When I was in 11th grade, I was elected President.
Indeed, I learned a lot in that experience. I had a “mini coup” by a cabal of Jocks and Cheerleaders who took over control of the Jr-Sr Dance away from me, and who hijacked the fiance budget and blew it all on a “Homecoming Game” parade.
I witnessed my opposition leader buying votes though free candy giveaways, and just plain trolls who would make a lot of noise for the fun of simply making noise.
Actually that event is worthy of story retelling.
All rightly then.
All though elementary school there was this boy who was just a actually bully to me. A friendly enough bully, but a bully never the less.He would pick on me. Do silly boy tricks like spitting on my shoes, putting gum in my hair and taking my hat and throwing up in a tree.
Maybe he did this to the others. I don’t know. But he did seem to like to pick on me a lot.
Because of his disruptive behavior he ended up having to go to another school, and we all forgot about him.
Kids life. Don’t you know.
As he left us around 6th grade and returned around 11th grade. So he was out of our hair for a solid five years. A lot can happen in those five years. And for me the changes were astounding.
By the time I was in 11th grade, I was massively popular; I was friends with all the partiers, and was working two jobs and lifted weights. No one would mess with me. People either liked me, or respected the people who liked me.
They knew that I was very strong and could pick them up with one hand, and I was not a person to trifle with.
Enter this ass-wipe.
So here he shows up and during every meeting of the class, while I am making a speech everyone is respectfully quiet and listening. Not him, he spent the entire time shouting me down. Calling me names, and just being an absolute jerk.
Just spouting out mindless streams of insults and garbage.
The teachers would pull him out and tell him to knock it off. But he must of had some kind of mental illness. He just couldn’t help himself.
Anyways, I lived with it.
No use fighting with fools.
And Moved on.
He, last I heard, became a garbage collector, and was on / off employment. Eventually working in the mushroom mines and getting addicted to crack. Last I heard.
Is there a lesson here? Maybe.
I don’t know.
He could have well became a successful car dealer, a Movie theater owner or a crypto-currency magnate. Even at that, it wouldn’t have mattered.
What would have mattered is the debt to others that he generated though his actions. Guys… all debts must be paid.
Do not be under the mistaken belief that you “got away with anything”. We never.. NEVER get away with debts we create. Eventually all must be paid to balance out the scales.
Today…
Two Spanish nationals arrested in Venezuela not linked to any plot, says Madrid
By Reuters
September 15, 202411:17 AM
MADRID, Sept 15 (Reuters) – Two Spanish nationals arrested in Venezuela had no links to the Spanish secret service and Spain was not involved in any plan to politically destabilize the South American country, a Spanish foreign ministry source said on Sunday.
Two Spaniards, three U.S. citizens and a Czech citizen were arrested in Venezuela on suspicion of links to an alleged plot to undermine President Nicolas Maduro’s government, Venezuela’s interior minister said on Saturday.
“Spain denies and absolutely rejects any insinuation of being implicated in an operation of political destabilization in Venezuela,” the Spanish foreign ministry source said.
“The government has confirmed that the (two Spanish citizens) detained do not form part of the Centre for National Intelligence or any state organisation. Spain defends a democratic and peaceful solution to the situation in Venezuela.”
The arrests are likely to deepen Venezuela’s already tense relations with Spain and the United States after a disputed presidential election in July.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello told a press conference on Saturday that two Spaniards were allegedly linked to Spain’s secret service and were planning the assassination of a mayor.
He named the Spaniards as José María Basoa and Andrés Martínez Adasne. Photographs of the men were shown on state television.
The father of Adasne, Andrés Martínez, told El Mundo newspaper on Sunday his son did not work for the Spanish secret service.
“My son does not work for the CNI, of course not. We are waiting for information from the consulate and embassy. We still do not know what they are accused of or the reason for their arrest,” he said.
Cabello also accused three U.S. citizens and a Czech of involvement in terrorist acts, including alleged plans to assassinate Maduro and other officials.
The U.S. State Department said on Saturday that “any claims of U.S. involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro are categorically false”.
The State Department spokesperson also confirmed that a “member of the U.S. military” was being held and noted “unconfirmed reports of two additional U.S. citizens detained in Venezuela”.
The European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, called Maduro’s government “dictatorial” during an interview with Spanish television channel Telecinco on Sunday.
On Saturday, a Spanish foreign ministry source told Reuters it was asking Venezuela for more information.
“The Spanish embassy has sent a verbal note to the Venezuelan government asking for access to the detained citizens in order to verify their identities and their nationality and in order to know what they are accused of exactly,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Spanish nationals were detained while taking photographs in the town of Puerto Ayacucho, Cabello said.
Venezuela recalled its ambassador to Spain last week for consultations and summoned the Spanish ambassador to appear at the foreign ministry after a Spanish minister accused Maduro of running a “dictatorship”.
Caracas was also angered by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’ decision to meet Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who went into exile in Spain last week after being threatened with arrest.
Tensions between Venezuela and the United States have also intensified after Washington recognised Gonzalez Urrutia as the winner of the July 28 election.
What is a lesson a boyfriend or girlfriend has taught you?
I had my first boyfriend when I was 15.
He was only a couple of years older, but his lifestyle was pretty rough and he was much more worldly than me. His dad was MIA, and his drug-addicted mother lived over an hour away with her abusive boyfriend. My boyfriend lived alone in a run-down trailer next door to a man that his mother used to date. It was an interesting setup.
My home life was very different than his. My mother remarried, and for the first time in my life I had a real bed, new clothes for school, and I knew where my next meal was coming from. Life was good.
Anyway.
After a few months of being together, I was absolutely infatuated with this person. He was so interesting, dangerous and free. I just knew that we would be together forever. I could help him. I could save him.
Then one day, I showed up at his house unexpectedly, and there were a lot of strange people congregated in his living room. He had a collection of pipes, weed, and scales set out on a table.
I had no idea what was going on.
He yelled at me, “GET OUT!”
I can’t describe how hurt I was, but I left and didn’t talk to him for a few days.
Finally, he showed up at my house and said words to me that I’ll never forget.
“You are going to do great things with your life. You have so much going for you. You are smart and kind and everything a person should be. And me? I’m never going to be that. I’m down here. You’re up here. And you need to stay there. Just…don’t come around anymore okay?”
A few months later he was arrested for dealing drugs.
I guess the thing I learned from him is sometimes; it’s better to save yourself. Even if you have to be talked into it.
What are some good examples of situations where smart people should play dumb?
In the late eighties, I was a young, beautiful, intelligent woman, who also happened to be blonde. One night I was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. My mindset was to get out of jail, plead guilty in court, take my lumps, and move on with life. Sitting in the jail cell, I was called upon by one of the officers and taken into an interrogation room. There were three guys in suits and two uniformed officers.
This one “Kojak” looking suit guy asked me where I got the drugs from, and I told him I got it from a guy standing in front of a store. This was not the truth, but I felt it unfair if I were to tell them where I really got them. After all, I was the one who carelessly got myself arrested, so I didn’t want to cause anyone else any grief.
They kept throwing random questions at me, and then this other suit asked the question they really wanted to ask: “We want you to buy drugs for us”. The room got deadly quiet.
Now, I have never wanted to work in law enforcement. I knew that what they were going to suggest I do for them would require that I actively set out to befriend, and then betray other people. That just doesn’t sit right with me. It would also require that I become actively involved in the black market. It would REQUIRE me to continue illegal activities. It would require that I place my own personal safety at risk…so I could do a couple of cops a favor.
At the same time, I didn’t want to come across as being uncooperative, and risk a harsher sentence. Suddenly the solution to my dilemma flashed across my mind. I looked up, in my best impression of “dumb blond”, with the most sincere and straight face (which was hard, because I was HOWLING inside), and I said: “Gentleman, I am not buying drugs for you or any of your friends. Take it from me, drugs is just not the way to go. Maybe I should talk to your superiors about this, because I really think you should not use drugs.”
One of the uniformed officers was looking worried, the other one started trying to explain what he meant by the question, two of the guys in suits were aghast at my interpretation of the question, and the older suit (the only one I believe, who knew that I just didn’t want to do this) finally said: “Just get her out of here”.
Why is President Xi cracking down on the private sector?
What appears to be a CRACKDOWN to Western Systems Or Indian Systems is in fact very much something that is a part of a MIXED ECONOMY that China is
There are some laws in China that Private Companies have to follow which aren’t prevalent in any other country :-
A . Social Responsibility Cess
Every Private Company has to pay a certain portion of their revenues or profits towards either contributing to building roads or homes or schools or community centers OR buying interest free infrastructure bonds payable after 5/7 years at no interest
B. R&D
Tech Private Companies not under the Subsidy Program or under the 3 Year Startup Rule have to use a certain portion of their revenue to fund Research
For instance, My Son works in Shanghai Jiaotong University but his Research is funded by a major Chinese Tech company and his salary comes from that company
Private Companies either do their own R&D but if they don’t, they pay Universities to do Research
Additionally Xi Jinping has passed a lot of laws related to :-
- Listing of Private Companies – The Rules have become much tougher for IPOs including a 3 Year Mandatory Profit plus Maximum Valuation at 50% to 130% of Assets
- Technology Control – Unique Technology owned by Private Entities cannot be licensed or sold without Permission of the State
- Mandatory No Exit Plan for VCs – VCs cannot exit from their investment for minimum 2/5 years post IPO. It’s why 80% VCs have disappeared from China in the last year or so.
- Profit Cap and Listing Bans on Key Sectors – Xi imposed a Profit Cap on Tuition and Healthcare of 16% annually and banned strategic private companies from being Listed for minimum 10 years and listing value not exceeding 30% of Maximum Market Capitalization Potential
Is this a Crackdown?
China says No
China says it’s part of Common Prosperity
China says it’s the only way to ensure growth of a company helps the nation grow
For the Ultra Capitalist system, it’s absolutely a crackdown
Yet for those who understand China – it’s very much normal and routine
Take Alibaba
Despite their IPO plans and their Shadow Banking plans being scuttled by the State – Alibaba has filed many patents and have made astounding technological strides
They have their own core technology in 7 Areas now compared to only 1 in 2017
Baidu, Huawei, Tencent, Bytedance & Sensetime have all got Critical Technology Approved Licenses in the past 3/4 years
Outside China, in Asia – in the past 4 years – only Toyota and Samsung have managed the same
Of the top 20 , Six are Chinese
In 2018 it was ONE (Huawei)
All of this after the harsh private sector laws came into play
Another example
China had 42 Skilled Certified Technicians to work with DUV Lithography machines made by ASML
Today they have 4,100
They expect this to rise to 12,000 by 2030
Netherlands has only 1,872
Taiwan has 6,300
So China has seen it’s workforce rise by 10,000% compared to 2015
So today when US imposed or forced Netherlands to impose a ban on servicing, China can scoff and show the middle finger
That’s because the State forced private players to fund the training of skilled personnel and getting them certified
Otherwise why would any Private Player want to pay for getting people trained in DUV lithography.
They would say “Why bother? We have Netherlands and Taiwan. Why spend money? Let’s raise profits instead and get share value higher”
Likewise China who had no EUV skilled workers for servicing and maintenance until 2022 and 50 workers last year are expecting over 1300 workers by the end of this year
So i find these ‘Crackdowns’ beneficial
It’s one reason why China is still packing punch after punch despite so many obstacles placed in its path
Chicken-Seafood-Artichoke Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 (8 1/2 ounce) cans artichokes
- 2 pounds crabmeat, cooked and cleaned
- 4 whole chicken breasts (skinned, halved and de-boned)
- 1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 cups thick white sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup sherry
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt
- Pepper
- Paprika
- Chopped parsley
Instructions
- Drain and arrange artichokes in a buttered casserole.
- Add chicken and crabmeat.
- In a large skillet, sauté mushrooms in butter.
- Drain mushrooms and add to casserole.
- Combine 3/4 cup melted butter, 3/4 cup flour and 3 cups milk for white sauce. Heat and stir until creamy.
- Add Worcestershire, salt and pepper to taste, and sherry to white sauce.
- Pour over casserole.
- Sprinkle top with cheese and dust with paprika and parsley.
- Bake uncovered for 40 minutes at 375 degrees F.
Yale Professor Had A STROKE & LIFE CHANGING Near Death Experience
What is the saddest thing about your father and/or mother?
Originally Answered: What is the saddest thing about your father or mother?
My parents married in college. My mother was a nurse and my father joined the air force to become a pilot.
After serving in the Air Force, he became a commercial airline pilot, and eventually captain. Four children, a home they built in a beautiful town, my mother able to work around my dad’s schedule, travel….life was good.
Until my father came home from a trip and told my mother he wanted a divorce. He had been having an affair, and was in love and wanted out.
Two weeks later, he got sick, something very unusual for him. It eventually was diagnosed as malaria that he had picked up on a flight to Africa. He spent about a week in the hospital in our small town in NJ with specialists coming out from NY. Malaria is not very common in New Jersey!
Within a week he was back in the hospital with an acquired staph infection. The doctors debated about antibiotics as he had developed an allergy to penicillin. They hung the new antibiotic on his IV, and he promptly stopped breathing. By the time a tracheostomy was done, he had suffered irreparable brain damage.
He was never able to work again. He could take care of himself physically, suffering mostly short term memory loss with slight physical uncoordination and speech impairment.
He was 47 years old.
He lived to be 86, dying in 2013.
My mother spent 40 years being a responsible caretaker and legal guardian for the man who had wanted to leave her.
Addendum: December, 2022
My mother passed away in November, 2020, at the age of 93. For the year before her death she had suffered through gradual dementia and more physical problems, including her diabetes becoming uncontrollable. Then came COVID-19 and all the lockdowns. We were lucky enough to arrange a placement for her in an excellent Dementia Care facility, but it was hell not being able to visit. During the six months she was there, I got to see her twice, once when they basically bent the rules to allow me to visit for an hour, and then again the night before she died. I flew to TX and went straight from the airport to her room. She never really woke up, but smiled as I sat there and read poetry to her. She died five hours after I left.
Her ashes are interred with my father’s at the DFW National Cemetery. We really couldn’t think of an inscription when my father died, but now their marker reads: “Honor is a way of life.”
Have you ever seen a student get roasted by a teacher?
Originally Answered: Have you ever seen a student get completely roasted by the teacher?
I was being chased by a bully, and ducked into my algebra class just ahead of him. As I slid into my seat, the bully leaped onto my desk, waving a soda bottle (they were glass back then) and screaming.
Suddenly he was yanked backwards and slammed into a wall. Mr Conner, my teacher, looked at him with very mild confusion. You have to understand that Mr Conner, who thought the world of numbers and truly enjoyed our class, was also the wrestling coach. He was short (about 5′ 6″) and built like a fire hydrant, with a round face and red hair and freckles. He could have been a leprechaun. He had this boy pinned to the wall, about a four inch gap between the bottom of his feet and the floor.
“Mr Stillwell, do you know where you are?” Mr Conner asks in a calm, slightly puzzled tone.
“Yes, Coach” mumbled my assailant.
“And do you normally attend this class?”
“No, Coach.”
“Are you under the influence of some drug, or poison I should know about, Mr. Stillwell?”
“No, Coach.”
Mr. Conner glanced at me, then turned back to the boy still dangling inches above the floor like a kitten.
“Perhaps, after due diligence and careful consideration, you thought this would increase your social standing with your fellow students, and impress me?” he asked, almost hopeful.
“No, Coach. Nothing like that.” was Stillwell’s subdued reply. Mr Conner let him slide to the floor, one hand still on the nape of his neck.
Mr Conner turned and gestured at me. “Mr Harrison, walk with me and Mr Stillwell as we go to the front office. I’d like to hear what you have to say about all this.” And he turned and headed for the door as I gathered my books.
The rest of the class sat mutely as the three of us left, Mr Conner still holding Stillwell by the scruff of the neck.
Concealed carriers, when was a time you actually pulled your gun on someone and how was the situation handled?
Twice, one time I was coming home from work and stopped to see my room mate where she worked as a waitress I ate talked to her and 3 guys followed me out of the bar. I had not been drinking, they had. When I pulled into the driveway they blocked me in and got out of the car, two had bats and they were yelling that I was messing with their girl and were threatening to cave my head in, I pulled my gun and they ran got in the car and sped off screaming he has a gun. It was actually pretty funny. The second time I was a cab driver sitting at a stand and a guy approached me, my window was down and pulled a knife on me and told me to give him all my money. I said okay, reached over like was getting the money and pulled the gun on him and he ran off. There was a third time a guy started shoving me around all I did was show him I was armed by lifting my shirt and showing the butt of the gun and he no longer wanted to fight. All of this happened in what you might consider questionable neighborhoods and I’m short and look like an easy target. I’m not.
The Simple Question that Stumped Everyone Except Marilyn vos Savant
Are there any Chinese Communist Party members on Quora? Can they talk about their experiences?
I am 41 years old this year, an ordinary manager at the grassroots level of an enterprise. From my personal experience: my mental journey is to change between supporting and opposing the Communist Party many times. Finally, I applied to join the Communist Party at the age of 38 and became a Communist Party member at the age of 40.
When I was in junior high school and high school, because of the education in school, I firmly believed that the Communist Party saved China and the Communist Party is God.
When I was in college, I knew more than a little bit, and suddenly found that the Communist Party had concealed some things from us. It turned out that the Communist Party had made so many mistakes. Maybe it was not so perfect.
When I first entered society, I began to see the ugly side of society. I think all this was caused by the Communist Party. Maybe without the Communist Party, China would be better.
After I entered middle age, I saw more and learned more. I had a more thorough understanding of social operation and management. I realized how difficult it is to manage a country with 1.4 billion people. How hard it is for the Communist Party to develop a poor and backward country into its current state step by step.
After I used VPN to access external information more than ten years ago, I completely became a fan of the Communist Party. I finally decided to apply to join the Communist Party at the age of 38 and fight for the development of the country all my life. I firmly believe that only the Communist Party is the savior of China and the world.
Have you travelled to any Asian country? How was your experience?
Note: this was written by an Indian living in the United States. -MM
I’ve been 4 different Asian countries since I started travelling and for some I’ve been more than once so I’ll be talking from my latest trip.
1.) China – (44/50)
- Hospitality – 9/10
- People – 9/10
- Food – 7/10
- Hygiene – 9/10
- Infrastructure – 10/10
To start off, the hotels and restaurants were very high quality, the staff were friendly, the food was good, it was clean and even the people were very nice and welcoming guessing the tensions between China and the US.
The people were also super nice, they were kind, disciplined, caring and very smart with many treating me as one of their own though there is still a miss guessing a lot of the old heads didn’t really like me and I was even physically threatened by a gang of people.
Chinese food is great and food in China is even better though I am not really a fan of Chinese overall, it was clean, tasty and well made yes but the dishes on choice were a bit quirky and weird but I’ll still give China a solid score.
China in terms of hygiene is even better than the states, the roads were spotless, metros were advanced and well kept, same with train stations and airports but then again it isn’t perfect, there was trash on the road and even piles of them in the inner roads, much hidden away.
Finally, China’s infrastructure was awesome, I see the wide roads, modern airports and train stations, accessible metro stations and the bullet trains and I just wonder, if we are better than China, why do we lag so far behind.
2.) India – (42.5/50)
- Hospitality – 9.5/10
- People – 8.5/10
- Food – 9/10
- Hygiene – 7.5/10
- Infrastructure – 8/10
One of the most underrated countries ever, I went last year with low expectations as most American tourists would and had my socks blown off. To start off, I was treated like a king in India, people would even offer to pay for my groceries and everyone I met from the fruit seller to the hotel staff were very friendly and approachable though I did get some shtick from people.
The people were also amazing, many people were kind, hardworking, caring and disciplined, they followed traffic laws (mostly) and made me feel welcome.
Food was amazing, I have a soft spot for spicy food and the grub here was insane, there are the shady vendors but a lot of the street food was hygienic and if you don’t trust it there are still quality restaurants which serve up insane food.
Hygiene was also great, the roads were mainly dirt free, the sidewalks were clean and places were well kept though there were still trash, dust and even cow poo on the inner roads but far cleaner than most of us Americans think and if they can make sure there aren’t cows, especially Chennai it would have gotten a higher score.
In terms of infrastructure, I was again left speechless, the roads were wide, well paved and strong with 2–4 lane roads in the cities, the airports were connected to the metros, well kept and clean, the train stations as well and finally the metros were immense, here in the US we see the NYC metro as the pinnacle of American public transport but even the worse metros in India would make New York’s seem like a pipe dream from the 1930s.
3.) Pakistan – (32.5/50)
- Hospitality – 8/10
- People 6.5/10
- Food – 9/10
- Hygiene – 4/10
- Infrastructure – 5/10
My latest trip and my least favorite though no offense.
Coming to hospitality, the hotels, people and restaurants were all very good, the service was good, the people were kind and just like in India offered to pay for my groceries along with many genuine people who helped me explore Pakistan, giving it an 8/10.
The people were also very kind like I had mentioned with them helping me pay for stuff and even taxi drivers giving me discounts when I had forgotten some cash though for every kind person there were rude people, especially here, I was swarmed by anti Americans I think after I revealed my nationality and people gave me the side eye in a lot of the places.
Like in India, the Food was amazing as even though it was less spicy, the variety of meats were way more including a lot of the meats enjoyed here in the US but with added flavors and textures but the street vendors really lacked hygiene, they wouldn’t wash their hands and would operate near dirty roads.
Hygiene in Pakistan was not the best, there were clean areas for sure but majority of the roads were covered in dust, muck and plastic with inner roads being even worse, even the railways weren’t that clean and airports to weren’t the best, I even saw people defecating on the roads.
Finally, in terms of infrastructure, Pakistan lags way behind the other 2 countries, the railways were slow and in-efficient, the metro was also un finished and cramped with roads being to small to hold traffic with even highways being below par.
4.) Malaysia – (43.5/50)
- Hospitality – 9/10
- People – 9.5/10
- Food – 8/10
- Hygiene – 9/10
- Infrastructure – 8/10
Malaysian hotels and restaurants were probably the best I’ve been too, the service for price ratio was impeccable with many places having world class services and also a lot of the people being very warm and welcoming.
Onto the people and they were and are the nicest I have ever met with them being a mix of the Chinese and Indians as they were kind, welcoming, disciplined and very helpful and helped get around from place to place while treating very well and before you ask there are no ladyboys, those are in Thailand.
The food was also great, street vendors were hygienic, food was spicy and also a mix of different flavors making it a fascinating experience, I’d give it an 8/10 as I’m not the biggest fan of ASEAN and east Asian food.
In terms of Hygiene, Malaysia was among the cleanest places I’ve ever seen, there were almost no pieces of trash and much on the roads, sidewalks were well maintained, railway stations were top notch, the airports and metro stations too there were still bits of trash on the road.
And finally, in terms of infrastructure, Malaysia had top notch infrastructure, not on China’s level but around India’s level with wide, strong roads, expansive railways, big and well kept airports as well as the high quality metro lines of Kuala Lumpur.
Well those were the countries I’ve been too, I plan on visiting Indonesia in the coming years and I’ll see how good it is and to finally rank them on categories:
- Best: China
- Worst: Pakistan
- Overrated: Pakistan
- Underrated: India
- Cheapest: Pakistan
- Most expensive: Malaysia
- best transport: China
- best people: India
Likeliness to re-visit these places:
- India – 9.5/10
- China – 9/10
- Malaysia – 8/10
- Pakistan – 2/10
Is there a possibility of China replacing the US dollar as the international reserve currency in the future? Will the Yuan potentially replace the Ruble/Rouble as the international reserve currency before replacing the US dollar?
No, with China’s current attitude towards the CNY, the CNY cannot become an international reserve currency.
Although the Chinese government has been promoting the internationalization of the CNY and trying to increase the proportion of CNY in international transactions, it is obvious that they do not intend to replace the US dollar with the CNY as an international reserve currency.
In fact, in order to make the CNY an international reserve currency, China must carry out huge economic reforms, and such reforms are almost impossible for China now.
Conditions for a currency to become an international currency
1. Value guarantee
This is the most basic requirement. The earliest guarantee of the US dollar came from gold, American-made cars, airplanes and various industrial products. Later, the value guarantee of the US dollar came from oil and military power.
Does the CNY have a value guarantee?
The answer is yes.
China manufactures 50% of the world’s industrial products and is also the largest agricultural country. At the same time, China has good relations with Africa, OPEC, and BRICS countries, and the CNY can buy almost everything.
2. Credit guarantee
This is an advanced requirement, which requires the country that manages the currency to have a certain management ability and restraint. The currency must remain stable and restrain the desire to abuse the right to print money.
In fact, the US dollar has been quite restrained, so in the past few decades, the US dollar has had good credit and a relatively stable currency value.
But in the past 10 years, the credit of the US dollar has declined severely.
Does the CNY have credit guarantees?
The answer is yes.
China is very restrained in the value and control of the CNY. In the past 20 years, the CNY has been almost one of the most stable currencies.
3. Free convertibility
The currency must be freely convertible, and the country that issues the currency must allow other major countries to exchange it with their own currency. Ensure that this currency can circulate freely.
The US dollar has always been a currency in global circulation, and the Federal Reserve is very open to the exchange of the US dollar. They accept the direct exchange of currencies from most countries in the world for the US dollar.
Is the CNY freely convertible?
The answer is no.
The exchange of currencies of all countries for CNY is restricted, individuals are limited, companies must make commercial declarations, and national-level exchanges are limited to bilateral agreements.
No one can buy CNY without restrictions with other currencies.
4. Sufficient supply
The currency must have sufficient supply to meet the needs of global reserves and circulation. In essence, this requires that the issuance of this currency is far greater than the needs of the domestic economy. And other countries can get this currency relatively easily
There is a key economic law here: a country cannot export a large amount of goods and a large amount of currency at the same time
Can the CNY be supplied in large quantities?
The answer is no
The supply of currency depends not only on its issuance, but also on its circulation capacity.
China is the world’s largest trading country and a typical surplus country. This means that China always sells more and buys less.
This situation means that the CNY always has a tendency to return to China: other countries cannot get enough CNY.
The CNY actually only meets 50% of the four conditions I listed, which means that it cannot become an international reserve currency. Unless there are major changes in the Chinese economy.
1. China becomes a financial empire
Transfer wealth through investment and financial instruments, rather than making socks and cars to generate wealth. Make the currency freely convertible, which will allow China’s currency to spread around the world.
2. The wealth consumed by the Chinese exceeds the wealth produced
The Chinese buy more things, rather than producing more things, so that other countries can have CNY. And can accumulate CNY
This is equivalent to making China the next United States. Obviously, they cannot complete or are unwilling to do so before China’s national strength completely surpasses that of the United States.
Evidence of the Afterlife? 7 Scientific Reasons for Life After Death
Have you ever gotten in serious trouble, and had your parents take your side?
Yes. A man can to our door one day and said that “Your son poured sugar into my gas tank!”. For the background of this encounter, the car was a fully restored 1956 Chevy. It looked very much like this:
My Dad was actually a car guy and used to do amateur and semi-professional racing at a local speedway, not to mention this would certainly be a costly repair. As well, it should be noted that my dad was actually my “Stepdad”, though only one person ever mentioned that and was told by my Dad with a very frightening smile to “Say that again…see what happens. I am his Dad…there is nothing “Step” about it! And, I had three other brothers…two half and one “Step”.
My dad called me and my three brothers over, and he asked which one. He pointed to me, and my Dad said “Kenny, did you pour sugar into this man’s gas tank?” I said “No.”, because I didn’t. My Dad said “You have the wrong guy.” The Chevy guy was pissed and said “Are you really going to believe him?”
My Dad once again had that frightening smile. He said “Kenny doesn’t lie to me. Ever! You picked the wrong person. He didn’t do it. Any questions?” The guy left in a huff.
Three days later, the guy showed up again. My Dad was none too pleased until he said “I’m Sorry. I found out who it was, and the kid looked a lot like your son, but my witness said it was another kid, and we are taking care of it with his family.” My dad said “I appreciate that. You know, if you pointed to any of my other three kids, I would have been far more skeptical. But Kenny is a good kid. He quite literally doesn’t lie to me. Thank you for your honesty!”
My Dad was big on accountability. He was also big on standing by his family. And, in this case, he did!
Edit 01: There has been a lot of comments regarding the effect of pour sugar into a gas tank. Regardless of the effect, this is unacceptable behavior on any car…much less a car that a man spent years restoring and caring for. For this car, in my opinion, this should be a felony. Regardless, this has little-to-nothing to do with my posting, and even less to do with the original question:
Have you ever gotten in serious trouble, and had your parents take your side?
Edit 02: A few people have questioned whether or not this happened. It did. I could not care less if you believe me, or you don’t. It happened. If I told you other things about my Dad, you would most certainly call me a liar. He wasn’t a saint, but he was a good man. He loved my Mother more than any man I have personally seen on the planet love a woman. And stories of my Mother…she was wonderful…but that is another tale.
Edit 03: I am no saint. I was the “White Sheep” of my family, as I had a love of being active. I was involved in Theater, sports, Boy Scouts, choir…you name it. I loved doing stuff. One of my biggest fears growing up was being bored. So, I threw myself at any free activity (we were dirt poor) and had a blast. And that is why I was such a good kid…I was too busy to get into trouble. Add to that, I am a terrible liar, and I idolized my Mom and Dad, and well, I was a good kid. I really had no choice.
What I am is lucky as hell. Growing up was tough…I had issues in spite of everything…but I had amazing parents. And, I both realize how lucky I am, and I strive to be the same parent to my daughter that my parents were for me.
What is the reason behind the protests in the Philippines against China?
Let me tell a true story.
In 2019, Hongkong govt wanted to introduce an extradition law because 1 HKer who has killed his girlfriend in Taiwan was hiding in HK. (Many countries have extradition law. HK is not unique.)
There was a (massive) protest saying that the law may send HKers to China too.
Though the proposed law has nothing to with China but with Taiwan, HK govt gave in & cancelled the bill.
Know what?
Protesters said THE CANCELLATION WAS TOO LATE and said the protest-riot would continue.
See the plot? Somebody, in this case was USA & UK, plotted long time ago to stage a coup in HK so as to take control of the HK govt, So as to destabilise China later. They had been waiting for a small thing to happen so that they could rally a protest-riot-coup.
Remember the BLM protest-riot in USA? It started from an accidental death of a “black” man under a “white” policeman. Then BLM protest-riot continued for months until after Democrat has won the 2020 election. Coincidence? Of course not. It was planned. BLM was just an excuse to stir unrest.
There are many more such politically driven protests in the world.
Hence, if the PH protest is, directly or indirectly, plotted by USA or PH govt to do something against China, what is the reason for the protest does not matter. It is just an excuse to stir unrest or to create racial hatred.
Nobel Winner Warns “IT’S ANOTHER UNIVERSE” James Webb Telescope Saw Strange Things Beyond the…
For those who were actually old enough to have experienced the 1970s and not for those who were born in the 70s. What were the pros and cons of that era?
You ate everything on the plate. No excuses.
You were kicked out in the morning and told not come home til it got dark
You played “Relievo” under the street lights at night
You played catch in the street
You went swimming any time you wanted in the summer in the local pond
You walked everywhere or rode your banana seat bike if your parents could afford one
Having a transistor radio was a big deal
It was a major event when a neighbor got a CB radio
Going out to watch the snowplow was a big deal
You hand shoveled your drive and any of the older neighbors who needed it – for free
You put Nissan bread bags over your socks before putting them in your boots
You had one pair of good shoes and one pair of sneakers and they had to last til next school season
The school gave you all the pencils, rulers, crayons, paper and everything else you needed.
Teachers were the boss of the classroom. A call home got you a severe beating
You had all kinds of chores, all the time
Books were the best entertainment around
You only had 3 television stations. When the 2 UHF stations came in, it was a bid deal
If you could afford a huge window AC it was a major luxury
Sunday dinner was a big deal after church. Everyone went to church and all kids went to sunday school.
There was very little racial diversity
A new car was discussion for weeks
Tube electronics were still a thing
You went from store to store to get your shopping, not just one store that sold everything. Going to Jordan Marsh was a big event
Old Spice was the scent everyone wore; later it was Brut
Men still wore hats
Little league was a huge pasttime, not so much basketball or street hockey til later. Football was getting popular but not as much as baseball
People stayed up to watch Howard Cosell
The Evening News on television was a serious evening event
If you got a job, you had to pay the house 20 percent of your salary off the top
You had to get a job – no loafing
I can’t speak for others but my brothers and I were involved in manual labor in the trades from age 7 – carrying bricks, mixing cement, digging holes, framing houses, laying out tools and the circular saw and extension cords – and being responsible for every single tool at the end of the day.
Factories were still dumping in rivers and lakes
There was a lot more open space – a lot more
You would put pennies on the tracks and walk the tracks as shortcuts even though it was dangerous
Everyone had a dog. They were never on a leash. There were no leash laws.
You could bring a .22 rifle to the meadows and no one questioned it.
Going to hang out at the Mall was a frequent occurence, especially to look at the girls
You took the bus if you wanted to go anywhere. You could never forget your transfer. The bus cost a dime. You usually only had 20 cents – a dime to go to the Mall and one to go home
The state Lottery was just taking off and it was a big deal
Near the end, cable television started coming in, No one could believe that “free television” now cost 12 dollars a month, which was a fortune.
Sometimes there were lines down the street for gasoline. The gas station attendant had a Saturday Night Special on his belt. People fought over gas. Five dollars filled the gas tank.
Girls wore velvet jumpers and Maryjanes
People made their own clothes at home
You always got shocked by the Christmas lights.
The Christmas Carols were all oldies by Nat King Cole and Perry Como and so on
Snow days were awesome
You could still find real silver coins in your change. Everyone looked at the dates on pennies for the “1955 double stamp” or the copper 1943. You could still find steel 1943 pennies pretty regularly.
Kids smoking a cigarette on the school bus was a huge transgression. They were the “bad” kids
There were no drugs or none that we saw
People drank a lot more booze. It was not unusual to see staggering neighbors drunk in the street
Flag Day was a huge deal and after the parade we would go to the town War Memorial to watch them burn the old flags.
A pack of firecrackers was a big thing.
Most record players still had a setting for “78”.
Led Zeppelin would blare from the car radios of tough high school kids. We were still listening to Dale Dorman on AM 68 WRKO. Our parents listened to WHDH or WBZ for the news. The radio was always on.
People were afraid of the impending nuclear war with the Russians which everyone thought was inevitable
All the grammar schools were art-deco contruction from the WPA in the Great Depression
Everyone played with caps, banging them with rocks. The smell was great. Even the girls.
Girls wore skirts when playing. Trying to see their underwear was a big deal.
You always had to be “dressed right” even to go work in the yard. Cut off jeans were not allowed as shorts unless you were a “hippy”. No one wanted to be called a “hippy”.
Everyone knew someone who was killed in Vietnam.
The WW2 veterans were always heavily involved in the community. The Legion and VFW were a big deal. Men wore their campaign hats to the clubs. Our American Legion was busted for hookers at a bachelor party once. It was a scandal and a joke at the same time.
We had a small WW2 tank that the Veterans would drive in parades. It’s still at the American Legion but no longer runs.
What is the nastiest thing you’ve done for revenge?
It wasn’t nasty, per se, but it stopped the thievery:
When I was in high school in the early 80s, we lived in an old farm house on a working farm. We didn’t own the barns or the fields, but we were surrounded by cornstalks that mostly hid the house from the road, and the driveway was a good half-mile of dirt.
The farm house did not have a furnace. We had a ginormous cast iron wood stove in the living room. Much of our summers were spent investing a great deal of labor in chainsawing trees in the woods, loading the pickup with firewood, bringing it home to split with an ax and stacking it to dry in storage until we had enough to last through the winter. It was a lot of hot sweaty dirty physical labor and two healthy teenagers hated the chore. My brother and I could think of much better ways to spend our summer vacation.
Our neighbors across the street were alcoholics living on assistance in a shack without indoor plumbing. They had gotten to the point at which cutting firewood was too much work that interfered with Miller Time, so instead they took to sneaking to our house two or three nights a week to help themselves to loads of our firewood. They took enough each time that the theft was noticeable immediately.
We drilled small holes in a dozen logs and packed them full of gunpowder. We were careful to use a warning amount, not a dangerous amount. Distributed them throughout our woodpile and waited. Sure enough, one night several of the boobytraps were stolen.
The explosion blew the metal chimney off the roof of the shack across the street. Not only did the firewood thefts stop, but some firewood reappeared in our woodshed. And suddenly the alcoholics could again afford the gasoline to run their own chainsaw.
Steely Dan – Do It Again
For those who were actually old enough to have experienced the 1970s and not for those who were born in the 70s. What were the pros and cons of that era?
Guys in HS had pickup trucks with guns in racks in plain sight of the back window. But nobody stole them and we never even thought of shooting our classmates.
Gas was 30 cents a gallon.
You could call home collect from sports practice. The folks would deny the charge. That was the signal to come pick us up
a new 1976 Chevy blazer cost $7250 not $72,500. I bought one as a Junior and still have it.
Deputies were lenient and there to learn you a lesson not wreck your future
the news was basically the same on all three channels. Just the facts. You got to formulate your own opinions
the 1976 bi-centennial had a true purpose and meaning we were proud and united
Vietnam War was over and the country healed and moved on
music was good. The lyrics didn’t always make sense but you could dance to it
crazy drugs didn’t exist in most towns. Beer and weed was sufficient to assist you
kid rode a bus to school or walked or drove ourselves. parents didint waste two hours a day waiting in a line to haul you there and back
CB radios kept you connected to your buddies. It was a party line so everyone knew and no cell phone drama
hair in the right places was natural and acceptable
Life wasn’t “Leave it to Beaver” nor was it “Modern Family”. Somewhere in between.
Obesity was rare and not the norm. People were mostly fit and HW proportional
Burgers and fries were cheap
Drive-Ins still existed and were fun
Jaws, Star Wars, and other great films came to be
What was the grossest thing you witnessed while working in healthcare?
Since his wife died, mister Pierre has become a bystander in his own life. He has stopped moving altogether, as if he is trying to sit it out.
He is almost eighty, and has neglected himself because he is consumed by mourning and missing — hygiene is the least of his concerns. So when he enters the consultation room, he is not aware what his urologist is smelling in the far side of the room. But she knows.
Mister Pierre has a hard time peeing, so his prostate needs a check up, but when he undresses, the doctor lady immediately sees the first sign of the state he is in — a navel stone the size of a human eye, sitting there and watching every movement in the room.
In case you never heard of navel stones: they consist of sebum (a waxy oil produced by sebaceous glands) and keratin, typically when a patient doesn’t wash her or his navel for too long a time. It’s dirt that amasses — over time — to a stinking ball which sits in your navel.
But that is not the worst.
The worst is the fact that mister Pierre’s penis is buried under a thick layer of smegma — which by all means is besides very gross, also potentially dangerous for developing penile cancer.
But she doesn’t send him back to his miserable life, and she doesn’t reprimand him either. This man is obviously lost, and needs help. So before she even starts the official medical examination, she removes the navel stone and cleans his navel, and then removes the thick reeky smegma layer on mister Pierre’s glans penis with a washcloth.
This is a healthcare institution after all —
And she cares.
Boz Scaggs – Lowdown (Official Audio)
What would be the impact on the economies of the United States and China if the US stopped importing goods from China? Is this a feasible scenario?
Why do we think cutting off Chinese imports would hurt China more? The reality is, the US economy would face longer and more severe repercussions. If the United States suddenly stopped importing goods from China, it would create significant economic turmoil for both countries, but the impact on the US would be far more devastating.
Think about it. so much of what we buy every day comes from China. From electronics to clothing, many consumer goods are produced more cost-effectively there than anywhere else. If these imports were to cease, we’d see immediate shortages and skyrocketing prices. American consumers would feel this pinch in their wallets, as the retail prices for everyday items would shoot up because suppliers would struggle to find alternatives. The retail sector, already reeling from recent economic challenges, would face even more turbulence.
For a lot of American companies, China isn’t just a supplier; it’s a critical part of their supply chain. Many products on the shelves of Walmart or Target, for example, are made in China, often by American firms operating there. If those supply lines were severed, the consequences would be chaotic. These companies would have to scramble to find new manufacturing partners, which could take years. The economic slump in the USA could last anywhere from 10 to 25 years as new supply chains are created and established.
On the other hand, China would feel the impact, but not as severely or as long-lasting. Sure, there would be an immediate dip in the volume of goods shipped to the United States, but China has a diversified market. It manufactures for the entire world, not just the USA. The economy would take a hit, particularly in the sectors directly tied to the American market, but China’s past resilience suggests it would adapt relatively quickly. The country has a history of turning challenges into opportunities. When faced with past trade restrictions, China didn’t collapse—it innovated. They developed their own high-performance chips and built the TaihuLight supercomputer when the US cut off technological exports.
Yes, China would have to realign its export strategies and possibly focus more on domestic consumption, but it wouldn’t be as catastrophic as some might think. China’s economic dip might last 1 to 2 years before they recalibrate and stabilize. Meanwhile, the United States, with its heavy reliance on affordable consumer goods and crucial manufacturing components from China, would be in for a much rougher ride.
The belief that shutting off trade with China would cripple its economy more than ours is a misunderstanding of modern economics. The global supply chain is a delicate balance, and disrupting it can lead to consequences that ripple beyond the initial intent. Both countries would face significant challenges, but the US would likely experience longer-lasting economic destabilization.
Frolicking Fiancée’s “Re-dedicating Her Life To God” Act Goes Up In Smoke, As Does Her Engagement
Some MM AI works as of today
Here’s some of my favorites from today’s effort. Actually they are much better in full size.
Dancing in the Moonlight (Original Recording) – King Harvest
As a world traveler, which country do you personally think has the best food?
This is my favourite list of my travels so far.
- Chinese food is the best/most affordable and excellent.
- Thai food is one delicious food that is affordable and almost at par with the top five.
- Moroccan food is excellent/affordable, and fabulous.
- European foods, except a few, are affordable. The rest is all drama and just hype.
- Greek and Portuguese food is affordable, and I can live on them. Crete cuisine is a world standard for being the most healthy food, and I mimic that cuisine here in Canada.
- In some of the other countries I visited, the food was the most despicable/filthy/I never will see those filthy countries.
- I found McDonald’s the best/safest bet in North America and Europe. One European country known for ancient glory, but in reality, today, it is just hype, nothing to write home about.
- I go fully prepared. If I do not find the right place, I have my dehydrated food and many other fruit options from the market.
a. While eating lunch, I saw chickens feeding on the garbage pile through the window. This experience killed my appetite, and when I came to Canada, I ate eggs and chicken for at least one year.
b. In one country, we ate on the patio, and a lady with small children kept begging for food. By the way, it is NOT South Asia. It is one of the most visited countries due to some hype and drama. In reality, it was a waste.
India.
I Asked Jesus about Aliens (NDE)
The first meeting of security experts/National Security Advisors under the expanded BRICS+ format at the Konstantinovsky Palace in St. Petersburg unveiled quite a few nuggets.
Let’s start with China. Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed four BRICS-centric security initiatives. Essentially, BRICS+ – and beyond, considering further expansion – should aim at peaceful coexistence; independence; autonomy; and true multilateralism, which implies a rejection of Exceptionalism.
At the BRICS table, the overarching theme was how member-nations should support each other despite so many challenges – mostly unleashed by you-know-who.
“you-know-who.”
On India, Secretary of the Russian Security Council Sergei Shoigu, meeting with Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, stressed the strength of the alliance, “confidently standing the test of time”.
The larger context was in fact offered in parallel, in Switzerland, at the Geneva Center for Security Policy, by the always delightful Foreign Minister S.Jaishankar:
“There was a club called G7, but you wouldn’t let anybody else into it – so we said, we’d go and form our own club (…) It’s actually a very interesting group because if you look at it, typically any club or any group has either a geographical contiguity or some common historical experience or a very strong economic connect.” But with BRICS what stands out is “big countries rising in the international system.”
Cut to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, stressing how Russia and Brazil “have similar approaches to key international issues”, emphasizing how Moscow cherishes the current “bilateral mutual understanding and interaction, including in the light of the simultaneous presidencies of BRICS and G20 this year.”
In 2024, Russia presides over BRICS while Brazil presides over the G20.
The Russia-Iran strategic partnership
President Putin, apart from addressing the meeting, had bilaterals with all the top players. Putin noted how 34 nations “have already expressed their desire to join the activities of our association in one form or another.”
Meeting with Wang Yi, Putin stressed that the Russia-China strategic partnership is in favor of a just world order, a principle supported by the Global South. Wang Yi confirmed President Xi Jinping has already accepted the official Russian invitation for the BRICS summit next month in Kazan.
Putin also met with the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Ahmadian. Putin confirmed he is expecting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian for another visit to Russia, apart from the BRICS summit, to sign their new strategic partnership agreement.
Geoeconomics is key. The development of the International North South Transportation Corridor (INSTC) was confirmed as a top Russia-Iran priority.
Shoigu for his part confirmed, “We are ready to expand cooperation between our security councils.” The deal will be signed by both Presidents soon. Moreover, Shoigu added that Iran’s entry into BRICS advances cooperation among members to form a “common and indivisible architecture of strategic security and a fair polycentric world order.”
Now compare it with the new collective West “strategy” – adopted by U.S., UK, France and Germany: another sanctions wave against Iran related to the case of Iranian missiles transferred to Russia.
Ahmed Bakhshaish Ardestani, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, confirmed early this week that Iran is sending missiles and drones to Russia as part of their defense agreements.
But the heart of the story is that these missiles are Russian anyway; they are just being produced in Iran.
While security was being discussed in St. Petersburg, China was hosting the BRICS Forum on Partnership on New Industrial Revolution 2024 in Xiamen, in Fujian province.
Talk about interlocking BRICS cooperation: as sanctioned-to-oblivion Iran has been trying to get access to new industrial technologies, Iran-China collaboration on everything from AI to green technologies will be surging further on down the road.
A new Eurasian security architecture
The heart of the matter is China’s rising and rising status as the top global trade power – as scores of nations across the Global South adapt to the fact that interaction with China is the privileged vector to improve their own domestic living standards and socioeconomic development. This monumental shift in international relations is reducing the collective West to a bunch of headless chickens.
China’s increased power is reflected in every major geoeconomics move: from the RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership), a mega inter-Asia free trade agreement (FTA) to the countless ramifications of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects, and all the way to BRICS+ cooperation. The future of all Global South nations involved spell out getting closer and closer to China.
In sharp contrast, the Hegemon – and that is bipartisan, all the way down from the rarified plutocracy – simply cannot contemplate a world that it does not control. An EU prone to acute disaggregation basically “reasons” along the same lines. For the whole collective West, the demented double trouble desire of maintaining hegemony while preventing the rise of China is unsustainable.
Add to it the mad obsession of the current U.S. administration to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Russia since it rejected Moscow’s late 2021 proposal for a new European security architecture, actually an “indivisibility of security” concerning the whole of Eurasia.
This new pan-Eurasian security system proposed by Putin was discussed in detail at the latest Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. Putin actually stated that a “decision was made to turn the SCO regional anti-terrorist structure into a universal center tasked with responding to the entire range of security threats.”
It all started with the concept of “Greater Eurasian Partnership”, which Putin advanced in late 2015. That was refined during his annual address to the Federal Assembly last February. And then, in a meeting with key Russian diplomats in June, Putin stressed that the time was right to kickstart a comprehensive discussion of bilateral and multilateral guarantees embedded in a new vision for collective Eurasian security.
The idea, from the start, was always inclusive. Putin stressed the need to create a security architecture open to “all Eurasian countries that wish to participate”, including “European and NATO countries.”
Add to it the drive to conduct discussions with all sorts of Eurasia-wide multilateral organizations, such as the Union State of Russia and Belarus, the CSTO, the EAEU, the CIS, and the SCO.
Crucially, this new security architecture should “gradually phase out the military presence of external powers in the Eurasian region.” Translation: NATO.
And on the geoeconomic front, apart from developing a series of international transportation corridors across Eurasia such as the INSTC, the new deal should “establish alternatives to Western-controlled economic mechanisms”, from expanding the use of national currencies in settlements to establishing independent payment systems: two top BRICS priorities, which will feature prominently in the Kazan summit next month.
We want a three-front war
As it stands, a deaf, dumb and blind Washington remains obsessed with its single-minded declared goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia.
Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov cuts to the chase: “It is impossible to negotiate with terrorists”, adding that “no schemes or so-called ‘peace initiatives’ to cease fire in Eastern Europe without taking into account Russia’s national interests are possible. Conferences won’t help either, no matter how beautifully they are named. As in the years of the Great Patriotic War, fascism must be eradicated. Goals and objectives of the special military operation will be fulfilled. No one should have any doubts that this is exactly how it’s going to be.”
And that brings us to the current incandescent juncture. There are only two options ahead for the U.S. proxy war against Russia in Ukraine: an unconditional Kiev surrender, or escalation towards a NATO war against Russia.
Ryabkov has no illusions – even as he puts it quite diplomatically:
“Signals and actions that we are witnessing today are aimed towards escalation. This remark will not force us to change our course, but will create additional risks and dangers for the United States and its allies, clients and satellites, no matter where they are.”
After bombing the concept of diplomacy, the Hegemon has also bombed the concept of security. Acute dementia in U.S. Think Tankland has even reached the point of dreaming of a three-front war. And this from an “indispensable nation” whose mighty Navy has been utterly humiliated by the Houthis in the Red Sea.
It is really a spectacle for the ages to see the plutocracy of a 200-year-plus savage nation which essentially looted most of its land from others believe it can simultaneously challenge the Persians, the Russians, and an Asian civilization with 5,000 years of recorded history.
Well, savages will always be savages.
Journey – Feeling That Way (Official Video – 1978)
Is the Bowie knife good for self-defense?
My credentials… I stabbed 3 men before turning 18. First thing to know. You’re an idiot if you get into a knife fight. If you win, you may still be cut up some… and then you go to jail. If you lose, you might be dead. If you believe in a fair fight, you’re an idiot. You just want to kill, or neutralize your opponent. I don’t believe in fighting, and I ll do everything possible to avoid one… I will refuse to fight. It’s different if I m forced to defend myself. I ll do anything to win, distract, pretend submission… any kind of cheat…and then I try to kill the bastard. I have handled and backed down up to five guys… without exposing the knife… my fearless confidence freaked them out.
A Bowie knife is good to the extent it has a very sharp point. It’s harder to stab someone than you think… a few layers of clothing, a little belly fat… the knife may barely penetrate. On the flip side, a lean body builder in light clothing is the easiest guy to stab and gut.
Also worth noting… I initiated the violence… I was being threatened, told to give up my wallet, whatever…. I was always calm and compliant, but as soon as it was clear that I was dealing with a serious threatening predator, I started trying to kill them. The fury and surprise totally overwhelmed them. And I didn’t have to kill them.
Also worth noting…
If I have a split second of surprise in my favor, and an absence of bad luck, I can neutralize 3 or 4 guys before they get over the shock.
And finally.. if I get hold of you with my left hand, and have a knife in my right hand. You’re toast.
You all should stop thinking about fair knife fights… if you’re worried about being fair, you shouldn’t be engaging in violence. Youre indulging in silly fantasy.
Shorpy
The South China Morning Post has called the Congo (The Democratic Republic of Congo) the epicenter of China’s investment in Africa. I doubt that this coup attempt was done without the tacit or explicit support of the US national security state.
On 19 May 2024, US citizen Christian Malanga tried to overthrow the Congolese government. He was killed during the coup attempt. I think it’s unfortunate that Malanga convinced his young son and his son’s friend to take part in the coup. Those two have been sentenced to death. Perhaps Congo can show some mercy. Young men do stupid things, particularly if they have an idiot for a father.
From AP News:
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — A military court in Congo, one of Africa’s largest countries, has convicted three Americans and dozens of others of taking part in a coup attempt and imposed “the harshest penalty, that of death.”
The court convicted the 37 defendants, including the three Americans and imposed the death penalty in a verdict delivered by presiding judge Maj. Freddy Ehuma at an open-air military court proceeding.
The defendants, a majority of them Congolese but also including a Briton, a Belgian and a Canadian, were charged with terrorism, murder, criminal association and illegal possession of weapons, among other charges.
The lawyer who defended the six foreigners said they would appeal the verdicts.
The U.S. State Department strongly discourages travel to Congo, warning of violent crime and civil unrest. Here’s how the three Americans ended up in the middle of the coup attempt.
What happened during the coup attempt in May
In Congo’s capital Kinshasa, a ragtag group including three Americans tried to unseat the country’s President Felix Tshisekedi. They were led by a little-known opposition figure, Christian Malanga, who sold used cars and dabbled in gold mining before persuading his Utah-born son to join in the foiled coup.
The coup attempt began at the Kinshasa residence of Tshisekedi’s close ally, Vital Kamerhe, a federal legislator and a candidate for Speaker of the National Assembly of Congo. His guards killed some of the attackers, officials said.
Christian Malanga, meanwhile, was live-streaming video from the presidential palace in which he is seen surrounded by several armed men in military uniforms wandering around in the middle of the night. He was later killed while resisting arrest, Congolese authorities said.
Dozens, including Malanga’s son and two other Americans, were arrested and brought to a high-security military prison in Kinshasa. Family members said the young men have been sleeping on the floor, struggling with health issues and have had to pay for food and hygiene products.
Christian Malanga, the unlikely coup leader
Malanga, who was born in Kinshasa, had described himself as a refugee who thrived after settling in the U.S. with his family in the 1990s. He said he became a leader of a Congolese opposition political party and met high-level officials in Washington and the Vatican. He also described himself as a devoted husband and father of eight.
Court records and interviews paint another picture. In 2001, the year he turned 18, Malanga was convicted in Utah of assault with a firearm, which resulted in a 30-day jail sentence and three years of probation. That same year, he was charged with domestic violence assault in one incident and battery and disturbing the peace in another, but he pleaded not guilty and all counts in both cases were dismissed.
In 2004, he was charged with domestic violence with threat of using a dangerous weapon, but he pleaded not guilty and the charges were again dismissed. Since 2004, records show several cases related to a custody dispute and a child support dispute.
How 3 young Americans got involved in a coup attempt
The three imprisoned Americans are Malanga’s 21-year-old son Marcel Malanga, Tyler Thompson Jr., 21, who flew to Africa from Utah with the younger Malanga for what his family believed was a free vacation, and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, 36, who is reported to have known Christian Malanga through a gold mining company.
Marcel Malanga is a U.S. citizen and was born in Utah. He told the court his father had threatened to kill him and Thompson if they did not take part in the attack.
His mother, Brittney Sawyer, has said her son is innocent and was simply following his father, who considered himself president of a shadow government in exile.
Thompson was his high school friend and football teammate in the Salt Lake City suburb of West Jordan. He was the only former teammate to accept Marcel Malanga’s invitation to travel to Congo, according to several other players who told The Associated Press they had been invited to what the younger Malanga pitched interchangeably as a family vacation or as a service trip to build wells. Other teammates alleged that Marcel Malanga had offered up to $100,000 to join him on a “security job” in Congo.
What was the most horrendous investigation you have taken part in as an officer of the law or prosecutor?
I had a 15 year old girl who had been dating a 17 year old male. She dropped the 17 year old male and started dating a 21 year old male. The 17 year old male got upset, one night when they were all at a campfire. He goes home, gets a 12 gauge shotgun, lays and waits in ambush for new dating pair of the 21 year old and 15 year old.
When the new dating pair approach him, the 17 year old male stands up, almost at point blank range and shoots the 21 year old male in the chest with a load of buckshot. The 17 year old then blasts the 15 year old girl in the rear with a load of what we call “dust.” Dust is basically really, really small particles of lead that’s more like graphite dust than a real load of buckshot or anything potent. The girl screams and hobbles home crying and yelling all the way. The 17 year old kid follows behind her professing his love for her and how “they can work it out.”
She gets home crying and screaming in pain. I get the call, head to the scene. As I get real close I see a bright flash near where I think that the house is. Sure enough, when I get there I find the 17 year old male dead in the driveway because he shot himself with the shotgun.
The end result was 2 dead males, one 17 years old and one 21 years old. One badly wounded 15 year old girl. That shooting started about midnight. We didn’t finish the complete investigation until way into the next day. That investigation involved 3 police agencies, dozens of officers and all sorts of lab people for well over 14 hour investigation period.
The girl eventually recovered, got married and went on to have a normal life and couple of children. That was one of the felony cases that was brought up when I was awarded “Deputy of the Year” by my fellow officers late on in my career.
Living in China vs Living in America
For those who were actually old enough to have experienced the 1970s and not for those who were born in the 70s. What were the pros and cons of that era?
By 1970 I was out of the Army and in grad school, but the 1960’s weren’t really over yet. Americans were still fighting and dying in Vietnam. Guys in my graduate school class were still being drafted. Nixon was President but American working men could still earn a decent living and often support a family on one income. Teachers made $6000 per year but cheap houses could be bought for $14,000 in the New Neighborhood where my wife taught. Houses in that neighborhood were kept locked up tight and children often slept in their parents bedroom because a serial killer had been kidnapping children out of their beds and murdering them.
Nixon and Kissinger had opened China but it had yet to become the behemoth that would devour US and world manufacturing jobs. The Civil Rights struggle had been transformed by the voting rights
Is it possible for Japan to ally with the United States in the event of a Chinese invasion?
That’s either wrong framing, or poor choice of words.
China will not invade Japan, because it is a sovereign neighbor. China has 14 land neighbors and the 12 which have fixed borders by treaty with China are not militarily threatened. The exception is India, but its proxy Bhutan has its eyes fixed on the south when it comes to threats.
A Chinese “invasion” of taiwan is the unspoken thrust of the question. But the last time I checked, both Japan and the united states maintain embassies in Beijing, and not Taipei. Both publicly accept the terms of bilateral diplomacy, which is the practice of ONE CHINA. they are both welcome to join eswatini and Haiti on the Taipei side, but they choose not to. Why?
As we have seen in the past few years, not a single American or Japanese military vessel came to the aid of taiwan as the mainland enacted massive show of force repeatedly. The chinese have established there is no “Taiwanese adiz” and “Taiwan strait centerline”, hence no “Taiwanese waters”. In other words, going beyond ONE CHINA to the exercise of sovereignty.
There will be war over Taiwan, but not war with Taiwan. Other than Guatemala, Haiti, Paraguay and several others, the rest of the 180+ UN members will have to break their bilateral diplomatic commitment to China, a p5 member, to come to Taiwan’s aid.
The United States can certainly force the issue, but they better come up with a realistic war plan, and practise the hell out of it.
Because that’s what the Chinese are doing.
The Chinese are not Palestinians, and China is not the Gaza strip. They are not goat herders living in caves either.
If Japan gets involved, there will be hell to pay.
Imagine German troops in the Gaza strip, guns pointed at the Jewish “enemy”, only a hundred times worse.
SHE LOVES IT!| FIRST TIME HEARING Lobo – Me And You And A Dog Named Boo REACTION
Golden Years
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
Kendall Defoe
“HELP!”
The major was a war veteran. He had heard the desperate screams of civilians and soldiers in battle. He knew what a cry for help was supposed to sound like. But he had never heard anything like that one simple word used and spoken in such a manner.
It was not just spoken. He could feel it project through his uniform, down his spine, up his legs, and into his mind. It invaded his body and would not settle down.
Maybe it was part of the test… After all those weeks on his own, it was possible that they wanted to run one more probe to see how he was running a mission all by himself. There was the chance that he could be monitored that way and have the information shipped back home (would the Council do that?). The ship’s diagnostic concluded with nothing more than the recognition of a possible short on the light deck (easy to handle; he had suspected it could be a problem), but nothing else was detected.
Not a single sound.
Maybe he should monitor his own profile. They encouraged this from time to time in battle (some of his soldiers had been taken away when the reports were filed and analyzed). Culpham sat in the main holochair and let the probe run itself (only twenty minute out of his day):
“No problems located or detected with subject. All scans match with the expected results of initial settings. Subject is normal.”
Every time the major saw this, he still felt uncomfortable. It was him, in the third person, with the screen indicating blood pressure, heart rate, sugar levels, salt levels, psychological disparities, weight, vision level, and on and on…
Not a thing out of line.
Maybe he really did imagine it all. He turned to look at another screen where he could entertain himself with an entire culture’s history of movies, television, other audio-visual and three-dimensional art. Culpham thought that a comedy would be best (how did they manage without the skill and talent of Peter Sellers before the Pink Panther series became a hit?). A simple oral command would get this started.
“Seek movie.”
The screen lit up and expanded into the empty holospace.
“Comedy.”
A list flashed before him. He would just have to name it.
“The Pink…”
And the screen flickered for a moment, and disappeared.
Now, Major Culpham was told that anything could happen on such a journey. The training included emergency measures to deal with such technological problems. He did not worry about this. Another diagnostic and this would be…
The screen reappeared.
There was only one word on it:
HELP!
Major Culpham stared at it for a moment, adjusting his visors to take in a non-three-dimensional image.
And then it disappeared.
Anger was beginning to occupy his thoughts. If the computer could not detect this, and he was just analyzed and found to be sane (at least, that was how he read it), then this was actually happening to him and the Amber Wave. This was very real.
And he could use the technology around him to find out what was happening.
Major Culpham entered new information into the machine and smiled.
He was going to enjoy this trip.
*
From the reading on the sensors, the message – if it was a message – was coming to him from a region that no one else had scanned before; not even with a random probe. Culpham, sitting back in his chair, smiled and thought about all of the potential promotions and praise he might receive for this. A completely unknown sector…
He watched as nebulae, stars, planets and entire galaxies flitted by. It would be out of his projected route, but he knew that the risks involved would be worth it, even if it turned out to be nothing.
“Help!”
It was not even shocking that time.
“Yeah, yeah, I heard ya. I can’t help but hear ya.”
Culpham had made sure that the monitors were not connected with the base unit or a Council feed. To have them know that he was now talking to himself would have guaranteed that his mission would be scrapped and the flight rerouted home. He did wonder how they would do that with such a trip, but took no chances with it. There was even concern about how a man could be alone for such a long time and just interact with computer technology. Culpham settled this with his diagnostics and his obvious ease with the interactive programs on board. So, no talking to an empty void…
If it was empty…
A light began to flicker on the holoscreen to his left. This is what he had been waiting for and he smiled again while sipping a food concentrate. If that indicator was functioning properly, he was within one parsec of that message. There were no other stations for repairs or analysis, so he knew that he would have to be careful with this trip. Culpham did notice that the number of planets and debris in this area was very low. Maybe it was too low.
Was he moving through pitch blackness?
It felt as though the entire galaxy in front of him had turned into ink (a substance he had heard of once, although he doubted it still existed). There was no effect on the Amber Wave’s momentum and all the instruments were functioning properly, but it was a very chilling moment for the major. Culpham preferred the usual distractions of space travel to this great and ugly nothingness.
“Help!”
“Help yourself! I’m comin’…”
Maybe he was beginning to understand why he was receiving that message. The voice was definitely male (no audio adjustments were performed on that voice; the recording he managed to create had no aberrations); it was certainly in distress; it was in this area.
But where in this area?
The light began to flicker much faster, sending out a strobe effect of redness around the enclosed cabin. Culpham knew that he was near.
“Help?”
A slight change in tone with that one, wasn’t it? It was now asking a question. Culpham wondered why he had not really tried to engage it in conversation before making this detour.
It seemed to be asking him for a chat.
The light stopped flickering. It was now a solid red glow.
Culpham examined the co-ordinates and looked out the main view-screen.
No, no, this cannot be it. This cannot be it.
The co-ordinates were on the monitor. It was 00.000.000.
That was impossible. The number was an impossibility and the space he was in should not have been there.
But here he was and the ship had all the data needed to confirm it.
“Help…”
“Yeah, help. Don’t we all want some now…am I right?” Culpham was not sure he should smile now.
Now, one of the good things about the mission was the amount of equipment provided for a passenger on the Amber Wave. He had flight suits, travel suits, prepackaged food, weaponry…and the one thing he might need to solve this particular mystery: The Ro\Bon Suit.
The name was a mistake. The designers of that suit wanted to combine the words “Robot” with “Bond” to show how well any human could work with the suit. It would provide a level of flexibility to the wearer “unlike anything that the Council ever prepared or developed before” (a nice little advert for it, Culpham thought). The backslash in the name bothered him, but he did not think much of it, until he learned that someone had been very sloppy and let their finger slip when preparing to display the newest innovation of the week. No one else thought about it, but the major wondered about it. A slip of the finger…
“Help.”
If this really was where the yell was coming from, and all of the readings were correct, he would have to step out of the Amber Wave and walk through…that.
Not a single star or particle of matter or anything nearby.
Culpham felt a little odd about this.
The protocol clearly stated that he had to examine and study any phenomena encountered on the journey and keep a record of them. He was also still a military man. Culpham could not let himself be terrified by a cry for help; a cry that seemed to be for him only.
What could really happen to him?
He prepared for the walk outside.
*
At first, he thought that it was a mistake to not be tethered to the ship. Culpham had adjusted the suit to his measurements, and he found that it was even easier to use that the equipment on the ship. But there was still a worry that he might drift away to far from the Amber Wave and not be able to continue the trip; just another piece of debris stuck in space.
But no, that would not be a problem.
First, he could rest his feet on that inky blackness.
Second, he could hear the cry in his suit and detect where it was coming from.
And finally, he was beginning to recognize the voice.
It should have disturbed him, but at this point there was nothing that would have stopped him from heading into the void.
It was his own voice.
“Help…”
“Yeah, I am going to do just that…”
He began to move over the surface. It reminded Culpham of the rides back home that he enjoyed at birthdays and public fairs. He tried to hop on the blackness and found that there was a bit of bounce (no silliness while being monitored). Maybe he would enjoy it more on the journey back…
“HELP!”
Major Culpham, seasoned veteran, chosen pilot for the Amber Wave, talented and skilled soldier, almost soiled the Ro\Bon Suit.
He was standing right in front of himself.
A quick psychological profile made by the suit indicated that it really was him: same age, height, blood type, physical ailments, hair and eye color. It even had the same outfit (he had to keep calling it an “It”). What was different was the face.
Fear…that was pure fear.
Culpham knew why he was here and he had to get away.
“Wait. Please. I know what you are thinking: I called you and want to trap you here.”
“Well, yeah. That was what I was thinkin’. Seems like the sensible thing based on all the readings…”
“There is so much more to tell you. You have so much to learn.”
“Okay, teach me.”
*
Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space? That was a damn lie. The figure had a story and Culpham had a duty. It would be best to let them talk in private as the Amber Wave awaited one of them to return and continue its travels. The journey was not yet over.
Prof Steve Hanke: This Is So SERIOUS, People Should Be Preparing NOW!
What is the smartest thing you have ever done in an interview?
“I don’t love your company and I don’t care about it that much.”
I had gone to an interview after being head hunted. It was rather long process and at the fourth interview or so, I was meeting one of the founders, a tough lady in her 60s.
The basis of her initially rushed interview was why I wanted to work for the company and how much I loved it and cared for it because she likes “people who are passionate about the company because they will give it their all.”
I told her I care a lot to come for 4 in-person interviews on a rather long commute. But in reality, “I don’t love your company and I don’t care about it that much because I don’t know enough about you guys to love you. I have never even bought from you. I’m here because I like the job description and it looks like a role I can be successful in. I care about the job, and my focus here is not even the following you had mentioned (she had said she wanted her company pages to have hundreds of thousands of followers – it was a Digital Marketing Manager position). I was once an accountant and my biggest premise as a marketer is not vain metrics like followers and like, it’s how much my department contributes to the business and the ROI on marketing spend.”
That stopped her. She told the HR Manager who was on attendance that she wanted me the role because I was as “frank” as my name, and that I knew about “ROI”.
I got it, and I excelled in it. Grew bottomline contribution from Digital from around 2% of the business to 40%.
Cream Cheese Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 6 chicken breasts
- 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen broccoli or 1 bunch fresh broccoli
- 2 cups milk
- 2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook the chicken, then slice or break it into bite size pieces.
- Cook broccoli in salted water. Place the broccoli in a 13 x 9 x 2 inch greased casserole.
- Heat the milk, cream cheese, salt, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese over low heat, stirring until the mixture is smooth. Pour 1 cup of sauce over the broccoli.
- Add the chicken to the pan and pour remaining sauce over it. Sprinkle the top with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes. Watch the sauce while baking as it can get too hot and burn on top.
Has a cop ever said something to you which was completely unexpected?
This happened to a transsexual friend.
She was on her way to visit a client in Paris, late at night, dressed in her “professional” uniform of very short miniskirt, high heels, fishnet tights, crop top… you get the picture. The address was (say) 235 Avenue Charles de Gaulle, Paris 12. She drove all down the avenue but couldn’t find the address, so she turned round and drove slowly back. Still no luck, so she did another U-turn and crawled along, peering at every house. A police car waved her down.
Cop 1: Would you please get out of the car.
She: What, dressed like this? You’ll arrest me for indecency.
Cop 1 looks at her legs.: I see your point. So why are you kerb-crawling?
She explains.
Cop 1: There is no 235 Avenue de Gaulle. Wait a minute. This is Paris 13. You’re the wrong side of the river. There’s probably an Avenue de Gaulle in every district of Paris.
She: So how do I get there?
Cop 1: Just turn left here… Oh, no, that’s a one-way street. Go down to the next big intersection and… no, that’s a no left turn. Hey, Henri, how do you get across the river?
Cop 2: Turn left. Oh, no, that’s a one-way street. What if you…
This went on for a minute or two. Finally:
Cop 1: Look, just turn left into the one way street, or we’ll be here all night.
She: No way, you’ll arrest me.
Cop 1: Oh, follow me, dammit!
And that’s how a patrol car, lights flashing, escorted a prostitute down a one-way street to her next appointment. Only in France…
Guitar Player Reacts To Robin Trower – Day of The Eagle
As a flight attendant, what is the saddest thing you’ve been asked by a passenger?
I am not a flight attendant, but this seems an appropriate answer. I was flying on United in first class for business. I boarded first, or so I thought, and took my aisle seat, next to a very young woman, 22 to 25, in the window seat. It was clear she was a burn victim. Very disfigured. But poised and well dressed. She was heading to a conference for burn victims. Her dad had booked her in first class, and I presume because he did not want her bullied. As the plane boarded, I could not believe the awful stares AND COMMENTS, from the people boarding for coach. Everyone in first was kind, all of three flight attendants were kind. The coach passengers were the worst. Horrid people. So 15 minutes into the flight, the flight attendant asks my seat mate would she like a drink and my seatmate turns to me and asks if they are free. The flight attendant says yes sweetie they are. We had a lovely flight. That was when they phones on the plane. I showed this girl how to use it (I paid for it) and she called her dad. She told him how wonderful the flight attendants were and how great the lady (I was probably 32) next to her was. I was so proud of the flight attendants in first class. They did not allow any of the gawker to come from coach to use the restroom to stare at her. It made me sad that this young girl who suffered so horrifically was subjected to such prejudice but the UAL Flight attendants on that flight were awesome.
Is it true that the Chinese economy is on a ventilator?
They have problems YES
However the thing to remember is China is intentionally facing short term pain for long term gains
Today China has grown so fast that it can afford to cool off for a decade and manage to STILL grow on the strength of it’s manufacturing alone at 4% to 5% a year
In this time China plans to
- Achieve Technological Independence
- Restructure the Demographic Problems
- Subside the Real Estate Bubble
- Raise Consumption back to 2019 levels
I. Achieve Technological Independence
The Chinese plan to achieve full Independence in five key areas :-
A. Optics
B. Semiconductor Fabrication
C. Advanced Pharmaceuticals
D. Commercial Jet Engines
E. Quantum Computing & Communications
(AI is not a key area. It’s a part of every area)
China has invested and plans to invest $ 450 Billion combined in these areas including $ 142 Billion in Semiconductor Fabrication
Currently their target is 2030 to achieve Independence in Semiconductor Fabrication and 2035 for the rest
II. Demographic Problem
China recently voted on raising the retirement age from 50 to 55 for Blue Collar Women, 55 to 60 for White Collar Women, 58 to 63 for Blue Collar Men and 60 to 65 for White Collar Men
That changes their demographics completely
They need 1.17 Trillion RMB or $ 150 Billion of Pension Funding which is CHICKEN FEED for them
In exchange they ensure they don’t go below the 2.5 Able Bodied youngsters supporting one Old man until minimum 2070
They have just got themselves another 30 years at least
III. Subside the Real Estate Bubble
They have successfully driven out every Speculator from the market
Now the market is only for BUYERS
The key is to inspire confidence in real estate and make delivery on time
Hence why they encouraged funding of 5000+ Projects to the tune of a Trillion RMB
That’s 1.8–2.2 Million Units to be delivered by 2025/26
They will absorb all the losses through their SHADOW BANKING and ultimately drop maybe $ 100 Billion by 2027 and end up with a vibrant real estate market again and never a speculative one anymore
Instead of $ 1 Trillion, they will get away with maybe $ 250 Billion
Shanghai sold 25,000 Homes in August for the first time since 2019
IV. Raise Consumption
This means slow and steady work
Chinese have become careful spenders now
Their spending on Tourism and Electronics and Dining Out have risen from the 2019 levels
However their spending on Luxury Goods have fallen by 57% since 2019
They aren’t spending too much on down payment for homes either
The Government needs policies to get there and they are working on it
Will the Tariffs hurt?
Not Really
As you can see almost 51% of China’s Exports to US are Mid Range Goods like Textiles, Low to Mid End Electronics, Shoes, Toys, Stationery that are sold in Walmart
They are not subject to any tariffs
Only 7% are High Value Goods of which Cranes and Drones form a big part and even with Tariffs they will be cheaper than other substitutes
Same in Europe where 64% Exports are not subjected to High Tariffs of any kind
Only 15.33% exports are High Value and of these Solar and Wind technology is cheaper even with Tariffs
Only in ASEAN,Middle East, Africa , Russia and Brazil does China export mostly HIGH VALUE GOODS
Here there is no tariff wall
So China is OK even with Tariffs
I feel China is the only Country living in a Reality and analysing it’s problems
Others like US or India are living in an Illusion of Inflated Stock Markets and Insane levels of speculation for short term gains
So in Medical Jargon
If China is on Ventilator, it is busy building up the immune system and will be able to fling the ventilator and get back to full health as it is taking medicines and doing everything properly
The United States is having Terminal Cancer yet they are taking Morphine and having delusions
India is having Pneumonia but they are ignoring the symptoms and planning to run marathons with 30% Lung capacity
What is the best thing that has ever happened to you for being nice?
Two years ago when I was 14 years of age, I was coming back from school and as I entered my building I noticed this small, elderly Arab woman trying to lift about 17 shopping bags. I was absolutely flabbergasted that there was nobody around helping this poor woman. We have security and a few bellboys in the building but nobody was here for this woman. So I, asked her in Arabic if I could help her. This poor woman looked up at me with a happy sparkle in her eye and she said thank you. I picked up all of her bags and took them into the elevator and helped her carry her bags into her house and into her kitchen. I was a bit upset because her grand kids (about my age at the time) were playing video games instead of helping their frail grandmother. As I was leaving her house the woman hugged me, offered a piece of baklawa (Arabic dessert) and to my surprise offered me a 100AED bill. I kindly refused the lady but she persisted. I told the lady that I see her as my grandmother and she can offer me her blessings instead. We hugged one last time and I left to my house. My parents were a bit confused as to why I was late. I told them everything. My parents embraced me and patted me on the back. A few weeks later the lady invited us over to her house for iftar (feast held during Ramadan after a long day of fasting)
So the best thing that came out of all of this was a new, everlasting friendship which in my opinion is the greatest thing that matters.
Be the Rufus. -MM