My mother used to travel once a year to Savanna Georgia. She loved it there. I really don’t know why. She said that she felt “comfortable” there.
I can kind of see why.
If you are in the South East portion of the United States, perhaps a visit to Savanna might be worth the while to check out.
Today…
Did you change your mind about China after you actually visited the country?
Yes indeed.
I live in Copenhagen, Denmark, and I consider myself to have a broad end educated view of the world.
My experience after a 3 week trip to Shanghai, Hefei and Beijing was that what I have been told about China in western media and education is a very very limited and biased view.
Any westener with a curious and open mind will have a mind-blowing experience in China, and the possibility to get a much more elaborated understanding of Chinese and Asian culture. I highly recommend that.
China is all in all a very safe and friendly country.
I completely changed my mind.
UPDATED AGAIN 11:32 PM EDT — RUSSIAN MISSILE LAUNCH DETECTION!
Satellites have detected a Russian Missile Launch. Over 100 Ballistic Missiles have been fired inside Russia.
Current trajectory indicates targets inside Ukraine.
UPDATE 8:56 —
WAVES OF DRONES LAUNCHED PRIOR TO THE BALLISTIC MISSILES HAVE UKRAINE’S AIR DEFENSES COMPLETELY OVERWHELMED.
UPDATE 11:18 PM EDT —
It is very difficult to get information out of Ukraine tonight. Russian attacks took out the electric grid, telephone switching centers, and drones were directed to VERY MANY rooftop “StarLink” antennas!
Cellular phones are getting some signals thanks to battery back-up, but with landline switching centers knocked out, cell calls are not getting through.
What I can confirm is that many areas of Kiev are burning tonight. Numerous impacts of very significant explosive power, struck the city.
Russia launched a barrage of ballistic missiles targeting the Ukrainian capital in the early hours of Friday, around 3 a.m. Local air defense units, including anti-aircraft machine guns and other weaponry, engaged the incoming missiles.
Residents reported windows rattling, buildings shaking, and the night sky flashing as explosions erupted across Kyiv.
Some missiles made impact, though the exact number remains unconfirmed.
The capital remains on high alert, its residents rattled by one of the most intense strikes in recent weeks.
UPDATE 11:32 PM EDT —
I am very limited in what I can get tonight. I have one video below which shows a VERY LARGE – and strangely wide and white – explosion hitting Kiev.
A second missile arrival is also so large, that the shockwave can be seen traveling as if it moving CLOUDS in the sky!
One video, two hits.
This will have to end my coverage of tonight as communications into that area is almost impossible right now, and it is far too late to be waking up my sources in Europe and here in the US to try to get more info. It will have to wait until morning.
Daddy’s Golden Mushroom Chuck Roast
This is great on Portuguese rolls.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 to 4 pound boneless chuck roast, browned in 2 tablespoons oil
- 4 cans Campbell’s Golden Mushroom Soup
- 1 large can mushrooms, drained, or 12 ounces washed fresh mushrooms whole or sliced
- Milk (use the 4 soup cans to fill each 1/2 way)
Instructions
- Place browned meat into slow cooker.
- Mix the 4 cans of Golden Mushroom Soup with the milk, using a whisk to blend smoothly. Stir in drained can of mushrooms or fresh mushrooms.
- Set slow cooker on LOW for 8, and let cook for 8 to 10 hours. If you like it thicker, shut off slow cooker and mix cornstarch and water and stir into gravy.
- Serve with mashed potatoes or wide noodles or dumplings and a veggie.
- Also good as a sandwich because meat pulls apart.
Operation ‘Retribution’: US and UK officers Were Blown To PIECES Along With The Whole Unit in TOKARI
No More Elephants in the Zoo
Submitted into Contest #210 in response to: Set your story after aliens have officially arrived on Earth.… view prompt
Michał Przywara
“So they figured it out after all.” She snorted, what might have been a chuckle. Shouldn’t she be happy? Perhaps it was the sedative. Or shock, at coming back to life.
Anita decided to risk standing. She braced herself against the armrests of the recliner and carefully rose – only to discover she had no trouble whatsoever. “They really figured it out.” No weak muscles, no shaky legs, no dizziness. She spun her arms, touched her toes, lunged, jumped. Her heart fluttered and she felt warm.
“So,” she said. “Where is the doctor then?”
Dennis glanced out the window, at rain splattering with a low drum. “A lot has changed, Anita.”
“A lot has…” She let the question trail, narrowed her eyes. “How long was I out for?”
“Come on, let’s go chat in the cafeteria.” He ushered her out of the lobbyish room, which didn’t remind her of the cryonics institute at all. “You mentioned a name when you were coming to. Molly. Is she someone special?”
The warmth in her chest spread to Anita’s cheeks, and she felt herself reaching for a smile. When was the last time she truly smiled? It must have been Molly’s seventh. All her friends did the princess thing, but Molly wanted elephants.
“Real elephants, Mom! Not cartoons.”
They plastered all the walls with elephant posters, and went to the zoo – which was happy, to see them, and sad, to see them imprisoned, and Molly vowed to free all elephants – “No more elephants in the zoo!” – and then when the cake arrived – goodness! Grey was not a good colour for food, but Molly loved it.
Anita hugged herself, imagining holding Molly again. “She’s my daughter. She’s the reason I’m here.” That smile pushed against the sedative. “She was right. And I’m going to get to see her again.”
She stopped abruptly at the cafeteria entrance, glossed right over the size and decorations. Nearly jumped when she saw glowing blue words appear suspended in the air.
13:13. Currently: Free roam. Next at 15:00: Communal welcoming in Hall 17.
“What the hell is that!?”
“It’s a holoserver,” said Dennis. “Only I disabled the ads and retooled it to show our… well, no need for ads, I’m sure you’ll agree. Why – did you not have these, back when?”
“Words floating in the air?” She stepped a little closer to the mystery, fingers creeping. “Can I touch it?”
“Yes, yes, perfectly safe.”
The letters distorted where her finger prodded, but that was it. No cold, no heat, nothing fuzzy. No sensation at all. She withdrew her hand, frowned.
“We didn’t have these, no. Our ads were in print. On TV. On the internet, I guess.”
“Teavey?”
“Television. A box with sound and pictures. And idiots.” Anita shivered. All the warmth she had felt before faded, replaced by a cold deep in her gut. “Dennis – how long have I been frozen?” He looked at the floor. “What year is it?”
Dennis hesitated.
She grabbed his coat and pulled him close. “Tell me!”
“Anita, please, calm down–”
“–What. Year. Is. It.”
“We don’t know.” He guided her to one of the empty tables when she let go of him. “Please, sit.” A polished vending machine produced two steaming cups of something like tea, and he set them on the table.
“How can you not know what year it is?”
“A lot has happened while we were in stasis.” He took a sip and frowned into the distance, walking down a road that never got easier. “I went under in 2101.”
Anita’s eyes widened.
“You were what,” he continued, “early 2000s? The youngest patient – chronologically, not biologically – was suspended in 2248.”
He took another sip. “You might be wondering why you don’t find this more shocking. When the sedative wears off, you will, and we’ll be here for you when you do.”
“And we are the other patients?”
Dennis nodded. “To the best of our knowledge, the year is somewhere in the mid to late 3000s. You’re wondering why we don’t just ask someone, right? Like the doctors or other staff?”
Anita nodded.
Dennis drew himself up, preparing for a particularly challenging sprint. “In short, we can’t. Something… some thing, happened. To the world. To humans. While we slept. We don’t know if it was war, or disease, or what, but.” His throat hitched and he took another sip. “Everyone’s gone. We’re the only ones that are left.”
They sat in silence for a while. Anita felt her heart run maybe a beat or two faster, followed by a dull disappointment that there wasn’t a panic. Rationally, it crossed her mind she’d not see Molly again after all. Never see her again. Shouldn’t that be crushing? It ought to be, damn it.
“Wait,” she said. “If everyone’s dead, who brought us back?”
Dennis nodded, expecting this.
“We’re not alone.”
None of it really sunk in until that evening. She heard the words, they lingered in her now-healthy brain, but they didn’t register until the lights went out. Meeting the others – hundreds of patients, a small town – at the communal welcome in Hall 17 was a blur, a parade of time traveling strangers. And the talk of the aliens that roused them? Incomprehensible.
She started screaming at midnight. As Dennis said, the others were there for her, whether she wanted them or not. They made a human straight jacket, smothered her with shared experience, a common circumstance. Kept her from doing the regrettable thing she yearned to do.
Because what was the point of living in a world where Earth no longer belonged to Man? What was the point of a life without Molly?
“Can I see them?” she asked Dennis a couple weeks later. More than anything else, the idea of aliens felt unreal.
“In time, yes. They are uncomfortable to get used to, and there are biological precautions we must take.”
“They talk to you?”
“In a sense. They have an amazing grasp of our technology, and they’ve been able to communicate via our computers. I don’t know if they actually talk, per se. And… they are hard to understand. There’s little common ground between us. Culturally speaking, that kind of thing. I get the sense they’ve gone to great lengths to understand us.”
“Why are they here?”
“Far as I can tell, just for living. From their point of view, they’ve settled an unoccupied world.”
“And why,” Anita asked, “did they wake us?”
It was another one of those questions where Dennis hesitated. “To see if they could. To preserve the native fauna of their new home. Our de-extinction is of scientific interest to them.”
She was allowed to walk around the tower – for the whole facility was its own skyscraper – freely, but never alone. Never out of sight. No matter how many times she told them she was fine over the first few months, that she’d adjusted and wouldn’t do anything, there’d still always be one or two humans in eyeshot.
They saw through her lies.
It came as a shock to her the first time she saw children. Three of them, about the same age as Molly had been. Shrieking, barreling down the hall, absorbed in a running game. Then came a profound sadness that such tiny, young people had been afflicted with this fate. Cursed with an incurable condition, frozen, and thrust into a future that didn’t make sense, a future without a future.
“But they’re not patients,” said Renee, one of her constant companions. In better circumstances Anita would have called her a friend. In a different world, in a different time. If they hadn’t been born two centuries apart.
Renee smiled. “Those kids are real. More real than you and me. They were born here-and-now.”
Ambivalence. Vague dread. Anita’s other constant companions. “So the aliens are breeding us.”
Renee, too, hesitated. “I guess that’s one way of looking at it. I won’t lie, procreation is encouraged. And yeah, it did make my skin crawl. Still does. But those little rascals? They don’t care. This isn’t weird for them and they didn’t come here with baggage. Didn’t lose anything in the past. They’re just kids, having the times of their lives.”
She was allowed to walk around the tower, but not outside. Never seemed to stop raining there. Dennis said it wasn’t exactly rain, that there were things in the air that were no longer friendly to humans. Things that evolved without us, passed us by. No walking outside the tower without an environmentally sealed suit, anyway.
“Can I have one?”
“In time,” Dennis said. Because he knew. “We all went through it. It’s hard adjusting to this new world of ours.”
“I’m fine.” Of course, she didn’t really need the suit for what she was planning.
She took to watching the rain from the ground floor. Casually, she placed her hands on the windows one day. Nothing odd about that. Then another day, casually she placed her hands on the door. Still very normal, just a woman lost in thought. Then the next day, she did the same and pushed just a bit. Just until the door gave a little.
Not locked.
Anita smiled, and began preparing for the end. She picked a day the next week. A day everyone decided was Monday. Nobody knew if their new calendar lined up with pre-extinction, but there was something comforting about having regular Mondays. She was pleasant to everyone, played with the kids, embraced the community. And let go. It wasn’t a terrible place, but it just wasn’t for her. Her time had come and gone.
She never saw the aliens, which was a regret. The idea both enthralled and repulsed her, and still seemed unreal. Ah, but life was all about accepting the nevers and moving on.
Finally her day came. Good luck, with Renee being her chaperone. “I could sure go for a coffee,” Anita said, her hands on the door. “Would you mind?”
“Could go for one myself.” Renee left to fetch them, because she trusted Anita. That was an unexpected barb in the heart. But no matter, this had to be done.
And as luck often does, good turned to bad when Dennis came down the stairwell. “Anita! Guess what?”
She closed her eyes and swore under her breath. “What?”
“I found a TV!” Anita glared at him. “Well, I think I did, anyway. There’s a good chance it’s not an original. You know, they constantly tinker with our tech, taking it apart and reproducing it. I think they maintained this building for us, and all the food and whatnot. Doesn’t seem like it would survive thousands of years without help otherwise. Our caretakers.”
She sighed. This Monday was looking to be a real Monday.
Dennis placed something in her hand. A small, flat bit of plastic, looking like a narrow thumb drive.
“What’s this?” she asked. There was a strip of masking tape on it, and in faded pen, “33875 ANITA CABLE”.
“A Q12 drive, I believe. Maybe a Q14? A mid twenty-first century storage medium, anyway.” He grinned. “Often, people recorded messages for their loved ones. For when they woke up. Most of them are holos, but for this older tech, well, it took me a while to track down a way to play it back.”
“Messages?” Her eyes widened. “Wait, you mean – this is for me?” Cold arced along her nerves.
“Would you like to watch it?”
They sat down in one of the myriad empty rooms in the tower, where Dennis had set up a giant, flat monitor. He slipped the drive in the bottom and dimmed the lights. Renee meanwhile joined up with them, bringing the promised coffee.
“Would you like us to go?” Dennis asked.
Anita looked between the two, found her throat dry. “Stay. Please.” The butterflies in her gut roiled.
Dennis hit play.
A mahogany office appeared, bookshelves for walls, a heavy desk, a woman sitting behind it. Her hair, a tight white bun, and her eyes, yellowed, and her skin, scarred by time.
“Hello, Anita.” There was gravel in her voice. “You probably don’t recognize my face, but we used to live together. It’s me, Molly. Hello, Mom.”
Anita clamped her hand over her mouth, but she’d lost all her words anyway.
“Only I’m not Molly Cable any more. It’s Carson now, and it was Gaines for a while too. A lot has happened.”
Anita’s eyes bleared.
“I wish I could tell you in person, but, ah, well. Life doesn’t work that way. I never stopped thinking about you though, and I never stopped hoping. And now, well, I still hope they bring you back one day, and we can catch up. Like this, at least.”
Anita nodded along, and when Renee offered her a handkerchief, she took it.
“I don’t know where to start, to be honest. Feels like I have eighty odd years to cover.” Molly chuckled. “Hope you don’t mind, but I recorded a lot of footage. The cryo people were very accommodating. Frankly, it’s helping me remember my own life, which is nice, as the old memory isn’t what it used to be.” She sighed. “I never did save all the elephants, but I did work with them for five-odd decades. Well, time enough for that later. Hey, I’m not alone here – do you want to meet your grandkids?”
Anita nodded, and dabbed away another tear.
“I’ve a feeling you said yes. Good, good. Well, I hope you have some time, Ma, ’cause the family’s grown quite big.”
“All the time in the world, baby,” Anita said. And all thoughts of Mondays left her mind, as she met those who came after her, and those who went before.
This Video Will Change Your View Of CHINA!
Shorpy
SHAKEDOWN ! ! ! UKRAINE TRIES TO CHARGE MONEY FOR PEACE TALKS WITH RUSSIA!
The head of the Russian delegation at the negotiations in Istanbul, Vladimir Medinsky, informed president Putin about the Ukrainian side’s attempt to extort funds for holding the next round of negotiations.
“Off camera, the Ukrainians declared that they have no plans to meet again unless they receive a significant amount of money for it.
This was a demand from their leader — Zelensky.”
As a teacher, what is the harshest truth a student has ever taught you?
I had a solid average C student call me out in private.
“Mr. (x), do you realize you ignore us in the middle?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you give a lot of interesting advance work to the smart kids in class, and work extra with the dumb kids, but you ignore the rest of us if we just do the best we can and don’t fit in either group.”
I stared at him. Walked away in silence and sat down at my desk. I started looking at lesson plans and assignments and grading procedures and rubrics etc. He was right. I asked him days later what I should do to fix what he knew to be true.
He smiled, “Just acknowledge us once and awhile.”
“Sorry I let you down.”
“Nah. We know you care. Just throw us a bone occasionally and we’re good.”
He sounded a lot like the middle child in a family of three kids.
I created some tasks and extra credit tailored for their learning needs and his buddies almost kicked his ass. They apparently enjoyed the anonymity! 😉
China Does The Unthinkable: Major U.S. Export CUTS Begin – Massive Warning Sent
Is it true that in human history white people have killed more people than any other race?
When Shaka Zulu’s mother died and he ordered all the mothers of his nation to be put to death so that “all the people will mourn with me”, I am sure the Zulus were awfully glad to note that Shaka was not a white bloke…
When 75% of people from what is now Iran perished at the hands of Genghis Khan, surely the Persian people were relieved to know Genghis wasn’t white
Surely when African people were sold to white slavers, they were happy to walk into the ships, a bounce in their step for the men who handed them to the slavers were as dark as them.
This sick desire to blame white people for all the ills of history is nothing short of a mental illness. From the Aztecs to Mao Zedong and Imperial Japan, from the Chinese Emperors to the warlords of pre-CCP China. From Attila the Hun onto the court of Moctezuma and his human sacrifices, the only mind who can look at history and see in every action the hand of “evil white people” is a deeply troubled and rather sick mind.
If you dive into the history books, nice and deep, you’ll see plenty of evil white people. From Columbus to Stalin and Hitler, there’s no shortage of wicked people with a light complexion. But more often than ‘woke’ historical revionists would dare to admit, even the worst of white people were helped by the worst of black and brown people, working in tandem to deliver the greatest of ills onto the human race. Evil knows no color. And only a willfully blind fool would argue otherwise.
A Slightly Technical Breakdown of DeepSeek-R1
What was your most embarrassing moment with no clothes on?
We grew up at a lake resort and lived maybe a quarter mile away. I was around eight at the time. We also have campers that came out there every summer and eventually we become friends with their kids. It was a blast. A mix of boys and girls, we would play flashlight tag at night, have fires, just sit around on a picnic table listening to Easy E and 2 Live Crew. Also, we went skinny dipping at night.
One time I dropped my shorts on the beach, her and I were in the water, and the girls father came looking for her with a flash light. Talking about me doing some Navy Seal stuff there.
The second time, same thing, shorts on the beach. Only this time, my brother threw my shorts at me in the water. They sank.
I had to walk the quarter mile walk home in the dark. Nude. I opened the house door. There was my dad. He looked at me as I looked at him. Neither one of us said anything as I think he didn’t know what to say.
Those we the fun times of the 80s
Sir Whiskerton and the Case of the Mysterious Llama
Ah, dear reader, prepare yourself for another delightfully bizarre adventure in the life of Sir Whiskerton, the farm’s most brilliant (and modest) detective. Today’s tale involves a strange, spitting, whistling creature that wanders onto the farm, baffling everyone and leaving a lasting impression. What follows is a story filled with laughs, spit, and a moral that will leave you grinning like a llama who just discovered a field of fresh grass. So grab your sense of humor and let’s trot into The Case of the Mysterious Llama.
The Llama Arrives
It all began on a quiet morning when Sir Whiskerton was enjoying his usual sunbeam on the barn roof. The peace was shattered by the sound of Rufus barking furiously near the fence.
“Whiskerton! You’ve gotta see this!” Rufus howled, his tail wagging like a metronome set to “frantic.”
Sir Whiskerton sighed, flicking his tail. “Rufus, if this is another ‘squirrel in the bushes’ situation, I’m deducting points from your detective license.”
“No, no, it’s worse!” Rufus said, panting. “There’s a… a thing by the fence! It’s tall, it’s fuzzy, and it’s spitting!”
“Spitting?” Sir Whiskerton said, raising an eyebrow. “What in whiskers’ name are you talking about?”
He followed Rufus to the fence, where a tall, long-necked creature with soft fur and a perpetually bemused expression stood. It was chewing on some grass, occasionally letting out a low whistle and—yes—spitting.
“What is that?” Sir Whiskerton said, narrowing his eyes.
“I think it’s a… llama?” Rufus said, tilting his head. “But I’m not sure. It’s definitely not a cow.”
“Definitely not a cow,” Ditto echoed, his eyes wide.
“Not a cow,” Echo added, grinning.
The Farm Reacts
The arrival of the llama sent the farm into a frenzy. The animals gathered around, staring at the strange creature with a mix of awe and confusion.
“Oh, Sir Whiskerton!” Doris the hen squawked. “It’s… it’s magnificent!”
“Magnificent! But also so… spit-tacular!” Harriet clucked.
“Spit-tacular! Oh, I can’t bear it!” Lillian screeched, fainting dramatically into a pile of hay.
Even the geese, usually unflappable, were in a tizzy.
“This is an outrage!” Gertrude the goose honked. “That creature is spitting in our honking zone! How are we supposed to honk in peace with all this… moisture?”
“Moisture! But also so… llama-zing!” one of the other geese added.
“Llama-zing! Oh, I can’t bear it!” another honked, collapsing into a dramatic heap.
The Investigation Begins
Determined to get to the bottom of the llama mystery, Sir Whiskerton decided to investigate. He enlisted the help of Ditto and Echo, who followed him everywhere, repeating everything he said.
“Alright, team,” Sir Whiskerton said, flicking his tail. “We need to figure out what this llama is doing here—and why it keeps spitting.”
“Spitting!” Ditto echoed, his eyes wide.
“Spitting!” Echo added, grinning.
As they approached the llama, it let out a low whistle and spat a perfectly aimed glob of… something… at Catnip, who had been lurking nearby.
“Hey!” Catnip hissed, wiping his fur. “Watch where you’re spitting, you overgrown haystack!”
“Haystack!” Ditto echoed, giggling.
“Haystack!” Echo added, laughing.
The Llama’s Influence
Despite its odd behavior, the llama had a strange effect on the farm animals. Its calm demeanor and gentle whistling seemed to soothe even the most high-strung creatures.
- Bacchus, the free-spirited cat, was inspired to roll in the grass instead of catnip.
- Lucifer, the dramatic chipmunk, decided to take up meditation instead of plotting.
- Sylvester, the grumpy barn cat, actually smiled for the first time in years.
- Rufus stopped barking at the mailman and started wagging his tail instead.
Even Catnip, though he’d never admit it, found himself less interested in causing trouble and more interested in… well, just lounging in the sun.
The Llama’s Departure
After a few days, the llama mysteriously disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. The animals were both saddened and amazed by its brief visit.
“Oh, Sir Whiskerton!” Doris squawked. “The llama is gone! It’s… it’s tragic!”
“Tragic! But also so… llama-mazing!” Harriet clucked.
“Llama-mazing! Oh, I can’t bear it!” Lillian screeched, fainting one last time.
A Happy Ending
Though the llama was gone, its presence had a lasting impact on the farm. The animals were calmer, kinder, and more appreciative of each other. Even Catnip and his associates seemed less inclined to cause trouble.
“You know,” Sir Whiskerton said, lounging on his sunbeam. “That llama might have been strange, but it brought out the best in all of us.”
“Best in all of us!” Ditto echoed, his eyes shining.
“Best in all of us!” Echo added, grinning.
The Moral of the Story
The moral of the story, dear reader, is this: Sometimes, the most unexpected visitors can have the biggest impact. And while it’s easy to be baffled by the unfamiliar, it’s important to embrace the lessons it brings—even if it involves a little spit.
As for Sir Whiskerton? He returned to his sunbeam, content in the knowledge that he had once again saved the day—and that the farm was better for having met the mysterious llama.
Until next time, my friends.
The End.
I hope this llama-filled adventure brought a smile to your face!
Deli Brisket
Ingredients
- 1 (4 pound) beef brisket
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Place brisket fat side up in slow cooker.
- Sprinkle garlic powder on top and rub ketchup generously into brisket.
- Add onion slices all around and on top of meat.
- Add enough water to coat the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Cook on LOW, all day, for the most tender brisket you will ever eat.
- For gravy, remove brisket and turn thermostat to HIGH.
- Mix flour with 1/4 cup water, add to pot and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
I Just Discovered the Most Popular 70s USA Songs!
What is happening in the relationship between the US and China? The US Postal Service (USPS) says it has stopped accepting parcels from mainland China and Hong Kong until further notice. What could be the reason for this?
The US is in a lot of transitional chaos right now.
Many in the higher up are cut, so the two sides don’t know who to talk to right now.
Last I heard, the Trump administration tried to ship a plane full of “illegal immigrants” back to China during the Chinese New Year. But China refused it because “it doesn’t work this way”. There would need to be a proper process of verifying eveyone on that plane are actually Chinese, not Singaporeans or American spies who look Chinese. There would need to be Chinese immigration police officers doing on the ground interviews and checks in the US, while comparing personal information with Chinese database at home.
Apparently a lot of the previously established working mechanisms of the Biden era are gone now. And the two sides are relearning how to work with each other from scratch. The lower level of boots on the ground may still know the process, but their new bosses would need convincing, and may yet decide to scrap the system due to political spite of the previous administration. This is what happens when the incoming and outgoing administrations in the US cannot work together.
Something similar may have happened with the Postal service.
What are your thoughts on the trend of Americans labeling themselves as “TikTok refugees” and migrating to the Chinese social media platform RedNote (Xiaohongshu)?
I am Chinese and I have viewed a very thoughtful answer from Zhihu (China version of Quora), Which as following:
I am deeply saddened.
Tens of thousands of kilometers away, there are hundreds of millions of people who are being led by their government to harbor hostility towards us. They are, in fact, a group of simple and kind-hearted ordinary folks. They are not the promiscuous, cynical, arrogant, lazy, and greedy caricatures portrayed in Hollywood trash films, nor are they human-like creatures who can’t speak without cursing or mentioning sex. Instead, they are hardworking, positive, kind-hearted, reasonable, and diligent people who work and live earnestly, just like all the laboring people around the world. Their emotions and spirits are almost identical to ours, and they share more commonalities with us than we do with the petty bourgeoisie or those in power.
I used to mock them as “Black Lives Matter,” “rednecks,” “military brats,” “potheads,” “looters,” “obese people who don’t eat vegetables,” and “white people’s food.” But now I realize that Black lives have never been valued, rednecks can’t afford exorbitant tuition fees, military brats have to pay rent to the army, potheads are bankrupt and on the verge of death, looting is a desperate act of those who might starve tomorrow, not eating vegetables is because farming is illegal and only cheap industrial junk is available, and “white people’s food” is because lunch breaks are only 15 minutes long. Suddenly, those who seemed ugly and ridiculous in your eyes have struggles that you can quickly understand and sympathize with. The media’s narrative had dehumanized them into monsters.
Just a moment ago, you were convinced that a war between China and the U.S. was inevitable, and that hundreds of millions of Americans would eventually become your mortal enemies. But now, as a false mirror shatters, you realize how much they are like you. It’s as if the dark, monstrous crowd you once saw in the world has come into focus, and you see them as your potential brothers and sisters. This is an immense surprise.
But then you discover that they are living in terrible conditions, far worse than those you knew about in your own country. The injustices and sorrows that once angered and saddened you at home are even more brutal and insane in their world. You’ve just found a large group of people who could have been your friends, only to learn that they are living in a hellish reality. You watch them suffer, and on your own country’s platforms, you weep and cry out against the suffocating injustices they face. You are shocked to realize that the country once glorified by media and movies as a paradise is actually a cauldron of oil, frying every brother and sister you’ve just come to know.
And in the future, these brothers and sisters in the cauldron might be driven by heartless demons to the battlefield, to fight against you. This happened over 70 years ago. At this moment, you not only deeply understand the words on Tiananmen but also why, when he first looked at a world map, he envisioned liberating all of humanity. Yet, you also feel a profound sense of helplessness and powerlessness. They could have been your friends, living thousands of miles away, strangers you’ve never met. Perhaps, under different circumstances, they might have shared drinks and laughter with you in real life, after interacting with you online.
But now, all you can do is watch them continue to suffer, even realizing that one day they might have to kill you, or you them, while the demons who feast on their flesh remain free and unpunished.
This is heartbreaking.
Author: Whatever
Link: https://www.zhihu.com/question/9815360312/answer/81908433303
Pinder
Submitted into Contest #210 in response to: Set your story after aliens have officially arrived on Earth.… view prompt
Nina H
“Technically, I’m not breathing. I’m filtering. But I suppose it means the same thing here,” Broggo said in reply.
“Ok, then stop FILTERING on me!” Kerry snapped and got up from the couch in a huff.
“I sense displeasure. And I believe it has been caused by me. Am I correct?” Broggo queried.
“Yes, it most definitely has been caused by you! Ugh! How YOU were matched with ME is…is…well it’s unexplainable!” Kerry yelled from across the room of her tiny apartment.
“Of course it’s explainable. You see, my kind were all entered into the Pinder database detailing our traits. All of your kind were also entered into the database, and through a series of precise calculations and analysis of data we were matched with each other. It is the most sensible way to account for the influx of population of my kind from Sliggo to Earth. We need shelter, and your kind can help us transition to life here. It’s quite genius.” Broggo explained.
“I KNOW the rationale behind it, you slimy, four-eyed, tentacled creature. I just don’t agree with it!” Kerry lamented.
“Article 8, Section 12 of the Planetary Habitation Agreement signed by your President indicates that failure to comply with Pinder placements will result in fines, imprisonment, and loss of citizenship,” Broggo reminded Kerry.
“That seems better right now than this living arrangement!” Kerry said, grabbing her car keys and heading for the door.
“I’m going to class. Do not touch anything. Or break anything. Or explore. I’ll be home in two hours and will make dinner. Do NOT go near the stove again when I’m gone! I still can’t get the left burners to work and I need another fire extinguisher after your last attempt!” Kerry said and stormed out the door.
“I believe we are making progress in our interspecies relationship,” Broggo said, turning his blue mouth upwards into a smile.
Kerry slammed her car door, and turned the key in the ignition. It has been over two months since the sky turned an unnatural shade of green, and spacecrafts made of unearthly metals emanating purple lights descended upon Earth. The majority landed all across the United States, with a handful in Europe and Asia. It was uncertain whether more would be coming, but something had to be done. In an unprecedented meeting of world leaders, it was decided that the best way to handle the situation was to welcome the alien creatures, assigning Earthmates to each one. A system was developed and quickly put into place, systematically matching Sliggon and human. Once assigned their Earthmate, they would be able to acclimate to life on this planet in peace. This planet did not need any more help destroying itself, and just maybe the Sliggons could help in an intergalactic partnership.
But some partnerships were a bit strained at the moment. Despite the scientific basis of Pinder, maybe not all matches were, well, well-matched.
Kerry sat in class taking notes on the profound works of various physicists. She couldn’t concentrate, and nothing she wrote made sense upon review. She sighed, set down her chewed up yellow number 2, and rested her head in her hands. She had a headache thinking of what Broggo was likely ruining back at home.
Back at home, Broggo was ruining Kerry’s favorite dresses as he attempted to color code them in her closet. He did not agree with the current haphazard arrangement, which unsettled his thought patterns. As he pulled each dress down, he tore several and slimed up the others. Tide Stain Remover was no match for whatever chemical composition coated Broggo’s exterior.
In an unsuccessful attempt to rehang the clothes, he accidentally tore down the bar in the closet they hung on. He stared with all four of his eyes at the wooden bar his tentacled arms were wrapped around.
“Well. This is not going as I had planned,” Broggo said to the spider plant hanging in the window. He always waited for a reply. He never got one.
Kerry closed her notebook, gathered her things, and steeled herself against the thought of heading home to Broggo.
She thought about his attempt to cook her dinner. He took a cup of strawberry yogurt from the fridge, put it in a pot on the stove, and added Cheerios, three Oreos, and several scoops of corn starch. The plastic yogurt cup melted, everything caught on fire, and her kitchen hasn’t smelled the same since. But he wanted to make her happy. That’s more than most people in her life these days. Maybe she wasn’t giving him a chance. She wasn’t the easiest to live with either. She was messy, unorganized, and a free spirit when it came to chore completion. She had a motto of “why do today what can be done tomorrow?”
Kerry suddenly swiped right into the drive-thru of Dunkin Donuts. She ordered half a dozen assorted donuts, a chocolate frozen coffee, and a vanilla latte. Even Sliggons would appreciate that, right?
She drove home sipping her latte, ready to present her peace offering. She had lost her temper for no reason, and it wasn’t the first time. Maybe being Earthmates wouldn’t be so bad after all if she gave Broggo a chance. And nobody (no creature?) could be worse than her last human one. She still hadn’t forgiven her for stealing her boyfriend right under her nose, then parading him around the apartment. After living in an awkward, uncomfortable sea of tension for two weeks, they both found a new place together. What was she even thinking? Humans can be awful creatures.
Kerry laughed and thought “Hmph, good riddance to both of them! Broggo may very well burn the place down, but he’s never going to backstab.”
And with that, Kerry unlocked the door and went back to her (their) apartment. She watched with a smile as a thankful Broggo inserted three Boston Cremes into his stomach opening.
Maybe Pinder got it right after all.
Could the United States survive completely alone and cut off from trades from the rest of the world?
The US is one of perhaps 3 or 4 countries where autarky would work. There’s nothing essential that couldn’t be produced outside of its borders. Certainly if Mexico and Canada were in a sort of Greater USA then it would likely still prosper as it does today.
There’s some that see Americas Manifest Destiny as expanding across N and S America- which would at least solve the immigration crisis- assimilation largely worked for Rome. Until it didn’t.
Now whether Autarky is a good idea to do is another question. The US is never going to compete on price with China/ Vietnam etc on a metric shit tonne of stuff. Some mining and industrial processes are toxic- would bringing these processes, currently carried out abroad, to the US be a good idea- from both an overall environmental take and from the poor buggers that live and work near or at such places.
A considerable portion of the world is fed by the US too. Food prices would rocket. Some would starve.
Not long ago I looked up instances of piracy- there’s more than you’d imagine. Without the US navy/ military presence piracy would rocket and much of world trade would be affected.
Until Pax Britania a considerable amount of trade was taken by pirates- both state sponsored privateers and the Blackbeard variety. The US took on this job post WW2.
Any new Monroe Doctrine would not make the world safer. It is perhaps debatable if it would make America overall safer- probably not. Rogue states aren’t a new or rare phenomenon and powerful empires have often kept these bad actors in check.
There’s a sort of childish jealousy that sometimes also appears here- the nasty child smashing another’s toys because he doesn’t have a toy mentality. And a vague hand wave about what comes after the American Empire. An Empire which admitted often doesn’t behave well.
Well what comes after is at least decades of chaos and quite possibly centuries of turmoil as one actor or another vies for supremacy.
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