My daughter has four different kinds of Lego collections. They are Mega-Large, Regular, and Micro. In addition there are these off-brand Lego copycats that look like Lego’s but are fractionally smaller, so they are not interchangeable.
Lego’s are really cool. But you know guys, I just don’t have the patience to build the various Lego items. But still my daughter loves playing them. We go to the kitchen table and play. She likes to build houses and cars. I just like to put things together into interesting combinations.
It’s a kind of family moment for us.
We keep all the Lego’s in a big PE container. And it’s all cool.
Today we will dedicate this post to Lego. Enjoy…
Today…
What has been the most honest moment you’ve had with a salesperson?
My wife and I went for a free weekend and a meal and a timeshare pitch.
The young salesman was very enthusiastic to start. He asked if we’d ever been to the beach where the timeshare was.
I said Yes.
He asked if we’d ever looked at timeshare.
I said yes.
He asked with which company.
I said, this one.
His enthusiasm was dropping with each answer.
He asked why we didn’t buy.
I said I thought it was a RIP off.
He asked why we came back.
I said, because your company gave us two nights in the resort and a free steak dinner.
He started to get mad and said he should get his sales manager.
I said, you’ll sent me the invitation and we came. You can get mad or when we go to see the units, we can go to a bar instead and I’ll buy you a drink.
He thought for a moment and said, you’ll buy me a drink?
At the bar, he wrote numbers on a napkin to show how the $10,000 timeshare would cost over $25,000 before it was paid off.
I’ll bet his boss would have had a fit if he’d known.
Your cats wait their WHOLE LIFE for you to DO THIS!
Meatloaf with Sour Cream Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream and onion dip, divided
- 2 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs( place bread in food processor and process to crumbs)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
- 1/4 cup chopped onions
- 2 tablespoons chopped pimientos
- 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 dash pepper
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
Instructions
- In a slow cooker, crisscross two foil strips, to form strips of foil (use heavy duty or double the thickness of regular foil) across bottom and up the sides or slow cooker. (Make sure that the foil extends slightly on the sides, as this will be the handles to remove the meatloaf from the pot.)
- In a large bowl, combine eggs, 1/2 cup of onion sour cream dip, bread crumbs the ground beef and pork . Place the meat mixture on top of the foil strips, pressing lightly to form a round loaf, that doesn’t touch the sides of the pot.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours.
- Lift out the meatloaf, using the excess foil as handles and drain off excess fat.
- In a saucepan, combine remaining onion sour cream dip and cream of mushroom soup mixing well. Heat through, stirring occasionally.
- Serve with Sour Cream Sauce.
B-1B LANCER BOMBER NOW AIRBORNE — VISIBLE ON CIVILIAN RADAR
A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer, tail 86-0108, is currently airborne. It originated at Minot Air Force Base which is a nuclear weapons-equipped base, flying southwest over North Dakota at 22,000 ft.
This is a strategic bomber capable of carrying 75,000 lbs of cruise missiles and conventional ordnance—one of the most lethal non-nuclear platforms in the U.S. arsenal.
Its appearance on public radar is highly unusual, and likely deliberate. This could possibly be a show of force as opposed to the tankers and cargo lifts we saw earlier.
China Beats USA AI Restrictions with Sneaker Net – Xi is Smarter than Trump
Why has China been Thailand’s largest trading partner for over a decade?
Well for starters China and Thailand are in the same zone of influence, as in, who else is going to be the most significant trading partner in Asia?
Strong Economic Ties & Trade Agreements
Thailand and China have a close economic relationship, reinforced by the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which has significantly reduced tariffs and boosted trade. See there is that Tariff word, cooperation and trade is how conflict was lowered throughout the world. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) further deepens trade relations.
China’s Role as a Global Manufacturing Hub
China’s demand for raw materials and agricultural products (such as rubber, seafood, and fruits) aligns with Thailand’s exports.
Thailand imports electronics, machinery, and manufactured goods from China, supporting its industries and infrastructure. It is the same throughout the world, China supports economies and secretors to a broad list of countries.
Geographical Proximity & Efficient Logistics
The close geographical location facilitates easier and cheaper transportation of goods. Major trade routes, including the Kunming-Bangkok Highway and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects, enhance trade efficiency.
Investment & Economic Integration
Chinese companies have heavily invested in Thailand’s infrastructure, technology, and industrial zones (e.g., the Eastern Economic Corridor, EEC).
China is a key investor in Thailand’s railway and digital economy projects.
Tourism & Cultural Links
Before COVID-19, China was Thailand’s largest source of tourists, indirectly strengthening trade through service sector spending and retail demand for Chinese products.
The cultural and historical ties between the two nations also foster business relationships.
Thailand’s Role in Regional Supply Chains
Many multinational companies use Thailand as a production and assembly hub, importing components from China and re-exporting finished goods worldwide.
Thailand’s auto and electronics industries rely heavily on Chinese supply chains.
Strategic Political Relations
Thailand and China have maintained strong diplomatic ties, with both governments promoting trade cooperation through frequent summits and agreements.
We are in the time of Asia. Thailand is a major assembler and manufacturer and the relationship is only headed to further ties between Thailand and China.
Has DeepSeek R1’s performance made the Stargate project and concept obsolete?
This is a subject of personal interest due to involvement in an EU project requiring AI.
For a start, we were stunned by the Deepseek V3 announcement last month. Until then, we had been spending a lot of effort training and using Llama 3.3 to help us estimate the reactions of various compounds on organic molecules. Anyone who had spent time training Llama would be aware of the limitations, some of which are significant, in particular the contexting of labels. Note Llama was chosen because of the open source licence, and using other systems such as OpenAI would involve loading too much sensitive data into their clouds.
To cut a long story short, within days of installing Deepseek, we were able to derive plausible results from it. And there was very little need to provide context once we loaded in the inference engines that we had developed earlier. The reasoning capabilities of Deepseek was quite remarkable, so we may soon decide to move everything to Deepseek. And note our test was done on an Intel i5 (16-threads) system with 32Gb RAM and a 200Gb SSD PC.
What our experience suggests is that it’s possible to be much more effective and incredibly efficient for businesses to have their own “private” AI server, dedicated to solving their specific problems, far away from a cloud where sensitive data may be stolen.
As such, one has to ask; what is the $500 billion investment for Stargate for? Is it to achieve AGI? If so, what is the business case for AGI? Honestly, what exactly do we need AGI for? How much is the advantage of AGI relative to excellent reasoning engines like Deepseek? And if we can improve on Deepseek, perhaps because it’s an open source system which will attract the best people globally to work on it, it’s entirely possible that Deepseek will achieve AGI before Stargate.
Historically, open source systems can easily have higher utility and adoption than proprietary systems. Just look at Linux as an example. Sooner or later, the issue is whether people want to pay exorbitant licence fees for proprietary systems or go to an effective practically free open source standard.
The overwhelming majority of us Americans are taught that Canada, Britain and Europe are our loyal lapdog vassal states. Why are all three putting retaliatory tariffs on us? Are they not supposed to be bowing down to and obeying President Trump?
“The overwhelming majority of us Americans are taught that Canada, Britain and Europe are our loyal lapdog vassal states”.
Are you really taught that? I doubt it very much. That’s just your bigotry (and that of other MAGAts).
“Why are all three putting retaliatory tariffs on us?”
Well now, you seem to be very confused. As of today (6th February 2025), Trump has not put tariffs on “Britain” or Europe – so them putting retaliatory tariffs on the USA hasn’t even needed to happen. And Trump has actually delayed the application of tariffs on Canada, so there is currently no need for the Canadians to retaliate just yet.
Then there’s that MAGAt confusion again. Britain is actually part of Europe, so you could have just said “Europe”, and that would have included the UK. Britain is the largest island in the archipelago of the British Isles, and not actually a recognised country in its own right.
“Are they not supposed to be bowing down to and obeying President Trump?”
Correct. They’re not supposed to be “bowing down to and obeying President Trump”. Your President has no say over how other countries should act. None at all. And that you think he does says a lot about you.
What I find very amusing is that Trump sincerely believes that he has brow-beaten Canada and Mexico into doing his will, whereas the truth is that Canada and Mexico have simply agreed to continue to do what they had already agreed to do ages ago with former POTUS Biden.
He’s playing you for a fool. Which isn’t difficult in your case, because you are clearly one of the more gullible fools in the USA.
Now, it’s very possible that you are actually a Russian troll, and I have wasted my time replying to you. So be it. But then again, if my answer is seen by a bunch of MAGAts as a result, I’ve done my job.
Freckles
Submitted into Contest #210 in response to: Write about a character who has to grapple with something completely alien to them.… view prompt
Christina Reynolds
“Freckles look like tiny chocolate chips,” he’d say to her before tucking her in each night, kissing each one sprinkled across her nose.
One day that was neither too cold nor too hot, a man about her age sat down next to her.
“Expecting rain?” The stranger said, looking first at the cloudless blue sky then back to the umbrella firmly grasped in Percy’s hand. His voice was so calm and gentle that it didn’t occur to Percy that he might be teasing her.
“No, you see my dad always counted—” Percy stopped mid-sentence as she noticed the plethora of light and dark brown spots on her bench mate’s face.
“He counted…?” the man asked, smiling knowingly.
“He counted umbrellas, of course,” Percy replied, without considering how silly the statement sounded. She blushed, her face matching the warmth of the man’s smile. He wasn’t handsome in the traditional sense. His nose was crooked and his ears were small, but his chocolate chip brown eyes were intelligent and kind.
“I’m Philip,” he said, extending his right hand. In his left hand, he held onto the handles of a large picnic basket.
She laughed.
“Do you think Philip is a funny name?”
“Oh no,” she replied, now blushing deep enough to obscure her freckles. “Your name is my name. I’m Percy Phillips. And your name is Philip. It’s quite a coincidence.”
“Speaking of coincidences, were you stood up, too?” he asked wryly. “I was supposed to meet someone here for lunch this afternoon. A friend of a friend. Or rather, an acquaintance of an acquaintance. Now I’m feeling rather stupid.”
“Stupid? Hardly, I think you’re quite brave.”
“Brave? How so?”
“Well, first of all, you were willing to take a chance. My dad said you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Percy answered, acting as if her ham sandwich were a basketball. She pantomimed a fadeaway jumper. “I think your acquaintance’s acquaintance is the stupid one.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“You said first of all. Doesn’t that mean there’s a secondly to follow?”
“Oh, of course,” Percy continued. “Secondly, you were brave enough to sit next to a crazy woman with an open umbrella on a sunny day.”
“I just assumed you knew something I didn’t—like there would be a solar flare storm or an alien invasion later today.”
“The only thing I know is that my ham sandwich seems far less appealing than whatever is in your basket.”
Percy surprised herself at her bravado, but Philip made frivolous small talk seem less frivolous and small. On the contrary, she found herself hanging on his every word.
“I’ll make a deal with you, Miss Phillips,” Philip said. “If you can shoot your ham sandwich into that trash can from this bench, I’ll share my picnic basket with you.”
“And if I miss?”
“You’re not going to miss, Miss.”
“No, I believe you’re right. I’m not,” Percy responded, tossing the rest of her sandwich into the trash can across the path without the slightest hesitation.
The rest of Percy’s lunch hour passed too quickly for either of the former strangers. Over gourmet cheeses and between sips of sparkling cider, she learned that Philip was an engineer—not the kind of engineer who used slide rules, but the kind who drove trains. During that same conversation, Phillip learned that Percy’s father had passed away just three short weeks prior.
“This has been the first time I’ve smiled since,” she said quietly when he handed her a homemade chocolate chip cookie.
When the picnic basket was emptied, Philip stood and held Percy’s umbrella aloft while she gathered her things.
“Thank you for a wonderful lunch,” she said, standing, reluctant to leave. “I need to head back to work.”
“Well, I suppose it’s time for me to finish running my errands,” he said quietly. “May I walk you back to work?”
“Of course,” she smiled. “I work at the pharmacy. Right over there—” She pointed behind them. When she returned to look at his face, she noted a deep sadness flicker across his eyes.
“Well, I actually need to drop by the pharmacy. It’s one of my stops,” he mumbled, his eyes downcast, averting her gaze.
“It’s a wonderful shop,” Percy said, touching his arm. “It’s much more than a pharmacy. We sell groceries, craft beers, and even some household items…”
Percy was well aware that she was panicking. His somber look stopped her mid-sentence.
Without a word, he pulled out several prescriptions from his wallet and showed them to her. Cytoxan. Trexall. Temodar.
Up to this point, everything about her lunch in the park had been unfamiliar to Percy. She wasn’t the kind of girl who men found attractive. She seldom talked to anyone but customers. But now she was holding a few slips of paper she knew too well.
The prescriptions were for medications she had filled many times for her own father. Her brow furrowed as she calculated the dosage, a grim frown growing on her face as clearly as she felt Philip’s stare.
In an instant, her frown was replaced by a wide smile.
“This is fantastic, Phillip. I will fill your chemotherapy meds the moment I get behind the counter.” She turned to walk spryly to the pharmacy, Philip and his basket trailing close behind. “I’m so happy.”
“You are?” Phillip replied, genuinely surprised. “Why are you happy?”
“Because these prescriptions need to be refilled every seven days. Do you know what that means?” She stopped suddenly, turning nose-to-nose with him.
Phillip grinned.
“It means you have to come see me every week. That is if you don’t want to see me more often than that.”
“I’d like that.” Phillip responded, “I’d like that a lot.”
“Good,” Percy said, emphatically, leaning forward and kissing Phillip once on his freckle sprinkled nose. “Well what do you know, my dad was right?”
“How so,” Phillip asked, trying to suppress the red rush to his cheeks.
“He always said freckles looked like chocolate chips, I guess I had to learn on my own that they also tasted as sweet. Now are you coming or what?” She said as she turned back towards the pharmacy.”
“Of course, Percy Phillips. I’d follow you anywhere.” Phillip answered marching smartly behind her, truly anticipating whatever would come next.
USAID Update: DETAINED in Cairo, Egypt
Does China’s government lie to the Chinese people about the economy and foreign policy?
China is a perception based society which means they aren’t like Americans or Indians to blindly believe the news they hear
They look around them and decide how things are
They don’t swallow nonsense the way many Indian people do, through their mass media
So it is meaningless to LIE to the Chinese people on economy related issues
They see around them and they can PERCEIVE the situation
Likewise Chinese don’t CARE about foreign policy
None of the usual LAAL AANKH, LASER EYES, DUNKA etc that we Indians adore and love to hear
Unless it has the words Taiwan or Japan, nobody even gives an article a second look
So there is no inclination to lie for either situation
A good lesson
Sir Whiskerton and the Case of the Glow-in-the-Dark Feed
Ah, dear reader, prepare yourself for another rollicking adventure on Sir Whiskerton’s farm, where the animals are as eccentric as ever, and the mischief is always just a whisker away. Today’s tale involves Chef Remy LeRaccoon, his latest culinary invention, and a farm full of animals who are about to get a taste of something truly… illuminating. So, grab your sense of humor and let’s dive into The Case of the Glow-in-the-Dark Feed.
The Mad Scientist Strikes Again
It all began in Chef Remy LeRaccoon’s gourmet laboratory, a ramshackle shed on the edge of the farm filled with bubbling beakers, glowing concoctions, and the occasional explosion. Remy, a self-proclaimed “mad scientist” raccoon, was known for his bizarre culinary experiments, and today was no exception.
“Behold!” Remy declared, holding up a jar of glowing green pellets. “I call it… Luminofeed! The world’s first glow-in-the-dark animal feed! It’s nutritious, delicious, and guaranteed to make you the star of the barnyard!”
Rufus the Dog, who had wandered into the lab out of curiosity, tilted his head. “Glow-in-the-dark feed? Isn’t that a bit… unnecessary?”
“Unnecessary?!” Remy gasped, clutching his chest as if Rufus had insulted his grandmother. “My dear canine, this is a revolution in animal nutrition! Imagine the possibilities! Nighttime feedings will never be the same!”
Porkchop the Pig, who had been napping in the corner, snorted awake. “Glow-in-the-dark feed, huh? Does it taste like bacon?”
Remy sighed. “No, Porkchop, it does not taste like bacon. But it does taste like… science!”
Porkchop shrugged. “Eh, close enough. I’ll try anything once.”
The Ducks’ Dazzling Debut
With his invention ready, Remy decided to test it on the ducks first. After all, Ferdinand the Duck, the farm’s resident “singing sensation,” was always eager to try something new—especially if it involved attention.
“Ferdinand!” Remy called, holding out a bowl of Luminofeed. “I have a treat for you!”
Ferdinand waddled over, his feathers puffed up with pride. “A treat for me? Well, of course! I am, after all, the most talented duck on the farm. What is it?”
“It’s Luminofeed!” Remy said, his eyes gleaming. “The future of animal nutrition!”
Ferdinand peered at the glowing pellets. “Hmm. It’s… shiny. I like shiny things. Very well, I shall try it!” He took a bite, and within moments, his beak began to glow. “By Jove! I’m radiant! This is magnificent! I must sing its praises!”
And sing he did. Ferdinand launched into an operatic ode to Luminofeed, his glowing beak lighting up the barnyard like a tiny spotlight. The other ducks gathered around, clapping and quacking in admiration.
“Bravo, Ferdinand!” they cheered. “You’re a star!”
From his perch in the hay loft, Sir Whiskerton watched the spectacle with a raised eyebrow. “Well, Ditto,” he said, “it seems Ferdinand has found his calling as a glow-in-the-dark diva.”
Ditto, sitting beside Sir Whiskerton, echoed his mentor’s words. “Diva! Diva!” he chirped, his little tail flicking with excitement.
Echo, the tiny gray-and-white kitten who followed Ditto everywhere, added her own commentary. “Diva! Diva!” she repeated, her bright green eyes wide with wonder.
The Chickens’ Chaotic Confab
Next, Remy took his invention to the chickens. Doris the Hen, always the first to panic, was immediately suspicious.
“Glow-in-the-dark feed?” Doris squawked. “What in the name of clucking is that?!”
“It’s the future, Doris!” Remy said, holding out the bowl. “Try it! You’ll love it!”
Harriet, the slightly more level-headed hen, peered at the glowing pellets. “It does look… interesting. But what if it makes us glow too much? We don’t want to attract predators!”
Lillian, prone to fainting, gasped. “Predators?! Oh, I can’t bear it!” She promptly fainted into a pile of hay.
Doris clucked nervously. “See? This is why we can’t have nice things! Glow-in-the-dark feed is just asking for trouble!”
Remy sighed. “Ladies, please. It’s perfectly safe. I’ve tested it on myself!” He held up a glowing paw as proof.
Harriet hesitated, then took a cautious bite. Her beak began to glow, and she let out a surprised cluck. “Well, I’ll be. It’s… not bad.”
Doris, still skeptical, reluctantly tried a pellet. Her beak glowed, and she let out a grudging cluck. “Fine. It’s… acceptable. But if we start glowing in our sleep, I’m holding you responsible, Remy!”
The Geese’s Grandstanding
Finally, Remy approached the geese, led by the ever-proud Gertrude. She eyed the glowing feed with disdain.
“Glow-in-the-dark feed?” Gertrude honked. “What nonsense is this? We geese are already the most magnificent creatures on this farm. We don’t need glowing feed to prove it!”
Remy grinned. “Ah, but imagine how much more magnificent you’ll be with a glowing beak! You’ll be the envy of every bird in the county!”
Gertrude considered this, then nodded. “Very well. We shall try it. But only because we are gracious and open-minded.”
The geese took their first bites, and soon their beaks were glowing like tiny lanterns. Gertrude puffed out her chest. “Behold! We are even more glorious than before! Bow before us, lesser creatures!”
From the hay loft, Sir Whiskerton rolled his eyes. “And there they go, inflating their already overinflated egos. Honestly, Ditto, it’s a wonder they can even fly with all that pride.”
Ditto giggled. “Pride! Pride!” he echoed.
Echo, not to be outdone, added her own commentary. “Pride! Pride!” she repeated, her tiny voice filled with mock seriousness.
The Moral of the Story
As the sun set and the barnyard glowed with the light of Luminofeed, Sir Whiskerton reflected on the day’s events. “Well, Ditto,” he said, “it seems Chef Remy’s invention has been a success—albeit a chaotic one.”
Ditto nodded eagerly. “Success! Success!”
“Indeed,” Sir Whiskerton continued. “The moral of the story is this: Sometimes, a little innovation can bring out the best—and the most ridiculous—in all of us. And while glowing feed may not be necessary, it certainly makes life more entertaining.”
Ditto clapped his tiny paws. “Entertaining! Entertaining!”
Echo, ever the mimic, added her own applause. “Entertaining! Entertaining!”
And with that, Sir Whiskerton settled back into his perch, content in the knowledge that once again, the farm was full of laughter, light, and just a little bit of madness.
The End.
Why did Trump ‘rescind’ the freeze on $3 trillion in Federal Programs and grants? Doesn’t he want to show MAGA he can cut off Medicaid, Meals on Wheels and every other Fed Program including roads, bridges and infrastructure and training?
To paraphrase Trump, who would have thought that destroying the Federal govt and putting 100 million or more lives in peril would be so complicated.
Let’s recap:
- Trump’s supporters love this, they have no idea that it is affecting them, but those nasty old people getting Meals on Wheels, they don’t deserve to eat.
- Press Sec Leavitt said it was Biden’s fault that congress passed laws to help the American people and Biden was out of control. Damn you Congress, why did you pass those laws, why did you appropriate money including Republicans. Oh, that’s your job?
- Trump then found out chaos is not the way the run government all the time. You cannot just say, hey 100 million or more Americans, fuck you, I am not going to let Congress do it’s constitutional duty, I am changing and saying I don’t like those seniors or medicaid recipients. No way are the millions and millions getting anything that Congress passed and Presidents including the fool himself, Trump signed.
So where are we?
Trump wants to just make a helluva lot of noise. He wants to show his MAGA supporters that he is doing what he was elected in that landslide to do.
Now the Dems are so lame they cannot even make statements without tripping over themselves like Chuck Schumer.
Never mind, Trump had to back down. Message sent, message received and right back at you Donald.
Will it matter? Of course not, this is chaos theory and Trump could care less. Remember his net worth has gone up some say $58 billion in the past few weeks on his crypto exchange.
Who gives a damn about seniors and poor people when you are stealing billions.
The zombie apocalypse is not just started, it is already moving rapidly. Not yet out of control but it is happening.
Should we now be sourcing arms from the likes of Poland, France, and Italy to reduce dependency on the USA?
Puppet presidents in the countries in Europe need to be removed. These people are traitor to their people and country. Because the United States helped to put them in office. And the reason was because they ultimately served the United States in their interests not the actual country that they’re the president of.
Technically Russia is a country of Europe. In the United States has enjoyed indirect dominance over the other countries and keeping them down. I reassuring that the divide between Russia and the rest of the countries stays and continues to be a problem. Real effort from the countries in Europe on their own needs to be done to correct that divide. United States does not want Russia and the countries in Europe to be allies. That would truly empower them and definitely make them not something that can be controlled by the US.
Right now the biggest threat to do your countries in Europe is the United States. It is not actually Russia. United States wants you to stay sidetracked with that. So they can further do things for their own shady agenda.
What are the reasons for opposition to Trump’s steel and aluminum tariff policy? What potential economic consequences could result from this decision?
What are the reasons for opposition to Trump’s steel and aluminum tariff policy? What potential economic consequences could result from this decision?
What are the reasons for opposition to Trump’s steel and aluminum tariff policy? Ignorance, leftist propaganda, lack of critical thinking, and just maybe pure stupidity?
What potential economic consequences could result from this decision? Well DUH! Making America Great Again!
The USA became the greatest country in the world in less than 100 years after George Washington became our first president, something no other nation ever even came close to doing. AND guess what, it was primarily done with tariffs on imports. Tariffs paid for almost the total cost of the federal government right up to the early 1900s. The only other sources of federal income were excise taxes.
During WWII the USA was the arsenal of the good guys producing most of the equipment and munitions used by the Allies all over the world and was the greatest manufacturing nation on earth. Even today, the USA is second only to China and not by much. So how did Chinja pass the USA in manufacturing? They made manufacturers all over the world an offer that was too good to be true. Produce your goods in China at a fraction of the cost. The USA and virtually every other manufacturing nation got conned into exporting their manufacturing expertise to China, China set up clone manufacturing operations to produce the same goods for China, and China put high tariffs on goods manufactured in their home countries.
That’s right, China’s tariffs are higher than The USA’s tariffs. So why steel and aluminum? The USA already produces steel and aluminum, and in order to expand manufacturing in the USA, especially war material, the USA needs to assure that we do not need to import steel and aluminum in the future since they are key materials needed for consumer goods as well as weapons and munitions.
Those tariffs will raise the cost of imported steel and aluminum and incentivize the expansion of domestic production. That is what the USA did in the first hundred years, that is what China did and that’s what practically every other nation on earth has done to avoid any need to import key materials from an enemy nation.
Shorpy
Culture shock for an American
THE TASTE OF HUMANS
Submitted into Contest #210 in response to: Write about a character who has to grapple with something completely alien to them.… view prompt
Kristin Johnson
The creature grinned and swayed its head from side to side. That was all the answer I was going to get.
“What is your name?”
The creature made a series of sounds like pans clanging together.
“Can you translate for me?”
“You could not pronounce my name.”
“You seem to speak English fairly well.”
“One must know one’s prey. What is your name?”
“Ashley Guevara.”
“Assh-lei. You are…female?”
“How did you know? By smell?”
It nodded. “I like eating males better than females. More…meat, and it is sweeter.”
I would have to remember to tell t Rafe. “Is that so?”
“Do you eat babies?”
“Babies? Children? No.” The Silkenskin shook its head. “Our females have live young. I am male, by the way. Why do you ask me all these questions?”
I shrugged. “So you won’t eat me.”
The Silkenskin made the sound that I thought was laughter. “Very good. Inventive. I am wondering why you are here.”
I held up my backpack and pick. “I’m a geologist. I study rocks.”
“I look to humans like a rock?”
I laughed. “Not in the least. But I’d heard rumors about you…I wouldn’t have become a scientist if I wasn’t curious.”
“So why are you not studying your rocks?”
I got my pick and started digging, hoping the creatures didn’t know anything about geology. “You’ve been such fascinating company, I guess I forgot.”
“You should not forget.” The voice never wavered in its melody. “There are others of my kind in this area. Approaching close now. They will not sit and talk to you.”
“How soon?”
It shrugged its whole body. “I do not know your time measures. By darkness?”
Through the mouth of the cave that the afternoon sun was fading. I hadn’t much time. If I could just lure it closer…
“There is a way…I could protect you, for a while…we are bound by the codes of our kind.”
“What is it?”
The Silkenskin smiled. “You will not like it.”
I knew that, but I also knew that this might be the only way to win over the creature.
“Try me.”
“I must mate with you.”
I took it in stride because I felt numb from shock. “Is…mating with a human even possible for you?”
“Not to bear young, but yes, it has been done.”
“What makes you think, after you told me you eat humans just for the fun of it, that I would consider mating with you?”
“Because you want to capture me, and you would do anything to win my trust.”
I stumbled, and the creature caught me in hands like luxurious lamb’s wool. I leapt away and stood defiantly.
“You touched me,” the creature said.
“Can you read my thoughts now?”
“No. Only at the time of contact. And I would know anyway once we mate.”
“You know then that I consider you a monster.”
It shrugged. “I am used to this from your kind.”
“You know that I want to see all of you locked up.”
“Not killed.”
“We’re not like you.”
“You kill small animals for sport. You kill each other for gain. You kill people because they look different and call it a just war.”
I hated to admit it, but it–he–was seductive the way John Milton’s Satan was seductive.
“Look, we don’t want, to wipe out your species. But we’re not going to let you run free when you’re a danger.”
“This is what I wanted from you, your honesty. Not clumsy delays and pretending to dig. You did not know what you were doing, otherwise you would have realized that your digging would cause a large stalactite to fall on you.”
I looked up. He was right. I looked into his gemstone eyes.
“If you know all this about me, why do you want to mate with me?”
“Among my people, I am considered odd because I talk to my prey and let them go.”
“But you eat humans too.”
“Enough that I am not considered…sympathetic to you. You, your race, fascinate me, but I am not sympathetic.”
“Then we have something in common.”
“We each desire knowledge of the other. That is why you will mate with me.”
“If you’re expecting me to just let you go, I won’t. I have a commitment to fulfill.”
The hiss of silk outside told me that company was arriving, and I saw that the shadows in the cave entrance looked like a prison gate.
I looked back at him. He sat motionless. The only urgency was in his voice.
“If you would decide, decide now. They come. I can signal them not to enter, but you must choose now.”
“They will honor your request?”
“Mating is a sacred thing with us, but first you must say yes.”
The reasons not to say yes would fill the cavern.
My voice was as soft as his. “We don’t have data on your…practices. How do I–”
He moved quickly to the entrance and emitted those sounds. This time, they reminded me of bongo drums. The sounds outside stopped.
“We will not be disturbed.”
He turned back to me and strolled back. He moved like a grasshopper, though his legs were built like a human’s. He motioned for me to sit, and I sat, noticing the ground was warm. He sat so that his skin brushed mine. I felt electricity move through me and decided it was the effect of that Spock-like touch telepathy he possessed.
His name was Lhere.
“Trust me.”
I do.
Frightened by my own surrender, I swallowed and said, “They ought to give me the Nobel Prize for this.”
* * *
I woke from my well-earned post-mating slumber. A Silkenskin, who was definitely not Lhere, loomed over me. I was exhausted but determined to put up a good fight. Lhere lay motionless.
I crawled to Lhere and touched him, resulting in an overwhelming urge to kill the Silkenskin near him.
Before I could act, the creatures retreated.
The tall, muscular figure that appeared provoked my new primal instincts. I growled and got to my feet.
The beam from a four-battery flashlight blinded me. Rafe’s voice helped me to clear my head. “What happened to you? Did you leave it alive?”
I lifted Lhere, surprisingly light in my arms. He was either unconscious or playing dead.
“He needs help,” I said again.
Rafe nodded, not asking any questions. “The airplane is waiting.”
* * *
CNN trucks and helicopters surrounded the Spanish-style buildings in the lush Brazilian jungle. The reporters’ perfect hairdos withstood the heat through a ton of hairspray. “We have a mole,” I said to Rafe as the van drove through the crowd.
Rafe swerved to avoid three Fox News cameramen. “They can’t get through the security system.”
“What about the leak?”
“We’ll plug it later.”
Electronic gates slammed shut behind us, but some of the reporters were already climbing the walls.
I stayed in the back of the van with Lhere, who was in a pet safety cage, the safest place for him. I couldn’t let Rafe know my concern or my fear.
“You let the other creatures go?”
“They let us go. They fled.”
“They’ve never been afraid of humans before.”
“They were afraid of you.”
Rafe looked back at me, and I saw he was afraid, too.
I moved closer to the bars and watched over Lhere, worrying because for the first time, he looked helpless.
When I spoke, it was as if someone else had taken over my voice.
“They’re iodine based. If you have any thermometers in the place, break one and give him a transfusion. He should recover.”
* * *
Three days later, Rafe, protesting, allowed me inside the replica of a Silkenskin den and then retreated into an alcove where he and the rest of our team watched me wait for Lhere to awaken.
I’d left my recorder in the outer labs, with strict instructions that no one except Rafe was to listen to my interview with Lhere.
Interview with the Silkenskin. I could make a bundle writing a tell-all book, but I wasn’t interested in fame or money. I didn’t know what motivated me anymore.
Lhere stirred and opened his eyes. I knelt beside him. “Are you okay?”
“I bear the pain. Did you heal me?”
I couldn’t hear him and hoped he wasn’t hearing me. “I guess so.”
“I told you how?”
I smiled. “I learned a lot of things from you when we…touched.”
“And I from you. So much so that I became weak and told my kin that I would leave humans alone for as long as you were mated to me.”
“That’s why your kin attacked us.” I felt a stirring of guilt. “Because you mate for life.”
“Correct. However, my other mates will shun me now, and my hemas will attempt to kill me. Word spreads quickly among my kind.”
I touched him without revulsion. I was in the power position now. “You sacrificed much to mate with me.”
“Was it not so in the Garden of Eden?”
I laughed out of surprise. “But you knew I planned to capture you.”
“You planned to conquer me. And you have. But I have also conquered you. You can no more live among your kind than I can among mine.”
I tried to think of what to say, but his next words made me gasp.
“Even if your kind sit and study both of us in one of your laboratories. Do you think I cannot smell them near?”
I looked at my lap. “No. And you know that your kin would have returned in the hundreds and killed us by now.”
“They were afraid of you before.”
Did he know my mind? “You were unconscious.”
“I know my own kind. They were afraid of you. And your kind must now fear us both.” Lhere smiled at me. I sensed no bitterness or hatred from him. “You are as much a prisoner as I am. The question is, will we stay that way?”
I turned to look at where Rafe stood monitoring us.
Lhere smiled at me and emitted some of those strange sounds…sounds that I still could not decipher but gave me a feeling of dread in my stomach.
“Rafe,” I shouted.
Suddenly, shouts from the corridor turned the whole thing into a dark comedy..
“…bring down AMORE for sure.”
“…hear what’s on that tape! She actually…”
“…can’t actually air that, we’d get fired.”
“The hell we can’t.”
Rafe stepped out of the alcove and faced Lhere. “Kill me, right now.”
Suddenly, screams from the corridor echoed, and I heard the hiss of silk like a pit of snakes.
I turned to Lhere. “This is why you wanted to mate with me. You knew you could arrange an ambush through me.”
“Chiefly, yes. And…for scientific reasons as well.”
“But they attacked you…”
“I was weak.” He grinned. “I…convinced them it was all a ruse, for your benefit.”
“And they believed that?”
“Irrelevant. They could not lose the singular opportunity I offered.”
“We can defeat you. We have advanced technology.”
“Perhaps.”
Rafe ran into the doorway, hypodermic in hand, before I could call out. I didn’t hear a scream, but I grieved for him and for my own folly.
I didn’t have much time to regret or repent my sins before Lhere’s fangs slipped smoothly into my skin.
“I thought you said you preferred males.”
“I also said I preferred pregnant women.”
“I’m pregnant? You said a human couldn’t–”
“I had thought so, but it seems I was wrong.”
“Another fact Rafe could lecture on if he were still alive…humans get knocked up instantly by Silkenskins. And Silkenskins do eat their mates.”
“Only human ones. And I cannot allow this child to live either. It is…an unknown variable and might cause my kind to war with each other.”
“You won’t kill my child.”
I reached up to claw at him, but I felt something warm seep through me, and I couldn’t move…his venom paralyzed instantly. I had to fight…
“Assh-lei, I never told you what I like best about eating humans.”
I saw Rafe, gasping, crawl back into the chamber. He looked like he’d lost a fight with a semi-truck. But in his hand was a bucket of acid.
If I was going to die, I was going to die as I lived: getting knowledge.
“You like…” I swallowed, throat wobbling. “You like the salt of our skin.”
“The first puncture of the epidermis, like biting into an apple.”
His fangs were deep inside my flesh.
“You hate the essence because it makes you…drunk?”
“I like the sweetness of the bones. The marrow has…something in it that counteracts the intoxication of the essence.”
“You can taste my cells. My very…nuclei.”
“Like you eating caviar.”
Behind us, Rafe screamed and dumped the acid on Lhere.
I felt that the acid had no effect on Lhere. It bounced right off his skin. I reached a hand to his face.
“Tell your friend it was a valiant effort.”
I stroked his face.
“Why do you touch me?”
I shook my head. “I…”
“Pulling my fangs will not hurt me.”
I shuddered. “You like best…tasting our souls.”
“Especially yours…my mate…AAAGH!”
One of the Silkenskins had its fangs in him. I looked into its eyes and read the first rule of conspiracies: kill the assassins. Especially ones that mated with humans.
I attacked the Silkenskin with all my strength. The Silkenskin’s flailing hands didn’t even bruise my skin.
Rafe shouted at me and lunged for me. Lhere shook off his attacker and made quick work of him before going after Rafe. I hopped onto Lhere’s back.
“Take me out of here.”
“Where?” He smiled with irony. “There is no place for you, and none for me. And none for our child, our hema.”
The first Human-Silkenskin child.
Everything was silent. Several Silkenskins gathered in the lab’s entrance and looked at Lhere expectantly.
“Don’t tell me. You’re a pack structure too, and that was the alpha you just killed.”
Lhere smiled and made the bongo drum sounds.
He was telling them to shove off and leave us alone.
“We were sent to communicate with your race. Our very nature has jeopardized that mission. And yet you killed us rather than learn from us.”
“We were afraid.”
“As were we. We were part of an experiment too.”
“Experiment?”
“To see if we could live with others not of our kind. Our world…is dying.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No sorrier than I am. We cannot live with others. I had hoped…”
“You didn’t mean for them to attack us. You meant them to communicate…you hoped that mating with me would…But then you…”
“I too failed to rise above my nature…for the first time in my life.”
The truth of his words came through our mental bond, and I slapped him. “You’ve never eaten a human in your life, have you?”
“I hate the taste of humans.”
I laughed, as much at my own prejudice as him. “But you did mate with one…”
“To no avail.”
I curled myself around him. “I don’t know. Seems to me that getting a human to mate with you isn’t a failure. Who do you present the good news to?”
“Our Council on my homeworld. They have been waiting now for three decades for news.”
“I thought your world was dying.”
“In five years it will…and we have never lived anywhere else.”
“Well…there’s a first for everything. Like a Silkenskin mating with a human…and that was another lie, wasn’t that? None of you have done it with a human.”
“No. But you sidestep the issues. My kind have killed yours.”
“And they’ll go on unless we make a trip right now to see your council. Will you go with me?”
“Do you know what I like best about humans?”
I grinned at him as the Silkenskins hustled us out of the lab. “What?”
He didn’t answer until we were underground, near some sort of misty-white column that served basically as the subway between the Silkenskin planet and Earth.
Lhere smiled at me just before we stepped into the conduit and held my hand. “Humans are full of surprises.”
You Are Not Crazy. Companies Won’t Hire Americans
Does the United States regard Ukraine and the Philippines as friends or tools?
Tools of course.
Just look at the situation in February 2025, if Ukraine is truly a “friend” of the US, would the US still be asking for “anything we can get” from Ukraine?
As for the Philippines, it behaves like the black sheep among ASEAN countries, as it is the only one willing to serve as a “vanguard” for the US in the region among the 10 members. Given the consistent actions of the US, I am very concerned that the Philippines may become the next Ukraine.
Let’s see a recent example. On Feb 18, a Philippine C-208 reconnaissance aircraft illegally intruded into China’s territorial airspace over Huangyan Dao without permission of the Chinese government. In response, Chinese PLA tracked and monitored the Philippine reconnaissance aircraft in accordance with law and regulations, and expelled it.
As expected, foreign media representatives, including an AP journalist and an AFP photographer, invited by the Philippine side, filmed the incident. On the same day, Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo spoke to the Financial Times. During the interview, Manalo accused China’s military aircraft of being “reckless” and “unprofessional,” while claiming that he had been “reassured” by the US’ reaffirmation last week of its commitment to its alliance with the Philippines.
The statement released by the Chinese side later revealed a shocking detail: the Philippine C-208 aircraft repeatedly and unauthorizedly changed its flight altitude, descending 920 meters in 218 seconds, dangerously crossing the altitude level of Chinese patrol helicopters. This extremely dangerous and unprofessional flying behavior is highly likely to trigger unforeseen incidents in the sea and air, clearly carrying deliberate provocative nature.
To put it more bluntly: the Philippine military descended rapidly from high altitude and headed straight towards the PLA’s military helicopter.
The timing and coordination of the Philippines’ actions could not be more obvious: another carefully planned political show by the Philippines. This series of actions has become a familiar routine: provoke conflict, invite foreign media to film and report, and create a “China threat” narrative in order to gain more international support. This time, to portray China as a “villain,” some in the Philippines have even copied the Western-favored narrative of “reckless flight.”
The Philippines’ provocations do not change the legal deficiencies in its claims over the South China Sea. At the 61st Munich Security Conference last week, the Chinese expert cited the 1898 Paris Treaty, which states that the Philippines’ western maritime boundary is set at 118°E longitude, to question Manalo: “How come that the Huangyan Dao and Ren’ai Jiao, which lie outside this boundary, were sitting in the Philippine territory?” Manalo chose to avoid the question by shifting to another topic. This once again exposes the lack of legal basis for the Philippines’ claims and highlights who is truly being “reckless” and “unprofessional” on the South China Sea issue.
After the meeting between Manalo and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Munich Security Conference, the Philippines chose to provoke China again. It appears that Manila is trying hard to prove to the new US administration that it can play a crucial role in the US’ “Indo-Pacific Strategy.” However, the US views the Philippines merely as a pawn in its strategic layout in the Asia-Pacific region. If the Philippines blindly follows and believes in the US, it will ultimately become a victim of great power competition, suffering more than it gains.
Nothing-Burger? U.S. Obligation to Defend the Philippines in the South China Sea – Part II « Law# « Cambridge Core Blog A post from authors in the Asian Journal of International Law about the role of the US and the Philippines in the South China Sea.
This Southeast Asian country seems to be caught in a dangerous predicament. From repeatedly hyping the issue of its illegally grounded warship to consistently using “fishing boats” and “fisheries aircraft” to intrude upon Chinese territory while falsely portraying itself as a “victim,” the Philippines continues to recycle a political script driven by strategic calculation and diplomatic performance. What this reveals is not a sense of “reassurance” as stated by Manalo, but rather the Philippines’ nervousness. However, whether it is professional research or the current situation, it is clear that the Philippines’ “wishful thinking” is destined to fail.
Pepperoncini Beef
Ingredients
- 1 (3 pound) beef chuck roast
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 (16 ounce) jar pepperoncini
Instructions
- Make small cuts in roast, and insert garlic slices in cuts.
- Place roast in slow cooker, and pour the entire contents of the jar of pepperoncini, including liquid, over meat.
- Cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.
- Serve on sub rolls with cheese.
Slow Train, Warm Time
In an era where China’s high-speed trains race at 350 kilometers per hour, a fleet of public welfare slow trains, averaging less than 40 kilometers per hour, continues to chug along the tracks in remote mountainous regions. These green-painted trains may seem out of sync with today’s speed-obsessed world, yet they play an indispensable role in the blueprint of rural revitalization.
The public welfare slow train is a lifeline for people in remote mountainous areas. In the rugged terrains in regions such as Hebei, Yunnan, Sichuan, and Guizhou provinces, 81 pairs of these trains operate year-round, with the lowest fare of one yuan (15.5 US cents). They fulfill the basic needs of local residents, including daily commutes, agricultural product transportation, and student travel. In areas not yet reached by the high-speed rail network, these slow trains are the only link between rural villages and urban centers, offering a path of hope for mountain dwellers to connect with the outside world.
The public welfare slow train is a practitioner of targeted poverty alleviation. In Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, the 5633/5634 train is known as the “Poverty Alleviation Special” by locals. Villagers along the route use this train to transport agricultural products to cities, creating new avenues for income generation. The train even features dedicated carriages for agricultural goods, providing free transport services and helping thousands of households increase their income each year. This “railway + poverty alleviation” model has turned the slow train into an engine driving rural economic development.
The public welfare slow train is a catalyst for urban-rural integration. In the fast-paced modern world, these trains offer urban residents a unique way to experience rural life. An increasing number of city dwellers are choosing to travel on slow trains to explore the countryside, boosting rural tourism. This two-way flow fosters cultural exchange and economic interaction between urban and rural areas, injecting new vitality into rural revitalization.
While high-speed trains represent the speed of China’s development, the leisurely pace of public welfare slow trains reflects the warmth of its progress. In an era that prioritizes efficiency, the preservation of these slow trains demonstrates the nation’s commitment to people’s livelihoods. The public welfare slow train is not merely a mode of transportation; it is a vital link connecting urban and rural areas, promoting common prosperity, and continuing to play an irreplaceable role in the journey toward rural revitalization.
Have you ever found something in your home that was hidden by the previous owners?
My family did not have much money. We rented until I was in the 6th grade and then bought an older Victorian style house that had been made into a two family. My parents and my Uncle and Aunt bought it in partnership. The house had been in the previous owners family since it was built over 100 years prior.
While searching through some of the old relics in the attic we came across a class group picture of the local high school many years old. It turned out that this picture included my dad, who graduated from that HS the same year as one of previous owners sons.
What made it especially significant is the following. My dad’s family had very little money. When he graduated from HS (the only one in his family) he had the option of either buying a class ring or buying the class picture. He chose the class ring to give it to one of his sisters. Great kindness. So, here he was many years later, and he had his HS picture. We were thoroughly impressed. I still have that picture.
What made your “jaw drop” during a job interview?
This was back in September 2017 during our campus placements. There is this company called Mindteck that visited our campus for recruitment. I managed to clear the online aptitude round and was shortlisted for their interview round. This was the first job interview that I was about to attend in my lifetime.
In between the aptitude round and the interviews, we had around an hour gap. So we were all waiting in the cafeteria for our turn. Others were going through interview questions, people were discussing stuff between them. I, however, believe in keeping myself stress-free and avoided any discussion or last-minute study.
However, the guy sitting beside me had a surprising question for me. He asked me if I could display “Hello World” in C language without using a semi-colon (;). This was actually the first thing that you learn while working in C, to print Hello World. Although I haven’t worked in C since my graduation days, I remember the code:
- #include<stdio.h>
- int main()
- {
- printf(“Hello World”);
- return 0;
- }
Pardon if there are any errors, it has been almost 3 years since I last used C but the thing is, this one has a semi-colon in line 4. Without a semi-colon, the code won’t compile. So the question seemed interesting to me and I grew curious about it. He explained the unconventional code to me:
- #include<stdio.h>
- void main()
- {
- if(printf(“hello world”)){}
- }
Well, this was amazing and new to me. I smiled at him and went back to my seclusion mode.
I was the first one to be interviewed from the pool of 20 odd shortlisted students. I was asked about Sorting, Searching algorithms, queries related to Database etc. Then I was asked if I could write a code snippet in C.
I said, Yes.
The interviewer asked me to write a code to display Hello World without using a semicolon. That made my ‘jaw-drop’! I was like… “Whaaaat?” I happily took the paper and wrote the code and the interviewer seemed impressed.
That one minute talk with that guy helped me learn this trick which I was required to implement just after fifteen minutes! Talk about coincidence!