The Chinese are kinda funny.
Plenty of pay-for parking garages everywhere. But to save 3 yuan (about $ 0.40) they will park on the sidewalks, grass, and curbs. They will park anywhere to save that $ 0.40 cents.
I kid you not.
So, in the smaller towns and rural areas (like where I live) it is like driving though a massive parking lot to get anywhere. Cars are everywhere. And I DO MEAN everywhere.
Cars don’t you know. Instead of the parks, grasses and trees that the urban and road planners envisioned.
It’s wall to wall cars, with some of them sitting there for months and years; covered with dust, dirt and debris. There is one near our complex that is collecting a series of potted plants every few months of so. (Some joker places a thrown away plant on the car roof whenever one is thrown away.) Right now the count is at 8.
…
Well, near my daughters Kindergarten they have placed a parking lot that occupied what was once an old factory. Great idea.
But very few people used it. Instead they parked on the sidewalks, over the trees and anywhere that they could squeeze in their car.
So yeah. very chaotic, and a picture of blight. Like a car graveyard, and very unsightly… everywhere.
…
So the city decided to chase the cars away.
Next day they were still there. Different cars, same problem.
…
So they have been rebuilding the streets.
The sidewalks are now much higher. So instead of having a 2 inch high curb (5 cm)…
…it has been totally completely redone. It is now 1.5 feet high (~46 cm).
No car can get up it without ruining their front bumper.
In addition, there are a few hardy souls that drive sooped up SUV’s that have the ability to traverse that, so they are also adding these low (painted yellow and black) pipe barriers about another 1.5 feet high.
All in all, the roads finally look nice and pleasant. And it is really shaping up fine.
On the down side, however, it is getting difficult to find parking in the paid-for parking lots. Sigh.
There’s tradeoff with everything.
Today…
What did your mechanic say that made your “jaw drop”?
He told me that my transmission was completely shot and had to be replaced. When he gave me the price, I almost went into shock.
I should mention that this all happened just days after finding out my wife must have a back operation that could possibly leave her a complete invalid. Then, on our way home from a follow up office visit, the car stopped.
The mechanic manager was a nice guy, but there was nothing he could do until the proper triggers were hit by me. He kept me talking for the longest time,asking me all sorts of questions. At one point, I asked if Honda had any secret warranties that would help out on these types of problems. The manager got a huge grin on his face and said, “congratulations, you finally asked the right question”. He went on to explain how he could not offer me that option without me asking the right question. I later understood why he kept me their so long,just talking. His questions were to try and get me to ask the right question, which I did, so he could then take my case to the manufacturer.
Not all mechanics are crooked. This guy was a lifesaver.
Why so touched by Li Hua’s letters: my humble efforts to promote connections as an overseas Chinese
MUSHROOMS USE UP TO 50 “WORDS” TO COMMUNICATE
According to research by Andrew Adamatzky, a professor at the University of Bristol, mushrooms are able to exchange information through the mycelium network, a reticular connection composed of long, very thin filaments called hyphae.
The work was conducted by performing a mathematical analysis of the electrical signals exchanged between the species of mushrooms under examination, identifying patterns that present a surprising structural similarity to human language. Adamatzky demonstrated that the frequency of activation of these impulses increases when the hyphae of wood-digesting mushrooms come into contact with blocks of wood, raising the possibility that mushrooms use this “electrical language” to share information about food or injuries with distant parts of themselves, or with partners connected by hyphae.
To reach this conclusion, the professor analyzed the patterns of electrical spikes generated by four species of mushrooms: enoki, splitgill, ghost mushrooms and caterpillar, by inserting tiny microelectrodes into substrates colonized by their mosaic of hyphal threads.
Through this study, he noted that these spikes often grouped together in “trains” (different spikes of electricity), similar to vocabularies of up to 50 words, and that the distribution of these “fungal words” closely matched those of human languages. In terms of length, the words used by the fungi of the four species studied contain an average of 5.97 “letters”, which according to the researcher is the average of 4.8 letters per word in the English language and 6 letters per word in Russian words.
Source: “Language of fungi derived from their electrical spiking activity”, Andrew Adamatzky, The Royal Society Open Science, 2022
US Blockade of China?
What’s something a flight attendant did to you that you will never forget?
On a flight from Mumbai to London I gave up my bulkhead seat to let a new father sit with his wife and kids. His seat was a middle seat between two, rather large, individuals.
As soon as the plane started taxiing I got one of the worst migraines of my life. I pulled my blanket over my head and just prayed it would be over soon. When the flight attendant had me take my blanket down she noticed the tears streaming down my face and asked what was wrong and why I wasn’t in my seat. I told her and she promptly moved me in back and put me on oxygen.
The other flight attendants then proceeded to move a business class passenger to first class and put me in business class. After that they had the captain call their doctor and they were authorized to give me a tranquilizer.
When I woke in the morning I started to get up to move back to my seat and the business class flight attendant would have none of it. He proceeded to go back and grab all of my belongings. The flight attendant, who helped me the night before, gave me big hug before disembarking. I wish I could properly thank her and regret not sending a letter to British Airways about how exceptional their service was.
The Ease of Lying About China? Part 13
Yeah… I’m disassociating. In bliss.
For those who don’t know, the Tiktok crowd are, to a loud, vocal degree, fleeing to Rednote/Xiaohongshu in protest. Upon arriving, they are finding out very rapidly that:
- Chinese people are really nice in general
- Chinese memes are real funny to the uninitiated
- China is a pretty nice place and really unlike what they were told
And likewise, in return, Chinese people (at least the affluent types on XHS) are finding out:
- American people are actually quite ready to be humble and polite
- Many Americans are way poorer, desperate, and limited than the Chinese could have ever imagined
But most of all, both sides are the product of brainrot and also irreverence a la internet memery. This is creating a lot of bonding in adversity, at least in this honeymoon phase. Yes, on the margins there is toxicity, but this is no one’s first rodeo with the internet— they are naive to each other, but not to brainrot and trolls.
This result is what I craved, here on Quora in 2015, and before that on /int/ back in 2011 (I’m pretty sure I saw the birth of countryballs, though I might be off on the year there). This is what I intended with my old tech libertarianism, that the march of technology will break down barriers and force people to reckon with the truth of each other. I am elated. Seeing how Gen Z and the rest of the Tiktok folks are handling this, as well as how the XHS crowd are responding, has refueled my faith in humanity and internationalist ideals. Yes, obviously governments will still do their thing and compete. But at least for a lot of people, this is the Berlin wall coming down and the two sides embracing.
And… it comes with a bit of a bitter pill on this side. Seeing the comments on this video makes me quite depressed. Here’s a curation of some of the comments:
And this is what I have been trying to point out this entire time— we seriously have a raw deal here in the US. As one user put it:
All I can hope is that Americans realize there is a better way to live. We don’t need all this conflict, we need empathy and sharing, we need understanding. We need to invest in the people, in our infrastructure, in our country, and not some grand war. And now, there is a glimpse at a different model.
The reality is that this might be short lived, but it will have a pretty big impact on our youth. Once the wall is surmounted, forcing kids back into ignorance is extremely difficult. For those banking on this new Cold War, this outcome has been the shooting of the feet in some truly epic proportions. The ease of lying about China became much harder overnight. Hell, Americans are learning Mandarin Chinese. Americans— us stubborn monolinguists!
Oh, and also, it will be much harder to lie about the US for Chinese people:
Note the timestamps, the sleep cycles of the two countries/sides makes for generally predictable waves of responses.
The kids are seriously fine. They are talking to each other. This is the road to peace and, god forbid, cooperation.
No One Here Gets Out Alive
Submitted into Contest #281 in response to: Write a story from the POV of a non-human character.… view prompt
James Barrett
China Debuts World’s First 6G – Downloads 10 Movies in 1 Second!
Hawaiian Meatballs
Yield: 10 meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 (8 ounce) cans pineapple chunks in juice, undrained
- 1/2 cup red or green bell pepper (or a combination of both)
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 pound ground fresh turkey (or ground beef)
- 1/2 cup green onion slices
- 1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup teriyaki sauce
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Drain pineapple. reserving juice; set aside.
- Using Food Chopper, finely chop bell peppers.
- In Classic 2 quart Batter Bowl, combine 1/4 cup of pineapple juice, pepper, ginger, turkey, onion, bread crumbs and salt; mix gently but thoroughly. Using small Stainless Steel Scoop, shape meat mixture into balls; place in Deep Dish Baker. Pour teriyaki sauce over meatballs; mix lightly to coat meatballs evenly.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Place 1 piece of pineapple on each party pick. Add meatball and serve.
Nutrition
Per 2 meatballs: approximately 80 calories and 3g fat
Attribution
Pampered Chef
As a limo driver, what is the shadiest thing you’ve seen a passenger do?
My boss told me I’d be driving a lady who said she would tip her driver well, and it was a cash job which I had to collect. It was a birthday for her dad. When I arrived an attractive woman greets me and within 15 minutes 7 people boarded the Mercedes Sprinter. I waited on them approximately 5 hours and gave them absolute excellent service to the point that they took several selfies with me, told me I was the best, and even gave me hugs, and the dad even told them you need to hire this guy more often because he’s a good guy! When I returned them home the lady made no mention of payment and acted as though she was ready to walk off as if she thought I didn’t know that I was instructed to collect cash. I thought to myself this is unbelievable BS that she would play dumb with me, until I mentioned it. She says ah yes the payment, hold on, and came back and paid me exactly what was owed, and no extra tip for me. I got stiffed. I remained professional and didn’t say anything but inside I was livid A day later she texts me that a gold bracelet may have dropped from her daughter’s wrist and if I would please look for it and return it. Sure enough I found it. The clasp was damaged and it slipped off and fell in the rear seat, a 14k gold Tiffany which I figured was worth thousands. I texted her back that I checked and never found it. I played dumb too and pawned it for $500. That was my tip. Lesson, never screw a limo driver over because he may screw you over
The Quantum Apocalypse: All Your Secrets Revealed
Does China dislike South Korea?
Well unfortunately nowadays, they mutually dislike each other. Although from what I’ve seen definitely South Koreans dislike China more than Chinese people dislike South Korea.
The whole thing really went like this:
From the early 2000s, Korean drama got really popular in China due to Koreans being really tall and all the Korean actors seemed to have everything “perfect.” Like perfectly proportional face, perfect skin, perfect height, perfect teeth, perfectly dressed, etc. People know that alot of that came from plastic surgery but then they get envious of their plastic surgery skills lol. And Koreans were also portrayed to have such great manners that even my Grandmother was saying: “darn the Koreans are so civilized, the men are so gentlemen like they don’t even touch women, not like in our country you frequently see men shouting at women.” So then Korean culture started to flood into China like a huge fire that won’t be quenched. Everyone in China was worshipping everything Korean. So then obviously the Koreans liked China for many years.
Eventually tho, as China got more and more influential, the west cranked up more negative coverage of China, at the same time, they also cranked up propagation of Korean culture. So as more and more Chinese people start to go abroad and study, they get bombarded with people everywhere in the world confusing Chinese (especially traditional) culture with Korean culture, to the extent that they accuse Chinese people of stealing Korean culture (because hey it’s China, it is known Khalessi that they steal everything, right?). This, alongside with already all the other negative coverage about China, made Chinese people more and more pissed off and also drove them more and more nationalists, and so the clash between the two ethnic groups began. Where each are going online to accuse the other of “culture stealing.” So they start to hate each other more and more, and of course, things like pollution and covid only made things worse.
And the ironic thing is, this clash happened because South Koreans and Chinese people are just too alike in many ways, despite the difference in governing system of both countries. But both societies are very collectivist and nationalist, both societies have a huge cancel culture and therefore cyberbullying problem. Therefore, both Chinese people and South Koreans are easily triggered and therefore easily manipulated by their own respective social media and tunnel visioning.
Take this: “who is stealing whose culture” ongoing debate. In the US, if you tell someone that a lot of western culture came from the Roman Empire aka Italy, no one is going to feel offended for you saying that. Of course, some people may debate with you here and there, but it’s very unlikely that you will trigger someone in the US for making such a statement. Same with telling Italians in Italy that a lot of their cultural influence came from the United States.
But if you tell a South Korean that a lot of South Korean culture came from China, or a Chinese that a lot of Chinese culture came from South Korea, you are going to offend a lot of people. A huge part of this has to do with the fact that people outside of China for a long time tended to associate everything Chinese as negative and backward, so then who would want to acknowledge any Chinese contributions? Much less that your culture may have come from China. So when South Koreans see such claims, a lot of them don’t care about the facts behind the claims, they just want to flat out reject it out of hand. But China has gotten stronger and stronger, people have become more and more nationalists, so when Chinese people see such rejections from South Koreans, they also don’t care much about the facts behind the claim, they just want to abash South Korea as being an inferior country, even goes as far as to claim that all South Korean cultural influence is detrimental and should be thrown away.
So here we go.
How a Chinese nerd destroyed the US AI biosphere
AI latest generations for MM; Ancient Greece
The attire settings are finally far more suitable.
Why is the US far behind China in six generation fighter jet technologies? What should the US do to catch up with China?
Same reason why apple failed with the apple car, while xiaomi has brought the Su7 and Yu7 to market.
Same reason why Intel lost its dominant process lead after being leapfrogged a decade ago, despite having access to the best tools and engineers on offer.
Same reason why Boeing remains mired in malaise despite the end of the Max grounding.
Same reason why 3M and IBM no longer make attention grabbing headlines.
History’s lowest rates helped fuel a massive stock buyback program, with corporations borrowing to support corporate valuation on the equity market. The stock price became indelibly linked to CEO compensation, and extracting maximum profit became the driving ethos, rather than say, delivering the best product or customer satisfaction.
Lockheed Martin and any number of MIC companies are listed on the stock exchange, and profit off a parallel, exclusive economy. As long as they kept the pentagon happy, the shifting sands of expectation linked to the presidential cycle were a welcome bonanza, because change meant new contracts that kept the cash registers ringing.
A study of the canceled/derailed weapon programs this century will fascinate the average military nerd.
The other problem is American hubris, believing they have a multi-decade lead on military technology. The misplaced confidence is seen in existing weapon system life cycles, such as >50 years for aircraft carriers, destroyers, fighter jets and bombers.
At this point, the deindustrialization of America has crippled not only American manufacturing, but its design and engineering chops. I don’t remember a single pentagon program that is on-time and on-budget this century.
I say good luck.
What happens to a dish in a restaurant when a customer sends it back to the kitchen?
Back when I was 18, I hung out with a kid that looking back, I probably shouldn’t have hung out with. His motivation factor with getting a job was low. But he was fun to hang out with. One day he wanted to go to a restaurant to have food. “Dave”, I said (I used his real name to protect the innocent), “you don’t have money,” I said. “I have an idea,” he quickly shot back.
Confused, we go to a Mexican restaurant and got the usual chips and salsa then ordered our meal. Our meal comes out. He eats about three quarters of his food before he reaches up, pulls a hair out of his head and puts it on his food. “Dude,” I said. He calls the waiter over and explains that he found a hair in his food. The waiter promptly takes it away.
He returns with the cook. Who is bald. Absolutely no hair. The waiter also has very short hair. The waiter explains that there is no way it could have came from us. Dave is insistent it did. They did however comp us our meal. I left a generous tip.
Looking back 28 years later, I don’t remember how I felt about what he did. Do people do it? I’m sure they do. People look fine on the outside but are very ruthless on the inside, especially if they had a messed up childhood. His family was Mormon and they had seven kids. I believe he was the youngest, the forgotten one.
Teacher Dies; Sent To Velvety Void Where Souls Plan Their Earth Journeys (NDE)
MM AI art
I’m hitting a classical stride.
What is the best case of “You just picked a fight with the wrong person” that you’ve witnessed?
Actually didn’t witness the fight, but the results were quite interesting.
Was just thinking about this call yesterday, while driving by a skateboard park. It was near the end of my career, but a rather unique call. Not really sure why we even responded as it was a pretty simple medical call. Perhaps the ambulances were all delayed? We got called to a skate board park for an injury, expecting a broken bone or scrapes and bruises we found instead a big kid over 6 feet with a broken nose. The RCMP officer on scene was having a good chuckle when he introduced the patient, saying this guy likes to start fights with girls.
There were about half a dozen other people hanging around both friends of the guy and this young girl on scene. As my guys were treating the patient I was getting some information on what happened. The girl was visiting from California with some friends here in British Columbia and they went down to the local skate board park for some fun and exercise. The girl was around 5 ft. 5 in. as best I recall and not very big, but a rather attractive young lady in her late teens.
Seems that this guy is a bit of a bully and takes a liking to this cute gal visiting her local friends. The girl is however not impressed by his rather crude advances. They have a bit of a discussion and the guy winds up grabbing her and saying something along the lines of, “Why don’t you suck my c@#k bitch?” as he goes to lay his hands on her. The next thing he knows he is on the ground with a broken nose.
So in the conversation with the girl and her friends it comes out that she is here to participate in a boxing competition tomorrow. Well it seems she certainly has the skills for it, I wished her luck.
Holiday Time
Submitted into Contest #281 in response to: Write a story from the POV of a non-human character.… view prompt
Ellen Talboom
“Ok”, Laura replied. Tanner continued up the stairs, singing. Laura listened to the song, jingle bells, jingle bells. Laura wrote this on the sheet of paper for John.
“Mr. and Mrs. George, welcome”, Laura said.
“Greetings to you Laura. Happy holidays”, Mrs. George said.
“Same to you”, replied Laura.
“Tell Laura to have a happy holiday”, Mr. George told his 5-year-old twin sons.
“Happy holidays”, the twins said together. Laura smiled.
“Are you going to the holiday party tomorrow? My mom is going to sing”, one twin said.
“Yes I am. After work”.
“Cool”. The twins bolted to the stairs.
“Gotta go. Last minute stuff to do”, Mrs. George said, laughing.
“Indeed, see you tomorrow then”.
“Ok”. Laura watched the twins jump up each stair while their parents walked, one foot on each stair. Laura added to the list.
6pm. Laura’s shift was finished for the day. A couple of late guests rushed in before she locked the doors.
Doors locked. Now only those with key cards were able to gain access to the building.
“Have a good evening, Laura”, Craig, the night security human said while walking over to the information desk. “How was the day”?
“A lot of movement”.
“I bet. Getting close to the big day now”.
“Yes. Are you going to the event tomorrow”?
“Which one”? Craig laughed. “There are enough parties to keep me in food and drink for a week”. He winked.
Laura put her notebook and pen into her shoulder bag, rose from the chair and pushed the chair under the desk.
“Ready. Have a safe evening Craig”.
“Thank you, Laura. Say hi to John for me”.
“I will”. Laura walked to the elevator, pressed the up button. She entered when the doors opened. She pressed #6. Doors closed. Laura let herself into the operations room. John was sitting at the control panels. Many TV monitors that light up the room. He turned.
“Craig says hi”.
“Tell him hi from me. How was your day, Laura”?
“I have a list of comments that have no meaning to me. It was a day, light then dark”. John smiled.
“Ok, phase 4 now. You are ready”.
Laura smiled.
Laura was at her desk 5 minutes early; she is every day.
“Good morning, Laura”.
“Good morning, Nate. How are you doing today”?
“Great. Getting closer to the big day, food-fun-drink, especially the drink”, Nate said, then laughed.
“No over doing it, ok”, Laura said.
“Oh no. Can’t do that anymore. Ok, you have a fun day”.
“I will, thank you”.
Humans with dogs coming in and out. Humans without dogs coming in and out. Some walking up the stairs to the shops. Some using the elevators to the business offices.
More decorations were hung. A huge wreath is to be hung over the front door. A forklift was needed to put it on the hook, only to see that there was no hook. After the wreath was hung, the lights were turned on. They twinkled white. Silver and gold ribbons and bobbles hung on the wreath. It was a sight.
The tree, decorated with all the holiday colors. There was a large star placed on the top of the tree. It was a large tree, off to the side by the windows. It was 20 feet tall. Neatly wrapped packages were underneath. The tree lighting will be at 6p. Laura watched all the movement, the fussing around the tree. More decorations were added.
The caterers were setting up the food and drink tables. There were plates of different foods. So much food.
6p. Laura watched at the clock hands make a straight up and down line. Groups of Humans were walking down the stairs and right over to the food and drink festively decorated tables. Nate was the first to the wine bar.
Laura completed her closing chores, put her bag over her shoulder, rose up and pushed the chair under the desk. She walked over to the tree. John and Craig walked through the elevator doors and toward the tree, talking.
Everyone was silent. The twins had the honor of lighting the holiday tree. The crowd let out a whoosh of excitement, ooooo’s and ahhhhh’s.
Laura stepped up in front of the tree, placed her purse on the floor next to her. She turned to face the group. John watched with the others. Silence. Laura smiled.
“Happy holidays all”, and she began to sing, “Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree, your branches green delight us”…
Vietnamese ultranationalists on TikTok urge to remove and ethnic cleanse all Mandarin-speaking Chinese people in South China in order to fulfill their dreams of “Baiyue landback”. What do Chinese people react about this?
They are all empty talkers. Let them amuse themselves, The sky will not fall.
In today’s world, racism has become a target of public criticism.
Ethnic cleansing? If they do anything, they will be condemned by the whole world.
Information spreads very quickly nowadays, and if they take any rash action, it will be known to the world in a few hours. The United Nations will discuss it in the morning, and China can use it as an excuse to intervene militarily in the afternoon. Palestine may be too far for China, but Vietnam is very close.
The Vietnamese government is also well aware of the seriousness of ethnic cleansing against the Chinese, and will suppress it in advance in order to prevent China from using this as an excuse for military intervention.
Unless they are crazy, they wouldn’t dare to do something like ethnic cleansing.
What is your opinion on human rights issues in China, particularly in Xinjiang and Tibet?
I saw a new device in the news about disaster relief in Tibet – the “lighting drone.” Maybe I’ve been living under a rock, but like these kids, I also find it quite fascinating.
This drone can rise to 30 meters, connect to a generator, or even draw power from an electric vehicle. It provides lighting for an area of about 6,000 to 8,000 square meters.
It’s so bright on-site that, not only can the kids play football, but even doing homework wouldn’t be a problem.
After the 6.8 magnitude earthquake in Tibet, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) responded within an hour and arrived with supplies within 24 hours.
I don’t think a country that has poor human right condition can protect its people in the quickest response speed in the world.
- The latest earthquake in Tibet occurred around 9:15 AM on Jan 7. Ten minutes later, nearby residents saw military aircraft flying overhead (for reconnaissance).
- Half an hour later, rescue operations began in the epicenter area. Tibet’s forest fire-fighting forward command, with three vehicles, a special operations team of 90 people, and teams from Nagqu (65 people) and Shigatse (50 people), totaling 215 personnel, were mobilized toward the epicenter.
- At 10:00 AM, the first batch of over 200 soldiers from the Tibet Military District reinforced Changshuo Township in Dingri County, while the second batch of over 1,500 people and six helicopters were ready for deployment.
- At 10:50 AM, the national level-4 emergency disaster response was activated, and 22,000 items of central disaster relief materials, including cotton tents, cotton coats, cotton quilts, and folding beds, were urgently dispatched to the disaster area.
- As the rescue work unfolded, more trapped civilians were rescued.
- By 3:00 PM, power was restored to the county.
- Some affected residents had hot meals.
- At 5:00 PM, remote sensing images of the region were released.
- By 7:00 PM, communication in the disaster area was mostly restored.
- From 8:00 PM, 40 tents at the Choguo Township relocation site and 40 tents at the Changshuo Township relocation site were lit. One by one, lights came on, bringing light and warmth to the disaster area.
- From night until dawn, rescue operations continued without pause.
- On the morning of the 8th, the national highway was mostly cleared.
- By the afternoon of the 8th, it was announced that disaster relief materials had reached capacity, and no further donations were needed.
- Temporary housing units had been constructed.
- 200 soldiers from the PLA donated 60,000 milliliters of blood.
- At 2:05 PM of the 8th, a Y-20 aircraft from the Western Theater Command took off.
- Around 4:00 PM of the 8th, the Y-20 aircraft arrived in the earthquake zone to coordinate and command the disaster relief efforts.
Has a super rich person ever been treated so badly at a store that they then turned around and bought the store just to fire the employee?
An acquaintance of my husband, let’s call him Ray. Not a store, but a car dealership. Ray was a hard worker and not someone who “dressed up”. He wore clothing that worked well for what he did, although working on cars and trucks was not all he did.
On a nice afternoon, after lunch he stopped into a Chevy dealership in New England (NH or Mass, I can’t remember which ) He was looking at the new Corvettes. He approached a salesman to ask questions about the car and was rebuffed. Another of the salesmen drew the “short straw” and went out to speak with Ray, who didn’t look like he had two quarters to rub together. They talked a bit. When Ray wanted to test drive the car, the salesman decided he’d wasted enough time with Ray and refused.
Ray already knew he wanted to buy one of the Corvettes. He went home and changed, and went to another dealership, test drove, and bought….with cash….a brand new Corvette. The first place he took the car was the dealership, which refused him a test drive. He was dressed the same as when they saw him the first time. He went inside and asked if they remembered him. (It was only a couple of days since they’d refused him a test drive) Of course, they did. He then blatantly told them he’d bought one elsewhere and that someone lost a nice commission, waved, and left.
Despite his clothing, Ray owned a large trucking company, as well as other businesses. He was a multimillionaire.
Never judge someone by how they dress……either upscale or downscale.
What would happen if Japan intervened in a potential China-Taiwan conflict due to historical reasons?
Mhahahahahahahaha.
Japan does what?
Hahahahahahahahaha!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
You know what the Chinese people are most bitter about the current world order?
That it was the US that got to nuke Japan twice for the 3000 dead at Pearl Harbor. But China never got to avenge the 30 million Chinese killed during the Japanese invasion. Those cowards surrendered before we could take the fight back to them.
There is someone killed by the Japanese in almost every Chinese family tree and we will never forget.
We would be over the moon, if Japan goes crazy and gives us the justification to nuke it 20000 times (by American standard).
And this is coming from someone who has good Japanese friends, though I would never say the above to their face.
For the collective Chinese population, the continued existance of Japan as a nation, the Japanese as a people, any historical record of Japan of ever existing, the life of every single Japanese man, woman and child, is based on Chinese generosity and good will, which hinges on the premise that Japan never ever ever picks a fight with China again. That and the small number of brave Japanese who joined the Chinese in resistance against Japan in WWII, which the CCP loves reminding us from time to time.
Is China just being a bully with how it’s treating Hong Kong?
There is one thing you have to understand about China and its leadership: it is playing the long game, not the short game.
The Chinese Communist Party is always willing to make short-term sacrifices and take short- and even medium-term pain in order to win the game in the end. Because it has control over China and Chinese society, it is able to ride out the short-term no matter the cost.
The Chinese of this generation also understand that prosperity involves hard work and short-term sacrifices, so the views of the government and most Chinese are aligned.
It is very different from the US and all other countries in this respect.
Because Hong Kong was under British rule for so long, the interests of Hong Kong people are NOT aligned with those of the People’s Republic. This is what the riots are all about.
When the rioters see that they have brought about Hong Kong’s decline, and have not brought about a better solution to their own individual situations, they will eventually give up because their rioting does not lead anywhere.
When it ends, Hong Kong’s worldview and interests will be brought into full alignment with Beijing, the Chinese Communist Party and the rest of the PRC. Hong Kong will become just another Chinese city.
Then Chinese investments will pour into Hong Kong to rebuild Hong Kong. Its textbooks, laws and curriculums will be the same as the rest of China. Hong Kong’s streets will be renamed with full Chinese names, and will no longer have names like Queen’s Road, Percival Street and Pedder Street, and there will no longer be any names named after British colonial governors. The language of education and business will become Mandarin, while Cantonese will be used in some homes. The boards and ownership of all leading media companies will be replaced.
Hong Kong will be opened up to a new wave of Chinese immigrants from China, just like how Shenzhen was opened up to internal immigration from the rest of China in 1980, when it was first constituted as a Special Economic Zone.
A new and very Chinese Xianggang will arise to replace the old Hong Kong. The old colonial Hong Kong will only exist in the memories of the old.
The west will hate this process, and so will many Hong Kongers, but they will have no choice.
What was your most memorable real-life fight as a bouncer or bodyguard?
When I ran a bar the rule was to avoid that at all costs.
Under no circumstances were we to assault a customer.
What I would do is sit on the barstool next to them. Really nicely tell them. “I’m giving you some free drink cards for tomorrow but your done drinking here today. “ 99%of the time they left. The ones that didn’t?
Three or four floormen (bouncers) would come over and sit all around him. Even his friends were encouraging him to leave at that point.
I was punched, pushed, kicked, spit on at various times. No assaulting the customer.
They are drunk. We are sober. Try winning that in court. Plus the lawsuits.
Nobody we had to throw out ever came back. Once they sobered up they realized what an ass they were. Too ashamed to come back.
That being said?
Customers assaulting other customers was common. Usually over a woman.
We didn’t intervene until they were worn out. Then they were thrown out.
Some really bad assaults but no shootings or stabbings. People knocked out. Blood all over the place. No cell phone then. Two payphones in the lobby. Customers called the cops or 911.
Now we had another police report in front of the town council. More than three and you get shutdown as a nuisance. We were shutdown twice. Big bar. Sixteen staff. Nobody getting paid during a shutdown.
That was the NJ shore in 1985.
I’m sorry I couldn’t give you a ‘Roadhouse’ type story but that movie is BS.
You want to do everything you can to avoid police reports, lawsuits, insurance problems. If you don’t? The owner will throw you out.
Is China really as terrible as BBC says it is?
（Chinese Space Station）
As a Chinese, I am very grateful to media like BBC and CNN. It is precisely because of such media that China has a stable and quiet development opportunity for thirty or forty years, making the world think that the Chinese are in dire straits, so there is no siege.
（China High Speed Railway Station）
Especially led by the United States, the media’s policy of silencing the people has even made the entire country, from citizens to national leaders, not understand China, and have a completely wrong understanding of China’s development. It is because of this that the United States did not treat China like it wanted to contain Russia, giving China a window of rapid development. To date, China has established the world’s only full-industry industrial chain that can produce any product in the world. The United States is powerless to China’s rapid development.
（The world’s longest cross-sea bridge in China）
There is an old saying in China that “身正不怕影子斜” – meaning that only when a person stands upright will his shadow not be slanted. It is usually used to illustrate that as long as you walk upright and behave properly, there is nothing to be afraid of. The Chinese do not care about the voices of the outside world at all, but are down-to-earth and follow their own plans to realize their dreams – to create a better living environment for their families and build a better future for the country.
（Beijing Capital Airport, China）
Trump Vows To UNLEASH HELL On The Middle East! w/ Col. Douglas Macgregor
What has a car salesperson said to you that resulted in you immediately leaving?
It was a two parter, actually.
Before Covid and the crazy effect it had on car availability and used car prices, my budget for a used vehicle used to be $4–6,000, for which I would expect three or four years use out of them before I got rid of them. (In fact, I find I can use my vehicles beyond 20 years old. My 1995 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer Edition and 2003 Ford E350 one ton cargo van (which I bought in 2019 for $600 with 213,600 miles on it) just went bad in late 2024.)
So I was at my island/county’s best rated used car dealer browsing as I do*, and I was approached by a salesman who asked if I needed any help. I said I was just looking. I was looking at vehicle information on my iPhone, including TrueValue and Edmunds used car value, and used vehicle rating sites. I also looked up CarFax (they had an unlimited plan back then) on vehicles that caught my interest, by VIN number. Ah, so this was a former rental. Ah, so that one’s a salvage title. Oh, so this one has an accident history. And so on.
This salesperson wouldn’t leave my side even though I was ignoring them, and he asked questions like what my budget was. I told him $4–6,000. He remarked “Anything under $10,000 is a piece of shit.” Which offended me. So sorry that until about 2017, my family lived paycheck to paycheck, and that’s what I had to spend. I had to maintain and insure five vehicles plus a motorcycle, with two teen drivers. (Back then, this dealership offered vehicles for under $3,000, and even under $1,000 for people that didn’t have a lot of money to spend. Those days are gone. Since about 2020, this used car dealership specializes in Toyota vehicles – sometimes even this year’s model but still used. In Hawaii, Toyota vehicles have great resale value, and trucks sell at a premium even if not 4 wheel drive. Nowadays, you should be willing to spend at least $30–40,000 if you want to go there.)
I kept looking up vehicle information online using my iPhone. He asked me what I was looking at.
I told him that I was looking for what the car was worth.
He pointed at their sticker and said, “It’s right here.”
So I left.
On Quora, I’ve been called names because I am unable to bring car dealers down from their asking price. People on Quora claim for example that they offer 25% off the sticker price, and that’s what they pay for their vehicles. (And the profit margin on used vehicles is higher than on new.)
That’s not how it works in Hawaii, and especially not on my island where there is no competition. Hawaii is a limited market to begin with, and on my island, there is only one dealer for each make. In fact, each dealership handles multiple makes. For example, “King” is a Honda / Chrysler / Dodge / Jeep / Ram dealer. If you want a new Honda off the lot, you’re buying from them, even if they’re asking $27,800 for a base Civic. You’re not going to get that Civic for $20,875 (25% off).
* I know for years in advance that I am in the market for another vehicle. For example, I was trying to find an excuse to get rid of my 1995 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer Edition since about 2012 when I bought my 2000 Jeep Cherokee Grand Laredo (with only 54,000 miles on it and kept unused 10 months a year by the previous owner). I finally junked the Explorer in October 2024 after it had a leak in the roof.
Since I know far in advance when I’ll be needing a vehicle, and I usually keep spares, I am in no rush to replace them. (For example, I bought the Explorer in 2007 for $7,500 used, I expect to get five years use out of it – $1,500 per year. I actually got 17 years use out of it, with no major repairs needed. Good deal.) I will watch what comes and goes on Craigslist, and visit used car lots every few months. If I see anything that catches my interest, I’ll read reviews from owners, and read websites about expected problems from that model and year. I usually find there are reasons that certain vehicles (or even entire makes) are for sale for lower than average prices.
It can take me months (or even years) for me to make the final decision to purchase a vehicle. However, after I have made the decision, I will walk right into the dealership or call the private seller to make the purchase. In cash, even. In May 2024, I bought a 2024 Toyota Camry after one visit (I took a test drive though it was not necessary) because the dealership had a sale. The Camry will be upgraded for the 2025 model year, going all hybrid (but I don’t care about that – I’m already getting hybrid like mileage from my ICE Camry – 41 mpg overall and 44 mpg per tank).
Have you ever been unfairly fired?
Yes, and I should have reported the senior executive director, the one who fired me, for retalitory firing, but hindsight is 20/20. Many years back, I worked at a 75,700 sq. ft, short-term, skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility. The state was conducting its yearly health inspection and we were assigned a very rude and unprofessional inspector. It was a russian woman with a very thick accent, named Ivana.
Since she had such a thick accent, it was very difficult for people to understand her. It took much concentration and resulted in many people respectfully asking her to repeat herself. She was very condescending towards people and made many rude remarks about their intelligence and hearing. Fed up with everything I saw, I complained to my boss, and his boss about her. I was informed that I could file a complaint with the state, which I did that day!
Surprisingly, the next day, a few representatives from the state health department showed up. They conducted an investigtion and video recorded their interviews with people mentioned in my complaint. When it was my turn, I was called into the conference room. Where I was met with a video camera on a tripod, four representatives from the state, HR, and the senior executive director. I was asked about the incident in question and then sent on my way.
Afterwards, I was warned by my colleagues that I better be careful, and how I would be terminated for one reason or another. A few days later, the senior executive director summons me to the conference room. Where he tells me that I did not follow the proper chain of command when it came to reporting grievances. I was promptly fired!
I later found out that the inspector Ivana was terminated. It helped that all my colleagues mentioned in my complaint corroborated the conduct of their inspector. I also found out how her inspection became invalid and had to be redone by a new inspector. Ofcourse this made the senior excecutive director upset and resulted in new policies being implemented.
Who was the most ignorant American you have ever met?
Working in the States for about 6 weeks on a project I was invited to a BBQ at a colleagues house on a weekend. I’d offered to bring some beers so stopped at a store on the way. The conversation with “Stacey” at the till went something like this…
S – I’m sorry sir, but I’m going to need to see some ID for this purchase.
Me – Not a problem… and pulled my UK driving licence out.
S perusing said ID – I don’t think I can accept this as it’s not American.
Me – No problem… and pulled out my passport
S looking at my passport – I can’t accept this either as it’s not American and it’s not an ID.
Me – That’s my passport, it’s literally an internationally recognised form of identification.
S – But it’s not an American ID.
Me – That’s because I’m not an American.
S – I can’t accept these ID’s because they’re not American, and I can’t sell you alcohol without ID
Me tapping my passport – You do understand that your government allowed me into this country with this identity document… look, can you call a manager as we’re getting nowhere
Now the manager appears
Mgr – Is there a problem Stacey.
S – Yes. This man has no ID to buy this beer
Me – I do have ID, just Stacey here doesn’t quite grasp the concept of non-American ones.
Mgr looks at them both – Stacey, it’s fine, you can take either of these.
S – BUT THEY’RE NOT AMEEEEEEERICAN!!!
Mgr – Stacey… Just ring it up. I’m really sorry Sir.
S – You speak reeeeeally good English by the way.
Me – I’m sorry what?
S – Your English is excellent… for someone from the UK.
I just looked at the manager and raised my eyebrows… he simply shook his head and wished me a good day.
Why do Americans on Xiaohongshu start replying to a Chinese named“Li Hua” ？
Hot Chicken Sticks
Yield: 24 appetizers
Ingredients
- 24 (6 inch) wooden skewers
- 1/2 cup chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
- 24 chicken tenders (about 2 pounds)
- 1 (8 ounce) bottle blue cheese salad dressing
- 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In medium bowl, combine chili sauce, Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce.
- Thread each chicken tender onto skewer, leaving 1 inch at each end. Arrange skewers in greased 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Brush chicken with half of the sauce mixture.
- Bake 10 minutes.
- Turn skewers over; brush chicken with remaining sauce mixture.
- Bake 10 minutes longer or until chicken is no longer pink in center.
- Meanwhile, prepare dipping sauce by combining dressing, celery and onion.
- Serve with chicken.
Attribution
Pampered Chef
What are common myths about police speed enforcement on highways?
I suppose there are many. These are the ones I have heard:
Cops will not write you until you are X miles over the speed limit. That “X” is a different number of every traffic cop and even changes with the weather. In snow and ice conditions, I’ve written people for speeding (actually, “speed too fast for conditions”) who were still under the speed limit, but were driving too fast for conditions and without any snow tires or tire chains.
Red cars are ticketed more frequently than any other color. There is nothing to support this.
Cops write out-of-state plates, because they won’t come back for court. I didn’t care either way. Going to court was part of the job.
If you are asked, “Do you know why I stopped you? or “Do you know how fast you were going”, always lie. I wasn’t so interested in the answer as I was the way the violator said it. I’m assessing them for sobriety. A truth teller often got a warning because they were so rare.
Refuse to answer any questions from the police. Your choice, but don’t stare at me like you’re a zombie. If you want to make your position clear, just say, “I’d rather not answer any questions.” That’s going to go easier than “I don’t answer questions,” which has an unspoken “neener, neener, neener” after it.
Demand the officer’s name and badge number to put them on the defensive. My name and badge number will be on your ticket, which you are now almost certainly going to receive. It’s also displayed prominently on my uniform. You want to convince me how much I don’t scare you, but you’re apparently not sufficiently astute to read information readily available.
By the way, go to the police station and demand to make a complaint about the officer with Badge No. 12345, and you’re likely to collect blank stares. We know each others’ names, not our badge numbers. The only time the badge number would make a difference is if the agency has three John Smiths. Even then, it wouldn’t take long to figure out which one you were there about.
Demand the officer’s supervisor respond to the scene. This is also something intended to put the officer on the defensive. This could work out very badly for you. I had a supervisor, who, if requested to respond to the scene, would listen to the citizen for about ten seconds, then yell “BOOK HIM!” (or her), turn on his heel, and get back in his car and drive away. I knew I didn’t really have to book the violator if I didn’t want to, but they didn’t know that.
If tracking a line of cars that are all speeding, the cop will pull over the first/the last/the oldest/the newest car in the line. I’d go after the one I thought I could most easily catch.
Title: Sir Whiskerton and the Case of the Peacock Who Thought It Was a Goose
Ah, dear reader, I see you’ve returned for yet another tale of my exploits as the farm’s resident detective, peacemaker, and all-around savior of the barnyard. Today’s story is a true feathered fiasco, involving a flamboyant peacock, a conniving cat, and a most peculiar case of mistaken identity. Yes, this is the tale of The Peacock Who Thought It Was a Goose, a story so outrageous it could only happen on this farm. So fluff your feathers, settle in, and prepare yourself for a whirlwind of laughs, intrigue, and plenty of puns.
A Flash of Color
It all began one sunny afternoon as I was conducting my usual rounds, keeping an eye on the hens (who are always up to something) and making sure Rufus hadn’t fallen asleep while counting sheep again. Everything seemed perfectly normal—until it wasn’t.
“What in whiskers’ name is that?” I muttered, squinting toward the edge of the field. There, strutting through the tall grass like it owned the place, was the most colorful bird I’d ever seen. Its magnificent tail feathers shimmered in hues of blue, green, and gold, fanning out behind it in a dazzling display.
As it approached, the farm animals gathered, staring in awe. Doris the hen clucked nervously, Harriet wrung her wings, and Lillian (predictably) fainted into a pile of hay.
“It’s… it’s a rainbow chicken!” Doris whispered.
“Rainbow! But also so shiny!” Harriet added.
“Shiny! Oh, I can’t bear it!” Lillian screeched from the ground.
“It’s not a chicken,” I said, raising an eyebrow. “It’s a peacock.”
“A peacock?” Rufus said, tilting his head. “What’s it doing here? We don’t have peacocks on this farm.”
“Clearly, it’s wandered in from somewhere else,” I said, flicking my tail. “The real question is, why?”
Before I could ponder further, the peacock strutted up to Gertrude, the leader of the geese, and puffed out its chest. “Hello, fellow geese,” it said in a regal voice. “I have arrived. Where do I sign up for your exclusive club?”
A Goose in Peacock’s Clothing
The geese stared at the peacock in stunned silence. Finally, Gertrude stepped forward, her beady eyes narrowing. “Excuse me,” she honked, “but you’re not a goose.”
“Not a goose?” the peacock said, looking genuinely offended. “Of course I’m a goose! Just look at me! I’m clearly the most elegant, sophisticated goose you’ve ever seen.”
Gertrude raised an eyebrow. “You… have a tail fan. Geese don’t have tail fans.”
“Details,” the peacock said, waving a wing dismissively. “I’m here to bring some class to your gaggle. You should be honored.”
“Honored?!” Gertrude honked, her feathers bristling. “You think you can just waltz in here and call yourself a goose? We geese are a tight-knit community. We don’t just let anyone join!”
“Oh, come now,” the peacock said, striking a dramatic pose. “Surely you can make an exception for someone as fabulous as me.”
“Fabulous! But also so presumptuous!” Harriet clucked.
“Presumptuous! Oh, I can’t bear it!” Lillian screeched.
Catnip’s Scheme
As the geese and the peacock argued, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye: a familiar, sneaky figure lurking near the barn. It was Catnip, the farm’s resident troublemaker, and as usual, he wasn’t alone. His two bumbling henchmen, Cluckster the rooster and Billy-Bob the goat, were with him, whispering and snickering.
“This is perfect,” Catnip purred, his eyes gleaming. “That peacock is worth a fortune. We’ll kidnap it and sell it to the farmer as a rare, exotic bird. He’ll be so impressed, he’ll give us all the cream and kibble we can eat. It’s the purr-fect plan.”
“Uh, boss?” Cluckster said, scratching his head. “How do we, uh, catch it? It looks kinda… slippery.”
“Leave that to me,” Catnip said, smirking. “Just follow my lead.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Not on my watch,” I muttered. “Rufus, keep an eye on the geese. I’ve got a cat to catch.”
The Kidnapping Attempt
Catnip’s plan was, predictably, a disaster from the start. Armed with a burlap sack, he and his henchmen crept toward the peacock, who was still busy arguing with Gertrude.
“Now, Cluckster!” Catnip hissed.
Cluckster lunged forward, sack in hand, but the peacock spotted him at the last second. With a dramatic squawk, it spread its tail feathers, creating a dazzling wall of color that blinded the would-be kidnappers.
“Ahhh! My eyes!” Cluckster squawked, stumbling backward.
“Plan B!” Catnip yelled. “Billy-Bob, grab it!”
Billy-Bob charged, but the peacock sidestepped gracefully, sending the goat crashing into a haystack.
“Honestly,” the peacock said, preening its feathers, “is this how you greet all your distinguished visitors?”
Finally, Catnip decided to take matters into his own paws. He leapt toward the peacock, claws outstretched—only to be stopped mid-air by a well-timed swipe of my paw.
“Not so fast, Catnip,” I said, pinning him to the ground. “Kidnapping isn’t exactly a good look for you.”
“Whiskerton!” Catnip hissed, struggling beneath me. “This isn’t over!”
“Oh, I think it is,” I said, smirking. “Rufus, take out the trash.”
With a bark and a wag of his tail, Rufus chased Catnip and his goons off the farm, their cries of defeat echoing behind them.
A Happy Ending
With Catnip’s scheme foiled, I turned my attention back to the peacock and the geese, who were still at odds.
“Listen,” I said, stepping between them. “There’s no reason we can’t all get along. Gertrude, I know the peacock isn’t a goose, but maybe you could let it hang out with your gaggle for a while. And you,” I said, turning to the peacock, “might want to tone down the drama. Being part of a community means fitting in, not standing out.”
The peacock considered this for a moment, then nodded. “Very well. I shall endeavor to be less… fabulous.”
Gertrude sighed. “Fine. But if you’re going to hang out with us, you have to follow the rules. No preening during honk practice.”
“No promises,” the peacock said, winking.
The Moral of the Story
In the end, the peacock found a place among the geese (sort of), and the farm returned to its usual, chaotic peace. The moral of the story, dear reader, is this: even the most colorful characters can find their place in a community, as long as they’re willing to compromise—and tone down the theatrics.
As for me, Sir Whiskerton? I’ll always be here to keep the farm safe, solve its mysteries, and make sure no peacock—or goose—gets left behind.
Until next time, my friends.
The End.
TikTok Ban Backfires: Americans Flock to Red Note, Question Propaganda on China
If the US can fight 20 years against Taliban, why can’t China fight at least 10 years against separatists in Taiwan?
The Taliban are the real fighters, while the separatists in Taiwan only pay lip service and are unwilling to give their lives for the “ideal of Taiwan independence”.
Taiwan tycoon Koo Hsien-chung famously said, “I would rather be a dog in a peaceful society than a man in a chaotic world / 吾人寧作太平犬，莫作亂世民”
Shinpei Goto, former Japanese colonial governor in Taiwan, said
- The Taiwanese are afraid of death – they have to be threatened by high-handed means.
- The Taiwanese love money – they can be seduced by small profits.
- Taiwanese emphasize face – they can be coaxed with false reputations.
Taiwan’s rulers have changed from one to another, Holland, Spain, Ming Dynasty, Qing Dynasty, Japan, USA, Kuomintang …… All turnover in Taiwan’s history has ended with Taiwanese surrendering, with little resistance!
Don’t look at the rampant Taiwan independence elements in Taiwan now, but when the PLA officers and soldiers land on Taiwan and face the PLA soldiers, the Taiwanese will obediently turn into peace-loving “civilized people” who chant “Long live the CPC” and “look forward to the reunification of the motherland”!
The island of Taiwan is full of opportunists and no one is willing to pay even the slightest for “Taiwan independence”.