The Domain Commander can be a real hoot sometimes.
A follower asked me a personal question and so I comm’d with the Domain Commander. And as usual it made no sense to me.
I guess that the reception signal quality is emotionally influenced, as it was in a cheerful mood (I think – it’s really a difficult one to gauge) and he gave me a really confusing answer. But the follower understood it. Well, I didn’t don’t you know. Hard to listen in on phone conversations when they speak a different language. *sheech*
Here’s a snippet what the DC said.
Quick note. Weird is GOOD. It means that you are one foot in the "hologram of reality" and one foot in the "actual". So yeah, it'll be a weird world. Comm with the DC, for you; Your pre-birth world-line template (The DC does not like this term, but it resonates with us humans... but I get a scoffaw every time I use it) was (like many others) layered. Like onion peals and movement on the Z-axis moves one life cycle to another one like a slide is already easy for you (and your ilk) because you have built in slides. A number of the templates (again a scoff) [actually, i will need to revise the model to something more acceptable to the DC, well, do that later . its on my agenda.] have a pre-programmed earlier than expected exit. from this reality. You already missed the exit "doors" slides (if you want to call them that) on the highest probabilities due to some of your affirmations. I should say "good work", but you have some interesting times up a head of you. Not bad. just extreme (Domain Commander words, not mine) DC emphasis is on "not bad", but extreme in the realm of weird life experience. I would translate that as "roller coaster", but DC says not so. Instead more "crunchy" and more "abrasive", with better "fun stuff". Like I said, comm with the Domain Commander can be a trip some time. I hope this makes sense to you. It is garbage to me. I don't know what the fuck its talking about. (DC *smirk*, chuckles, head nod, and fade out.)
Ah I don’t think that the follower will get too upset of the public display of this section of his comm.
Comms always take a lot out of me., but I think that you all can understand a little bit about the nature of the Domain from this interaction.
Have a good one. Today…
Today’s post on YouTube by MM
It’s a “short”; under 1 minute.
OP-ED: Iran Conflict Showed the Collapse of American “Protection”
The Iran Conflict has exposed the collapse of American “protection.”
In less than one hour after being hit by the US and Israel, Iran responded with surgical precision, striking 17 American installations across the Middle East.
Successive waves of missiles and drones forced US troops to abandon their bases and scramble for shelter in luxury hotels, which, ironically, quickly became targets themselves.
It has now been 12 straight days of continuous bombardment, with multiple waves every single day and no sign of fatigue.
The strikes are not limited to the bases: they are hammering roads, airports, ports, hotels, and power plants.
Evacuation orders exist on paper, but they are being carried out at a snail’s pace, because security is nonexistent and far too many troops are still trapped under fire.
Almost no one remains at the American bases anymore. Even the refueling aircraft that operated out of Saudi Arabia have been pulled out and relocated to Germany.
The message to the Gulf countries is crystal clear: the US cannot even protect its own bases. You’re on your own.
The sense of invincibility that lasted for decades has been shattered.
Critical radars destroyed, interceptors running on fumes, bases bombed, Iranian missiles still launching, the Strait of Hormuz still closed, and Gulf allies left completely exposed.
All of this is being watched in real time by Asian countries that, until yesterday, were betting everything on American power to contain China.
The red light is flashing bright.
If the US couldn’t defend the Gulf against Iran… what real chance do they have of protecting anyone against Beijing?
Up until February 28, American protection felt absolute. Today it feels like something else entirely.
The collapse of that decades-long myth of absolute security is the deepest and most lasting indirect effect of this war.
BY:
Did Ancient Chinese warriors primarily use weapons other than swords? If so, what was the reason for this preference?
Li Shimin, the founder of the Tang Empire, was not only a genius military strategist but also an outstanding warrior who personally charged into battle.
Historical records note that in one cavalry campaign, five of his warhorses were killed under him, and each time he immediately mounted another horse and fought on.
Mao Zedong greatly admired Li Shimin’s military genius, once remarking, “Since ancient times, none who understood the art of war have surpassed Li Shimin.”
At that time, the standard weapon of ordinary Tang soldiers was the long-handled great saber.
Cavalry, on the other hand, wielded massive lances.
Yet Li Shimin himself declared that the most fearsome weapon was the hammer.
His view may well have been shared by many military experts of the era.
In a historical romance novel set in the Tang dynasty, many of the top warriors were portrayed as wielding hammers.
(This picture, along with countless similar comic-book illustrations, misled me in childhood—I could not fathom how ancient warriors fought with iron hammers weighing hundreds of kilograms.)
(This, in fact, is what a real iron hammer looked like.)
But to be honest, I don’t quite understand why Li Shimin considered the hammer more terrifying than the modao (long-handled saber) or the cavalry lance.
I once bought a Ming dynasty sword, as well as a heavily rusted Song dynasty iron hammer (such so-called “relics” are quite common in China, hence not expensive).
From my impression, the hammer was overly heavy and too short, and in real combat would have been completely countered by a cavalry lance or a long-handled saber.
Still, I respect Li Shimin’s opinion.
What are the best foods to try during a Kolkata trip?
I haven’t been to Kolkata for almost 7–8 years so pls excuse me if many outlets have been closed
Breakfast :-
- Loochi, Alu Bhaja / Alur Dom – Try a Small Eatery or even a Roadside Eatery who will serve you 4–5 Small white pooris with a Katori of Potato Sabji either with gravy or a very miniature version of French fries
- Kochuri – Kachori known as Kochuri is a pretty famous breakfast dish with a Potato Gravy or a Dal Gravy.
- South Indian – Many South Indian Joints with Idli, Dosa, Pongal, Vada are available. Try Ghee Roast Dosa at Jyoti Vihar in Ho Chi Minh Sarani
- Ruti-Dim – Egg and Bread. Thick Bread with Butter and Egg Omelette. Roadside Eateries but extremely tasty.
Note:- I traveled with my wife so ate only in South Indian Restaurants myself. The Roadside taste being great is based on when I lived in Kolkata back from 1993–1996 and regularly had Roadside food.
Lunch
- India Coffee House – Bread Butter, Mutton Or Chicken Cutlet, Rose Milk (Avoid the Coffee😆, it is terrible)
- 6 Ballygunge Place – Bengali Meal (Bhaat (Rice), Luchi, Aloo Dom, Shukto, Dal, Begooni/Potol/Aloo Bhaja, Fish Fry, Murgir Jhol (Chicken curry), Mishti, Mishti Doi (Sweet Curd) – * Bit Expensive
- Peter Cat – Western / Mediterranean – Lasagna, Au Gratin, Garlic Bread, Kebabs (They have a speciality Kebab they recommend but I didn’t like it much) (Park St I think)
- Chinese Food at Gol Park – Gol Park has fantastic food with Chilly Chicken and Chicken Momos and Fried Rice
- Fish Roll – Forgot the name of the place. Potato and Cheese stuffed fried fish roll. Very popular place in Goariahat
- Chinese Place next to a Womens College in Goriahat. Extremely tasty and Northern Chinese Cuisine. I forgot the name.
- Paratha – Stuffed Parathas with Paneer, Kheema, Moghalai Paratha also near Goriahat
- Maach Bhaat Outlets – Numerous Small Eateries or even Roadside eateries that serve Bhaat (Rice), Macher Jhol (Fish Gravy with a piece of Fish or two pieces), Aloo Bhaja (Jhure Jhure), Potato Masala and Cholar Dal and Pickles. I ate in one place and it was excellent. No Ilish Fish though (Salmon)
Snacks :-
- Poochka – Pani Pooris available in many places
- Momo
- Egg Rolls
- Mouchak – Shingada, Radhawallabhi (Samosas and a Kind of Poori + Kachori combination)
- KC Das – Kachori, Roshogulla
You have popular places like Barbeque Nation, Oh Calcutta, Peter Cat, Mocambo etc which are iconic institutions
However I PERSONALLY FEEL THEY ARE OVER RATED and food isnt as tasty
Kolkata is a huge place though and I am mainly covering the South (Jodhpur Park, Ballygunge, Goria, Goriahat, Gol Park) and Park Street area
Salt Lake is by itself a huge place with its own environment
Dumdum is another massive place
Topsia is a fast growing place as well
What’s a truth that people generally refuse to accept?
Let us start with a particularly brutal one, but I feel it deserves to be said…
Some people may be better off never being born.
It isn’t particularly noble to keep a child or adult alive that has no ability to speak, communicate, walk, work, create art or enjoy life. A person who cannot use a toilet, who cannot get dressed or wash without help and who is essentially an eternal infant, locked into his or her own body and forever trapped in a state of helpless and hopeless dependency.
There are some severely handicapped people born that really would be better off not existing in many cases. They hurt not only their long-suffering parents but their mere existence and the constant care they require often take a massive mental toll on their healthy siblings. I once read an interview with the siblings of a severely handicapped adult man who had frequent violent outbursts and who operated on the mental level of a gigantic hairy 2-year-old… both his brother and sister declared they were so scared of ever having a child like their brother that neither ever wanted to get married or have children of their own. Trauma will do that to a person.
When a doctor tells you the child in your womb is going to be born severely disabled with a greatly diminished quality of life and lifespan, please consider whether or not to bring this child into the world. Not just for your own sake and that of the child, but also for the sake of any healthy children you might already have — they will suffer. And not only the parents but even the siblings of such a child have to become caregivers for life. A cruel fate I would not wish on anyone.
MAGA Americans Are Giving Up From Insane Power Bill After Trump’s Tariffs
Sir Whiskerton and The Clucken’s Last Stand: A Tale of Poultry Pirates, Sock-Based Sovereignty, and the Great Corn Ceasefire
Ah, dear reader, batten down the hatches for a tale so gloriously absurd that even the scarecrow would demand a parrot on his shoulder! Today’s adventure begins with a missing sock, a chicken convinced he’s Blackbeard’s feathery reincarnation, and a war that ended faster than you can say “discount mutiny.” So hoist the Jolly Hen and join me for Sir Whiskerton and The Clucken’s Last Stand.
Act I: The Sock Heard ‘Round the Coop
Captain Cluckbeard (self-proclaimed “Terror of the Trough”) stood atop the feed bin, his one good eye gleaming with outrage.
-
“ARRRR!” he squawked, waving a corn cob cutlass. “That bilge-swillin’ farmer’s stolen me treasure AGAIN!”
His crew – Squawk the First Mate (who mostly napped) and Pluck the Powder Monkey (who mostly ate the gunpowder) – gasped on cue.
-
“What treasure, Cap’n?” asked Pluck, spitting out a feather.
-
“ME FAVORITE STRIPED SOCK, YE BLUBBERIN’ BUFFOON!”
(Note: The sock in question was currently being used as the farmer’s oven mitt.)
Act II: War is Clucked
What followed was the shortest naval engagement in farm history:
-
The Blockade: Cluckbeard’s crew “seized” the garden hose (declaring it the SS Cucumber).
-
The Battle Cry: “YER WALK THE PLANK… AFTER NAPTIME!”
-
The Farmer’s Response: Utter confusion, then a handful of thrown corn.
Squawk immediately folded like a lawn chair:
-
“WE ACCEPT YOUR TERMS!” he clucked, diving beak-first into the kernels.
Pluck, with corn stuck to his face: “Is this… tribute?”
Act III: The Treaty of the Sock Drawer
Sir Whiskerton, acting as Feline Ambassador, negotiated peace:
-
Cluckbeard got his sock back (now slightly burnt and smelling of cornbread).
-
The Farmer was declared “Honorary Landlubber” (a title he accepted while wearing mismatched socks).
-
Squawk got a lifetime supply of corn (or until dinner, whichever came first).
As the sun set, the pirates retired to their “ship” (a tipped-over wheelbarrow), singing sea shanties off-key. The sock flew proudly from the mast (a broomstick).
The Moral of the Story
Moral: Even the fiercest warriors can be bought with snacks and laundry.
Post-Credit Scene
The next morning, Cluckbeard declares war on the washing machine (“IT BE EATIN’ ME TROUSERS!”). The farmer responds with raisins. Another swift surrender.
Best Lines:
-
“I’ll keelhaul ye with ME BARE WATTLES!” – Cluckbeard’s worst threat
-
“Piracy’s hungry work.” – Squawk, with a mouth full of contraband corn
-
“This is why I don’t do laundry.” – Sir Whiskerton, watching the farmer wave a sock flag
Starring:
-
Captain Cluckbeard (Feathered Fury)
-
Squawk & Pluck (The World’s Worst Pirate Crew)
-
The Farmer (Unwilling Participant in Poultry Theater)
-
Sir Whiskerton (Diplomat of Last Resort)
Key Jokes:
-
Cluckbeard’s “treasure map” is just a muddy pawprint on napkin.
-
The “broadside” involves hurling melon rinds (one accidentally hits Pluck).
-
The farmer’s “naval defenses” consist of spraying the hose in random directions.
P.S.
Remember: Any conflict can be resolved if you throw enough snacks at it.
The End.
Yours barnacledly,
The Sir Whiskerton Team 🏴☠️
How much more advanced is the US Navy than the Chinese Navy? I know the Chinese have more ships, but I’ve heard that they are terrified of the US nuclear submarines. How does a US destroyer compare to a Chinese destroyer?
Question: How much more advanced is the US Navy than the Chinese Navy? I know the Chinese have more ships, but I’ve heard that they are terrified of the US nuclear submarines. How does a US destroyer compare to a Chinese destroyer?
Answer:
Most of the well learned individuals will roll their eyes at the nuclear submarine and nuclear weapon comment.
Basically, the key difference between China and US/USSR/Russia is that China’s official policy is to NOT state anything about their nuclear submarine and only tiny bits about their nuclear stockpile and delivery capacity.
Wheres in comparison, US/USSR/Russia regularly states their nuclear capacity and is quite willing to overstate things.
For example, last year on September 25th, 2024, China made a public test of DF-31AG. It is the longest actual ICBM test in human history and the Chinese missile flew the entire 12000km and hit the target zone (which China informed US and France three days in advance) with less than 100m of dispersion and Mach 30 terminal speed———exactly as China stated. The most important thing from this test is that DF-31AG’s test matched its stated spec word by word.
This is probably the hardest part for the English audience to swallow. Because they just cannot accept there are honest people in the world that don’t overstate their capacity or spec.
In fact, right after the DF-31AG test, US made multiple attempts of Minuteman III tests and despite a stated spec of 14,000km range, none of the test is past 7000km in reality.
And we have a repeat of this event this year, on May 7th, 2025, during the Pakistan-India air battle, despite Pakistan’s imported Chinese PL-15E has stated spec of 145km, multiple kills were made at 160km~180km range. And this is air-air missile hitting rapid moving targets.
Basically, anything the Chinese actually tells the public is guaranteed minimal specs.
Yes, I deliberately worded it this way because this is something that hurt the English audience the most. Because to them, arguments about “Chinese is pretending and overstating their ability” is the only thing they have left to cope with the reality.
Well, the Chinese is indeed (technically) hiding and lying, but they are doing it to reduce the state spec of their equipment and performance, instead of exaggerating them.
And this isn’t an even a PRC thing. The ancient Chinese does this as well. I have explained this before, this practice is common for ancient Chinese engineers and artisans, because they have a life time responsibility system, so it is better to under-state the spec to ensure their product pass imperial emissary’s random sampling tests. Failing such a test can potential result in execution and as well the result, minimal guarantee is preferred.
So coming back to the navy.
The Chinese government has never made any statement about how many submarines, nuclear or conventional, they have.
But the popular figure of 12 floating around the English web is obviously BS. Duh, the first Chinese nuclear submarine are detected around 1970s and for almost 40 years, submarines are the main Chinese sea deterrent against US navy.
And you thought they only made 12 of those in the past 50 years?
Similarly, the argument about how China only has 300 nuclear warheads were from a single paper done by a NGO called Federation of American Scientists back in late 2000s. And the original statement is that judging by the electricity generation figure, back in 1970, China probably had about 300 warheads.
The estimation is probably fairly accurate, since China detonated its first nuclear warhead in 1964, so only making about 300 of them by 1970 is totally reasonable.
On the other hand, if you think that’s still the figure in 2025, then that’s just plain gullibility.
The reality reason English audience only get told that China has 12 nuclear submarine is that if the public is informed that China probably has a bigger submarine fleet than US, then it makes the entire “stirring up trouble around Taiwan or South China Sea” policy of US stupid as hell.
Hey, been enjoying your posts. Would you consider writing something on the Sword of Goujian? Like who made it, how it was discovered, if it actually has something to do with Vietnamese? Thanks!
There is no mention in historical records of who forged Goujian’s Sword, as only the owner’s name was documented at that time, not the blacksmith’s.
During the Yue State period (when Goujian reigned), its territory roughly corresponds to present-day Zhejiang Province and southern Jiangsu Province. This sword was unearthed in what is now Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province—a location that served as the capital of the Yue State back then.
As for the claim that this sword has connections to Vietnam, it is purely nonsense. Some extreme Vietnamese nationalists today assert that all the “Baiyue” (Hundred Yue) regions belong to Vietnam’s historical territory. In fact, “Baiyue” literally means “hundreds of tribes called Yue,” while present-day Vietnam corresponds to the areas inhabited by the more southern branches of these Yue tribes, not the core regions of the Yue State associated with Goujian.
The names in red represent different “yue”“越”. In the western part of the map, in what is now Yunnan and Sichuan, China, there are many more “yue” “越”, but they are too small to be labeled.
You can see that Vietnam is in the extreme south.
Finger-Lickin’Fricassee
Ingredients
- 1 (3 pound) chicken
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon Gebhardt Chili Powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 tablespoons raisins (optional)
- 8 ripe olives, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Cut chicken into serving pieces. Dip into flour, then brown in hot shortening.
- Remove to a large pan.
- Fry onion, green pepper and garlic until brown in remaining hot shortening.
- Add ketchup, water and Gebhardt Chili Powder; boil for 5 minutes. Pour over chicken.
- Salt, adding water as needed; cover, allow to simmer until chicken is tender; about 1 1/2 hours.
- Add raisins and ripe olives 15 minutes before serving.
Husband Who Was Robbed In Divorce Wins Appeal On Heiress Wife’s £66 Million Fortune!
Wow. You would never believe this.
Cathyheimer
Written in response to: “Set your story after aliens have officially arrived on Earth.“
Scott Christenson
Until that moment, Cathy had believed the future of the planet to was hopeless. Global warming, inequality, pollution, the mistreatment of animals–so many issues. And there was no way out. People were too driven by their own selfish desires.
But what if we received help from another race of intelligent beings? One that travelled the stars would know how to transform this planet into a truly sustainable ecosystem.
Following first contact protocol–each person at SETI kept it in a laminated binder on their desk–she alerted the US Air Force. A dozen F-16s were scrambled to protect the nation’s airspace.
The the other 98% of the earth’s surface area would have to fend for itself.
**
On The Hand of God, currently circling this system’s fourth planet, Booba leaned back in his chair and put all eight feet on the starship’s control panel. After the hard work of choosing which BlodChat reply to send to this planet—the AI had produced 27 different translations–he did the Bloderian equivalent of flipping a coin, and chose one randomly. Exhausted, he was ready to start another gaming session.
On the game menu, he selected a flamethrower and began poking his tentacles around corners, searching for two-legged pests to exterminate. Oh how he enjoyed first-bloderian-shooters. Perhaps it was the visceral thrill of blasting away at bipeds. He would try to get over his distate on the current assignment. Visualization was key. He would imagine them as normal creatures with shiny exoskeletons and multiple legs and tentacles.
**
Cathy, despite her gloomy views on the future of the planet, maintained a flowery disposition with people, one nurtured growing up in the beautiful pine covered foothills of Boulder Colorado. Far away from the ravages of the mining industry in the west and the blight of industrialization in the east.
She looked at the decoded alien message. The words were in English but they didn’t make any sense.
“There must be a coded message in this. The Taliban hid their messages into the pixels of jpeg photos,” she said to the large and growing team in SETI’s office.
Behind he loomed General Sputz. The military was now trying to muscle in on the action at SETI and capture the glory of first contact. “We need answers.” He looked around at everyone else. “No one slacks off until we get to the bottom of this.”
General Sputz grew up in Akron under the merciless eye of an abusive father. He lacked Cathy’s positive outlook. But he knew better than to blame his parents, so he blamed the toxic pollution in Ohio’s drinking water.
They both studied the message again:
Smoked like bacon
Feel our sound
All for taking
Lift your hands
Booba is your man
This friday night
Make my day
Cathy wondered why an alien race would communicate in meaningless nonsense.
Another man cleared his throat. Professor Hall, the linguist from Berkeley, spoke up. “78% of the radio transmissions from Earth that leave the solar system are music. This message looks like pop music, doesn’t it?”
Cathy groaned. “So…decades of SETI broadcasts sending earth’s knowledge to alien planets, was drowned out by Top 40 radio.”
“From the lyrics, I’d say the pop music of the 90s. Space travel has a time shift. If the aliens didn’t know anything else, they would think pop music was our main form of communication.”
“Sad,“ Cathy said. She was trying to stay composed while watching someone else uncover the mysteries of first contact. “What do you think it means?”
“His name is Booba, and he’s looking for a date Friday night.”
General Sputz was now staring at Cathy oddly. “Date night. You’re the best looking woman here. Are you willing to serve your country?”
“What do you mean by that?!” Cathy said incredulously.
“Save the world. Think about it?”
“I am a scientist,” she said, looking at this General in his polyester uniform with even greater disdain than before.
**
The next day, they sent the message they laboriously wrote together:
‘Thank you for paying homage to our 1990s pop music. We would like to invite you to meet our leader at the White House on Friday.’
The reply was quick. The voice of an alien was heard by earth for the first time.
“I’m meeting Madonna? And why did it take you so long to reply?” spoke the deep, resonant voice.
“Sorry, it took us time to understand the message. And we have a new leader now.”
“A new leader, let’s celebrate. You should throw a party for Booba on Friday.”
The ground began shaking, an earthquake. SETI’s office was close to the San Andreas, but it seemed like too much of a coincidence.
“Did you do something?” she asked Booba the alien.
He chuckled.
Cathy glanced at General Sputz. His face was ashen. He leaned over and whispered, “Tell him yes. We’ll throw him a party on Friday.”
**
On The Hand of God, Booba tinkered with the control panel while thinking about what he should wear to the party. The earthquake he triggered in Northern California had gotten their attention. He wanted make an even grander entrance on Friday.
Booba had studied their history and wanted to give Hiroshima a break this time around. They were treated so unfairly in the past.
“How about we nuke Antarctica as our opening act?” he said to his assistant Zagbed. “The tidal wave would be 100 meters tall.”
His assistant found it challenging to disagree with his boss, but he mumbled, “The way they party might be different than yours, boss.” Zagbed cowered, prepared to dart from any weapon discharge in his direction.
“Just because you don’t know how to loosen up, doesn’t mean they don’t,” Booba roared. He believed he and Zagbed had the sort of friendly employee-manager relationship in which one could be utterly frank without any hard feelings.
Zagbed inched for the door.
**
After the alien caused an earthquake in California, General Sputz knew things on earth would never be the same again. It was an alien feeling to no longer be in charge of the world’s most powerful military.
He wondered what type of party Booba might be expecting. This was out of his wheelhouse. He would need to rope in the Pentagon’s cultural diversity team.
**
Cathy, at first repulsed by the General’s suggestion that she should be Earth’s alien dating escort, now toyed with the idea. She remembered her childhood aspiration to improve the planet. And, what would it be like to be the first wife of an alien race? This could be a historic act affecting future generations. A sea change in the perceptions of extraterrestrial marriage.
She made up her mind. But first, she needed to know what Booba looked like.
**
Booba received a request for a photo on a private radio frequency. But sending selfies was not the Bloderian way. Most non-Bloderians had only a millisecond to look a Bloderian in the eyes before they were exterminated.
But due to the labor shortage, the bureaucrats back home insisted Booba not get trigger happy, and he didn’t want to spend another 100 years doing community service. So as a compromise, he asked the ship’s AI–trained on signals received in the 1990s– to make a recommendation. A deep fake photo based on David Hasselhoff, with “From, Booba” handwritten in red lipstick on it.
**
The next day, the first thing the General noticed was Cathy dressed much nicer than usual. She smiled at the General as if she knew something that he didn’t.
“I’ll speak to the alien first. Quiet everyone!” Cathy said. When there was silence in the command center, she switched on her microphone. “Good morning, Booba. We are all looking forward to meeting you Friday. We would be eternally grateful for any help you could give us with the pressing needs of our planet, such as CO2 emissions—”
The deep, powerful voice of the alien cleared his throat.
“Excuse me. We can cover the nitty-gritty…“ Booba said, “After we get to know each other better. First, we need to agree on your nation’s unconditional surrender, so there will be nothing to ruin the mood on Friday.”
Cathay blinked furiously a few times. “Unconditional surrender?” she said. “I’m going to have to pass you to the General.”
The phrase ‘the buck stops here’ went through the General’s mind, and then panic set in. If he surrendered, his name could be attached to the most shameful event in United States history. Last century’s word for a traitor was Benedict Arnold. Would ‘General Spitz’ be next century’s eponym for being a shameful disgrace?
Sputz picked up the microphone. “We are prepared to…cooperate.”
“Cooperate, means surrender?”
“We will do what you want from us.”
“Unconditionally?”
General Sputz thought of something intelligent to say at this historical moment. Such as Douglas Armstrong’s famous quote from the moon. He thought some more, and then simply said, “We’ll try our best.”
**
Booba wondered why this man kept talking in circles. He was fairly certain he used the right words. Perhaps some things just don’t translate. It didn’t matter. The big decisions had already been made.
“Let’s move on. Surrender, Cooperate. It’s all the same to us.”
Bloderians had their own protocol to follow when conquering alien planets. He pulled up his 13-pages of notes and began going through the bullet points.
**
Cathy listened to Booba rattle off details about which documents needed to be signed by whom. The right order to shake all eight hands of the conquering General. How they would go about transferring the national savings to the Central Bank of Bloderia. Booba was speaking so fast, it was obvious, he was just trying to get this over with.
There was a pause, and then Booba said, “And, to make it all easier, you’ll soon be getting help from Bangladesh. We have been training their civil service in implementing our Bloderian regulations.”
“Implementing?”
“You know, collecting taxes, calculating the correct minutes of the day to show homage to the Bloderian Gods, enforcing the 29-day work week, special benefits for the 8-legged population, stuff like that…”
“A 29-day work week? Bangladesh is ok with this?”
“The first class of trainees finished our 3-year civil servant training program. They didn’t complain.”
How were people in Bangladesh being trained by an alien civilization without anyone knowing about it? Cathay wondered if the CIA had put so much effort into spying on Russia and China, they missed a spaceport in Bangladesh.
“Can we receive training too?” Cathy asked. She wondered if her plan for intergalactic marriage needed acquiring some new skills.
“Sorry. The training manuals have only been translated into Bengali. Their grammar for postpositions is similar to ours.” Booba said. “Moving on. The last item I’m obliged to inform you of today is…we will be extracting the iron from your earth’s core, so your planet may experience some shrinkage.”
“Shrinkage?”
“Yes. The earthquakes get a little rough. On the positive side, lower gravity is great for parties. Do you acknowledge our terms and conditions.”
Instinctively, Cathy said “yes”, before she had time to realize what she was signing up for.
Many have reported experiencing a sudden moment of clarity in their life. An instant when suddenly their entire perception changes. Cathy experienced that while watching the flickering neon dot of the alien spaceship orbiting Mars on her screen. Cathy switched allegiance. She now believed humanity was Earth’s only hope.
**
Epilogue:
Booba cancelled his RSVP to the party at the last minute, citing important political developments. In fact, he just wanted to finish the last level of the Battle of Lookai, the game he was currently playing.
The civil servants from Bangladesh arrived the next week. When there was push back on the 29-day workweek, Booba put in the time to launch anti-matter torpedoes at a dozen major military installations. After that, everyone fell into line. In coming years, the Bangladeshis would often remind others about their special communication line to the Bloderians upstairs. There was a theory they might be making it up and simply deciding things on their own, but no one wanted to test it. The people of earth learned to follow all the new Bloderian regulations according to the manuals coming out of Bangladesh.
After the entire planet’s surrender, the US military continued to spend trillions of dollars defending the nation against threats that didn’t exist except on Flox News. General Spitz proudly wore the same polyester uniform that he always had before. He and the military successfully denied that they had anything to do with the nation’s surrender.
Cathy’s life would set off on a different trajectory. She would relocate to the new planet’s capital of Dhaka, learn Bengali, and then over time, working within the system, build a resistance movement that would build the world’s first nuclear space laser. This weapon would one day free the planet from the ravages of the Bloderian mining industry and put it back into the hands of Australians.
Luckily for the Bangladeshis, by Independence Day 2065, the world’s population had become so used to following Bloderian regulations that, even after the roll back to a 5-day work week, they kept their iron grip on middle management positions for the centuries to follow.
Why does farming not work well in a free market?
Say you grow tomatoes here in Ontario.
People like tomatoes. They’re in all the stores. There are industrial canneries. People buy them all the time.
But you don’t have tomatoes all the time. Even if you try to spread out your planting, pretty much every single tomato in Ontario has to be harvested in a 4–6 week window in the summer.
As such, you’re trying to sell your tomatoes at the exact same time everyone else is selling their tomatoes. Even worse, tomatoes have a fairly short shelf life – they have to be eaten or processed within a couple of weeks of becoming ripe.
We have a giant tomato processing plant here in Ontario. It’s running full speed for six weeks a year, and is completely shut down for the other 48 weeks.
And most crops are like this. There are a few, like grain, that will last for months or even years, but you still need a place to store them, and warehousing costs money too.
Potatoes aren’t bad – you can store them for months in ideal conditions. But I mean “ideal”.
Here in Canada, like most other places, we raise cows for milk. Cows have to be milked twice a day every day, the milk must be processed immediately to keep it from spoiling and, luckily, you can do this all year. If there’s too much milk, well, you can turn it into cheese, which keeps longer (but still has to be refrigerated).
Historically, and this goes back to the beginning of agriculture, there was a “middleman” who bought all the crops and got them to market. Farmers needed to sell their crops right away or face ruin. The middlemen made all the profit.
And, of course, there’s no guarantee you will have crops at all. Drought. Disease. Hail. One day you’re planning a vacation to Bermuda and the next you’re killing all your cows because one showed up with hoof and mouth disease. Heartbreaking.
Right now, we’re seeing in the United States that the fact all your crop must be harvested within a one month period of time before it literally rots in front of your eyes becomes a problem if there is a labor shortage. It’s really not about what you pay the workers – it’s getting the workers to the site and getting them off once they do their job. And everyone needs workers during the one month the crop is ready.
Back in olden days, people worked like dogs during planting and harvest, but pretty much slacked off the rest of the year. Still, those few weeks of ultra-hard work were enough to keep them alive another year. That no longer exists. Farm workers are migrants. They go where the work is, then leave when it’s done. That’s how capitalism works. You’re the one with the land (capital) and everyone answers to you, unless like poor Charles Boycott they won’t work for you.
They Believed Western Propaganda… Then Came to China. 🇨🇳
A online China observer said it is a good thing China is not currently a democracy, if Chinese government is democratically elected the world would be in WW3 right now because CCP has put muzzle on the nationalist majority. Do you agree with it?
Kind of…
Here’s the former Japanese ambassador to China speaking out on television, advicing Japanese people to be patient, that China is too strong right now, that the Japanese should wait for when China is weak again, to strike and finish off China once and for all. So ironic that he even uses a Chinese idiom for it.
Can you imagine if a German ambassador says this about finishing off Russia or the Jews? Wouldn’t there be protest from the Russian and Israeli governments?
Yet nothing from the CCP.
And of all people, the Japanese ambassador to China? Can you imagine of the years he was in China, when he was studying our culture, when he was hosted as the most honored Japanese guest at so many Chinese events, under all his smiles and good manners, all the while he was thinking how to kill us all?
The Communists are a bunch of rainbow and unicorn level idealists. They really do believe in the goodness and unity of humanity, and would not rally the public against such threats.
We Chinese commoners are less optimistic. We see these Japanese interviews and refuse to buy into the CCP propaganda shit that the Japanese are our brothers. We would be more concerned about the demons in human skin right next door, who had already killed 35 million of our grandparents. We’d say if Japan wants to finish us off in the future, then let’s not give them that chance.
“My Brother Ended Himself Because Of Women Like Me”
Pictures
What’s an interesting example of a wrongful conviction?
Richard A. Jones’s case blew me away.
He was a 25-year-old father of two who was picked out of a lineup of robbers 20+ years ago.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t the actual robber. The crazy part is that he actually met the real criminal in the prison he was staying in. One can see how someone misidentified them:
Richard Jones is on the left. Richard Amos on the right.
After all was said and done, they realized Richard Amos was the real criminal. But, sadly, Richard Jones had already spent 19 years behind bars, with several of those years knowing that Amos was the actual criminal—but unable to speed the process along to gain his freedom.
He finally won his freedom. He also took it a step further and won $1.1 million in damages from the state.
It still doesn’t feel like enough though.
CHINA UNMASKED: Textbook Myths vs TikTok Reality! 🇨🇳 (Authoritarian Capitalism Debate)
War On Iran: (Just a few links)
Quote of the day:
Alireza Tangsiri, Commander of the IRGC Navy:
We guarantee the security of any oil tanker, under any flag, that can convince an American destroyer to escort it through the Strait of Hormuz.
A few links:
- Soaring fuel prices to cast long shadow across US economy (archived) – Financial Times
- Escalating Hormuz Crisis Raises Specter of Prolonged Closure (archived) – WSJ
- Thinking About the Unthinkable –
Iran’s Grand Plan to End U.S. Presence in the Middle East – Michael Hudson / UNZ
Mearsheimer with Glenn Diesen includes some interesting words on Europe (transcribed here):
The new Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic has made his first public statement. He did not announce any new policies.
- His English language Twitter/X account is: https://x.com/MKhamenei_ir/ – Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei
- His Farsi account is: https://x.com/Rahbarenghelab_ – رسانه رهبر انقلاب اسلامی
EXIT INTERVIEW
Written in response to: “Set your story after aliens have officially arrived on Earth.“
Soleil Tron
“Sure,” Dean nodded at the camera. “So, we have actually been here for quite a while now. Like close to two hundred thousand years, give or take.”
“Really?” Candee spoke, raising one perfectly arched eyebrow. “Why, then, have your species decided to contact us now? Have you contacted human beings before in the period that you have been here? I’m sorry, I seem to be getting ahead of myself, but why have you been here for such a long period of time?”
“Our planetary studies usually run about 200K, more or less.” Dean nodded. “To answer your question about prior contact, honestly, would you want to plunge yourself face-first into an ant den?”
Candee stared, entirely at a loss for words for a moment. “Well, I see. All right then,” she fumbled with her stack of cards.
“That sounds pretty harsh, but you guys are nuts,” Dean said. “Always fighting over piles of dirt as far as we can tell, for two hundred thousand years, Geez.”
“Is there no such thing as war or conflict among your species?” Candee asked. “And if not, how did your species evolve peacefully?”
“We got the same instructions from day one, just like you guys. The only difference is we followed the rules; you guys never have.” Dean spoke, raising its palms in the air.
“Are you speaking of instructions from a higher power? From a God or God himself as we call him in some religions of Earth?” Candee asked, leaning forward.
“Let’s just say from a higher power,” Dean stated calmly. “I have to be careful what I say here, Whew. I don’t want to start another World War.” It shook its head.
“Let’s backtrack just a bit,” Candee composed herself. “Why did you initially choose to study our planet?”
“We choose planetary studies based on whether or not they have emerging intelligent life. If the emerging intelligence seems promising, that is, if we think they might eventually be able to join us in the cosmos, we reveal ourselves, welcome them to the club, give them a hand.”
“I see, so is that what your species is doing with our planet? Revealing yourselves to welcome us to the cosmos?” she smiled and nodded to the camera.
“No way,” Dean said, shaking its head. “We revealed ourselves to you to let you know that we have completed our studies, and we’re out of here. We just wanted to clear up the confusion over UAPs or UFOs and let you know our findings, for the record.”
“If I understand correctly, your species has decided not to help or welcome us at all?”
“Nope.” Dean shrugged. “We can’t help you; you guys would just use any tech stuff or knowledge we hand over to create weapons for more pile of dirt wars.”
Candee stared at Dean; her lips pressed into a firm line. “What about medical knowledge? Wouldn’t that be useful to people suffering from incurable diseases? Think of the good that might come of helping us to overcome our worst diseases.”
Dean shook its head. “ It’s our policy only to help intelligent life we deem worthy of helping.”
“What are we as human beings to do then? What could we do to make ourselves worthy of help?” Candee asked in frustration.
“Maybe in another 200K?” Dean shrugged. “ You guys can’t even take care of your planet. You are constantly trying to devise new ways to destroy each other. And the way you treat animals? You guys are messed up.”
Candee looked down at her stack of cards. “Is it possible that your species might return sometime in the future to check on our progress?”
“No way.” Dean smiled.
“Are there other species of intelligent life in the cosmos that might be willing to help humankind in any way, technologically or medically? To give us a boost?” Candee asked, hopefully.
“Nope,” Dean said, shrugging its large shoulders. “They’ve all come to the same conclusion; you guys are pretty hopeless.”
Candee sighed and placed her cards face down in her lap. “Well then, Dean, would you tell us where you’re from? What planet did your species originate from?”
“No, I’m not giving you guys that information. We really don’t want humans visiting us in the future.” Dean smiled and shrugged again.
“ I see. So you agreed to this interview today to inform humankind that your two hundred thousand-year study is over, that we have failed, and that we have no redeeming qualities as a species?” she stated flatly.
“That pretty much sums it up,” Dean said, nodding at the camera.
Candee laid her stack of cards on the oval coffee table between them, folded her hands in her lap, and faced the camera; the sparkle in her eyes transformed into a blank stare.
“Well, people of Earth, you’ve heard what our historic alien guest, Dean, has had to say. I guess that concludes our interview. On behalf of our Best News Now Network, and planet Earth, I thank Dean for taking the time to be with us today.” she said.
Dean slowly rose from its chair, bowed toward Candee and the camera lens, and vanished into a sparkling whirlwind of purple light.
Fried Chicken Gizzards
Not everyone loves gizzards, but this is a very good recipe if you do!
Ingredients
- Chicken gizzards
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic powder
- Poultry seasoning
- Sage
- Cajun seasoning
- Self-rising flour to coat
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Rinse the gizzards well. Boil the gizzards with a little meat tenderizer until they are done. Pat dry with a paper towel.
- Season to taste. Coat with flour. Place in hot cooking oil in a Dutch oven or cast iron skillet (be careful). Cover with a lid to help reduce splattering. Also, when a lid is placed over any frying food, it helps to keep it moist. Watch carefully as this doesn’t take long!
How do you avoid getting sucker punched?
I worked as a bouncer and learned a ton about fights and de-escalating them. For the record, I didn’t last long as a bouncer.
I’m not some tough guy. I only got the job because I’m a larger guy.
Here’s what I learned
If someone is in your face, angry, and overcome with emotion —you are always at risk of being sucker punched — full stop. The biggest danger is that they are too close.
Things trend worse if they’re repeating themselves over and over. It means adrenaline has hijacked their brain. They’re on the verge of sucker punching you.
There’s no way to predict a sucker punch. They are all different. Sometimes he looks away first. Sometimes he looks at the ground. Other times, they look right at you.
There’s an old saying by Bruce Lee, “Never take your eye off your opponent, even when you are bowing.”
If they are yelling and aggressive, keep them at arm’s length. That’s the best thing you can do, and just reiterate that you can’t let them get that close to you.
But be willing to walk away. One of the most dangerous things you can do is get into a street fight. To you, it might be a street fight. To them, it might be much more.
You win every street fight you avoid.
Recently, Trump said that “600,000 Chinese students will be allowed to enter the US.” For Chinese students who have faced visa tightening and entry barriers in recent years, is this a sign of warming or just another political bargaining chip?
The brother of a Student in the University where my son is doing research, recently went to the US and returned back after an extremely unpleasant experience
The guy was going to study Business & Economics not Semiconductors or Chips or anything high level
Stage I:-
First they ask all Chinese students on the F-1 Visa directly in the Airport
Do you have any relatives who are members of the Chinese Communist Party ?
Relatives could mean a distant cousin or uncle or aunt also. Not just parents or brother
Does anyone in your family work for the Government of China?
This time it’s family. Could be Immediate Family or extended family. It could even be a distant uncle twice removed.
They literally tell you so
And Government in China literally means most organizations as most as State owned
If you lie on a Government document, you can be punished with Sections XYZ , ABC etc and pay $ 100,000 Fine and upto 5 years imprisonment
Yep this is also mentioned in the form clearly and openly
Nowadays NO children of CPC officials or even members go to the US for study
Even if you say you have an Aunt who is a Junior Legate, Third Tier Secretary in Zhoushan Province, that’s grounds to turn down your entry
Stage II:-
If you manage to clear Stage I
Within 1–3 weeks, someone from the State Department will visit you in your University
Talk to your professor
Why are you talking this elective? Why did you attend this particular seminar when you are in Business and Economics? How are you getting money?
Chinese Students are many times asked to give details of their parents, siblings, where they work, what they do
For instance this guys brother is an Engineering Student studying Intelligent systems (in my sons university) , so that is a major red line now
At this stage, he got an email that his F-1 Visa was under reconsideration due to “National Security Reasons”
He PANICKED and was frightened of arrests etc and called home and took the first flight home
This was OHIO by the way
If you don’t get any mails within 30–45 days of Stage II, it means YOU ARE CLEARED TO STUDY
Graduates
Graduates, Post Graduates are both given a hard time during graduation
They have a list of PRC citizens and question them on the day of graduation
Why do you want a H1B Visa? Why are you studying a doctorate?
Most of them leave even before Graduation now
Especially in STEM fields (90% of them)
They also ask if they can check your laptop and phone
If you say no, they generally don’t go aggressive but sometimes they can threaten to get a warrant
Huawei Phones are NOT ALLOWED
They can run some software on your phone , they claim it’s for security but Chinese are instructed by their Government to DUMP those phones immediately after entering the US and buy new phones on campus
Bottom line – CHINESE STUDENTS ARE NOT GOING TO USA IN LARGE NUMBERS
The Only Mainlanders who are now going are
- Those who have SOME FAMILY in the US as US Citizens or Green card holders whose parents are in Business
- Mainly those who live in Shanghai
- 90% for Bachelors Degree in Business, Economics, Marketing, Theatre and such courses.
- 90% for Masters Degree in STEM. No longer Doctorate courses.
- RICH business families in China
- Mediocre Students who can’t qualify for the first 100,000 seats in the Top Universities after GaoKao
Instead Students are dropping a year, preparing for Gaokao again, working for Temu, Shein or Meituan and earning 4,500 to 8,000 Yuan a month and getting admissions into University after 1–2 years
Or going to Australia (Admissions up 152% compared to 2018) , Europe (Admissions up 61% compared to 2018) or even UK (Admissions up 77% compared to 2018)
Its virtually a North Korean like description 😱😱😱😱😱
So NOBODY CARES about Trump and his 600,000 students
These practices are being followed even when Biden was President
Could the Russian Federation break up?
Any person who was over the age of 10 in August 1991 remembers this image: “Swan Lake” ballet on all TV channels during anti-Gorbachev coup.
Exactly 34 years ago, on August 19, 1991, a group of Soviet generals tried to roll back Gorbachev’s democratic reforms — take the Soviet Union back to totalitarianism.
The generals announced forming of the Committee for the State of Emergency (GKChP), sent troops to arrest Gorbachev at his vacation home in Crimea, and pronounced they are taking over.
The attempt failed.
I remember watching the shaking hands of the Committee chief Yanaev, as he was saying that he would replace Gorbachev. Everyone remembers this moment as well. It was GKChP’s omen — this wasn’t going to work.
Tanks on the Red Square — eerie.
We absolutely didn’t know what to think.
But I remember feeling that I was terrified of going back to pre-1985. In May 1991, we were allowed to travel abroad without an exit visa. I immediately bought a tour to Europe to see the outside world. Now, they were going to take it away from us?
Boris Yeltsin climbed on a tank with a megaphone convincing soldiers to stand down.
The coup ended in 3 days.
In just 4 months, the USSR collapsed.
Instead of saving the USSR, the coup attempt destroyed it.
Right now, I have the same feeling as in August 1991.
August is traditionally a bad month for Muscovites. The month of grave events causing long-lasting ripples.
Putin began the war in Ukraine to “save” (restore) the USSR. It was his lifelong dream.
But he made a grave mistake: he invaded Ukraine based on false intel. And when he realized the intel was false, he decided to continue, based on his own false expectation that either Ukraine or the West will get tired and give up. Then he made another mistake: he decided that Trump could save him. He invested heavily in Trump’s re-election, hoping this would give him the end of western support for Ukraine. His love of influence operations — and his success with them in the past — led him astray once again.
After succeeding in helping Trump get elected, Putin made another giant mistake: he didn’t accept the great deal offered by Trump, which would allow him to end the war.
And now he keeps making things worse.
This is how the Russian Federation could break up. One grave mistake after another, a chain of grave mistakes leads to a collapse.
It happened 34 years ago — it can happen again.
Top Trump Administration Officials Move Onto Military Bases for Protection
Multiple senior Trump officials have moved into fortified military housing near Washington, D.C. due to threats from drug cartels, critics, and resulting security concerns.
Reports from The Atlantic (Oct 2025), NYT, Axios, and recent updates (e.g., Yahoo on Pam Bondi) confirm multiple senior Trump officials—including Stephen Miller, Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth, Kristi Noem, and now AG Pam Bondi—have moved into secure military housing on bases near DC.
Reasons cited: safety from threats/protests.
They pay rent; some homes were for senior officers. The “fortified” part aligns with base security.
