Life in China.
I (like everyone else) carry these tiny packets of tissue with me everywhere. You never know when you need to take a bathroom break, clean your hands, or blow your nose. A great habit.
Except…
When you forget to remove the tissues from your pocket when you throw them into the washing machine.
Then, unfortunately, you get a soaked sponge all wrapped up in a nice plastic package. Sort of like what this guy is doing…
Ah. Chinese life.
Today…
U.S. Orders Global Banks To Cancel China Trade, Plans To Punish Foreign Companies’ US Income
Trump has not let up on the anti-China bullshit.
To what extent has the US efforts to block China’s efforts to progress backfired?
You are right. Everything the US done to damage China, strengthens it. It is the nature of the being, the talents and the determination to excel.
China of 1 October 1949 is one united nation that had gone to hell and back. A tested nation of courage, verve and vitality. No surprise that it thwarts every US effort to contain it. No surprise that in overcoming the threats, it overtakes them and excels.
Obama wanted to stop it from building supercomputers. As of June 2022, China had 173 of the world’s most powerful supers, compared with 128 for the US. The Sunway OceanLight is as powerful as the best in the US.
BeiDou Navigation Satellite System has a similar story. US denied China’s access to the GPS in 1993, and let its vessel, Yinhe, adrift in the Indian Ocean to force it to submit to the search by the USN. This was done on false intelligence. In 1996, US purposely led astray China’s missiles tests in the Taiwan Straits. China spent about 10 years to build BeiDou. A US report in November 2022 stated that its capabilities significantly surpassed the GPS. It is inter-operational with Russia’s GLONASS.
Trump threatened to cutoff supply of semiconductors to China, unless it terminated MIC 2025. China then was heavily dependent on US tech, in manufacturing, banking, and even in government administration. Its annual imports of semiconductors were worth $400 billion. Even so, it did not submit.
China now has 35% of the global chips capacity. It is self-reliant on legacy chips. It is market leader on both the supply and demand side. Its exports jumped 20% in the first 11 months of 2024 to over 1 trillion yuan ($142 billion). It is still net importer. This could reverse in the next few years.
Huawei broke through to high-end chips in half the time the US thought possible. Its 910C chips competes directly with Nvidia’s H100, and the next one, the 920C, will take on Nvidia’s flagship, B200.
The outstanding feature of China’s chips developments is that it is across the supply-chain. Huawei worked with hundreds of industry partners and was able to announce during the launch of Mate 70, that it was made almost 100% on local technology, materials, parts, and components.
Biden went amok with sanctions and ban of exports – machines, high-end chips, training chips, AI chips. DeepSeek shows how futile and worthless they had been. It is trained using 2,000 second-rate chips, vs 16,000 first-rate chips for Meta’s model, which it beats on some ranking. Cost was $6 million vs tens of millions for American LLM. $1 trillion capitalization was destroyed in Nasdaq in just 1 day. Puts the $500 billion AI fund in doubt.
But DeepSeek is not a one-trick pony. China has many more in train. In quick successions, Alibaba released a new version of its Qwen 2.5 model that it claimed surpass DeepSeek-V3, and the report of Kimi k1.5, another Chinese open-source, the first LLM to beat GPT-4 in math, coding, & vision.
In typical US or western hubris, The Economist warned “America must prepare for a world in which Chinese AI is breathing down its neck”. In fact, it will be the other way round. China has far better prospect to be the winner in this race. It is already ahead in applications and implementations, as well as, awards of patents, and it has advantages of superior talents and data. DeepSeek, Qwen, and Kimi show it may be also ahead in the technology.
The better strategy for the US would be to find means to work with China.
Extreme
In the early morning of October 6, 1995, 15-year-old Nicole Vanden Hurk disappeared on her way to work in Eindhoven, a city in the Netherlands. Her body was found six weeks later, she had been ɍậpḛd and m̃urdḛred.
Every effort by the investigators to solve the gruesome crime proved abortive. The case was subsequently declared cold and abandoned. But Nicole’s stepbrother, Andy Vanden Hurk, never had any closure; he desperately wanted justice.
Image: Image: Nicole and her brother(lower frame)
In 2011, Andy took to his Facebook page to confess to the crime. He was arrested, but it quickly became clear that his confession was a hoax. However, he achieved his goal of rekindling interest in the case.
The case was re-opened with new investigators assigned, and Nicole’s body was exhumed for DNA extraction. Luckily, they got a match, a man they called De Ge. On January 14, 2014, the suspect was arrested.
On October 9 of the same year, he was given a twelve-year prison sentence for the ɍậpḛ and m̃urdḛr of Nicole Van den Hurk.
Footnotes:
How Nicole Vanden Hurk’s Case Was Solved— Andy Vanden Hurk’s Relentless Pursuit for Justice
Indian Flat Bread
(Naan — India, Pakistan and Central Asia)
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup milk
- Ghee or vegetable oil
- Poppy seed
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients except milk, ghee and poppy seed.
- Stir in enough milk to make a soft dough. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.
- Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up. Cover; let rest in s warm place gpt 3 hours.
- Divide dough into 6 or 8 equal parts. Flatten each part on lightly floured surface, rolling it into a 6 x 4-inch leaf shape (round at one end, tapered at the other) about 1/4-inch thick.
- Brush with ghee; sprinkle with poppy seed.
- Place 2 cookie sheets in oven; heat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Remove cookie sheets from oven; place breads on hot cookie sheets.
- Bake until firm, 6 to 8 minutes.
China isn’t dumping dollars. They’re dumping banks, and setting up a new financial system
Pay attention to China’s counter measures.
Why is China not giving in to Donald Trump’s trade deal?
I was sitting in my Brother-in-law’s fancy new Mercedes SUV a couple of months ago. Beside me was my Father-in-law and I was just sat there thinking (as I do) and wondering what life must be like for him. In the 2nd half of his life he’s gone from bicycle in small village without power to a Mercedes SUV cruising around in a city of 8 million! How does he deal with that change, the culture shock?
I looked out the window and watched the ever present old Chinese men playing Mahjong on a small table on the footpath, a small crowd looking on and no doubt indulging in a bit of gambling lol. How do they deal with it?
The old ladies dancing to tinny music. They look comfortable in their gang.
Then the huge buildings all lit up with LED lighting effects. One had big virtual balloons drifting up its surface.
They’ve seen MASSIVE change in their lifetimes, more than we can conceive and do you think they can’t handle a reversal? They can still play Mahjong, still dance. My Brother-in-law can even keep his SUV because Chinese follow the advice my Father gave to me – pay cash for depreciating assets. He’ll have to sell his house and move back to the cashed up house in the village. Think he won’t?
When my wife met me she had just got divorced. Her ex had taken everything – 3 houses, 5 companies, 2 cars – Chinese divorce laws are shit. She kept her Gucci bags and mink coats. My total wealth was a 20kg bag with my coffee machine and some clothes in it. Drifting around Asia. Her family scraped around and found enough for her to buy another house and now we have 3 houses again, we have 2 nice cars and 2 companies. Shit happens and the Chinese just pull together get over it and get on with life. Start again.
You Americans are in la la land if you think Chinese don’t have the capacity to suffer or put up with hardship and THAT is what’s going to win this trade war.
As a senior person, do you think extremely old people (90s/100s) at some point get to go “my time’s up” & calmly wait for the end (as they stop usual activities like driving), or the will to keep living on stays the same no matter how old you get?
ー
I’m turning 91 this month.
Every morning, I wake up and say, Hey, I’m still alive!
The morning air here in the mountains is wonderful.
Most of the trees around me are the ones I planted 50 years ago, they’ve ve grown huge.
My favorite is the Money Tree, which is said to bring wealth and happiness.
I love breakfast, especially all the fresh fruits ,mangoes, papayas, pineapples, bananas, and strawberries.
My favorite pastime is Quora. I’ve been on it for eight years now.
Since Im more fluent in Japanese, I tend to use it more often.
I owe my good health to over 20 years of line dancing, which I did throughout my 70s and 80s.
I’ve never smoked a single cigarette, but I did enjoy a fair amount of alcohol in my youth.
I’ve been blessed with a younger partner20 years younger whom I’ve been with for the past 15 years.
My son, who is now 65, brings me fresh vegetables every week.
My partner gave me three dogs, but he takes care of them ,I just play with them.
I recently renewed my driver’s license for another two years, though I don’t drive much anymore.
It’s much easier when someone else does the driving.
I moved to Hawaii right after graduating from college,
and since then, I’ve traveled to 75 countries.
I’m not bragging ,Im just happy to have had those experiences.
So, that’s pretty much how I’m doing at 91.
I think I’m happier now than ever, and I’m grateful for everything.
–
90th birthday with my best friend Who is 75year old. Her mother lived to be 100 years.
What’s the most “small town” thing you’ve witnessed?
In the early 1980s, our family moved to a small town in Texas. One day, my husband told me to expect a FedEx delivery while he was at work. Since I had errands to do, I was concerned that the driver would come by while the toddlers and I were gone. I just hoped we would make it back in time.
We had places to go and things to do, and mid-morning found us at the library, where the kids were watching a puppet show, and I was browsing the bookshelves. Out of nowhere, a man tapped me on the shoulder, and said, “Could you sign for this, please?” It was the FedEx driver!
I signed, and said, “What a coincidence that you should have another delivery at the library!” “Oh, it’s no coincidence,” he replied. “It’s Wednesday, and I thought you’d be here for the preschool program. My wife is the librarian, and she says you almost never miss.”
“It’s Getting WORSE And WORSE” | Richard Wolff
Who owns the future, Deepseek or OpenAI?
As far as I can tell, they are both focused on using LLMs to build AI. OpenAI has demonstrated the capabilities of LLMs and DeepSeek has demonstrated how to train and operate LLMs more efficiently.
I don’t think LLMs are going to get us to AGI, so I don’t think either of them will own the future.
If I were a betting person, I’d put money on Francois Chollet’s new company, ndea.com.
Ben Goertzel’s organization is also in the running – I’m not sure what to call it but SingularityNET is a good place to start. Most of the focus right now is on knowledge-graph infrastructure called Hyperon and Metta.
Both are looking at LLMs as one component of a larger system, rather than as something that will solve all problems if we can just scale up further.
Has a housekeeper ever said something to you which was completely unexpected?
I had a maid that came every couple of weeks, while I was at work. She was paid hourly and I left a stack of money for her to pay herself.
One day I forgot something at home, so I went back home at 9:15. I picked it up, and noted that the maid wasn’t there yet.
I thought about calling her and seeing if she was still coming, but decided it was too much hassle.
I went back to work, and came home after work, to find a note saying that she had worked straight through from 8:30 to 4:30, and that she had washed the clothes I had sitting on top of the dryer, and charged me an extra hours pay, because it was outside of her duties. She left them in the dryer.
These were clothes that I had washed and dried, but hadn’t folded and put away.
I was paying her by the hour, and I didn’t ask her to wash the already clean clothes.
I had left at 9:15 so I knew that she lied about getting there at 8:30.
I called her and told her I wouldn’t need her services again.
In the past she had just written down, 6,7 or 8 hours and took that amount of money. I have no idea why she thought she should get extra for washing clothes. She usually charged me for 7 hours.
I found a friend of a friend, who agreed to clean my place every two weeks. My vacuum has a steam cleaner attachment. The first time she came, she steam cleaned my carpet and couch, they looked awesome. I could tell by the marks on the carpet that she had moved my bed and couch to clean under them. Then she did the usual dusting, wiping, scrubbing , mopping and cleaning.
The second time she came she washed my walls, plus the usual.
The third time she came she washed all of my windows inside and out.
The fourth time she came, she emptied all of my cupboards, washed some of the dishes in the dishwasher, and wiped out all of my cupboards. Then put everything back, exactly as she found it.
The fifth time she came, she cleaned my refrigerator, freezer stove and oven.
The sixth time she came, she left me a note, that she had only done the regular cleaning, it took 3 hours, and it wasn’t worth her while to only work 3 hours.
We talked and the next time she cleaned out all the shelves in my walk-in closets, and dusted them, took down all the light fixtures and cleaned them.
Then we set a schedule. I had floor to ceiling windows, with a spectacular view. So she agreed to clean the windows inside and out every second trip. Then steam clean the carpets, wash the walls , clean the refrigerator etc, on in-between trips.
My house looked spectacular and she only charged me for 6 hours a day, instead of 7, and she did so much more.
In hindsight, I knew my first cleaner was scamming me.
But I couldn’t believe that she had the nerve to tell me that she charged me an hour extra to wash my clothes..
Why China is winning the chips race: materials, markets, money, and Moore’s Law
Undone at the Seams
Submitted into Contest #280 in response to: Write a story that solely consists of dialogue. (No dialogue tags, actions, or descriptions. Just pure dialogue!)… view prompt
Daryn Schvimmer
“No, the one on your left, the hazel ones not the green ones.”
“I don’t know. Do you really want the creature to look identical to Perry?”
“What’s the point of defying the laws of nature if we’re not getting the real deal back?”
“If it were the real deal–here’s your goddamn eye, Roger–why are we using the torso of a random man we found in the river last week, the arms of a recently deceased Leonard from next door, and the legs–ugh, I don’t even want to talk about the legs. The only thing this monster shares with Perry is his face–and one of his eyes.”
“You could’ve said no when I asked you to help me. I wouldn’t have held it against you.”
“God, Roger, you think I don’t miss him too?”
“I never said you didn’t. Now help me sew these legs to the torso.”
“It’s just–do you think he’d want this?”
“You’re saying this, yet you’re helping me.”
“Well, if you did it by your lonesome, the cross-stitching would be atrocious. This thing wouldn’t be able to take its first steps without being a pile of corpse parts and unspooling thread.”
“It’s not my fault I got into chemistry rather than sewing like you and Perry did.”
“He had the steadiest hand I ever knew. He’s the one who taught me what I know.”
“Heh. That’s sweet. It makes you think Perry was preparing you for this day.”
“You think Perry knew he was going to get flattened by a lorry?”
“Don’t look at me like that! I was trying to be nice.”
“You were being morbid. Perry didn’t teach me to sew so I could stitch him back together using pieces of corpses you looted from.”
“It’s funny. Perry’s body was squished to hell. It was all infected and gross…Terry couldn’t even look at him for long without ralphing. Yet…his face was strangely okay. It made me feel like I was still looking at him, but this time, it was me who was the big brother, and he was tiny and small, looking up at me, awaiting my help.”
“Do you remember a lot from when you were small? Perry basically raised you.”
“Of course I remember that. Why the fuck do you think I’m doing this? Do you think I like defying the laws of nature! Do you think I’m just a sick fuck–I miss my fucking brother, Caroline!”
“How do you think I feel, Roger! He was my brother too! It was the two of us for nearly seven years before Dad remarried, and suddenly you were in the picture, and Dad and our Stepmom couldn’t be bothered. Perry was there for me, all those years. He was there for me until you took him away. He spent so much time looking after you that our weekly sewing lessons became monthly. Then once every three months. Then once every six. I got less and less time the more you grew up and demanded more and more. He was taking you to science fairs, carting you everywhere and anywhere so you could go to your gifted kid programs–
“They were scholarship programs for kids gifted in the STEM field! Was I supposed to just not go so you could sew with Perry! At least you had other people besides Perry! You were popular, every kid in the neighborhood liked you. He was the only one I ever had. He was the only person who didn’t make me feel like a fucking freak for liking the things I did. He never thought my ideas or my experiments were strange…he just…he wanted me to be happy. And I was. As long as he was there.”
“I was there too.”
“Barely. You hate me. The only reason you even agreed to this was because you love Perry. And so do I. And that’s all we ever were to each other. Two people who loved their brother.”
“I went to your science fairs too, Roger. Don’t you remember? I was there when your study on postmortem heart activity among frogs won an honorable mention. I sewed you–”
“A plush frog. I remember. I…I named him Gregor.”
“After the pea-plant guy, right?”
“Yes.”
“Roger, I know we never talked as much as we should’ve when we were younger. I just…I was jealous of you. You had all these great things and Perry bragged about you…and who am I? I’m just the middle kid. The sister who has friends, but nothing of her own. I’m not even as good a sewer as Perry, who owned his own embroidery shop for fuck’s sake. I’m not going to be able to keep up with him. It’s going to shut down and it’ll all be my fault because I can’t be as good as him. I was always hesitant with you…I resented you for taking his time because I needed him too.”
“Caroline…I…I still have Gregor, you know. And Avogadro the crochet owl. And Rosalind the stuffed raccoon. After every fair…you made me a present. Even when you didn’t go because of school events or…you didn’t talk to me but you showed me. I…I asked you here for a reason. I could try and put Perry together again, but I knew only one person could stitch him up right. I was never good at sewing like you or Perry. But you are good. I…I wish I thanked you more. I wish I tried more too. I thought I could just hide behind Perry my whole life…you just seemed so far in your own world.”
“Perry had his own world too. Before Dad remarried he had friends and played varsity ball–but then…he took care of you and I. No one else seemed to want to do it. But he did it anyway. He just…he gave everything up for us, did you know that?”
“No. I never–I just was glad he was there at all. Perry…why’d you have to leave? I can’t go off to college without knowing you’re here too!”
“Roger, you upset my stitches–hey, what’re you doing?! Don’t throw the lever, we aren’t ready to–”
“He’s not moving. I’m doing it again!”
“Roger…the stitching is coming undone. It’s unspooling and frayed–if you keep trying to shock this thing it’ll come undone–”
“–NO! It HAS to work! C’mon, Perry! Please, don’t fall apart!”
“Roger. It’s fraying, and the seams will never hold. It’s still dead…it’s over–”
“–One last try! I can’t lose him! This is the only way I could think–he did everything for me, I have to help him! Please, c’mon!”
“Roger. Stop. It’s over. Please. For Perry’s sake.”
“It’s not going to work. Hehehe. Of course not. I just…I just created a pile of barely-connected corpse parts in the garage. This isn’t Frankenstein and the frog study I did never lead anywhere…I just…I need him, Caroline!”
“Roger…c’mere.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I just want him to come back. I thought I could help him like he helped me. All I did was rob graves and make you waste your thread…and I made you upset. I made you do this horrible thing with me.”
“You didn’t make me do anything, I came here on my own. We’re family. And…maybe…I wanted to see if it’d work. I miss him more than I can say. The shop–”
“It’ll run. You’ll manage it well. You’re good with people. Everyone loves you. I love you.”
“I love you too, Roger. And I know that Perry loved us both…despite the way it felt sometimes…he still would sew with me. Even if he had less time. He wanted to do it. He loved both of us–he sacrificed everything to make sure we’d never feel alone.”
“Yeah…I just wish…he could’ve led the life he deserved. I wanted to give that to him.”
“I know. You did what you know how to do…and it was a sweet thing. Now…we just have to unstitch and return these corpse parts by tonight. Then, you pack for college.”
“O-okay…you’ll help me, right? And when I go to college…you’ll write to me, right? A-and send updates on the shop?”
“Of course.”
Do you believe that placing 25% tariffs on Canadian goods is an effective way to stop the flow of fentanyl and migrants into the United States?
If your IQ is lower than 80, I could understand how you could fall for this. If however you have mastered the art of tying your own shoe-laces, you might think “Hang on, don’t we produce our own drugs like meth and crack?” or “Didn’t we invent Angel Dust and LSD?”. If any country has a drug problem, it’s up to that country to deal with it. Same with immigration, if you don’t want people coming to your country, enforce the laws you already have and arrest the people giving them work, nobody will come if they know they’ll starve. When a convicted criminal and documented liar tells you something, maybe take 5 minutes out of your busy schedule and check if it’s actually true. Here’s a starting point: the USA does NOT subsidise Canada, it does NOT subsidise or protect Europe, Panama does not “rip off” American ships, they charge the same tolls from all shipping regardless of nationality, the US Navy get to transit the canal at cost, the same as every other Navy in the world. No-one is jealous of your “Freedom”, many countries have far more freedom than you do. Greenland and Iceland are separate countries, and neither are for sale. The Gulf of Mexico has been called that since before the US was founded, and it’s still called that.
Girlfriend Felt Entitled To Equity In My House, Has MELTDOWN When I Dump Her Instead
Will Trump’s tariff wars end up doing massive damage to the US economy?
Allow me to bypass the experts on the economy and politics to answer this question from a perspective where I have some expertise.
Trump’s tariff war has done massive damage to the relationship between Canada and America. The damage is so severe that I am comfortable predicting that it will not be reparable. When things happen that are out of Canada’s control, something fascinating follows.
Canada is forced to examine what happened from a personal perspective. What did Canada ignore about the relationship with the United States? What made Canada so complacent about living next door to a country that creates wars that aren’t their own wars? You know, wars that kill people, destroy infrastructure, create hatred towards the United States. Why did Canada blindly trust that the USA would never turn on us? How did we get to this place of complacency and vulnerability that so many Prime Ministers had warned us about? Liken this to a marriage you trusted. A spouse that you believed had your back, would never harm or betray you. Someone you trusted was a “soft place to land”. Then suddenly and unexpectedly left you, divorced you, and tried to take all the joint assets of your life together.
Divorce trauma is a real thing, with symptoms consistent with post traumatic stress. Canada now has “Tariff Trauma”, identified by several stages- Denial (Canada has been sleeping next to an elephant and ignored the obvious risks),Bargaining (Canada added measures of border security despite illegal alien and fentanyl statistics that proved Canada was not the main source of illegal immigration or fentanyl), Anger (NO, Canada is not for sale!), and where we recently arrived, Depression (WTF happened?). The final stage will be Acceptance as Canada moves on with tough lessons learned.
To quote Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who said yesterday, “Canadians are perplexed”, I would agree, and add that perplexed does not adequately capture the multitude of other “tariff trauma”emotions Canadians are experiencing. Even if the tariffs were removed before they gained traction, it would do nothing to repair the damage already done to our relationship.
However, there is a silver lining! Canada is now awake (I said awake, Canada has always been “woke” and in Canada woke is not a dirty word). Canada knows beyond the shadow of a doubt, that it is time to break the pseudo trusted alliance with America, away from the whims of a deranged president, toward economic freedom. Canada will quickly find new markets (some have identified themselves already) and will become more financially independent, even if that means allowing foreign investment that was previously denied because America doesn’t like Canadian relationships with other countries. You know, like a jealous spouse.
Canada has its own identity that eschews the USA (even more obvious when Trump floated the idea of a “51st State”). Now it is time to make new friends, open new bank accounts, apply for new credit cards, and start dating again. From that new position, Canada will watch “the ex, USA” stumble in the dark (a serious possibility that Canada will contribute to this), with no guilt or remorse. The US will get what it has coming, and Canada will witness karmic retribution from a safe place, never again having to make excuses for America’s reprehensible behaviour.
NOW Neocons Are READY: Make Taiwan The Ukraine Of Asia | Jeffrey Sachs & Joanna Lei
What is a split-second decision you made that changed your life?
1978 – My mother remarried when I started high school to a man in the military. I was uprooted from my excellent schools and sent to less-than-excellent schools.
My Junior year I transferred into my 4th high school. The guidance counselor who met with us to decide my classes asked “Your grades were excellent here, but then you got a C, what happened?”
“My mother got married and I changed schools. My new biology teacher graded me like I had received a zero the first 4 weeks of class, even though I blew the curve the rest of the year”
The guidance said “I would like you to take the PSAT. That will help us decide where to put you”.
My stepfather went on a screaming tantrum “She doesn’t need it! She’s a girl! She’s just going to get married! I won’t pay for it! etc, etc, etc”
The guidance counselor calmly replied “The school can pay for it” Looked at me and asked “Do you want to?”
YES!! YES!! Please!!!!
I got a National Merit Scholarship from that PSAT. That guidance counselor got both my ACT and SAT paid for.
My parents kicked me out when I was 17 (after I graduated high school) because I wasn’t going to marry the person they had picked out for me and wanted to go to college.
What is the reason for Nvidia not selling in China?
The US don’t allow it to be sold. But that is a very good news for China. This means Chinese are motivated to make Chips better than Nvidia very soon! China will make it cheaper better and faster and it will sell it around the world including the US ! And it will bankrupt Nvidia. And do not blame China, blame your policy. I.4 billion highly industrious, very hardworking and driven people who could get to the dark side of the moon and back. And made better space center, higher resolution GPS call Beidou, a better version of Chat GPT at 1/1000 of your cost is certainly able to outperform Nvidia!
Girlfriend Felt Entitled To Equity In My House, Has MELTDOWN When I Dump Her Instead
Why is Chinese food so disgusting compared to American food? Cheeseburgers, cake, soda, French fries, pizza, etc. are much better than all Chinese foods!
LOL man you’re so mean.
C’mon, I like American food too. If you just wanted to see some good Chinese food, just ask. There’s no need to be sarcastic and poke fun of American food LOL.
I won’t feed the troll so I will only show you bad and disgusting food in China.
Below are the commonly complained bad food they serve for lunch in the cafeteria at my company in China.
Beans.
Lamb chops.
Tofu a bolognesa.
Jiaozi, steamed bass with seasoning, double cooked pork, some cooked vegetables with scrambled eggs and black fungus.
We bitch about our corporate food being bad, sometimes even disgusting, but who are we to judge when they only cost $0.14 per meal and is a buffet?
The Last Phone Call
Submitted into Contest #280 in response to: Write a story that solely consists of dialogue. (No dialogue tags, actions, or descriptions. Just pure dialogue!)… view prompt
Charlie Christmann
“For our astronomy club? Come on, Mom, we’re smarter than that. We’re all AP students. Mr. Hays was confused, too. I don’t think he bought it either.”
“Sarah… you…”
“Why would they bother sending someone in person to a small astronomy club meetup in the park? Why didn’t they just send an email warning to the school or just issue a general public notice. This guy showed up flashing credentials, telling us to pack it in immediately. It makes no sense.”
“I don’t know. Maybe they weren’t sure you’d get it in time.”
“And Dad… Mom, I’m worried about him. He barely sleeps. I hear him pacing at night. Yesterday morning, I found him asleep at the kitchen table, still in his work clothes.”
“Well, you know your dad. He’s… just under a lot of pressure. More than usual lately. Always taking his work too seriously. So… how’s that physics project you were telling me about? ”
“It’s going good, Mom. I’ll make an A, like always. But Dad… he let it slip they’re updating deep space tracking systems.”
“Yea, I heard that, too. He never was good at keeping secrets.”
“All of them? At once? On emergency status?”
“Who told you it was emergency status?”
“No one. I overheard him on the phone.”
“You shouldn’t eavesdrop.”
“I just want to know what’s going on. Just tell me.”
“I’m doing my best, sweetie…”
“But you’re not telling me everything.”
“Look, honey, you know I can’t always tell you everything. So, let’s talk about your birthday coming up. Seventeen… wow. I’m sorry I won’t be there. I hear Aunt Paula and your Dad have something special planned.”
“Forget my birthday. Something’s wrong. The NASA website’s been down for days. Maintenance they say.”
“These things happen. They’re probably just doing upgrades or fixing a server issue. ”
“During the same week that all the major observatories stopped updating their web sites?”
“Sarah…”
“And why did Aunt Paula buy extra supplies?”
“What do you mean?”
“I dropped by after school yesterday. She was carrying in boxes of food. For her storm shelter, just in case, she said. She also mentioned that you called her yesterday. I’ve been trying to reach you for the last three days. You found time to call her, but didn’t call me?”
“Keep Aunt Paula’s phone number handy. It’s always nice to have someone to depend on, just in case.”
“Mom, stop. Something’s happening. Just tell me.”
“Nothing’s happening. We’re just conducting routine research.”
“Then explain the launches. You know, I track this stuff for the astronomy club.”
“What?”
“Five days ago. China, Russia, and NASA all launched within hours of each other. No warnings, no announcements. All classified payloads? At the same time?”
“Honey… uh… It’s likely just coincidence. Sometimes agencies coordinate for unrelated reasons. You know NASA likes to cooperate with other agencies.”
“I might have believed that, but amateur astronomers tracked two of the rockets. Posted the trajectory data online. Then their data disappeared. And now those same astronomers aren’t responding to anyone. They’ve gone dark.”
“You really need to stop reading conspiracy theories online.”
“These aren’t theories. I’ve seen the videos from people who live near the launch sites. Those have been taken down, too.”
“…”
“I checked the trajectories myself. They’re all going to the ISS, aren’t they. And, why did the ISS change orbit?”
“Sarah… NASA’s… it’s complicated. Just some specialized equipment for our research, okay? The Russians are sending up new cosmonauts. The ISS is just performing a standard maneuver, Sarah. Space debris is unpredictable. You know how it is. Nothing you need to worry about.”
“Really? China finally claimed it was a weather satellite launch? Why did Russia lie in their announcement today? They said it was engine testing. And why hasn’t NASA said something?”
“These things are complicated…”
“No one launches secret missions in perfect sync by accident, Mom. Remember when you taught me about Occam’s Razor?”
“Sarah…”
“And the astronomy forums are going crazy about something near Jupiter. But the posts keep disappearing.”
“Internet hoaxes. Don’t believe everything you read online.”
“No. No, it’s not. Dad got a call late last night, it woke me up. I got up and saw him make several calls. He looked rattled. Then he told me this morning that he needs to leave for a few days—for work.”
“So?”
“Mom, I couldn’t help but overhear Dad’s side of the call. He said something about a spacecraft and a ‘collision course.'”
“…”
“Mom?”
“Sarah, it’s not what you think. These conversations are never straightforward. Your dad deals with classified projects all the time. You should get some sleep, honey. It’s late there.”
“He’s never acted like this… What’s on a collision course?”
“Sarah, please. I… I can’t talk about this right now.”
“All those launches, the spacecraft, the deleted information. It’s too much to be a coincidence. They’re hiding something, Mom. And you know…”
“Sarah, I—it’s just… stop, okay? ”
“You’re not… Mom, are you preparing for something? It’s not just research, is it?”
“I can’t have this conversation.”
“The Chinese, the Russians, NASA, the ISS… you’re all working together… in secret.”
“Sarah, quit it, now.”
“You’re not studying anything. You’re trying to stop something.”
“Sarah, I can’t do this. I have to go.”
“How big is it?”
“How big…What?”
“The asteroid. That’s what it is, isn’t it? That’s why all the telescopes are shut down. Why everything’s classified. You don’t want people to panic.”
“…”
“Mom?”
“You always were too smart for your own good.”
“How bad?”
“I have to go.”
“Mom, please.”
“Don’t tell anyone about this call.”
“What?”
“I mean it. It’s important. Promise me.”
“I promise.”
“I love you, Sarah. More than anything. Always remember that, okay? No matter what.”
“Mom… are you going to be on that spacecraft?”
“…”
“Mom, please tell me you’re not.”
“Be strong, Sarah, like I know you can. Remember how much I love you, and know that I’m doing everything I can to come back to you. And… stay close to Aunt Paula. Just… just in case.”
“Mom… just be careful and come home soon. Mom…”
“This call has been terminated.”
“I love you too. Stay safe.”
If US tech companies are worried communist China’s lead in ai with DeepSeek will compromise the core values of American freedom through suppressing the “truth”, what does it matter If America’s “truth” is equally tailored to it’s needs as China’s?
DeepSeek is open-sourced. America’s AI and technologies are closed and protective and protectionist, which it weaponizes without hesitation. No need to go further than the sanctions in the book.
As to America’s “freedom” and “truth”, no need to go further than the weapon of mass destruction in Iraq. If you want something more current, just read the statements by US officials and the reports by the MSM, about the situation of the war in Ukraine.
US and China are in an AI contest. Ruth Porat, CIO of Alphabet, said US has about a l-year lead on chips, but China is equal or leading in the “diffusion of basic capabilities”, which are the applications and implementations of the technology. China has also been granted almost 3 times more AI patents than the US – cumulatively 61% of all AI patents in the years 2012 – 2022, against 21% granted to the US (The AI Index 2024 Annual Report).
Indian Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 small onions, peeled and chopped fine
- 1 to 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 lemon
- 4 small to medium cloves garlic, peeled and chopped fine
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons dried leaf sage
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
Instructions
- Heat oil in heavy frying pan.
- Fry onion and garlic for a few minutes until they soften, but do not allow them to brown.
- Stir in thyme, sage and ground cardamom.
- Add the mushrooms, stirring constantly, to ensure that they are coated with oil.
- Sprinkle in the salt, then squeeze in the juice of the lemon. Cook for a further minute or two and serve.
Europe has a big problem: near-total dependence on China, Russia and the BRICS. For everything.
Shorpy
Can you explain the difference between being a net importer and a net exporter? Are there any advantages to being one over the other?
Let me give you a very simplistic view
It’s a very basic view but in a way you can understand
Take India :-
Indias Exports are around $ 470 Billion and Imports are around $ 760 Billion
Thus India has a trade deficit of $ 290 Billion
However India also exports $ 255 Billion of Services and imports $ 133 Billion of Services giving a net service surplus of $ 122 Billion
So Indias overall trade deficit is around (-) 290 (+) 122 = (-) $ 168 Billion
This means India needs to buy 168 Billion EXTRA US Dollars to pay for its imports
This means India has to pay around ₹14.50 Lakh Crore to buy these EXTRA US Dollars to pay for imports
India pays this ₹14.50 Lakh Crore mainly to Indian NRIs who make remittances to India
However this ₹14.50 Lakh Crore that India loses every year, is equivalent to 14 years education budget, 2 1/2 years defence budget and 2900 times the amount proposed to train Indians in AI in the present budget (₹500 Crore)
Take China :-
China exports $ 3 Trillion worth of Goods a year and imports $ 2 Trillion worth of Goods a year
Thus China has a Trade Surplus of $ 1 Trillion
China imports $ 668 Billion of Services and Exports $ 342 Billion of Services
This China has a net service deficit of (-) $ 326 Billion
So Chinas overall trade surplus is = (+) 1000 Billion (-) 326 Billion = (+)$ 674 Billion
This means China gets an EXTRA $ 674 Billion Dollars into their People’s Bank which is automatically converted into RMB
This means the Chinese economy gets an EXTRA 4.96 Trillion RMB
That’s 4.96 Trillion of extra cash into the Chinese economy which is around 2 1/2 times the defense budget
As you can see, Trade Deficit means the Economy is forced to pay money to buy dollars for imports, ensuring the country running a deficit cannot spend too much on other things
Trade Surplus means the Economy gets a huge stash of Dollars which when converted into local currency, allows a country running a trade surplus to spend far more on Infrastructure and Social Development
Do you think the US microchip export controls will freeze China’s development of supercomputers used to develop nuclear weapons and artificial intelligence systems?
No.
It did create the need for a domestic industry of microchips in China.
So instead of moving to silicon valley, Chinese chip engineers can now stay and work in China.
What is going to be the China response for Panama not renewing the understanding agreement with China after Marco Rubio’s visit?
China doesn’t care about the Panama Canal anymore because its trade relations with the US are becoming less important, and may abruptly stop. But this is nothing new, and China has been diversifying away from the US for a long time by increasing trade with the other BRICS+ economies.
The most important single event is the opening of the Chancay port in Peru, which will ship directly between South America and Chinese ports, deliverying food and minerals. This port has no reliance AT ALL on the Panama Canal.
When Rubio talks about the security threat caused by Chinese control of the Panama Canal, he is thinking of the past, when trade relations between the US and China were still important. The Chinese government understands that the US is now going through a difficult time, where it has difficulty accepting that the US is not as powerful as it once was, and is using the Panama Canal as a red herring to distract Americans from more immediate challenges.
So why doesn’t Rubio make more noise about the Chancay port in Peru? Chances are most likely because he has no power to do anything about it.
It is better to keep quiet than to reveal his weakness.
Sir Whiskerton and the Dragon with a Bellyache: A Tale of Fire, Friendship, and Feline Diplomacy
Ah, dear reader, prepare yourself for a tale of myth, mystery, and one very gassy dragon. Today’s story is one of unexpected friendships, culinary creativity, and a cat who proved that even the fiercest creatures can be tamed with a little kindness (and a lot of antacid). So, grab your sense of humor and a fire extinguisher, as we dive into Sir Whiskerton and the Dragon with a Bellyache: A Tale of Fire, Friendship, and Feline Diplomacy.
The Legend of the Mountain Dragon
For as long as anyone could remember, the low mountain that loomed over the farms had been the subject of legend. It was said that a mighty Chinese dragon lived deep within its caves—a flying, fire-breathing beast with scales that shimmered like gold and eyes that glowed like embers. The farmers told stories of the dragon’s fearsome roars and the occasional plume of smoke that rose from the mountain’s peak. But no one had ever actually seen the dragon… until now.
It was a quiet afternoon when the dragon made its grand appearance. The sky darkened, the ground shook, and a shadow passed over the farms. Then, with a roar that could be heard for miles, the dragon descended. It was a sight to behold: long and serpentine, with shimmering scales, a flowing mane, and a pair of majestic whiskers that rivaled even Sir Whiskerton’s. Its name, as it would soon be revealed, was Longwei—which, roughly translated, means “Dragon of Great Power.”
The animals were terrified. The hens clucked in panic, the dogs howled in fear, and even the pigs oinked in alarm. Only Sir Whiskerton remained unfazed. After all, cats aren’t afraid of anything—not even fire-breathing dragons.
Sir Whiskerton Meets Longwei
As the other animals cowered in the barn, Sir Whiskerton sauntered out to meet the dragon. “Well, well,” I said, flicking my tail. “You must be Longwei. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
The dragon blinked its glowing eyes and let out a low rumble. “And you must be Sir Whiskerton,” it said in a deep, resonant voice. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Oh?” I said, smirking. “All good things, I hope.”
Longwei chuckled, sending a small puff of smoke into the air. “Mostly. But let’s not waste time with pleasantries. I have a problem, and I need your help.”
“A problem?” I said, raising an eyebrow. “What kind of problem could a mighty dragon possibly have?”
Longwei sighed, his massive shoulders slumping. “It’s my stomach. I’ve been eating all the hot peppers from the surrounding farms, and now I have the most terrible indigestion. I can’t stop breathing fire, and it’s… well, it’s embarrassing.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “So, let me get this straight. You, a fearsome dragon, are suffering from a case of… spicy heartburn?”
Longwei nodded, his whiskers drooping. “It’s not funny! I’m in agony!”
“Oh, it’s a little funny,” I said, flicking my tail. “But don’t worry. I know just the raccoon to help you.”
Chef Remy LeRaccoon to the Rescue
I led Longwei to Chef Remy LeRaccoon’s gourmet laboratory, a ramshackle shed filled with bubbling potions, glowing pickles, and the occasional explosion. Remy, ever the eccentric genius, was thrilled to take on the challenge.
“A dragon with indigestion, you say?” Remy said, rubbing his paws together. “This is my most exciting project yet!”
After a flurry of activity—and a few more explosions—Remy emerged with a bubbling, green potion. “This,” he declared, “is the Elixir of Eternal Calm. It’s made from mint, ginger, and a secret ingredient I can’t reveal. One sip, and your fiery troubles will be no more.”
Longwei eyed the potion warily. “Are you sure it’s safe?”
“Safe?” Remy said, grinning. “Of course it’s safe! Probably.”
With a shrug, Longwei downed the potion in one gulp. Almost immediately, his scales began to shimmer, and his eyes softened. “Oh,” he said, letting out a contented sigh. “That’s much better.”
Longwei’s Quirk
As the potion took effect, Longwei’s demeanor changed. Gone was the fearsome, fire-breathing dragon. In its place was a gentle, almost cat-like creature. Longwei began to purr—a deep, rumbling purr that shook the ground—and he developed a peculiar quirk: he loved to curl up in the sun and nap, just like a cat. He even started grooming his whiskers with his claws, much to the amusement of the other animals.
“Look at him,” Doris the hen said, clucking with delight. “He’s like a giant, scaly kitten!”
“Kitten!” Harriet echoed.
“Echoed!” Lillian added, fainting onto a pile of straw.
The Moral of the Story
As Longwei settled into his new, calmer lifestyle, the animals reflected on the day’s events.
The moral of the story, dear reader, is this: Even the fiercest creatures have their vulnerabilities, and a little kindness can go a long way. Whether it’s a dragon with a bellyache or a cat with a knack for diplomacy, everyone deserves a chance to be understood—and maybe even a little pampered.
A Happy Ending
With Longwei’s indigestion cured, the farms returned to their usual state of peaceful chaos. The dragon became a beloved member of the community, often seen napping in the sun or helping the animals with his newfound fire-free breath. The farmer, still oblivious to the dragon’s presence (and still busy “helping” the woman at Catnip’s farm), went about his business as usual.
As for me, I returned to my favorite sunbeam on the barn roof, content in the knowledge that I had once again saved the day. Longwei’s fiery troubles were over, the farm was at peace, and all was right in the world.
And so, dear reader, we leave our heroes with the promise of new adventures, new friendships, and hopefully, no more dragons with indigestion. Until next time, may your days be filled with laughter, love, and just a little bit of feline genius.
The End.
Global Economy’s DONE: Major Retaliation on US, World Currencies CRASH, Stocks Collapsing HARD
“OMG. I will be next…”
The USA is interested in reshoring, not friendshoring.
New Unreported Submarine In China Leaves West Guessing
China’s incredible naval expansion and modernization continues. The latest surprise is yet another new and unexplained submarine. The boat, whose designation is unknown, has a distinctive ultra-modern layout.
Along with the rapid building of invasion barges at Guangzhou Shipyard in southern China, a submarine has entered the scene. The shipyard is not known for submarine construction but the presence of the boat is revealed in satellite imagery.
The new boat was noticed in a floating dock by defence watcher MT Anderson. Naval News is able to confirm that this is a new and previously unreported design.
China has, once again, surprised analysts by building a submarine in secret. Western submarines are reported in media years before they are even laid down. While there are always secrets surrounding their design and capabilities, their exitance cannot be kept secret. China however has a track record of building submarines in almost complete secrecy. This isn’t the first, and Naval News is often the first place you can read about these submarines. They typically do not feature in the official submarine force estimates shared by the U.S. Government.
The New Submarine
The submarine is distinct from the recently revealed Type-041 nuclear-battery design which was launched at Wuchang Shipyard near Wuhan. This design is smaller and likely has a different propulsion type (not nuclear assisted), and mission. It is also different from the ‘Olympic’ submarine revealed by Naval News in February 2022.
Preliminary estimates suggest that the new submarine is around 45 meters (148 feet) long and 5 meters (15 feet) across. The most notable features are the large X-form rudders at the stern, and the apparent absence of a sail. Sails are a standard feature but designers have sought ways to eliminate them to create a more streamlined boat. China is so far the only country to have built a sailless submarine, with one launched at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai in 2019.
The previous sailless submarine appears to have been purely experimental. It did not appear to have any torpedo tubes or sonar, required features for a warfighting boat. At first glance it appears conceivable that the new sailless submarine is a rebuild of the first. They are similar in size and form. The original boat is accounted for however, so we are confident that this latest boat is a newbuild design.
The X-form rudders are also novel for Chinese submarines although they are becoming increasingly common and reflect a wider trend in submarine design.
World’s Largest Uncrewed Submarine?
The new boat has the outward appearance of an uncrewed vessel. We expect these types to omit the sail, since there is no crew to need an access tower high above the waterline for use at sea. China, and indeed other leading navies, have active programs to build extra-large uncrewed submarines. And China’s program is the largest and most extensive with at least 5 types in the water.
But if this is the case, and it is an XLUUV (extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicle), then it is the largest in the world. And not by a small margin; it is around 6-8 times larger than the U.S. Navy’s Orca XLUUV.
That China has built the world’s largest XLUUV is not inconceivable. It has already built the largest combat uncrewed surface vessel (USV) and seems willing to push boundaries. But if so, the question becomes why it is so large. There is no need for crew accommodation so even the largest XLUUVs need not be the same size as a traditional submarine. So it seems more likely that this is a crewed boat.
The role of the new submarine remains unclear. It is smaller than regular diesel-electric submarines, but may be particularly suitable for operations in shallow water. At the same time, it does appear to have torpedo tubes, and possibly a towed sonar array. These features suggest that it could be used to attack ships or submarines. An alternative explanation is that it is designed for special forces missions, or seabed warfare. Time may tell.