This is pretty serious… China Does NOT Play.
US-China soybean deal update: some good news for American farmers. But mostly bad
China is again buying US soybeans, in accordance with the framework agreed to in November.
Cargoes on order thus far total 10 million tons, providing American farmers some relief.
But soybean prices are drifting lower, while soybean farm expenses are up over 12% since 2024.
Brazil has recently announced a record crop, and insiders there and in China forecast soybean shipments to China will reach 100 million tons in 2026.
The trade deal from November locks in China to 25 million tons of soybean buys, per year, for the next three years.
Those volumes are 14% lower than the average from previous years, and are likely to command even lower prices, given massive soybean harvests in South America.
THE MAN WITH THE GREEN MUSTANG | Minimalist Detective Jazz & Urban Noir Night Drive Cinematic
Enjoy this BGM while you read today’s installment.
Splendid Isolation
Written in response to: “Imagine a world where exploration is forbidden, and write a story about a character who defies this rule to satisfy their innate curiosity.“
PJ Town
I’d like to hang the paintings on my wall, but that would be far too risky. I keep them rolled up under the floorboards. I know it’s a crime to produce the paintings – and to store them. However, I can’t begin to describe the curious, irresistible impulse that enters my being at times. I do know it’s stronger than me.
This is the main reason I need to leave. I want not to have to think twice about every idea I have, every word I say, every painting I produce. Plenty of people seem quite happy with their lot, that’s fine. But I’m sure – I don’t know how – that this is not all there is. That the reason we’re here in this world is not merely to serve the regime.
Yes, I’m eager for the days when I don’t have to hide … anything. When I can sit with a friend to discuss painting, relationships, the weather, and not be afraid that an unfriendly ear will report it as sedition.
The woman in the room next to mine, Catherine, who I liked very much, was caught in this way. A neighbour from down the corridor was fond of her too. When she rebuffed his advances, he engineered a meeting between her and a teacher from his son’s school, who he also held a grievance against. A word to the MSI and they quickly discovered the two – simply talking. That was enough. She was jailed for fifteen years for conspiracy. The teacher disappeared.
Of course, while it’s important to heed these threats, it’s equally important not to give them too much weight. Dwelling on them can drive a person mad – a man from the next block took his own life last week, for instance. I’m determined not to go that way. And so the boat…
I asked Maurice how I should prepare for the journey. He told me to travel light, which is a little ironic because I possess next to nothing. According to him, I should wear warm, waterproof clothes; I have two sweaters, which I’ll wear one on top of the other, and I’ll fashion a cagoule from bin-bags. He said that creds can easily be traded for local currency (though I won’t have much money to trade – even less after paying the rest of the fare).
When we met, he briefly taught me some of the local lingo to get me started, and I’ve been turning it over in my head ever since. Just short phrases, like:
Bonjour. Je m’appelle Philip.
Simple words that feel like freedom on my lips and tongue.
Richard Wolff: Trump Is Going To FREAK OUT…
Japan
By all accounts, the Japanese LDP, and its Cart Titan PM have both been pleasantly surprised how popular their “fvck China” agenda has been. It’s garnered them approval ratings that they’ve not seen in decades, while triggering negligible consequences from Beijing.
It is becoming increasingly likely that Japan will host American nuclear weapons on its soil.
Japan edges towards hosting nuclear weapons | The Strategist
It would likely start with allowances for nuclear armed stealth bombers to use Japanese airfields.
Japan already allows American nuclear-armed submarines use of its naval bases, so this would be just a further escalation from there.
—
A TEST FOR BEIJING
Needless to say, this will be a major test for Beijing. Will Xi overcome his cowardice and autism and actually do something for once? Or will it just be another strongly worded letter?
For those wumaos who are 100% confident that Xi would do something, I’ll remind you of this:
US nuclear-armed submarines to resume visits to South Korea for first time in 30 years
China had zero response to this, not even a strongly worded letter. These American boomers (nuclear-armed submarines, not old people) would be within spitting distance of Beijing. The PLA would have mere seconds to intercept missiles launched from South Korea’s territorial waters targeting major Chinese cities.
So it is entirely possible that Japanese nuclear armament will be undeterred by Beijing.
—
NO LESSONS LEARNED FROM 1931
The saddest part about all this is that the modern PRC has once again proven that it is incapable of learning from its own history.
When the Japanese annexed China’s northeastern provinces in 1931, the KMT naively thought that would be the end of it, and basically did nothing. The Japanese themselves were flabbergasted by this complete capitulation, and naturally pursued even more aggressive expansions into China.
It’s simple really:
Weak responses to aggression => weakness as a country => invitation for more aggression
Beijing is going down the same route as the KMT in 1931, a limpdick response to Japan’s provocation that is now going to elicit more provocations from Japan, possibly beyond just rhetoric.
Despite the various monuments and museums erected over the years dedicated to the Sep 18th 1931 Incident, the modern PRC seems to have forgotten the basic lesson the whole affair. Every limpdick response to foreign aggression, particularly coming from Japan, is just invitation for more aggression.
Scott Ritter DE-BANKED
Millions of Americans Are Realizing Modern Life Is a Trap
Millions of Americans are waking up to how modern life, the cost of living crisis, inflation, rising housing costs, low wages, debt, and economic instability are turning the American Dream into a trap for everyday people trying to survive in today’s economy.
In this video we break down why so many Americans feel stuck, burned out, and financially trapped as prices keep rising, jobs feel less secure, and the system seems to reward corporations while punishing workers.
From skyrocketing rent and groceries to shrinking paychecks and endless bills, more people are realizing that modern life in America isn’t delivering the stability it promised.
You’ll see how economic inequality, layoffs, automation, and the slow collapse of the middle class are pushing families toward frugal living, homesteading, preparedness, and opting out of the rat race.
This is why so many Americans are questioning the system, rethinking the American Dream, and looking for ways to become more self-sufficient as the economy continues to change in 2025 and beyond.
Hamburger Goulash
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 2 cans stewed tomatoes
- 1 can corn
- 1 can tomato sauce
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 8 ounces flat noodles (papardelle are good)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon basil
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- Shredded cheese (your choice)
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown ground beef and onion. Drain.
- Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, basil and sugar to taste.
- Add tomatoes, corn and tomato sauce.
- Add noodles to the skillet. (Add about one cup of water if necessary to almost cover the noodles.)
- Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Uncover and cook an additional 20 minutes or until noodles are soft and most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Top with shredded cheese for the last 3 to 5 minutes until cheese melts.
Recipe Goldmine is now a legacy site. Please visit our sister site, Simply Great Recipes, for new recipes.
Intermittent Fasting For Beginners: What To Eat & Do
Intermittent fasting has been creeping its way to success for quite a few years now. And, last year it really had it made. Step away kale and keto diet, it’s my time to shine. You had famous people try it and you had your grandma doing it too. So today, let’s talk about intermittent fasting! We’ll discuss (or I’ll monologue my way through) what it is, whether it’s for you and more importantly what you should eat. At the end of this intermittent fasting beginner guide, I will include an intermittent fasting food list that you can use when you do your groceries.
What Is Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is simply a period of fasting followed by a period of eating. It’s not a diet, it’s a way of eating. You basically consume your calories within a certain time window.
There are a few ways to do intermittent fasting, here are some examples I found in this article:
- Alternate-day fasting. You eat as you usually would on day one, on day two you eat only once a day and that meal will provide around 25% of your calories. If you’re on a 2000 kcal diet, you get a 500 kcal meal and you’re done for the day.
- 5:2 Fasting. This is when you fast for two days during the week and eat without food restrictions during the other 5 days. On the fasting days, you can again, consume one 500 kcal meal.
- Time-restricted: Examples would be the famous 16:8 split – you eat whatever’s on your meal plan within 8 hours of the day and then don’t eat for 16 hours. For example, if you start eating at 9 am, you stop eating at 5 pm. Other options are 18:6 and 20:4, but I find these more restrictive.
See you can get the results and benefits with all of these schedules, but what you need to do is decide which one works best for your lifestyle. If the 5:2 split is more realistic for you right now than the alternate day or time-restricted fasting, why not start there? The point is to get started, try something new and see what happens.
Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting
While intermittent fasting is new for a lot of people, I knew about it from my grandma who ate once or twice a day and took a multi-vitamin because my dad insisted on it. We just didn’t name it (seriously why would you name it intermittent fasting of all things?).
My grandma’s diet consisted of a croissant and sometimes a baked onion with bread. She was very underweight, but she did have her yard where she grew fruits and vegetables and she would snack on them without tracking her macros or calories. Imagine that life now.
Still, after many health struggles, heartbreaks and three heart attacks my grandma lived the longest out of all her siblings and out of my four grandparents. So when research says eating less might expand your life span, it might be onto something.
Now, here are some more benefits of intermittent fasting according to a great Healthline article I found. Intermittent fasting can/might:
- improve cellular repair
- promote weight loss
- be beneficial for your cardiometabolic health
- reduce inflammation and oxidative stress
- prevent cancer and Alzheimer’s disease
- protect against brain damage
- increase lifespan
See there are many benefits to eating this way. But…
Intermittent Fasting Is Not For Everyone
That being said, intermittent fasting is not for everyone. Restricting your calories can affect your hormones and is best discussed with a doctor if you have a health condition. For example, intermittent fasting is not for you if you have diabetes, are pregnant or breastfeeding or have an eating disorder related to restricting calories (like anorexia or bulimia).
Intermittent Fasting: What To Eat
I have a blog post somewhere hidden on this blog, called “How to lose 10 pounds in a month“. I mentioned there that the only time I was able to lose weight was when I cut out eating after 5 pm. Now, I need to mention: I have never been overweight and never made an actual effort to lose weight other than that one time. I still remember feeling very good, confident, very light and energized during that time.
Most of the time I try to eat healthy, but I also try to keep a healthy relationship with food, so I don’t exclude anything. I have found that eating a more plant-based diet, quitting refined sugar and switching from eating chicken and red meat to fatty fish twice a week has been beneficial for me. Those are simple changes, but I try to integrate them whether I’m doing intermittent fasting or not.
Whenever I get off track for a little bit longer, I start feeling lethargic and like I don’t want to exercise or even go outside. So maintaining a healthy diet is in my opinion super important even when you’re doing intermittent fasting and losing a ton of weight by eating fried chicken and fries as your only meal that day.
Here’s what to ideally eat when you’re doing intermittent fasting:
1. Leafy Greens and Cruciferous vegetables
Get your greens in every day! Time-restricted feeding isn’t an excuse to skip those foods. This group of healthy vegetables includes spinach, kale, arugula, bok choy, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussel’s sprouts. These vegetables are highly nutritious, low in calories and known for their ability to destroy free radicals and to protect against cancer, cardiometabolic disease, and neurodegenerative diseases.
2. Fish
Including fatty fish in your diet 1-2 times a week is important, because of its omega-3 content. Fish is one of the very few sources of the type of omega-3’s that the human body can actually use. Unfortunately, we can easily not get enough of these fatty acids if we’re not intentional with our diet. This leads to a disbalance of the omega-3/omega-6 ratio which in turn leads to chronic inflammation – the common denominator in all major chronic diseases and weight gain.
I know fish consumption is a controversial topic, but research has found that the health benefits of eating up to two servings of fatty fish like mackerel, salmon and light tuna far outweigh the potential risks. They found moderate fish consumption reduces the risk of death from heart disease by 36% and total mortality by 17%.
3. Nuts And Seeds
Nuts are rich in fiber, protein, fat-soluble vitamins, minerals and healthy fats and will keep you satiated while you’re intermittent fasting. Great options are almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseed, sesame seeds, cashews and pistachios.
4. Red / Purple Fruits and Vegetables
This group includes vegetables like tomatoes, beets, cabbage, radishes, red bell peppers and fruits like berries. These fruits and vegetables contain natural pigments like lycopene and anthocyanin that are beneficial for our health and can help protect us from premature aging – on the outside and the inside. So it’s very important to make them a part of your daily diet.
5. Plant-Based Protein Sources
Tofu, tempeh, lentils, chickpeas, hemp seeds, and beans are all plants (or made from plants) and are excellent protein sources. Most of these foods provide both – fiber and protein, which makes them an excellent choice to keep you full longer when you’re doing intermittent fasting.
6. Whole Grains
My favorite choices here are oats and quinoa, because they’re again – great source of fiber and protein, they’re also easy to cook with and have great nutritional value. Oats, especially, are pretty well known for their cholesterol-lowering ability and they’re great for your digestion too. Make oats a part of your breakfast and include quinoa in salads, soups or one-pan meals.
7. Fermented Foods
Last, but not least: don’t forget about fermented foods! They’re rich in probiotics which are great for your immune system and for maintaining healthy gut flora. This is especially important if you’ve been taking antibiotics lately. Some great options are sauerkraut, yogurt, kimchi, tempeh and last but not least: pickles!
By eating a combination of these foods you will feel satisfied and you will stay full, even if you fast for 16 hours every day. You’ll also get all of the nutrients you need for optimal immune function, to maintain a healthy weight and healthy digestion. Consuming fewer calories might be necessary for losing or maintaining a healthy weight, but having all your nutritional needs covered by eating well is even more important long-term.
Intermittent Fasting Meals
If you need some delicious healthy meal ideas that are also easy, gluten free and dairy free, check out this clean eating recipe binder. There are over 100 clean eating recipes that are perfect for intermittent fasting, a meal planning printable, a recipe card to help you customize and create your very own recipe book, as well as habit trackers and so much more to help you develop good habits and stay organized in the kitchen. You will find the recipe binder here, make sure to use the code NTB20 for 20% off.
Have You Tried It?
I hope you enjoyed this simple beginner guide to intermittent fasting! If you haven’t tried it yet and are interested in doing so – hope this answered some questions!
If you have tried IF – what has been your experience? What intermittent fasting schedule did you do? Did you notice any of the benefits I mentioned? Like did you feel your cellular repair skyrocket? Did your lifespan triple? Okay, I know I shouldn’t be making stupid jokes about something potentially so amazing like intermittent fasting…
But let me know if you’ve noticed being more energized and focused or have lost some weight…I think we all can use some inspiration from time to time when it comes to improving our health and fitness!
Pictures
What’s to stop the United States from attacking Canada like they just did to Venezuela?
·
The Rule of Hegemony does
To remain the Global hegemon today, the States has three red lines
- The US Dollar and it’s continued absorption across the globe, allowing supply side benefits within the States
- US Technological Dominance – Control & Access to Global Consumer Data through dominance in Core technology, Core Hardware & Software platforms
- Military Dominance – To have a Military that has a reach across all domains, anywhere in the world
(A Fourth was “Fight Communism” – this was slowly phased out after Vietnam ‘73)
Venezuela has Oil and as a commodity, bringing energy within US Dollar pricing and US Dollar tracking is a red line in ensuring Dollar dominance
So when President Trump proposed to attack Venezuela, the establishment, the institutions, the Pentagon did not oppose him, because in a way, he was simply fulfilling one of the core tasks of helping preserve dollar dominance
There was no trade off except diplomatic noise & protests that could be easily absorbed
Canada as a NATO member, crosses none of these red lines
So even if President Trump might want to invade Canada or attack Canada, the entire establishment, the institutions, the Pentagon, the Judiciary would refuse to comply and put numerous obstacles in his way
There is a large trade off
The States achieves absolutely nothing and loses its entire relevance in one fell swoop
Two Hundred and Fifty years of American Ideology would crumble and the States would get nothing in exchange beyond hatred from millions of Canadians
It would shred the entire legitimacy of the States
That by itself would accelerate de dollarization in favor of gold assets or even multi currency baskets
This would be crossing one of the red lines
So in effect President Trump himself would go on a path that would lead to crossing one of the red lines that the States has set for itself
Such a move would not just be unacceptable but vigorously opposed by numerous Republicans too
This is known as ‘Institutional Deterrence’
In Democracies, Individual leaders are prevented from committing excesses through institutional deterrence
—
Adolf Hitler had a big advantage
Germany had been an absolute Monarchy for centuries and it’s experiment with democracy was only 15 years old when Hitler came to power as chancellor
There was no institutional strenth or establishment strength
President Trump is one man
The States has a 250 year Constitution and more than 240 years of institutions, establishments, rules and laws precisely meant to ensure that one man could not commit any excess and get away with it, except for the core preservation of US Hegemony
So President Trump would face institutional deterrence in many things
7 Healthy Habits For Your Mental And Physical Health
Today we’re talking about 7 healthy habits to start for a healthy mind and body! When you practice these simple daily habits every day for a month or longer, you will drastically improve your mental and physical health. So, go get or create a habit tracker, change your daily routine and start living a healthier life today!
Pretty much since the start of 2020 I’ve been coughing and sitting here at home feeling sorry for myself. It’s been almost a week now and I haven’t had human interaction in person other than with the ladies at the grocery store. And all they say to me is “go away”. Probably because I look insane and possibly smell pretty bad, even though I’m still taking showers. Can’t promise I’ll keep it up for the rest of 2020.
To get myself a bit more motivated, and a lot less whiny, I decided to do some actual research, practice some actual thinking and find some good daily habits for better health that can help all of us.
2022 Update: I obvioulsy wrote this in Jan ’20 and woah, hahaha, like I just, I want to keep it in here for the world to see.
How To Build Healthy Habits
I could recite some of the tips from the amazing book “Atomic Habits”, which I totally read until the end and didn’t fall asleep on page 78 several times. (My fault, not the author’s). But here’s the most important thing when it comes to building new good habits: It has to be something you enjoy. Something that challenges you and makes you feel good about yourself on a daily basis.
Forget about building habits in order to get from point A to point B…to just reach a goal. Goals are not our lives. Our habits make the majority of our days and our lives. We don’t like to be miserable. In fact, we tend to avoid it. So we need to enjoy what we do on a regular basis.
It’s essential to challenge yourself, but challenge yourself with something that you see a quick benefit from or that you like doing for whatever reason.
For example, I started doing 5 minutes of planks every day for a month. Now, I don’t like doing planks at all. It’s boring, my wrists and shoulders hurt and I sweat. But I love that my core feels tighter on the same day already. I’m even more excited about the fact that I am disciplined enough to practice the habit that I struggle with for one more day. Being disciplined makes me happy and motivates me, because that’s who I want to be. I respect disciplined people, I think discipline actually makes us better individually and as a community and I think the world is far better when we’re all disciplined about our own lives.
I realize that there’s a goal beyond that that I could be reaching (like having a stronger core), but that goal won’t make me plank for 5 minutes every day. Proving to myself that I am someone who’s disciplined daily…that’s what’s actually important to me.
So find out who you want to be and do the activities that can prove you are that person every day. Do you want to be more calm and less reactive? Do you want to be more joyful and spontaneous? Find something you can do every day that makes you feel this way.
7 Healthy Habits To Do Every Day
I hope this list of habits inspires you to make some positive changes in your life, here we go.
Daily Habit #1: Savor
The habit of savoring is linked to improved well-being, resilience, and reduced levels of depression (source). Savoring is noticing positive things in your life when they happen and being aware of those positive feelings.
Always Scanning For That Next Thing
I noticed a change in my behavior during the last maybe 2 years and I’m working on changing it back because I don’t like where this is going. I observed that I almost never take the time to appreciate when I’m really enjoying something. Like, I don’t make the effort to extend the moment. To save it in my memory if you know what I mean. If I’m sitting at a pool with my friends, laughing, beautiful weather – I’m okay for like 5 minutes and then I have the urgency to get up and start doing something “productive”. Even when there’s nothing to do. Sometimes, it’s not even productive and I’m just hunched over a phone looking for something mysterious.
When I go on my daily walks I kinda noticed I’m doing it more because I want to get 10,000 steps in and not because the sun is out and it’s basically beautiful outside and I feel so good and so happy to be alive. It seems like I’ve forgotten what it is to savor, to take time and appreciate the moment for what it is. Kinda stop time for a little bit and take a mental picture. I used to be so good at this all my life, now I’m always on to the next one like Jay Z. And I don’t like it.
Turns out it’s an unhealthy habit too. Because it always makes you want more and creates this stress and urgency inside that is ironically neither healthy, nor productive.
This can relate to food, exercise, body image – to me obviously it’s something with staying busy, which sucks. But it can lead to overeating, overexercising, overworking…you get the point. We need to start savoring and appreciating the good things happening to us at the very moment they occur.
Sit There And Allow Yourself To Savor
If you’re sitting there eating a delicious pizza, don’t scroll on your phone and feel guilty about it. Be fully content with the fact that you’re not eating a kale salad, but actual tasty pizza and that it’s really good and you’re not hurting anyone by enjoying it and making a note of that.
Daily Habit #2: Move
A well-hidden secret here: movement, any type of it, is beneficial for your cardiovascular, brain, bone, mental and systemic health. It is the single, most important habit that helped our brains evolve over time.
According to this literature review:
“Clinical evidence has demonstrated that exercise has a positive relationship with the outcome of different mental diseases, such as depression, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, improving not only patients’ quality of life but the disease itself.”
When you think about it, this is huge. The reason why exercise is the one habit that everyone can’t seem to stop talking about (no matter how fit that person looks) is that it’s that effective. It has immediate effects.
You just have to commit to doing it daily and find the right type of exercise for you. Maybe one day you go to a fitness class, or to the gym, another day you do yoga at home, maybe most days you just go for those 10,000 steps while savoring the time spent outside.
We’ve Stopped Moving
Exercise is the one thing that we’ve increasingly stopped doing over the centuries. We’ve got cars, we’ve got planes, we’ve got grocery stores and we’ve got computers. Those weren’t there about 200 years ago. Today there’s no need to go and walk. We don’t even need to go outside. But moving is in our nature, it’s what formed us.
Daily Habit #3. Cook
Cooking is one of those habits I never think about, but I’m super grateful for in my life. I had to start cooking for myself when I was a teenager. My mom was never at home and the only way I could eat something different than pizza was if I made it myself.
This hobby continued throughout my twenties and is really like second nature to me now. Not only does cooking help me eat healthier and challenges me to be creative, but it’s also helping me release some stress every day and it connects me to others. Obviously, I share many recipes here on this blog, but also in person. There’s nothing like sharing a meal with your family and friends and letting them tell you how good it was or you know “it’s fine”. Or blugh.
When you cook, you have the chance to design something the way you really want it. And because you need to eat every day, you get to practice every day and become great at it. You get to be the maker “behind the scenes”.
Starting To Eat And Cook Healthier
Now, if you’d like to start cooking more and healthier meals, I’d like to invite you to check out my clean eating binder here. It’s full of easy healthy recipes (some from the blog, some brand new), healthy eating, living and cooking tips as well as printables to help you develop good habits and stay on track with your diet.
I know I sound like a commercial, but I really love this binder and know it can help you if you’re overcomplicating simple things like eating healthier. It can teach you how to cook better and easier and how to eat healthy without counting calories or macros or anything at all. If you need a tool like this recipe binder, and decide to check it out and order it, use the code NTB20 for 20% off.
Daily Habit #4: Cultivate Positivity
Becoming a more positive person will improve your life in many ways, one of them is by improving your health. The ability to stay positive and to find pleasure in life is linked to better immune function, cardiovascular health, decreased pain and lower mortality risk (source).
Much like savoring, cultivating positivity is about being aware and getting excited when something positive happens, happened or will happen in your life. It’s about not playing it down and always trying to see the good in any situation.
How To Cultivate Positivity:
- practice gratitude – this can be by writing down your wins for the day, week and month. I think by now we’ve all heard about how gratitude can change our lives and I think it’s time to stop talking about it and to embrace it as a weekly practice. You can do this by writing thank you notes, keeping a gratitude journal, counting blessings or praying. If you want to read more about the research on gratitude check out this article by Harvard Health Publishing.
- intentionally switch your thinking. We often automatically think about the negative things. Sometimes this can get out of control leading to anxiety and depression. So whenever those negative thoughts come up, notice them, say “this is not real” and switch that thought. Start reminding yourself of moments that made you feel really happy. Or start imagining things that you actually want that will make you feel joy and excitement and start feeling those feelings as you imagine. You’ll need to practice this over and over and over again, but at some point it will become a habit.
- seek solutions, not problems. if you’re always coming up with excuses for why you’re not able to do something you want, start thinking about solutions. Instead of saying “I can’t lose weight, because I don’t have time to cook.”, start looking for ways to 1) find time to cook healthy meals 2) other ways to lose weight that you can integrate into your lifestyle (like walking more, taking standing breaks from sitting, intermittent fasting, drinking more water) and start being intentional about those things. Because who knows – they’ve worked for many others, they might just work for you too – you simply need to try for a long enough period of time.
Daily Habit #5: Nourish Good Relationships, Starve Bad Ones
Good relationships help us cope better with everyday stress and as part of a community keep us accountable to basically take care of ourselves. This results in better mental health and cardiovascular health. (source)
A meta-analysis of over 148 studies from 2010 found “a 50% increased likelihood of survival for participants with stronger social relationships”. They found that the influence of social relationships on mortality risk and health outcomes was comparable to smoking and alcohol consumption. It was greater than the influence of physical exercise and obesity.
So we need to put in the effort. Every day, make time to maintain, build and improve relationships with your friends, family, coworkers, and complete strangers! Give those potential psychopaths a chance – you might win a friend for life.
We stay connected online, yet keep isolating ourselves more and more
I just remember when my grandma was alive and needed something for cooking, she went to her neighbor to ask for it. They’d talk for like 10-20 minutes every day. They weren’t best friends, but they’d be there for each other. She had so many other relationships like that. Everyone knew everyone in that village and nobody was left out.
Today, when I need something, I go to the store. Many people order online. More and more of us work remotely. Even if we don’t…I remember working at an agency and the communication happened through Outlook or whatever software there was and people would look at me like a weirdo when I show up next to them and want to talk in person.
Same when I was working at a laboratory, everyone with their best friend – the computer. Human connection and spontaneity are vanishing and we’re growing apart. We eat lunches at our desks looking at our phones and you better not “waste” our precious time with a friendly conversation. Because time is not only money, but it’s our life, right?
We’re torn between working as a team, a community, and trying to be the best by competing with each other and comparing ourselves. Being social and working together is in our nature. And as I mentioned – it might be worth it more for your health than your 1-hour session at the gym.
Avoid Unhappy Relationships
On the other hand, you need to avoid or work on improving bad relationships. Unhappy relationships can really mess up your health. And not just mental health your physical health as well.
Research has shown that couples who are unhappily married or who have fights often also show signs of increased systemic inflammation and delayed wound healing – which is an essential process for good health.
A very interesting study compared the healing of blister wounds for couples in good relationships and couples in bad relationships after a fight. The wounds of the bad relationship couples healed slower – at 60% the rate of the good relationship couples. Yes, their wounds took almost twice as long to heal! (See research here). Which is insane, because wound healing is at the base of good health, it’s crucial to stay alive.
People in unhappy relationships also have on average higher blood pressure (risk is increased 3-fold) and a 25-times higher risk for major depression than people in happy relationships. (source)
Daily Habit #6: Give Yourself Space
Take time off! Sometimes I find a little scalp massage is the way to go, other days I wonder why I don’t sleep more. Allow your mind, your body, your soul and your scalp to recover from working so much.
Throw that phone away (don’t forget to be dramatic about it!) and do something fun or don’t do anything at all. Go sit outside, read a book, dream, look at old photos, call a friend… Relax your mind and your body, give yourself space. There’s plenty of time to learn, to do, to create and to watch.
Daily Habit #7: Be Kind!
Be a kind human! Kindness will open more doors for you than you could ever imagine. Being genuinely kind to others, and ourselves, makes us feel good and warm inside and it’s good for our health too. Much like gratitude, kindness will help you feel more connected, optimistic and it will reduce levels of anxiety, especially social anxiety. (source)
So when you wake up tomorrow and start feeling like you don’t want to face the world and everyone’s in your way, you start feeling guilty and get really impatient…Remind yourself: there’s always room and time to be kind. Studies show you don’t need to be kind to others ALL THE TIME but to stay healthy and happy you need to do at least 3 acts of kindness per week (source).
Well, if you’ve made it this far – 1. Thank you for coming here and for your time and attention – I really appreciate it! and 2. As I mentioned earlier, I hope these inspired you to take action today and to be more intentional about the way you live your life, it really makes a difference!
More Good Habits To Start:
TOP “I Will Find You And I Will Kill You” Reactions! Taken (2008) Movie Reaction *First Time Watch*
The Brambles
Written in response to: “Imagine a world where exploration is forbidden, and write a story about a character who defies this rule to satisfy their innate curiosity.“
Bethany Walters
Looming up ahead stood the remnants of the ‘Brary’. Carefully, she picked her way through the grounds and up to the front of the building. The entrance was boarded over and rusted chains were looped through the handles. Rhea reached into her sack and pulled out a decrepit hammer. The head was mottled with rust and there were chips missing from the wooded handle, but it was serviceable. She had found the hammer on another one of her ventures outside the confines of the Brambles. Most of the boards nailed to the door were rotted, so the worn tool made quick work of them. The rusted chains took a little longer to break, but she managed to get the job done.
Once inside, she pulled a lantern from her sack and lit it to get a better view of her surroundings. There were shelves all over the place; knocked over and their contents scattered. Rhea bent down to examine the debris. They were…Rhea was having a hard time coming up with the word… Books! That was it! Pearl used to talk about them all the time and how she wished there were some in the Brambles. This must be a place where books were once stored!
Rhea sat her lantern on the floor and picked up the book nearest to her. The cover was worn and impossible for her to read. She flipped through the pages hoping to find pictures. Pearl had taught her letters, how to write her name, and how to count, but her schooling didn’t extend beyond that. Rhea leaned against a wall and began searching through the piles of books for one she might be able to pick her way through. After half a dozen books, she gave up and headed further into the building. She found more of the same the further she went into the building, toppled shelves, chairs, and tables. There had to be more here than just broken furniture and books.
In one room she finally found something more. Hung on the wall were drawn pictures of land masses and bodies of water. Those would be useful to help find more resources or maybe other communities like their own. Another room contained thin pieces of paper with more writing and pictures on them. These new materials fascinated Rhea and she couldn’t wait to discover what they were and what they were used for.
She gathered a few books and other materials she found into her sack. First things first, she was going to have to learn to read, so she grabbed a couple of simple looking books with lots of pictures to add to her growing stash. Since she already knew the basics, perhaps it wouldn’t take long before she was able to understand the rest of the material.
Quickly, she exited the building and disguised her breaking and entering the best she could. Halfway back to the Brambles, Rhea was nearly discovered by a patrol. She hid herself in the hollow of a tree, covering the entrance with sticks and leaves. As the voices grew louder, she did her best to steady her breathing. If she was discovered, her plan would fail before it even began! The voices eventually faded, but Rhea stayed in her hiding place until she was sure that it was safe. She hurried back to the gate slipping in while the guards were distracted.
Inside her living quarters, Rhea tucked her bag away in a secret spot. It was too late to work on her plan now, it would have to wait. Right now all she wanted to do was sleep. Curling up on her bed, she closed her eyes, and let her dreams took over.
Six Months Later
Rhea was running. Not because she enjoyed it, but because a patrol had spotted her outside the walls. She flitted between the trees looking for a place to hide. She noticed the old hollow tree that had saved her only months ago. Crawling inside,she hunkered down and prayed she wouldn’t be seen. There hadn’t been time for concealing the entrance.
In the past six months, she had made numerous trips to and from the ‘Brary.’ With each trip she learned more and more. Using the children’s books, she taught herself to read and was now tackling some of the thicker books in the ‘Brary.’ Rhea discovered that the pictures with land and water on them were called ‘maps.’ She learned about places called New York and Los Angeles and oceans called the Atlantic and Pacific. She also uncovered mentions of a horrible event, in the newspapers she found. They were damaged in several places, but Rhea could make out something about battles being fought and the sending of troops. The Severing must have been worse than she realized, but she knew she was on the right track. It was just going to take more time.
Lanterns swung across her hiding place, Rhea held her breath and pushed herself inside of the tree as best she could. The lanterns soon turned away and she breathed a sigh of relief that came out louder than she meant it to.
“Come out from your hiding place,” a voice called, “I know you’re there. I can hear you.”
She was caught! All of her careful planning, gone! She considered running, but that would just make things worse. There was nothing left to do but surrender.
“All right, I’m coming out.” Rhea emerged from her hiding place, hands in the air.
The patrolman jerked her closer to him and thrust the lantern right into her eyes. The sudden movement of light caused Rhea to flinch. That only made the patrolman tighten his grip on her arm.
“Do you know how much trouble you are in?” the patrolman said menacingly. The meanest, most brutal members of the community were chosen to be patrolmen. The one that caught Rhea was no exception. He was like a warthog in men’s clothing with breath that would wilt a field of flowers.
She wasn’t about to let this man know how terrified she felt. She stood tall and let her silence do the talking for her.
“Nothing to say for yourself?” the man spat at her as he squeezed her arm tighter and tighter. Rhea wanted to cry out, but she wasn’t going to give the patrolman the satisfaction.
“Eventually you’ll talk, if not to me then to one of the leaders, now march!” The patrolman shoved her forward as he said this. Rhea continued to say nothing, she was focused on what she would say once she arrived back at the Brambles.
She knew she wasn’t going to throw herself on the mercy of the community leaders. Rhea was going to tell them everything that she had been doing for the past six months. Then she was going to demand they tell her exactly why things were the way they were.
Through the front gates they marched, a patrolman on either side of her. The community leaders all lived in a series of buildings in the center of town and that’s where they were headed. Whatever was going to happen to her, Rhea knew they wanted no record of it. That’s why they were taking her there instead of the community hall where punishments were generally handed out.
One of the patrolmen knocked on a door and waited. Rhea could hear a shuffling of feet and grumbling on the other side. The door unlocked and there stood Bryon Hargraves, the man in charge of The Brambles.
“What is the meaning of this!?” Hargraves said gruffly. “Do you know what time it is?,” he continued in the same gruff voice
“Apologies, Mr. Hargraves, Sir, but you said if we ever caught someone outside the walls to bring them straight to you. She hasn’t told us her name though,” the warthog patrolman said in an oily voice.
Mr. Hargraves turned his head to look at Rhea. His beady eyes bored into Rhea’s green ones. She wanted to turn away, but she forced herself to return his stare. After another agonizing moment, Mr. Hargraves looked away and told the patrolmen to release her.
“Thank you for bringing her to me. I know exactly who she is and I will take it from here.” Mr. Hargraves said, grabbing Rhea’s arm. The patrolmen saluted Hargraves and left.
“Won’t you come in, Miss Rhea, and make yourself comfortable,” Mr. Hargraves said with a smile that did not quite reach his eyes.
Rhea didn’t answer, she just stepped inside the building, her resolve starting to waver, but she wasn’t going to let Hargraves know that. She marched in and took a seat on a couch. Hargraves sat across from her in a high-backed wooden chair that shined from a recent cleaning. He laced his fingers together and cleared his throat.
“It seems we have a bit of a problem, Miss Rhea,” Mr. Hargraves began, his voice barely above a whisper.
Rhea opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by Mr. Hargraves.
“I know what you have been doing these past six months. You thought you were so clever, but not clever enough it seems.” He sighed and leaned back in his chair.
“If you know what I’ve been doing then why aren’t I being punished? Rhea replied, her resolve coming back to her.
“You aren’t being punished because I want the same things that you do. We’ve been isolated from the rest of the country for far too long. It’s time for our punishment to be over!”
“What do you mean about the rest of the country?” Rhea said, her voice rising. “And what’s this about a punishment?” She was no longer afraid of the man in front of her.
“You know that years ago there was an incident called The Severing, correct?” Mr. Hargraves asked.
“Yes, but I was a small child when that happened so I don’t know anything about it other than its name.” Mr. Hargraves flinched slightly. Rhea continued, “I asked constantly, but no one would answer. It was like people were afraid of mentioning it,” she finished. Rhea’s curiosity was rising, she waited for Hargrave to continue.
“The Severing, my dear, was an uprising against the government of our country. It was a chance to ‘sever’ ourselves away from a government that sought to control every aspect of our lives. There were a few victories in the beginning, but the insurrectionists were ill prepared. The government crushed the movement with absolute devastation and forced those who participated into prison communities as punishment. Beyond these walls are more walls that separate us from the rest of the country.
It was beginning to make sense to Rhea now, the constant surveillance, food rations, endless rules, and the punishments. She had been raised in a prison, she was currently living in a prison! Angry didn’t even begin to cover what Rhea was feeling. She was on a whole other level of furious. Without thinking, Rhea stood up, her hand balled into a fist ready to beat Mr. Hargraves with every inch of her being.
Mr. Hargraves was too quick to her. He jumped up, knocking his chair over in the process and pulled a gun on Rhea.
“Sit down please, Miss Rhea, if you want to leave this room alive.” Mr. Hargraves steadied his gun right at her head.
Rhea sat back down, without taking her eyes off of him. She couldn’t make any more mistakes, not if she wanted the truth. She was going to have to play by his rules.
“Now if I may continue,” Mr. Hargraves reached behind him and sat his chair upright and returned to it all the while keeping his gun trained on Rhea.
“Fine, can you tell me why I spent my entire childhood living in a prison?” What did I have to do with the severing? I was only a child, a child!” Rhea was shouting now, regardless of the gun pointing at her.
“You weren’t supposed to be here!” Mr. Hargraves shouted back!
A silence fell across the room. It creeped in-between the sofa cushions and under the rugs. After a moment, Rhea spoke, her voice shaking as she did.
“What do you mean I wasn’t supposed to be here?”
“Your parents were traitors that were killed trying to escape back across the border. The patrolmen were going to kill you as well, but decided to abandon you to the elements.Pearl and Neil found you as they came through as part of a prisoner transfer. They refused to move any further until they were allowed to take you with them. It was a risky move, by all rights, they should have been killed, but there was a sympathetic guard that allowed Pearl and Neil to keep you. That’s how you ended up at the prison camp.” Mr. Hargraves finished with a frustrated look.
It was the truth she was looking for, she should be relieved, but all she felt was emptiness. She stared hard at him and said. “What do you want from me ?”
“I have a proposition for you, and if you accept it maybe, just maybe it will be a step toward a reconciliation between The Brambles and the rest of the country.”
He smiled down the barrel of the gun.
“So, Miss Rhea, are you in or not?”
Col 29 – Book 542 – Auntie Clover and the Day the Satchel Ran Away
A Tale of Grapevines, Goose Chase, and the Search for Lost Generosity
It was a Thursday—the kind of morning that smells of damp earth and possibility. Auntie Clover arrived humming, as she always did, “You Are My Sunshine” in ¾ time, her silver hair escaping its bun like thoughts too joyful to be contained. In her hand swung her grapevine satchel—woven from last summer’s vines, sturdy and gently frayed, the Gift Bag of Infinite Potential.
She’d come to deliver a jar of Almost Jam (the strawberries were a tad tart, but the love was ripe) to Martha. But as she reached the gate, something shifted. Not a sound, but a feeling—a low, warm hum that seemed to rise from the satchel itself.
Zephyr, floating nearby with his lava lamp glowing a suspicious rose-gold, coughed.
“Low-level Ambient Vibe Cells surge,” he admitted, not looking up from his clipboard. “My apologies. The vibes… escaped.”
Bandit the Raccoon, perched on the fence, nodded sagely. “It was the vibes. Definitely the vibes. I felt ‘em. They were… generous.”
And then—the satchel wriggled.
Not much. Just a gentle roll, like a cat stretching in the sun. Auntie Clover blinked. “Oh, dear.”
It rolled again. Then, with a soft whump, it tumbled from her hand and landed in the dew-damp grass. For a moment, it lay still. Then, as if remembering a dream, it began to roll—slowly at first, then with purpose—down the lane.
“My satchel!” Auntie Clover called, not in alarm, but in wonder.
It was running away.
The Great Unspooling
The satchel didn’t run in a straight line. It meandered, as if following a map only it could see. And as it rolled, it began to spill its contents—not carelessly, but intentionally, like a tree dropping seeds.
A single pearl button bounced into the lavender patch. Ditto, who had been mid-cartwheel, caught it mid-air. “Button!” he chirped, holding it to the light. “Shiny!”
A pickle, wrapped in wax paper, rolled toward the pigpen. Porkchop sniffed once, then snapped it up with a happy grunt. “Crunchy!” he declared. “Salty! Mine!”
An empty wooden box—velvet-lined, just like the one from Tuesday—came to rest against the foot of Steve the Scarecrow. Steve tilted his hat, creaking softly. He didn’t pick it up. He simply let it stay. “For thought storage,” he murmured to no one, and the box seemed to sigh in agreement.
By now, the farm was awake and watching.
Doris flapped her wings, clipboard at the ready. “A mobile generosity event! I must document the trajectory!” She fainted upright.
Genghis, monocle gleaming, stepped into the satchel’s path. “Halt!” he commanded. “I propose a trade! Five gold chains for safe return! A generous offer, I assure you!”
The satchel paused, seemed to consider, then rolled gently around him, leaving a single wildflower seed at his feet.
The Chase That Wasn’t
No one ran after it to catch it. They followed to witness.
Jazzpurr fetched his saxophone. He didn’t play a tune to stop the satchel—he played a lullaby, something low and honey-thick, like a heartbeat. “Just vibes, man,” he whispered, and the satchel slowed, humming back in C-sharp.
Martha stepped out from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. She didn’t reach for the satchel. She simply smiled. “It’s looking for something,” she said softly. “Or remembering.”
Catnip watched from the roof, tail twitching. He’d seen empty boxes before. He knew about things that held space. He didn’t move. He just… understood.
Bandit trailed behind, narrating to no one: “And the bag, see, it’s not lost. It’s… redistributing. Yeah. Redistributing vibes.”
But Auntie Clover? She didn’t chase. She didn’t call. She simply walked—slowly, steadily—to the middle of the lane, where the grass grew thick and soft. And she sat.
She smoothed her apron. Adjusted her mismatched glove. And she began to hum.
The same tune. “You Are My Sunshine.” In ¾ time.
The Return
The satchel had reached the bamboo grove. It paused at the edge, as if listening. Then it turned—not quickly, but surely—and began rolling back the way it came.
Past Genghis, who was now examining the wildflower seed with his monocle.
Past Jazzpurr, whose saxophone had faded to a soft hum.
Past Ditto, who was trying to balance the button on his nose.
Past Porkchop, who was licking pickle juice from his snout.
It rolled right up to Auntie Clover and stopped in her lap.
She placed a hand on it—not to hold it down, but to greet it. The grapevines were warm, humming softly.
“There you are, dear,” she whispered, her voice like warm honey stirred with cinnamon. “I missed you.”
The satchel nestled into her lap. It didn’t try to leave again. It just… rested. And if you listened closely, you could hear it humming back—a soft, steady harmony to her tune.
That Night
Ditto, ever curious, crept over to where the satchel lay beside Auntie Clover’s rocking chair on the porch. He curled up beside it, one paw resting on the woven vines.
“It’s warm,” he whispered.
The satchel hummed—a gentle, sleeping sound. You Are My Sunshine, in ¾ time.
Auntie Clover, watching from the doorway, smiled. “It always was,” she said softly. “It just forgot for a little while.”
The Moral of the Story
Sir Whiskerton, who had observed the entire affair from the roof, addressed the farm at dusk—not with a speech, but with a quiet observation.
“Love isn’t possession,” he murmured, his purr blending with the evening breeze. “It’s presence. And sometimes, the best way to hold something is to let it go… and trust it’ll return.”
Doris, revived with mint tea, dabbed her eyes. “A kinetic metaphor! I can’t bear it!”
“Bear it,” echoed the satchel—not in words, but in a warm, grapevine hum.
And from that day on, the satchel never ran away again.
But it did hum.
And sometimes, on quiet mornings, it would open just a little—not to spill, but to offer.
A button. A pickle. An empty box.
Not because it had to.
But because it wanted to.
The Final Truth
The heart doesn’t need a lid.
It just needs a place to come home to.
Jingle on.
(Or, in farm-ese: Let go… trust… hum… home.)
The End.
Spicy Garlic Chicken Bites
I made these flavorful spicy garlic chicken bites last week using chicken breast, some dried herbs, spices and of course, that amazing aphrodisiac garlic. Mmmmmm garlic!!! If that last one hasn’t convinced you yet…Know that this easy meal prep chicken recipe comes together in around 20 minutes and is the perfect high-protein addition to Mediterranean dinners, healthy bowls, wraps and salads.
At least that’s how I used them. I added them to my high-protein avocado chicken salad, to my favorite roasted veggie chicken bowls and last but not least – to these black bean avocado chicken bowls. Yes, I feel very resourceful and productive if you can’t tell. That was a good, healthy week! Here’s what you need to make them as well:
Spicy Garlic Chicken Bites Ingredients
- cubed chicken breast
- paprika
- crushed red pepper (that’s the spicy part)
- olive oil
- dried oregano
- cumin
- lemon juice
- salt and pepper
As you can see, we’re using super simple ingredients that you probably already have.
How To Make The Spicy Garlic Chicken Bites
I did something different from what I usually do with chicken. Usually, I’d just stir the chicken bites for 7-10 minutes at medium-high heat, but I wanted the meat to be super tender. And I wanted it to be done, I do not love raw or rare meat, especially chicken.
So after starting things off at medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, I reduced the heat to low, covered the pan with a lid and let it cook for 10 minutes. Cooking at low temperature for longer will make the meat super tender.
Here’s the step-by-step:
1. Mix the chicken bites with garlic, paprika, crushed red pepper, oregano, cumin, olive oil, lemon juice, a few pinches of salt and pepper.
2. Use a larger skillet to cook – you want to have space and not overcrowd. Add a little bit of olive oil and then the chicken at medium-high heat, stirring for 3-4 minutes.
3. Then cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low – allowing the chicken to simmer.
4. Once the 10 minutes are up, uncover and turn the heat back up and stir occasionally for another 2-3 minutes (if needed, add a little bit of olive oil).
5. Turn the heat off and serve as is or with some freshly chopped herbs like dill or parsley.
Meal Prep protein for Mediterranean Recipes
You can use these garlic chicken bites to add more flavor and protein to Mediterranean meals like salads, bowls, and of course wraps. These fit the Mediterranean diet perfectly, as we’re using lemon juice, spices and olive oil. No need to deep fry or add sugar or heavy sauces here.
How To Store And Serve
Once you’re done with the meal prep for these garlic chicken bites, place them into an airtight food container and store them in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
I usually like to reheat mine in the oven for about 5 minutes, but you can also do it in a pan with a tbsp or so of water. You can even have them cold, if you’re eating them in a salad. I personally prefer them reheated.
They will go perfectly with hummus, tzatziki, tomato cucumber salad or this lettuce salad. Here are some examples or recipes I’d use them in:
- Roasted Vegetable Chicken Bowls
- Mediterranean Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- High-Protein Chicken Salad With Avocado
- Mediterranean Chicken Wraps
- Healthy Fall Chicken Salad
- 20-Minute Gyros Bowls
Here’s the printable recipe, so that you can print and frame it. Hope you enjoy them!
Yield: 4
Spicy Garlic Chicken Bites
These irresistible, spicy garlic chicken bites are the ultimate Mediterranean meal prep protein. Ready in just 20 minutes, they are high-protein and low-carb perfect for upgrading your weeknight dinners, healthy bowls, salads, and wraps.
Ingredients
- 1 pound/ 450g chicken breast, in bite-sized pieces
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp oregano
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Mix the chicken bites with garlic, paprika, crushed red pepper, oregano, cumin, olive oil, lemon juice, a few pinches of salt and pepper.
- Use a larger skillet to cook – you want to have space and not overcrowd. Add a little bit of olive oil and then the chicken at medium-high heat, stirring for 3-4 minutes.
- Then cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low – allowing the chicken to simmer.
- Once the 10 minutes are up, uncover and turn the heat back up and stir ofor another 5 minutes (if needed add a little bit of olive oil).
- Turn the heat off and serve as is or with some freshly chopped herbs like dill or parsley.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 272Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 104mgSodium: 106mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 2gSugar: 0gProtein: 28g
Is there a real 20mm round? It would be a huge mag.
Of course there is, Google ‘Anzio 20mm’
See this thing? It wrecks people.
You know that common understanding about Barrett M82 being able to split a man in half from one klick away? Well this baby could literally pulverize a man from the same distance.
If you’re wondering about the size comparison, well…
In this picture M82 Barrett literally almost looks like a carbine when it’s propped beside Anzio 20mm.
And as for the bullet itself….
That blue one on the right is 20mm, next to it is the .50 cal, .338 Lapua and 5.56mm.
Young Girl Vanished in 1997 — 13 Years Later, a Shopkeeper Hears This
Did you know?
It is likely that the 15-year-old student threatened him with a knife when he was a teacher.
Before becoming an actor, Liam wanted to be a teacher and had completed two years of training, but it was all cut short when he punched one of his students. He never revealed the school where it happened, but it is believed to have been St Mary’s College in Fenham, Newcastle.
When Dan Le Batard asked him “what was his worst day at work,” Liam stated:
A boy pulled a knife on me at school. He was a big kid, about 15 years old. I had to punch him, and then I got in trouble for it. There were always discipline problems; you had to calm them down before you could start teaching them.
This particular boy wouldn’t calm down; he wanted to disrupt the whole class. So I went up to him and asked him to leave the classroom and stay outside.
The next thing he did was pull out a knife. My reaction was to punch him, something I shouldn’t have done, but I felt threatened, so I punched him.
Wherever this kid is, let’s hope he’s learned to leave the knives in the kitchen, instead of going out and scaring people into becoming action stars.
Thanks for reading