One of my Sir Whiskerton Stories features a “glow in the dark pickle”. And well, I was drinking and musing… and one thing led to the other, and so I asked AI if it was really possible to develop a glow in the dark pickle.

And the short answer is yes it is.

Talk about going down a deep rabbit-hole…

How To Make Pickles Glow 💥 TKOR’s Electric Pickle Experiment On How To Make Food Glow!

And then there is this…

Making Edible Glow-in-the-Dark Food!

He makes spaghetti, and jello as well.

Crazy! Silly DIlly!

I’ll tell you what!

Great exercise for a kid’s project.

Glow, Pickle, Glow!!

Man.

Ok. Let’s go forth today…

China Sends Massive Missile Shipment to Iran — Warns US: Don’t Make the Wrong Move!

This is going on RIGHT NOW.

If current vehicles were 60s cars, what would you be driving currently?

Oh, wow. That’s a hard one.

First, let’s assume that we are meaning “what one car would you have as your daily driver”.

I’ve been pretty spoiled over the past twenty years: My daily drivers have been an Audi A4, and Audi S4, and a BMW 323. All relatively good cars, and let’s be honest: the S4 would probably win F1 races if we took it back to the 1960s. No production car from then would come close to it.

So…

I carry kids and lumber and stuff. So at the very least I need a 4 door. And since nobody in the 1960s figured out that the rear seats is a sedan could be made to fold down, I’m probably going to need a station wagon.

I also really like a standard transmission. And a bit of grunt as well. That pretty well eliminates most of the imports. Also, just saying, I’ve gotten mighty used to air conditioning.

Now, I don’t like big boats. For sure, I want what was called a “compact” back in those days.

And it needs to have nice styling. I find the GM and Chrysler products a bit busy.

So let’s see… how about a 1968 Ford Falcon Futura Station Wagon, optioned out with the “Heavy Duty” (aka high performance) 289 V-8 and a T-10 Toploader 4 speed, with “Heavy Duty” suspension all around. Don’t tell the insurance company, but this is the exact same frame, body, and drivetrain as a Mustang GT. I’ll get the optional SelectAire air conditioning. I’ll even spring for power windows.

Here’s more or less the exact car, minus the 4-speed and the power windows and the A/C. My parents owned it from new in 1967 until 1976:

This will be peppy, comfortable, reliable, and roomy enough for my needs. The only downside is that, if my parent’s 1967 is anything to go by, it will be rusted out in about 9 years 🙁

4

China has to know it can never defeat the U.S. militarily. Shouldn’t it focus on peace and trade instead to become like Japan?

China wants to Prosper peacefully ,grow and develop

Simple as that

China wants to do what is best for ITS PEOPLE and follow their own policy with zero interference

China is a “NEVER AGAIN” country

After the Yinhe incident in 1993, China said NEVER AGAIN and today they have BEIDOU

After the Wolf Act, China said NEVER AGAIN and today they have a Space Station and a massive indigenous space exploration program

China wants a strong military purely for defensive reasons and protect Chinese interests

That’s all

---

Besides why defeat the US Militarily?

Powerful Military nations collapse inwardly all the time

Stupid kids

Orange Chicken

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

Chicken

• 2 cups diced celery
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 7 cups crumbled day old whole wheat bread
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons chopped onion
• 1 cup butter
• 8 half chicken breasts, de-boned

Orange Wine Sauce

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 cups orange juice
• 1/2 cup white wine

Instructions

Chicken

1. Simmer celery in water 20 minutes.
2. Drain, reserving 2/3 cup liquid.
3. In a large bowl combine bread crumbs, celery, celery liquid and salt.
4. Cook onion in butter until tender.
5. Add to bread mixture.
6. In a baking pan make 8 mounds of dressing.
7. Place an uncooked chicken breast over each mound.
8. Pour Orange Wine Sauce over chicken and mounds of stuffing.
9. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 1/2 hours.

Orange Wine Sauce

1. Mix sugar and flour in double boiler; add eggs, orange juice and wine.
2. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.

Why do some people believe that tax-funded healthcare systems are more fair and manageable than paying for medical expenses out of pocket?

EDGAR CAYCE’S CAT PREDICTION IS COMING TRUE NOW

If China is such a “safer” country than the US, then why are more Chinese people moving to the US than people from the US moving to China?

Inherently the Chinese is among the least migratory people in the world. Many people who don’t understand basic maths simply can’t understand it.

What role do long-range air-to-air missiles play in the effectiveness of jets like the F-15EX and J-10D, and could helicopters actually pose a threat with them?

First- helicopters? Not without a lot of help and, in most cases, serious modifications.

AH-1Z Viper with Sidewinders on the pylons. This is about the heaviest air-to-air missile currently carried by any helicopter… and it’s really not that heavy or long range. Some big helicopters have the capability to carry larger weapons like Exocet, so it’s theoretically possible to put larger AAMs on them- but you’d likely need to make physical modifications.

Most helicopters also lack a powerful radar, oftentimes any radar. This would make it impossible for them to target something at long range unless something else with said radar can tell them where it is.

F-15EX is, among other things, intended to be used as an AIM-120 missile truck. The idea is something like an F-35 can get closer to an enemy and feed telemetry back to the F-15EX via datalink, which can then do the shooting. This means the F-15EX’s lack of stealth isn’t as big an issue, and it helps with the rather limited internal weapon carriage on F-35.

I’ve never heard of J-10D. J-10 is a lighter jet, more comparable to F-16.

As the Wind Trembles

Written in response to: “Write a story where the weather mirrors a character’s emotions.“

She looked up at the tall pines climbing the sky. She remembered when the trees that reached into her view weren’t so still. She remembered when they swayed with a wind that made her sick. I have to save one of them, the memory echoed. The deep scratching of gravel loudened in her ears, the feel of it scraping her hands becoming more real. Her heart silenced the thought of plunging back into the memory again.“Hey,” a frustrated voice interrupted.She jumped slightly, tilting her head up to look at the one casting the shadow. Of course, it was him. Only he could sneak up on her.“What in God’s name was that?” he asked pointedly.She sat up. He was referring to their escape. He had wanted to fight the guards, but she lifted them before they even got the chance.“Ryan,” she started.“You can’t keep lifting whenever things get dangerous,” he asserted. “Nothing will change if you aren’t in this with us.”“Why is this all on me?” she snapped. “Why can’t someone else lead?”Stress moved her to start picking up twigs and breaking them as she talked. “We had our run, and we lost. I’m done with fighting.”There was no answer. She knew he was staring at her, but she didn’t want to look at him. She was afraid he would be able to see how afraid she was.“So, you want Kailyn to do it?”She immediately turned to glare at him. Have her son lead the Faction? Force him to do what she was forced to do? To sacrifice so many and so much under the mirage of absolute strength?To risk his life with the monster that nearly killed him, she thought.

Her mind travelled back to the painstakingly slow and heavy rhythm of her digging. Her bloodied hands dragging through the dirt as the sunset in the distance created shadows of surrounding trees. The leaves crying in the wind that pulled against her face. Her chest had been shaking as incessant cries spilled out of her mouth. She couldn’t think, couldn’t feel the earth in her hands; but the aching, throbbing pain in her body was too much not to feel. She was burying her daughter. All by herself.

Raechel closed her eyes and pushed it back down. “No. I just…I’m not going through this again.”

Ryan peered at her quietly for a moment. “What are you not telling me?”

She shied away, her muscles tensing. Everything.

He was under the assumption that she had lifted them to some random woods. A forest off the map in the middle of nowhere that meant nothing to no one. But this place…these trees changed her forever. If she told him why, they would change him, too.

“Love,” he said softly, “our minds have been connected for years. I know when you’re trying to hide something from me.”

She felt the presence of his mind on the outskirts of her own. She wanted to show him, but she hesitated. Connecting telepathically meant absolute empathy—being able to physically feel someone else’s emotions. Should she share this pain with him?

“Raechel, you have no right to do nothing,” he was starting to lose his patience. “Thirty years ago, we started all this. The day she leaked you killing that man was the day we fell into this hole. Now, we are the only powered strong and influential enough to take her down, and you agreed that you would do nothing?”

It was like a punch to the gut.

“You think I like this?” she yelled suddenly. “Ryan, I made a deal with the Devil, I know,” she stood up. “But I can’t lose him. I can’t lose my son.”

“Why?” he pushed forcefully.

She threw up her hands. “Do I even need a reason for that?”

He peered at her. “Yes. Because you’ve never said no to a fight. You were always the first one to run into trouble, the first one to help those in need. Then, all of a sudden, you surrender and agree to never fight again? Why? What do they have on you?”

Cries bubbled in her stomach. What did they have on her? Tears streamed down her face.

Ryan looked taken aback. “Raechel…?”

She looked into his eyes. He did care for her. And, he did have the right to know.

“I want to show you something.”

Turning without waiting for him, she headed toward the place. This was it. She was finally going to tell him. She had thought about how this day would go, but it didn’t seem nearly as terrifying as it was now. Every step forward seemed to be like two steps back. She was receding into the past, back to when the sun was setting, when the wind whistled through the branches. The crunch of leaves under her foot became too familiar and the trees started looking the same as the ones in her brain. When she came to a single yellow flower growing out of the ground, she stopped and stared. There she was.

Ryan was quiet. They’d seen enough death to know more than anyone else what was in the ground.

“Who is it?” he asked quietly.

She opened her mouth, but the tears choked the words back. She reached out to him with her mind, and he let her in immediately.

Our daughter, she cried. The weight shifted over to her memory.

Her bitter cries died down as she continued making the grave. She had to do this. So, the other one could be okay. She had to save one of them. She couldn’t lose another.

Save one. Save one. Her hands dug faster and faster, dirt flying behind her, until she furiously punched the ground. She wasn’t going to lose another. She had to let her go. Right here. Right now.

Satisfied with the depth, she lay on her back, staring at the trees towering above her. The rustle of the wind blowing in their leaves eased a bit of panic. She had to do it now, didn’t she? Taking a deep breath, she wiped her eyes and sniffed. There was a lot that could go wrong with this. She just needed to make sure that nothing she did hurt herself or disturbed the one that was still alive. He had to come out okay. She couldn’t lose him, too.

That thought echoed in their minds from her heart. I can’t lose him, too.

Ryan locked eyes with her through his tears. From their mental connection, she felt him put the pieces together: the residual emptiness in her eyes, the fatigue, the fear all made sense to him now.

She looked away, tears scaling down her cheeks. “After she took you away, they did some experiments. I thought that I would be fine, but…I didn’t have the strength to hide my pregnancy after a while. I thought I could for the sake of the Faction, but…”

She felt her stomach tighten. Remembering that far back would be too much.

“They killed her,” she managed to say. “They injected her with some sort of poison. I knew I was going to be fine, but…if I didn’t let her go, then Kailyn would have died with her.”

Raechel hugged herself. “I don’t know how I managed the strength to do it, but I got out of there and ended up here. And this is where I let her go.”

They both stared at the sad flower shivering with the wind. Raechel trembled with it.

“It’s her birthday today.”

If China’s rare earth materials are the product of forced labor in Xinjiang, should the United States import them or ban them?

Two young men in a Chicago post office are going to the bathroom.

‘Hey Jimmy, seen that recently released news story about the forced labour of Uyghurs in Xinjiang in China’

‘Of course Karl, I can’t believe anyone would want to live in that kind of a place where they are bullied.’

‘Yeah, I can’t imagine.’ Karl washed his hands and suddenly turned round and shouted, ‘How many times have I told you Jimmy, the Polyworker’s special sink is not here it’s over there!’

‘Polyworking’—A New Term for a Very Bad (and Old) Thing

The entire idea of polyworking is clearly constructed with the top echelon of corporate workers in mind, but it ignores the vast majority of American workers.

https://ifstudies.org/blog/polyworkinga-new-term-for-a-very-bad-and-old-thing

Oh, and Polyworking isn’t forced labour, Americans ‘love working’ more than two jobs, work 84+ hour weeks, and ‘hate holidays and being home from work’. They do it by ‘choice’, not by ‘force’. 😁

As for China’s rare earth materials, the United States cannot import them just because it wants to. It needs to provide import qualifications and accept regular spot checks by Chinese personnel.

Have you, while repairing a computer, ever found anything that made your jaw drop?

Yes, and it was one of the 3 worst things I’ve seen in my life.

About 20 yrs ago a pastor of a church brought a church provided computer in saying it was slow and kept losing files. I did the standard tune-up, then did a filesystem scan. The scan found bad files. I happened to notice one of the files being “repaired” had a filename of 10slut.jpg which caught my attention. Being a church computer, I assumed it had been infected with filesharing malware. I located the hidden direcctory 10slut.jpg file was in and opened the file. The 10 in the filename referred to her age. The man in the jpg was not the pastor. There were about 100 jpgs in the directory. The computer was not infected.

I shut the computer down, unplugged it and warned the owner of the shop that law enforcement would be ariving and that he did not want to see why. Later that day the pasor was arrested. I later gave statements for the case against him. About 2 years later later the cop that originally showed up came by and told me the pastor had pled out and accepted a plea agreement for 20 yrs. He did less than 2 when guards found him dead in his cell. Apparently he had decided to commit suicide by stabbing himself more than 10 times.

The Most DISTURBING Video On The INTERNET: “THE BJORN TAPE”

Well, no, not really.

I have been in the industry for 30 some years. Computer companies, I call software companies also computer companies so I am not always making a long list of different companies. Just companies doing anything on computers. They seem to only have two modes of operation. They have a lot of money or they suddenly have no money. Only a handful of companies seem to run in the middle, cash on hand and no urgency.

When companies have a lot of money, they basically start hoarding people. They steal people from other companies by offering very high salary. They hire a lot of people. One company I once worked for had like 30–40 employees one day and a few months later they were 140 and today they are around 50. The downside is that it was a good company.

Life in these type of companies is basically measured in dog years. You did not work 2 years there, you worked 14 years. Given overtime, pressure and projects, it can often feel that way actually, to press 10 some years into 2.

It is fun to see the money rolling. But it is always around the corner, you start to see people either simply gone one day and you ask, what happened to that person, ohh they left, it did not work out or some lame excuse. Then either more and more people leave, or the company is planning on a new evaluation system of employees which is just a lame idea behind laying off a lot of people who they don’t have enough work for but this way they can claim a large group of people were bad hires and their stock or “reputation” is not harmed. It is a lame way to do this. Usually this happens right after a highly publicized HR person has joined the company.

Then there are the “Bobs”. Office space really did a great job on those two. Where you are called into a meeting with the new HR person or some consultant(s), and you get asked like, what is it that you do around here? Yup, they are downsizing and blaming you.

You see, for some reason, the management can’t do anything wrong. They hired 50 people when they needed 10. Shortly afterwards, 40 or even 60 need to go because they ran out of money. It costs a lot to onboard new employees.

Gaming companies are notorious for this. Even buy up companies that already existed, just to close them down a little later, for whatever reason.

I think the IT industry has always been like this and it isn’t changing much. Perhaps companies are starting to hire fewer people? But I doubt it. Both because it is always good to say your company has a lot of employees, makes you feel good and look good and also it is this mantra that you must grow quickly or die.

It is really a weird thing if you work as a programmer for the same company for 5–10 years. You might even be considered to be outdated even if you are not when you apply for other work.

The short answer is, nope. IT and computer companies are just weird places to work. Large layoffs often happen at the same time as they are hiring for new projects. No oversight, completely blind.

This is extremely annoying but this is simply the case for working in IT.

When companies are freezing hiring, then they are seeking more funding, simple as that. Unemployment for programmers is as good as zero.

But there is always ageism. Companies claim they want people with 5–10 years experience but balk at people who are 35–40 with that experience. Why? Because people with experience don’t think the founder of the company walks on water, they have seen all this before. We are all family here …. seen it. I don’t remember handing my uncle a note saying he is no longer welcome, here is a bunch of money and he can decide if he wants to stay on for the next 3 months or leave right away.

I hate to say this, but the best companies to work for are the companies that are never in the news, for anything. A company that is decades old and just continues. They seem boring on the outside, they don’t use the flashiest tools, but they also don’t mind you taking vacation or stay at home with a sick kid. The companies that seem boring, are the best companies to work for, as weird as that sounds and they are not boring. They are delivering products all the time.

Title: Sir Whiskerton and the Glow-in-the-Dark Pickle Paradox

Ah, dear reader, prepare yourself for a tale of scientific hubris, sentient snacks, and the most illuminating culinary disaster ever to strike Sir Whiskerton’s farm. Today’s adventure stars Chef Remy LeRaccoon, whose latest experiment—glow-in-the-dark pickles—unlocks a dimension of pure, pulsating absurdity. So grab your sunglasses (and maybe a dimensional anchor), and join us for The Glow-in-the-Dark Pickle Paradox—where science is just pickles with extra steps.

Act 1: The Pickle That Broke Reality

Chef Remy’s laboratory—a repurposed toolshed plastered with “DANGER: DELICIOUS” signs—hummed with questionable energy.

• Remy: “Behold! Pickles Éclairées! Glow-in-the-dark, extra briny, and scientifically tres chic!”
• Sir Whiskerton: “That’s just a jar of cucumbers you left next to your uranium collection.”
• Remy: “Pfft. Science is never ‘just’ anything!”

But when Porkchop the Pig took the first bite, the pickle sang a full chorus of Memory from Cats before vanishing—along with half of Porkchop’s snout.

• Porkchop: [Snout glowing] “I tasted the void! …Can I have another?”

Act 2: The Neon Dimension of Doom

One by one, the farm animals fell into the pickle jar’s neon-green vortex:

• Bessie the Cow emerged with tie-dye spots and a sudden love of disco.
• The Valley Chicks started voguing in midair, shouting “The pickles told us to express ourselves!”
• Jazzpurr, ever the opportunist, formed a jazz band with sentient cucumbers (who played “Pickle in the Middle” on kazoos).
• Jazzpurr: “Man, these cukes got soul!”
• Sentient Pickle: [Humming] “Doo-wop! Doo-wop!”

Meanwhile, Remy panicked:

• Remy: “Non! They were supposed to glow, not open portals!”
• Sir Whiskerton: “That’s always your problem, Remy. No vision.”

Act 3: The Great Un-Pickling

With the farm overrun by inter-dimensional produce, Sir Whiskerton devised a plan:

1. Lure the pickles with Porkchop’s tears (the only thing saltier than the brine).
2. Trap them in Chester’s “unbreakable” lunchbox (it broke immediately).
3. Let Elvis the Rooster sing them back into the jar (his “Love Me Tender” was too powerful).

• Elvis: [Crooning] “You ain’t nothin’ but a pickle…“
• The Pickles: [Sobbing] “We just wanted to dance!“ (They dove back into the jar.)

The Moral (and the Post-Credit Snack)

Moral: If life gives you glowing pickles, don’t eat them. Just… don’t.

Post-Credit Scene:
Remy’s next invention—self-aware mayonnaise—whispers “Join us“ from the fridge.

Best Lines:

• “I tasted the void! …Can I have another?” – Porkchop, cosmic gourmet
• “Man, these cukes got soul!” – Jazzpurr, bandleader
• “Non! They were supposed to glow, not open portals!” – Remy, bad scientist

Starring:

• Chef Remy LeRaccoon (Mad Pickle Alchemist)
• Jazzpurr (Cucumber Impresario)
• Sentient Pickles (Broadway-Bound)

Why It’s Hilarious:

• Absurd Science: Pickles as interdimensional opera singers.
• Character Chaos: Bessie disco-cow, Porkchop void-taster.
• Happy Ending: Elvis sings reality back into place.

Now, go forth—and may your snacks stay in this dimension. 🥒🎷💚

Shorpy

1. Gave priority to academics since childhood. Trust me, it really helps in the long run.
2. Gave priority of being thin and never gain or become fat. My weight is 65 for the last 3 yrs.
3. Never went into a relationship till I became successful in career, that was , joining MBBS.
4. Broke up with my 3 yr long relationship, because she was hyperwoke and said Indian Army is terrorist for the actions they do against Kashmir. Didn’t even try to explain it to her. Straight up blocked her from every where, nothing comes above the country.
5. Never cried for anything since 2020. I gave my word to hanuman ji that I will cry only 2 times in my life. One, when my mother dies, one when my father dies. And now, I’m mentally indestructible.
6. Learnt kannada .
7. Pretend that I don’t know kannada in front of people who might ask useless favors. 😝. Just say “ Naanu north Indian,Kannada gothilla, and move on”
8. Did my schooling in a place where there was no place for wokeness.
9. From worshipping SRK to literally hating SRK. People like them show fake patriotism in movies like pathan or jawan, but says literally zero words on pahalgham attack or about succesful operation sindoor just because they might loose few pakistani followers. Why SRK? Bcs I thought highly of him once and literally worshipped him. But as I said, nothing comes above the country.
10. Never losing my originality. I have seen people who eat dosa with spoon and fork in front if international delegates. They are from bangalore itself, while I, unapologetically dipped by 4 fingers in the sambhar with a good chunk of dosa.
11. Never made fun of anyone’s English, or corrected it just to win an argument. English is not our mother tongue, so there is no compulsion in being perfect in it.
12. Country >>>> Dharma>>>> Myself.
13. Protecting animals from abuse whenever I get chance.
14. Opening my whatsApp for people who might be in urgent need for free.

This was my last day in West Bengal.

American Farmer SHOCKED by Chinese Drone: “I Can’t Believe It’s Made in CHINA!”

In this incredible viral video, watch as Nebraska farm owner Laura goes from complete skepticism to absolute amazement when she first tries a Chinese DJI agricultural drone. Her genuine reaction when she discovers the advanced capabilities of Chinese drone technology will leave you speechless!

The Real Estate scenario between 2010-2020 , saw many thousands of speculators who had the following modus operandi:-

• Make 500,000 Yuan ($ 80,000) from a Business in HK or New York
• Use this money as Margin payment and borrow 2 Million Yuan from a Bank at 6.10% interest to pay a builder for a 400–600 SFT Apartment STILL YET TO BE BUILT
• After 2/3 of the project was completed, to see that the 2.5 Million Apartment now is selling for 3.25 Million in just 15 months!!!
• Sell to some poor young schmuck with a wife for 3.25 Million saying “By the time this project is finished, the next project will charge you 4 Million “
• The Schmuck has to borrow from the same bank, use his Social Security Housing and borrow from Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle, Aunt, Dad, Mom, Cousins for the down payment (In China, sometimes the relatives even charge interest😁)
• Pay off his 1.1 Million Yuan outstanding to the bank plus 119,000 Yuan interest and pre penalty. Get back his 500,000 Yuan plus 50% of the extra 750,000 Yuan rise in price (375000 Yuan)
• So that’s a profit of 75% in 15 months for a 6.10% a year Loan!!!!

Every Tom, Dick and Harry jumped in to Invest

Xi Jinping stopped it in a swift strong move

Chinas Version of Demonetization albeit a slower , better planned, and a less disastrous one

All these speculators now hold flats they CANNOT SELL AT THE INFLATED RATES

They can’t hope to pay installments

Banks are safe

Because in China, the margin was 40% for second houses on wards and 50% for third houses onwards – the Banks hold property that are MORE VALUABLE THAN THE LOANS PLUS INTEREST

Interest is only around 3.90% today thanks to Floating Interest

Every week the Banks sell such property where Loan plus Interest = 2.83 Million Yuan (Example) and Value of Property = 4.75 Million Yuan

Youngsters attend and pay 75%–80% of the value of the property and buy the homes

Bank is fully paid

Borrowers/Speculators lose 30% or so but are not devastated

Many Developers are BUST now

They hold flats worth 40 Billion Yuan (For example) but Debt worth 25–100 Billion

Those who owe <= 50% of the Value of the Flats, they are saved by the Government which have given them a 108 month (9 year) interest free scenario and lent them money at 0% interest in exchange for 33% to 55% of their equity being pledged

Known as THE WHITE LIST

The others?

The Government has allowed them to fail, then picked up the undelivered flats and flat inventory and either used the PWD to build and deliver the flats or sell the inventory to other better developers

The Real Estate Crisis was over by Mid 2023

Like everything else, the Chinese planned well and the risks were mitigated

---

This is a Real Estate SLUMP

That follows a Crisis

People are still unsure of investing 70% of their savings into a flat as Margin money

They prefer

• Money in the Bank (Cash) at 0.7%–0.9% a year when Inflation is a mere 0.2% a year
• Gold
• Gold ETFs
• Government Bonds at 1.60%
• Technology Bonds at 1.75%

New Home Values in the Big Cities are now between what they sold for in 2015 & 2017

However Builders are making much much lesser profits so they will incur more debt

So they don’t want to borrow too much and build flats

So

• Home Values are realistic but for those who purchased homes post 2017, have fallen by at least 10% and in many cases upto 30%
• Builders don’t want to build too many flats

Ergo a SLUMP

Between 2023–2025 there has been an UPTICK

Values have risen

Especially in Tier 3/4/5 Cities

So it is an ONGOING CHALLENGE FOR CHINA

They have always beaten every challenge that came their way, so my guess is they will get the indexes back to 12.50 by 2030 and then keep growth steady at around 2.50%

Luckily they have ENOUGH STATE CONTROL AND ENOUGH PEOPLE

Madelyn Collins, a trim 39-year-old, is busy looking through the junk drawer for the keys to the truck. She stops when she hears the weather report come on the radio.

“Well, folks, it looks like we’re in for a big one! The snowstorm that was beginning to turn out to sea is now holding its course and should reach our coastline around 8 o’clock tonight! It would be a good time to run out and pick up that milk, eggs, and bread! Make sure you have plenty of water plus loads of yummy snacks.   If you have a generator at home, getting extra gas would be wise; there is no telling how long it will last. With winds nearing 45 miles an hour, plenty of drifting will occur. The National Weather Bureau says the storm could drop as much as 28 to 34 inches of snow. Now, back to the music with The Rasmus and Sail Away.”

Madelyn uses the glass window of the microwave to put on her earrings. She can’t help but notice how her hair is starting to be streaked with gray. She mutters, “Oh well, kid, you can’t stay young forever.” Madelyn turns toward the hallway and calls her daughter, Piper. “Piper, honey. Could you come here, please?”

The spirited blonde seventeen-year-old appears running in her stocking feet and slides to a stop. Her mother laughs. “What’s that all about?”

Piper smiles, “I just thought it would be fun, that’s all. What’s up?”

“Did you hear the weather forecast? Jeff Hill says we’re in for a big storm. I thought I’d pick up some things at Tweedlie’s IGA. Is there anything you would like?”

Piper leans against the kitchen table and looks up at the ceiling, her long blonde ponytail dangling behind her. “Hmm. Oh! I know! How about two packs of Ding Dongs? I love those things.”

“Ding Dongs it is,” smiles her mother. “And would you please bring in some firewood for tonight? I’d appreciate it.” Digging a little more in the draw, she asks, “Have you seen the keys? I can’t find them!” Piper smirks as she hitches her thumb at the backdoor. “Yeah. They’re hanging over there on the hook you put in, so you wouldn’t have to dig through the junk drawer anymore.” Madelyn’s face flushes as she drops her head. “You know? Sometimes I’m just too clever.   O’ well. See you in a bit. Bye!” Piper waves goodbye to her mom and closes the door.

Looking up at the threatening gray sky, Madelyn is glad she bought the new truck. It’s a 2005 Chevy Colorado. She bought it because the ads said it was good in the snow. The reason she could afford such a truck was due to her husband Jim dying in a fatal work accident at the lumberyard. An investigation proved it was an overlooked safety hazard, and she was awarded nearly half a million dollars for her loss. That was four years ago, and she still wakes up every morning lonely and crying. She knows his death has been grueling on Piper, too. Madelyn is stirred back to reality by a snowflake landing on her nose and decides she had better get going.

Piper is an only child and was thirteen when her father died. Jim was in special forces in the Marines and started teaching Piper survival skills when she was ten. He thought it would be a good idea, what with living so close to a moutain forest. Piper thrived on the attention and learning. She thought it was great fun knowing how to survive in the wilderness and not be afraid. Jim even taught her some combat skills to protect herself. He laughed as he told Madelyn, “The boys better watch out. She’s going to be one tough little lady!”

Piper didn’t let her mother know she is continuing her relationship with her father through his picture on her nightstand. She tells him everything about her day each night before going to sleep. She’d tell him when something exciting or sad would happen at school, like when her best friend moved away. To Piper, it was like he had never died. Sometimes, she would imagine him standing behind her, smiling. Or think she saw his reflection in her mirror, even though that was silly to believe.

Piper picks up the kitchen after breakfast and puts on her toque and mittens to get the firewood. She fills the wheelbarrow with oak logs and remembers to include the kindling and birch bark. The snow has started falling steadily, and Piper hopes her mother is safe.

After a light lunch, Piper enters the living room to do her homework. “Algebra, blah! How boring.” Piper places a few logs in the fireplace and sets the kindling ablaze. Soon, the logs are crackling nicely. Piper drapes a light blanket across her shoulders and sets to work on her studies. It’s not long until she drifts away into sleep between the algebra and the heat of the fire.

Piper’s eyes fly open due to a loud banging sound. She looks at the hall clock and sees it’s a quarter to five. “Mom? Is that you?” Her mother doesn’t answer. “Where is she? She left for the store this morning at ten thirty!” Piper hears the banging again and discovers it from a pine branch hitting the side of the house. The wind has picked up considerably. Piper’s heart pounds against her chest when the phone rings, and rushes toward it. “MOM!?!”

“Piper, darling! First of all, I’m alright. The storm came in so quickly that it caught everybody by surprise! Downtown traffic became unpassable in no time. Cars were stuck, just spinning their wheels. Do you remember Mrs. Dubois from church? Well I’m staying with her until the roads are clear. How are you doing? Do you have power?”

Piper turns on the outside light and sees a dark figure dart behind a snow drift. “Yes, I have power. I’m looking out the backdoor right now and see the wind is blowing hard. There’s a big drift across the driveway. In the morning, I’ll use the tractor to plow it out of the way for you.”

Madelyn stammers, “Please be careful! I don’t want you getting hurt.”

Piper chuckles into the phone, “Don’t worry, Mom. Dad taught me how to drive the tractor. I’ll be fine.” Her mother sounds a little calmer as she reminds Piper about the generator in the cellar. “ There’s some extra gas under the stairs. Okay then. I guess I’ll be seeing you sometime tomorrow. Love ya!”

“Love you to Mom.” After hanging up, Piper takes another look out the backdoor. Just beyond the casting of the backdoor light, Piper sees a pair of glowing green eyes reflected in the dark and thinks it must be a raccoon looking for shelter from the storm.

After a supper of a cheese and ham omelet and toast, Piper decides to check to see if the generator needs topping off. The wind howls, and the lights flicker.  Just as Piper reaches for the cellar door, they go out. “Damn! I was hoping that wouldn’t happen. Mom says there’s a flashlight in the junk drawer. Great! Maybe we need another little hook to hang that on, too!”  She feels around inside until she finds it and turns it on. The wind howls again, but this time, it sounds different, almost mechanical. Piper grabs the handle and jerks the door wide open.

Something about the size of a big dog sprints past the foot of the stairs, causing Piper to yelp. She slams the door and leans on it with her flashlight hand while turning the deadbolt with her other. Then she hears it. The fourth step from the bottom is the only one that squeaks. Something is climbing the stairs. Her eyes are wide and dilated with fear. Piper leans closer to the door to try and hear. Suddenly, there is a loud boom as if someone threw a five-pound bag of potatoes at the door. Piper scurries back so fast that she slams into the kitchen table, knocking over the ketchup bottle and sending the silverware flying. Quickly covering her face with the crook of her arm, the flashlight beam dances wildly in her shaking hand. “God! What was that thing? What am I going to do?”

Piper hears her father instructing her like he did many years ago. “What’s the first thing to do when a crisis arises?” Piper’s voice cracks with disbelief, “Daddy?”  The voice repeats, “What is the first thing we do when a crisis arises?”  Piper swallows hard and whispers, “Stay calm.” When he speaks again, Piper is sure her father has returned to save her. “What’s the second thing?” Piper responds with confidence, “Secure the area.” She jams one of the wooden chairs under the cellar door handle. Next, she locks all the windows and doors. Piper receives an impression of her father’s nightstand and heads upstairs. Pulling open the nightstand drawer, she finds a white envelope with a key inside. The tag on the key reads trunk. Knitting her eyebrows together, Piper thinks hard. She looks at the bedroom closet and thinks, “Your old military locker?” She slides open the closet doors and pulls the locker into the room. Her hands tremble as she unlocks it. Opening the lid, Piper finds a black turtleneck sweater, black toque, grease face paint, and night goggles. It doesn’t take her long to figure out she is supposed to use these items. Picking up the sweater, her eyes widen when she sees her father’s MRI .44magnum Desert Eagle.

Piper puts everything on the bed, including an extra clip of bullets. In the master bath, she puts on the sweater and covers her face with the black grease paint. Next, she tucks her blonde hair beneath the toque and puts on the night goggles. Shutting off the lights, Piper is amazed at how clearly she can see everything in the dark. Something catches her eye out the bedroom window. What looked like a huge snow drift behind the woodshed was actually a snow-covered spaceship. As she watched a door slide open, four more monsters descended into the storm. They huddled together momentarily before moving toward the house, their spaceship door closing.

Panic is gripping Piper’s heart! “Oh God! What do I do? What do I do?” But suddenly, she knows she needs to secure her position. Piper races through the house, shutting off every light until the only thing left is the fire’s glowing embers. She rushes down the hall to the downstairs bathroom and locks the door. Piper squats down in the tub, resting the heavy Desert Eagle on her knees. She waits.

The raging gale continues outside, but Piper can’t hear it. She only hears the sound of her own heart beating as she tries to remain calm. Piper keeps her breathing slow and steady, and then she hears the chair fall and the cellar door open.

At first, she could hear the creatures moving about the house. She knew they were looking for people. Finally, Piper hears small clicks and tweets as they communicate with one another. They come to a stop outside of the bathroom door. Piper manages not to flinch when the door knob is tested. Then there came a scratching sound and Piper knew the aliens were opening the lock.

When they finally get the door unlocked, they do nothing. Piper holds her breath to try to stay as still as possible. “They’re listening. I mustn’t move.”

The door creaks as it is slowly opened. Piper closes her eyes, afraid of what she will see, but forces them open again to be able to shoot. Long fingers wrap around the edge of the door, and the first creature appears. It is about three feet tall, though it is slightly bent over. The head looks too large for the rest of its body. The creature’s color is a shade of gray. Though its eyes are large, they are squinted as if it is trying to see in the dark. It waves its other thin arm with extended fingers back and forth as if trying to feel its way in the pitch-black room. The others stumble in behind their leader. The last alien stops in the doorway. Piper has an idea: if she shoots the one in the doorway first, the others will have a harder time escaping. The urge to shoot comes almost immediately, but she must refrain to be sure to kill them all.

Piper watches until they are almost in a perfectly straight line and pulls the trigger. The muzzle flash lights up the room, and the alien nearest her screams and shields its eyes. Piper turns her weapon on him next and feels something wet hit her face. In the chaos, Piper keeps firing, being deafened by the noise of the handgun and shrieks of pain. The Desert Eagle clicks three more times before Piper realizes it’s over. She steps out of the bathtub and slips in the goo covering the floor. Weeping, Piper walks into the kitchen and stands perfectly still. She removes the night goggles and sees the figure of a man standing before the fireplace, illuminated by the dying coals. “You did great, Kitten,” he said proudly and disappeared.

Shortly after Piper’s mother arrived home, the police cars began arriving, followed by shiny, black government sedans to record the incident of Mars Hill.

While the BGM-71 TOW missile is one of the most famous weapons using wire guidance, it has been also used for other systems such as torpedoes (the Mk48 has that as an option).

That said, according to Wikipedia: “This guidance system is most commonly used in anti-tank missiles, where its ability to be used in areas of limited line-of-sight make it useful, while the range limit imposed by the length of the wire is not a serious concern”

To the question: the longest-range production wire-guided weapon is the Rafael Spike ER2, with an 8km (5 mile) range. Being wire guided, the longer range also lengthens your exposure time.

Keep in mind that most countries are reluctant to give out this information, for obvious reasons.

China of course has their own version.

Trivia: when the US deployed the BGM-71, it replaced an earlier French system developed in the 1950’s.

Mozzarella Chicken Breasts

Ingredients

• 5 de-boned chicken breasts
• 1 can cream of chicken soup mixed with 1/3 cup water
• 2 cups stuffing
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 5 slices mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Place breasts on the bottom of a baking pan.
2. Place a cheese slice on each breast.
3. Cover with the soup mixture and sprinkle buttered packaged stuffing (such as Stove Top) over all.
4. Bake for 1 1/2 hours at 325 degrees F.

Honest view on China after 15 years (Canadian POV)

Are people in nations with universal healthcare ever told that they are not eligible for treatment? If so, why would this happen?

New South Wales Australia, Sept., 2024
My Dad was 95 when he had a heart malfunction that involved him collapsing, an ambulance and a stay at a large regional hospital. The cardiologist called in the family members, me, sister and brother, to tell us that because of Dad’s advanced age, he was not a suitable candidate for a pacemaker which would fix his problem.

Sister butted in to explain how Dad walked two dogs, 3 km every day, as well as doing the garden, tending a dozen chickens, making daily visits to the PO and regularly visiting nearby friends – also he had passed all the tests to renew his driving license the week before.

Dad returning after walking the dogs.

Because I was visiting, I’d taken a number of photos of Dad doing most of these things she described, to show my kids when I got home.
The doctor listened, looked at my photos and then said it looks like perhaps my father was a suitable candidate after all, and they would schedule the operation for as soon as they could ambulance him to a far larger teaching hospital where the surgery would take place.

Dad after being told he was ready to go home after having the pacemaker installed.

Dad back home, showing fatigue after babysitting great granddaughter and family dogs for 3 hours.

A week later, Dad was back home doing his regular routine.
My sister had managed to convince the doctor that my Dad, who they said wasn’t eligible for surgery, was in fact a perfect candidate. And the entire NSW Health System was prepared to reevaluate their initial decision to deny him treatment.

Post-operation: Having a beer with Dad and elder brother

China is already a powerhouse in AI for radiology and medical imaging. Next they’re going global.

A severe shortage of radiologists compelled China to introduce Artificial Intelligence across its hospital systems.

A comprehensive national effort began just three years ago, with the aim of developing a new industry for diagnostic medical imaging, all with AI.

Today, more than three fourths of Chinese hospitals rely heavily on AI systems. This has slashed costs for medical care delivery, improved patient outcomes, and dramatically reduced burnout among Chinese medical staff.

A crucial factor in the growth of China’s AI is the vast biodata that researchers and tech companies have available to develop Large-Language Models for their systems.

China also enjoys access to enormous volumes of real-life patient data from around the world, as so much of the world’s pharmaceutical R&D is performed here, by global companies.

That is a key differentiator and comparative advantage, which strongly positions Chinese medical AI in global markets.

Closing scene, Zhuhai Grand Theatre, Zhuhai, Guangdong