(Repost) Things that I wish that I knew when I was 25 years old

Here is the advice that I would give myself when I turned 25 years of age. It is the advice I would give my younger self after attending the school of “hard knocks” for around four decades or so. Back then, I had just got married to my first wife. The world was wide open to me. I was poor, but very hopeful. As were both of us.

Now, in my 60’s, I look back at my life. I look at the mistakes that I made, I look at the assumptions that I had, and I see how they affected the life that lived. If I had a time machine, and go back four or so decades, what would I tell myself?

What would I tell myself to do differently in the early years of the Ronald Reagan administration? What would I advise myself to do, and not to do?

Would I tell myself “buy as much Microsoft, McDonalds stock as you possibly can”? Or, would I advise something different? Would I concentrate on obtaining huge sums of money or would I concentrate on happiness?

Truthfully. I think that I would advise happiness over money.

Ah… Back then…

Well, like most people of the “boomer” generation, we were taught that if you applied yourself that you would get a “great job”, and the company would take care of you for the rest of your life. We believed then, laughingly so, that we would get a pension. And, that our retirement years would be fully funded by both the social security system and the pensions from our employer(s).

What a laugh!

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Here is the Career Advice that I would give my 25 year old self. And, for starters, the very first and most important lesson that I would give would be this…

[1] Be your own boss. Working for someone else sucks.

All my life, at home, at school, in the boy-scouts, and at the jobs that I worked, I was constantly told that I must “work hard”, so that I can reap the rewards of being a loyal employee. I could get all the “perks” of management. I could get bonuses, extra vacation time. I could get a generous pension, and the pride that is instilled by being a “loyal” worker.

Nonsense. Not one employer valued my labors appropriately. Not one.

Hey! That E-ETRESS device in every single General Motors vehicle, you know the one… this disables the car by remote control via satellite. Yeah, well I was the fella what designed it. I was the project manager and that little baby was mine.

This little puppy was easily worth millions to GM, and I am sure helped them get millions of dollars in military and government contracts as well. Don’t tell me that I don’t know what I’m talking about. I was also involved in contract negotiations regarding it.

Hey! What did I get?

What did I get for all the long nights, and working “unpaid overtime”? What did I get for my innovations, my organization, my contribution? What did the company reward me with?

I got a ball-point pen that said “Success is a way of life”.

Inspirational pen — Here’s some inspirational ball-point pens. The one that I got from GM was similar to this, only with a different saying and color scheme. And, I only received one pen. American companies will prefer to give out cheap gifts than to pay for innovation and effort.

Once the program was finished, I was let go.

This is what many companies do with their high-end technical experts. They "pull a NASA". (Referring to the mass layoff of about 90% of the "Rocket Scientists" by Tricky Dickie when he killed the Apollo Moon Exploration Program in the early 1970's.)

It happened on a Friday, about five minutes after I had my coat on and walking out the door. My manager ran up after me and asked me to walk with him to the HR office. I was told to hand in my badge. I wasn’t even permitted to go up and clean out my desk. The security staff did it for me.

I didn’t even get a severance package.

I was given a piece of paper that simply said that they would not contest my unemployment benefits.

(I had unknowingly trained my replacement(s). These were cheaper foreign H1B visa engineers out of India.)

This would of course ONLY happen as long as I agreed to leave quietly and not divulge anything that I knew to a competitor (for five years).

The NDA (Non-Disclosure / Compete Agreement) is a staple in the industry. It is used to silence employees and control what they do once they leave a company.

Living paycheck to paycheck sucks. You take what you need to take.

Working for someone during this time was one of scrambling to find a new job while your saving depletes. Then scurrying to learn the new job requirements, doing your best, and completing your project. Then, rinse and repeat.

Rinse and repeat.

Different companies, same story. In one, I was given an award for the “Most Valuable Employee” and had my picture taken and put into the newspaper. The day the paper hit the streets, I was let go. In another, while everyone gathering the pot-luck lunch for Christmas eve, my boss took me to his office and let me go. I didn’t even get a chance to eat with everyone else, and the dish that the tuna casserole that I brought in was never returned.

This was my story from the 1980’s into the first decade of this new century. It wasn’t until I started working for companies based outside of America did I start being treated like a valuable human again. In the USA, there are no employee protections. No matter what the law says. Functionally there are no protections.

Your experience might be different. I hear that companies in California care about their employees. They give them all kinds of "perks" to show their affection towards the staff. Like ping-pong tables, free sodas, and caramel latte coffees every morning with whole-wheat buttered toast with vegetarian spreads and guacamole.

Meanwhile, outside the USA, it is quite different.

Here is how Chinese companies reward high performers. They give them cold hard cash as tax-free bonuses. Those little bundles that she is handling out is around $12,000 USD to each person. The last time I received a bonus was when I was working in the coal mines. At that time it was equal to two weeks salary. Today, I never hear of American companies giving out year-end bonuses.

Watch. You’ll see the Chinese companies eat American companies alive. You can’t compete when you treat your star performers as disposable fast food containers.

The lesson here is simple. The only way that you can control your life is by yourself. Never. Never. NEVER expect a boss to give a rat’s ass about your life, your efforts, or your contributions. Be the boss or be a worker. There is no in-between.

Working for someone else is what losers do. A real man is his own boss. For it is better to be the boss of your tiny $5 empire, than to prostitute yourself for table scraps.

[1.5] Don’t expect to become rich overnight.

It’s not going to happen. Here’s a great article on this subject. Read it, but don’t get discouraged.

It’s a Disservice to Urge Young People To Become Entrepreneurs

Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to you. They are deceiving you for their very own personal gain. You will need to learn and experience some failures first. It’s how the system works.

So…

[2] Have Patience.

You need to go at your speed to achieve your goals. That is, more often nothing approaching “light-speed”.

Do not let your perceptions about the lifestyles of others force you to speed up or rush. It does not matter is people are getting rich off of “junk bonds” or “bit coin”. It’s none of your business if the Savings and Loans are making money hand over fist. Nor it it your business if your neighbor bought a new pick-up. Life is not a competition against others.

Life is not a competition.

All through school you are educated to compete against your classmates. Grades are put on a bell-shaped curve, and you need to be on the top of the curve to make a great life for yourself.

Nonsense.

Your life is controlled by your thoughts, actions and deeds. Be yourself, exactly as you are, and let the rest of the world burn in flames. It’s none of your business.

You be true to yourself, your family and your friends. The rest of the world can worry about the boy-scouts becoming the queer scouts. The rest of the world can worry about pleasing the boss. You have more important things on your mind. You have a life, live it well.

You have a life. It’s a short one. Live it well.

[3] When an Opportunity Comes – Take it, and don’t look back.

Opportunities do not come often, and yet when they do come, we find ourselves questioning ourselves. Don’t.

Stop. Make a full stop right here and right now. Listen to me. The best things that I have ever experienced in my life came when I took the opportunity that was presented to me.

Don’t be the old man who wishes that he would have gone out with the pretty girl who desperately wanted to eat pizza with him. Don’t be the sad loser who complains about the time when he should have invested in the “Cracker Barrel” restaurant chain or “Apple computers” when he had the chance. Don’t be the old man still talking about the “good old days” when he was the star quarterback in High School.

The difference between you and everyone else; the difference between a magnificent man, and an “average Joe” is one of degree. If you always take the safe road, the road that everyone else travels, then you will be…

Well, you will be just like everyone else.

When an opportunity comes, take it! Don’t look back. Grab it by the horns and give it every single ounce of energy that you have. Fight for your dream. Fight for the opportunity. Make your dreams happen. The spotlight is on you. Take the opportunity and ride it to personal perfection.

[4] Most success is through constant dedication and repetition.

You need to get good at something first, then expand on it. You just can’t go jumping from one project to the next. Pick ONE. Pick only one project and work at it. Work at it every day, constantly and tirelessly. Maybe your initial tries will be failures, but eventually you will become good enough at it.

This might mean long days, and long nights.

If you happen to have a “green thumb”, then keep at it. Learn about plants. Enjoy the soil, the nutrients and the joys of harvesting. If you happen to be employed flipping burgers, then be the best Gawd darn burger flipper in the industry. Flip those burgers over and over.

It doesn’t matter if your are making furniture in your home shop, or designing a computer system for the next stellar probe. Be the best at what you do. Keep at it, and don’t jump around. Many times you will be alone. Many times you will live a life that you “didn’t sign up for”. It doesn’t matter.

Plow forward. Never give up.

[5] Don’t get all caught up in having a “career”

Once you are fresh out of the military or out of school, you start to work “on your career”. Trust me, there’s nothing all that great about having a career.

Yes, there is a difference between a “career” and a “job”. A career is more like a ladder that you build upon, year after year. A job is a one-shot deal for exchanging your time for money.

The problem is that 90% of the managers and bosses in the United States will treat you as an employee working at a job (for them). While there will be some lip service given to “educational advancement”, it’s for the most part, just lip-service. What they really care about is whether or not you can provide a service for them at the lowest price possible. If they can get it done cheaper, without too much risk, they will replace you.

Thus, in the big picture, a career is just another word for a job.

The end game isn’t about all the degrees you have; all the certifications you carry, the patents you have or the papers your wrote. It doesn’t matter if you have twenty five years experience in designing windshield wipers for automobiles, or being an expert in the setting up of strip malls.

None of that matters.

What does matter is YOU. What does matter is your family. What does matter are your friends.

Never neglect your family, your friends, and most importantly, your health for a job, a career or a boss.

I had my first (and hopefully my last) heart attack when I was 35 years old. I worked in Shreveport, Louisiana for a tyrannical manager who placed impossible goals on all of us. His belief (quite popular at the time, and well-promoted in the professional media) was if you place an impossible goal, the workers will strive to attain it.

The only thing is, the goals really were physically impossible. And failure meant being fired.

You can scream and moan. You can threaten and cajole. You can throw chairs around in the conference room, and demand that people work until 10pm at night. None of that is going to change the fact that it physically takes a finite amount of time to hog out a plastic injection tool made out of P3 steel. Machines can only run so fast.

Now, here’s my little story.

At the time I was rushing, like everyone else to make the end of week mandatory meeting at 6pm. (These things lasted from one to three hours long, and were every Friday. We would finish the meeting, and then we would drag our asses back home at 9pm or so to our families. We would eat reheated supper plates in the microwave and then turn in from exhaustion.)

The manager insisted that the door to the meeting room be locked, and if you can’t make the meeting, a black mark was placed near your name. You didn’t want a black mark. Bad things happened to people with black marks.

At that time, I was involved a a pretty tricky reverse engineering of an electric powdered chainsaw, with an impossible implementation time line. As I was scrambling to leave the machine shop after working on a prototype, I suddenly felt like some giant pulled a string out of my heart. I collapsed on the floor and could not get my breath. I’ll never forget that feeling, and it scared the living shit out of me.

I went home. Went to the hospital during the weekend, and discovered that my heart was damaged by the attack. The doctor gave me some pills, and told me to take it easier, and do all the rest. yada yada yada. I rested up and then showed up for work on Monday as usual.

On Monday, when I came into work, the manager called me in his office and reamed me up and down. He even called in other co-workers to agree with him and this party of four people belittled me for hours. A weaker man would have given up. He would have said “Fuck it!”, and left.

But I had a sick wife. I could not afford to quit the job. So I stuck on.

All this being said. It was my fault for walking into this situation and dealing with it. There were other options that I could, and maybe should, have taken. But I didn’t take the alternatives. I thought that I could persevere and work everything out. I was wrong.

Don’t be like me. Prioritize you life, and no not allow anything to distract from your priorities.

You come first. Be healthy. You need to be physically, emotional, socially, and spiritually fit.
Family comes next. Take care of your immediate family, and then make sure that your secondary family members are not neglected.
Friends come after that. We are not lone wolves. We need community, church and friends. Cherish and cultivate these relationships. They are more important than we tend to realize.

Never forget what friends are for…

Never Forget What Friends are For.

Prioritize the people in your life. Cherish and respect their importance. Take care of them, and they, in turn, will take care of you. We are not alone in the wilderness, we are part of a community. Take on and fulfill that role.

[6] Lunches are your time. Make them count.

Over the years, I have eaten a lifetime supply of fast food for lunch and then would sit in the car listening to the EIB network on the radio. I would drive the car to a shady spot, Eat my burger and fries. I would drink my cola and chill out.

I was wasting my time.

Life is too short to waste on fast food, or sub-standard meals. This is true whether it is a bag lunch made out of baloney sandwiches, or a fast food meal. Don’t skimp on YOUR time.

For lunch is YOUR time. Yes, I know that there are companies that insist that you “train” during lunches (like a few that I worked in while I lived in Boston), but this time is yours. Use it wisely.

Life is too short to eat substandard food.

One thing that I have learned over the years is that other nations don’t rush and wolf down fast food in order to come back after lunch on time. They take their time. They spend time with friends, co-workers or family. They take naps, and even drink and smoke during lunch.

Yeah. Imagine that!

Enjoy life more.

Up until the 1970’s many American companies provided a free lunch to their workers. The workers could either eat at the company cafeteria or go out and get a bite at a local restaurant or bar. This was very common at the steel mills in Pittsburgh.

Then during the 1980’s many companies shut down or relocated to the Southern states. When they relocated, they cut out or severely curtailed the lunches that they provided. Additionally, they cut down the length of time for lunch. It went from two hours to one hour, and in many cases to a half an hour. It is no surprise that as companies reduced their lunch breaks, that there was a corresponding rise in the popularity of fast food establishments.

And, with the increase in fast food restaurants, and their diets, came an increase in national obesity. I guess that you could easily show a link between American’s diet and health problems and the degradation of the way workers were treated by companies

So, now you know.

Take care of yourself. Lunch is your time. Make it count. Have a good healthy meal, relax and rest. Instead of rushing about… Go to a restaurant. Order the special. Sit down. Relax. The food will be delivered to you and savor it. Then once you are finished, go to your car and take a nap for the remainder of your lunch break. Rest. This is your time. Never forget that.

[7] Things will always end

My father tried to tell me this when I was enduring a particularly bad low point in my life. Yet, it is true. No matter how bad things are, they will eventually change around. Yes, it might take years, and for some…decades, but they will turn around. The most important thing to realize is that you, as a man, must keep slugging though the storm.

This can mean a difficult day at the office, or a marriage that is on a bumpy road down hill. It can mean anything, but it is true. Our thoughts and our actions will eventually reach a point where they will say “enough is enough!”, and it will start to dissipate. Oh, maybe you the reader don’t know the connection that I am referring to. But, it is the truth. All things eventually end.

All things eventually end. That means the good and the bad.

Change is a staple of our life. Embrace it and learn that life is not static trench warfare with red and blue lines advancing and moving slowly over battle field maps. No. It is a a dynamic and constantly changing mish-mash of confusion, and it is your responsibility to keep your head level and above the fray.

Just remember that it will, some day, eventually end. It really will. Whether by exhaustion or you taking action to remove yourself from the situation. All things do end.

Keep in mind that maybe Forrest Gump was right that “Life is like a box of chocolates, you’ll never know what you’ll get”. You can change the box.

YOU can change THE box.

[8] When a friend offers you advice, take it.

I was once dating a phlebotomist in Boston. This gal collected the blood from people all over the area and sent it to the labs for testing. It’s a job, and she did it well.

Well, one day, for fun she was showing me how to sample and take blood. We sampled from her arm and then we sampled from my arm. The thing is, that when we sampled from my arm, the blood (once it settled out) was not all red with a little bit of white at the bottom. No. It was about 75% white with about 25% red.

She looked at it. And, again. She looked at it and studied it. She said that in all the years of her sampling blood, she had never seen that happen.

She thought about it, and said “this isn’t right“.

So she sampled again, and then a third time. In all cases, my blood would be mostly white with only a smaller portion that would be red. She kept on saying…”this isn’t right.“.

She told me that I should see a doctor. I said, “Hey I feel fine.” and left it at that.

The next day after work she asked me if I saw a doctor, and I told her that I didn’t need to see one. So, she huffed and told me to get into the car, and she drove me to the emergency room, and told the doctor what was going on and showed them the tube with the blood sample.

They set me down and drew some blood, and then after looking at the results, immediately took more samples. They moved me to a room off the ICU and put me on emergency medicines and I had to spend three days in observation.

It turned out that I had a rare condition. (Who’d figure?) I had a thing called “hyperviscosity syndrome”. (One like THIS guy had.)

Yeah, I got all fixed up. I was told to severely change the way I ate, and to lower my stress levels. That eventually (with many starts and stops) set me down the road to “Fuck you! Take this job and shove it. Be a human or not, It’s not my problem anymore.”

Businessmen hire high-performers and demand 200% performance 100% of the time. But that is never realistic. I don't know what they are teaching at universities today, but the crop of MBA's out in the industry in the 1990's were really out of touch with human interaction.

Anyways…

When a friend tells you something important, then you have to listen to them. When someone you care about tells you that you need to change your hairstyle, appearance or clothing… listen. And, when a loved one wants you to go to the hospital…you friggin’ go!

[9] Don’t act you age

All my life, I was told to “act my age”. This was something that my father wanted to instill in me. He wanted me to be mature, serious and a “good young man”. Nonsense! He was wrong.

I did things his way for the longest time. What did I get out of it? Well, I got a heart attack, clogged arteries, a fine average life working for tyrannical bosses and being laid off suddenly every year or so.

Fuck. That.

So I leaned how to ballroom dance. I learned how to paint in oils and paint figurines and nudes. I learned how to write poetry. I learned how to enjoy and taste food. I learned that singing a song, drinking wine and just being playful was enormously attractive to beautiful women.

Smile and have fun.

Incorporate elements of play into everything that you do. Make your projects into “games”. Stop being so serious. Turn exercises into fun dance routines.

Have fun when you are doing things.

I started enjoying life more, and when I did so, my health got better. My enjoyment of life increased exponentially, and I became notable and (dare I say it) popular.

People want to be around happy, relaxed people. People want some sunshine in their lives. People need to feel connections with others. This is your life. Make it count.

If you are 40 years old and want to build a tree house. Do it! If you are lonely, and always wanted to meet women, learn how to dance. And… finally….

Don’t act your age. Act how you want to act, and to Hell with everyone else. If you want to play, then play. If you want to work and build up a life, then do so. If you want to sing, dance drink wine and carouse with girls, then have at it. And… If you want to succeed in business, act and behave like you are 35 and full of piss and vinegar.

[10] Learn to identify threats

When we are born and grow up in our own individual families we are taught that the way we live is “normal”. Anything outside of that is either abnormal, or an improvement of our accustomed norm. Later, when we attended school we were taught that everyone was different and that everyone had their own ways of doing things. Yet, there was always one “best way” to do something. And the school taught us that “best” way.

All of this is nonsense.

I think that we need to look at our life in a different way. We need to think in terms of a “starting place” that can be improved or subtracted from. What we want is for our life to constantly improve. What we want to avoid is having things subtracted from our life.

Anything that takes away from our life is a threat.

Looking at life like that is clearer and cleaner. There is no “absolute” best. There is only “your best” and “your ideal”, and you compare everything to your needs, your experiences, and your desires.

This way of looking at things enables us to divorce ourselves from the land of grey, and go into the cleaner black and white reality. As such we can identify threats and related problems before they become enormous problems that would eventually consume us and change us in ways that we do not want to have happen.

Look at things in stark black vs. white. If things are in shades of grey, you identify the dividing line, and keep everything simple on YOUR terms. As such, using this method you can easily identify friends and foes. It is absolutely critical that you master this. That way, you can avoid threats to your life, in every aspect. Make no exceptions.

Bonus Advice

The rest of the world is living life. They are growing. They are advancing and they are living life. We are all far too caught up in our “American bubble of reality” to see what it is like outside. We think the world is a dark and evil place. But that is not the case at all.

While the American news is all full of the (so called) “saber rattling” of China, and the terrible Tariffs that the great Russian spy – Donald J. Trump is, the rest of the world is just moving forward oblivious to the internal propaganda inside the USA.

The rest of the world is living life. They are growing. They are having fun. They are enjoying the nice blue skies and eating fine food. They are spending time with pretty girls and having a great time drinking wine and singing.

Life is not a prison.

Get out of the mainstream American news media narrative. Both liberal and conservative. Experience life on your terms.

Live life on your terms.

The rest of the world is living life. You should as well. This is your life. LIVE IT WELL.

Conclusion

Yes, if I had a time machine, I would NOT advise myself to get absolutely rich.

That is a direction for fools. If I went in that direction, I would have a “successful life, full of plenty“, but it would not be a “rich, colorful life”. You want a happy life. Who cares how you got there. All that matters is that you are enjoying life to it’s fullest.

I think that I am far happier as I am now. Now, that I have experienced the highs and lows of life.

A person who spends every day in paradise soon takes it for granted. While a person who visits it is enthralled by the scents, moments and elements that are present. The only way that we can appreciate the life that we have is to suffer from the highs and lows.

My advice to myself is pretty basic;

Eat delicious, high quality food.
Drink some wine while you are at it.
Take your time, enjoy the moments.
Sing, laugh, dance.
Surround yourself with friends, listen to them.
Bad times come and go.
Have patience and enjoy the “now”.
Look for opportunities and take them when they appear.
Get good at doing what you love.
Forget about having a career. It’s a big-assed lie.
Have fun and act however you want to.
Be your own boss and do things on your own terms.
Don’t be afraid of anything.
Stay away from threats and bad people.

Yeah, I know it sounds like a list that you would find on any of those click-bait sites. But it is all true.

So…

Why aren’t you out fishing right now? Why did you have a burger from the big fast food chain instead of one at the local diner? Why, in God’s name, did you even bother to check the news on the internet? Why didn’t you ask that pretty girl out for lunch? When was the last time you enjoyed a bottle of wine?

Life is too short. Don’t waste it.

Live Life. — We should appreciate that life that we are living now, and not wait for some “better time” to come along. Our life is the now. It is controlled by our thoughts and our actions.

Quick interlude about Huawei…

Oh, and by the way… while I am at it.

You know that stuff about Huawei, right? Canada arrested the boss of Huawei and carted them off to America for this reason or that. In return, China warned Canada that there would be consequences. And now American companies are going to show China. They are going to teach China a lesson. Right?

Well, watch out.

Not… “watch out” and see what happens. I mean (screaming) “WATCH OUT!!!!” as a cement truck comes barreling towards you.

The Chinese don’t mess around.

If you want to pick a fight then you had best be prepared. The Chinese plan for decades, while American companies plan on short term profits. While American trains are using 1950’s technology, the Chinese are using modern high-tech bullet trains. While American NASA is going to capture an asteroid the size of a dishwasher sometime before 2030, the Chinese are already building the components for their moon bases.

Heck! America can’t even build a wall on it’s own sovereign soil.

The companies that treat their workers as humans, instead of pawns in a huge money-making industry will ALWAYS win in the long run. That’s the secret of why Apple was able to recover when Steve Jobs was asked to return. The best companies to work for are also the ones that treat the workers as humans. Not as some kind of pawn, or mindless working drone.

And Huawei treats it’s workers as valuable high-performing talent.

If the USA wants to play a game using Huawei leadership as a political pawn, then Americans should expect the consequences. Listen to me. The Chinese do not mess around.

The Chinese do not mess around.

They are a serious and capable nation run by intelligent people who are not handicapped by socially progressive baggage or political infighting. While the American companies have meetings with “Diversity Managers” to plan how to advance their agenda in the next four months, the Chinese companies are working on another level entirely.

And now, America wants to mess around with Huawei, the current global leader in wireless telephony. All I can say is you have no idea what a shit-storm you have started. The top-line high-performers are taking this threat seriously, and they will not tire. They will not give up. They will be ruthless in their response.

China is always being under estimated. People laughed when they said that they would put a man in orbit. People laughed when they said that they would construct the “silk road”. People laughed when they said that they would convert all their passenger trains to bullet trains. People laughed when they said that they would dominate global electronics manufacture.

Oh look HERE, I’m right. China is going to construct a California-sized “Chinese Silicon Valley” in the Shenzhen – Guangdong region. How about that for a response?

I, for one, am not laughing. American T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon will all be a footnote in the annuals of market dominance. And, you can all thank the American Deep State for making it happen.

Anyways… sorry about that.

Final Comments – Private Responses

Since I posted this, I received a number of private messages that took offense to my digression about Huawei. They argue that Huawei was the global leader in wireless telephony because they stole from US industry.

Sigh. I feel like I am alone in the world trying to warn everyone about this. Heck! no one cares. It’s almost like the football team that is convinced that it will win the Superbowl because they were champions back in the 1970’s. It’s that silly.

Well, my comment on that is simple.

If your company is founded on the theft of technology, at best the most you can ever achieve is to match the capabilities of the company that you stole from. You would not exceed them unless you were doing something quite different.

Huawei is not the global leader in telephony because they copied. They are there because they innovated and did things differently. Though, the acquisition of American firms, I am certain, played a role. As well as hiring top American talent and paying them well.

But, that’s all specious.

American industry is failing. The American government is failing, and in the globe, the Chinese industry WILL dominate. Check out these two videos. You don’t have to like it. As I stated in this post. Change is natural. Accept it or not.

The rise of China over the last two decades…

The rise of China today leading into the next decade. But, not to worry. American industry is getting ready for this. They are hiring “diversity officers” and paying them enormous amounts to assure that racial quotas and progressive values will guide and lead American industry. Just like they lead the Former Soviet Union and make Soviet technology well-known the world over! Yessur!

The idea that Strength through diversity will radically transform American industry and make it…

"While we bicker over which pronouns to use, the Chinese are preparing to  assume leadership of the world. As more and more technical and  scientific literature is published in Chinese, this trend will  accelerate. "

-3/9/2019, 10:39:54 PM by beef

Posts Regarding Life and Contentment

Here are some other similar posts on this venue. If you enjoyed this post, you might like these posts as well. These posts tend to discuss growing up in America. Often, I like to compare my life in America with the society within communist China. As there are some really stark differences between the two.

Excuses that we use that keep us enslaved.

Stories that Inspired Me

Here are reprints in full text of stories that inspired me, but that are nearly impossible to find in China. I place them here as sort of a personal library that I can use for inspiration. The reader is welcome to come and enjoy a read or two as well.

Links about China

When the SJW movement took control of China

China and America Comparisons

Learning About China

Articles & Links

You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
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So, here’s to Pizza Hut; the pizza that saved our family during the 1970s!

Guys… when I was growing up I ate whatever pizza was offered to me. As a (very) young child when we lived in Connecticut, the pizza was what is commonly referred to as a a “New York Deli Pizza” (also known as a “New York Slice”); a thin crust pizza, soft, yummy and flavorful.

But around the time I was in early elementary school we moved to Western Pennsylvania. There, we ate the pizza from the early growth Pizza Hut restaurants of that time. And of course, being the 1960’s it was only on special events. Back in those days, eating out was rare, as we mostly ate full formal sit-down meals made by our mother at home.

Now the Pizza Hut pizzas of the 1960’s were quite different from what you see today. Those pizzas were thin crunchy crust pizzas. They were not the same as the pizzas that we ate in Connecticut. But being a kid, well… we ate the food. We didn’t appreciate the food.

After the “Woman’s Rights Movement” of the early 1970’s, my mother and many of my friends mothers stopped cooking dinners. They “burned their bras” and cut back on spending time with us kids. Some of the “Den Mothers” of our Cub Scout Troops quit, and we were forced to consolidate into larger groups. My mother got a job, but I did not see the extra money that she made do anything. In fact, it seemed to have no visible impact on our family at all. What ever she made disappeared… somewhere.

She would start eating out with co-workers, and her boss after work. Sometimes she would bring home some leftovers, but mostly, she just came home late. As for us kids, well the only difference was that we started to eat smaller and simpler meals, that she would make after getting off from work.

Instead of pot roasts, fried fish, casseroles, and chicken meals we would get TV dinners (no kidding), peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, simple spaghetti meals, and maybe once or twice a week left over soup that she would cook on the stove on the weekends.

At this time I was growing up as a teenager, and “hanging out” with my friends, not to mention working. So for me, I would either make a sandwich and carry to work, or get a burger at the nearby diner.

Then when I was a Senior in High School, going out to Pizza Hut was THE THING to do. (At that time, my parents were separated, and my father lived in another city.) She would take us to Pizza Hut and we would eat large cheese or pepperoni pizzas as our weekend treat. I think she felt like she needed to do this, as the week daily fare of cold cut sandwiches, and cereal, pancakes, and an occasional egg or soup just wasn’t cutting it for us young growing kids.

So, here’s to Pizza Hut; the pizza that saved our family during the 1970s!

Today…

War On Iran: – Selected Writings And Reports

Selected writings of interest on the War on Iran:

A long-read on how Netanyahoo pushed Trump, against all other advice, into launching the war:

How Trump Took the U.S. to War With Iran (archived) – NY Times
In a series of Situation Room meetings, President Trump weighed his instincts against the deep concerns of his vice president and a pessimistic intelligence assessment. Here’s the inside story of how he made the fateful decision.

Mr. Netanyahu delivered his presentation in a confident monotone. It seemed to land well with the most important person in the room, the American president.

Sounds good to me, Mr. Trump told the prime minister. To Mr. Netanyahu, this signaled a likely green light for a joint U.S.-Israeli operation.

—The relation continues. After Trump had agreed that the ceasefire would include Lebanon and Iraq, Netanyahoo turned him around:

Lebanon emerges as potential spoiler to Iran deal – CBSnews

Multiple diplomatic sources told CBS News that President Trump had been told that the ceasefire announced Thursday would apply to the Middle East region, and he agreed that included Lebanon. Mediators believed the ceasefire to include Lebanon, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that it did. Araghchi also said it was included.

On the day of the ceasefire, a White House official told CBS News that Israel had also agreed with the terms of the deal that Pakistan had helped to broker.

However, the U.S. position shifted following a phone call between Netanyahu and Mr. Trump. Two sources familiar with the matter told CBS News that the changing U.S. positions, and the disjointed remnant of the regime in Iran, are making the diplomacy highly complex.

—The result of Netanyahoo’s push for war:

Donald Trump is the war’s biggest loser (archived) – Economist
There is a reason he wants an exit from Iran

The war has shown that the value of America’s might is easy to overestimate. Its factories cannot resupply its armed forces fast enough, whereas Iran fought an asymmetric war with limited weapons. Too much testosterone leads to wretched judgments that confuse lethality with winning. Overwhelming firepower without a strategy saps American strength.

—On the psychology of real estate developers like Witkoff, Kushner and Trump and how it fails them at war:

Non-Recourse National Strategy – Syncretica

They learn that hesitation is expensive, that deliberation is for people who don’t have conviction, and that the main failure mode is not swinging. They are, in the language of behavioral finance, calibrated to be systematically overconfident in their own ability to identify signal in noise, and structurally indifferent to path dependence because in their world, paths don’t particularly matter — if this startup dies, you do the next one. The option resets.
…
What happens when you staff an entire executive branch with people whose entire professional formation has been as option holders?
…
Exhibit B is the war in Iran. Heads you win and its regime change, tails…. uh did anyone think about tails? Apparently not – at least certainly not Kushner, Trump and Witkoff the real estate guys.

This is where path dependence enters, and the administration appears constitutionally unable to see it.
…
Countries that interact repeatedly — on trade, on security, on currency arrangements — are playing an iterated game, not a one-shot game. In iterated games, reputation is not a “nice to have” it drives how people play and outcomes. Your counterparty’s willingness to make concessions today is a direct function of what they believe you will do tomorrow, and that belief is formed by what you have done before. Defect once and your partner adjusts their priors.

—Big Serge on the unusual ‘destroy-it-all’ character of the War:

The Insurgent Empire – Standoff War, Trashcanistans, and the Proliferation Trap – Big Serge

The American strategy, as articulated by various administration officials and as discernible from the pattern of operations, does not envision ground forces seizing and holding Iranian territory. What it does envision is something remarkably similar to the insurgent’s playbook, executed from the opposite end of the technological spectrum: make the Iranian regime’s existence as the governing authority of its own territory impossibly expensive; deny it the exercise of sovereign control over its own military and industrial assets; impose costs that accumulate faster than they can be absorbed; and through this sustained pressure, either compel behavioral change or create the conditions for the regime’s internal collapse.

—The execution of that strategy:

Iran’s Schools and Hospitals in Ruins From U.S.-Israeli Strikes – NY Times

The Iranian Red Crescent Society, the country’s primary humanitarian relief organization, said on April 2 that at least 763 schools and 316 health care facilities had been damaged or destroyed in the war.
…
Schools and hospitals hold some of the strongest protections of all civilian infrastructure under international humanitarian law, and intentional attacks on them could be considered war crimes. Even strikes on military targets that damage nearby schools and hospitals can violate international law, experts say, and military commanders are expected to take stringent measures to prevent and minimize such harm.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other American officials have insisted that the U.S. military is acting with precision.

Hegseth, the Secretary for Warcrimes, is of course right. The U.S. military acts with precision when it intentionally bombs schools and hospitals in Iran.

—The pope, who is at war with Trump and Netanyahoo, chips in:

Absurd and inhuman violence is spreading ferociously through the sacred places of the Christian East, profaned by the blasphemy of war and the brutality of business, with no regard for people’s lives, which are considered at most collateral damage of self-interest. But no gain can be worth the life of the weakest, children, or families. No cause can justify the shedding of innocent blood.

—MB Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Parliament of Iran, on conditions for the ceasefire talks:

Two of the measures mutually agreed upon between the parties have yet to be implemented: a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran’s blocked assets prior to the commencement of negotiations.
These two matters must be fulfilled before negotiations begin.

—The latest lecture by John Mearsheimer (vid).

It is mostly about the War on Iran and relatively short. The U.S. has lost the war badly and Mearsheimer fears that Israel might go nuclear on Iran.

Posted by b on April 10, 2026 at 16:49 UTC | Permalink

If the US built 150 aircraft carriers in WW2, why can’t they build that many carriers now?

150 carriers… of which most were “emergency” small ships that were only meant to last for the duration of the war and maybe a few years after. They were all retired by the 1950s.

They could only carry up to 30 airplanes (which is nothing by itself, basically) and the main reason for them to even exist was that “proper” fleet carriers took too long to build and both the US and Royal Navy needed one bazillion carriers yesterday.

In peacetime, something like this would rightfully be called a giant waste of tax money. You want weapons that can last for a while, not something disposable that you would soon pay more to keep it running than to pay for a new one. Besides, if you were to operate modern airplanes, you’d be lucky to cram more than a dozen in this carrier. The flight deck is probably too short to launch anything that’s not VTOL like helicopters or some crappy short-range drones that require the carrier to get dangerously close to the enemy. Basically, it’d be useless.

For reference, modern US Navy carriers made the Yamato, the largest and heaviest class of battleship ever built, look small in comparison. That’s arguably the absolute minimum size for a modern carrier to be powerful enough to fight a battle “on their own” (meaning relying their own air wing). Other countries except China can only field smaller carriers with fewer airplanes—but even those are still about the same size as World War 2 fleet carriers or even bigger (the British Queen Elizabeth class has the same displacement as the Yamato).

These proper warships that are practically useful today aren’t cheap by any standards. Ultimately, it all comes down to physics and military strategy and tactic. You want to operate a stealth jet on your carriers? There’s a few things that are not negotiable and there’s no way around that.

Fired Over Tattoos? Excessive Tattoos in Today’s Job Market…

The Fading Light

Written in response to: “People have gathered to witness a once-in-a-lifetime natural phenomenon, but what happens next is not what they expected.“

James Moore

Dylan had been walking steadily uphill for what felt like days. It had, in fact, been 3 hours and 37 minutes, a climb he’d completed many times in his life.

He was lost.

Or simply exhausted, he couldn’t tell anymore. Nothing around him made sense, he had started to notice this feeling come over him more often on his hikes. Since turning 50 his mind couldn’t keep up with his body and the exhaustion would go straight to his head. He had lived in these hills his whole life, losing his way wasn’t something Dylan did, but now as he looked up through sweaty brow, all he could see was unfamiliar rocky outcrops and leaves from unfamiliar trees. None of this panicked Dylan, as he wiped the sweat off his head with a rag, he dragged it through his unkempt beard and shook his head vigorously like a dog. He knew he could just push on to higher ground and he’d see the world beneath him laid out like a map on his kitchen table, he’d be able to see his shack, and far below that the town, roads, train station and farther in the distance, if his eyes could pick it, out the Susquehanna River.

Dylan made it to the lookout point; he slumped back on the rock feeling the burning pains in his legs and back. ‘Would they be able to make it up here?’ was Dylan’s first thought. ‘They’ll all be suffering the same age-related physical deterioration I am, but maybe that city life has been good for them, gyms, health foods, warm houses, easier on the joints. On the other hand, Patrick was always a bit of a chubster, and Jessika never really liked exercise even when we were young. Alex was the only one who could keep up back then.’

The ‘they’ Dylan was swirling around his exhausted mind were his 3 closest childhood friends, they had grown up together out on the Appellation hills, gone to the local school together, hiked to each other’s homes every day, found solace in each other’s shared experience of life as a teenager in a small remote, abandoned part of an otherwise busy bustling country. Each of them had one at a time left. First college then maybe University, except Dylan, Dylan was too busy working as a cashier in the local town shop and never had the will to leave his family home. Then each found jobs and partners and moved away to bigger things, each followed their respective dreams. But not Dylan, Dylan would look up at the stars and dream of what might be out there, but he didn’t want to study astronomy so that he could be locked up in a lab all day pouring through research papers, because the next day Dylan might be dreaming about the wonders of the deepest depths of the ocean, or what microbes can live in rocks, or when the first tree grew fruit.

It wasn’t that Dylan wasn’t interested in anything, it was that Dylan was interested in everything, but no one thing enough to dedicate his life to. The thing that had piqued Dylan’s excitable mind now was a news broadcast he had heard on his old 1970s transistor radio about an upcoming eclipse that would be best viewed in the mid-northeastern area of the USA at 4:30 pm on the 22 of April 1997. Dylan sat on his lookout rock thinking about his life and how it had led him to here… Now. He thought about his childhood, his upbringing and the years that had flown past him that he hadn’t noticed (those that he could remember) that had led him to this point sitting in this time, on this rock.

On his way back down the 10-mile trail that would take him back to his shack, Dylan mulled over how he could convince his old friends to come and watch the eclipse with him.

Arriving home Dylan looked around his worn-out old shack in a dismal frame of mind, ‘I’ll need to tidy’ he thought. Dylan had built the shack in his 30s on his father’s small plot of land leading onto the hills, at the time he had had dreams of making it into a luxurious 3-storey lodge but with his mother passing and his father’s illness it never became a priority. His father had sold the main house and most of the land to pay for medical bills and upkeep before passing. What was left was a 3-acre patch of hillside and woodland that Dylan had built his tiny 2-room, hermit cabin. A small kitchen area, with a stove, a fridge, and a door at the back leading to a bed. Just enough for Dylan with no spouse or children he didn’t need much.

The small dining table had become cluttered with letters and magazines, Dylan frantically sifted through them looking for his old phone book and searching for the names of his 3 best friends. It didn’t take much searching, the only phone numbers he had were the local mechanic, the store where he used to work, his Dr, Dr Herman a handful of acquaintances and his 3 childhood friends. He called each one and after a short catch-up, Dylan would deliver his proposal, almost word for word to each of them.

“Hey d’you remember when we were kids and we saw the eclipse, we hiked up Little Bear Ridge and sat all day with blankets waitin’ for the moon to come over, well that was just a partial eclipse and this year, in just a few weeks in fact, there’s going to be a TOTAL eclipse. And the best place to view it will be right here, back at home in Huntersville Pennsylvania. Now I know we haven’t seen each other for a few years, and I know you’re busy, what with your job and your life and all. But you’ve missed my last 3 birthdays, and I am missing you a whole lot. So I’m hoping, you can find the time to come down here and pay me a visit, I’ve got a viewing spot all picked out, and you can stop out in one of the lodges around here or I can make room for you to spend the night with me” Dylan looked around his tiny shack “Or y’know we can camp out under the stars like we used to”

Now Dylan was sure that each one of them would make excuses as to why they would be too busy and wish him the best and say happy birthday if they didn’t see him before the next one. But to his surprise, they were all pleased to hear from him and expressed a great deal of excitement at the prospect of seeing the eclipse in their home town with him.

Alex gave a full and frank breakdown of his life living in New York and working as an investment banker, he spoke excitedly of his girlfriend and their travels around Europe, rock climbing and kayaking. Dylan listened and politely endured the conversation, though his mind was almost entirely focused on his eclipse endeavour.

Patrick seemed a bit more apprehensive about the concept but agreed nonetheless with the premise. Providing Dylan understood that he had a stent put in his heart, and although his doctor was encouraging plenty of fresh air and exercise, he wasn’t going to be racing up Little Bear Ridge anytime soon. Dylan completely understood and explained to Patrick that he too was feeling his age and had no intention of jogging up there.

Jessika sounded the most excited to hear from Dylan, she was now lecturing as a professor of medicine and had chosen to start to move away from being a practising Dr to try to pick up her childhood love of writing, she had already written some well-received journals on various medical subjects, but wanted to start writing fiction. She attempted to query Dylan about his medical state, including his mental health and his, as she put it, ongoing trauma response to the death of his mother and father. At which point Dylan phased out of the conversation as politely as he could, attempting to shrug her off with ‘We’ll talk about it when you get here’.

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Dates and times had been discussed and agreed upon, and Dylan was set to pick them all up from the train station, or more accurately meet them at the train station where they would all get a taxi. Patrick and Jessika had elected to book two nights at a motel in the town a few miles out from his shack, and Alex had agreed to stay with Dylan, for a ‘taste of the hermit lifestyle’ as he put it. Dylan would have much preferred to spend the night with Patrick or Jessika, but he didn’t quibble, he was excited to see each of them again.

Dylan spent the day before their arrival eagerly packing provisions for their hike, he found his dad’s old welding visor to view the eclipse with, made sandwiches and filled water bottles. Made up a cot in front of the fire for Alex to sleep in the kitchen.

The next day Dylan stood at the train station, pacing back and forth in anticipation of seeing the faces of his friends that were etched into his misty memory. Anxiously he checked his father’s timepiece again and again, scanning up the tracks for any sign of a train.

The first to step off the train was Patrick wearing a thick overcoat that made him look 3 times bigger, or maybe he’d gained weight. Dylan rushed at him with unexpected tears in his eyes forming.

“You’re looking well,” Dylan said with a beaming smile.

“Don’t lie, I look like crap” Patrick responded “You look… thin!?”

Next Jessika sauntered down the platform with the grace of a swan imperceptibly powering herself through water.

“DYLAN!” She screamed

Just as Dylan was about to break his embrace with Patrick to swap it to Jessika, Alex grabbed him from behind and lifted him into the air with a bear hug that startled Dylan as he writhed to escape it.

“You smell awful” Alex proclaimed with a grin on his face. “And you weigh nothing, what are you eating!? Or are you eating?”

The group all got into the taxi and made their way back to the outskirts of their home town, along the way pointing out landmarks and discussing memories of lost summer days in the park, they talked about their parents and what had become of them. Patrick spoke of how he had wanted to move back here to raise his kids, but his partner had work commitments in the city and it never would have worked. Alex talked at length about his plans to buy up a few properties around his parent’s old place and turn them into hiking lodges, but he never found the time. Jessika just looked out of the window, lost in her own memories of childhood, and occasionally looking across to Dylan with a concerned look in her eyes.

Disembarking the taxi they all agreed to meet back at Dylan’s early, 8 AM to have coffee and prepare.

“We’ll need to set off by at least 11 Am, which leaves us 5 hours to get there I know it’s only 10-11 miles, but it’s a hard 10-11 miles, It’s not all a well-trodden path and it is all uphill,” Dylan said, trying to prepare them.

“Yes, Hike Leader!” They all jokingly chanted back at him in unison with a mock solute.

“I’m not joking I barely made it up there myself the other day and I know every rock on these hills”

Dylan showed Alex to his shack and waved goodbye to Patrick and Jessika.

Alex burst into his quiet shack like a hurricane blowing open the door.

“Nice place you got here Dylly” Alex said snooping around, kicking the makeshift cot Dylan had set up. “How much did it cost ya” Dylan didn’t know whether Alex was joking so just ignored him.

They sat up into the night chatting about old times and joking.

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They all convened at Dylan’s shack at 8:30 Am, Alex was already awake and doing press-ups on the lawn outside the shack.

“Sleep well?” Said Patrick in a mocking tone.

“Sure, if you don’t mind bugs crawling over you all night, smelling of fire smoke or the sound of Dylan’s snoring and deranged sleep muttering like a 90-year-old”

Dylan came out of the shack carrying 3 premade satchels, 1 for each of them, containing sandwiches and water.

“Ready!?” Dylan said excitedly

“I thought we weren’t going until 11?” protested Jessika

“Yeah, me and Alex discussed it last night and we thought it would be better to get a head start on it, in case there were any hold-ups” They all looked at Patrick.

They set off in high spirits, trudging up the long and arduous track through the woods, Dylan led for a few miles but steadily dropped back to walk with Patrick at the back. Alex would call back encouraging yet mocking remarks at them whilst also asking Dylan for directions. At which point Dylan would storm up the hill to join him, pause and look around for a while with a look of confusion, and gesture in a direction without much confidence.

“How’re you holding up?” Dylan asked Patrick at around the halfway mark.

“I’m ok, just need to have a sit down in a bit I think” Patrick wheezed, his face drenched in sweat.

“Yeah, I think I need to stop for a while too.”

They both sat on a fallen tree.

“Jessikas worried about you, you know.” Patrick said “She said she’s seen signs that you’re struggling with symptoms of early onset dementia”

“Does she say so!? It’s hard out here Patrick I haven’t got a family like you, and there’s no one checking on me or anything like that, so I don’t know, would a person even know if they’re struggling”

“How’re you guys doing?” Jessika called down to them.

Dylan and Patrick got up, patted each other on the back and continued up the hill.

Alex made it to the lookout point first and was already sitting eating a sandwich when the rest caught up.

“What time do you call this!?” Alex said jokingly as they all squeezed to sit side by side on the rock.

“2:45 pm.” Said Dylan looking at his father’s timepiece, “Still plenty of time”

The four of them sat enjoying sandwiches chatting and looking out across the view.

“What time is the eclipse going to happen?” Jessika asked

“Oh, wait there I’ve got it written down somewhere” Dylan rummaged through his satchel and pulled out a tattered piece of scrap paper “4:15 or 45, here Alex you read it your eyes are better than mine”

Alex took the piece of paper and looked at it for a few minutes “I don’t care how good my eyes are, no one can read this Dylan it looks like you wrote it during an earthquake. That might be a 4 or a 6 but the rest is just scribbles”

“It’s ok we’ll just wait, we’ll see it when it happens”

Hours passed and apart from a scare from what Patrick insisted was a bobcat that he saw down in the woods, and an eagle flying over. The group just sat and waited, Alex walked back down the hill a way to see if he could get a signal on his cellular phone but walked back up disappointed, stopping only to do a few pull-ups on a reachable branch. Jessika wandered off for a while to inspect some plants that she thought had medicinal qualities and Patrick ate another sandwich.

“Hey everyone, this is it, do you see that, the skies turning darker!” Dylan shouted in excitement

Clouds had started to come over by this point and the sun was no longer visible

“Are you sure?” Alex asked, “What time is it?”

Dylan looked down at his father’s timepiece

“7:30 pm…. Did we miss it?” Dylan looked solemnly at the timepiece

“So it’s just getting dark because it’s night?” Patrick said in annoyance

Jessika walked over and squatted down near Dylan and held both his hands in hers, she looked into his eyes.

“Are you sure the eclipse was today?” she asked Dylan softly.

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They all made it back down the hill in the dark, slowly and silently. Apart from a couple of stumbles from Patrick and a few curse words from Alex.

By the time they all made it back to Dylan’s shack, there was only time to light a fire and drag out enough bedding for them all to sleep on the floor, which they did, soundly despite the uncomfortable conditions.

The next morning Dylan woke up early to make them all coffee, they sat outside to watch the sunrise and discuss the hike, they talked about how their feet were hurting, the scratches and bumps they’d suffered, the length of the hike and their collective reluctance to do it again. But no one mentioned the eclipse.

By 3 pm they had all got their belongings together and were in the taxi heading to the train station, Dylan didn’t join them, he wasn’t sure he could take the walk home.

In the taxi Alex handed a letter to Jessica, “I found this on Dylan’s floor it’d been kicked under the cupboard, says it’s from a Dr Herman, what do you make of it?” Jessika read through the letter several times with an increasing frown across her brow.

“It doesn’t sound good Alex.” She said morosely.

As the three of them sat on the train looking out the window in silence contemplating what had happened, the light started to dim and the sun on the horizon started to look like a slice was missing.

Less talk…. more action. / Lo-fi for study, work ( with Rain sounds)

Bogotá-Style Chicken and Potato Soup

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, 4 to 5 pounds, cut into 8 pieces
3 carrots, peeled and cut into fourths
2 stalks celery, cut into chunks
1 large onion, cut into eighths
1 bay leaf
8 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
2 pounds assorted small and medium potatoes, sliced thin
3 ears frozen corn, cut into 2 to 4 inch thick slices
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 avocado, diced
1/2 cup capers, drained
4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

Instructions

In large soup pot over high heat, combine chicken pieces, carrots, celery, onion, bay leaf and water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, add salt and simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes.
Remove chicken and carrots from pot with a slotted spoon; set aside.
Strain broth through a fine sieve; return strained broth to soup pot. Discard onion, celery and bay leaf. Add sliced potatoes, bring broth to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes.
While broth is simmering, shred chicken and discard bones.
Add corn, peas, cilantro and reserved chicken and carrots to soup pot; simmer for additional 10 minutes.
Spoon soup into deep bowls. Garnish each with sprinkling of avocado dice, capers and hard-cooked eggs.

Serves 6.

Nutrition information, Per Serving: 530 calories; 18 g fat; 4.5 g saturated fat; 45 g carbohydrate

From the Cooking School at the Ocean Reef Club, Miami, FL

Recipe and photo used with permission from: National Chicken Council

Sir Whiskerton and the Mystery of the Phantom Quacks

Or: When a Farm’s Nights Are Filled with Ghostly Honks—and What Lies Beneath

Introduction

Ah, dear reader, prepare for a tale of mystery, melody, and muddy misadventures. Today’s story begins with eerie quacks echoing through Sir Whiskerton’s farm at night—phantom honks that leave the animals spooked and sleepless. Intrigued, Sir Whiskerton teams up with Ferdinand the Duck to investigate, leading them to uncover a hidden underground pond teeming with quirky inhabitants, including none other than The Yodeling Fish.

As they dig deeper (literally), they learn an important lesson: sometimes, the answers we seek are right beneath our feet. So grab your lanterns (and perhaps a snorkel), as we dive into Sir Whiskerton and the Mystery of the Phantom Quacks.

Act 1: The Phantom Quacks Begin

It all started on a quiet evening when the farm fell silent under the silver glow of the moon. Suddenly, an unearthly quack shattered the peace.

“BY ALL THAT IS HOLY, WHAT WAS THAT?!” Doris the Hen squawked, flapping wildly.

The mysterious quacks continued throughout the night, haunting the barnyard like ghostly whispers. By morning, the animals were exhausted—and terrified.

“It sounds like a duck,” muttered Porkchop the Pig, “but… not like any duck I’ve ever heard.”

Ferdinand the Duck puffed up indignantly. “Clearly, someone is impersonating my artistry. This calls for an investigation!”

Sir Whiskerton adjusted his monocle, surveying the scene with dramatic flair. “Very well, Ferdinand. Let us solve this mystery together.”

Act 2: Following the Sound

Armed with curiosity and a flashlight, Sir Whiskerton and Ferdinand followed the phantom quacks to the edge of the farm, where the ground sloped downward into a patch of unusually lush grass.

“This is peculiar,” Sir Whiskerton mused, pawing at the soil. “The sound seems to be coming from below.”

Ferdinand tilted his head dramatically. “Below? You mean… there’s another world down there?”

Before anyone could answer, the earth gave way beneath their feet, sending them tumbling into a hidden cavern. To their astonishment, they landed in a sparkling underground pond surrounded by glowing mushrooms and… singing fish?

“YODEL-AY-HEE-HOO!” cheered The Yodeling Fish, leaping out of the water in synchronized harmony.

Ferdinand gasped. “This is outrageous! They’re stealing my spotlight!”

Sir Whiskerton raised an eyebrow. “Technically, it’s their pond.”

Act 3: Meeting the Inhabitants

The underground pond was home to a quirky community of aquatic creatures who had been living undisturbed for generations.

“We didn’t mean to frighten anyone aboveground,” explained one of The Yodeling Fish. “We just love to sing at night. It’s tradition!”

Ferdinand crossed his wings smugly. “Well, tradition or not, you’re ruining my beauty sleep.”

Sir Whiskerton intervened diplomatically. “Perhaps we can find a compromise. Your music is delightful—but maybe quieter hours would help?”

The Yodeling Fish nodded thoughtfully. “We can try. But only if Ferdinand joins us for a duet!”

Ferdinand hesitated, then sighed dramatically. “Fine. But I’m the lead vocalist.”

Act 4: Resolution and Reflection

With the mystery solved, Sir Whiskerton and Ferdinand returned to the surface, leaving behind a newly harmonious relationship between the farm and its subterranean neighbors.

That evening, the animals gathered around the old oak tree as Sir Whiskerton addressed the group.

“Today taught us an important lesson,” he began, sipping a cup of moonlit tea. “Sometimes, the answers we seek are right beneath our feet—or in this case, beneath the soil.”

Ferdinand adjusted his bow tie proudly. “And sometimes, teamwork makes the dream work. Or at least, the yodel work.”

Even Chef Remy LeRaccoon joined in, holding a tray of suspiciously glowing snacks.

“These are Subterranean Snack Cakes™,” he announced proudly. “Guaranteed to illuminate your taste buds—or cause indigestion!”

The animals exchanged wary glances but couldn’t help laughing.

Post-Credit Scene

Later that evening, Sir Whiskerton sat atop the barn roof, gazing at the stars.

“You know,” he mused aloud, “this whole adventure has made me realize something.”

“What’s that?” Ferdinand asked, lounging nearby.

“I’m still smarter than everyone else here.”

Ferdinand chuckled softly. “Of course you are, my friend. Of course you are.”

Moral of the Story

Sometimes, the answers we seek are right beneath our feet.

Best Lines

“This is outrageous! They’re stealing my spotlight!” – Ferdinand, channeling his inner diva.
“Technically, it’s their pond.” – Sir Whiskerton, ever the voice of reason.
“These are Subterranean Snack Cakes™—guaranteed to illuminate your taste buds or cause indigestion!” – Chef Remy, offering questionable solutions.

Key Jokes

The Yodeling Fish add absurdity to the underground pond discovery.
Ferdinand’s jealousy over sharing the spotlight sparks humor.
Chef Remy’s glowing snacks spark both curiosity and concern.

Starring

Sir Whiskerton (Feline Philosopher/Detective Extraordinaire)
Ferdinand the Duck (Self-Proclaimed Singing Sensation)
The Yodeling Fish (Quirky Aquatic Musicians)
Chef Remy LeRaccoon (Mad Scientist of Snacks)

Summaries

Moral: Sometimes, the answers we seek are right beneath our feet.
Future Potential: Could the underground pond inspire new adventures or alliances? Or will Chef Remy invent edible glow sticks next?

Until next time, may your mysteries be solvable and your ponds harmonious. 🎶

As a mechanic, what’s the weirdest factory defect or prank you’ve found in a vehicle?

I’m not the mechanic, but I can imagine those involved with this prank that I, myself once pulled on someone I know (many, many years ago) answering such a question as this on social media!

I was a bit peeved at my friend for something at the time and felt this a perfect and innocuous way to “get even.” I acquired a cheap prank device .. a simple metal part which, when fitted into a vehicle’s exhaust pipe, causes the car to “screech” (whistle) when on the road! …

When subsequently at his/his wife’s house to perform paid house-maintenance for them, I “anonymously “ slipped the thing into the tailpipe of their car and had the utmost pleasure of hearing the results as soon as he started the car to drive me back to the train station for my return home at day’s end!

On the road, he was SO UPSET! .. “Oh My God .. What’s WRONG With This Car? .. This Just Happened. It Wasn’t Making This Noise This Morning.” I had such difficulty retaining a straight face! Even more evil of me, I didn’t disclose my prank that night .. instead, waiting for the FOLLOWING evening to phone him (to then disclose)!

“WHAT?!”, he exclaimed. “Eleanor’s (his wife) Been Taking The Car To Different Shops ALL DAY! They Couldn’t Find The Problem. Why Didn’t You Tell Me Sooner? She’s Still Not Home With It …This Is Going To Cost Us A Fortune.” (For years I had been charging them only half the price I charged any of my other customers for the routine work I would perform for them, so I felt not the least bit guilty in that regard)! As I was speaking with him, his wife finally returned and I heard her say: “The Third Place Just Found The Problem .. Someone Played a Joke With The Car.”

They were mad at me for MONTHS after!

Gen Z Job Crisis Face Tattoos, Piercings, Wild Hair & Sorry, 9AM Is Too Early But They Want a Job???

Pictures

Moon Eyes

Written in response to: “People have gathered to witness a once-in-a-lifetime natural phenomenon, but what happens next is not what they expected.“

Patrick Druid

Moon Eyes

Mark gathered his equipment excitedly into.his leather bag, while his partner, Andrea, grabbed the laptops, the telescope and other equipment and loaded the van.

Both Mark and Andrea were grad students who had apparently stumbled upon something significant during their tracking duties at the observatory. Unfortunately, when they reported the data to their supervisor, their conclusions were dismissed and they were reassigned to another project. Mark was ready to let it go, but Andrea was far more headstrong and enlisted his help

The TV was still on and and the news anchor was still talking with picture of the sun in the background and a countdown was showing below it.

“We are now 7 hours away from this once in a lifetime, remarkable, celestial event and people are already gathering outside to watch with the special glasses. Some have been having parties for this event. Joining me from the Sears tower, is our correspondent, Amy Kieffer. Amy, how is it going over there?’

The blonde girl flashed a wide grin for the camera and waved her hand behind her. “We are doing great over here, Tom, Thanx! As you can see behind me, there is live rave music, there is dancing here on the roof and below is the dancing continues in the streets! All of this is in anticipation of what’s being called the ‘Moon Eyes’ event happening tonight in the sky!”.

The news anchor came back and brought in an astronomer from Berkeley to explain to the public what was happening. The professor explained that the eclipse would happen in approximately 7 hours or less and during the event, we would also see not just one but two comets that were passing close to the Earth and that the trajectories of the comets would make it appear as if they were coming from opposite directions from each other. It was predicted that at the height of the event,.the moon would look like it has eyes.

Mark finally turned off the TV and then headed to the van with Andrea who was waiting for him.

They backed out of the driveway and headed down the road. Andrea nervously watched the screen of her laptop while trying to ignore the motion of the van and tree line whizzing by her.

Mark tried to make conversation with her while driving down the dirt road to meet with other stargazers

“What’s the latest?”

“So far, no change in trajectories” she replied staring intently on the screen.

“Hmmmm… Okay… maybe….”, Mark trailed off.

“Yeah we can hope, ” she countered. “But, I know what I saw when I read those charts. You saw them.”

Mark sighed…”yeah I saw them and I agree. There’s just no way this is natural, not even by a long shot.”. He shook his head and switched on the radio.

The two of them continued in silence while the radio continued to blare out the latest regarding the “Moon Eyes” phenomenon.

“We now go to our correspondent Phil on the street reporting on the activity there. Phil, how’s it going?’

‘Thank you Tom. We’re here with a group of people who have a different take on Moon Eyes. This group here calls.themselves The Astrologers Consortium and they have a lot to say about it. I’m speaking with Lisa Nielson from the group right now. Lisa, what can you tell us?.”

Lisa spoke up with a crackling voice. “Well, as you know, an eclipse usually signifies a time of great change for everyone. When it happens, many things are revealed.that were previously hidden. Depending upon the sign you were born in, it could mean that your business life would change, your health could change or your relationships could change.

Now the “eyes” is give this a more intense meaning. It’s more like a warning, or an alert, gives us a since.of urgency to our actions.”

“So”, Phil responded. “Whatever changes are coming,.the eyes are saying that it’s time to change right now and we’d better be ready?”

“Yes, that’s exactly right. The stars and the planets all speak to us and the Moon Eyes, is clearly a sign that we need to be paying more attention”

“Very good, Ms. Nielson. Thank you for speaking with us today”

“Thank you,” she replied.

Some hours later, Andrea spoke up. “Mark, the trajectories changed!”

“Uh oh”

A few minutes later, the news anchor reported again on the issue

“This just in! The two comets that were set to pass over the moon and form “Moon eyes” have changed their trajectories. We have called in our astronomy correspondent in Berkeley again for further information. Doctor, what can you tell us?”

The professor leaned into his webcam and coughed a bit.

“The comets’ trajectories changing is nothing that’s new. As an object in space gets closer to a planetary body, it gets caught by the gravity of that body and since the comets are coming in between the Earth and the moon, they are being pulled by both bodies.causing a slight change in the pathways they take.”

“So, you’re saying that this is completely natural and nothing to be too concerned about “

The professor coughed again..”Well, I am saying that the change is caused by gravity interaction rather than by some artificial design. I wouldn’t say that it’s not concerning in other ways.”

Andrea snorted in derision while the radio kept the interview going. “No, no no,.you dopes! Don’t you know? Didn’t you see the data?”. She groaned.

“Andrea, you know how it is. They say ‘dont cause a panic’

“Yeah but you can’t put your head in the sand or cover up something of this magnitude with a bag of kitty litter! You know that these two comets did not change trajectories through some gravimetric interaction. Not like that and certainly not over a period of 4 or 5 years. These “comets” had to be piloted or controlled in some way and that change proves it”

The truck came to a stop in a local park where many people were gathered for the event with telescopes and laptops.

Mark and Andrea gathered their gear and found a spot for themselves. They were greeted by the other skywatchers who were just as excited as those on the Sears tower.

Andrea held her tongue and continued her set up process, aligning the telescope to meet with the moon’s position.

It was only 30 minutes before the eclipse and the moon eyes would appear. Mark and Andrea and everyone else on the hill kept a close watch on the sky.

While this was happening, a news anchor reported that the two comets were changing trajectories again. As soon as Andrea heard this , she muttered “hah! I knew it!”. She was ready. Her laptop was set to record everything as it happened.

Soon, the moon came into full view as it passed directly in between the sun and the Earth. The stargazers on the hill all.held their collective breaths while the news anchor continued to provide commentary.

“The comets are approaching a point where they will be directly in front of the moon in ,just moments everyone! Standby as keep monitoring…. 5….. 4……”

The crowd made a sharp inhale…

“3 …… 2……. wait…what happened?

“I knew it!”

Just at the last moment, the two comments disappeared from the screen…

“Where did they go? What happened?”.

Suddenly there was a blinding flashlight of light in the sky and then the earth rocked and shook as the moon itself exploded sending debris everywhere and a cloud of dust that envelopes the entire planet.

There were no words spoken by the news anchor, the revelers on the Sears tower or Mark and Andrea. To their credit, Mark and Andrea were correct. Sadly, their fate was sealed as was the rest of humanity.

What’s the difference between restaurant cooking and home cooking?

The most universal difference is that restaurants tend to use more fat and more salt than a typical home cook. More oil in the pan for frying. More butter in the sauce. Restaurant cooks are more consistent with salting/seasoning than home cooks are.

Depending on the quality of the restaurant, it will also have better source ingredients than you can pick up in the supermarket. Better cuts of meat, fresher seafood, sweeter fruits, fresher vegetables. Butter will have higher fat content and is probably fresher as well. Some restaurants will use higher fat manufacturing cream instead of regular heavy cream.

[1]

Depending on the cuisine, the restaurant will produce better sauces than most home cooks will have the patience for.

[2]

Good restaurants strive for consistency. That means all of the cutting (dice, chop) is consistent night to night and dish to dish. Portion size is consistent every serving — literally stuff is weighed out. Fancier restaurants are organized by station — grill, seafood, apps/salads (garde manger). The cook at each station focuses on doing their part consistently so that the assembled dish is the same. And when someone else is on that station they strive to do the job the same exact way. (I find bread to be a huge tell in consistency. If I go to a restaurant often enough I can often tell when the “other guy” prepped the dough.)

Most home cooks don’t make the same thing night after night. They might wing recipes (measuring). Their food just has to be good…not identical. “How grandma used to make it” probably varied more than restaurants want each night.

Restaurants design menus to maximize profits by maximizing value from ingredients. From ingredient to menu to recipes to service, night after night it’s a well-oiled machine that can’t afford food waste. America’s home cooks usually can’t make the same dishes every night. Inevitably they aren’t as efficient managing ingredients (or consistently prepping the “left overs” meal). A lot of food goes to waste in America.

[3]

Depending on the restaurant, a lot more effort will be put into presentation. Warmed plates, consistent, smudge-free food placement, a wide variety of impractically-sized earthenware. Compare Terroni’s pasta dish to mine. Clean, warm, large bowl with stacked and twisted homemade pasta noodles. Mine is Barilla elbows in a smudged, room-temperature bowl that I probably bought at Target.

Footnotes

[1]

Top local Organic Wholesale Produce

[2]

Demi-Glace Recipe

[3]

Americans waste nearly a pound of food each per day, study finds

” I Can’t Get A Job Because Of My Face Tattoos” REACTION

Why is the US economy still larger than China’s even though China produces and manufactures almost everything?

So very true! The U.S. economy is HUUUUUGE. . . and getting bigger!

The U.S. is definitely pulling away from China . . . by almost a pound a minute . . but not in a good and healthy manner.

Represented in human physiological terms, the U.S. is like a 700-lb obese person addicted to an eating disorder with food of empty calories and not pre-disposed much with exercise.

The U.S., like most of the Western developed economies, is fully financialized and almost completely de-industrialized. We don’t do much manufacturing anymore. Profiles of Western GDPs are almost the same – with consumption from 75% to 85% and like U.S. manufacturing is down to about 10%.

Balances of trade are also similar – perennially in the deficit – we consume more than we produce. And the national budgets, they’re also in the deficit. . . . and very little for constructing infrastructures.

Americans have literally been living on the dole – our national debt is now $37 trillion and ballooning out of control. We’ve been simply printing money without any care in the world because we’ve been expecting Japan and Chinese to buy our debts and put them in cold storage as reserve. The days of easy money through quantitative easing is not possible anymore. China’s not buying our bond anymore and causing our yield to skyrocket. The rooster is home to roose and just our interest charges from here on end will be at least $1 trillion a year – exceeding even our skyhigh military expenditures. The buffets Americans have been pigging out on are not free any more and in fact getting expensive by the day.

In other words, Americans have been pretty much sitting at home and doing nothing but eat. On other hand, the Chinese have been putting on the hard hat and lab coats and going out to work at a 996 pace.

China’s GDP depicts this different story. Its consumption is 55% and its manufacturing accounts for 36% of global output. China is the only developed country in the developed world that does not only its industrial base intact but growing exponentially.

Note that China had already passed the U.S. as the world’s largest economy in PPP terms since 2017. China’s economy is equally reflected in their scale of consumption – as the world’s largest car market exceeding U.S. car purchases by at least twice – in 2022, China’s new car sales was 26 million vs 13 million for the U.S . . . . .they’re the world’s largest importer of food in all categories in meat, rice, wheat, soy bean . . . . .the world’s largest home appliance market, largest consumer of luxury goods . . . and in pretty much to all other categories.

Chinese are savers but they’ve been spending as well.

As for China’s industrialial base, China went from a few hundred in 2008 to 44,000 kilometer of high-speed rails in less than 20 years while the U.S. can’t even complete a single line – California’s LA to San Francisco is more than 10 years in construction with no end in sight but costs ballooning skyward with each unending delays. And as in all infrastructure categories, China had exceeded the developed world also in all categories.

In summary, yes, the U.S. is growing larger but it’s because Americans are inordinately consuming to add fat. On the other hand, the Chinese are still staying lean and fit . . . not gaining weight but growing muscles and adding strength.

The U.S. will remain the largest economy in the world for a while. MAGA and trump are boasting the U.S. to be the strongest and HOTTEST country in the world. . . . . . until the old ticker can’t anymore pump the lifeblood for our oversized fatass economy.

Chicken Breasts Brazilia

Instructions

Wrap boneless chicken breasts around hearts of palm stalks and attach with a wooden pick. Place each seam side down in a buttered pan and cover with melted butter. Season with salt and pepper.
Bake at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes.
To serve, top with hollandaise sauce and chopped chives.

Is there a way to prevent bolts from getting rusted and stuck in the first place?

It starts with the bolt and nut themselves. If rust is a concern, hot-dip galvanized or electro-plated are your friend. They’ll shrug off casual rust very well, and unlike stainless, you can easily and cheaply find the strength grade needed for your use. It’s why we use them for things like this:

But as you can see, eventually they will corrode.

And that’s not a solution for getting stuck/seizing. So the hardware is only stage one. Stage two is sealing those threads so nothing gets in. The first thing is simply to make sure the threads are clean before anything goes together. Now, anti-seize is a good choice, it does what it says on the tin, but if you’re concerned about things staying tight, I recommend loc-tite.

Doesn’t have to the name brand stuff, but loc-tite blue (242) will prevent things from working loose, but doesn’t cure so tough that it makes your life hard when it’s time to take things apart. But more than that, it’ll act as a lubricant when bolting things together, preventing galling, and more importantly, they seal the threads away from oxygen and moisture. No penetrating oil needed on removal, because no water was able to penetrate and gum/rust things in the first place. If you don’t need the thread-locking effect, there are thread sealants that do basically the same thing without that locking effect.

For 99.9% of installs, those two steps are enough. But if you’re looking at a long-term install or a highly corrosive environment, there is a third step. Grease.

First, I’m not talking about greasing the bolt or nut or mating surface beforehand, that’s almost always a terrible idea; I’m talking about after everything is torqued to spec and the loctite has had a chance to cure.

A big glob of a salt-resistant, hydrophobic ultra-high viscosity, temperature-stable grease slathered over the remaining exposed surfaces will seal them away from dirt, water, salt, and everything else. You do need to be careful to choose right grease: too viscous or not temperature-stable and it will work its way into the mating surfaces, which can weaken the joint; not hydrophobic and salt resistant, and it can trap corossive elements in contact with the bolt. But if done right? The bolt is basically hermettically sealed. When it’s time to remove, it’ll be pristine.

If Life Is a Simulation… What Happens When We Die?

The Mandela effects which have freaked me out the most are too numerous to mention and all subjective anyway, by…

When I trying to think about my goal of affirmation, I think to destroy the old empire.

You outdid yourself with the images today, Metallicman. Great stuff, 👍 As for the chemo, I know several people who…

Interesting about the meals on board the carrier, and many other ships, doubtless. I was listening to an obscure analyst…

The reason for the rise in illiteracy is very simple and yet also abjectly absurd Students in these generations no…

[1] Be your own boss. Working for someone else sucks.

[1.5] Don’t expect to become rich overnight.

[2] Have Patience.

[3] When an Opportunity Comes – Take it, and don’t look back.

[4] Most success is through constant dedication and repetition.

[5] Don’t get all caught up in having a “career”

[6] Lunches are your time. Make them count.

[7] Things will always end

[8] When a friend offers you advice, take it.

[9] Don’t act you age

[10] Learn to identify threats

Bonus Advice

Conclusion

Quick interlude about Huawei…

Final Comments – Private Responses

Posts Regarding Life and Contentment

More Posts about Life

Stories that Inspired Me

Links about China

China and America Comparisons

Learning About China

Articles & Links

War On Iran: – Selected Writings And Reports

If the US built 150 aircraft carriers in WW2, why can’t they build that many carriers now?

Fired Over Tattoos? Excessive Tattoos in Today’s Job Market…

Less talk…. more action. / Lo-fi for study, work ( with Rain sounds)

Bogotá-Style Chicken and Potato Soup

Ingredients

Instructions

Sir Whiskerton and the Mystery of the Phantom Quacks

Introduction

Act 1: The Phantom Quacks Begin

Act 2: Following the Sound

Act 3: Meeting the Inhabitants

Act 4: Resolution and Reflection

Post-Credit Scene

Moral of the Story

Best Lines

Key Jokes

Starring

Summaries

As a mechanic, what’s the weirdest factory defect or prank you’ve found in a vehicle?

Gen Z Job Crisis Face Tattoos, Piercings, Wild Hair & Sorry, 9AM Is Too Early But They Want a Job???

Pictures

What’s the difference between restaurant cooking and home cooking?

” I Can’t Get A Job Because Of My Face Tattoos” REACTION

Why is the US economy still larger than China’s even though China produces and manufactures almost everything?

In other words, Americans have been pretty much sitting at home and doing nothing but eat. On other hand, the Chinese have been putting on the hard hat and lab coats and going out to work at a 996 pace.

The U.S. will remain the largest economy in the world for a while. MAGA and trump are boasting the U.S. to be the strongest and HOTTEST country in the world. . . . . . until the old ticker can’t anymore pump the lifeblood for our oversized fatass economy.

Chicken Breasts Brazilia

Instructions

Is there a way to prevent bolts from getting rusted and stuck in the first place?

If Life Is a Simulation… What Happens When We Die?