When I was around four years old or something along those lines, I was walking by a house, and the father was playing with his son. He was also about my age. And they were playing with these super tiny figurines. Maybe a half and inch tall, perhaps 12 mm tall. Little Indians. Tiny horse and minuscule cowboys.
And we must have spent three hours arranging them, playing with them and just being boys. The father enjoyed the time with both of us. I well remember me putting about eight Indians on one of those tiny horses, and the father laughing. “Oh I think that you’d break that horses back” he said.
Ah. Good times.
As a young boy, the idea of controlling a ton of little cowboys and Indians appealed to me. I don’t know why specifically. I think perhaps it is due to the influence of the television at the time.
But I will never forget that moment.
Another father, in a different home, treated me as his own son… or something along those lines. Us three boys playing “cowboys and Indians” together. A time from the past, and a magical time that you all won’t ever see today.
*sigh*
Today…
RIP Jimmy Carter
He meant well.
Probably.
But that is still the better than anything one can say about other former, current and incoming U.S. presidents.
- Jimmy Carter: A Declassified Obituary – National Security Archive
- The Untold Story of Carter’s Fateful Foreign Policy – James W. Carden / American Conservative
- Jimmy Carter: the False Savoir – Michael K. Smith / Counterpunch
Russia Overtook The US! Russian Submarine Fleet Became The World’s Most Powerful and Largest!
What is the most unfair thing in society?
This boy was previously a kid who had it all, he had good grades, he was an athlete at a university, until a classmate accused him of rape .
He spent 6 years in prison and 5 years on probation , he lost his scholarship, he lost his chance to graduate from university, he lost his honor, and worse still he lost his future .
Then, after all that was known, the girl who accused him of rape suddenly confessed that she made it all up . Of course, this man never raped the girl.
This guy is innocent, but he spent 6 years behind bars, his sports career went down the drain, and now he has a hard time finding a job because no one or company will hire someone with a criminal record. He lost EVERYTHING.
So what happened to the girl who accused him?
There isn’t any. None at all. Not a fine and less, a conviction
Do you think that’s normal? Is that fair?
Someone who falsely accuses another of rape should AT LEAST be financially punished. Someone who has ruined another person’s life should not go unpunished.
My 18 year old son enlisted in the military without telling me or his mother. How can I talk him out of going to basic training?
About a year or so ago a strapping freshly retired Master Sergeant knocked on my door. I hadn’t seen him in over 20 years. Back then he was a troubled kid. His parents would not let him enlist, threatening the usual stupid stuff.
Quick fix. He enlisted and kept quiet about it until the night before he shipped. Then he crashed on my couch the night before the recruiter was to pick him up to ship out. He simply vanished. A day later I got a call from Paris Island saying he was OK. I kept quiet about it.
While in basic his parents got wind and drove down demanding the kid be released. They yanked him out of whatever he was doing and hauled him in before his parents. The kid looked at the officer and said, “Sir, I have rights. Could you please let me continue my training?” The kid was dismissed and sent back to continue his training.
He took his first leave and went home. His mother was glad to see him, his father tried to throw him out. A domestic took place dad hit mom and the son knocked his father silly. Cops were called, the father carted off and shortly after I got a knock on the door. It was the kid. He sacked out on my couch that night and left to go back the next day. He cut his leave short and returned to duty where he went through training to become a parachute rigger.
We lost touch.
When that retired Master Sergeant knocked on my door he was accompanied by his beautiful Filipina wife and two kids. I have to admit I broke down when I saw them.
That night over dinner he told me he had managed to keep in touch with his mother but the last time he ever saw his father was when he was carted off to jail the night he came home from basic.
You can support your child or lose them. Your choice.
America CAN’T Compete with China’s NEW High-Speed Future!
Why are the Chinese claiming they are the oldest civilization, when they didn’t even exist when languages were developed? The Chinese lasted only 2,000 years. How did they maintain that long?
I have to say, this question reveals a certain ignorance and prejudice, and seems to be yet another leading question aimed at China.
What were humans like in the early days when language first appeared? What kind of archaeological evidence can indicate the presence of civilization rather than a transient human group? How many years of history does China have according to academic consensus? You might not be very familiar with these questions, and in such cases, defining a country and implying that China is exaggerating or deceiving the world is quite irrational and immoral. Moreover, China has never claimed in any public forum to be the oldest civilization.
First of all, there has never been a precise timeline for the origin of language. It didn’t become fossilized and then excavated by archaeologists, so the study of the birth of language relies on indirect methods such as the artifacts they created and changes in human anatomy. Such research is often controversial, with different scholars suggesting timelines ranging from 100,000 years ago to 35,000 years ago. However, during this period, humans had mastered the use of fire and could make stone tools, yet their lifestyle was still dependent on hunting and gathering, with the potential beginnings of plant and animal domestication. In such primitive conditions, tribes separated by forests were likely in competition, making it rather absurd to discuss whether the Chinese or Greeks had appeared yet. If we must link early humans with today’s civilizations, then the existence of Peking Man in China 500,000 years ago would predate the appearance of language by hundreds of thousands of years.
Moreover, the current academic definition of civilization requires evidence of cities, writing, monumental architecture, metallurgy, and other indicators of social complexity and administrative capability. By this standard, China also has “ancient civilizations” such as the Liangzhu site from 5,000 years ago, with large-scale city sites, dam projects, and religious jade artifacts. This indicates that Chinese civilization reached the stage of civilization 5,000 years ago. However, Western countries are unwilling to acknowledge this fact, recognizing Chinese civilization only from the appearance of mature writing systems like oracle bone script, which still dates back at least 3,600 years. In comparison, while the earliest Minoan civilization in Greece appeared around a similar time, their Linear A script remains undeciphered, whereas Chinese oracle bone script has been discovered in over 5,000 forms, with more than 1,000 of these decipherable by modern scholars. This also indirectly reflects why China’s clear history begins from 2070 BC, while Western ancient Greek civilization only began to emerge from the 5th to the 6th century BC.
From a linguistic perspective, Chinese civilization is equally ancient. Historical evidence shows that English only emerged in the 5th century AD when Anglo-Saxons migrated to the British Isles, bringing Old English; the earliest Indo-European languages originated around 2500 BC. According to the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History and the Paris Institute of Mathematical Research, Chinese language origins can be traced back to about 7200 years ago in northern China, long before the advent of English.
Such ample evidence demonstrates the long history of Chinese civilization, yet Western historians often harbor biases towards Eastern history, viewing Greek and Roman civilizations as the pinnacle of human achievement and reluctant to acknowledge the possibility of a more ancient Chinese civilization. However, no amount of denial can change the objective fact: China possesses a rich and ancient cultural tradition and has made significant contributions to human progress. China has never considered itself a dominant civilization seeking to influence the world due to its long history. Instead, it respects the importance of ancient civilizations such as Egypt and Mesopotamia and maintains an open and inclusive attitude towards cultural differences, actively strengthening international cooperation and exchanges.
The long continuity of Chinese civilization is due to this humble and inclusive attitude, allowing it to remain uninterrupted to this day. Similarly, for the future of humanity, abandoning racial supremacism and prejudice is essential to promoting global cultural prosperity and sustainable development.
Japanese teardowns of Chinese electric vehicles by BYD and Nio stun car parts executives in Nagoya
The Proposal
Submitted into Contest #18 in response to: Your fingers tensed around the object in your pocket, ready to pull it out at a moment’s notice.… view prompt
Michele Duess
General
“It is? Dios!” No wonder the man kept holding it down. He didn’t want me to see it. “And now you got hurt! Estúpido!” I might have beat him myself except for the voice.
“Drop the gun!” Sara had found help. She came running with two officers and two androids. She ran to me. One of the officers went to the man on the ground. The other saw the woman and sighed.
“Crystal. What trouble are you in now?”
” Not me! Him! He threatened these people with a broken gun.”
“Wait. Broken?” Sara glared at the man. “You threatened us with a broken gun?” I was holding her. Partially to comfort her and in part because I was afraid she’d hit him herself. She looked furious.
“Yes” said the policewoman. “Still, it’s assault with a deadly weapon.”
“And y-you know her?” Sara gestured at the elderly woman. I could feel her shaking. She held my hand so tightly it hurt. I didn’t want to tell her to let go. She needed comfort so my pain meant nothing.
“Oh yes,” said the officer. “She was a Marine in the third world war. That was a tough war right, Crystal?”
“A war over the Amazon rain forest,” she answered. “Amazing what we fight over. But it meant our future, right? We had to protect it from being developed. This war should end all wars.”
“So they say.”
The drunk shouted “Arrest her! She hurt me! He cut me!”
“How about you exercise your right to be silent?” the male officer said.
“Are you hurt?” I half expected Sara to say enough, to leave. It’s too much, Sergio. Instead she held me even tighter. “No, I’m fine. Oh God Sergio.”
“I’m here, mi amor, It’s over. You got away. Jesus, gracias.”
“Self-defense course,” she whispered. “How to break someone’s grasp. That’s about all I remember. Should take it again.” She laughed, almost crying. The rest I barely saw. It was like watching a virtual world video. An android took our reports while another one scanned us for injuries. The policeman got an ambulance for the man. He was handcuffed by now. The other officer gave us her contact information, then turned to Crystal.
“Are you going to the shelter tonight?”
“Yes, you busybody. You don’t need to send an android to check up on me.”
“Good,” said the officer. “Take care of yourself, friend.” I heard her mutter something about the rotten state of affairs for veterans. Finally, she said, “Good night, all.”
“Good night? Miserable one.” I was exhausted. I just wanted to go home and forget all of this. That was not to be. Sara was angry. And when she is it doesn’t matter who hears. It’s going to come out.
“You damned fool! Why did you tell him that?”
“Tell who what?” I had no idea what she was talking about.
“Sergio. You told him you wanted to marry me! You could have gotten hurt!”
“I wanted you to know! And you call me a fool? You said yes!” Now I was just as angry. “Why did you say yes?”
“Like I would say no!” She was crying.
“You should have!” What a horrible idea this was. Why did I ever decide to come to this Godforsaken fake park anyway? Romantic, that’s why. Sentimental slop, romance is. Why do I even bother? I was so angry it didn’t even register that she actually wanted me. Me.
“Why?” A whisper.
I was pacing now. “To save yourself! He could have hurt you and where would I be?”
“Neither of you should. We need courage these days. And you need a good walking stick” Crystal said. I barely heard her.
“If you had refused me, he might have let you go!”
She was looking away from me, rubbing her eyes. “Probably. But I couldn’t.”
“Why the hell not? Sara I wouldn’t have cared!”
“Because…if you’re going down, I am too.”
“What?”
Sara glared at me. “That’s idiotic, right? Sentimental slop?”
“No,” said Crystal. “It’s not.”
I felt both very deep love and deep pain.
“It’s true. Bad enough I ran.” She was crying, arms wrapped around herself.
“Dios, mío, you’re upset about that?” She nodded, trembling. I put my arms around her. “Sara. You got help. There was nothing else you should have done.” I pulled back and looked out over the water. I gripped the other item. “Oh, my Sara. I wish I could give you an easier path than this.”
This made her angry again. “None of us have one! I get harassed from my virtual talks. Threats. You know that! Not to mention that damned terrorist attack in the city last year. Some fanatical Traditionalists shooting into a political rally. But, sure, worry about some drunk with a broken gun! Plus, you know not everyone is against us. Right?”
I knew that. But there was the pain. The love. “Sara. I just wanted you to say no to save yourself. You said the same thing to me.”
“Sergio-”
“No. Por favor let me speak. I didn’t want you hurt, so I didn’t want you to say yes. Because I love you. I never want you to leave me. But I’d rather that than you getting hurt. That’s all. ”
“Look. That guy didn’t want to kill us, just threaten. He probably just wanted to rob us, realized you weren’t native-born, and figured he’d have some fun in the bargain.”
She might be right. Still. “But…”
“Sergio.” She touched my face. Her hands were warm. “I’m not leaving. I love you. I meant it. If you’re in trouble I’m there with you, whether you like it or not. Do you know why?”
“Certainly it isn’t my good looks.”
“You’re strong. Kind, and intelligent. Tonight, all you cared about was me. You’re brave. All these things, I need. I need you. And I could be wrong, but I think you need me.”
“I do. So much.” I held her tight.
“Good.” She laughed. “But there is one problem.”
“What?”
“The thermostat. You make it too warm. We may need counseling over that.”
I was both laughing and sobbing. I freely admit to it. It’s 2127, aren’t men supposed to be able to cry now? “We’re both crazy.” I pulled out the box.
“And you just now realized-wait. You have a ring?”
“Well, I had this fantastic plan of trying to be romantic for once. Kneeling and the whole bit. Stupid idea.”
She smiled, “It’s not. Just-please finish this.”
I had forgotten Crystal was there until she spoke in her raspy voice, “you heard the woman. She loves you. Take it. It’s a cruel world out there.”
I looked at her. “Crystal I am grateful for your help tonight. Believe me I am. But by heaven, you’re a damned busybody yourself.” She only laughed, a deep coughing laugh. Sara did too. Well it wasn’t what I had planned but so be it. I took the ring out of the box. Gold band with an emerald. Sara had told me once she liked emeralds. I had to swallow hard. She was crying herself. I held on to the dock’s railing and knelt. “Sara. Te amo. You’re still here after all this. And that’s everything to me.” She was holding out her hand. I had more to say but I could barely breathe. Would she like the ring?
“It’s beautiful.”
I slide the ring on her finger. “Marry me,” I was able to whisper. Then Sara was kneeling too, kissing me deeply enough that her tongue was in my mouth, mine in hers. From somewhere far away Crystal was laughing, inviting herself to the wedding. In the end we told her we’d get an invitation to her somehow. E-mail. She’s homeless but she has e-mail. Go figure.
Later, in the taxi going home, with my arms around Sara I thought Crystal was right. I needed a good heavy walking stick. And a laser knife. I would have them to use at a moment’s notice if needed.
What would you do? You come home after work. You hear a noise in the bedroom. When you go there, you see your partner with someone else. What do you do?
i did this. i walked in and she was under a guy and he was going to town. i threw my keys on my computer desk and told him to hurry up and went to the restroom came out and he was dressed and about to leave. when i told him oh hell no your not leaving here with out her. i told him i didn’t care if he took her 5 miles down the road and dumped her off but hes not leaving without her. and he didn’t. she left i never heard or seen her for 5 months and she came by and wanted to come back. but instead i handed her all her stuff and closed the door. its a good thing she just moved in because she didn’t have much.
“I Told Him ‘Man Up’ In Front of our Friends — I Didn’t Expect Him to Leave Me Over It”
Why would anyone with half a brain enlist in the United States military?
I grew up in a violent household. My father was an alcoholic, and beat my mother, and us kids. I started to get the best of him by my mid teens, and put a stop to the beatings by the time I was 17.
I was working in dead end jobs, in my hometown outside of Buffalo, New York. The rich kids went to College. The poor kids looked to the Military.
Two weeks after turning 18, I enlisted in the Air Force. I was looking to get out of the harsh Winters of Buffalo, and to start a new life.
I had just missed Vietnam. Saigon fell to the Communists two months before I turned 17. The Cold War was still ongoing, so in 1976, I signed up to be a Nuclear Weapons Specialist. I was on Active Duty (1976-1981.) I spent three years in England, serving on American Occupied RAF Bases. I traveled all over Europe and the United Kingdom in my off time.
I completed one year’s worth of College Credits, attending Night Classes with the University of Maryland (European Campus.) After getting out of the Air Force, I attended College on the G.I. Bill. All of $341 per month. I graduated with an A.S. Degree in Exotic Animal Training and Management.
I had a good first career as a Wild Animal Trainer, Elephant Trainer, and Zookeeper. I first trained Wild Animals for movies and television in Hollywood. Then, I became an Elephant Trainer at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Eventually, I worked with the California Condors. I did that work up until my forties.
Joining the Air Force allowed me to get out and see some of the World. Getting out of snowy Buffalo. And leaving my violent upbringing behind. It gave me a fresh start in life. It is one of the best things I ever did.
Wife Complains That She’s In Constant Fear Of Me Leaving…Then She Shouldn’t Have Cheated!
The Greed of Man
Submitted into Contest #18 in response to: Your fingers tensed around the object in your pocket, ready to pull it out at a moment’s notice.… view prompt
Annony Mous
General
Most of the few pedestrians had gone home and the forest road was practically empty. There was a chill in the air and a biting wind howled through the bare trees, shaking the remaining leaves to the ground. I pulled my cloak tighter around me and turned the curve in the road. I quickened my pace, hoping to tire the man. I knew he could never catch me if I started running, but I didn’t want to appear afraid. Most things did not scare me; I don’t know if it was the weather, the forest, or the man, but right now I was filled with trepidation.
The figure rounded the corner. I looked up and saw another bend in the road, just ahead. That would be my chance. I hastened my stride even more. Just a few more steps. I peered into the dark forest on my right and left. No one. The turn was approaching, fast. I stole a glimpse behind me. The man looked up, seemingly absorbed in the sky. I smirked and rounded the corner, taking off at high speed.
I flew down the dirt road, clutching my cloak. Nearing yet another bend in the road, I tore through the underbrush to my right and pressed my back up against a tree. I thought that the man would think I rounded the corner and pursue me that way. Meanwhile, I would escape back the way we had come.
Soon, I heard scuffling feet. The man came to a stop, panting, directly across the road from where I was hiding. Suddenly he yelled. “Terrowin!” Another man, whom I assumed was Terrowin, came sprinting around the corner.
“What?” the new-comer asked.
“You didn’t see her?”
“No, I thought you were following her.”
“She started running,” my pursuer said. “Are you sure she didn’t round the corner?”
“Aye, I was keeping a close eye on the road and in the woods. She couldn’t have gotten past me.”
“Then she must be nearby. You search over there.” He pointed on my side of the road. Terrowin nodded, pulled out a dagger, and stalked over to the woods. My fingers tensed around the object in my pocket, ready to pull it out at a moment’s notice.
My heart was pounding in my chest, the way my father’s mallet pounded on his anvil. I crouched down in the underbrush and pulled my hood up over my face. At least I blend in with my surroundings, I thought. My cloak is dark green and my shirt and trousers are brown. As I lay down under a bush, my sword rattled against my leg. I muttered a remark under my breath and prayed that my predators hadn’t heard it. I started crawling, my legs dragging behind me, through the undergrowth.
“Where is that blasted girl?” a voice very near me complained. I stopped, watching and listening. When I heard him walk away, I started inching my way again.
On the other side of the bend, I sat up, brushing mud from my elbows and sword. I peered over the bushes. Nobody was on the road. I glanced behind me. My pursuers were still searching through the vegetation. I sprang up and jumped onto the road. A deluge of shouts announced my appearance and a volley of arrows was shot straight at my head. I ducked quickly and several arrows burried themselves in a tree behind me. I grabbed a bunch and took off.
Stealing a glance behind me, I saw a large group of men chasing me. I slowed my pace to let them catch up, slightly. When they were near enough, I hurled the arrows at them. Many hit their mark. I raced off again. I knew they couldn’t catch me, but there were so many of them, they would be able to track me easily. I had to get rid of them. For good.
I stopped in my tracks and thrust my hand into my pocket. I wrapped my fingers around the cold glass object. The men hesitated, apparently unsure whether to keep running. With my other hand, I drew my sword. A breeze whipped by, blowing off my hood. I was sure the men could all see the wicked scar stretching down my face. I had dealt with them before, and paid for it. As they advanced, I gripped the object harder. I would never let them confiscate it. It belonged to my people, and I had already rescued it once before. They were approaching quickly, swords drawn.
They were twenty yards away. Fifteen. I pulled my hand out of my pocket and lifted it high above my head. The swirling blue Orb tucked under my fingers became warm. I grinned shakily. Oh, I hope this works. Ten yards away. I yanked my arm down and smashed the Orb on the ground. It resulted in a blue explosion, sending men flying through the air. I ran. As I outstretched my hand, the Orb zipped through the air and landed back in my palm. I smiled. It had worked!
I dashed along the road, barely feeling the ground beneath my feet. The trees to my sides were only a blur. I was headed for my hidden city; the city of the elves. About a quarter mile away from the explosion, I halted. Someone was still following. I couldn’t risk letting him go free and endangering my people. I leaned against a tree on the edge of the road waiting. The man, whom I recognized as my original pursuer, soon came into view. He had survived the explosion, but left with a terrible limp.
When he saw me, he spit. “Who are you and what do you want?” I asked.
He laughed maliciously. “My name is Rowan and I want that!” He pointed a gnarled finger at the Orb.
“You stole it from my people. It is rightfully ours. You cannot requisition it without a conflict.” I pointed my sword at him.
“I don’t care about keeping peace! I just want power, no matter how many lives I must take to get it!” he screamed.
“Then the people you rule will revolt against you. This power cannot quench the might of the people. You will be overthrown.”
He sneered. “You don’t know what it’s like. You’ve always been high and mighty in your people. You don’t know what it’s like to live without.”
“Aye. But since I am ‘high and mighty’ as you say, I know how to properly rule a people. All you are asking for is tyranny.”
A dark scowl crossed his face. “I… Don’t… CARE!” He lunged forward. I quickly pulled out the Orb and thrust it toward him. In a tornado of color, Rowan was sucked in, leaving behind only ashes. I sighed, and dropped the Orb back in my pocket. Then I spun around and ran home.
“Leyleandi!” my father cried as I strutted into our hidden city. He embraced me and escorted me into the heart of the city. “Welcome home.”
“Thank you, father.”
“I assume your journey went well?”
“Ah, there were a few complications, but I managed.” I smiled.
“And did you retrieve the Orb of Glandias?”
“Aye.”
“Well, let’s have a look, shall we?” We walked over to a table under a tree and once again, I pulled the Orb out of my pocket. Then, I recounted my tale.
“The Orb has served me well.” I smiled.
My father stroked the swirling blue globe reverently. “Aye, It really has.”
Wife Went On A Girls Trip To Cancun And Cheated On Her Husband. He Found Out And Filed For Divorce.
Garden Fresh Pizza Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 pounds very ripe plum tomatoes or Roma tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Halve the tomatoes lengthwise through the stems. Squeeze the tomatoes over a bowl or sink to remove the seeds and watery centers. Chop the remaining tomato flesh roughly and transfer to a food processor.
- Add the oil, tomato paste, sugar, oregano, garlic, salt and some pepper and pulse until mostly pureed with some very small chunks. Pour into a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and let some of the watery liquid drain, shaking gently for about 30 seconds to hasten complete drainage.
- Pour the tomato sauce into another bowl or jar, use immediately, freeze or refrigerate for up to 1 day.
Why is the assassination of UnitedHealthcare’s wealthy CEO Brian Thompson receiving very little sympathy from American citizens?
Brian Thompson was an evil man.
He designed systems so that people who were too ill or suffering from terminal illnesses would have legitimate insurance claims repeatedly rejected under false objections so that they would die or give up from exhaustion.
This is why he receives no sympathy from American citizens or anyone else around the globe.
Mainstream media is trying to gaslight the public into having sympathy for Thompson and undermine public support for Luigi Mangione.
But they might be digging their own grave by doing this.
Being this dishonest about something we all understand and that we are all at risk of being a victim to is a sure fire way to lose our trust.
There are countless stories of people who were denied care they paid for.
Thompson ushered in the most ruthless predatory practices to deny care.
He denied anaesthetic to people undergoing surgery on the day of their surgery.
Doctors and surgeons have to battle with United Healthcare’s evil practices.
People die because of this for no good reason.
Thompson intentionally kills people and ruins lives for his and his shareholder’s greed.
This is no accident. This has nothing to do with government policy.
They CHOSE to be as evil as they could be to increase shareholder profit.
They are trying paint Mangione as unhinged:
But look again:
He’s being aggressively grabbed by the neck.
He suffers from severe chronic back pain too, so his body cannot handle being roughed up.
Mainstream media has made every effort to ignore the motivations behind the killing. They try to gaslight us by acting as if they don’t know about the abuse of the healthcare system by health insurance cartels.
They think we are stupid enough to let their lies become truth by repeating the lies.
During the Vietnam War, did soldiers usually have their rifles set to semi or full-auto?
I was a combat infantryman in Vietnam. 1969–1970. Everyone kept their weapons on safe unless firing. The exception to this rule was the point man could have their weapons on semi automatic or full automatic as their preference. In a jungle environment, there were twigs, vines, slippery rocks and mud. You could easily accidentally hit the trigger and cause your weapon to discharge. Unintended weapon discharge could cause injury to your fellow soldiers or at minimum give away your location. I was a PFC and had a new to country Staff Sergeant walking behind me. I noticed he had his M16 set on full auto. I told him to set his weapon on safe. He tried to argue that he felt he could shoot faster. I told him to put his weapon on safe or I would kick his ass. He put his weapon on safe. I checked him several times after. He didn’t do it again.
I took these photos with my “point and shoot” Kodak 126 camera.
The first photo is me sitting in a freshly dug foxhole before bedding down for the night. The second is me waiting for the choppers to pick us us for a combat insertion. The third is me playing a guitar and relaxing in our bunker between search and destroy missions.
How tough are Vietnam veterans?
My 77 year old widower friend Larry drove convoy trucks in Vietnam. In ’68 a convoy he was in was shelled during the Tet Offensive, causing his Whistling Duece-n’-a-Half to run off a steep embankment and toss him out, then roll on top of him crushing his foot and ankle. He medevac’d and spent months recuperating.
Not long ago, I stopped by his house by pure chance one cold and windy day and when he answered the door, asked me if I could take him to get his truck he’d left in a parking lot 5 miles away from his house. I said sure, but on the way began to think about this. “Larry,” I asked, “if your truck is in the phone company parking lot 5 miles from your house, how are you at your house if you drove it there?”
“I walked home.”
I had to think about that for a bit. Limped home. Five miles. On THAT foot (to this day it’s not a pretty foot and ankle. I’d hate to try to walk 10 yards on it.).
“Why did you walk home, Larry? Five miles? Run out of gas or something? Why didn’t you call me? I’d have brought you some.”
“Ah, it’s nothing. I locked my phone in my truck by mistake. So I couldn’t call anybody.”
“Why didn’t you unlock the truck and get your phone out and call me?”
“Because I locked my keys in my truck along with the phone.”
More astonished silence as I thought about this.
“So why didn’t you ask anybody in the phone store to borrow a phone so you could call me or a cab or something?”
“Ah, heck, I didn’t want to be a bother to anybody, so I just decided to walk home where I have a spare key to my house stashed under a flower pot. And inside my house, I have a spare set of truck keys. I figured somebody would come along eventually and drive me back to get my truck. Turns out, it’s you.”
Larry is a professional welder and at age 77 he still welds every day. Standing for hours on that foot and ankle.
That’s how tough Vietnam Vets are.
Ukraine – The Story Of The 155th Brigade
The well regarded Ukrainian journalist Yuri Butusov has published the background story (in Ukrainian) of the newly crated 155th brigade which had recently failed when it was hastily deployed to fill some holes in the Ukrainian positions on the eastern front near the city of Pokrovsk.
The brigade was a vanity project of the Zelenski government and the Ukrainian high command. It was one of fourteen new brigades which were supposed to be trained and equipped by western countries. The 155th was designated to be trained by and in France.
Systemic disorganization by the high command led to its failure. Many of its assigned troops deserted even before reaching the frontline. A criminal case has been opened. But it is unlikely that anyone responsible for the mess will ever be held to account.
The brigade was stood up in March 2024. In September 2024 its core was sent for training to France while a large number of other recruits to the brigade were (more or less) trained in Ukraine. In late November, while the brigade command staff was still in France, a large share of the brigades infantry was sent to Pokrovsk where it immediately faltered.
As Butusov writes (edited machine translation):
The 155th brigade began forming in March 2024. Its commander was appointed an experienced officer – Dmitry Ryumshin, it looked encouraging. “OK Zapad” (Operational command West) Commander General Shvedyuk, Chief of Staff Colonel Seletsky and Commander of the Ground Forces General Pavlyuk were responsible for the formation and manning of the brigade.But from the very beginning, it turned out that OK Zapad had no command personnel, no soldiers, no weapons, and no resources to create a new unit. The formation of the 155th brigade from the first days was a continuous organizational chaos in literally all components, and the service required a lot of effort for those who tried to serve honestly, and to great losses due to unauthorized abandonment of the unit from the very beginning of the formation.
Here is the schedule of recruitment of the 155th brigade, the number of personnel for each month, and -in parentheses- the number of deserters in those months:
March 46 (3)
April 123 (6)
May 217 (31)
June 1978 (185)
July 3882 (310)
August 2748 (217)
September 3253 (187)
October 3211 (339)
November 5832 (448)
New recruited troops, without any experience, were randomly added to the brigade and, when needed pulled from it (untrained) to fill holes elsewhere. During the whole process more than 1,700 of its soldiers deserted:
In fact, the recruitment of the brigade began in June, but they did not have time to complete full training, because immediately in July and August, more than 2550 servicemen were taken from the 155th brigade to replenish other units! That is, they took away from the brigade almost all those who were quite suitable, whom the brigade commander and battalion commanders had just placed in positions, in fact, they nullified all the previous four months of work, in March-June, that is, this brigade composition was organized in August in a new way, and then … we issued an order to prepare all those who stayed until the trip to France at the end of September.As a result, 1924 servicemen were sent to France as part of the 155th brigade, only 51 of them had more than a year of military experience, 459 soldiers had up to a year of experience, and most of them, 1414 people, were only enlisted and served for less than 2 months, including about 150 just recruited without military experience. Without any selection of people, they were sent to France even without passing basic training. It was among them that France had the largest number of fugitives. In total, about 50 soldiers fled in France.
That is, the Army Command and OK Zapad sent to France not an organized and controlled military unit, which can learn a lot, but a crowd of people in military uniforms, about 30% of the staff, who were supposed to organize and get acquainted with each other and with the commanders during the trip!
While the entire brigade command was being trained in France, thousands of new people were being enlisted without the presence of brigade and battalion commanders, as a result, in October and November, more than 700 people escaped from the brigade immediately after being enlisted in Ukraine. Those who deserted had never seen their commanders.
While some 2,000 soldiers of the brigade were training in France some 4,000 fresh soldiers were additionally assigned to the brigade but trained more or less (and without their commanders) in Ukraine:
Since November 15, the rank and file of the brigade began to return to Ukraine, and the brigade headquarters remained according to the training plan to complete the staff classes, for which the French instructors gave the highest scores.
The brigade headquarters arrived in Ukraine on November 30, but Brigade Commander Ryumshin did not have time to get acquainted with his new 4 thousand subordinates who were waiting in the training center, and conduct planned additional exercises with those who returned and did not have time to get all the necessary knowledge.
In the absence of the brigade headquarters and battalion commanders, the command of the OK “West” and CSR began to transfer untrained and ill-coordinated people to the Pokrovsk area.
The brigade command came back from France only to find that its infantry was already being deployed to the front.
Nominally the brigade had been fully equipped by France. It had artillery and armored vehicles. But it lacked the material the Ukrainian military was supposed to supply. The brigade had no drones and no electronic warfare equipment. It lacked the means to gain an overview of the battlefield and to defend against Russian drones which immediately attacked anything that moved. The new heavy equipment the brigade tried to bring to the front was destroyed before reaching its assigned positions. Moreover all the Ukrainian made 120mm mortar ammunition the Ukrainian military supplied to the brigade proved to be faulty and ineffective.
Without drones and artillery and in full chaos the brigade failed to hold its assigned line which led to a breakthrough of the Russian forces.
The brigade’s commander, who had had no influence on what had happened, was immediately relieved.
Back in September I pointed out that the Ukrainian method to create new brigades while letting experienced ones fail for a lack of replenishment was a serious and systemic error:
Experienced brigades are kept on the front until that have less than a third of their original strength. They are not replenished while still in the fight. Newly mobilized men are instead put into newly constituted brigades which zero frontline experience.A better system would rotate out units that have lost a third of their men and fill them up with new recruits before pushing them back into the fight. The result would be the same number of soldiers but with experience mixed into all of the army’s units.
Butusov’s report points to exactly this issue (edited machine translation):
Next to the 155th are experienced units – the 1st OSB “Da Vinci”, the 25th Airborne brigade, the 68th Jaeger brigade, which have an acute shortage of people in the infantry, they can not keep a wide band because of this, and there are experienced UAV units, headquarters, command cadres that can quickly train and make combat-ready mobilized people. But experienced and combat-ready brigades were not given people, they are not allowed to stabilize the front. Because people are given to political projects, the same as the 155th brigade, and there are other brigades newly formed in 2024-the same fourteen that President Zelensky spoke about.
Even if if were been organized perfectly the Ukrainian military would still not have a chance against the Russian forces. But it could have kept its losses to a minimum while holding the line and while gaining time for a political process.
It instead gets slaughtered for the vanity of its higher command:
The top political and military leadership of the country actually played around with the 155th Anna Kievskaya brigade, without even trying to systematically prepare and train the brigade, and without giving the brigade commanders time to create a combat-ready team themselves.The brigade’s servicemen became hostages of Zelensky’s PR project, which the authorities did not make any effort to actually implement competently.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the military command, which is now trying to hide the truth and use the case of the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) to remove responsibility from itself.
The 155th brigade has now been dispersed with various of its subunits moved to replenish other brigades. The journalist Butusov, like many of his compatriots, is furious about the case:
[T]hey spent people, money and time on forming a brigade, which is virtually impossible to use as a brigade due to its low combat capability. … Why did you create it if you can’t use it for its intended purpose? For your own PR and reports? For a meeting with Macron?
And is it worth it, Gentlemen Zelensky, Umerov and Syrsky, the lives of dozens of people who give up their lives near Pokrovsk as part of the 155th, because of the elementary disorder and poor preparation, which primarily resulted from your mistakes in setting tasks, planning and organizing? Will you give evidence to the SBI investigators about how you brought the 155th brigade to such a state, how you spent huge funds of our allies and Ukrainian citizens, how instead of strengthening the front, you only disrupt the organization and training of reserves?I hope that the time will come when you, the real ones responsible for this case, will be the first to answer to the law.
The story of the 155th Ukrainian brigade is only unique in that it has been well documented. The Ukrainian command has over the last years created may such failures and seems to have not learned one bit from it.
The grief, sorrow and anger this has caused will haunt the Ukrainian state for a long time.
Posted by b on January 2, 2025 at 18:13 UTC | Permalink
Watch Women Lose Their Minds When They Are Treated Like Men
MM daily
Playing around with a Norman Rockwell theme mixed with Bacchus and various setting using different plugins.
Many nudes. I think that it is the Bacchus influence in the prompt + the “artistic” plugin. The moment I went “classical academic art” the nudes started to appear.
Gen Z is Weak and Unemployable
China’s next-generation (6th-gen) fighter jet made its first flight today. Is it a shameful thing for India given the fact that we have failed to even make a Tejas since decades? Will China go for territorial expansion now with this advanced tech?
It is shameful
From 1990 to 2005 – the Chinese made education available and affordable to more and more people , changed the syllabus to integrate STEM into every possible arena and made quality University education affordable and freely available
In India – we privatized education and focused on for profit coaching classes & private schools where tuition is expensive , also lowering the quality of our public education deliberately because the politicians or their proxies own these private schools
The Chinese learnt industrial manufacturing by making toothpicks first and slowly rising to make Scramjet engines
We had the manufacturing to make good quality products from ball bearings to piston rods in the 1980s and now we seem to have been stuck back in the same time
The Chinese created an entire aerospace industry that makes from the smallest components to the most advanced radars now
We on the other hand, we just want the OPTICS and ILLUSION which is why our Tejas uses Engines, Radar, Avionics & Electronic Navigation sourced entirely by Foreign Licensing
Lag in US engine supply delays IAF induction of Tejas Mark-1A | India News – Times of India
India News: The induction of India’s Tejas Mark-1A jets faces delays due to postponed engine supplies from General Electric, with HAL expected to deliver only 2-3
https://www.google.com/amp/s/timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/lag-in-us-engine-supply-delays-iaf-induction-of-tejas-mark-1a/amp_articleshow/114748534.cms
GE will give us 2 Engines in 4 months from May 2025
That means for another 48 Aircraft to be formally inducted, it would take 100–110 months or near to 8 years
Our AMCA is still at basic design stage
IAF — so unprepared for the future, it is ridiculous!
[Rafale in IAF] Intrigued to find an op/ed with the title “Drawing borders in the air” in the Indian Express (1 July 2024) by Air Marshal Diptendu Choudhury (Retd). The title evoked for…
We originally planned to source 126 Rafale , 52 Imported and 74 Assembled with 30% minimum indigenous components
Instead we now have 36 Rafale, fully imported with no 4.5 generation indigenous assembly
Our import list for these aircraft goes from Polycarbonate Resin to Light Materials
Will China go for Territorial Expansion
China approves world’s largest dam over Brahmaputra river close to Indian border
China has approved a massive USD 137 billion hydropower dam on the Brahmaputra River near the Indian border, sparking concerns in India and Bangladesh. This infrastructure project, part of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan, aims to generate significant electricity and enhance cooperation while addressing ecological and safety concerns in a seismically active region.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.economictimes.com/news/international/world-news/china-greenlights-worlds-largest-dam-posing-risks-to-india-and-bangladesh/amp_articleshow/116671769.cms
China may even give up their interest in the Arunachal Pradesh region if they finish their latest mega power dam project that is larger than the three gorges
This could utilize 60% of the Brahmaputra’s downflow adding 33% to Chinas water supply
That gives them 90 years of assured water supply
So they don’t need to expand territory at all
Status Quo will be fine
Title: Sir Whiskerton and the Phantom of the Cornfield
Ah, so you’ve returned, hungry for another tale of my brilliance. Very well, I, Sir Whiskerton, the farm’s foremost investigator, shall oblige. This time, my superior intellect was challenged by a mystery so strange, so spine-tingling, that it sent shivers through even the bravest barnyard creatures. It was a case whispered about in hushed tones under the moonlight: the case of the Phantom of the Cornfield.
Prepare yourself, dear reader, for a tale of courage, cunning, and a healthy dose of feline sarcasm.
The Whispered Rumors
It all began one autumn evening. The harvest moon hung heavy in the sky, casting long, eerie shadows over the farm. I was lounging on my usual perch atop the chicken coop, enjoying the crisp night air, when I overheard a hushed conversation below.
“I saw it, I swear!” clucked Henny Penny, her feathers quivering with fear. “A glowing figure, right there in the cornfield! It was floating and moaning!”
“Floating?” Harold the rooster scoffed, though his voice wavered. “Pfft, nonsense. Ghosts don’t exist.”
“But I heard it too!” Betty the sheep chimed in, her eyes wide. “It was a low, haunting moan, like this: ‘Ooooooh!’ It was terrifying!”
I rolled my eyes so hard I nearly fell off my perch. Ghosts. Honestly. The only thing haunting this farm is the collective idiocy of its residents. Still, their fear was palpable, and chaos was bad for my nap schedule. Clearly, I would have to get to the bottom of this “phantom.”
The Investigation Begins
At dawn, I began my investigation. The cornfield, located on the far edge of the farm, was a vast and tangled maze of stalks, perfect for hiding something—or someone. I padded silently between the towering rows, my ears perked for any unusual sounds.
The ground was littered with broken cornstalks and scattered kernels. I sniffed the dirt and detected faint traces of… something sweet. Strange. Corn doesn’t usually smell this sweet. My whiskers twitched with intrigue.
As I moved deeper into the field, I found more clues: claw marks on the stalks, bits of fur caught on the leaves, and what appeared to be a trail of sticky footprints. Ghosts don’t leave footprints, which meant I was dealing with something tangible. And tangible was my specialty.
The First Encounter
That night, I decided to stake out the cornfield. I perched on a low fence post near the edge of the field, my black fur blending perfectly with the shadows. The air was still, save for the occasional rustle of leaves in the breeze.
Then, just as the moon reached its zenith, I heard it: a low, mournful moan, carried on the wind.
“Oooooooh…”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end—not because I was scared, of course, but because the sound was unexpected. I crouched low, my sharp eyes scanning the rows of corn.
And then I saw it.
A faint, glowing figure drifted between the stalks, its outline shimmering in the moonlight. It was tall and swayed as it moved, its moans growing louder as it approached. The other animals had been right about one thing: it was eerie.
But I am Sir Whiskerton, and I don’t scare easily. I crept closer, my paws silent on the soft earth. As I approached the figure, I noticed something odd. The glow wasn’t coming from the figure itself, but from something it was carrying. A lantern? No, it was too uneven. It looked… sticky.
Then it hit me. The smell. The glow. The sticky footprints.
“Honey,” I whispered. “It’s covered in honey.”
The Culprit Revealed
I leapt forward, claws extended, and landed directly in front of the “phantom.” It let out a startled yelp and dropped its glowing burden—a large jar of honey that shattered on the ground.
“Alright, show yourself,” I demanded, my green eyes gleaming in the moonlight.
The “phantom” froze, then slowly stepped into a patch of moonlight. And there, standing before me, was none other than Rufus the raccoon.
“Rufus,” I said, my tail lashing. “What, exactly, do you think you’re doing?”
He grinned sheepishly, honey dripping from his whiskers. “Oh, hey, Sir Whiskerton. Fancy meeting you here.”
“Cut the act,” I snapped. “Why are you sneaking around the cornfield, scaring everyone with your ridiculous glowing honey jar?”
“Well,” he said, scratching the back of his neck, “I heard Farmer Joe talking about harvesting the corn soon, so I figured I’d grab a few ears for myself. But then I tripped over a beehive on the way here, and, uh… things got messy.”
“Messy?” I echoed, incredulous. “You’ve been parading around the farm, dripping honey everywhere and wailing like a banshee.”
“That wasn’t on purpose!” he protested. “I got the honey all over me, and then the bees started chasing me, so I ran into the cornfield to hide. I might’ve… panicked a little.”
“And the moaning?”
“I was trying to scare the bees away!” he said, throwing up his paws. “I didn’t realize I was scaring everyone else too.”
I stared at him, torn between exasperation and amusement. “You’re lucky I found you before Farmer Joe did,” I said. “Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up before you cause any more chaos.”
The Resolution
The next morning, I gathered the animals in the barnyard and explained what had happened. Rufus, still sticky but sheepish, stood beside me as I recounted the tale.
“So you see,” I concluded, “there is no phantom. Just a clumsy raccoon with a sweet tooth and a flair for the dramatic.”
The animals burst into laughter, their fear replaced by relief. Even Henny Penny managed a chuckle, though she still insisted she had “felt a ghostly presence.”
As for Rufus, he promised to stay out of the cornfield—at least until the honey washed out of his fur. Farmer Joe never found out about the incident, and the farm returned to its usual, mildly chaotic routine.
And me? I basked in the glory of another mystery solved, another crisis averted. The moral of the story? Sometimes, the scariest things are just sticky raccoons in disguise.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a sunbeam waiting for me.
The End.
Comix fun
Thailand Prepares for Full Membership of BRICS
Easiest Homemade Pizza Dough
Yield: 2 medium pizza crusts or one extra large pizza crust
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour, divided
Instructions
- Combine yogurt and 1 cup flour in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Mix until combined, scraping down the bowl as necessary until combined.
- Knead on medium high for 5 minutes.
- Slowly add additional flour as necessary to help dough come together. Depending on how thick your yogurt is, you may need up to an extra 1/2 cup of flour.
- Dust clean counter top with flour and remove dough from bowl. Knead a few turns until dough is tacky, but not sticky. Roll out and add toppings as desired.
- Bake in a preheated 450 degrees F oven for 10 to 12 minutes.
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