybe this Radiation spike in San Diego is . . . . happenstance.

Maybe it isn’t.

MM COMMENTS

You guys know that when I think about a underwater nuclear explosion, I think in terms of a huge tsunami wave hitting the shore and devastating the homes and buildings there.

But maybe…

Maybe…

The purpose of this “explosion” (if it was nuclear, wink, wink) was to coat the entire Western (populated) United States with radioactivity.

Thank about that for a minute.

Now, let’s see what MoA has to say about something that has happened within the last day or two…

U.S. Has Stopped Ukrainian ATACMS Strikes On Russia

As further ATACMS strikes on Russia seem to have stopped this timeline is of interest.

November 18:

U.S. allows Ukraine to use ATACMS missiles against targets within Russia:

The reversal of policy, nearly 1,000 days since Russia started its full-scale invasion on Ukraine, comes largely in response to Russia’s deployment of North Korean troops to supplement its forces, a development that has caused alarm in Washington and Kyiv, a U.S. official and a source familiar with the decision told Reuters.

[Note: There is no evidence that any North Korean troops were deployed by Russia anywhere near Ukraine.]

November 19 and November 20/21:

Ukraine hits an ammunition depot in Russia’s Bryansk Oblast, far from any relevant frontline, as well as military facilities in Russia’s Kursk oblast:

On November 19, six ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles produced by the United States, and on November 21, during a combined missile assault involving British Storm Shadow systems and HIMARS systems produced by the US, attacked military facilities inside the Russian Federation in the Bryansk and Kursk regions.
…
The fire at the ammunition depot in the Bryansk Region, caused by the debris of ATACMS missiles, was extinguished without casualties or significant damage. In the Kursk Region, the attack targeted one of the command posts of our group North. Regrettably, the attack and the subsequent air defence battle resulted in casualties, both fatalities and injuries, among the perimeter security units and servicing staff.

November 21:

Russia fires a new missile with hypersonic kinetic warheads at a military industrial complex in Dnipro:

In response to the deployment of American and British long-range weapons, on November 21, the Russian Armed Forces delivered a combined strike on a facility within Ukraine’s defence industrial complex. In field conditions, we also carried out tests of one of Russia’s latest medium-range missile systems – in this case, carrying a non-nuclear hypersonic ballistic missile that our engineers named Oreshnik. The tests were successful, achieving the intended objective of the launch. In the city of Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, one of the largest and most famous industrial complexes from the Soviet Union era, which continues to produce missiles and other armaments, was hit.

November 23 and 25:

Ukraine continues with ATACMS strikes against targets within Russia:

On 23 November, the enemy fired five U.S.-made ATACMS operational-tactical missiles at a position of an S-400 anti-aircraft battalion near Lotarevka (37 kilometres north-west of Kursk).During a surface-to-air battle, a Pantsir AAMG crew protecting the battalion destroyed three ATACMS missiles, and two hit their intended targets.

As a result of the strike, a radar was damaged. There are casualties among personnel.

On 25 November, the Kiev regime delivered one more strike by eight ATACMS operational-tactical missiles at the Kursk-Vostochny airfield (near Khalino). Seven missile were shot down by S-400 SAM and Pantsir AAMG systems, one missile hit the assigned target. Two servicemen were lightly wounded and infrastructure objects sustained minor damage by missile debris.

After investigating the attacked sites it was confirmed that the AFU delivered strikes by U.S.-made ATACMS operational-tactical missiles.

November 27:

The Russian Gen. Valery Gerasimov has a phone call with Gen. CQ Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff:

Gen. Valery Gerasimov initiated last Wednesday’s call with Gen. CQ Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to provide him with that warning and to also discuss Ukraine and how to avoid miscalculation between the U.S. and Russia about that ongoing conflict.

November 28:

Putin announces the response to the November 23/25 strikes:

Last night, we conducted a comprehensive strike utilising 90 missiles of these classes and 100 drones, successfully hitting 17 targets. These included military installations, defence industry sites, and their support infrastructure. I want to emphasise once again that these strikes were carried out in response to the continued attacks on Russian territory using American ATACMS missiles. As I have repeatedly stated, such actions will always elicit a response.

It seems that Russia’s message has finally reached its recipient.

December 5/6:

In another strike on Russia Ukraine has used fix wing UAVs but no ATACMS:

Last night, the Russian Armed Forces have foiled another attempt by the Kiev regime to launch a terrorist attack using a fixed-wing UAV against the facilities in the Russian Federation.Thirty three Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were intercepted by alerted air defence systems over Kursk region. Fourteen UAVs were shot down over the territory of Voronezh region, eleven over Kursk region, seven over Belgorod region, and one over the Crimean Republic.

Moreover, the naval aviation of the Black Sea Fleet destroyed two uncrewed surface vehicles moving to the Crimean peninsula in waters of the Black Sea.

Since Gerasimov’s phone call (and Putin’s speech) there have been NO reports of any further ATACMS (or Storm Shadow) strikes on Russia!

During his announcement of the latest strikes Putin also described the effects of the hypersonic missile strike:

The system deploys dozens of homing warheads that strike the target at a velocity of Mach 10, equivalent to approximately three kilometres per second. The temperature of the impact elements reaches 4,000 degrees Celsius – nearing the surface temperature of the sun, which is around 5,500–6,000 degrees.Consequently, everything within the explosion’s epicentre is reduced to fractions, elementary particles, essentially turning to dust. The missile is capable of destroying even heavily fortified structures and those located at significant depths.

During several interviews in recent days MIT Prof. Ted Postol disagreed (vid) with Putin’s claim. Postol describes the Oreshnik impacts as shallow surface explosions with the force of about 1.5 times the weight equivalent in TNT explosives. With an estimated warhead weight of 100 kilogram the impact of each of the Oreshnik’s 36 warheads would be no bigger than a regular small bomb. This would make them mostly useless against anything but large area surface targets.

I am doubtful that Postol got this right:

Putin is usually extraordinary well informed and not in the habit of making false claims. If he states that Oreshnik warheads have deep penetration capabilities then they are likely to have these.
It would make little to no sense for the Russian’s to demonstrate the Oreshnik on hardened targets, as the bunkers of the Yuzhmash machine plant are, if it does not have significant effects on these. It would be a bluff that could and would be immediately called by the Pentagon specialist inspecting the localities and observing the effects.
The U.S. is taking the strike seriously. It has reacted by stopping support for further Ukrainian ATACMS strikes on Russia.

Weapon experts like Postol have little experience with hypersonic projectiles which impact at 10 times the speed of sound. I believe that his assessment is sincere. He also applies the necessary caveats. But I doubt that he, like most other experts, has sufficient experience with the effects of dart like hypersonic projectiles to further back up his claims.

I thus recommend, if only out of abundance of caution, to assume that the Russian claims of bunker busting capabilities of Oreshnik missiles are very real.

Posted by b on December 6, 2024 at 11:11 UTC | Permalink

A final MM Comment for today

An increase in radiation on the Western United States would have devastating effects on the American population. Here’s what the Chinese AI DeepSeek has to say about what is happening…

…

The effects of nuclear radiation on the population, particularly if it were carried to the coast of California, would be severe and multifaceted, both in the short term and long term. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

Short-Term Effects (Immediate to Weeks After Exposure)

1. Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS):

– Symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, hair loss, and skin burns.

– Severity: Depends on the dose of radiation received. High doses can lead to death within days to weeks.

2. Injury from Blast and Heat:

– Blast: Severe injuries from the explosion, including trauma, burns, and lung damage.

– Heat: Burns from the thermal pulse, which can cause severe skin damage.

3. Radiation Sickness:

– Symptoms: Similar to ARS but less severe. Includes gastrointestinal distress, immune suppression, and potential organ damage.

4. Contamination:

– External: Radioactive particles on the skin and clothing.

– Internal: Ingestion or inhalation of radioactive material, leading to internal radiation exposure.

5. Psychological Impact:

– Trauma: Shock, fear, anxiety, and panic among the population.

Long-Term Effects (Months to Years After Exposure)

1. Cancer:

– Increased Risk: Radiation exposure significantly increases the risk of various cancers, including leukemia, thyroid cancer, and solid tumors.

– Latency Period: Cancer may develop years or even decades after exposure.

2. Genetic Mutations:

– Inherited Disorders: Radiation can cause mutations in reproductive cells, leading to genetic disorders in future generations.

3. Chronic Health Issues:

– Immune System Suppression: Long-term suppression of the immune system, making individuals more susceptible to infections.

– Endocrine Disorders: Potential disruption of endocrine functions, leading to hormonal imbalances.

4. Environmental and Economic Impact:

– Contaminated Land: Long-term contamination of soil, water, and air, affecting agriculture and water supplies.

– Economic Disruption: Loss of infrastructure, economic activity, and potential displacement of populations.

Effects on Individuals with Compromised Immune Systems

1. Increased Susceptibility to Infections:

– Vulnerability: Individuals with compromised immune systems are more susceptible to infections, which can be exacerbated by radiation-induced immune suppression.

2. Severe Radiation Sickness:

– Greater Severity: The symptoms of radiation sickness may be more severe and prolonged in individuals with weakened immune systems.

3. Higher Mortality Rate:

– Risk of Death: The combination of radiation exposure and a compromised immune system can significantly increase the risk of mortality.

4. Delayed Recovery:

– Slow Healing: Recovery from radiation-induced injuries may be slower and more complicated in individuals with compromised immune systems.

Mitigation and Response

1. Shelter-in-Place:

– Immediate Shelter: Seeking immediate shelter in buildings with thick walls to reduce exposure.

2. Evacuation:

– Safe Zones: Evacuation to areas deemed safe from radiation exposure.

3. Medical Interventions:

– Treatment: Administration of potassium iodide to protect the thyroid gland from radioactive iodine.

– Supportive Care: Symptomatic treatment for radiation sickness and other injuries.

4. Decontamination:

– Removal of Contaminants: Removing radioactive particles from skin, clothing, and surroundings to reduce further exposure.

5. Long-Term Monitoring:

– Health Surveillance: Ongoing medical monitoring and support for those affected by radiation exposure.

In summary, the impact of nuclear radiation on the population, especially those with compromised immune systems, would be profound and long-lasting, necessitating comprehensive and coordinated responses from medical, governmental, and humanitarian agencies.

Final Final Comment

It appears that the Deagal Report might just be realized when Americans are being assaulted by a thousand “paper cuts”.

And DeepSeek AI explains…

…

The idiom “death by a thousand papercuts” is used to describe a situation where a person or entity is slowly worn down or defeated by a large number of small, seemingly insignificant problems or annoyances, rather than by one major issue. Each individual problem might not be severe on its own, but the cumulative effect of dealing with many such problems can be overwhelming and debilitating.

Examples of Usage:

1. Workplace Stress:

– An employee might feel overwhelmed by constant minor interruptions, small tasks, and bureaucratic hurdles, all of which individually are manageable but collectively create significant stress and inefficiency.

2. Customer Service:

– A company might lose customers not because of one major failure, but because of numerous small inconveniences, such as slow response times, minor errors in orders, and inconsistent communication.

3. Health Issues:

– A person might experience declining health not from one major illness, but from a series of minor ailments that, when combined, significantly impact their quality of life.

4. Financial Strain:

– A family might face financial difficulties not from one large expense, but from a multitude of small, recurring costs that add up over time, such as unexpected repairs, minor medical bills, and regular subscription fees.

Key Points:

– Cumulative Effect: The idiom emphasizes the cumulative impact of many small issues, which can be just as damaging as a single large problem.

– Gradual Degradation: It highlights the gradual and often unnoticed deterioration of a situation or condition.

– Overwhelming Burden: The sheer number of small problems can create an overwhelming burden, making it difficult to address each one individually.

In essence, “death by a thousand papercuts” underscores the idea that the sum of many small issues can be just as detrimental as a single large one, and it often describes situations where the impact is felt more acutely over time.

A row-boat to China to make it happen, still wearing a prison jumper

The other day it came to me…

What happened to all the smartest kids in my class (elementary through high school)> What was their story.

I’ll cover the boys. Of the girls, I know Rita became a doctor, and Lisa became a Forestry Warden. The rest got married off and did more or less a traditional life where their fates were tied to their husbands. And most stayed in the same town; the same county that they lived in.

Of the boys, we had a trio of the smartest kids.

Myself… and you all know my story.

Sid. Brilliant, outdoors type. Had a promising future. Started community college. Dropped out. No staying power.

Wandered around a bid. Became a roust-about; a farm laborer, a handy-man and a jack of all trades. Died in his early to mid 40’s of (no one talks about it) probable drug overdose or car accident.

He could have been much more.

But instead of funneling in his efforts towards creative and possibly profitable ventures, he hit a bumpy dirt road. Got way-sided and the wreckage lay there for all to see.

The next smartest guy was J Eck. Now he shared the same story as Sid. Brilliant. Well read. Went to community college. Dropped out. No staying power.

Got a job at the local lumber mill. Worked there until the mill closed. Then did odd jobs. Continued to do drugs, remained single. No girl friend for the longest time. Lots of dogs and cats in a rental that was in the darkest crevice valley in Pennsylvania. Still alive.

Hum.

The point here is that I believe that Elon Musk is right. You don’t need college or university.Right now they only put you in debt and you cannot really use them to push you up to the top upper percentages in a rigged market.

But you do need a few things.

Staying power. Stick to something. Plod on. And then complete it. Move on to the next thing.
Avoid the herd. You have to try new things, new places, new friends, and do not fall into group think. You will never escape the herd.
Find a partner. A cheerleader that will stick with you through thick and thin. They are your best asset, but (if you are not careful) can be your worst nightmare. Choose carefully. All the successful men that I know have a woman that put them there.
Health. Watch your health. Avoid drugs and bad habits. Some exercise is always good, and please, please… stay away from all processed food. Eat real fish, real vegetables, and the like.
Plan. If you don’t have a dream, you will stay in the crib. Get out and explore and live life to your fullest.

Seeing what could have been great lives by some of the brightest kids in my class makes me sad. Oh sure, others, of mediocre talent and so-so in the school, the kids that just got along… “C” level. Did just fine. They fit in society. And became middle class.

Of the men (of my high school graduating class) that are still alive. I would say that most of them has had at least one divorce.

Of that divorce, the ex-wife was awarded the house, alimony and child support. Leaving the remaining men living a greatly reduced standard of living. Most are not doing so well. Perhaps in the lower rungs of middle class, with a good solid 40% in the low economic scale.

The fate of men of my generation; a life in constant turmoil has been…

Work hard. Get a job. Get laid off. Lose everything.
Get a wife. Have kids. Get divorced. Lose everything else.
Toil at low wages, and low lifestyle, until you need to cope.
Cope with drugs or government assistance.

Die.

Surprisingly. And I do mean SURPRISINGLY, I am the only one doing “well”. And this “well” is relative.

I had to row-boat to China to make it happen, still wearing my prison jumper.

The United States has not been good to the men of my graduating class.

It’s my American story.

Today…

Have you ever tried to annoy a scammer who called you? If so, what happened?

A few years ago I was selling something on Marketplace. Someone called my phone and said they wanted it and we’re coming to pick it up, however they wanted me to “prove my identity” to them by calling a number and relay the 5 digit code that I would receive. If you don’t know this scam, the number you are calling is actually the 5 digit code to get a Google Voice telephone number. If you give the code, they now have an American phone number that they can sell or scam others with, all in your name.

Anyhow, when I refused, he began to call my number, over and over. This went on for close to 10 minutes before I finally answered him. I told him that my phone has been set to vibrate and was sitting between my legs and he had been tickling my balls for the last 10 minutes and to please not call back as I had “finished”.

I have never seen anyone text so fast in my life. Line after line after line, all in Arabic. I took a screenshot and had one of the local store clerks translate. He laughed and said they were all Arabic curses.

What factors contribute to the price difference of goods between the US and China, even if they are manufactured in China?

I can get quality components for a top class watch and assemble and mass manufacture a watch for $ 44 a piece (Minimum 10,000 a batch)

I can retail the same watch for $ 80 a piece

However I can ensure my components are CUSTOM MADE rather than MASS MANUFACTURED and custom make the same watch for $ 80 a piece

Then use the BRAND NAME and sell the watch for $ 350–400 a piece

So two watches – One of 100% Quality and another of 90% Quality

Yet the 10% difference in quality has a whopping 400% difference in retail costs

Thats the difference between US & Chinese style of manufacturing

US relies on BRAND EXCLUSIVITY

China aims at reducing the cost of the product while increasing the quality using ECONOMIES OF SCALE

US aims at creating Monopolies through Financial Power

China aims at creating Mushrooms and enhancing the quality of the product through VICIOUS COMPETITION

Its Brand vs Scale

Leather Jackets made of Processed Calf Grade IV Leather costs $40 for the material plus $ 10 for the labor and is imported from Bangladesh for TK 9000 a piece (Calf Grade Leather is different from Regular Grade Leather)

Yet once the word GIORGIO ARMANI is added to the jacket for the Design & Brand – the Jacket goes to Gulshan where the latest retail store catering to the wealthiest groups sell the Jacket for a whopping TK 60,000

And it retails in Bloomingdales for $1100 or close to TK 133000

That’s a mark up of a whopping 1500% approximately

All because of the Brand and Design

China mass manufactures the same design and brings down the cost from $ 50 a piece to $ 30 a piece and retails the piece for $ 100

And makes a profit

And supplies a jacket which is at 10% price of an Armani Jacket but with the same quality

All because of MASS MANUFACTURING

I called it

From an influencer.

You called it years ago via Heinlein, MM. 

Looks like the Chinese aren't the only ones going Starship Trooper Society. 

I do know for a fact that Putin stated a few years ago BEFORE the SMO in the former ukraine began that the next-generation of Russian political and diplomatic leadership will ALL be military veterans. 

Looks like Putin knew something, right? Bada Bing, ⚡🔥 

I do love it when you're right! Best, xx~ 

https://smoothiex12.blogspot.com/2024/08/new-russian-army-video.html?m=1

Worst LYING Interrogations Ever!

What really happens when a car salesman takes your offer to his manager to get the deal approved? Does the salesman actually go to bat for you or do they scheme on how to come back to you with a better deal for the car dealership?

I am a professional negotiator. My adult children were at the dealership buying a car. My daughter told the salesman, “My dad’s a professional negotiator and before we make a deal with you, we will have him come up and review everything, just wanted you to know that.”

Side note: being a professional negotiator does not mean I am a bottom feeder. I believe in fair and reasonable deals for all parties. So just calling me in does not mean a fist fight to get a lower price. If the deal is not fair, then there are tactics used to make it fair and they are not fist fights. It more of a change in perspective. My style is most people agree to make the deal fair.

Anyway, I get a call from my daughter asking me to drive up to the dealership. I walked in to the office and you could tell that my son and my daughter are backing up waiting on WWIII, looking at the sales man like “oh boy, you’ve done it now”. So we get down to business. The salesman goes through his “presentation” of the deal we are looking at, the sticker price, the trade in, the financing, the discount, the add on’s etc. I had already completed the research and market value searches. The offer was right where it needed to be and in my eyes looked very reasonable. I asked for free car washes and free oil changes for the first 100,000 miles which was granted.

I said to my daughter; “Look like you bought yourself a car” I thanked the salesman for the presentation. We shook hands and I left.

The moral of the story is I think the salesman hearing “my dad negotiates for a living” caused him to put a fair deal on the table rather than monkeying around.

Happy Negotiating!

Shorpy

Why does China seem to be single in the game without many allies yet appears so strong?

First and foremost dont get fooled by all this news being circulated that you have alliances against China.

This is entirely false. There are no alliances.

China is NOT Single.

China controls 24 African countries, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and has a very close friendship with Russia and Iran which it can use to its advantage at any minute.

China has a lot of trade and business influence in almost every country. Deutsche Bank since 2019 does more business with China than with USA. Banks, Manufacturers, Consumer Goods all depend on china for manufactured imports and on the chinese market for consumption and exports.

So automatically the Big Businesses – the Money Men – the People who fund elections and who can decide the fate of Democratic Governments are completely pro china.

So the Politicians can strut and shout but they cannot take any action against China as it will bring a stronger repercussion against their own country.

Simple example – India recently banned Tik Tok and many Chinese Apps. The Impact on China was minimal and only the companies were affected.

Say as a retaliation China would have stopped the export of Pharma Raw Stock to India. It would have taken us 6 years to find a substitute of that much quantity. It would rise costs by 240% to 700% depending on the drug. A Strip costing Rs. 35/- would now cost Rs. 145/- and there would be a massive supply crunch by 2023 when the inventories would dry out. There would be massive protests and literally revolutions and would create Chaos for us.

It would be the same for the United States.

China cut down its supply of the Raw Stock for Diabetic Insulin in 2019–2020 after the COVID Crisis to ensure it has enough for its own people. Trump promptly subsided the extra cost of importing insulin raw stock from other countries which cost the US Federal Government $ 38 Billion between May 2020 and February 2021 to keep the prices the same.

Biden has cut this subsidy resulting in Insulin prices rising. Biden plans to get back the Stock delivery from China and he has succeeded in getting the business back to scale by June 2021.

Sadly no country can affect China in the same way.

This is because while the world was sleeping or leaders like Bush and Obama (US), Blair (UK), Scroeder and Merkel (Germany), MMS (India) did not realize how dependent they were becoming on China.

Today it is too late.

China knows this

So unless you have an alternative – China can easily remain single.

If they get really angry and decide to use one of their many Nuclear Options – the West will promptly back down without a seconds hesitation.

Frankly I dont care too much about the West myself.

However i do wish We were in the same position that China is in today. Had we followed the Doctorine in 1991- established manufacturing bases in 14 of our uninhabited Islands on the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, Focussed on Manufacturing, we could be in a far stronger and influential position than we actually are.

Yummy

When A Karen Gets Sentenced To LIFE In Prison…

Why are so many people in the UK these days getting jail sentences for writing offensive things online especially considering there are worse offences that are getting lighter sentences?

Simple, because the UK is a totalitarian state, where you can participate in pretend elections where nothing really changes. Their recent elections changed nothing other than the front man who acts on the behalf of the corporate masters.

We can see when PC Kane Haywood, was found guilty of sexual assault by penetration (commonly known as you know rape) and received a 1 year suspended sentence. Westerners are like YEAH that’s JUSTICE! (Note how people planning a protest were given 5 years in prison).

What is the bravest recorded act of valour in most recent military times by a soldier of any country?

“I smelled something smoking and I looked down … and I was smoking,” he said.

main qimg 4bd760ce86ee8b9e759d11418d4e85fb lq

US soldiers and doctors risked their lives to extract a live RPG lodged in a US marine which could have exploded at any point- they broke dozens of regulations as well just to do the morally right thing.

Thursday, March 16, 2006, was a beautiful sunny day in Paktika Province, eastern Afghanistan. It borders a lawless region of Pakistan that is home to some al Qaeda and Taliban forces. Snow in the mountain passes along the border had melted giving them access again to Afghanistan where they came looking for American soldiers. They soon found them.

At dawn, the 10th Mountain Division’s Alpha Company headed out on a mission. Four hours into the drive and just miles from the village, gunfire broke out. They’d been ambushed from above. Twenty-three-year-old Pvt. Channing Moss, the gunner, said it sounded like rattling spoons. A hail of RPG fell onto the convoy, destroying a friendly Afghan vehicle and also hitting the humvees. One humvee commander turned to tell Moss to aim his gun when he saw his sides smoking.

The RPG that had plowed into Moss’ lower abdomen stretched from one hip to the other. If the RPG went off, it would kill everyone within 30 feet of him. Yet the company medic Spc. Jared Angell stayed close, bandaging his wounds and stabilizing the weapon so that movement wouldn’t cause it to explode.

Reports of injuries had been radioed to the medical evacuation helicopter (MEDEVAC) base in Salerno, Afghanistan — minus one crucial piece of information.

“We didn’t tell them that, you know, Moss had live ordnance in him,” Mariani said, “because there was that possibility that, you know, they might not want to transport him with live ordnance in him.”

Preparations began for the rescue mission. But first the Blackhawk crew had to wait for clearance from commanders because the area was “hot” — the battle was still raging. For MEDEVAC crew chief SSG Christian Roberts, it was a very long 15 minutes.

“When you know you have wounded people out there that are waiting for you to come pick them up, it seems like an eternity,” he said.

“Doc” continued working frantically to stabilize Moss even though the RPG was a danger to everyone around Moss. Angell knew Moss’ only chance for survival was to get out of there and to a hospital quickly.

“I constantly was looking at my watch, saying, you know, ‘When is the bird gonna get here, when is the bird gonna get here,'” medic Doc Angell said.

When Lt. Mariani pulled “Doc” aside to ask him if he thought Moss would make it, he could only shake his head no.

If Pvt. Moss didn’t survive, his wife, six months pregnant with their second child, would lose her husband and his daughter Yuliana would lose her father. But just as Moss felt he would die, he heard the choppers. An Apache helicopter escorted the MEDEVAC chopper in case there was more gunfire.

Spc. Collier, the flight medic, quickly realized what they faced with Pvt Moss.

“I see a metal object protruding out, and there are fins on it, and I am like, ‘This looks like this guy got hit with something, and it’s stuck in him, and it didn’t blow up,'” he said.

Army policy states that they are not supposed to transport soldiers in Moss’ condition. The risk of catastrophic loss is too great — four MEDEVAC crew members, three wounded soldiers and a helicopter could all be blown out of the sky.

But they also knew if they didn’t take Moss, he would die.

Pilot CW2 Jorge Correa conferred with his soldiers: “I asked my crew, you know, ‘Are you guys comfortable with this?'” he said. “Because I wasn’t gonna put my crew in jeopardy if they weren’t comfortable with it.”

The crew quickly decided to take the risk.

Co-pilot Jeremy Smith recalled the tense moment.

“We all said, ‘Yeah, let’s get him on board and let’s get outta here,'” he said.

As crew chief Christian Roberts said, “We are not gonna leave a U.S. soldier to die in the middle of Afghanistan.”

But reports of the true nature of Moss’ injury had not reached the closest medical facility at the Orgun-E base — a former goat shed transformed into a rough field hospital. They were told it was “shrapnel injury.” The aid station had two doctors, Maj. John Oh, a general surgeon, and Maj. Kevin Kirk, an orthopedic surgeon. At this point it wasn’t clear which Moss needed most — a surgical team or a bomb squad.

Incredibly, both Oh and Kirk had drilled for this exact scenario, because the Army has a protocol to handle patients with unexploded ordnance in them.

“You’re actually not supposed to bring them into an aid station,” Oh said. “And actually, he wasn’t supposed to be flown with the other patients either.”

According to the “War Surgery Manual,” Moss should have been placed far away from other patients and operated on last. If procedure had been followed, Moss would likely have bled to death, but the doctors felt compelled to save him.

Then Pvt. Moss had another life-saving break — Staff Sgt. Dan Brown, the explosives expert who spends his time disposing of bombs and captured weapons, was on the base. In his spare time, Brown had been watching an episode of ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” about a patient with an unexploded grenade in him. In that story, the bomb technician is blown up. Brown was about to play a leading role in his own non-fiction drama.

Brown, shocked to see that Moss was still alive, confirmed that they were dealing with an RPG. Moss’ life hung on whether or not they would remove the rocket.

Brown explained the different scenarios of what could happen. The worst case was that they would all become “pink mist” — everyone in the room would be killed. But to identify how much explosive power they were facing, they needed an x-ray to determine whether the RPG’s warhead was inside Moss. Their notoriously temperamental x-ray machine malfunctioned, and it wasn’t until the third attempt that they got a decent image.

The doctors and Brown were relieved by what they didn’t see. The deadliest part of the RPG — the main explosive charge — was not in Moss. But their relief diminished when Brown explained to the surgeons that it would still have enough force to kill Moss and destroy their hands.

At that point, Oh ordered everyone except the critical staff out of the aid station, the two doctors and three surgical staff remained. They all knew the risk they faced.

“I looked everybody in the eye and said, ‘You guys understand what’s going on here, right?’ And I knew everybody heard me, but nobody said anything. They just kept doing their jobs,” he said.

Oh told them it was okay to leave — but nobody did. With no words exchanged, each had decided to risk their life to save Moss.

Extreme blood loss had caused his heart to stop. Unable to do chest compressions for fear of setting off the round, they gave him epinephrine. His heart soon restarted and they could finally operate to remove the RPG.

Sgt. Brown used an unusual instrument to gently remove the RPG’s tail fins — a hacksaw. The surgeons reached inside Moss, steadying the still lethal rocket, inches from the soldier’s beating heart. They then gently eased the rocket out, with the detonator aimed at Brown’s flak vest.

Brown quickly walked out of the aid station to a bunker and detonated it. The sound of the explosion thundered through the base. As the surgeons closed up Moss’ incisions, Sgt. Brown sat down outside to collect himself. Finally, the impact of the drama hit him.

“I started shaking. I just sat there. I knew I did everything I could to help him live. And that was very, very intense for me after the fact,” he said.

You Won’t Believe What’s He Says Is About To Unfold Over The Next 5 Months

Loaded Mashed Potatoes Meat Loaf Casserole

Loaded Mashed Potatoes Meat Loaf Casserole is two of your favorites in one dish.

loaded mashed potato meat loaf casserole

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

Meat Loaf

1 pound extra lean ground beef
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs or 1 cup crushed Stove Top stuffing
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Topping

1 (4 ounce) package garlic-flavored instant mashed potatoes*
1 1/2 cups water*
1/2 cup milk*
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup real bacon bits or 3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Instructions

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine beef, onion, bread crumbs, milk, egg, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper then press into a 9 inch square or comparable baking dish.
Bake uncovered for 25 minutes, then remove and drain any excess fat.
While the meatloaf is cooking, prepare mashed potatoes as per package instructions, using 1 1/2 cups water and 1/2 cup milk.
Spread over the top of the meat loaf, then top with cheddar cheese and bacon bits.
Bake for an additional 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the mashed potatoes are slightly crispy.

Notes

* Or make your own mashed potatoes instead. This would be a great use for leftover mashed potatoes.

How do you perceive the role of geopolitical tensions between the US and China in IBM’s decision to lay off employees in China?

The problem is that IBM failed

Political reasons are only the catalyst for IBM’s failure in China, but not the root cause.

In the past 20 years, IBM is no longer the top company in computer technology.

The blue giant rose with computer technology and once led many fields of commercial computers in the entire human world. From operating systems to servers, from giant computers to floppy disks, from mice to color monitors, the development of human computer technology and network technology is inseparable from the contribution of IBM.

But those great stories are only stories of the past. IBM once made a lot of money, which made IBM become bigger and bigger, less efficient, and in many fields, IBM was surpassed by other emerging companies.

Since many businesses were in the red, IBM had to get rid of those “unprofitable” businesses to maintain a better financial situation. In the past 20 years, they sold the PC department, the storage department, the server department, the printer department, the network hardware department, the storage device department, the health department, the semiconductor department…

But all the businesses sold by IBM have been proven to be very promising and profitable by other companies. Why did they stay in IBM and become “unprofitable” businesses?

IBM started to get sick a long time ago. There is a joke in the United States that IBM is the company with the lowest efficiency and the most complicated processes in the world. IBM is the company with the lowest per capita output among the major IT companies in the world.

I list the per capita output/per capita profit of several famous IT companies

Apple: $2.38 million, $600,000

Microsoft: $1.07 million, $380,000

HP: $926,200, $56,300

Huawei: $470,000, $58,600

Oracle: $333,100, $65,400

IBM: $219,200, $26,600

IBM is not only sick, but also very sick.

IBM once proudly claimed that they had transformed from a manufacturing company to a technology company, and from a technology company to a service company. They only serve the most valuable customers, large banks, governments, airlines, and insurance companies. Their employees wear the best suits, hold meetings in six-star hotels, and only strive for the most profitable orders.

Because, orders with meager profits will lose money at IBM!

Have you used any IBM equipment or software in your life? Very little, right?

Because the money in your wallet is too little for IBM. Making money from consumers is too hard and difficult for IBM.

IBM’s largest customers in China have always been the Chinese government, state-owned enterprises, banks and securities industry. They once generously gave huge orders to IBM, and IBM also opened a research and development center in China to provide services to these customers.

The main directions of IBM China Research Institute are the Internet of Things, big data and cloud services, which are also the areas where Chinese customers purchase more.

But in the past five years, these orders have become increasingly difficult to obtain.

1. Chinese companies are growing rapidly

Lenovo, Huawei, Tencent, Alibaba, Baidu. Many Chinese companies have grown into international giants. They are in their respective fields with technology and strength that is completely not inferior to IBM, and their fees are lower and their services are more efficient.

2. Trump’s “China Plan”

The US government has imposed comprehensive sanctions on Chinese technology companies and provoked a trade war. In order to defend and counterattack, the Chinese government launched a “de-Americanization” plan: requiring the government, banks, and state-owned enterprises to reduce their purchases of American technology every year.

Under the dual effects of commercial competition and geopolitics, IBM’s disease broke out completely. It is like a patient who has been ill for a long time and has been relying on expensive drugs to maintain superficial health. When these drugs are no longer so easy to obtain, it is time for him to fall.

IBM’s performance in China has been declining rapidly:

In 2021, it grew by 2%

In 2022, it declined by 22.7%

In 2023, it declined by 19.6%

In 2024, it declined by 25% (estimated)

IBM’s market has almost been completely occupied by Chinese local companies.

In 2023, IBM’s global revenue was $60 billion, while China’s Huawei was $100 billion and Alibaba was $120 billion. IBM is no longer the blue giant it once was, but a second-rate IT company.

Do you think IBM is only collapsing in China? No, in 2023, IBM laid off 3,900 people worldwide, and they moved all the jobs in Europe to India. Because India is cheaper.

Now IBM = India Business Machine.

Maybe India is the last medicine for IBM to maintain operations.

Suspects that LOSE IT During Interrogations

What is the greatest display of inaccuracy with a gun you’ve ever seen from someone at the firing range?

There I was, in Iraq. We, the US, had just agreed to sell Abrams tanks to the Iraqis and we (my unit) were at a range to put on a demonstration. Our plan was to use a section of Bradleys and a section of Abrams to demonstrate their capability to deliver a high volume of accurate fires at long range. We had the viewing area rigged with a speaker so the audience could hear the platoon leader and his fire commands. It was going to be a sweet demonstration of something we rarely got to see ourselves!

The Iraqis decided they would also put on a demonstration and showed up with a T72 and a BMP1 (with the unimpressive 73mm low pressure gun). They would go first.

The time to fire came….and went. People climbed around the BMP and we waited. Finally….one boom. We saw a puff of sand maybe halfway to the target (which was only a couple hundred meters away). Several minutes pass and then another boom. More sand flies in the air; closer, but still nowhere near the target. Minutes pass. It’s getting awkward. There’s a third round-still well short.

My boss, the brigade commander, calls me over to where he is sitting next to the Iraqi Army division commander. He whispers to me to call our crews and have them dial it back some because he doesn’t want to embarrass their guys.

The BMP finally falls pathetically silent, having fired a max of 4–5 rounds (it was 2010, I can’t recall for sure how many!). The target is unscathed.

Despite the crewmen busy around the back deck and gathered behind it, the T72 never fires at all.

It is our turn. I’ve called them to dial it back and they’ve acknowledged but when our crews fire, I’m not sure exactly what they dialed back because it looks like thunder and lightning where the vehicles are and a sand storm around and beyond their targets as both 25mm and 120mm rounds are punching through. The Brads reduce fires and shift to alternating fires. Cool, it’s ’talking guns’ with 25mm! (This was the highest volume of fires I’ve ever seen from armored vehicles!)

My boss is initially perturbed but then settles in to watch the show.

What is the scariest gut feeling you had about someone that came true?

My flatmate moved a gay couple, Paul and Stefan, into our spare bedroom back in 1991. Stefan was gentle and okay to live with, but Paul was 6’8” tall with a menacing undertone. While he and I didn’t have any issues personally, there was something not quite right about him, something unsettling.

Paul and Stefan broke up while still living with us in 1992, with Stefan moving out. I came home soon after to find Paul’s belongings all packed up and him about to leave. He told me he’d taken his rent money back, having gone into my drawers to find it. We started having an argument about needing to give notice. I phoned my flatmate to do something about it, but he said unequivocally, “Don’t argue with him. Just let him go.”

So Paul moved out and I never saw either of them again.

Fifteen years later the police called me and asked if I knew a Paul Armstrong. I said not for a long time. They asked questions about the kind of car he drove when we lived with him. I replied that I had no idea as they parked it in the underground car park and I didn’t socialise with them.

I asked why they were asking me these questions – the police said they had arrested Paul for the murder of Felipe Flores, a man from Ecuador who had been living in Sydney. Paul had bashed him to death in a small park back in 1991….then moved in with us less than three weeks later.

It turned out the police had been reviewing a cold case, using blood found beneath the fingernails of Felipe Flores. The DNA led to Paul, who by then was also a convicted rapist. He was sentenced in 2014 for murder.

Paul Armstrong jailed for killing gay lover over HIV admission

Paul Armstrong, my former flatmate and, it turns out, convicted killer and rapist

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Felipe Flores, the man bashed by Paul in a park, who was then dragged unconscious under a bush where he died.

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Self-Assembling Nanotechnology in the $h0t?

Which is more necessary for our country, good highways or modern education and superb health facilities for all poor people?

Again

I look at China and believe whatever they did is the winning formula

That’s because nobody else did anything else that could be described as winning unless it’s done over a century or two

Quality Public Education
Manufacturing by offering Low Cost Labor and Land
Use proceeds of manufacturing to build Supply Chains, Educate more people and then Build Ports and and Roadways and Warehouses to distribute and supply the products manufactured worldwide
Invest in Technology especially R & D
Develop Indigenous Technology in many areas
Develop Key Critical Technology in a few areas
Use the money made from 6 to create a stronger middle class and use them to start transforming to a Consumption Driven Economy
Once you have sustainable money, focus on Healthcare and Elderly Care and Social Benefits for Citizens
Focus on Higher Education and Advanced Degrees and use those degrees to maintain a supply of talented labor to various advanced manufacturing jobs

That’s literally the Chinese Model

That Transformed the Nation into a 19 Trillion Great Power from an Agrarian Backwater in 1960

Ultimately there are some Dos and Donts along the way

A. Spend wisely. Dont Stupidly borrow to build Infrastructure especially Airports unless you can generate sufficient revenue and make money

B. Education should be guarded. Dont be lazy and hand over Education to private Vultures to destroy and finish off the entire base

C. Careful use of earnings. Use Proceeds of Manufacturing to create Supply Chains & Research, not to create Obnoxious Gaudy Thelawallahs who load their own pockets

D. Focus on building a Middle Class. Use Money made from Economy into creating a stronger middle class through Jobs & Housing not by the SHARE MARKET

E. Merit driven everything. Don’t abandon Meritocracy for any other Model

F. Avoid politics. Don’t put Politics before Country and Don’t regard any LEADER as a God or as someone who can’t do anything wrong

G. Concentrate on the roles of education. Focus on Higher Education meaning make it more accessible to the common man and practical,not building 40 premier institutions and diluting their value

H. Accept your mistakes. Don’t be embarrassed to admit your lack of achievement in area and LEARN AND IMPROVE

I. Focus. Don’t use petty Nationalism if it comes in the way of Potential Development

Thats Literally India today

That is holding back a 1.4 Billion Nation and making it a Paper economy day in and day out

So First

[1] We need Good Leadership

Modi is a failure

He must go

Future leaders must be judged based on pre set Goals and Standards

If they don’t achieve this, they must resign and someone else must take over

Leadership based on Caste or Religion or Brainwashing is certain disaster

And no Party politics please

[2] Second – Priorities

We need something that benefits the maximum number of people

Education is critical

Far more critical than Airports for 5% passengers

Food security is critical

Far more critical than 40 new IITs

[3] Third – Stop saying the System is fine

The System is flawed and needs massive reform

Maybe the reform could be different from person to person

Yet anyone who says the system is fine as it is and we are going to be Viksit Bharat in 2047 without any effort , is a Fool and is Genetically a flawed product

Once you reach 1,2,3

Then it’s a Custom made solution based on how your Society and Economy is structured

Just that

INDIA IS DOING EVERYTHING WRONG TODAY

So everything must be overhauled completely

How it must be done different?

That depends on various factors

Sailor Discovers Wife’s Affair During Deployment, Plays The Divorce Long Game And Has Last Laugh!

What is the most disturbing thing you’ve seen while camping?

I was at Emerald Bay Boat Camp, off Lake Tahoe, and my friend Alex and I were the last two awake, having a couple of beers by the campfire.

Per park regs, we had already put every last scented thing away in the bear boxes, even down to toothpaste and bugspray. The only scented things we had were a beer apiece in our hands, and two empties in a trash bag by our feet.

We were very engaged in conversation, but suddenly Alex gets an odd look on his face and says “don’t freak out, there is a bear right next to you”.

He needn’t have worried about me freaking out – I have a trait, seemingly inherited, where I get very calm when the sh*t hits the fan. I stood up slowly, took one long slow stride to the other side of the firepit, while Alex did the same, and turned back.

Indeed, there had been a bear right next to me. From where I had been sitting, I could have reached out and given him a noogie. It was a juvenile black bear, maybe 300–350 pounds, and juvenile is not a good thing in this area as they are more volatile, so the noogie would have been ill-advised.

The bear was checking out the trash bag with the empties. He was not moving with urgency; it was as if he already knew that there was no nutrition to steal and hurry off with, but the bag smelled good, so he just wanted to play with it for a bit.

Alex and I both knew the routine for scaring off a black bear, but this little guy was just focused on the trash bag, and there was nothing harmful that he could find. So, we flashed a look at each other, which was a silent agreement not to bother him.

We watched him, not even 10 feet away, just fool around with the bag and sniff it. He played for maybe 2 minutes, then finally he glanced up at us, seemingly remembering we were there, and ambled off, unhurriedly.

It’s a treasured memory, watching this majestic wild animal at play, by firelight, standing near the shore of one of the most beautiful bays on Earth.

What was the most difficult car or engine repair or maintenance you have ever done? Were you successful or did you give up in despair?

My daughter’s 2009 BMW 335I had the twin turbos fail. I watched several videos to see how difficult it would be for she and I to repair it. The videos showed that it was a complicated, time consuming repair, but we felt we could do it. We ordered the parts and started working one Saturday morning. After working for a few hours, she called her boyfriend, who lives a couple hours away. He drove up to help. Her boyfriend has a lot of experience working on BMWs. He said he would not have attempted this repair. I had to take the intake manifold off this car once, to replace a heater pipe. So, I knew it wouldn’t be simple.

It took us three long days to replace the turbos. Many, many times we were forced to get just a couple fingers into a place no human should be able to touch. Everything was crammed together so tightly it was torture. We lost a lot of skin on our hands and arms. We had the foresight to put all the parts in ziplock bags and label them well. We arranged the parts in order, as we took them off. There were many, many parts.

We did get the turbos installed and working well. We made one mistake that took me 2–3 hours to fix after my partner in torture drove back home. That was about four years ago. I have only done minor repairs on that car since. I will never attempt a major repair on an BMW again.

Are there Uyghurs and Tibetans who are members of the CCP?

I’ll show you a famous one, known by all Chinese.

When the tourists came to Xinjiang, they looked like four or five young people in their twenties. Their cars were stuck in the mud.

The old man from Xinjiang helped this group of people to take the car out of trouble.

When tourists tried to pay him cash to express their thanks, he refused, but his language was difficult to communicate, so he showed his party emblem.

He is not an Uygur or a Tibetan, but rather a smaller ethnic group in Xinjiang, Khalkhas.

His name is Abdugapal Mad, who lives in Muji, as a CPC member for 24 years.

What is the craziest purchase you’ve seen someone make on a work credit card?

Someone at my previous place of employment purchased $35,000 of diesel fuel.

Which admittedly was sort of the right thing to do, except he was only authorized to make purchases up to $20k without VP sign-off.

It was sort of an emergency. A hurricane had just beat up the area, lots of roads were closed, power was out, and the data center only had enough fuel to run the generators for maybe 48 hours. He had contacted the local power utility and they didn’t expect to restore power for weeks. His local fuel supplier was out. He contacted each one on his list and only one could guarantee to supply the fuel before his 40 hour window (high demand, many road closings make for a bad combo). They could only hold the fuel for ten minutes and he couldn’t get a hold of a VP during that time and authorized the purchase. Having a data center outage costs dramatically more than $40k. It may cost over $1k a minute which is why we paid people to stay on top of emergency situations.

So that doesn’t sound too crazy. More like going out on a limb and spending what had to be spent to keep things running. Against company policy, and would probably get someone fired despite doing “the right thing”, but not crazy.

Except…

That company has what they call “DIRT week”. Disaster Infrastructure Recovery Test week. Your company won’t be prepared to handle an emergency unless it faces some. So one week a year if we didn’t have a real emergency we had one or more artificial emergencies.

The fact that DIRT week is coming is widely advertised inside the company. As is the DIRT coordinator’s contact details. If you are having a crisis and it is impacting production and you can’t handle it you can call DIRT and if they made the emergency they will also take it away for you. The marching orders though are to try to deal with any disaster as if it is really happening, if you know is DIRT caused but you can handle it, you handle it. If you don’t know if it is DIRT caused and you can handle it, you handle it. If you have just been slammed by and emergency and you can’t figure a way out you call the DIRT folks up and hope it is something they made so they can remove it.

This guy spent $35k on real diesel fuel from his company credit card ($15k over what he is authorized for) and didn’t call the DIRT coordinator because that is how he would have handled the emergency if it hadn’t been DIRT week, and for all he knew it was a real emergency.

It was in fact a DIRT emergency. They made up the hurricane. Sort of. There was a real hurricane. It just didn’t take out the actual power. They simulated the power outage, and replaced the contact number for the power utility. Turns out other people in the area had bought up the fuel. The VP just happened not to be around during that short window.

The postmortem decided that rather then discipline the guy for buying the diesel since that was the desired outcome that the policy would be changed. The new policy only requires VP approval if a VP is available in the war room to consult. If none are around SREs can spend whatever it takes to restore or maintain production systems. Be ready to defend the charge after the fact, but the nature of the defense is “that is how much keeping things going cost” not “and it was under a specific number”.

“It’s Getting WORSE And WORSE…” – Danielle DiMartino

Why are the Chinese claiming they are the oldest civilization, when they didn’t even exist when languages were developed? The Chinese lasted only 2,000 years. How did they maintain that long?

Well, America is the flagbearer of western civilization and it’s all of 250 years old.

And where did western civilization originate?

Modern day middle-east/Mediterranean.

America is an ocean away, but it spells in the Latin alphabet, and prints “in God we trust” on its currency.

Clearly, western civilization is unbroken, because it can be traced from the time of the ancient sumerians, Egyptians and Persians, as recorded in the Bible. In fact, the way we tell time today is based on a recorded event in the bible: the birth of Jesus. Hence it is AD 2024 today. Anno Domini, Latin for “in the year of our lord”.

But is it continuous, in the sense that today’s Americans share cultural and historical commonality with others that also identify as western and those that came before them?

The modern American may read Tacitus, quote Plato, and study machiavelli, but he doesn’t identify as a Roman, Greek or Italian. The refrain “it’s all Greek to me” is illuminating.

In other words, western civilization share a loosely linked pool of knowledge, but what sets the westerner apart is still geography and DNA. After all, North Africa and the Middle East have suffered massive destruction in recent years despite being the cradle of western civilization.

China is different. The fossil and DNA record clearly show modern Chinese are descended from paleolithic ancestors who settled and called it home. Elements of Neolithic culture found their way into the earliest xia and shang dynasties, including burial practices and cultural wares.

Chinese writing can be traced to the oracle bones of the Shang, and character evolution remains a topic for active scholarship. There was a period of fragmentation during the long decline of the zhou in the spring-autumn and warring states, but qin unification consolidated Chinese block writing. It has remained a consistent whole for the past 2,200 years.

The answer to “what it means to be Chinese” is rooted in continuity. History, culture, language, philosophy, the arts, technology, even governance and politics.

Take for example the genealogy of confucius, which has been continuously maintained over 2,500 years tracing more than 80 generations, the world’s longest extant record of human pedigree. There are over 2 million living descendants registered, with the estimated total well in excess of 3 million.

Similarly, an educated Chinese youth today can visit the Shandong museum and read Sun Tzu’s art of war off 2,200 year-old bamboo strips written during the Han dynasty.

You can’t do that with spelled languages. Even Shakespeare’s prose is unwieldy to the point of being unreadable because a 4-century gap separates modern English from the romance of Shakespearean times.

Chinese is drawn, not spelled.

This has allowed Chinese civilization to build and maintain the largest databank in history before the advent of digital storage.

Why did the kjv peoples expend significant cultural and political capital to preserve deep Chinese roots, especially Chinese literacy over tens of generations?

Because the Chinese language, especially block writing, remains the key to unlocking the priceless databank. Surely their survival as intact states must be in great part attributed to the umbilical link with the living Chinese body of knowledge.

Vintage Home Decor

Stray Cat Almost Killed by a Car, Waits Alone for Death, Until This Happens

What are some strategies for winning big at a casino in Macau?

True story.

When I first moved to Macau, one of the first people I met was a guy named Mark from the UK. He was a professional card counter. He played everyday. If he won US $3500 or lost US $3500 he would stop playing. He won more than he lost, so he was pretty good at discipline.

The casino security spotted him. Then they changed the rules. Changed from a four deck shoe to a six deck shoe.

They followed him home. And when he came out of his home, someone would follow him. He became uncomfortable and went to Korea to play.

When he came back, he was told he was blacklisted. No reason given.

Casinos make up their own rules.

But the basic rule is the house always wins.

There are no strategies to win. Just keep your money in your wallet and you win!

Stanley Ho, the founder of the modern casino industry in Macau was asked what game he played at his casinos. And he said “I don’t gamble “

Is it true that China in the 1700-1800s, while having a large army, still used ancient technology (arrows), compared to Europe?

In the year 1523, Ming dynasty captured a few Muskets during war with the Portugueses. In the year, 1548 Ming dynasty replicated and mass produced it. That became the Ming dynasty’s main firearm, and later the Qing dynasty. In the year 1765, Qing dynasty had a “conflict” with Myanmar, Burmese had already switched to the newly invented flintlock received from the British. That was when Qing dynasty started falling behind in the weapons department.
It didn’t have a large army either. Military cost money, there was no neighboring country could threaten China at the time, why keeping a large army?

What is the best habit you’ve taken up from another person?

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I have a friend who spent 9 years in jail. When he came out, he showed me a couple tips that can literally save your life.

Always have an extra door lock (especially if the regular one is not strong enough). That way, it will be much harder for someone to break in. Bonus: you will sleep better at night too.

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Never wear headphones in public (especially in the crowd). You become a lot more vulnerable to all kinds of accidents or attacks. Stay aware – it will be much harder for anyone to do any harm to you.

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When stopped by the police, stay calm, slow down your pace, appear relaxed, stay confident, and say as little as possible.

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Always pay off your debts. It does not matter if it is big or small, 10 years ago or 10 days ago – return whatever you owe to other people.

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These 4 habits have saved me from a lot of trouble in life.

Boomers (In The Workplace) Are In Serious Trouble.

The Last Voyage of Commander Jenkins

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

Lawrence Bates

Lawrence M. Bates

I open my eyes. It’s light out. Then something that sounds like a Chopin nocturne starts ever so softly to intrude upon my still half-awake, still half-asleep consciousness. I begin stretching to get the kinks out only to find my elbows banging against the side of my crypt. Oh, yeah. Right. I’m Joshua Jenkins, the captain of the starship Montmartre on a colony prep mission. All the hoses and med devices and such have been retracted from my body and the lid to my pod has been popped open by Rosslyn. Hallelujah! That means we’re in orbit around Kiroki 3 and it’s time for me to snap into action. It also means, as the realization suddenly dawns upon me, that I’m still alive.

The revival protocols kick in and I sit up to self-check for brain fog and atrophied muscles. The Advanced Life Support Hibernation Module (ALSHM), aka crypt, aka pod, is supposed to handle all the biological necessities for us while we’re in stasis. It must’ve worked, because I actually feel pretty good. This must be my lucky day. I step out of the crypt without any wobbling and sure enough, over in the corner right where I left it hangs my captain’s uniform. It’s a red jumpsuit with an insignia that reads “Commander Jenkins”, but by my lights a starship is still a sailing ship and I’m still this ship’s captain.

After getting dressed, I finally notice it. According to protocol, we’re all supposed to be reawakened at the same time in case something goes wrong and someone needs help, but the pods of my three-person crew remain unopened. I walk around the crypt room and inspect each pod. They seem to be operating normally with all vitals showing in the green. Something must be wrong.

“Rosslyn.”

“Yes, Commander Jenkins.”

I can’t resist. “Would it kill you to call me Captain Jenkins instead of Commander Jenkins? You know I hate that.”

“No, Commander. Calling you Captain Jenkins instead of Commander Jenkins will not result in my death or in any way disrupt my power supply. Did you enjoy the Chopin-themed revival procedure? That was one of the last orders you gave me before entering stasis.”

“Ah, yes, that was fine.”

“Good. That means that that aspect of me is still functioning properly.”

What the hell? “Rosslyn, why did you revive me and not the others? Aren’t we in orbit around Kiroki 3?”

“No, Commander. I encountered an anomaly which requires the Commander’s attention. Please proceed to the bridge. I have a briefing waiting for you there.”

“Ok, on my way.” Wow. A problem that needs human intervention. Scratch that. Commander intervention. As I walk down the corridor, my mind starts racing as to what kind of anomaly would short-circuit a ship mind. It’s supposed to be able to autonomously handle just about any contingency that the universe can throw at it. I’m used to Rosslyn and her eccentricities, but now I’m starting to get a little nervous.

I reach the bridge doors and am admitted by Rosslyn. “Rosslyn. As you can see, I’m here. What’s going on?”

The main viewing screen pops into life and shows a simulation of the Montmartre as it travels through space from Earth towards Kiroki 3, a journey of some 320 light-years. As the Montmartre gets to about 20 light-years from its destination, the simulation freezes.

“For six months”, Rosslyn begins, “the voyage of the Montmartre has proceeded without any significant incidents. Then two days ago the ship attained zero velocity and remains immobilized with respect to this sector of the observable universe at the location indicated by the red pulsing dot on the screen.”

“That’s impossible,” I say. “You can’t just stop in space.”

“Agreed. What has happened to the Montmartre is impossible. I have spent the last two days checking my systems for faults, but have found none. All my instruments report optimal functionality. I have tried using the attitudinal thrusters to maneuver and change our position, but to no effect. I then tried restarting the Leyton Drive on low power to see if that could get the Montmartre moving, but our position remains unchanged. Somehow, we have been frozen in place, and I have been unable to formulate an explanation let alone a remedy for this phenomenon. In a case such as this, default protocols demand that I revive the Commander and seek human assistance.”

I’m so shocked by this that I almost fall over backward before managing to recover my balance. Now I need to recover my emotional balance. Two months behind us is the Red Swan carrying thousands of colonists expecting to wake up and move in to a makeshift habitat that we’re supposed to have already prepared for them. Will they get stuck here too? My psych profile says that I excel at inhibiting panic and focusing on problem solving. That’s one of the reasons why SpaceLab made me a ship captain. More importantly, my psych profile also goes on to state that I’ve been evaluated out as a high-IQ, ultra-rational sociopath who doesn’t interact well with other human beings in what is classically referred to as a mentally healthy manner. This serves to amplify my predilection to make decisions based on mission priorities and not personal relationships. In other words, SpaceLab made me a starship captain because I’m a first-rate asshole, and everyone knows it.

“Rosslyn, something must be wrong with your sensors. This just can’t be happening.”

“Yes, Commander Jenkins. Either I am broken, or the universe is.”

*****

I instruct Rosslyn to try slowly revving up the engines to full power. We don’t move either backward or forward. In fact, alarms go off as the engines start overheating. “Commander Jenkins. I must turn off the engines or they will explode in 17.3 seconds.” A Leyton Drive explosion is not anything you want to be around. I wait another few seconds just to make sure, but nothing changes. “Rosslyn, power down the engines.”

“Yes, Commander Jenkins.”

I then order Rosslyn to revive my crew mates and instruct them to assemble in the dining room in two hours’ time, giving all of us a chance to settle into wakefulness. Arriving a little early is Padak Remanotra, a physicist. Tall, lanky, even regal in bearing, he grabs himself a coffee and sits down at the table. An attempt at small talk is made while we wait for the others but is soon abandoned. Oddly, when we talk physics, we get along just fine.

Thankfully, a few minutes later Susan Orman and Lee Sung wander in together chatting amiably. After all, they’re expecting this to be a pre-planning session for exploring and colonizing Kiroki 3 and are excited about finally getting the opportunity to do just that. Orman specializes in exobiology and so is by nature a bit quirky and somewhat whimsical. That’s ok with me. SpaceLab must consider these desirable personality traits in a person that you’re expecting to be able to communicate with alien beings.

Sung is a planetary scientist. Her disposition sours as she takes a seat and realizes that she must put up with being in the same room as me, at least for the time being. Understandable. Deep space exploration is not kind to fools, and back on Earth during training I rode her pretty hard while I took it relatively easy on Remanotra and Orman. She noticed, and at one point she just flat-out said that she hated my guts. In my standard charming style, I responded “Lots of people hate my guts, so don’t think you’re anything special for it.” Sung just harumphed, obviously unimpressed with my wit. As long as she does her job and follows my orders, then I don’t have a problem with her. We’ll see.

All three possess multi-disciplinary scientific skills and all three of them are a lot smarter than I am, and boy, do I need their expertise now.

Padak speaks first, asking “Where’s Kiroki 3? I didn’t see it on any on my screens. Shouldn’t we be in orbit around it?” At that point I explain to them the nature of our predicament. As expected, a chorus of “That’s impossible!” resounds through the dining room. Then I sit back and wait for the information to sink in and for them to start ideating.

Susan asks “Did you check Rosslyn’s logs?” “Yes”, I say. “Not in detail, but I didn’t offhand see anything unusual. One minute we’re cruising along at Leyton 12, the next minute we’re at 0. At least, according to Rosslyn. Rosslyn’s been running diagnostics for the last two days and hasn’t found anything wrong. That’s why she revived me – she doesn’t know what to do and neither do I.”

Padak starts thinking out loud. “Ok, assuming that Rosslyn is right, here’s a few ideas that could explain the stoppage. One. We’ve entered a black hole. Two. We’ve entered a void, a nullity, a region of non-universe where there’s no space for us to travel through. Or three, and this is a long shot, maybe this region of space is the result of two inflaton fields from two different universes intersecting each other resulting in a patch where the laws of physics that we’re used to no longer apply.”

Rogue black holes are a real problem in deep space, akin to the icebergs that our Earth-bound sea-faring ancestors had to contend with. I said “Rosslyn is designed to detect gravitational anomalies and asteroidal debris and make the appropriate course adjustments. As I said to Susan, a review of the logs contains no indication of any significant course corrections or major incidents encountered during our journey. As for a space-void, that’s something we’ll just have to find a way to test for.”

During this back and forth with Padak, Orman and Sung have been whispering to each other. Now apparently satisfied, they look at me and then each other, deciding which one of them is to present the material. Of course, it’s Orman who does the talking.

“Here’s what we think. It could be flypaper. Or a spider web.”

That’s a bit much, even for me. “That would imply that some creature is going to come along at any moment and eat this ship along with us in it. I reject that explanation because one, it’s too far-fetched for me, and two, if it is true, we’re done for. I don’t see how the Montmartre can fend off some gigantic galactic starship predator.”

Orman continues without missing a beat. “Ok, if you don’t like that explanation, how about this one? It’s a border wall, or perhaps a border sphere. Some alien race likes their privacy and this is their cosmic ‘Beware of Dog’ sign.”

Huh. I never would have thought of that. Leave it to an exobiologist to come up with an anthropomorphic interpretation.

“Or it could be asteroid protection” adds Padak, even though there are no planets anywhere near here that would need protecting. Still, who knows?

“All that sounds plausible” I say. But if it’s an asteroid protection shield, why are we stuck here? And if it’s a border wall, are they studying us? Vetting us before allowing entry?”

We continue in this vein for another hour or so. One option of course is to just go back into stasis and wait to see if something ever comes along to either eat us or collect us for an alien museum. Even if the wall is a naturally occurring phenomenon subject to dissolution over time, that may be ongoing for millions of years. Everyone, including myself, agrees that going back to sleep without knowing what’s up is a non-starter. Besides, we sign up for these missions because we want to explore, not sleep.

Sung finally finds her voice. “You know that you have to notify the Red Swan and tell them to go back to Earth.” “Yes,” I reply. Being overall Mission Commander gives me the authority to override anyone and anything. I could just advise the Red Swan of our situation and order it back to Earth and dump the problem back onto SpaceLab’s lap. “I’ve refrained from contacting them yet because I don’t want to have to abort the mission until we’re positive that we have no other choice.”

Eventually, we agree on a game plan that hopefully will lead to our getting out of this mess. Meanwhile, the Red Swan is still barreling head-long towards our position. Are they doomed to suffer the same fate as the Montmartre?

*****

We spend the next three days running tests. If it is one of Padak’s voids, then I can’t take the risk of exposing someone to this unknown environment. So first, we have a robot shove a probe out of the airlock. Surprisingly, the probe is able to maneuver around the vicinity of the ship freely. Also, we are able confirm some cosmological constants such as the speed of light via the probe and Rosslyn’s instrumentation as well. So, it doesn’t appear that this is some kind nullity.

Feeling adventurous, we next try extending the probe’s radius of exploration. We extend the range to a few 100 kilometers in all directions: up, down, left, right, backward, and especially forward. No problems. Padak suggests that the wall is mass-sensitive. To check this out, I take the shuttle out for a spin, just in case the wall is life-form sensitive. My spacesuit stays on in case the shuttle gets stuck and I have to hitchhike back to the ship. I take the shuttle out 1,000 kilometers in all directions and encounter no difficulties. The germ of a rescue plan begins to form in my mind, but I’m going to need Rosslyn’s help first.

I return to the ship, go to my cabin, and lie down.

“Rosslyn.”

“Yes, Commander Jenkins.”

“Is there a way for the shuttle to rendezvous with the Red Swan before it gets stuck here as well?”

“No, Commander Jenkins.”

“Why?”

“A message to the Red Swan ordering it to shed velocity will take approximately 4.4 weeks to arrive. That gives it approximately 2.5 weeks to match the shuttle’s velocity for docking and then set a course for return to Earth before getting stopped by the wall. There is no way the Red Swan can slow down enough or the shuttle travel fast enough to meet the Red Swan at that critical point.

Now it’s my turn. “Rosslyn. If the shuttle is located a safe distance away, would the shock wave generated by a Leyton Drive explosion boost the shuttle to the velocity needed to be picked up by the Red Swan and also leave enough time for it to reorient itself on a course back to Earth before hitting the wall?”

“Ahhh,” purrs Rosslyn. She spends a few moments performing astronomical calculations. “Yes, Commander Jenkins. That is possible. The optimum scenario has a Leyton Drive explosion that would actually propel the shuttle past the oncoming Red Swan as it slows. This gives the Red Swan ample time to turn around, build up speed, and recover the shuttle on its way back to Earth. Another pause. “Commander Jenkins, you understand that in order to detonate the Montmartre by overheating the engines, you must be physically present in the bridge to override my safety protocols.”

“Yes, Rosslyn. I understand.”

*****

I assemble the crew once again in the dining room and explain to them my plan. They shuffle uncomfortably in their chairs for a moment and then Padak says, “To be truthful, Commander, the three of us have also come to the same conclusion. We just never believed you would approve it.”

“Well, consider it officially approved. You have one hour to pack the shuttle with your personal belongings along with a couple of weeks’ worth of food. The sooner you launch, the better the odds are of your rescue. Get moving.”

While the crew is off busily packing, I make my way to the bridge. Rosslyn pre-programs the shuttle’s flight path. I send a data packet to the Red Swan’s ship mind. It orders the revival of Commander Strausburg as well as containing all the maneuvering instructions needed to avoid the wall, rendezvous with the shuttle, and return to Earth. There’s nothing to do now except wait for the crew to finish loading the shuttle.

The intercom crackles. “Commander Jenkins, we are ready for launch.”

“Very well,” I tell them. “Rosslyn. Launch the shuttle. Let me know when they’re in position.”

“Yes, Commander Jenkins.”

The intercom crackles once more. It’s Sung. “Commander, I just wanted to let you know that I still hate your guts.”

I can’t tell if she’s being serious or getting sentimental on me. “Good,” I reply. “That means you won’t experience any psychological damage from this incident.” The connection goes dead.

I’ve got some time to kill, so I kick back, relax, and put my feet up on the console. “Rosslyn. Play the Chopin please.”

“Yes, Commander Jenkins.”

I try imagining what it must have been like for sea-faring explorers of the past, like Cook and Columbus, sailing off into uncharted waters and unknown dangers. After some time, Rosslyn interrupts my reverie.

“Commander Jenkins. The shuttle has now reached a safe position.”

It’s time. Oh well, the captain always goes down with his ship. “Rosslyn. Disable all safety protocols. Bring the engines up to full power.”

“Aye aye, captain.”

Richard Wolff: Something BIG is About to Happen in the U.S…”

What interesting thing did you read today?

Today I read that a country exists where –

Only goverment approved haircuts are allowed (18 for women and 10 for men) any other haircut is illegal.
If a person commits suicide or crime then his family upto 3 generations are punished
There is powercut every night. Need permission to use electricity.
only three television channels for people to choose from and all of them are government-controlled.
Making international call is illegal (may also get killed for it) even leaving country is illegal. Any means to connect outside to the country is banned. There’s no social media.
Sanitary pads, Jeans Internet, Religious practices Owning private property or car, international travel is banned
Choice of the profession of an individual is decided by the government based on the country’s needs.
Any tourist who enters the country is closely monitored by the government throughout the trip. Each tourist is assigned a guide who accompanies him throughout the trip. If someone leaves their group or tries to talk to a local, they will be arrested. Along with this, tourists are taken only to certain places and along certain routes. Tourists visiting the country have to deposit their phones and computers and are allowed to take them back only before returning.
If house is on fire then saving president’s potrait is priority over saving own children and can cause death penalty
Very limited and restricted use of phones (cell phones not mobile phones) and internet (intranet – govt regularised) only 28 websites may be accessed under government supervision. The list of people with Internet access includes political leaders and their families, students attending elite schools, and the military’s cyber-warfare department. Only state-sanctioned operating system Red Star OS, designed in country, is allowed to use and not the standard Windows or Mac. Wi-Fi has been banned from use at all national embassies worldwide.
The government chooses where people can live depending on their relationship with the state. Living in the capital needs government permission.
The government restrictions allow only one in a hundred people to use a car.

Interesting but terrifying.

Nana’s Stuffed Bell Peppers

I made these last night. They cook on top of the stove instead of the oven. That way you don’t heat up the house. My Nana used a cast iron Dutch oven. It was a huge thing and a pepper never tasted as good as it came out of that ol’ iron pot!

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef
4 slices bread, torn into small pieces
2 teaspoons onion powder
Salt and pepper
10 large bell peppers
2 cups ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Water

Instructions

Mix ground beef, bread, onion powder and salt and pepper to taste.
Split peppers in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and discard. Stuff with meat mixture.
Lay in cast iron Dutch oven (I use my big skillet).
Mix ketchup, sugar and Worcestershire sauce and pour over the tops of peppers.
Pour water into the pot to bring up to 1 inch from the bottom of the peppers. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and reduce heat to simmer, cook 20 minutes. Check water level to see that peppers do not stick, adding more water if necessary. If peppers are tender, remove from Dutch oven to serving platter and serve.

Latest MM AI art

I think that I am getting much better. What do you guys think?

Just some guys having coffee over politics, and football games. Sure some mess ups like the strange funnel in the center, but that can be photoshopped out easily…

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A different one. The men aren’t wearing shirts, just the girls aren’t dressed. It’s a consequence of the Baroque art style.

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This one is a bit more intense. I do love the coffee urns.

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The drapery is great, but I do wish that they had more clothes on…

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Looks like beer more than coffee.

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And another… I’m on a roll.

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A bit of a conspiracy.

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Stunned by the news.

This is really nice…

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Planning, and drinking.

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By a water fountain that serves as a coffee alter.

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Now, here’s what happened when I changed the root, altered the seed and asked for women instead of men. Very nice…

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Also nice.

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When I specified with “different women of different sizes and types”…

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A bit of a mix.

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I do like the steaming coffee.

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Now we are talking real clothing folds.

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Very intense, but the twins are disturbing.

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She offers them a beer…

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Deciding who will drink, perhaps?

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Promising.

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The Last Coffee.

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It’s tough being a man…

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Nice color balance…

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A very nice array of table brick a brack.

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The lecture.

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Agreement.

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Here’s some of my rejects as the AI entered the realm of “meh”.

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Same.

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Same.

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Same.

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Now, I’ll show you some other rejects that seemed to make all the “women” extra bountiful…

I decided to change things up as the AI was starting to enter the world of “Blah”. So I changed “men” to “women” and tried different locations.

When I first started using the same engine it looked like porn. It really did.

Just a bunch of overly stacked women all over the place. Seriously more like porn than anything else.

Overall, I did not like the imagery. Not enough of that “something hidden” aspect of real art. But they weren’t bad pictures either…

Sort of like this…

Not what I am looking for, but not hard on the eyes either.

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More of the same. I think that guy is missing something important.

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Not bad. Not bad. But not good either… Not what I was working towards. It’s not something that would grace a living room wall, eh?

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A little bit more interesting, but this route was just giving me garbage.

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So then I changed the AI engine completely.

I Kept the seed, and used some enhancement add ons. And the results were interesting. But , still, not exactly what I was looking for.

Interesting. Yes.

@Cinematic Kino Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic B 0(29)

I substituted “coffee service” for “lavish palace”, as well as the “men” to “women”. And the AI still kept trying to undress everyone. It’s the Baroque style. If I didn’t add that I would get typical CGI art themes.

Some were nice.

Bountiful.

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Bountiful.

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Same, but why is the chick wearing a hair net?

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Not too bad, but why is a sheet covering up what is likely a wonderful painting?

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I tried to force “men and women” into the model… then everyone got undressed. *sheech*

Interesting, but NOT what I am looking for.

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With some interesting expressions…

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I really do like this one. I don’t really know why. I guess that is why it is called art.

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Not so on this one…

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Men and women…

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What are they supposed to be doing? Comparing each other’s boobies?

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Bountiful.

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What? What? What?

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Oh, it’s an everyday occurrence to lie near a pillar and drapery while undressed…

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I DO like the dresses and the fabrics on this one…

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Interesting…

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WTF? Is he thirsty?

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Hum… Sweet whispers, and what the Hell is going on?

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He’s also thirsty, eh?

I have to pause at this one.

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Now, this might be a Triad Boss somewhere in China… just needs some gold chains around his neck.

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And then after using a different AI engine, I really hit my stride…

It started here…

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And quickly got interesting…

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Nipple placement is a tad bit off…

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Nice…

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With an occasional nude interspersed…

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And then back to the good stuff.

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Now, THIS is what I am looking for in folds of cloth.

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And expressions. And backgrounds.

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Now this is good…

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Romance on the farm…

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Double the pleasure.

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And some confusion…

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Hum.

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You all have any thoughts about all this?

Why don’t Chinese people admit that their country is very poor?

Yes they are so poor they have 60% driving the latest EVs and the US has less than 3%. Yes they are so poor 99% used digital money without carrying one cent in coins or notes today! 100% of Yanks still carry cash around! Yes they are so poor they have a hard time choosing between Bentley and Roll Royce? Or Mercedes and BMW! Yes they are so poor there are more Starbucks in China than there us in USA and for every 10 new Starbucks in China one is being planned in US! They are so poor they travelled in 400km an hour high speed train! They are so poor there is ZERO homeless to 2.5 million Americans livin in the streets!

I think you should finally admit that you are so poor in brain cells to asked this question! It is too obvious to the world.

Why is Macau so rich?

Gambling revenues.

Macau government got rid of it’s gaming monopoly and issued six licenses including Wynn and Sands (Venetian).

When Sands opened its first casino which cost US $260 million, the crowd broke the doors! They recovered their investment in eight months.

With that success,they built the Venetian, a property three times the size of the Vegas property. It opened during the third week of August, yet tourist numbers went up by 24% for the entire month. Gaming revenues were unbelievable.

All six operaters have similar operations.

In 2005 we had 12,000 hotel rooms. Now we have over 42,000. Hyper growth. New hotels are 2000–3000 rooms.

Macau has 44 casinos and revenue of 5–6 times that of Vegas.

The government charges for each license, Charges rent for land lease and gets 39% of gross gaming revenue in taxes.

That’s why Macau is rich.

Car salesmen: who was the most “shrewd negotiator” customer you’ve ever had?

I used to have a boss that wanted a new Corvette. He waited to go to the dealership until the middle of winter when it had snowed like a foot the night before. Many of the city businesses had closed their offices, including ours. We had a “free day off.”

He KNEW exactly which car he wanted, and that dealership had one. So he went down there. Due to all the snow, the dealership was empty of customer — NOBODY was car shopping that day.

He pretended like he wasn’t sure which Corvette he wanted. He got the eager sales guy to clear the snow off of one, so he could sit in it and check it out.

“I dunno…. I like it, but do you have another one with the XYZ features?”

Clear off another car, sit in that one, chat with the sales guy for 15 minutes

“I dunno…. I like this one better, but do you have one in Red?”

Clear off another car, and chat another 15 minutes.

He farted around for more than THREE HOURS with that salesman, pretending he couldn’t make up his mind about which one to buy. The entire time, the car he really did want was RIGHT THERE on the lot.

He wore that poor guy ragged, jacking around all day. He made the guy clear off every single ‘vette they had, which was like 20. By the time they started talking price the sales guy was already PLENTY TIRED of this shit, and the negotiations had just begun.

My boss got the exact car he wanted at the EMPLOYEE DISCOUNT price, plus the factory incentives, plus some extra shit thrown in for free.

Does Russia have the technology to build a helicopter similar to a Chinook?

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A Chinook is obsolete in today’s warfare context

Yes during the Vietnam War and those older wars, a Chinook made sense to transport heavy equipment and men from a safe zone to a war zone

The enemy didn’t have Air Defense and certainly not guided air defense with missiles

Today?

Even the Houthis can blow up a Chinook with a handful of limited air defense missiles

A Chinook is a lumbering elephant that is easy enough for a basic drone to attack and destabilize and cause to crash

Neither the Russians nor the Chinese have any use for the Chinook or its design

The Russians move on land and transport their equipment on land

Same for the Chinese

Neither need Lift Choppers because neither would ever target a Nation that is fighting with Guerilla Tactics

Attack Choppers

That’s what Russia wants and has

Like the KA-52

Rapid movement, Rapid assault and Rapid retreat

Tough for a Drone to latch onto and too much of a blur to lock on and blow up with an Air Defense Missile without accuracy

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