(2025 Update) A comparison between contemporaneous reality and the John Titor narrative and what we can probably expect in the next few years (duplicate)

Guys. This is a republish of my most popular post today 17JAN25. 

What is more, I am startled that someone dug out this ancient post, now, over four years old.

In this post, written in 2021, I predicted what 2025 would look like.

And, to my surprise, at the end of the post... every single one of my predictions has come true, or are in the process of becoming true. 

Except for one item: nuclear war.

Of course, we are only 17 days into 2025, so it is way to early to see THAT prediction has validity. Never the less, aside from some trivial issues, just about all of my trend-line predictions, and overall global conditions in 2025 has became reality.

Long term MM followers please take note, and you all might really get something out of this repost. -MM

A comparison between contemporaneous reality and the John Titor narrative and what we can probably expect in the next few years

Here, in this article, we look at the John Titor narrative (or predictions) and compare them to what we are currently experiencing on our own (shared) time-lines.

Obviously the dates and the events that he described are at variance with what is going on in the world today.

This is to be expected after all. He entered our world-line template with a 2% deviance from his, AND both of his two presence(s) altered our general trajectory for mass consciousness migration. So of course, what we are experiencing today and what we can expect, will be different from what his time-line described.

Two visits. — Two John Titors entered our time stream (world-line template)

I argue that while his narrative differs from our reality, there are enough similarities to be able to predict GENERAL TRENDS in our domestic and geo-Political future.

However, it is our shared consciousness that is driving the variances on the shared world-line template, and anything can happen.

Here, I will try to make some predictions on what I am observing and how they vary from the John Titor narrative.

Quick Review of terminology

Here’s a quick handy-dandy illustration to help you all from getting confused with unfamiliar terms or confusion.

The pre-birth world-line template is that surface that our travels tend to follow. We can “slide off” that surface template by techniques that I have discussed in other posts as part of the Prayer / Affirmation Campaign posts. In which case we enter a new world-line template.

Of course the John Titor narrative uses none of these terms.

We, here on Metallicman, use these terms to explain movement in the MWI. And it is with these terms that we will continue to discuss the similarities, the trends and the variances from what we observe and what John Titor reported.

Who is John Titor?

From the late 1990’s until around 2001, the Internet was “rocked” by the sudden appearance and subsequent disappearance of a Mr. John Titor. This person claimed to be a “time traveler” by using inter-dimensional travel.

He was rapidly dismissed as a hoax, in unity, by all the major debunking organizations, and his posts mysteriously disappeared off the Internet. Since then, all the sources that he posted on all found that their files related to John Titor were all corrupted and could not be reclaimed.

That was the case for over a decade.

Then, in 2014, a number of private individuals managed to piece together independently saved dialogs relating to John Titor. They constructed numerous websites that hosted these reclaimed dialogs, and posted them on the Internet for others to view.

It is the official belief here on Metallicman that the narrative by this John Titor fellow has much more validity...

... than the claim that it is simply a fictional story designed to amuse internet readers.

However, our belief is that the John Titor time-line is substantially different from the one where most (of the MM readership) reside. 

This significant difference is very important to understand the validity and accuracy of his descriptions.

Thus you cannot, and should not, take his narrative as a 100% accurate predictor of events on our world-line template. 

But instead, rather look at the TRENDS that he recounted and compare them to what we are experiencing.

If you wish to read his posts, and MM evaluations of his technology, you might find visiting the Metallicman Index on this subject enlightening.

John titor index

Is his predictions accurate?

I have no problems with the physics involved in his dimensional travel, or his “time travel” mechanism and mounting vehicle. It’s a method and a technique. It also solves certain problems that he did not get into because his readership was unaware of these other issues that crop up in dimensional travel.

One of the problems with world-line travel is the great diversity of world-lines. You can "clamp down" and lock onto very similar world-lines without much problem with his gravity sensors. But that is where you are stuck. If you wanted to go to a specific types of world-line, such as one where all Pizza has pineapple on it, you will be out of luck.

Not that it would be a problem mind you. Pizza with pineapple? Yuck!

The way around this is to additionally measure other criteria other than gravity.  The obvious is <redacted> but also <redacted> and other features similar to that are also important and can be used and are actually easy to measure. Obviously, you just need to use the appropriate filters on your sensors, and then the complete sensor kit would allow for a great deal of latitude in your world-line adventures.

His “predictions” are descriptive of [1] a completely different time-line and [2] a completely different world-line template. Therefore, it is like comparing apples to oranges. Both are fruits, but that is where the similarities end.

You simply cannot say that the future he described awaits us on this time-line. It simply does not.

But you CAN say that the same trends that he has described would be the same.

Trends and differences. — Trends stay the same while the specific details differ.

Why would our world-line template be different from his world-line template?

If both of our time-lines are different, how could the trends be the same?

It’s actually very simple. A change in trends are variances and deviations from world lines in excess of 4-5%. And he flatly described a similarity to our time-line or world-line template in the 1-2% range. Thus while the individual events, and times might be quite different, the trends would stay the same.

And what trends would stay the same?

Well, I would say that the trends that would stay the same, but manifest differently would include…

An American second Civil War
A major war with an Asian nation or two or three simultaneously.
Cultural evolution and changes such as social media.

Now that being said, we KNOW that the world-line template and time-line differs substantially from ours.

His provided dates are off by ten years or more.
Certain events that he described evolved differently.
The Geo-political relationships differ substantially from his descriptions.

Our shared template. — Our shared world-line template compared to John Titor’s.

What I know in my role with MAJ

Now for the good news.

Yes, I shouldn’t admit this. But, I do have an idea of what lies ahead – in general. Not much. Just a few, a precious few, glimpses of the future. And none of the glimpses are really bad. Meaning that, for me personally, and for my life my post-MAJestic retirement will be pleasant and tranquil.

How do I know this? Well, it's a long and complicated story, and I will write about my retirement sequence in ADC Pine Bluff in later articles. But for now, just know that my future as I have seen it, does not in any way, resemble the John Titor narrative personally.

I know that my location within China will be a safe one. And that (for the most part) where I live and retire within will avoid most all of the turmoil that the United States will go through.

I know that that is selfish, but it’s all that I have to go on. I was promised a “safe place’ from which to retire. And here I am in China. So I am assuming that all things that are said and done, that maybe the entire world will go through changes. But my “neck of the woods” will be relatively calm and stable.

But…

…I might be wrong.

Of course, there could be changes that might whisk me away from here, and go somewhere else. And maybe then this period in my life is not what I think it is. Who knows? But my “gut feeling” for what ever it is worth is that China is where I am retiring to and where I will spend the rest of my life.

We will see how correct I am. You do realize that I am often wrong. A full 50% of the time, don’t you know. LOL.

Of course, a nuclear explosion in my city could also end my life, but still fulfill the personal prophecy. LOL.

So, yeah. The John Titor narrative does not match what I have personally experienced on this world-line template, nor does it match the projections of my future.

But that is just me.

Now, what this tells me is that the John Titor narrative the Russia goes “ape shit” and starts wiping out the entire globe; Europe, America, The Middle East, and China just does NOT HAPPEN. Not on this shared world-line template.

And while we (our template and John Titor’s) share the same trends they manifest quite differently. And we will discuss that here…

Comparing some of the things that I anticipate will happen to the John Titor narrative

On the assumption that the knowledge that John Titor imparted in regards to his temporal displacement mechanism is beyond that of a casual hoaxer…

… we can assume that he is what he said he was, but that is of little use to us at all. Two different world-lines and time-lines and world-line templates have very little bearing and connection to each other.

But the trends do.

And here we will concentrate on the trends. Those 2.5% to 4% deviations that both of our world-line templates share.

And using that comparison we can extrapolate certain predictive trends.

Much the same way that we use the generational theory of the fourth turning writings to develop predictive trends as well.

And in this post we will be using both tools to look at our comparatively shared futures.

What John Titor said…

John Titor said many things that do not match the world as we see it today. In his world, way back twenty or so years ago he viewed the world as a mixture of independent nations all pretty much duplicating the trends in American (with the exception of South America).

And while his domestic and social trends seem to parallel the events that have followed since, they are often wildly wrong.

Crazy America. — 7DEC21. Trump supporters storm Congress and take over the building.

Certainly, today 7JAN21, it seems that the United States is getting embroiled in the very stirrings of a Civil War, that is not guaranteed. But it certainly does seem that way, doesn’t it?

But I can tell you’se guys personally that these kinds of details vary substantially from one world-line to the next. They mean nothing. Though the TRENDs might be maintained. Trends…

A disputed election.
A President that refuses to leave the White House.
Riots or rallies for one party or the other.
The news media freaks out.

So let’s look at what he said, then compare that to what we know, and then extrapolate from there…

John Titor made this statement…

The year 2008 was a general date by which time everyone will realize the world they thought they were living in was over. The civil war in the United States will start in 2004. I would describe it as having a Waco type event every month that steadily gets worse. The conflict will consume everyone in the US by 2012 and end in 2015 with a very short WWIII.

The only way that you can possible reconcile these dates with our time line is to add ten years to the dates. Creating this…

The year 2018 was a general date by which time everyone will realize the world they thought they were living in was over. The civil war in the United States will start in 2014. I would describe it as having a Waco type event every month that steadily gets worse. The conflict will consume everyone in the US by 2022 and end in 2025 with a very short WWIII.

Which pretty much makes sense and does agree with the Generational Theory of the Fourth Turning Cycles…

Yet, you know, if you forget the details and the dates you just look at the trends. And the trends are what is being duplicated.

Trends…

A point in time when people realize that America is not what they thought it was.
The start of a Civil War at some level of activity.
America gets involved in a World War III.

But then what?

I can, and will argue that anyone can massage any information to make it fit into what ever form one wants to justify their arguments. And that is something that we just don’t want to do here.

Let’s see some of the other things that he has said…

The United States is still a representative republic in 2046 but it was touch and go for a while.  

After the war, the U.S. had divided into 5 general areas based on their economic and defensive strengths. Many people blamed the government organization for the war and the last Constitutional Congress was held in 2020 to officially scrap the Constitution and start over.  

Fortunately, this exercise in anger pointed out how hard it was to come up with anything better.  It was decided the document wasn’t at fault.  

As a result, there have been a few small changes to the Constitution and the executive branch but you would easily recognize it. The average citizen is more educated about the Constitution and aware of the rights and responsibilities it gives them. 

Federal power has been decentralized and the focus of daily politics is in the state senates. Federal law has also been streamlined but much harder to change or make additions to.

Well, who knows what will happen? In my mind, however, this is overly optimistic given our contemporaneous events. The idea that the Federal Constitution would be maintained, and that all the State Constitutions would regain their power back from the federal government is a long-shot.

I cannot say what any TRENDS that this might represent, but rather that this little bit of trivia describes an evolutionary result within his origination life-line. And that the division of power on the many other world-lines could very dramatically diverge from this point outward.

John Titor described his “future”

Though, this sounds like is a very strong parallel with contemporaneous events.

“This is one example of a theory involving “time shells” progressing in size and intensity around a gravitational point from all matter. The more massive the object, the larger and more influential the time shells around it (like an onion). — Like an isobaric map of potential time lines and “intentions”.  

“Perhaps I should let you all in on a little secret. No one likes you in the future."

He predicted the “Federal Police”, which was the DHS that was established by President George Bush after 9-11.

From the age of 8 to 12, we lived away from the cities and spent most of our time in a farm community with other families avoiding conflict with the federal police and national guard.  By that time, it was pretty clear that we were not going back to what we had and the division between the “cities” and the “country” was well defined.

The John Titor future does not resemble our world-line template at all…

And he pretty much said that Russia would go “ape shit” and blow the shit out of American, Europe and China…

The civil war ended in 2015 when Russia attacked the U.S. cities (our enemy), China and Europe. As unusual and bad as my childhood might seem, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Africa is not a pleasant place to be in 2036 although I would characterize it as recovering.

But the thing is, on our world-line, not only isn’t Europe and China enemies with Russia, but they actively trade with Russia. The BRI from China goes into Western Russia.

While U.S. trade relations with China have soured, as each slap billions of dollars' worth of tariffs on each other's goods, trade relations between China and Russia are blossoming.

The Russian military and the Chinese military have officers in all of their HQ’s, and Europe while pretty much aligned with America has been breaking away from that tight binding alliance and getting more autonomy to trade with it’s neighbors.

Missile Notice Pact Extension is Proof That Russia, China ...
https://sputniknews.com/world/202012291081600910...

Dec 29, 2020 · MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia and China’s mutual extension of the missile launch notification agreement earlier this month is an indication that the two Eurasian giants do not see each other as threats, Moscow’s ambassador in Beijing Andrey Denisov said on Tuesday.

Of course, the United States does not like this cozy situation one bit!

U.S. “not going to allow Russia and China to continue …

And the John Titor narrative does not match contemporaneous situations on our shared world-line template.

Russia and China have always had a very strange relationship. Even the news I see now indicates that continued weapons deals to allies, border clashes and overpopulation will lead to hostilities.  

The West will become very unstable which gives China the confidence to “expand”. I’m assuming you are all aware that China has millions of male soldiers right now that they know will never be able to find wives.  The attack on Europe is in response to a unified European army that masses and moves East from Germany. 

Also, please be aware that from my viewpoint, Russia attacked my enemy who was in the U.S. cities.  Yes, the U.S. did counter attack.

Me thinks he reads too much American propaganda. There are some seriously invalidated statements here. They do not match the reality of modern contemporaneous China one bit.

There are no border classes between Russia and China.
Overpopulation in China does not exist. It is crowded, but the extreme bullshit that you read in America of starvation, lack of housing and infrastructure are all lies.
“Men cannot find wives.” Total and complete BULLSHIT.
There is no “unified” EU army.
“China is going to expand outward” Never happen. This is not in their 5, 10, 50 and 100 year plans.

The John Titor narrative describes a world that does not resemble anything that exists today on our present shared world-line template. making the John Titor narrative hilarious in it’s inaccuracies.

I guess you could say that. Taiwan, Japan and Korea were all “forcefully annexed” before N Day. 

I don’t remember a great deal about media coverage during the civil conflicts. I would probably characterize it the same way you see coverage of Waco, Ruby Ridge and Elian Gonzalez.

Again. This has very little resemblance to our reality.

He continues on about the World War

And it makes interesting reading.

The “pattern” of exchange in the war will not be a surprise.

Many people will perish as a result of starvation and disease. I would also submit that you already know if you’re safe or not. 

The trick is to not turn off your fear when you’ll need it the most. 

Australia is sort of interesting in what is unknown. After the war, they were not very cooperative or friendly (can’t blame them really). 

It is known they did repulse a Chinese invasion and most of their cities were hit. They have a trading relationship with the U.S. but I would characterize them as reclusive and ticked off. 

When people use phrases like “See what I mean”, “You’re not hearing what I’m saying” or “Something smells fishy”, they are indicating the primary sense they use to process information about a situation.  

I find it interesting that my credibility and the phrases that describe it hinge on economic terms and whether or not I have something to sell. I don’t. I also don’t know how to clarify my position any better so I would suggest that if what I say angers you, it might be best to just consider it fiction. 

Soon you’ll get bored and I will leave in a few months. Either way, it won’t be an issue. The “enemy” that was attacked by Russia in the U.S. was the forces of the government you live under right now.

He said that the US attacked Russia, and Russia responded.

He said that an aggressive China invaded Australia. I find that completely and wholly at odds with our present reality. It is so far-fetched and unrealistic that it makes me embarrassed that I even post on of his “predictions” on MM.

But the distrust that Australia has with America is understandable. This trend is understandable if you are at the very least paying attention to the relationship between Australia and China. Mike Pompeo and Trump worked with Hon Scott Morrison MP to sever ties with China, and trash trade while ramping up the military This has most assuredly tarnished the trading relationship. When Trump left, the ties remained severed and the wounds hurt.

There is a great deal of distrust in the Asia-Pacific rim regarding America right now.

Yes, I think the New World Order idea tried to establish itself. I would consider them the combination of the old U.S. federal system, Europe, Canada and Australia.

He said that…

South America went relatively unharmed. However, there is still a great deal of internal conflict with conventional arms

In regards to the World War III event…

Yes, EMP took out a great number of electronic devices.  That’s one of the reasons why we don’t have reliable technology laying around. 

However, in the opening hours of N Day, the Russians did not launch any high altitude detonations. They knew we would most likely clean up after them so they wanted everyone outside the cities to be able to communicate. 

Most of the warheads that hit the cities came in threes and exploded close to the ground. The heavy EMP damage was isolated to those areas.

Scary stuff.

I’ve noticed that when most Americans think about Canada in this time, they think about pine trees, chooks and back-bacon. It may interest you to know that most Canadians in 2036 are some of the most efficient, ruthless and dangerous people I know. God help Quebec.

Interesting.

The animal Kingdom is alive and well. I’m sure it suffered but there fewer people infringing on animal’s habitats now. 

Nuclear war is a very undesirable thing but it is not the end of the world. 

There are areas and cities we can’t enter and the environment did suffer a great deal of damage but we are recovering. 

Isn’t Hirroshima a thriving city today? The major physical affects include skin cancer, infertility, infection, etc. Almost everyone has some sort of physical remnant from the war.

The entire country was affected, not just the cities on the coasts.

(5) Were only cities along the Eastern Sea port hit in the Nuclear War, or all over the country? 

Mostly cities and large military areas in the entire country.

He continues that the War affected the entire world in one way or the other.

(16) Which country gets the worst in the war? 

Again, the entire world is affected. Even if you don’t take a direct hit, dying crops and no water can ruin your day.

Well, that is interesting, but the lead up does not match what our current reality actually is…

What our current reality describes

Our current reality describes something quite different.

And these differences will shape what the TRENDS will lead us all towards.

I believe, that I cannot prove, that there are elements in the Chinese, the Russia and the American governments that do not want the John Titor scenario to occur, and to this end, they have placed “fail safe” mechanisms in place.

For instance, using China, for I am most familiar with it, the election of Mr. Deng back in the 1970’s completely changed the path and course that China was on. And the ideal for the idealistic fervor for “spreading communism” all over the world ended in the late 1970’s. Of course, no one told that to any Americans. Who still have this terribly distorted idea of what China is like. Which, of course, propagated by endless lies and distortions.

What we see today is a unified Asia falling into place.

Russia and China are teaming up. They have strong agreements with the SE Asian nations, and both the European and Middle Eastern nations.

So let’s look at this.

Firstly, what Americans think about Geo-Political relationships after four years of trump and company…

Yes, I know it sounds and looks really bad, but isn’t this the exact way it is? The declared “enemies” of the United States are Iran, Russia, China, and North Korea. And the United States is fighting eight (x8) “hot” wars in the middle east, has over 800 military bases world-wide and is involved in all sorts of hidden wars sponsored by the CIA assets; the NID and NED.

This world view is in complete alignment with the John Titor narrative. It describes how an American conservative might view the world.

Which explains why the United States has so many military bases everywhere

You know “for democracy”.

Here is a map showing where all the military bases are all over the globe.

American military bases all over the world.

This map gives a distorted illusion. It provides the illusion that everywhere there is an American base, that that nation, country or territory is aligned socially, politically and militarily with the United States. Which isn’t even remotely true.

Now, let’s look at the world differently. Let’s see it as it actually in irregardless to what America or Americans might think about it or now.

The “real” reality 2021

Now this is a very simplified map. And I did so intentionally.

First off, I did not include any of the 8x eight nations that the USA is fighting wars in to be American allies.

Were America to be embroiled in other issues (Civil War, nuclear war, etc.) these nations could quickly flip to neutral or even align with one of America's "enemies". So I did not identify them as American-client-nations.

Taiwan is colored the same color as China, because after all, by UN treaty, and by Taiwanese law, it is a State of China. So this map accurately reflects the world as it is today, not what the USA wants it to be.

Taiwan stopped being an independent nation, and became a Chinese client state  in 1972 by [1] The Shanghai Communiqué and the 1982 [2] Joint Communiqué and [3] the August 17 Communiqué. It's the 23rd province of China.

All of this his was codified and made permanent on October 1971, when the United Nations General Assembly passed Resolution 2758, which recognized the government of the People’s Republic of China as the only legitimate representative of China at the United Nations and established the One-China Principle.

Smaller nations, too small to color are not colored in. This includes Israel and Hawaii.

Nations in blue are the EU.

They try to be neutral, but their leanings over the last four years has been with their Asian neighbors Russia and China. This is true irregardless to what the American media might try to portray.

Likewise, even though America has military bases in Korea, and Japan, and throughout the SE Asia, these nations align with their larger neighbors, not with far-away America. North Korea might have US bases and an American military presence, but it’s largest trading partner and economic, racial (Han Chinese) and cultural heritage is with China.

Other nations that try to be neutral or independent such as Greenland, or African nations are left uncolored.

India is trying to stay neutral, although it’s ruling class and media are firmly aligned with the United States, but it is large enough to have it’s own yellow color.

Leaving the world, more or less, resembling this kind of map if you cut away all the bull-shit, and look at things from a social-economic perspective. Instead of one related to military might and military activities.

This is the world today, 2021…

So what do we see?

Look at the map. Can you see something interesting there?

America is pretty isolated in the world today.
Major, hard and consistent, American allies include Canada, the UK, and Australia.
The rest of the world is dominated by Russia and China which hold the lion share of factories, military weapons, political agreements, trade relationships and technology.
Europe is trying to be neutral, but leans East. Poland is an exception.
Australia should flip red in the next few years with all the problems that the PM Morrison caused though his alignments with Trump and company.

This is all very interesting. Eh.

It’s not what is being told to Americans through the American media. Instead America is being told to fear the rest of the world or else they will “steal our democracy”, and that America is the biggest, the toughest and the best in the world.

Of course, you could "nit pick" my assumptions and argue that the American neocons are actually correct, and that economic and technological and manufacturing capabilities are over-rated. You could argue that nothing has changed, and that national strength is a function of real and actual strength. If you believe this then maybe you should leave Metallicman and start reading the National Review.

Now, let’s imagine the world in the next four to five years.

The world in 2025.

In this we will follow existing trend lines. We will [1] assume that the USA will spend a significant amount of time, money and resources on domestic issues and problems . Which might include a civil war, or barring that, a civil disturbance.

[2] We assume that there will be repercussions for Morrison siding with Trump in his anti-China stance. And we will see Morrison and his nationalistic party lose the Australian elections.

[3] We will see the Chinese BRI expanding, and trade opening up to Europe.

[4] We will witness a complete pull-out and withdrawal of American troops out of Afghanistan.

[5] We might as well see a changes in political opinion regarding China and India relations. India will then wish to participate in the BRI rather than isolate and trust in the “goodwill” of America.

All of these are all just assumptions and extrapolations from what we are observing.

Resulting in this map…

Thus creating a situation of a combined Asia against the United States Empire.

Now, of course this is all extrapolations with some pretty major assumptions, and of course, anything can change in the future. So we will keep things simple…

A united Asia is rising in power with global reach. It controls most of the world’s factories, a sizable and competitive technological base, and a whole lot of people.

And how America will react to these changes will determine what the future for America and Americans will be.

American reactions to a changing world

Well, we already have seen how a neocon administration (Trump) would react to a changing global situation. But their actions were not very popular. Donald Trump lost his reelection, and the global community has looked askance at the United States ever since.

What will happen in the future is unknown, but if the trends continue as they seem to be doing, then we can expect the following…

Continued unrest in the United States.

Depending upon how the various State and Federal government handle this unrest will determine whether [1] the unrest will end, or [2] get much worse. My experience with the American government is one that indicates lack of originality, an arrogance and a true lack of creative understanding of the deep and substantive issues that America is embroiled in.

My guess is that…

The unrest will get worse, and it will be aggravated by cold, uncaring reactive measures taken at the State and Federal level.

Which pretty much means that at some point in time, that…

Some kind of Second Civil War will occur in the United States. Whether organized in sides, or balkanized, or just manifest as terrorism, there will be shootings and deaths.

And I sincerely hope that this does not happen. If it does it means that the same-old same-old playbook by the oligarchy will continue to play out. Two sides will fight each other, while the rulers watch from the ramparts.

And if the various governments are not able to suppress the domestic unrest, they will “pull out the old playbook”, and attack or try to create some kind of major foreign war as a distraction. Usually, in the past this has typically resulted in the unification of the nation against a foreign foe. However this time, the conditions are quite different. And the results of this action will be terrifying.

World War III. Russia / and or China will respond to American aggression with a preemptive nuclear salvo.

Conclusions

While the specifics regarding the John Titor narrative have no actual bearing on the realities on this world-line template that we share, the trends and the trend line does. If the current situation DOES NOT CHANGE then we can well expect a gloomy outlook.

It WILL NOT be like John Titor described.

But it will be awful.

What I can say that is the severity of the war that America will be embroiled in will be directly proportional to the arrogance of the American ruling oligarchy.

We will need to watch and see what will happen.

I like to believe that the promises made to me at the ADC Pine Bluff during my retirement has validity. And if so, then what ever occurs in the future will not be as horrible as our fears believe. There will be changes, and in the long term, for our children and for our descendants, the world will become a better place for everyone.

Do you want to see similar posts?

I hope that you found this post curious. Please take care. You can view other similar posts in my SHTF Index, here…

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Deductions from our lives

When I first started working I worked at various jobs. One of these positions was as a “stock boy” in a local supermarket. I would wear a red and white striped apron, a white short-sleeved shirt and a tie. My hair would always be groomed to be over the ears. No hair to ever touch the collar, and clean appearance.

At that time, we were paid by cash. The cash was in envelopes with the amounts and deductions on the cover. Like this…

Anyways, the accountant did all the proper calculations. hey were all shown on the envelope, bus she was stealing cash out of the envelopes. And I, being a boy of only 14 (you can work at that age with parental approval) didn’t catch on until much later. While all of the older co-workers always forced her to correctly pay in the correct amount.

Later, when I needed cash for college, I went though my unopened envelopes. Years worth of them. And discovered that while my envelope said that I earned $65, the envelope actually only contained perhaps $5.

Essentially I was working for free, or nearly free.

Meanwhile this small-town bandit was driving a brand new Lincoln continental, and treating me like dirt.

Word to the wise; if someone treats you like dirt they are either purposely hurting or harming you, or they plan to do so. Whether it is money, relations, work, career, or for some reason. Watch out.

So yeah, was I stupid?

No. I was young and had NO PARENTAL SUPPORT.

Where were my friends? Where was the management? Where was due diligence?

Gone, and I was just a young kid “learning the hard lessons of life” on my own, alone. You know; the “American way”.

Learn.

Bad people do bad things. Watch out for tell-tales and indicators.

Today…

How much control do we have over our lifespan through healthy behaviors and whether our genes set a strict limit.?

As a 71 year old and a hospice volunteer, I have a huge list of people whose lifespan did not conform to what we are told to expect from healthy living, making it easy to see that heredity or something else has a lot to do with life span. But you will have trouble finding that in a PubMed paper, because the illusion of control sells medical care, whole foods, and gym memberships.

Probably like everyone my age, I can list a number of people who smoked and drank and never exercised, but lived well into their nineties, and way too many who lived the recommended lifestyle and dropped dead at 52. My own mother died at 91 and never stopped smoking or living on coffee, steak and butter. Her son, my brother (same genes), lived the clean life and died of cardio vascular disease at 52, the week after he aced his annual physical.

And as a volunteer in long term care facilities, one of my often-repeated parlor tricks is to have young CNAs and nurses gathered in the common area with the elderly patients, who include some who are 90 and 100 years old and then I ask the patients whether they ever smoked. Without fail they will say they did smoke, and the younger medical staff is slack-jawed. In the 1950s through 1970s most people smoked, and plenty lived to be 100, but the risks have been so over-stated since then that the younger generation believes that anyone who smokes will die young.

Don’t get it wrong: I don’t smoke and I don’t advise it, but I do prefer reality to fantasy, at least in terms of health and longevity.

Tangy Beef Strips

Yield: 4 servings (about 4 1/2 cups)

Ingredients

1 (1 pound) boneless sirloin steak
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup sliced onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chili sauce
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups quartered fresh mushrooms
1/2 medium green bell pepper, cut into strips
1/2 medium red bell pepper, cut into strips
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
Hot cooked noodles

Instructions

Cut steak across grain into 1/4 inch thick slices.
In large skillet, quickly brown steak in 1 tablespoon oil; remove and set aside.
Sauté onions and garlic in remaining tablespoon oil until onions are tender.
Stir in chili sauce, water, beef bouillon granules, cumin and pepper. Heat to boiling; add mushrooms and peppers. Cover; simmer for 5 minutes.
Add reserved steak and any accumulated meat juices; heat.
Combine yogurt and cornstarch; stir into meat mixture. Heat until thickened.
Serve over hot cooked noodles.

What are the most unexpected challenges faced by long-term Las Vegas residents that tourists or newcomers might not anticipate?

Before I get to the challenges, let me hit on some facts that many Vegas visitors probably don’t realize:

The first unexpected aspect of Vegas living is that probably 80% of my friends, neighbors and co-workers avoided the Strip like the plague. It’s not like we drove down on Friday nights to hang out or go to the club. It wasn’t our playground. We’d go when someone came to town to visit and we had to go play tour guide. Or maybe once a year, we’d go check out a show or try a new restaurant. I’m sure the same could be said for San Franciscans visiting Pier 39 or New Orleanians hitting up Bourbon Street.

Those who did frequent the casinos as locals often paid the price. I saw careers destroyed by constant party lifestyle. And my wife one year was asked to help with an accounting project for a local exec who needed to tally up his winnings for the tax man. He literally brought her two black trash bags full of receipts. All totaled out, he was down about $740,000 on the year.

Most of the unexpected challenges were heat related. Funny things that I didn’t expect were how the heat affected car maintenance. Windshield wipers had to be replaced twice a year because they would bake and crack and when summer monsoon season would roll through, they didn’t work anymore. Car batteries died faster; most of mine lasted only 2–3 years, vs 7 or 8 years in other places I’ve lived.

Speaking of cars, driving in the rain in Vegas is horrendous. You may think it’s because it doesn’t rain much in the desert so people just don’t know how to drive there, and you’d be partially right. But Vegas roadways are also designed for extreme heat resistance, which also lets them hold onto more oil. When the rains come, all of that oil floats and driving on Vegas freeways becomes a slip-show. It was almost a guarantee that both major freeways through town would have major accidents on rainy days.

Raising a family brought some interesting challenges. Vegas is one of the least educated big cities in the country. It’s a town where for a long time you could make a decent living parking cars or selling cigarettes in a miniskirt, so it attracted people who were hard-working, but not particularly academic.

There’s also the constant sleaze. It doesn’t matter which way you’re headed out of town, you’re going to pass billboards for strip clubs and burlesque shows. I just didn’t want to have to explain to my 6 year old what that meant, which was one of my primary reasons for leaving.

As a young married couple, we didn’t mind Vegas. There’s plenty to do, flights are subsidized so travel is cheap, there’s a surprising amount of natural beauty between lakes, rivers, deserts, and even mountains (did you know there’s a ski resort less than an hour drive from the Strip?). But it’s not a place I’d want to raise a family.

As a police officer, what was your most ‘now that was stupid’ moment with a suspect?

We had a driver from Chicago who felt as though a 25 MPH speed limit at a crossing for a children’s park was a mere suggestion – especially when driving a convertible with a trophy blonde on his arm. It was a bright June Saturday afternoon, and the municipal pool was open. He decided to drive through the crowded crosswalk at 49 MPH, despite three warning signs: two reducing the speed and the ‘children present crosswalk’ sign.

My partner and I were just about to pull out of my driveway (we had stopped for cold drinks) and his speed kept us from entering the same street. I had enough presence of mind to grab the radar and lock in his speed as he passed the crosswalk. We got him stopped and out of his car and into ours. It was there he tried a Chicago-scheme on ‘Mayberry deputies Barney Fife and Gomer Pyle.’

My partner is writing a ticket (giving the mope a break instead of arresting him for ‘Criminal Recklessness with a Vehicle) when Mr. ‘Hugh-Hefner’s-Friend’ says, “Say, Officer, that’s a nice pen. I collect pens and I’d give you twenty dollars for that one.” JCT replies, “This is just a cheap thirty-nine-cent Bic – it’s not worth twenty bucks.” “But I collect them and its worth twenty to me.” “If you’re sure you want to buy it, I’ll sell it.” Then, “Just put the twenty in the console and I’ll give you the pen.” (Exchange made).

Mr. Jones asks us to unlock the door so he can get out. JCT says, “Hang on a minute, I haven’t finished writing your ticket yet. Rob, he just bought my pen, may I borrow yours?” “Of course, JCT.” I must say that the subject held his temper in check, but you could see the wheels turning for extracting his revenge from these two hick cops.

A month later we were in court as this ticket required a court appearance. The ADA had us give our evidence first, followed by Mr. Jones presenting his defense. “Your Honor, I bought this officer’s pen for twenty dollars so he wouldn’t write me the ticket, and I gave him the twenty and he sold the pen to me, then borrowed this other officer’s pen and wrote me the ticket.” Everyone in the courtroom was trying hard not to laugh as this guy had just presented evidence of a felony bribery confession.

The ADA then rose and said, “Your Honor, the State would like to present evidence corroborating Mr. Jones’ statements,” and the twenty-dollar bill in an evidence envelope was brought forth with fingerprints that had been lifted and matched to the defendant in other cases. JCT testified that he had Mr. Jones put the money in the console and waited until he was gone before putting it into the evidence envelope with latex gloves. Thus, he had never had the money in his hand nor had I, except to put it in the envelope.

Before the ADA could say anything more, the idiot shouted very angrily, “Your Honor, I gave these officers a BRIBE but they wrote the ticket anyway…” and his words tapered off as the full implication of what he was saying hit him like a mortar shell. “Mr. ____________,” the Judge said, “You have the right to remain silent; I suggest you exercise that right at this time.” That’s when the entire court erupted in laughter.

When the ADA suggested a fine of $1000 and 30 days in jail, all suspended, the Judge said it was not nearly enough and fined him $10,000 (the maximum), a year in jail, all suspended but for sixty-two days (he’d be serving thirty-one days minimum), and 1000 hours of community service. This guy had a helluva time – he tried to hire a lawyer for an appeal then but that was impossible. He probably spent $35K – $50K.

He got to be a celebrity around town – picking up trash at every festival and fair, cleaning up dog poop at the County Shelter, trimming tree limbs blocking signs, and weed-whacking at the football field. My partner and I would see him on hot summer days and take him to a convenience store for water or sodas, but mostly the bathroom and air-conditioning for a long break. Sometimes we’d take our lunch break at Mickey D’s or Subway, and he would be allowed to join us. Our treat.

He did his penance at first angrily, but as time went on his attitude changed remarkably. He found our town, while not as vibrant as Chicago, contained people who were friendly, if not gregarious. In a town of 8500 you soon learn who is driving the Corvette convertible every weekend to jail and back. There was no ‘good time’ for weekend jail, so he was doing thirty-one weekends or sixty-two days. Folks would see him working and stop by with water and words of encouragement. After a time, the Sheriff started having him escorted to church, and later to ‘churchin’ cookouts.’ And for years afterward he would drive down to visit his friends in the small town he once disdained.

Exposé – Point Of No Return

Why is China angry at the world?

It isn’t. Your question is nonsense.

China happily trades with the world. China is the largest trading partner to over 120 countries.

China is helping the world through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Over 150 countries participate in the BRI and they are grateful for China’s assistance.

China is leading the BRICS organization that aims to unify the world in peace and common prosperity. Over 40 countries have lined up to join.

China has 17 countries participating in its Tiangong space station program.

China is working to bring peace to the world. It brokered an historic peace deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and it’s trying to do the same in the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine conflicts.

China is only angry at the United States because the US has been demonizing China, sanctioning China, and trying to provoke China into war.

What will be the winner in the upcoming contest between the S400s and F-35s over Iran?

Which Airbase does Israel use?

The flying distance is 1327 Kms from Israel to the nearest point on the Iranian Border

The F-35 has a safety fuel flying range of 1,500 Kms

You need to fly, hit your target and return back to base

That’s 2,674 Kms minimum

Almost double the safe range for an F-35

So Israel needs to take off from nearer Air Bases Or refuel at nearer Air Bases

That brings Saudi Arabia and Iraq bang into the middle of a Iranian Israel war and I am pretty sure they won’t make it easy

Against Saturated Air Defense – No combat aircraft can succeed beyond the first few salvos

Doesn’t matter if it’s the F-35 Or F-22

For shorter distances like 250–300 Kms – it’s easier to attack and retreat

Not for 2700 Kms!!!!!!

You can’t fly 1300 Kms in stealth mode and hit a target and come back another 1300 Kms without being spotted by Air Defence and hit with one of those missiles

Those S-400 missiles have a range of around 250 Kms at a height of 20 Kms

The F-35 would be toast

Israel will either hit Iranian Targets with F-35s if Iran agrees on the targets beforehand to give Israel face

Israel will hit Iranian Scientists and Military Personnel through Drone Attacks

Israel will hit Iranian facilities with Drones

medley RUFUS featuring CHAKA KHAN in SOULTRAIN

Has a drill sergeant ever encountered a recruit who ‘had it together’ too much to require what the drill sergeants do?

We had a kid in our flight (Air Force, 1991) who had his act together in Basic. Physically fit, tried out for Pararescue around week 4 (missed it by 1 pullup; instructors said he could try out again any time). Anyway, kid clearly wanted to be special forces and had prepped hard for Basic. Had his shit together, never had to be told twice how to do anything, all that jazz. A+ cadet.

One day, surprise inspection. T.I. (AF term for drill instructor) has us all go outside and stand at parade rest while he wandered through our barracks with himself and the 2nd T.I. After 10–15 minutes he calls us all back inside. We stand at attention at our bunks.

T.I. is going through everyone’s stuff, not really finding anything wrong. He gets to this guys clothes, starts going through his folded BDUs. Opens the pockets, and in every pocket is a tiny piece of paper – some kind of “Inspected By” thing. Now, keep in mind, these are in everyone’s BDUs when they’re issued, as far as I recall, and we all have to take a few minutes stripping them out when they were issues so we aren’t nabbed during an inspection for foreign material in our uniforms. And this kid, he’d stripped all of his out too. We all did, all at the same time. But the T.I. had spent those 10–15 minutes putting them back in his uniforms, so it looked like he’d forgot, and he got nailed. Gimme that 341!

The lesson was twofold (at least the way I understood it): First, no one gets through Basic unscathed. You might have your shit together, but they’ll find a way to bring you back to the pack. That lets everyone know they’re mortal; no one’s special; no one is better than anyone else, and you’re all in this together, as a team. But the other lesson was: This job (and life in generally, really) is gonna throw adversity at you no matter how much you have your shit together, because there will always be things you cannot control, and it’s how you deal with that adversity that matters.

Now, the funny epilogue to this story: We get to graduation day. We’re out under our dorm again in the hot Texas heat, in April (because the actual dorms are elevated, so there’s an overhang that whole flights can stand under for shade). The Tech Instructors are calling out names for graduation, and they get to this *other* kid in our flight named Copeland. T.I. calls his name then stops, and says, “Who the fuck is Copeland?”

For reals – the kid had made it through Basic without ever being noticed. I think we all silently cheered for him. I know I certainly did. It was kind of an awesome moment.

You can fly under the radar. But I don’t think it happens very often.

Taylor Dayne – Tell It To My Heart

China amazes us once again with this incredible infrastructure work!

The Qianchun interchange, in Guizhou province, is almost a 5-level labyrinth, with 18 ramps and 8 directions. Try to imagine driving on this road rollercoaster at 37 meters high

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Are you already wondering how your navigator would behave here, which only needs the roundabout behind the house to smooth out the right exit? Don’t worry, Chinese officials claim that the signs and exits on the interchange are clearly marked and that even if you make mistakes, it is always easy to go back!

10 Things That Don’t Make Sense After 61!

Has a young child ever come up to you alone and asked for help? How did you react, and what did you do?

A neighbor (diagonal from me) fosters troubled kids (one at a time) and has adopted two, we are on friendly terms but not close. When she has a new kid and I’m around she makes a point of introducing the kids to me. A couple summers ago I met one such 12/13 year old boy and she made a point of telling him “if there’s ever a problem she’s a safe adult it’s OK to talk to her” which is a very sweet thing to say. A short time later (days or weeks) I have a knock on my door and answer its the boy shaking and teary.

“please you have to help! She’s going to call the cops and get rid of me I know it! I had to run away, can I stay here? Please don’t call the cops and get me arrested”

I sat with him on my deck in full view of their house (because kid+solo adult in a house alone sounds like a bad idea unless it’s a bigger emergency)

“why do you think she’s going to call the cops and get rid of you?” (not going to promise not to call the cops cause I don’t lie to kids like that)

“I did it I was so bad I’m so sorry I’m so sorry”

“I can see you are sorry honey, can you tell me what happened?” as I quietly visually check his hands/arms/clothes for a sign of a struggle/wounds/etc

“we were eating dinner!” he wails

“OK then what happened”

“I was telling her about school and I got too excited and I’m a bad kid”

“did you get in trouble at school?”

“no I got a gold star and all my questions right”

“that’s great, why do you think you did a bad thing?”

“I hit my glass and it knocked over and I wasted my milk and my whole plate of food!!” uncontrolled sobs “she’s going to call the cops and get rid of me!”

“did she yell at you?”

“no”

“did she hit you or hurt you?”

“no but she’s going to hate me”

“why do you think that?”

“I wasted all the food and milk!” as he looks at me like I’m an absolute idiot

“OK honey I don’t think she’s going to call the cops I think she’s probably worried about you, does she know you are here?”

“no I ran away”

“OK how about I call her and let her know where you are and see if she’s mad at you”

“hey (neighbor), I have (kid) here and he’s very upset and worried you are mad at him about dinner”

“oh thank God, he doesn’t know the area I was worried he’d go into traffic”

“he’s scared you are going to call the cops and have him arrested”

“please tell him I miss him and I’m not going to have him arrested”

“honey she’s not going to have you arrested”

Sniffle”she’s not?”

“nope, do you want to go back over?”

Long sob

“I’ll be right over to pick him up”

And that’s how I rescued a child from spilled milk. I later found out his previous family life would’ve resulted in beatings and worse after that infraction and his previous foster treated him very poorly. My neighbor had called the cops but only to report his running and she immediately called back to report he was found and safe, he’d had a history of running. Fortunately he’d made it a couple hundred feet when he remembered that I was “safe”. He only stayed with my neighbor a short time longer due to reunification but I still hope the best for him from time to time.

Shorpy

What is your biggest “only in the USA” moment?

I once knew a British graduate of Oxford who had married an American woman and immigrated to the US. He wanted to start an educational business — tutoring, test prep, college admissions counseling, all that sort of thing. The very week of his arrival in the country he had appointments with the principals of many of the best private schools in the city. He was able to broker deals with them, offering pro bono tutoring for needy students in exchange for referrals. With a steady flow of students, he hired many tutors (including me), secured a loan, easily opened offices in the middle of the city, and within two or three years had a thriving business earning him hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

He said that none of this would have ever been possible in the UK. There would have been too much red tape, although not so much administratively as socially. There is no way he would have ever gained a hearing with these principals in the UK, he said. There would have to be some kind of introduction, some justification for his being there. He was also amazed at how glad people were to help him at every point along the way. People who had no stake in his success were nevertheless excited to see someone do so well and eager to participate in it. Americans loved a success story. There was no begrudgement: no sense of people asking, “Who do you think you are?” It was amazing to him that he, a foreigner moreover, could waltz in this way and be so welcomed, almost as if he himself were an American. What he had found was that if you could do the job, you would be invited to do it, no further questions asked. It took remarkable hutzpah on his part to pull this off, but that boldness was not seen as a fault, as it might have been in his native land. It was seen as a sign that this was someone who could get the job done.

People on Quora, eager always to seem in-the-know and anything but naive, love to criticize the USA and are hesitant to say anything positive about it. There are, undoubtedly, many American vices to criticize—as for any target so large. But when we think of the American success evident in so many areas of endeavor—when we ask what has caused it and what is likely to perpetuate it into the future—we would do well to also remember those American virtues that have enabled it.

What are the implications of the United States sending an advanced anti-missile system to Israel in response to missile attacks by Iran?

Not much.

Let’s break this down. A THAAD unit has 6 launchers with 8 missiles each. It is SOP to fire 2 missiles per incoming ballistic missile to “guarantee” a hit. So that THAAD system has 48 missiles.

It can theoretically intercept 24 ballistic missiles.

The last attack used 180 ballistic missiles and that was just a warning. In other words, Israel can expect hundreds of thousands of missiles per salvo and they will keep coming if Israel starts a war with Iran.

You can do the math yourself.

Also there has been some questions regarding how well US systems can intercept ballistic missiles. Patriot Pac 2 and 3 are also supposed to intercept ballistic missiles.

In the videos that we see. We can see one location that was attacked. You can see 1 being intercepted. That is the big explosion in the air. The rest either missed or barely did any damage and the missiles continued until they hit the ground. This is with the interceptor missiles coming up from the ground.

So let’s assume that THAAD does what the US says it does and intercepts 24 missiles. What about the other several hundred or thousands? The US only has 7 THAAD systems. Now the US has 6.

Why should you avoid Thailand for retirement?

Be kind to yourself and ask yourself,—What do I want in the twilight years of my life?

If you still want to think like when you are in the 40s then you may ponder harder if Thailand will be the right place for you.

What is in the heads of men or women in their 40s?

Look for business opportunities and build their business empires, or imagine themselves as Romeo or Juliet, and spend the money on drinking or shopping and thinking that only money brings happiness.

Then, Thailand is the ideal place for you to buy business and set up bars, pubs, and chic cafes. You will not only be Romeo but thorns among Juliets but you will soon look like an old ‘Walking Dead’

Why retire in Thailand? To enjoy sun sand and sea? That is a misconception if you think that’s what coming to Thailand is ultimately for.

What about being young at heart again leaving your family back home and starting a new life with a real gem – a Thai woman, for once, a woman to care for you before you leave this world?

That’s not wrong provided you get the right Thai woman (keep searching) but to leave your family back home is not right for any man (only by my std)

What could be the greater things about retirement in Thailand?

To stay in a ‘house that Jack built’ (many did that somehow) despite strict control laws but wise men say: ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a (legitimate) way living in a dream place a one-acre land with a barn, and a workshop of your own if you are a handyman, that’s everyman’s dream.

Get up early to greet the dawn and do the thing you ever wished you could and now you can! With friendly neighbors or respectful people around you. Not getting up late and doing nothing but drinking and doze off again.

Eat a variety of foods where your heart desires, not the same old crap you eat at home.

Imagine yourself surrounded by animals like monkeys and water buffaloes, a newfound love with your very own faithful Thai Bailey’ ( a Ridgeback dog -Mah Lang Arn) besides being a watch dog, it is capable of protecting you from the cobra… seriously.

All these without breaking the bank. Still can sell wild, wild, Western American authentic pizza like, ‘George’s Pizza’ ( George said—you are free to put ketchup).

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Yes, George’s Pizza and hamburgers that rock Phisanulok let alone Thailand.

That’s all my 2 cents—To experience your retirement that your peers would envy you (till you kick the bucket) with a careful plan in Thailand.

**Why should you avoid Thailand for retirement? If my answer is crap to you, go ahead and avoid Thailand**

Wanna be as happy as George Bowman, a Quora bro? what are you waiting for?- retire in Thailand and eat George’s Pizza!

Edited: I stumbled on one of George’s answer on the topic of Thailand and loved it, so I’m stuck ever since.

Japan has forgotten the lessons of World War two! Lavrov

A Life Beyond

Submitted into Contest #247 in response to: Imagine a world where exploration is forbidden, and write a story about a character who defies this rule to satisfy their innate curiosity.… view prompt

Carol Stewart

Warning… You are approaching the barrier, do not proceed… Warning…A hundred miles from his city centre dwelling, and several hundred yards from where he’d abandoned his one-person laser travelling pod, Enz entered the ‘no-go’ zone, setting off the alarm. The sun was already blackening, soon it would be eclipsed, and the lights which flashed and beamed before him, blue and amber from various levels on the high mirrored walls, would turn everything around him such a sickly shade of intense it would bring the city to a halt. Circuits frozen, power disconnected, pods immobile, gridlocked. Communication would be impossible, water blocked from flowing through the pipes. But only for a while. Only while he took his final steps. He’d take them slowly, he thought. Something as momentous as this deserved a countdown… StepTen… The speed of the traffic had slowed, he could hear the sound abating, no longer a whizz, but a hum. The drivers wouldn’t know why as yet, wouldn’t see him, or if they did, he’d be no more than a blur between the lights. A dog escaped its kennel? Inconsequential… StepNine… Enz looked down. His boots had changed colour absorbing the lights. He’d seen this once before when he’d fallen from the travelling pod as a boy, hearing the screams of his mother as he’d tumbled towards the mirrors, traffic brought to sudden stop. There are some doors you just don’t open, boy. Ever! She’d been fined a whole month’s pay for not securing the locks. A hundred and thirty-three years ago, and he still remembered… StepEight… The speed limit had been lower then and people had walked the zone’s perimeters, stopping every once in a while, to peer into the mirrors in the unlikely hope that they might find those elusive cracks that the old folks said were bound to still be there. The 2093 Mallet Attack had, if rumors were true, been a bad one. Vicious. And if this were the case, what there the chances that there was another city beyond, another ‘world’, that the authorities wished to prevent them from reaching? His grandfather had claimed he could vaguely remember when they’d put the barriers up, and according to his father, Enz’s great-grandpa, and his father before him, there had once been many different cities, smaller ones too – towns and villages, they were called. And the ‘countries’ which contained them. ‘The Continents’. Deserts, forests, rivers, seas, farmland, mountains, glaciers. It was hard to imagine what any of these might look like. Or the incredible modes of transport. Gliders, rockets, airplanes… people flying! All the way up in the sky and further, setting foot on some strange place called ‘The Moon’. Of course, these old folks’ tales were now regarded as myths, and he an eccentric for wanting to believe in them… StepSeven… His legs were getting weary. Strange to think he was both the oldest man alive, and oldest who had ever lived. Only weeks before, when he’d reached this astounding milestone, the city had seen fit to mark the occasion with a full day of rest for all and a historically-themed champagne banquet for the elite. Not that he’d been invited, but then he didn’t have much time left, so not one thought it seemly he attend. People were only allowed to reach a hundred and forty. After that, they’d be vaporized, although this hadn’t happened yet, so no one knew quite what to expect other than the procedure itself would take place in the brand new ‘Sterappropriate’ Hospital, and on this occasion only, in the presence of the press. Enz the oldest man ever. Enz, the eccentric exception. Headline news… StepSix… The mirrors towered over him, the lights beginning to blind. Warning… Warning… Harsh voices intermingled. Rage from the pods on the laser track. What are you doing, you decrepit moron? We need to be home in twelve seconds, can’t miss ‘together time’… blaring through the speakers. Don’t turn your head, he told himself, don’t pay attention… StepFive… He craned his neck till his eyes met the sky. The great black disc, a permanent fixture, was half-way across the sun now, and well before normal shutdown time. The power would be failing. Sorry, Zany. Sorry, Blitz and Fritz. He felt bad for the children. Their games would be interrupted, and their learning. He’d left them books, written, by his grandfather years back, but they didn’t know what to do with them. They found it hard to turn a page which didn’t require a finger-scan. Besides, they could barely read the words, or understand them. Archaic fantasy, as their parents called it, was beyond them, insisting, by way of various snide asides, that this was almost certainly for the best, and even their great-great grandparents refused to assist. Enz’s daughter had always mocked him for his outlandish way of thinking, and her children had chastised him. One day soon you’ll find yourself out of work, and you’ll only have yourself to blame. Teachers are meant to teach, not tell stories and lies. He was only seventy then, far too young to retire, so he’d had no other choice but comply if he had any hope of surviving… StepFour… Obligations. Responsibilities. He’d been free from those for a while now. A good long while, come to think of it. He’d received his city pension at a hundred, just shy of the government upping the age to a hundred and ten. The authorities weren’t happy when he’d then defied the lifespan expectation odds, and they’d had to pay him ‘more than he’d ever been worth’ for almost four times the number of years on which they’d figured. It had been a quiet four decades on the whole. He’d spent his time reading, not only his grandfather’s words, but other ancient literature kept in his apartment behind a panel in the flexible mind-metal wall. He’d taken a plethora of notes and gradually pieced together a plausible version of what might have gone before, and what indeed might still exist in some way, shape or form, outside the mirrors. He’d made a book of his findings, and on the day of the celebrations when her parents, members of the elite, had returned home oddly and adversely affected by the hitherto unknown effects of this new champagne commodity, he’d entrusted his papers to Zany. She was by far the most open-minded of the children. Clever too, she’d worked out how to turn the pages the moment he’d seized the chance to show her. Grandpa, Ezra! I didn’t know people could do that! This is – wow – amazing! …StepThree… If only he had enough time left to teach her the words, or to show her what he’d captured on his 21^st century smartphone. Antique technology, a relic for sure. A family heirloom, but considered ugly and useless by all, there was no point trying to sell it. It had fallen into his hands when his grandfather died, and eventually, after a great deal of trial and error, he had discovered that not only did it work as a simple notepad, but that it could also be used in ‘video mode’. The powers that be had, on two separate occasions, arrested him when they’d spotted it attached to the side of his travelling pod as he’d zoomed around the outskirts of the city, but both times they’d been forced to release him without charge. After all, as his rolling-eyed solicitor had said when he’d tossed the phone onto the interrogation room table for the second time in as many months, what was this thing, but an old piece of junk? Little did anyone know that it was on said ‘piece of junk’ that Enz had just captured his most precious footage. And how long he had spent replaying and examining it all. He’d almost given up finding anything, then he’d discovered ‘slow motion’ and ‘still’, and there it was. The crack in the mirror! The only one which remained from his grandfather’s time, when, according to his writings, his great-grandpa and a like-minded gang of his friends had staged the legendary Mallet Attack, a crime for which they’d spent the remainder of their days in jail. So much for it being some far-fetched story, his grandfather’s words forever dismissed as the ramblings of a fool. Just like the disc which blocked out the sun, when the books that Enz had read so clearly described the moon… StepTwo… All was dark and silent now, traffic at a standstill. Only the warning voice remained and those glaring, searching lights. In a moment he’d be vaporized. And perhaps the pain would be worse than any he might have felt had he kept his ‘Sterappropriate’ appointment. But he’d plucked up the courage to send his pod off track en route, so too late now! Besides, he had to know what was out there, if only for a second… StepOne… He reached towards the glass, felt for the crack and pressed. Nothing. He tried again. Harder. Not a cut on his hand. Not even so much as a scrape. Amber and blue, amber and blue. Neon bursts. Warning, warning, warning… And then he saw his own reflection, except his face didn’t look quite right. He moved a little closer. Eyes duller, he thought, but at the same time, brighter, more expressive. The lights perhaps, but then – the rest of it! Oh, how heavily lined his mirror self was! And the mouth was moving! So, that’s old Granpa Enz, then? A chuckle. When had he ever sounded like that? And why were the children behind him when he knew they weren’t there? Zany, Blitz and Fritz, all crowding round, smiling and laughing too, their movements not in any way stiff or restricted. So unusual. There had been a word he’d read in his grandfather’s book which described this. Natural? Yes, that’s what it was. And how beautiful! How wonderful to hear little Zany chattering on. Good job you arrived when you did, Gramps. Won’t be long before he’s gone. A hundred and forty, can’t exceed that, but he’s stuck holding on at the side there, and I think that’s what’s causing the glitch. ‘Course we could make another just like him and start all over again… Step Zero.

“It’s BEGUN, But MOST Don’t Know It YET…” – Richard Wolff

What meal have you served that brought tears to the eyes of the person you served it to?

1985 in Dallas there was a record ice storm. I had never seen anything like it. Cars in ditches, wrecks all over the place. Dallas was totally unprepared and the locals rarely seen snow so driving on ice was beyond them.

I was making money with a pick up and a tow strap with a few other odds and ends in the back. (Free tips: lower the tire pressure to 15/20 PSI makes them wider where the rubber hits the road, SLOW DOWN) Seen this old raggedy station wagon in a ditch and pulled over to see if I could make a quick $20. Calling AAA would give you several hours of wait at best.

Knew I would do it for less when “MeMa” as the kids were calling her stepped out, must have been 8 or better in there. Heard one telling her he was hungry then others chimed in. I hear “Baby I gotta pay him to pull the car out and need gas. I’ll find something when we get home.” Ragged car, clean looking but poorly dressed kids for the weather, no money. It had been a great day money wise so what the heck.

Pulled the wagon out, refused her money and told her I would follow her to a gas station we could see to be sure she made it OK. Place even had a McDonald. As they say in for a penny in for a pound. Told her to fill it I would pay then asked the kids if any one was hungry. That got me a load of ME! and YES!’s. Went and had coffee and a snack with them making sure everyone was feed well. When I said goodbye MeMa’s hug about crushed the breath out of me with happy tears falling out of her and a few little kids were hanging off my legs.

2022 and I still smile thinking about it.

Neil Howe: The Fourth Turning Is Here – How the USA’s Crisis Ends – The Realignment Podcast

The Renova Decision

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

Jeff Macloud

The seven members of the executive council aboard the Amazonian were all but touching shoulders around the grey rectangular conference table. Deputy Governor Hunter Bryant, his tunic unbuttoned at the top, wiped sweat from his temples with his sleeve. Climate control was a major issue on the 923 year-old ship.Cleo el Masry, the vessel’s operations chief paused for effect, wrapping up her report on the impending deceleration decision. She sat back, her legs crossed at the knees, her hands smoothing the wrinkles out of a precisely tailored zip-up jumper that revealed nothing except that she was aggressively fit and fastidious. Most men found her beautiful. Hunter knew they had no chance.“The new probes have given us what we needed to know. The bottom line is,” she said, “Renova is teeming with life. That indicates a much higher probability of danger to any settlement. We need additional security forces, updated weapons, and a lot more ammo.”Rupert Shumar’s chair scooted and banged against the wall behind him as the science lead stood, “Bullshit!”Here we go again, Hunter thought, watching Rupert’s face redden all the way up past his balding hairline.Rupert aimed his wrath at Hunter. “You know the protocols. We should divert and avoid Renovan life,” turning now to face Cleo, ”not murder it.”“That protocol—,” Cleo began but stopped short at the withering scowl on Hunter’s face.Hunter knew that what he lacked in looks had been compensated two-fold in presence. He could hold a room.“Rupert,” Hunter began, “please have a seat.”Rupert sat, his bulk making the chair squeak.Hunter continued, “The protocol applies to intelligent life only, and…,” he held a hand up and shot a warning glare at Rupert who was bracing himself to stand again.Hunter finished, “the protocol clearly lists examples of technological signatures we can use to define intelligence.”“There is no evidence of intelligent life,” Cleo said, her cool tone contrasting with the room’s heat.“As we know it,” Rupert corrected.“As we know it,” Cleo allowed. “However, we have developed options that conserve life of all origins,” she looked at Rupert, who didn’t acknowledge her. “You’ll find them at Tab O on your tablets.”

“If we decelerate,” Rupert said without looking up, scrolling, “it cannot be undone.”

“But,” Cleo countered, “we have six months to deal with anything that pops up. Lots of smart people, too.”

Hunter glanced at the time. “I need to present our progress to the Governor over lunch. What about the rest of you? Let’s start on the left with life support. Max?”

“Thank you, deputy governor.” Max DuPont said wiping his brow, his voice low and gravelly despite his height. “Alexa, bring up my graphics on the table hologram, please.” He waited five seconds for that to occur, then continued. “First, if we choose to divert, food production needs to be prioritized to rebuild our stockpiles. We may need to ration certain items for some time. Next graphic please. Second, our gravity systems are in bad shape and need upgrades and repairs if we extend the mission. We are hoping for a deceleration scenario.”

“Thanks, Max,” Hunter said. “Alexa, use life support’s data to estimate priorities and timing for gravity system repair, starting in two weeks. Deliver those to my tablet before noon.”

“Certainly, Deputy Governor.” Alexa said.

Turning to his right now, “Medical?”

Kimbe Otumbo, unusually tall and bespectacled, stood to speak. “Yes, thank you, deputy governor. Colleagues, I’m honored to be h–,”

“I apologize, Kimbe. I have ten minutes before the governor’s lunch meeting.” Hunter knew Kimbe relished his chances to speak. He wasn’t arrogant or selfish. He was thorough. And he loved his job.

“Certainly,” the doctor fumbled with his glasses and set his tablet on the table. “Well, since time is limited, may I remind everyone that the data to support what I’m about to claim is at Tab M. As my colleague Cleo loves to say, there is a bottom line to my report. If we divert to Duonova, we – your mental health professionals – worry about panic and anxiety at levels conducive to mass hysteria and revolt.”

The table was hushed and still. The only sound was the clinking of Hunter’s glass as he swirled his ice water. He looked to Cleo. “Have we seen spikes in mental-health related deaths or crime?” Cleo, as operations lead, had executive responsibility for security and prisons, among many other departments.

Cleo nodded, “Alexa, bring up graphic thirty-seven from my briefing set. You all know the history. We have been focused on mental health for over two centuries now. Here’s the chart.”

Two centuries earlier, a design flaw caused a structural failure that slowed the Amazonian’s velocity and added 225 years to its mission. Three hundred and seventy-two deaths over two years were directly attributed to the accident. Most were either suicide, murder, or health problems related to drug and alcohol abuse. Nearly everyone on the Amazonian had family history with the tragedy. The chart had a massive spike, followed by a steep decline, that arrested about 200 years ago and was now a slow, steady climb with pot-holes and speed-bumps but no major changes.

“No spikes, lately” Cleo said, “but mental health-related stuff has been on a steady upswing for about two-hundred years, give or take.”

“What about the “Renova or Bust” lunatics?” Hunter asked.

“The “ROB” faction remains a challenge,” Cleo replied. “We all know about the two mass killi—”

Max chimed in, “Life support has those loopholes closed. Our security is tight. We will not allow that to happen again.”

Cleo held both hands up, “I wasn’t pointing fingers, Max.”

Hunter wondered if that were true.

Hunter, looking at the clock, pushed things forward. “Cleo, send me everything new on the ROB terrorists – membership, activity, anything the governor might ask about.”

Cleo nodded.

Hunter gestured to the medical officer, “Thanks, Kimbe,” and continued around the table.

Culture and Education agreed with Medical’s assessment of the mood of the population. They had run their own studies, which largely aligned.

Maintenance and Waste Management presented the top five problems with divert: shortage of electronics parts, shortage of propulsion parts, erosion of general education and the quality of maintenance training, recycling bottlenecks causing trash buildup, and security during any kind of uprising.

“OK, everyone. I will get this in front of Governor Fushima.” Hunter was standing to leave when Rupert spoke up.

“I think we, as a council, need to speak directly to the governor before she makes her decision.” Rupert said, eyes on his empty water glass.

Hunter cleared his throat. “I will deliver your concerns and recommendation to the governor and she will let everyone know what she decides.”

“So,” Rupert said, “the biggest decision any of us will ever be a part of comes down to one person’s whimsy,” and he looked into Cleo’s eyes this time, “or maybe two people’s whimsy.”

“Why are you so fucking dramatic,” Cleo said through her teeth, leaning across the table within strangling distance of Rupert. “Clarissa was elected. I assume you voted.”

“Clarissa,” Rupert repeated, grinning. “Well, I didn’t vote for your Clarissa. And I didn’t vote for you,” Rupert replied.

Cleo started to stand up.

“I meet,” Hunter broke in, “with the majority and minority leaders of both houses after I talk to the governor today. Congress is involved. The media will play their role. Nothing is being subverted here.”

“Yeah, well,” Rupert said. “I don’t trust any of the junta. No offense.” He stood and left the small room, bumping Cleo as he exited.

Hunter stood up. “Perfect timing.”

Everyone let out a nervous chuckle.

“I’ll talk to you all tomorrow. Same place, same time please.”

**********

“How were Rupert and Cleo?”

“Both arrogant. Cleo lets Rupert trigger her. She referred to you by first name in front of the council.”

Fushima grimaced. “I’ll talk to her.”

“Everyone knows, governor.”

“Not everyone. She needs to be careful.” The governor paused, then restarted.

“So,” she pushed the plate away and reclined, her chair protesting, “you’ve told me what they want, but not what you think.”

“I think you should decelerate.”

“Why?” Her tone reminded Hunter of his wife, long dead.

He blew out a breath. “Three reasons. One, nobody is interested in extending the mission 900 years. Two, we know very little about Novaduo compared to Renova. And, three,” he paused, thinking he might not say it, but deciding to, “you want to be the first Renovan president.”

“I do want to be president, Hunter,” Fushima paused, still smiling, eyes narrowed. “What do you want.” It was more of a challenge than a question.

Hunter lowered his head and clasped his hands in front of him as if in prayer. He had been dreaming lately of storms, the kind he saw and heard on the ancient videos from Old Earth, howling wind and the roar of heavy rainfall. The power and majesty of nature.

”To fall asleep in the rain,” Hunter said.

************

Later that night, in his dream, Hunter heard a familiar electronic tone through the pattering of raindrops on a metal roof. It sounded like an alert on his communications tablet. Seconds later, waking, he realized it was in fact his communications tablet. Rubbing his eyes, he said, “Alexa, who’s at the door?”

“Science director Rupert Shumar with Marine Corps Corporal Stewart.”

“Alexa, audio please.” There was a tone, then Hunter said, “Rupert, it’s late.”

“I know!” Hunter heard Rupert’s high-pitched response through the door before the tablet audio caught up.

“Alexa, open the front door,” Hunter said. He heard the men’s footfalls on his entry floor a few seconds later. He met them outside his bedroom in his robe.

Rupert held paper reports out to him. Hunter was awestruck at holding paper in his hands. He’d only held real paper twice before in his life.

After scanning the reports, Hunter asked, ”Those probes have been circling Renova for three days. Why am I just seeing this now?”

“Because we weren’t looking for that,” he said pointing at a specific paragraph, mindful that the Corporal didn’t have a need to know what they were discussing, “and we weren’t looking there.”

“Who figured it out?”

“Me. And Yevchenko.”

“Dissenting opinions?”

“None.”

“OK. Can I keep these?”

“Sign for them with the corporal here. Burn them when you’re done.”

Hence the paper, Hunter thought.

************

“Welcome everyone,” Hunter said. “Sorry for the lack of read aheads but this meeting is for your ears only. Thanks for leaving your tablets outside.”

Everyone nodded.

“Governor Fushima has approved the release of the following statement for you only, no staff, no media, no notes.”

Again, nods around the table.

“We have irrefutable evidence of intelligent life on Renova.”

Everyone looked at the science lead, who was looking at his hands.

“Rupert?” Hunter prompted.

“If you want the science, I’ll be happy to discuss once I’m told it’s OK. The approved statement for now is that unique and specific chemical signatures are escaping the surfaces of large bodies of water on Renova in types and quantities that do not occur in nature. Industrial processes are the only viable source. We now believe, with more than 90% certainty, that Renova contains intelligent aquatic life.”

“Fish people,” Kimbe said. “Fascinating.”

“Do not say ‘fish people’ to the media, Kimbe,” Hunter said, half smiling, half chastising. Nervous chuckles eased the tension.

Cleo got to the point, though. “So, divert is automatic. Intelligent life means divert.”

“Governor Fushima can make any decision she thinks best,” Hunter said. “But yes. The protocol is clear.”

Everyone was staring at Hunter, brows furrowed. Only Rupert seemed relaxed.

“Please be ready,” Hunter said when it was clear nobody had an immediate question. “This is going to anger a lot of people. And, remember, this announcement will be made by Governor Fushima and no one else.”

**********

Cleo, Hunter, and Governor Fushima met an hour later in the tiny conference room. Sweat dripped off Hunter’s nose onto the screen of his tablet. “Why aren’t we meeting in your apartments, governor?” He asked, wiping his face with a cloth napkin.

“Because I assume they’re bugged.”

Hunter shook his head. Cleo didn’t react at all, which told Hunter she already knew.

“Cleo, did you read all of the Renova report?” the governor asked.

“Yes, and everything we have on intelligent aquatic life.”

“Do you think it’s possible for us to settle unnoticed by the Renovans long enough to allow us to gain a foothold and prepare a defense?”

“Based on what I’ve read about their most likely technologies, it’s probable.”

Hunter jumped in, annoyed at the obvious tag-teaming of Fushima and Cleo, “But that doesn’t change the protocol, which is clear.”

Fushima shook her head in understanding, “Yes, of course. But I have authority to make my own decision, correct?”

“I’m surprised you’re even considering it, Governor, Hunter said. “You’ll be impeached if you disregard the protocol without justification.”

“It’s my job to look at all angles,” the governor said. And she switched her attention back to her operations chief.

“Cleo, if I announce divert, what will the ROB terrorists do?”

Cleo had Alexa pull up a graphic with three options. She went through them in order. First, they would probably attack life support, most likely water generation and gravity in the agricultural section of the ship, in an effort to force deceleration because of resource scarcity. If that didn’t work, they would attempt assassination hoping to replace Fushima with a leader sympathetic to their goals. Third, they would attempt mutiny within the crew.

Governor Fushima’s nearly painted on smile vanished. “You think ROB has access high enough to pull off mutiny? Who?”

Cleo shrugged, “We’ve done years worth of scrubbing. No one seems likely.”

“And yet you think it’s plausible.”

Cleo shrugged, “If I was running ROB, it’s what I’d do. Besides, they’ve had nine centuries to install sleeper agents.”

The governor looked closely at Cleo and Hunter. She’s paranoid, Hunter thought. He wondered how deeply Cleo was in on the governor’s plans.

“Alexa, analyze communications of the executive council over the last thirty days for suspicious or disloyal behavior. Report for my eyes only.”

“Yes, Governor.”

Hunter and Cleo both shifted their gazes from the governor to each other. Hunter realized Cleo was being held in the dark as well. Something was up.

Hunter leaned forward, “Governor, have you already made your decision?”

Fushima eyed Cleo, then said, “Yes.”

“So we’re diverting to Duonova, then.”

Fushima looked at her watch and left the room. Hunter watched Cleo chase after her.

**********

Hunter found Rupert waiting at his door when he returned to his quarters to freshen up.

“Rupert, you know we can’t talk here.”

“Please tell me you’re pushing to divert, Hunter.”

“Is your report accurate and honest?”

“Wha—of course it is!”

“Then how could I do anything else?”

Hunter watched Rupert scan him, deciding something.

“I’m hearing that Fushima is still considering deceleration,” Rupert finally said.

“From who,” Hunter responded, resisting the urge to grab Rupert by the collar.

“People talk. I have sources, just like everyone else.”

Hunter looked Rupert in the eyes, scanning.

“Rupert,” Hunter said, “do not do anything stupid. You are too valuable to our mission.”

“If we decelerate, knowing there is intelligent life on Renova, my mission is over. Because I will resign.”

“Don’t overreact. Your people look to you for leadership.”

“I am leading. I’m doing the right thing.” Rupert turned and walked away.

**********

Two days later, Hunter watched the governor’s address like everyone else, on the ship’s video conferencing system. Fushima was brief.

“Citizens of the Amazonian, I urge calm as you digest the news I”m about to give you. We have clear evidence of intelligent life on Renova. This means we cannot settle the planet and must divert to Duonova.”

She warned that unlawful activity would be dealt with severely. She asked citizens to report any activity by the Renova or Bust terrorists.

**********

The first violence happened four hours after the broadcast. Gangs broke into shops and looted.

The ship’s news services reported on the violence, “Security forces have killed twenty-five and wounded hundreds as ship-wide violence erupted following Governor Fushima’s decision to divert to Duonova.”

Damn them, Hunter thought, for ignoring the murdered and wounded cops.

“Detention centers are filled past capacity as the crackdown intensifies.”

The looting turned into rioting.

*********

Mid-riot, someone blew up the water production facility of the agricultural sector.

ROB did not claim responsibility, but their graffiti tags turned up everywhere.

Hunter guessed insiders had to be involved. It was a very precise attack, the damage conveniently contained.

********

Governor Fushima was forced to reverse her decision.

“Due to the criminal and immoral actions of a few terrorists,” she announced on video, “our mission must end at Renova. We no longer have enough water resources to divert.”

She assured the ship’s population there was plenty of water capacity to complete the deceleration and settlement.

“We will begin deceleration operations in three days. In six months, we will be Renovans.”

The rioting died.

********

Hunter, exhausted after sleepless days of emergency response leadership, found Rupert at his quarters door again.

He was in no mood to talk. Rupert wasn’t interested in talking, either. He handed Hunter a silicon envelope containing a letter of resignation along with a portable storage fob.

“What’s this?” Hunter indicated the fob.

“You’re a good man, Hunter,” Rupert said. “It’s a shame you were caught up in this. You might have made a good president.” He walked away.

Hunter found a single audio file on the fob. He transferred it to his tablet then listened to it. There were two voices. He didn’t know the first, but he recognized the second voice, Clarissa Fushima.

First voice: “Everything is set at the water plant.”

Fushima: “Do it now. Before the riots die down.”

Do you think the U.S. is losing its position as a global leader?

Honestly, U.S. elections are a mess. They reveal just how flawed the entire system can be. Between the drama, allegations of fraud, and the ridiculous influence of money, the whole thing often looks like a circus more than a democratic process.

Let’s start with the drama. Every election cycle, there are claims of voter fraud and interference, but the kicker is the documented attempts of militia groups planning voter intimidation. That’s not democracy; that’s chaos. When you hear stories about these kinds of tactics, it makes you wonder how fair and transparent the elections really are.

Then there’s the Electoral College, possibly one of the most frustrating aspects for anyone trying to understand American democracy. The fact that a candidate can win the presidency without winning the popular vote feels like a slap in the face to the principle of ‘one person, one vote.’ Add gerrymandering and voter suppression into the mix, and it’s clear many people’s voices aren’t heard equally.

American elections are also totally polarized. It’s like a battlefield where voters are divided into rigid camps with no room for nuance or compromise. Elections should be about policy and moving the country forward, but they often devolve into a tribalistic showdown. It’s more about beating the other side than actually solving any of the country’s problems.

Technology and media? They’re a double-edged sword. On one hand, they provide greater access to information, getting more people involved. On the other, they spread misinformation like wildfire. States are even rushing to legislate against AI-generated content before the primaries. It makes you question how much of what’s out there is even real.

Despite all this, there’s something telling about new U.S. citizens being eager to vote. It shows that despite its flaws, the system still holds some hope for people. They believe they can make a difference, even if the reality is that systemic issues and polarization are huge obstacles.

SCOOBY-DOO | 1950’s Super Panavision 70

What prevents China from kicking Tesla out of the country when the US is already giving BYD a hard time in America?

Common sense? Simple math? Both combined?

The BYD – ‘Build Your Dreams’ wasn’t designed for the American market. That’s not to say there aren’t a few million Americans smart enough to want one. The demography that supported the VW Beetle and then the Hyundai Pony remains. But the BYD wasn’t brought to market under the delusion Americans would play anything but a miniscule role in its profitability and success. Like the VW Beetle and Toyota pickup the BYD was designed as a people’s car for the global community. The BYD was designed for China’s 500 million households. The design and crafts-manship to price ratio makes it viable in India. Financial success was near guaranteed if even 1% of China’s households bought in a given year.

But the future, the near future, is Belts & Roads Initiative driven. 120 million African households aren’t served by grid power. For those villages a BYD-priced electric vehicle isn’t merely a means of transport — it’s a power hub. A village will be wanting several. Drive to a charging station on a nearby highway or in a nearby town, ‘tank up’, then return home where it can feed dozens of devices. And if the village invests in solar, wind, water, or biothermal generator? They won’t be waiting for rural electrification – won’t need it.

But. The name? That acronym (up to 2024 spelled in full on the car’s rear) “Build Your Dreams”? It speaks to what Americans could enjoy the benefit of . . . . if their governments freed them to do so. It helps obviate how the American system skews profit-making power toward those above median income and away from those below. An FYI at no additional cost.

But Tesla in China? Tesla, like Apple, is an icon of American tech. China’s leadership is quite confident that mature cost/benefit comparison will sway Chinese consumers to buy BYD and Huawei.

Musings

Is it true that if you keep playing the same slot machine that you will eventually win it all back?

Some years ago I went to Las Vegas and gambled $32,000.

You may be thinking I’m some kind of high-roller. I’m not. I only took $1,000 to gamble with.

So where did I get $32,000 from?

Well I was playing $25 craps on the pass line. Sometimes I won, sometimes I lost. But — crucially — when I won, I added my winnings to the pile of chips in front of me. I didn’t put it in a separate pile.

In other words, I was gambling the same money over and over again. The sum of all my bets was $32,000 but I never actually had $32,000 sitting in front of me.

So I exposed $32,000 to the risk of loss.

Now, when you hear about the house advantage it might sound quite slight. In craps, the pass line bet gives the house an advantage of 1.4%. But that’s not 1.4% of my original bank roll, it’s 1.4% of the total exposure, i.e. 1.4% of $32,000. So my expected loss was not $14, but $448 – just under half of my bankroll.

Christopher Susie gave an example of a machine with a payout of 90%, i.e. a house advantage of 10%.

If you play a $1 slot machine and take $1,000,000 to gamble with then the final outcome depends on whether you keep your winnings separate, or if you add them to your bucket and put them back in the machine.

If you keep your winnings separate, the Law of large numbers – Wikipedia says that you are highly likely to end up with about $900,000 after your one million plays at $1 each.

But if you keep gambling indefinitely your $1,000,000 will eventually whittle down to nothing.

Delacruzovich’s Dispatches

Posted by

Nikolai Delacruzovich

The alliance between China and Russia today is the development that the world needs in order the get over the hump of US dominance and hegemony. Such an alliance, despite Russia’s ostensible aversion to socialism/Marxism, is more valuable than even an existing USSR that is non-aligned with China.

Russia today is carving out a new, indigenous form of socialism, whether explicitly informed by Marxism or not. Russia is taking on the most pivotal role in the world’s global landscape by confronting the West directly, and militarily. China’s role is not to confront, but to open avenues for resistance. By presenting opportunities for economic development to those countries’ who refuse to align with the US and its vassals (EU, NATO) politically, China is bringing about a new wave of global resistance, just as the USSR did in it’s early years (but of a much different nature).

The transition to socialism will now take place gradually for most countries as alignment with the West becomes naturally counterintuitive, even to countries that have been traditionally anti-Communist.

Marxism is playing out as reality. It does not need to be referenced by name. The truth is too obvious to be ignored. Western hypocrisy has been laid bare for all to see.

Why are Chinese living standards so much lower than American living standards?

Are they? By what metric?

Right now you’ll use the but US GDP per capita is higher! GDP is higher.

A Chinese made medicine for cancer IIRC sells in the USA for 33 times the price in China. Is it 33 times better?

I can go to McDonalds if I want (I don’t want to) and buy a big Mac meal for 27RMB it’s 7RMB to $1USD meaning I can buy it for $3USD. Can you buy a big Mac Meal for 3USD?

Can you rent a home for $200 a month?

How much are your property taxes? In China 0% this is why I kept my Dongguan house empty for 3 years no problem at no cost.

How much does your medical care cost? My father had cancer and had full treatment from diagnosis to remission for $3000USD. He had no insurance he paid out of pocket.

How high is the crime rate?

How good is the justice system?

Can you leave your job without thinking but what about my medical insurance?

There’s tons of metrics that make the US far lower on in terms of living standards.

The only metric the US has is that they can sign waivers of liability and as such they can do things such as go skydiving without a licence or other silly things like that.

HARRY POTTER – 1950’s Super Panavision 70

Why is it bad to release an invasive species into a local ecosystem? Isn’t that the way the world works?

Let me introduce you to Thomas Austin, who probably had the same thought as you in 1859. He had been an avid rabbit hunter in England before he moved to Australia. That year, he asked his brother in England to send him 24 rabbits to hunt. He was a generous man and gave them away to anyone who wanted them. His dream of establishing a population of rabbits quickly turned into an ecological nightmare. Doing what rabbits do and having few predators, by 1867 they had multiplied uncontrollably and stripped bare large swathes of farm land in Victoria and started spreading to other states.

While they sometimes proved a useful food source in scarce times, their overgrazing had an immense and devastating impact on the ecology of Australia. Every year, they cause hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of damage to crops, natural vegetation and soil erosion. They also maintain the fox and feral cat populations, resulting in increased predation of native animals and contributing to the extinction of some species. They also eat seedlings of plants and threaten native plant regeneration. They can change the whole structure of vegetation communities, with flow-on effects for the native birds, reptiles, invertebrates and other animals. Rabbits have destroyed over 4 million km² of Australia and cost the country enormous sums of money.

Australian citizens, scientists, farmers and government officials tried fruitlessly to beat the rabbits. In 1907 the West Australian government finished a 1,837 km long anti-rabbit fence, the world’s longest fence. Unfortunately, the rabbits had already passed most of the fences before they were finished! By the 1920s, Australia’s rabbit population had swollen to 10 billion!

Imagine every Aussie being like this:

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World’s longest fence

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Oops, no point!

Rabbits’ competition for the same food source has led to the dwindling numbers of native animals like the bandicoot and bilby.

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Within a century, the whole continent had been overrun and ravaged by billions of rabbits. Conventional controls are labour intensive and time consuming and, faced with the rate at which rabbits breed, cannot hold down numbers. In 1950, Australian scientists declared war on the bunnies by introducing myxoma, a virus related to small pox.

Injection with the virus did not seem to work. The scientists didn’t know that the virus needed insects to spread. By mere chance, when they tried their experiment again on a rainy day expecting another failure, it worked!

Initially, myxomatosis caused enormous reductions in rabbit numbers. In some areas 99 per cent of the rabbits were killed. However, with the virus spread by mosquitoes, fatality rates varied across the country. In arid areas, where mosquitoes cannot survive, myxomatosis did not spread well.

In a classic evolutionary arms race, the rabbits are building resistance and the virus is losing its effectiveness.

Researchers are looking into new biological control agents, which could come from new viruses or more virulent strains of existing ones. A permanent solution seems to be always hopping out of sight and we are still losing to the rabbits. In the meantime we just have to live with this:

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Who was the greatest or most powerful Chinese military general/warlord from history?

Since the beginning of human history, all armies have only one function, which is to fight. To put it simply, it is to kill the enemy on the battlefield.

There is such a great man in China who completely changed the nature of the army and redefined the army:

the army is the people’s own army;
the army is a work team to complete political tasks;
the army is an engineering team to build the country;
the army is a rescue team for emergency relief…

The army is no longer just a violent group, but a collective with philosophical thoughts, ideals and aspirations, and moral constraints.

Since he came, all other armies in the world can only be called “old-style armies”!

As Expensive phones eat up the market, why aren’t people buying Chinese Flagship phones? All I hear is Samsung and Apple in profitable Flagship segment.

The West have a massive hardware advantage and a bit of a software advantage over the Chinese Flagship Phones

In fact the only Chinese flagship phone in the league of Apple and Samsung is Huawei and that’s struggling to get on par chips and yet on the markets where it is allowed to compete fairly, it does create a strong dent

The fact is the West has too much core technology in certain areas that prevent any other brand from coming into the picture

For instance when we had the Old Televisions – did you know that only SEVEN COMPANIES had a Patent and Royalty to make Picture Tubes from 1931 until 1987

The Beam Indexing Systems and Aquadag Patents were held with these seven companies – ALL OF WHOM WERE WESTERN (3 British, 2 Dutch, 1 West German and 1 American)

Even Matsushita and Sony made their own picture tubes but used technology from these seven companies until in 1987 when Sony managed to patent their own PT technology generously allowed to them after the Plaza Accords

Likewise when it comes to ICE CARS – the West dominates a lot of the premium technology

Let’s face it – they colonized us, enslaved us for 300 years and used our resources and our money for building a huge gap in technology that none of us can probably catch up until we have an equal footing when it comes to completely new technology

China is the only Nation on earth which has its own dominance in Core Technology in certain areas that isn’t either part of the Collective West nor a Lackey to the US like Japan and South Korea

One area is GREEN TECHNOLOGY and ENERGY

It’s an Area where China had a chance to actually compete from the inception instead of an Area where they had to face an uphill 20–30 year lead advantage by the West

They crushed the West and decimated them to smithereens

Not a single European or American could come close to China in Battery Cells, Solar Wafers, Advanced Coating and Green Turbines

Not in efficiency or in cost

In other Areas China may not beat the West but they produce on par with the West and have their own equally same quality adaptable Technology

High Speed Rail is one example

Steel Process is another example

China can produce the finest steel without any foreign technology today

China can make MRI machines without any foreign technology today

China has its own Pharmaceutical Industry that has made many strides

We live in a Matrix sadly dominated by the Western Machinery

The Mainland China is where you find a new and different world

It’s a 800 Million consumer market where Chinese Brands are fast gaining dominance and driving the Western Brands out

It’s where China is slowly shrugging off technological dependence on the West in every sphere possible from Servers to Processors to Memory

Give it some time

Maybe 20–30 years

First let China decimate the Western Brands through sheer competition in its own markets rather than protectionism and other legislative punitive measures like imposing a 700% Tariff on India made Iphones Or 600% Tariff on Western Engines

Chinas growth in Technology is around 6–7 years old

Its unfair to expect them to dominate the entire world in such a short time especially in areas where the West has dominated core technology for decades

Texas T-Bone Steaks

Yield: 2 steaks

Ingredients

2 T-bone steaks
1/2 teaspoon jalapeño powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 to 2 tablespoons butter
Salt to taste

Instructions

Reverse Sear

Heat oven to 275 degrees F.
In a bowl, combine jalapeño powder, garlic powder and cumin. Stir to combine.
Season the T-Bones generously on both sides with salt. Season again on both sides with jalapeño powder, garlic and cumin blend.
Place steaks on broiler pan and put into preheated oven.
Cook until internal temperature reaches 125 degrees F (about 45 to 60 minutes).
Let steaks rest for 10 minutes under foil.
Preheat skillet until piping hot.
Sear steaks for 1 minute per side. Serve immediately.

Pan-Sear

In a bowl, combine jalapeño powder, garlic powder and cumin. Stir to combine.
Place a cast iron or heavy based skillet over medium high heat. Place butter in the skillet to melt.
While the butter is melting, season the T-Bones generously on both sides with salt. Season again on both sides with jalapeño powder, garlic and cumin blend.
Once the pan is hot and the butter is bubbling, place the steaks in to cook. Turn every 30-60 seconds. Use a spoon to collect the hot, melted butter and scoop it repeatedly over the tops of the steaks to baste.
Continue until the steaks have reached your desired level of doneness.
Remove from pan and rest under foil at for at least 10 minutes before slicing and enjoying.

Nutrition

Per serving: Calories 320; Total fat 21g (Sat. fat 11g; Trans fat 1g); Cholest. 115mg; Sodium 85mg; Total Carb. 1g; Fiber 0g; Total Sugars 0g; Protein 32g; Vit D (4% DV); Calcium (4% DV); Iron (15% DV); Potas. (12% DV)

This recipe is an excellent source of protein, zinc, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and selenium, iron, riboflavin and phosphorus.

What’s the dark side of Sweden?

I am Ukrainian and have been living in Stockholm for more than 3 years now.

I would say Sweden, as country is good one to live in for many aspects like good social standards, security, nature and ecology, good work-life balance, high professional, service and quality standards. Also, I found it pretty interesting to observe Swedish society in details because of its unique way to self-organize, art of finding consensus and compromise. A lot of people commit for the sake of whole society despite they are quite individualistic same time. From one of the view points, it is really amazing how society is built and organized.

As the result, if you think rationally – you can not ever decide move away from the country because of the many good points comparing to any other country.

BUT…

There are dark sides when you step down from society to individual level.

Biggest “drawback” of people here I found is overshooting rationality. Even their famous “lagom” is a feature of it. Because of to be lagom means to be extremely rational, balanced in any aspect of the life. This makes things here really, absolutely boring. Rational + bad-climate and cold nordic temper equals in this case no warm, open, truthful emotions.
People here are quite individualistic and self-concentrated. They are stuck to self-effectiveness, their work and hobbies so basically they don’t have a room for other people around.
As mentioned by others here, political correctness is a good thing for society, but it really closes a door to meaningful (even if sometimes conflictual) conversations, making connections with people. You basically can’t make a connection with a person if you two only discuss the bad weather, upcoming in a half a year summer holidays and what kind of food you ate yesterday at family dinner.
It’s pretty closed society with more or less precise separation line between locals and immigrants (excluding probably people from west Europe and USA). That is pretty hard for immigrant to find a job or build a career in some “white” areas of business and professions. All the well-paid places and offices consist of 95% of locals or high-skilled expats from other first-world countries.
Things are crazy expensive here comparing to southern Europe, so people quite rarely hang out with friends. Almost never with colleagues outside working hours and yearly conferences.

So, living here you feel your life has high standards and possibilities but is quite isolated and low real happiness (not the one from indexes).

Interesting pictures

Neil Howe On The Fourth Turning: How Bad Will It Get, How Long Will It Last & What Comes Next? (PT1)

What countries will you never visit again?

India. Absolutely.

I made a mistake of travelling there with friends without the assistance of travel agent. We were cheated out of our money 3 times. There are scammers cheating tourists out of everything, hotel, transportation, food, travel guide, etc. We were once left without hotel room, without transportation and our belonging stolen. Had to seek help from our country’s high commission officer who fortunately, happened to be there.

The women in our group felt absolutely unsafe. Indian men staring, following, whistling. Public toilets are so incomprehensibly dirty and not fit for animals to seek relief in, let alone humans. Street food are numerous, colourful and exciting, yet none is safe for consumption. Abandoned children running about begging for food and totally ignored by adults. And very high density of people everywhere.

Initially we planned to spend 10 days in India, but we cut the trip short to only 3 days. Took a flight to Thailand instead. Never going to India again.

Have you ever come home from a hard day’s work and found a surprise waiting for you at home?

I was a telecom tech. It was early January along the Texas Gulf coast. I left home at 6AM & started work at 7. It was either raining or drizzling all day with a northeast wind & 40 degrees for a high. It was miserable. I finished the load & headed home at 6PM. That’s a 10 hour day in tough conditions.

It’s already dark as I’m driving home.

When I get home my 4 year daughter comes running out. She’s in her jammies & barefoot. The jammies are wet & muddy. I pick her up & we go in. Her mother is in bed. I run a tub of warm water & my little girl gets undressed & gets in the tub. I get her warm clothes out & make sure she gets a good bath. (Basically I sit on the toilet lid & make sure she gets herself clean, as she’s been taught.)

While she’s getting dressed I go out & start my 4wd because the rain is coming down harder & the road in & out is mud now.

My daughter & I go to Dairy Queen, her favorite restaurant in the world. While we’re there she tells me about the walk she took & the dogs (coyotes) she & our dogs met. Luckily all the heelers went with her. Daddy Dart, mama Belle & their 5 pup’s who were about 10 months & well into herder training. A significant force used to handling 1/2 ton steers. Coyotes? No problem. These dogs are “aggressive” to say the least. I’ve had a 1200 lb longhorn with a seven foot spread charge me & two dogs back him off, & they were 9 month pups.

That was the beginning of the end for me & the wife. Three years later I was raising my little girl on my own.

What was the most legendary “I quit!” that you know about or witnessed?

When I worked as a carpet installer I had long hair half way down my back, tattoos and would show up to peopes homes dressed in footy shorts, a T shirt and, no shoes ( no shoes they later realised was a blessing for I didn’t bring any shit in on their new carpet ).

There were those that prejudged me and to them I would apologise and say, “I am sorry and I would suggest they ring the firm and get them to send someone out more qualified “. I would then ask them where they would like me to put their carpet as I had allready delivered it no point taking it back with me.

Meanwhile they would ring up the firm to complain about my appearance and ask what had they sent to install their carpet ( they were mostly the upper rich that did this with no understanding that except for my hair everything else made it easier to do my job) the were just ignorant arseholes that judge by appearance.

On ringing the firm they were then informed that they sent their best layer out to do their job, simply because of the price, and materials involved, and the firm didn’t want any stuff ups either. Money doesn’t always equate to intelligence. They would hand me the phone and I would say to the boss in front of them to ask them to dissppear and not see me till the job is finished. For I would gladly leave and they could try and find someone more qualified.

I might sound like a smartarse blowing smoke up my own arse, but when you are working on a job and it has Teak skirting boards around the house, even if you do have 20 years experience, someone hovering over your shoulder is likely to distracted you and hit the bloody skirting board with your hammer. It was fun at the end of the day when they loved their job, and I was judgemental.

There were two though where I didn’t care what they offered to pay I quit and just said sorry I can’t help you and left. I still remained employed at the firm and had another job the next day. Meeting different and new people was one of the things I loved about my job. In 25 years I only met 5 people like this and only 2 of them were jobs I quit on and nothing would change my mind. I’m dure many other tradies can relate to this answer

In terms of size difference, how does the effectiveness of the Chinese military compare to that of the US forces?

Since the Chinese military began its reforms in 2014, it has started conducting high-intensity conventional warfare military exercises. These exercises simulate combat in different scenarios and against various levels of enemies.

Among these, elite divisions of the Chinese military sometimes face a hypothetical enemy preset to possess capabilities beyond current human levels, humorously referred to by soldiers as “ROBOTECH.”

(Commander of ROBOTECH)

When an elite division of the Chinese military encounters ROBOTECH during a simulated exercise, the following situations may arise:

1. ROBOTECH can disrupt all electronic communications of the Chinese military, forcing them to rely on primitive communication methods.

2. ROBOTECH has access to the real-time coordinates of all Chinese military positions.

3. ROBOTECH will not hesitate to utilize tactical nuclear weapons and biochemical weapons against the Chinese military. (These tactical actions are simulated through a training system and do not involve actual artillery or nuclear explosions.)

4. ROBOTECH possesses an extremely strong air force and conventional firepower, not only completely dominating air superiority but also capable of unleashing artillery shells over a wide area like raindrops.

5. ROBOTECH includes the world’s most elite ground units, along with the most advanced main battle tanks, heavy artillery, and tactical missiles, comprising personnel that are also from elite ranks of the Chinese military. Moreover, in the 2016 exercises, ROBOTECH already utilized suicide drones, and the quantity of drones far exceeded that of the current scale of the Russia-Ukraine war.

(The Chinese army was severely beaten by ROBOTECH.)

Unsurprisingly, even the elite units of the Chinese military generally lost to ROBOTECH. However, after numerous exercises, the once-overwhelmed elite divisions have progressed to being able to engage ROBOTECH in fierce battles, even achieving two miraculous victories and one draw.

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