When I was in third grade, my parents drove an Electra. This was a car with electric windows. Which was really cool at the time.
It was silver and eventually sold and replaced. But while my father drove it, I felt like I was living in the future.
Now, today, I REALLY am living in the future.
And what is it like?
Well, electric windows are common; so common that no one thinks twice about it. And, here in China we have refrigerators, scent dispensers, changing dashboards, GPS maps with auto sync with the lights, and back massaging seats.
So guys…
What we often THINK the the future will be is often just a pale and faint look at what will actually occur.
Today…
Can China continue to grow economically even if there is a complete US embargo on exports and technology to China in 2025?
In Trump 1.0, Huawei was brutally sanctioned, attacked/hacked & its CFO was even blackmailed for ransom.
Did it stop Huawei? No. Huawei survives beautifully with 5.5G while I have not heard if USA has 5G yet as of 2024.
When DeepSeek offers its source code free to the world to use, US tech army incl hackers BRUTALLY attacked DS for 83 hours before it finally stopped/slowed down.
Then Microsoft-OpenAI admitted that there is something new in DS, meaning DS was not copying/stealing from OpenAI. OpenAI offered part of its system FREE to the public too. Also OpenAI has downloaded DS as an option for its customers.
Amazon AI followed suit. Then Nividia.
Though it took Huawei 2000 hours to defend the US brutal attack, it only took DS 83 hours. Thanks to the Chinese defense team for DS.
NO AMOUNT OF US EMBARGO CAN DETER CHINA.
The more US does, the stronger China will become. Huawei’s CEO Ren Zhengfei said: it is US (attack/hackers) that let Huawei system become so perfect today.
Ne Zha 2 Animated Chinese Feature Film Hits Australia… But Did Anyone Know?
Why do so many Indians seem to accept the VVIP culture as inevitable?
You have to understand India has been a divided Independent country for a mere 77 years
India has been a colony, and Indian people have been servants before a variety of British Collectors, Laat Sahibs for 200 years and before that to a bunch of Royal Officials from various Rajahs and Nawabs
We didn’t have Legends who gave up decades of their life, marched thousands of miles and wiped out Colonial Attitude in a brutal and merciless manner
We didn’t have a single legend who unified our people as one and got them fighting for their own progress and progress of the nation
Not a single legend who pushed National Pride into the veins of Millions of People where Poverty became a driving factor for hard work
Where all that hard work culminated in creating a society of people , who regarded themselves EQUAL in every way and who shrugged off the yoke of inferiority with both the West and the Wealthy and Powerful
Where the Leader is not looked upon as a VIP but as a Wise Old Father guiding his children to prosperity and full of trust
So that’s your answer
I had to mention China to contrast the reasons why Indians still have the Colonial Attitude and Chinese don’t
In India – The British were simply replaced by Indian Businessmen, Politicians and Officials who became the new LAAT SAHIBS
In China – The Laat Sahibs were buried with their families or brutally beaten into submission until after two generations the entire idea that there was a VIP class , vanished into oblivion and fear was replaced by pride
So Indians have VIP worship WIRED INTO THEIR PSYCHE
A Few like myself am more evolved
Others are more evolved too
However majority are still as primitive as their great grand daddies or great great grand daddies
Until the day , our own Kalkis are born and lead us out of the Cesspit GUTTER onto prosperity and the light
And our Kalkis are NOT a Bearded Semi Literate Double AI speaking Buffoon, a bald domed priest or their short bespectacled corpulent colleague
Four-Way Slow Cooker Shredded Beef
LOW Setting: 10 1/2 hr | HIGH Setting: 6 1/2 hr | Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 beef shoulder roast, boneless arm chuck roast or boneless blade chuck roast (2 to 2 1/2 pounds)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (optional)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- For optional browning, heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Brown beef roast on all sides.
- Place onion and garlic in 3 1/2 to 5 quart slow cooker; place roast on top.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 9 to 10 hours or on HIGH for 5 to 6 hours or until roast is fork-tender.
- Remove roast from slow cooker. Skim fat from cooking liquid, if necessary and reserve 1 cup onion mixture.
- Shred beef with 2 forks. Combine shredded beef and reserved onion mixture. Season with salt and pepper, as desired.
- Continue as directed in Recipe Variations below, as desired.
Notes
Recipe Variations
Mexican Shredded Beef: Combine tomato or tomatillo salsa and beef mixture, as desired. Place in large microwave-safe bowl. Cover, vent and microwave until heated through, stirring occasionally. Serve in warmed flour or corn tortillas topped with pico de gallo, slice avocados, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro and/or chopped white or green onions, as desired.
BBQ Shredded Beef: Combine prepared barbecue sauce and beef mixture. Place in large microwave-safe bowl. Cover, vent and microwave until heated through, stirring occasionally. Serve on whole wheat rolls topped with creamy horseradish sauce, coleslaw, Cheddar cheese slices, chopped green bell pepper and/or canned French fried onion, as desired.
Asian Shredded Beef: Combine prepared hoison or teriyaki sauce and beef mixture. Place in large microwave-safe bowl. Cover, vent and microwave until heated through, stirring occasionally. Serve in lettuce or cabbage cups topped with shredded carrots, sliced cucumber, chopped fresh cilantro or mint, sriracha or crushed red pepper flakes and/or chopped peanuts, as desired.
Indian Shredded Beef: Combine prepared Indian cooking sauce, such as Tikka Masala or Vindaloo. Place in large microwave-safe bowl. Cover, vent and microwave until heated through, stirring occasionally. Serve in naan or pita bread topped with toasted chopped pistachios or coconut, raisins, Greek yogurt or mango chutney, chopped fresh mint or cilantro and/or sliced cucumber or green onion, as desired.
Nutrition
Per serving, using Shoulder Roast: 161 calories; 5 g fat (2 g saturated fat; 3 g monounsaturated fat); 57 mg cholesterol; 64 mg sodium; 3 g carbohydrate; 0.5 g fiber; 23 g protein; 7.2 mg niacin; 0.3 mg vitamin B6; 2.6 mcg vitamin B12; 2.8 mg iron; 26.0 mcg selenium; 5.5 mg zinc; 89.1 mg choline
Attribution
Recipe and photo used with permission from: Texas Beef Council
Visitant
Submitted into Contest #210 in response to: Set your story after aliens have officially arrived on Earth.… view prompt
Martin Ross
Nicole already had lost two cousins to the inhumans’ violence in their town two states away, and there was little reason to believe there would be much mercy or humanity when they reached their destination. They controlled the water and food supplies, battling and battering the resistance. They apparently had been bred to hate the humans who ventured into their appropriated territory, and had no hesitation in taking babies and children to emphasize the totality of their conquest. Their ability to saturate both river and desert, and their indifferent savagery toward their prey, filled Oscar with a dread he dared not share with his wife, who was carrying something far more valuable than her mother’s Bible and the supplies she required to safeguard the incubating life inside her.
Beyond the good people who at considerable risk had stashed provisions along the way, there were the profiteers, the opportunists, who preyed on the reported invasion, on the desperation of innocents. Oscar had resisted the temptation to throw in with these jackals, whom, he’d heard, would as easily take their money and hand them directly to the monsters who hid in the shadows beyond what Nicole called The Gauntlet. Safety was neither in numbers nor the care of strangers, not any more.
And so Oscar and Nicole huddled under a mercifully deep overhang, sharing the last yellowing apple they’d secured two days earlier. The best shot at survival was roughly three more miles off, by Oscar’s calculations, but his bride and daughter (dare he hope?) required more immediate sustenance and hydration. He’d located a bottle of dollar store water the resistance had stowed under a thorny shrub yesterday, but even rationing the meager refreshment and secretly withholding his own needs, there was a mere half-inch remaining. Nicole was not looking well, and he could not discern the sweat and sun from fever and flush. Oscar was concerned what might happen should the inhuman horde intercept them before they made the “safe zone.”
just the night before, they’d seen the lights in the starry sky so far beyond the urban smog and city lights. No wishing star to guide them on their path, no helicopters sweeping the night, not here and not so unnaturally fast and multidirectional. The creatures in whatever ship or beam or wormhole no doubt were reconnoitering their own route, like lost tourists seeking the last gallon of gas or an intergalactic meeting point, or perhaps they might even have been scouting new real estate.
“I’m sorry, but we must move on,” Oscar told Nicole.
**
Nicole caught the glint, under a rare and surprisingly hardy outcropping. There was the possibility she’d spotted the debris of a previous traveler or even a hapless hiker, but Oscar was beyond hope, clutching at survival without emotion. He sprinted toward the glistening and, promisingly, refracting light in the vegetation.
And that’s when the inhumans were on them. They appeared huge, all hairless skulls and black, reflecting eyes, green shapes lunging and brandishing weapons, the musculature of beings shaped by a compulsion to conquer and a viciousness of single-minded purpose. They grunted and jabbered in a tongue alien to the former farmer, but there was no error in interpreting the hunger and anticipation on what was visible of their faces.
Their leader, smaller but somehow more compact than the group, made a harsh sound that crackled with client. Oscar watched miserably as the tall bottle was plucked from the brush and upended, its life-giving contents drained at his feet.
“Please,” he howled, displaying his palms and hoping these inhumans might have the capacity to understand. “My wife is pregnant!”
The leader glanced over his shoulder. A female, it would appear, uttered a single phrase in their language, something perhaps cosmically maternal flashing across her face. The leader nodded and turned back, poking Oscar face-first into the ground. The others seized a shrieking Nicole, shoved her as well onto her swelling belly, and secured the couples’ wrists.
They cackled and sneered as they regarded their catch of the day. Oscar absurdly was relieved they had only now begun their family. The children who had disappeared in the night, the babies taken with no hope of their eventual return.
Suddenly, the braying cries of victory and cruelty to come just…ceased. A new, pungent smell filled Oscar’s nostrils. A smell familiar from glorious moments with friends and family – no, the odor that had caused Oscar to gag at the roadside ditch where he’d so recently cradled Nicole as she wailed over the cartel-charred remains of her Primo Tio.
More strange chatter, this time lower, calmer, in a timbre Oscar had never before heard, even in the hokey old monster movies his ancient abuelo loved so. He yelled for Nicole to keep her head down, and averted his eyes from the shadows that loomed over them, from the glimpses of these new invaders. Something too long, too wide, with too many joints and a cool feel, rested on his shoulder. And, it would seem, patted him with a rhythmic cooing. His wrists sprung free, and he finally looked up at the one freeing his Nicole.
“¡Por favor!,” he pleaded again, weakly. “¡Mi esposa está embarazada!”
**
“Some people call it an ‘invasion,’ it’s like an invasion. They have violently overrun the Mexican border,” the TV over the counter blared. The voice was simultaneously venomous and childishly confident, like many of the preening national politicians back home who sounded somewhat like they were impaired in the brain. The speaker, El Jefe himself, was orange – not simply his thick, bizarrely piled hair, but his skin as well.
Oscar might have giggled, and he could have without danger, possibly for the first time in days. The diner across the highway from the packed Walmart was populated entirely with the Ruizes’ predecessors across the border, those with papers and U.S.-born grandchildren who still nearly daily were detained by ICE, by the border patrol, by flushed and spitting Norteamericanos to whom Spanish was an invitation to warfare. Primo Tomas, still in his Brownsville Sanitation Department uniform, had seized the both of them, too jubilant to ask questions Oscar did not want to answer (chiefly at their sudden, early materialization safe and astoundingly sound near the cotton fields just north of town), and rushed them immediately to Daniela’s Cantino to revive their bodies and spirits with platter after platter of meat the newly arrived father-to-be willed himself to devour until will no longer was necessary.
“They’ve overrun the Mexican police, and they’ve overrun and hurt badly Mexican soldiers,” the bloated man – like, who, Jabba from the Star Wars movie? — added. Tomas uttered a single curse; Nicole laughed his apology away, studying the closed captioning en Espanol. The title “Invasión Alienígena” half-covered the banner “Alien Invasion At The Border: A Fox Special Report.”
El Hombre Naranja paused for hoots and arm-waving. “So this isn’t an innocent group of people. It’s a large number of people that are tough. They’ve injured, they’ve attacked, and the Mexican police and military has actually suffered.”
“Fucking imbecil,” Tomas grunted, impaling a wad of carnitas. He looked again to Nicole, and then to Oscar, who shook his head with a grin and gulped at his second piquant Michelada. Then he sobered for a moment as the 51-inch Samsung translated The Orange Man’s words.
They’d soon go looking for the Border Patrol team – the inhuman squad willing, what, to leave them to die in the desert, or to haul them in for deportation back into the cartels’ Hell? The ongoing diatribe about the “aliens,” the illegals, this invasion of waiters and dishwashers and landscapers and conserjes — would rise to a shrill and murderous pitch when or more likely if they found anything of the ICE team. Oscar could ID little of their tormentors’ remains beyond the leader’s twisted mirrored black sunglasses. The logical assumption would be that the incinerated mounds Oscar’d witnessed following their liberation were the product of cartel retaliation. But for what? They weren’t the ones fighting for their escape, for a new life where Arcilla – they’d fixed on the “Altar of Heaven” after being conveyed across the swinging gates of Hell – might just have a chance of a future among humans.
No matter, Oscar realized – logic seemingly had no place here. They simply would point to the brutal savagery of the “aliens.” And it was quite savage. As a devout Catholic, he’d silently recited La Senal De La Cruz for those Nicole’s saviors had dispatched. He had not forgotten that brief flash of compassion the female agent had betrayed, nor how quickly it vanished.
As for the rest, Oscar pondered briefly why these visitantes celestial, these visitors from the heavens, had intervened. And why there had seemed something unfathomably familiar about them. It hadn’t been until they’d been deposited on the rural road that he’d remembered watching some ridiculous old, grainy American show with his dying abuelo — this one with Mr. Spock going on in his mismatched dubbed tones about monsters and ghosts and ancient Gods. And outer space aliens. Oscar was more absorbed by the legendary Vulcan – Star Trek was a universal language — but now, recalling the petroglyphs Senor Nimoy presented as evidence, he realized what great artists his Aztec ancestors truly were.
Spock in his turtleneck suggested the Aztec pyramids were built by giant gods at the end of one of the destructions of the world, by ice, fire, or water. The City of the Gods, Teotihuacan, was built at the beginning of one of the four worlds, his abuelo had related before sending him for another illicit cerveza. How this one ends, who knows, Oscar mused.
“¿En qué estás pensando, primo?” Tomas teased. Oscar grinned foolishly, and looked over to where Tomas’ wife and sisters were dispensing advice to his plump Nicole.
Enough with such thoughts, Oscar scolded. For all that lie ahead, this was a beginning, or as much a beginning as he might have dreamed.
Have you, while repairing a computer, ever found anything that made your jaw drop?
Things I found inside clients’ computers:
- An old 5,25″ floppy stuck in a gap between the twin drives (the floppy and some other device, like a CD-ROM on this picture:
- A $20 note stuck inside a detective (disconnected) CD drive. Since the owner had no idea how it got there, and purchased it second hand, I assumed it was left there as a stash by the previous owner.
- Roach colonies, and some other bugs making home out of a PC cabinet.
- A motherboard secured to the frame with bubble gum residue, and no screws.
- A beer storage inside a huge server tower case with twin opening doors. The company had not that many peripheral devices for such a big case, so the sysadmins decided that a big cabinet with internal cooling system is good to keep their beer cold.
Sir Whiskerton and the Case of the Mischievous Crow
Ah, dear reader, prepare yourself for another feather-ruffling adventure in the life of Sir Whiskerton, the farm’s most brilliant (and modest) detective. Today’s tale introduces a new character, a crow so bold and brazen that even the scarecrow fears him. His name? Edgar. And he’s causing quite the ruckus on the farm. What follows is a story filled with laughs, squawks, and a moral that will leave you grinning like a chicken who just outsmarted a fox. So grab your sense of humor and let’s flap into The Case of the Mischievous Crow.
Edgar the Troublemaker
It all began on a quiet morning when Sir Whiskerton was enjoying his usual spot on the barn roof, sipping Earl Grey tea with a dash of cream. The peace was shattered by the sound of Gertrude the goose honking at the top of her lungs.
“Sir Whiskerton! Sir Whiskerton!” Gertrude waddled over, her feathers in a tizzy. “There’s a crow stealing our feed! He’s eaten the ducks’ feed, the chickens’ feed, and now he’s eyeing ours!”
Sir Whiskerton adjusted his monocle. “A crow, you say? How… un-crow-ventional. Lead the way, Gertrude.”
The Scarecrow’s Failure
The scene at the feed trough was one of utter chaos. Edgar the crow perched atop the scarecrow’s hat, cackling as he pecked at the feed. The scarecrow, who was supposed to deter such behavior, looked thoroughly defeated.
“I’ve tried everything!” the scarecrow moaned (yes, scarecrows can moan on this farm). “I waved my arms, I made scary faces, but he just laughs at me!”
Edgar cawed loudly. “Laughs at me! But also so… crow-zy!”
“Crow-zy! Oh, I can’t bear it!” Gertrude honked, collapsing into a dramatic heap.
Sir Whiskerton approached Edgar, his tail flicking thoughtfully. “Edgar, old chap, don’t you think it’s a bit rude to steal everyone’s feed?”
Edgar tilted his head, his beady eyes glinting. “Rude? I prefer to think of it as… resourceful. Besides, your scarecrow is a joke. I mean, look at him. He’s wearing a straw hat from last season.”
The scarecrow gasped. “How dare you!”
The Great Feed Heist
Determined to stop Edgar’s thievery, Sir Whiskerton devised a plan. He gathered the farm’s animals for a meeting.
“Alright, everyone,” Sir Whiskerton said, addressing the group. “We need to teach Edgar a lesson. But we’ll do it with cunning, not chaos.”
“Cunning! But also so… crow-ver!” Harriet the hen clucked.
“Crow-ver! Oh, I can’t bear it!” Gertrude honked, fainting again for good measure.
Sir Whiskerton’s plan was simple: they would set up a decoy feed trough filled with spicy chili peppers. When Edgar tried to steal the feed, he’d get a fiery surprise.
The animals got to work, setting up the decoy trough and sprinkling it with chili powder. Then they waited.
The Spicy Surprise
It didn’t take long for Edgar to arrive. He swooped down, cackling as usual, and began pecking at the decoy feed.
“Ah, another feast for the king of crows!” Edgar crowed.
But then his eyes widened. His beak began to smoke. He let out a strangled caw and flew in circles, his wings flapping wildly.
“Hot! Hot! Hot!” Edgar squawked, diving into the pond to cool off.
The animals erupted in laughter. Even the scarecrow managed a smile.
A Happy Ending
Edgar emerged from the pond, looking thoroughly chastened. “Alright, alright,” he said, shaking water from his feathers. “You’ve made your point. I’ll find my own feed from now on.”
Sir Whiskerton nodded. “Glad to hear it, Edgar. And remember, there’s enough for everyone if we share.”
The moral of the story, dear reader, is this: Greed may seem rewarding in the short term, but kindness and sharing bring lasting happiness. And sometimes, a little creativity is all it takes to solve a problem.
As for Sir Whiskerton? He returned to his sunbeam, content in the knowledge that he had once again saved the day—and spared the farm from further crow-related chaos.
Until next time, my friends.
The End.
Meanwhile in China
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday held talks with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, who is on a state visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Welcoming Japarov on the eighth day of the Chinese New Year, Xi highlighted the deep bilateral ties and the rapid progress in their strategic partnership. Japarov expressed his best wishes for both nations and highlighted the Spring Festival as a symbol of China’s rich culture, expressing hope for continued peace and prosperity.
On the afternoon of February 5, President Xi Jinping held a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to welcome Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to China. A 21-gun salute was fired at Tiananmen Square, and the guards of honor lined up to salute. The two heads of state stepped onto the reviewing stand, and the military band played the national anthems of the two countries. Accompanied by Xi Jinping, Asif Ali Zardari reviewed the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Guard of Honor and watched the parade. After the welcoming ceremony, the two heads of state held talks and signed relevant documents. That evening, Xi Jinping held a welcome banquet for Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in the Golden Hall of the Great Hall of the People. Wang Yi attended the above activities.
On the afternoon of February 5, Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, met with Woo Won-sik, Speaker of the National Assembly of South Korea.
On the morning of February 6, President Xi Jinping held a ceremony in the North Hall of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to welcome Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal to China. 21 gun salutes were fired in Tiananmen Square, and the guards of honor lined up to salute. The two heads of state stepped onto the reviewing stand, and the military band played the national anthems of the two countries. Accompanied by Xi Jinping, Hassanal reviewed the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Guard of Honor and watched the parade.
After the welcoming ceremony, President Xi Jinping held talks with Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal, who was on a state visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. After the talks, the two heads of state jointly witnessed the signing of a number of cooperation documents in the fields of justice, joint construction of the “Belt and Road”, economy and trade, and media.
At noon that day, Xi Jinping held a welcome banquet for Hassanal in the Golden Hall of the Great Hall of the People.
On the morning of February 6, President Xi Jinping met with Thai Prime Minister Petunthan, who was on an official visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Xi Jinping pointed out that China-Thailand friendship has been passed down for thousands of years, and “China and Thailand are one family” has lasted for a long time. Over the past half century since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries have upheld mutual respect, equality, sincerity, mutual trust, and mutual assistance, and have always firmly supported each other in safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Thailand and the “Golden 50 Years of China-Thailand Friendship”. The two sides should carry forward the past and move forward hand in hand to promote the construction of a China-Thailand community with a shared future, so as to better benefit the people of the two countries and benefit the region and the world more.
Wang Yi attended the above activities.
Cortez the Killer – J Mascis & the Fog at Alyeska, Girdwood, Alaska 3/31/2012
Etymology question: In Chinese, why are potatoes called “earth beans” (土豆), compared to “earth apples” (pommes de terre) in French?
You mean “Solanum tuberosum” which is 土豆 aka 番薯 aka 馬铃薯 which the French called “Pommes de Terre” which is translated “apple of the earth” in English which the Irish called “potatoes” which the Spanish brought from South America which they called Batata which is also called “papa”? Which is the main ingredient for 土豆丝 which originated from 東北 which was once Manchuria who forcefully entered the Middle Kingdom and became the last of the Chinese Dynasty who cultivated the horse bell shaped “馬铃薯” in 東北 and created the dish called “炒土豆丝“
Which the folk in the south called 番薯 because of it 番(foreign) origin.
What was the question again? Oh 土豆。
Calling 土 is obvious since it is grown in soil (土) below ground。豆 which is “bean” needed further investigation. 豆 looks like 立 with rectangle inserted. It was originally a picture of a basin with “stands”
it was “borrowed” 假借 as character 豆 for “dou” which are beans. It also looked like a man “standing” and can be seen in 體(身體 body)。It also looks like a drum 鼓，短 頭 登 壹 and many others。 The original 豆 is no longer a “special purpose” vessel.
Some ancient utensils.
So, Etymology question: In Chinese, why are potatoes called “earth beans” (土豆), compared to “earth apples” (pommes de terre) in French?
In China it is “土豆“ because it was first introduced to China North East “东北” to the then Manchurian governors who were from the North East. It is 番薯 in the south and is also called 马铃薯。
As for the French, they call anything that is not French “Pommes” especially if it is British.
correction …
Shorpy
What is the best customer service you’ve ever received?
When I was ten years old, I did chores and made money in addition to my allowance. I saved $21.00 to buy a toy Singer sewing machine that really sewed. It took me about three months to save the money. When I was twelve, I had it plugged into the dining room outlet and was sewing at the dinner table one afternoon. My younger brother tripped over the cord and it came out of the socket. It was an adapter, which could be used or you could turn the wheel and it would sew. After it came out of the socket, it quit working. I wrote a letter by hand explaining what happened. I asked them to send me a new adapter and explained that my younger brother would pay for it in installments out of his allowance. They sent me the new adapter with a letter. They said since they didn’t want to inconvenience my brother, they were sending it free of charge. It was my first letter from a corporation. I saved it and have it to this day. I can’t think of any better customer service I have ever received. I thought that was excellent.
Legend of the 13 Crystal Skulls | From Mars to the Maya
Echoes Of The Cosmos
Submitted into Contest #210 in response to: Set your story after aliens have officially arrived on Earth.… view prompt
Anna W
“What’s wrong, Mom?” Taylor asked, sitting down next to her on the couch and pulling the blanket up over her own legs. It had grown as long as the rectangle rug that covered their small living room.
“Hmm? What’s that, dear?” her mom asked, as if she hadn’t heard what Taylor said.
“Mom,” Taylor said gently, laying her hand on her mother’s quick-moving fingers. “What’s wrong? You and I both know that you only work on the Blanket of Doom when something is really bothering you.”
Donna dropped her hands, a frown working its way through her whole face. This pained expression that was all-too-familiar to her daughter. She blew out a short breath, squeezing the crochet hook and the blanket, still in her hands.
“I just miss him, that’s all,” Donna whispered, knuckles turning white with the effort to hold the weight of her grief.
Taylor leaned in to her mother, laying her head on a shoulder she’d leaned on many times in her life.
“I miss him too,” Taylor agreed. She felt the familiar pang of sadness and fear that always accompanied thoughts of her father. It tightened around her heart like a vice grip, tonight. “Is this about the news, though? Just because they’ve said–”
“I know what they said,” her mother interjected, “And I know what it means. They announced ‘non-human biologics’. What else could it be?”
“I just don’t think we need to freak out. Mushrooms are a ‘non-human biologics,’ Mom. Heck, the people who think they saw this UFO had probably indulged in a few mushrooms, so–”
“Taylor, I saw the footage. I don’t think mushrooms were driving that craft. It didn’t move like a drone or a plane. I watched the testimonies before congress. They know something. They’ve got something and now they’re saying it. Out loud! To the public! Why would they do that? Unless… unless they–”
“No, Mom. Don’t go down this rabbit hole again, please…” Taylor begged her mother.
She didn’t want to see her spiral back down into the hole. She couldn’t take it. The deep, dark depression had nearly swallowed up her mother for eight months after her father’s disappearance. He had gone out to an alleged crash site, after days of scouring the rumors online for UFO sightings. Taylor would never forget those last few moments.
“This seems promising! I’ll be back by dinner, kiddo. Don’t start without me,” he had said, kissing Taylor on the forehead. He hugged Donna, who was terse because she didn’t want him to go. She turned her head, letting him kiss her on the cheek, before he left.
“They’re not all your responsibility, Daniel,” she called out after him, when he was halfway down the driveway. He turned his head and smiled at her. They’d had many conversations like this before. Dad was never one to neglect his duty, though.
“Unity is the constellation of harmony, my love,” he had called back lovingly, a gleam of light twinkled in his eye.
Taylor knew that her mother still felt guilty about this exchange. She often reminded her mother that this last exchange wasn’t representative of their relationship. Taylor had basked in the warmth of the love that radiated out from her parents. Because of their love for each other, her home was a refuge of support. They were a bastion of hope for their people, despite all the turmoil.
High school turmoil seemed laughable now. It often does, when you graduate and realize there are much bigger worlds out there. But at the time her father disappeared, Taylor was on the cusp of her high school graduation. It had been her biggest concern.
She avoided the mean girls, who picked up on every unspoken insecurity like it was a competition to see who could spot the most weaknesses in others. She always struggled at first, to blend in, but eventually found a place. She relaxed amongst a few peers in the middle of the weird social hierarchy in her rural high school. She learned. Observed. Blending in was their primary goal, after all.
Her mother’s gentle hand on her cheek brought her back to the present.
“I’ve worried you, dear. I’m sorry. I just… I’ve been thinking about it for days now, and it’s the only thing that makes sense. They’ve finally figured it out, and now they’re going to announce to the world that aliens have landed on earth.” Donna’s mouth grimaced and her eyes brimmed over with tears.
Taylor’s own tears cascaded down her cheeks in response. She couldn’t bear to see her mother cry.
“Surely not. If they’ve had him all this time, that means– No. Maybe he just…” She choked on the words.
“My darling, your father would never leave us. He didn’t get in an accident. A single human could never have hurt him. Not with their under-evolved muscles and over-evolved confidence. I went to exactly the spot he had mapped out, to check on the fallen craft. He said it looked like the Zephyr Mariner craft that brought us here 25 years ago. Same flight pattern. Same speed.”
“Do you think he’s been in a cell for the past year being interrogated? Or in some kind of terrible lab being poked and prodded?” Taylor shuddered at the thought. Bile rose in her throat every time her mind went down this road.
“I don’t know, sweetheart,” her mother said, her voice becoming gentler. “I pray to Cosmonir every day that he didn’t get caught. That if he got into trouble, he found a way to get to a safe place. Or a way to use the craft to communicate with home and get some reinforcements. We checked everywhere around the reported area that people saw the craft, though, and… nothing. Not even a scrap of metal, just another crop circle. Not the right pattern, so it was probably done by bored teenagers.” Donna’s eyes fell back to her hands as she continued crocheting the Blanket of Doom.
The grief sank in Taylor’s chest as she sat in the sea of purple. She thought this feeling would get better over time, but it never really did. She always felt the same crushing dread that her father was being tortured somewhere. She sometimes had nice dreams of her home planet but those usually melted into nightmares of being strapped to a gurney and poked with needles. Sometimes it was crowds of people in S.W.A.T. gear busting into their home and dragging them away.
Though she was born on Earth, Taylor often dreamed of Luminara. A world of light, peace, and untold beauty. Or at least, that’s what her parents told her. Her childhood memories brimmed with stories of their home planet. Tales of rolling oceans made of colorful flowers and vines. Massive ships made of bright silver metals, sailing atop them as they undulated in the breeze. Trees as tall as skyscrapers, always teeming with life. Many millennia of peace amongst her people.
Taylor often dreamed of her father on her home planet, but she wasn’t sure why. She had told her mother about these dreams at first. She assumed her subconscious was working through grief and hiding them inside the beauty of the stories she’d heard her whole life. Perhaps her mind was trying to cover the horrific grief of the loss of her father, with the beauty of a world where he still existed. If only in her mind. Her dreams eventually started upsetting her mother though, so Taylor kept them to herself these days.
They were silent for several minutes, with the news muted on the living room television. A 24-hour news show was on. A terrible invention, really. Whose idea was it to broadcast the worst of human’s challenges and then speculate about the worst possible ways these things could turn out? Anything for ratings, these days.
Taylor and Donna sat in silence for a few moments.
“I am grateful for the time I had with you and dad. And the time you and I have had together, since… you know… since he’s been gone. I’m not glad he’s gone of course,” Taylor stuttered through her sappy speech, her mom nodding along. She understood. “But I want to say that sometimes– it’s just that sometimes I wish we’d never come here. I wish you and dad weren’t given this assignment, and that I’d been born on Luminara. Maybe he’d still be with us then…”
Donna grasped Taylor’s face, leaning in until their foreheads touched. Tears stained the purple yarn an even deeper hue.
“Taylor. Darling. I understand why you feel that way. I think about that all the time! It’s okay to feel how you feel, grief is not linear. You’ll take some steps forward and then sometimes you’ll take some steps backward. You’ll never love your father less, just because he’s gone. But you will get stronger. It won’t always be so consuming…” she trailed off, and then ducked her chin. “Look, I’m sorry, I’m not saying this well. Your dad was the Communication Specialist, not me.”
Taylor rolled her eyes and chuckled at her mom’s corny joke. Dad’s specialty had been building and using communication equipment, not communicating with words. Although, he did always seem to know the right words to say. She knew her mother was trying to lighten the mood.
“All I’m saying,” Donna continued on, ‘is that we came here with a purpose. We have to watch the humans and report if they are getting close to creating technology that would allow them to travel in space. We’ve seen what they do when they discover something new, so we can’t allow them to have access to Luminara. Not yet. Not until they decide to become a more peaceful species.”
“I know, I know. Unity is the constellation of harmony,” Taylor said robotically.
Taylor felt the struggle of a war within herself. She wanted to comfort her mother, but also wanted to share her own fears. She wanted to abandon the mission, but it was all she’d ever known. She wanted to go back to before he disappeared. She wished she could time travel back to the days when all she had to worry about was physics homework and mapping out a path to working at NASA.
The war inside of her continued raging. She kept her lips sealed against the onslaught of fear and doubt that wanted to pour out of her.
Donna could feel the shift in Taylor, the stress building. She leaned in to her daughter, tucking her under her arm, and placing Taylor’s head back on her shoulder. Even at eighteen years old, Taylor breathed in the comfort of her mother’s embrace. She’d never take it for granted. Not when it could be gone in an instant.
“I am worried too, sweetheart. All we can do is wait, though. I’ve been checking the message boards for chatter spikes, every day. I check the safety point once a week to make sure he isn’t there. We haven’t had any activity on the Stellar Transceiver since the night your father… disappeared.” Donna’s breath hitched on the word.
“Why aren’t they communicating with us, though? Shouldn’t we tell them he’s disappeared and get some help or something?” Taylor asked, hopeful for more connections to her homeworld. Hopeful that they’d have the power to find him and bring him home.
“It doesn’t work that way, my sweet girl. We send the right signals out, only if the humans seem like their technology is growing to the point of danger. We don’t get signals back, unless they are extracting us. It’s too risky, otherwise. Your father and I knew we were accepting a lifelong mission when we came here. I know it’s hard, and I know it’s had consequences for you as well. But… even so,” her mother said, her voice becoming stronger and more stoic, “We must continue on. We must not be distracted, dragged away, deluded, delayed, or denied from completing the mission at hand. We are…” She looked at Taylor, eyebrows raising expectantly.
Taylor knew it by heart, as she’d repeated the mantra with her parents every night before bed.
“We are silent spectators. Invisible inquisitors. Whispering watchers. Vigilantly veiled visitors. Unseen observers. Star dwellers in shadows. Camouflaged and cautious. We are unearthly and unseen. We are the echoes of the cosmos.”
A notice came across the screen of the TV, and caught both of their attention. The president was going to be holding a press conference and making some sort of announcement, in a few hours. Donna and Taylor exchanged a look that was a mix of heavy emotions. They both had an eagerness for answers, and felt the dread of what those answers would mean for their family, and the families of the many worlds beyond earth.
The aliens had already landed on earth long ago, but have the humans finally figured it out?
They would watch and see.
Who benefits more if the US stops importing from China, the US, China, Russia, or India?
If US stops importing from China, a lot of shelves in the stores will be empty, many factories will be idle or on slow-work for lack of intermediate inputs or absent machines, likewise in many offices for shortage of office supplies and equipment.
China will have to find new markets for what US does not import. Not necessarily the same goods, but goods more suitable to the new markets. China’s factories have the great advantage of nimbleness, such as were shown during Covid-19.
Russia will mostly be untouched. It is already doing great with China in their two-way trade, save that China may try to sell more to it, especially the consumer goods.
India would only see marginal benefit. It does not have much goods to sell to US, and cannot fill the gap left behind by China.
There will be more costs than benefits. The irony could be that the US would bear the most costs, such as the difficulties to find substitutes, cumbersome deliveries due to small-lot deliveries, delayed shipments, and having to pay higher prices. This was the case several Christmases ago when China was hit with electricity shortages and shipments were interrupted.
Mexico folded under threat of tariffs, giving into Trump’s request that they secure their border with 10,000 military troops. Why didn’t any of the super-genius economists predict this?
The Felon-In-Chief didn’t get anything new out of Mexico as they were already moving those troops in. But, the Felon-In-Chief gave Mexico a big concession. He agreed to stop the flow of guns into Mexico that are arming the Cartels. I’d say it was a big win for Mexico and a loss for the Felon-In-Chief. Oh, but his people are, of course, spinning this as a big win for tRump and that Mexico caved, and tRump is an incredible deal maker.
Same thing happened with Canada. His people are again saying he got Canada to cave and he got major concessions. What a great deal maker!!! What did he get? Canada is going to put 1.3 billion into strengthening our border. More men and equipment. Thing is, this was proposed back in December to the Biden Administration and was already being implemented, so nothing new . Oh, and Canada is going to appoint a Fentanyl Czar to look into the massive amounts of Fentanyl crossing the border. (Something like 43 lbs.) So, is that a big win for the Felon-In-Chief? They are trying to say this is a big win, when in fact the program was already there. Oh, but Canada got something. tRump agreed to a joint task force to try to stop the flow of cocaine into Canada. What a great win for Canada. Yup, the Felon-In-Chief is such a great deal maker. He probably saw that the Stock Market was crashing and all his millionaire/billionaire buddies were losing a ton of money, so he caved. Don’t want to piss off his backers.
Why don’t you get back out on the golf course, Donny, and let the big boys deal with International Trade.
Why is it that some high-IQ individuals turn out to be failures in the end?
Because you need the required secondary powers to succeed.
The most important required secondary power is to be born in an upper class family. Most of those high IQ people who succeed, have born with silver spoon on hand.
The reason is trivial. Nobody makes it alone nor in a vacuum. To be successful, you need to get socialized with right people, to know the right people, to be encouraged, to have social support, you name it. The less you have those, the less likely you are to succeed.
Then there is the thrice-goddamned communication range. If you are a high-IQ person in a middle class environment, you are likely to be branded as a weird kid, a nerd, a geek, an egghead and bullied and ostracized. You learn very quickly to hide your intelligence to stay below the radar lest you are torn into pieces. And God help you if you are born in a working class family – you will be stampled as a weirdo, a misfit, an outcast, and eaten alive.
For a middle class and working class high IQ individuals, the best hopes are military and STEM branches. Military because militaries are meritocracies, and high IQ is an asset once you are past buck sergeant or lieutenant. STEM branches, because they are difficult and require brainpower, and you are likely to get networked with similar-minded youngsters.
Forget the rags-to-riches fairy tales. They are just that – fairy tales invented to deceive the gullible and to make the proles to blame themselves for their failures.
Fajita Roast
Ingredients
- 1 (3 to 5 pound) chuck roast
- 2 medium onions, sliced into rings
- 2 green bell peppers, sliced
- 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 2 envelopes taco seasoning mix or 4 tablespoons homemade Taco Seasoning
- 1 can Ro*Tel
Instructions
- Cook on HIGH all day in slow cooker. The meat will shred.
- Roll up in warmed flour tortillas. Add your choice of shredded cheese, sour cream, shredded lettuce, sliced jalapenos, salsa, sliced black olives and cilantro.