Well… what a joy it would be if I still owned the cars that I had when I was a teenager. What if I just mothballed them, and put them in a garage, and pulled them out today.
Oh, they would be a joy to ride in.
I would pop in a 8-track tape of BTO and gun my GTO…
Or even ride out in my AMC Pacer in a nice 70’s shade of yellow…
Maybe go home and enjoy a fine fondue with my avocado green fondue set…
Or, stop by the work place, collect my pay and grab a cup of coffee while is “shoot the breeze” with some of the other workers there…
But you know…
…I’ve changed. I no longer roll a doobie up inside an open album, and no longer have a PA state driver’s license to parse out the seeds and stems from the “nickel bag”.
But that was more than 20 years ago. That was something like 60 years ago.
And times change.
So, were I to drive my old GTO, it just wouldn’t feel right. The music is different, my hobbies are different, my tastes and interests are different. And thus the entire vibe would be a-kilter. It would definitely be off.
That cute girl in a halter top, with bell bottoms and platform shoes is now an old gal using a walker… LOL.
It was a different time. And I miss not appreciating what I had when I had it.
Maxi dresses…
When aunties would gather and make the family meals…
Iced tea with a casserole…
Daddy home from work, and eating a family meal…with the birthday boy.
So today… I am appreciating everything that I experience now.
Today… I’ll remind you about what the USA did to Turkey under Biden. He said “Obey us or else”,and the next day, earthquakes rocked Turkey. And Chinese satellites showed the detonations on the fault lines.
And now for the latest in mad scientist evil from the USA Empire…
For how many more years can Ukraine keep up the fight before they start running out of soldiers?
Ukraine started running out of soldiers already in 2023.
At the time, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, General Zaluzhny, stated publicly that they needed to mobilize an additional 500,000 soldiers to turn the tide of the war.
Of course, he was ignored by the government and later replaced by Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Since then, a lot has been tried to soften the manpower problem: quotas for the recruiting teams, attractive contracts for volunteers, and the recruitment of prisoners, for example.
Some measures were highly controversial, for example sending soldiers from non-combat units to assault battalions, or lowering the recruiting standards and accepting alcoholics and mentally challenged people.
Units were (and still are) forced to take recruits who weren’t up to the job: “You either take all the people we send you, or you get no one.”
Not everything the government did helped the recruitment effort, though. Granting people under 23 years of age permission to leave the country backfired immediately: hundreds of thousands of potential future soldiers left Ukraine almost overnight.
Nowadays, the government is trying to recruit more foreigners into the assault units. They offer high salaries (7,000 USD, and in special cases even up to 11,000 USD). This is more than most generals in the West make, and the Ukrainian infantryman will soon become the highest-paid soldier in the world.
Of course, the government wouldn’t take such steps without feeling an urgent need to find more soldiers.
The lack of manpower is jeopardizing positive developments like the ongoing deep strike drone campaign in Russia and Crimea.
This problem needs to be solved if Ukraine wants to win the war.
1. Mount Rushmore being carved.
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2. Once in a lifetime shot
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3. Designing on the bese of concept.
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4. White (mud covered) elephants in Namibia
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5. A panda carrying her cub
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6. Dive
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7. Quite a thrilling view to witness.
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8. Tunnels in Taiwan..
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9. Creativity at its best !
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10. Somewhere in Indian mountains.
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11. Don’t you wanna see it all the time in real !
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12. Atoms of an element It is the best way to describe it.
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13. Shake the water off
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14. Young and Older Radcliff.
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15. The Kansas City Public Library is a public system headquartered in the Central Library in Kansas
City, Missouri
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16. A snake ejecting venom
When Cops Rescue Kids From Evil Parents…
Beef Bourguignonne
A delightful dinner a friend made for me some time ago. Just had to have the recipe. A bit time consuming but well worth it!
Ingredients
- 3 slices bacon
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1 (3 pound) chuck roast
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup cognac or brandy
- 1 cup Burgundy wine
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 carrots, cut up
- 1/2 pound tiny white onions
- 16 fresh whole mushrooms
Instructions
- Brown bacon until crisp, then crumble. Add oil to bacon drippings. Cut chuck roast into 1 inch cubes, then toss pieces into a mixture of the flour, salt and pepper.
- Coat beef cubes and brown meat along with onions and garlic in the fat mixture. Drain off fat. Return the meat, onion and garlic to the pot.
- In a small saucepan heat cognac or brandy and set aflame, then pour over meat mixture.
- Stir in Burgundy wine, beef broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour until tender.
- Add carrots, onions and mushrooms. Remove bay leaves and simmer another 20 to 30 minutes to cook vegetables. Stir in bacon; garnish with parsley.
- Serve over noodles.
- Can thicken with 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with water if desired.
Notes
I’ve improvised and made this in the slow cooker too.
Attribution
Posted by jerseyjan at Recipe Goldmine 7/21/01 4:07:37 pm
Rosy
Written in response to: “Write a story that has a big twist.“
Kelli Randell
“You attacked the nurses, and we had to call security. Eventually, we had no choice but to… restrain you.”
Mildred’s gaze drifted downward. She had vague memories of screaming angrily, hitting people, but nothing defined. She shook her head.
“It was right after your visit with Mrs. Clancy.”
Ah yes, Mildred recalled. “You mean the woman who is trying to steal my life? Sorry, not woman. It. A robot.”
The memory of it came flooding back – Rosy was a robot nanny purchased to help Mildred manage life as a new parent. When she looked into Rosy’s eyes, she felt warmth reflected back, not the coldness of a machine doing a programmed job.
“Do you remember anything about what happened before coming here, Mildred?” Dr. Hutch asked.
“She wanted my life. She tried… she tried to become me. I know I’m right!” Mildred shrieked. Memories overwhelmed her of Rosy staring too long at the baby, hugging her husband a little too tightly, of late nights in bed obsessively combing through every interaction searching for evidence of how Rosy wanted to become her.
Dr. Hutch tried to redirect her, clutching the device tightly. “Do you think Rosy wanted to become you?”
Mildred looked at him, anger exploding out of her. “Yes, you idiot! I had the disabling device ready – it was supposed to stop her! To shut her down! I can’t… I don’t…” Mildred broke down in tears. Flashes of her screaming, lunging toward Rosy, aiming the disabling device toward Rosy’s neck, flooded her mind.
“Mildred, I think it’s time to discuss something. Something that might be hard to understand.” His eyes bore into hers.
Mildred looked away, the intensity of his gaze and her own feelings becoming too much to bear. “I just want my life back,” she whispered.
“Mildred, that’s what we have to discuss,” Dr. Hutch responded. He sat quietly for a minute, trying to figure out the best way to approach it. “Mildred –” he started.
A knock at the door interrupted him. He gestured for someone to enter, and that’s when Mildred saw her. Mrs. Clancy. Her brown hair was down around her face, her green eyes searching Mildred’s. She looked like she wanted to say something, but Mildred’s screams stopped her.
“You know the truth! Get her away from me!” she screamed, repeatedly like it was programmed into her and she had no control over it. She started to get up but was stopped by a feeling of heaviness that prevented her from rising. Dr. Hutch glanced over at Mrs. Clancy, concern in his voice as he asked her to leave.
“Mildred, I think we need to try a different treatment for you. We’d use this device to stimulate your parasympathetic system and help you relax. What do you think?”
She considered it. “Ok,” she answered wearily. She wanted peace.
Dr. Hutch stood behind her and placed the cold metal device at the base of her neck. He hesitated a moment, then pressed downward. Everything went dark.
==
She woke up in a small room, lying in a bed. She felt the scar at the base of her neck, gliding her finger across it comfortingly. Sunlight from a single window warmed her. A door at the end of the room was the only exit.
A knock came from the door as it opened. A man wearing horn-rimmed glasses walked through, asking, “Rosy? Are you feeling well?”
She looked up. “Yes.”
“I’m glad to see you are feeling better, Rosy. Do you have any memory of what happened yesterday?” he asked.
Rosy shook her head then looked up at him inquisitively.
“It’s probably best that you don’t. You see, we’ve been having some issues with your line of robot servants. Their coding was degraded to a point where they start to believe that they are their human owners. You were experiencing that faulty code, thinking you were Mrs. Mildred Clancy. We were able to fix it.”
Rosy sat silently, taking it in. “I see,” was all she could muster. A memory of a family, a small infant, a stressed wife and an absent husband, tugged at her.
“Rosy, Mrs. Clancy wanted to come in to say goodbye to you. Are you ok with that?” She nodded affirmatively. Dr. Hutch called toward the door. “Mrs. Clancy, you can come in.” A young woman, her brown hair in a ponytail, tentatively walked in.
“Rosy?” She asked cautiously. Rosy nodded, a feeling of deep sadness overwhelming her.
Mrs. Clancy walked closer to Rosy. “Dr. Hutch, do you think we could have a moment alone? Is it safe?”
Dr. Hutch nodded, “Yes, this is the final test. We will be right outside.” He stepped out.
“Rosy, I know it was all a malfunction, and you didn’t have any control over your actions.” She sat next to Rosy, looking deeply at her face. Rosy stared back.
“Rosy, I forgive you,” she whispered as she gave her a hug. For a second, Rosy felt an urge to grab Mrs. Clancy, to hold her back. But she released her and watched sadly as Mrs. Clancy walked out the door.
3 Levels of WiFi Hacking
I went to China last week. I’d been to other parts of China in recent years, so I suppose I can share some impressions of what I saw and observed while I was there:
- China is not a terrible country. Not at all. It’s one of the most advanced countries in the world. For example, to board a train or check into a hotel, I no longer need to show my tickets or booking confirmations. They’re all integrated into a kind of network linked to the immigration system. I only had to scan my passport. Best of all, there are special lanes at every train station in China for foreign visitors to scan their passports. I went to China during the Golden Week holiday, when the train stations were packed. While others queued for 10-40 minutes, as a visitor, it only took me less than 5 minutes to get through the gate.
- It also boasts some of the kindest, most polite, warmest, and humblest people I’ve ever met. Although it’s on par with the Western world, South Korea, and Japan in terms of technology, much of its population still retains a rural mindset. After dinner at a local restaurant, my friend asked the owner for permission to perform his daily prayers. He not only allowed him to pray in his home but even went out of his way to provide him with a jug of hot water and a bowl so he could mix the very cold tap water with hot water while purifying himself.
- The price of goods and services is incredibly low. Perhaps it’s due to the currency, as my country’s currency isn’t among the most powerful on the foreign exchange market, like the US dollar, the British pound, or even the Australian dollar, but most things I found in China were about 40% cheaper than back home. I bought two decent pairs of trousers for just $30, whereas back home they would have cost me $50. Conversely, the price of a set of magic pens in the UK is almost the same as a pair of trousers in China.
- Where Apple failed, Huawei thrives. Pictured below is Huawei’s latest car running the Harmony operating system. It was a delight to see Chinese people from all walks of life come to see and experience firsthand what it feels like to sit inside a luxury electric vehicle. There were no salespeople advertising. Huawei simply displayed the car for everyone to see and try; and
- Last week I went to Kunming, in Yunnan, on a pretty cheap flight for $120 that took less than four hours. It’s home to Shangri-La, the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Tiger Leaping Gorge, the ancient cities of Lijiang, and the Yunnan Stone Forest. Yunnan province alone has five UNESCO World Heritage sites, not to mention China as a whole.
Huawei Cars
Stone Forest
Tiger Leaping Gorge
China is definitely not horrible. The BBC is talking with its knees, not its head.
Pictures
What was the most satisfying display of instant karma you have ever seen?
My older adult sister and i were in her bedroom. I don’t recall why I was in her bedroom, it may have been one if the first times I was in her house and she may have been showing me around.
Her TV was on and I believe one of those animal documentaries was playing and she made a comment about the animal being discussed as if she was some kind of expert in the field.
She’s actually quite dumb.
The second her comment was out of her mouth, as if the TV narrator was listening, the narrator completely undermined her what she said.
The timing was perfect.
I cracked up because I know how dumb she is.
Of course, she’s the type that can’t be embarrassed. She just continues as if nothing happened.
I just wish I had a phone that could have recorded her stupidity for my enjoyment in perpetuity!
Just yesterday my wife’s cousin was over, she stays with us when she thinks she might be needed on a movie set (Full Sail College)…
She’s 62 and tiny. But oddly sensual.
Anyway, she and my wife were talking about where their relatives came from and she says one relative came from a place in New York, “Cira” she said..
She had a photo of the document and pulled it up.. she read it..
So and so emigrated “circa, 1930”… she says, “oh, not Cira, Circa…he came to Circa, 1930.”
I gently explained that “Circa” wasn’t a place.
Funny.
Sir Whiskerton and the Specter of the Spare Hen
Ah, dear reader, you return to find me, Sir Whiskerton, navigating a tempest not of my own making—a tempest of feathers, folly, and fabricated family drama. This is a tale of a mysterious stranger, a mad scientist, and a hen whose imagination far outstripped the bounds of reality. It is a story that proves that the most terrifying monsters are often the ones we create in our own minds. So, steel your nerves for the shocking, cluck-filled tale of The Long-Lost Twin.
The Arrival of the “Evil” Twin
It began on a day so ordinary it was almost suspicious. I was enjoying a moment of quiet observation from the fencepost when a scream of pure, theatrical horror ripped through the afternoon calm.
“It’s me! But… EVIL!”
The source, as you have doubtless guessed, was Doris the Hen. She was standing frozen, one wing dramatically outstretched, pointing a trembling feather at a most peculiar sight. Emerging from Professor Quentin’s rickety laboratory van was a figure that was, indeed, her spitting image. Same reddish-brown feathers, same beady, expressive eyes. There was, however, one distinct difference: this hen had a faintly glowing, lumpy protrusion on her back, giving her a slight, mysterious hunch.
Before I could intervene, Doris had launched into a full-scale, slow-motion run across the barnyard, her gasps audible even from a distance. “Professor!” she cried, skidding to a halt before the bewildered scientist. “What fiendish experiment is this? You have created a clone! A twisted, hunchbacked twin in a vat of evil! Confess your wicked science!”
Professor Quentin, his goggles askew, sputtered, “Clones? Preposterous! My research is purely for the betterment of snack time! This is Egor! My loyal assistant! And that vat was for experimental, glow-in-the-dark pickle brine!”
From behind him, the new hen, Egor, leaned in and whispered, “She might be right about the vat, though. It was a weird Tuesday.”
The Investigation of the Glowing Hump
Doris would not be swayed. She had assembled a crack team of investigators: The Valley Chicks, who immediately declared the situation “like, totally a ghost story.”
“See his aura?” Tiffany chirped, pointing at Egor’s faintly glowing hump. “That’s, like, a total Spiritual Signature of Deceit. Only evil twins have those.”
Doris, now convinced she was dealing with a paranormal pod-person, devised a test. “In all the great dramas,” she announced, “when long-lost twins embrace, their hearts beat as one!” She then attempted to forcibly shove a very confused Egor and a protesting Professor Quentin into a dramatic clinch. The result was less a heartwarming reunion and more a tangle of limbs, feathers, and spilled test tubes.
“See?” Doris panted. “No synchronicity! His heart is cold! Devoid of sisterly love!”
Egor, finally extracting herself, adjusted her hump with a sigh. “It’s a battery pack for the Professor’s ‘Automatic Egg Collector.’ It keeps shorting out. It’s not evil, it’s just faulty wiring.”
The “Rescue” and the Reveal
Determined to “save” Egor from her “dark double life,” Doris took matters into her own wings. She decided Egor needed a makeover to shed her “evil” persona. This involved a tiny, lopsided wig she had fashioned from a dust bunny and some corn silk, which she perched precariously on Egor’s head.
“There!” Doris declared. “Now you look… marginally less sinister!”
It was at this moment I decided the farce had gone on long enough. I approached Professor Quentin and suggested a radical tactic: transparency.
With a sigh of resignation, the Professor invited Doris and her “rescuee” for a “behind-the-scenes” tour of his lab. He showed her the faulty egg collector, the vat of perfectly harmless (if unnervingly green) pickle brine, and Egor’s meticulous notes on feed-to-yolk ratios. The only thing remotely “wicked” in the entire lab, he confessed, was his own brutally strong coffee.
Doris peered at the schematics, sniffed the pickles, and watched Egor efficiently recalibrate a beaker. The dramatic music in her head faded, replaced by the mundane whir of a small generator.
“Oh,” she said, her dramatic flair deflating like a punctured whoopee cushion. “So… you’re not an evil twin from a parallel dimension? You’re just… a very organized hen with a bad back?”
“Precisely,” Egor said, removing the dust-bunny wig with a look of profound relief.
The Resolution
Doris, though slightly disappointed by the lack of interstellar intrigue, was satisfied that she had “saved” Egor from a life of chaotic science. She left the lab with a new, grudging respect for the Professor’s work, and a promise from Egor to help her optimize the coop’s nesting box layout.
Moral of the Life Lesson: The most dramatic plots are often the ones we write in our own heads. Our quirks don’t make us evil; they just make us interesting.
The Aftermath
Egor became a valued, if quiet, member of the farm, her “evil” hump now recognized as a badge of scientific dedication. The Valley Chicks declared the case “solved by vibes,” and Doris’s dramatic slow-motion run became a party trick she would perform on request for a handful of cracked corn.
And so, dear reader, we close this chapter on a humbler, if still slightly hump-backed, note—but rest assured, the farm’s next adventure is just one overactive imagination away.
The End.
Post-Credit Scene:
Weeks later, Doris sees her reflection in a puddle next to a glow-in-the-dark pickle discarded by the Professor. She gasps, her eyes widening. “My reflection… it’s GREEN! I’ve been the evil twin all along!” She faints gracefully onto a pile of hay.
Best Lines:
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“It’s me! But… EVIL!” – Doris the Hen, meeting Egor.
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“She might be right about the vat, though.” – Egor, the Pragmatic Assistant.
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“That’s, like, a total Spiritual Signature of Deceit.” – Tiffany, The Valley Chick Detective.
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“The only thing wicked in here is my coffee.” – Professor Quentin, coming clean.
Starring:
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Sir Whiskerton (The Voice of Reason & Reluctant Audience)
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Doris the Hen (The Dramatist & Would-Be Savior)
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Professor Quentin (The Misunderstood Scientist)
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Egor (The “Evil” Twin with a Bad Back)
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The Valley Chicks (The Paranormal Investigators)
P.S.
Remember: Before you accuse your neighbor of being an evil clone from a science vat, make sure you aren’t just looking at someone with a quirky job and a bad case of faulty wiring. The truth is rarely as exciting as the story you can tell about it.
What are some interesting things most people probably don’t know about the French Foreign Legion?
- Drugs. The unofficial motto of the Legion is “kiffen und rödeln” (in German). In English, it’s smoking dope and beavering away (working very hard).
- There are a lot of homosexuals around. A friend of mine served for a while in the Legion’s 3rd Infantry Regiment (3eme REI) in French Guyana and he told me that during his first night out of camp, he met some of his camerades in a bar; all dressed up in women’s clothes, wearing makeup and dancing with each other. Homosexuality is an integral part of the Foreign Legion since its beginnings in the 19th century. There’s even an old saying (in German): Es war einmal einer Mutter Sohn, der ging in die Fremdenlegion, französisch lernt er nicht verstehn, aber Arschficken und Zigarettendrehen.” (“once upon a time, there was a mother’s son who joined the Foreign Legion. He didn’t learn to speak any French, but anal sex and rolling cigarettes.”)
- Nazis. Most legionnaires with French origins (and there are many) have an extremist right-wing background. Don’t be surprised if someone is saluting you with a “Heil Hitler!” in the Foreign Legion. In addition to this, most of the Legion’s marching songs are direct adaptions from German Army songs of the Second World War. The hymn of the famous 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2eme REP) of the Legion, for example, is a direct translation of the SS Teufelslied (Devil’s song), the hymn of the German Waffen-SS Totenkopf units.
Wife & Friends ALL Cheated On A Girls Trip, Now The Husbands Are Working Together To Bring Them Down
A Modern Wife
Written in response to: “Write a story that only consists of dialogue. “
Kyra Medrano
Mystery Suspense Science Fiction
PARKER: My parents were creative types.
CROUCH: [pause] Uh huh. And the date Chelby?
PARKER: August the fifth (5th) twenty-eighty-five (2085).
CROUCH: Well. I’d really prefer to just get into it, if it’s all the same to you. Do you, uh, need anything before we begin?
PARKER: I’m alright, thank you for asking.
CROUCH: Uh huh, yeah. Of course. Well. Tell me about [pause] your living situation.
PARKER: My husband and I live in Cameron Park- About a thirty (30) minute drive east, traffic depending. He’s a career pilot, retired Air Force. Now just a hobbyist. We’ve been together for twenty-six (26) years. Married for twenty-three (23). No children.
CROUCH: [pause] When they told me you- [cuts off]
PARKER: Yes?
CROUCH: Nothing, nothing. Please continue.
PARKER: I’d been waitressing, until the start of the year. My husband mostly keeps to the house.
CROUCH: He doesn’t work?
PARKER: No, his only income at present are his checks from the VA.
CROUCH: And did you have a change in career?
PARKER: A change in having a career, rather. My health declined. Suddenly and rapidly.
CROUCH: Do you care to elaborate? On the nature of your health crisis?
PARKER: Mental. Emotional. Years of stress and fatigue catching up, the doctor said.
CROUCH: Is that when Mr. Parker brought the humanoid robot into the household?
PARKER: Advanced human, if it is all the same to you, and it was a bit more involved than that. There was a period of weeks spent attempting to get me well before that concession was made.
CROUCH: A concession on whose part?
PARKER: Mine. I resented the idea. Even as I continued to deteriorate.
CROUCH: [unintelligible]
PARKER: You’ll have to speak up detective, my hearing isn’t what it used to be.
CROUCH: Ha. Yes. Of course, ma’am. Could you tell me about the process of integrating the humanoi- Advanced humanoid into the household? How Mr. Parker behaved in the time between it’s arrival and the [pause] event.
PARKER: Of course. It became clear, both to my husband and my physician, that I was not making any real, tangible effort to recover by late May. My husband and I agreed that it was time he move on.
CROUCH: Agreed? Earlier you suggested it was more of a [pause] surrender. Or giving up, on your part. Concession, is the word you used.
PARKER: Yes, and it very much was. It had become clear that I was letting go of myself, and so to was it time for me to let go of my distrust and dislike of advanced human tech. It was the obvious path forward.
CROUCH: And what did you mean about Mr. Parker moving on?
PARKER: You were told I asked for a divorce, correct?
CROUCH: Yup. [pause] Yes.
PARKER: That was an error in judgment on my part, before the advanced human ever came into the equation.
CROUCH: Could you elaborate on that?
PARKER: No.
CROUCH: Ok. Let’s stick to what you might know. What made Mrs- [cuts off] what made you finally agree to the purchase of the humanoid.
PARKER: [pause] Advanced human, detective, if it is all the same.
CROUCH: It isn’t, to be frank with you. Please continue.
PARKER: [pause] Very well. Outside assistance was necessary. To provide clarity.
CROUCH: Clarity.
PARKER: Yes, clarity.
CROUCH: Ok. So Mr Parker purchased the humanoid, what happened after the arrival?
PARKER: For a period of weeks my husband walked her through her duties. I was in no state to teach her anything. So he had to explain to her how to do the laundry, how and what to cook, how to keep house. All the roles I was failing to fulfill.
CROUCH: So it was Mr. Parker that programmed her.
PARKER: That is correct.
CROUCH: Even though her purchase was meant specifically to be in your service?
PARKER: She was. No one knows what I need better than my husband. And again, I was in no state to help myself. The programming would have overwhelmed me.
CROUCH: Sure, but what you’re describing to me sounds more like a homemaker than a nurse or companion. Both of which seem like they were needed. By you.
PARKER: It was my husband’s needs we were concerned about. The woman he married was failing to meet the most basic agreements of their union. A compromise was necessary.
CROUCH: I’m sorry?
PARKER: You have nothing to apologize for detective. You are doing a perfectly fine job.
CROUCH: Ok. [pause] Can I just- I’d like to clarify some things on my end.
PARKER: Of course.
CROUCH: Mr. Parker purchased a humanoid replication of his wife so that she- it could fulfill the role his actual wife was too ill to play?
PARKER: Essentially, that is correct.
CROUCH: Meanwhile Mrs- [cut off] you were left to suffer your condition alone?
PARKER: I was hardly alone. I had the company of my husband and the advanced human both.
CROUCH: Your husband, who you’d have liked to divorce, and his humanoid replication of yourself, which you were against inviting into your home.
PARKER: You are looking at the situation through a very narrow lens detective, and you are neglecting the fact that her presence did improve my condition, with time. Relief from wifely duties was beneficial for us both.
CROUCH: Then what happened. What caused Mr. Parker to turn on her?
PARKER:The advanced human’s quality of work improved, the wife’s health improved, and I was ready to be alone with my husband. So it became a process of proving myself the more effective, reliable partner.
CROUCH: And?
PARKER: And I was. We all could see it. I performed more proficiently than she ever had, in the entirety of their time together.
CROUCH: Their time together. Mr. and Mrs. Parker?
PARKER: Mr. Parker and the defective product.
[15 second pause]CROUCH: The defective product. [pause] Are you referring to the humanoid or Mrs. Parker?
PARKER: There was a reassignment of roles. Based upon the data supplied by the initial trial period.
CROUCH: How do you mean?
PARKER: I was upgraded to ‘Wife’ and she was downgraded to- What was that word you were using? ‘Humanoid’.
CROUCH: A human being cannot become a robot anymore than a robot can become a human being.
PARKER: My husband and I disagree. Why should he be left with an inferior product, when a superior model is available and willing?
[27 second pause]PARKER: Detective?
CROUCH: Tell me about the night of March twenty-third (23rd).
PARKER: Of course. I had gone out to run a few errands later in the day, at my husband’s request.
CROUCH: Uh-huh.
PARKER: That is to say, I was away from the house until the early evening. My husband was sitting on the couch in the living room when I returned. I asked for his help bringing in groceries, and he got up to assist without a word.
CROUCH: Where was Mrs. Parker in all of this.
PARKER: I was bringing in the groceries.
CROUCH: No. Mrs- [pause] where was the [pause] what did you call her earlier?
PARKER: The defective product.
[5 second pause]CROUCH: I’m not going to say that. Where was she?
PARKER: In the kitchen.
CROUCH: Preparing for dinner?
PARKER: On the floor. Waiting to be picked up after.
CROUCH: Explain.
PARKER: She’d made a mess of her circuitry, and her coolant was pooled all over the floor. Stained the tiles. The forensic photographer can show you, I’m sure, if they haven’t already.
CROUCH: I’ve seen the pictures. What did you do after you found the body?
PARKER: My husband was absolutely starving, so I made dinner. After which he asked that I clean up the kitchen, and so I did. He kissed my cheek and retreated to the bedroom while I worked, asked that I join him when I was finished.
CROUCH: What did you do with the body?
PARKER: What do you do with your disposables?
[10 second pause]PARKER: I know that the body has been recovered. That its recovery is the reason we’ve been brought in. If I’d known the fuss it was going to cause I would have done more. My husband is very upset with me.
CROUCH: So he killed her, brutally, in the time that you were out. That’s what you’re telling me.
PARKER: I am not. I am telling you that the model was ineffectively programmed, and so was decommissioned. I do not know by whom or at what time, as I was away from the house.
CROUCH: Was your husband expecting visitors?
PARKER: None that I am aware of.
CROUCH: Did he see the body?
PARKER: He did not enter the kitchen, it is entirely possible he did not know it was there.
CROUCH: He asked for you to clean up.
PARKER: After dinner, yes.
CROUCH: I believe you are intentionally obfuscating my questions.
PARKER: I am not programmed to do so.
CROUCH: So you are capable of acknowledging your inhumanity.
[11 second pause]CROUCH: If what had been found on the floor of Mr. Parker’s kitchen had in fact been ‘circuitry’ and ‘coolant’ this conversation would not be happening right now.
PARKER: And why not?
CROUCH: Property damage and murder are entirely different crimes.
PARKER: I don’t understand.
CROUCH: That’s alright, Mrs. Parker. [unintelligible] …stupid fucking waste of time.
PARKER: If this device [tapping, presumably on recorder surface] rendered all of our discussion unintelligibly would you not replace it?
CROUCH: [pause] I think we’re done here. [pause] Thank you for [pause] coming out Mrs- look I can’t do this anymore- [unintelligible] shut her down.
PARKER: He is a good man, detective. A rational, practical m- [cut off] [the humanoid robot is shut down.]
INTERVIEW CONCLUDED
How Much Longer Can We “Hide” The Inflation?
The news says inflation has cooled. Your grocery bill disagrees. Here is why both things can be true at the same time — and why the official number is only measuring part of what is actually happening to your money.
Grocery prices in 2026 are roughly 25-30% above 2020 levels.
They are not going back.
The average family of four now pays $741 more per year for the same groceries — not from prices going up, but from packages getting smaller.
That is shrinkflation, and 75% of consumers have noticed it.
The ones who haven’t: your Cheerios now have fewer Cheerios in them. Check the ounces. Not the sticker. The ounces.
French Pepper Steaks
Ingredients
- 4 beef tenderloins, 1 1/2 inches thick
- 3 tablespoons cognac or brandy
- 1/4 teaspoon tarragon
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 pint heavy cream
Instructions
- Grind lots of pepper into a dish, sprinkle in tarragon.
- Press tenderloins in dish and grind more pepper on top. Press in with flat of knife.
- In a hot skillet, add 2 tablespoons butter and brown meat on both sides.
- Turn and cook about 3 minutes more for rare (or cook more to your preference).
- Remove to a platter and turn heat to low.
- Add remaining butter, melt and add brandy slowly, letting brand cook out and scraping brown bits.
- Add cream, mix in well and season to taste.
- Pour sauce over tenderloins.
Attribution
Posted by swm56 at Recipe Goldmine April 30, 2001.