Today, China is aligning itself and playing the “hard game” against the USA. The previous six years of prep-work are starting to come to fruition. Yellen was in China trying to mitigate a difficult situation and the neocon war hawks are “chomping at the bit” to start world war 3. They have no friggin’ clue what they are asking for.

Meanwhile, China is on a war footing and Xi Peng is touring the military districts and inspiring everything to play a very tense and detailed battle plan. China is ready.

Meanwhile…

The USA is really fucked up and about to be harshly butt-fucked. You all have no friggin’ idea.

Almost getting kidnapped..

This is when I was in 1st standard and was on a train trip to Goa with my family.

I was looking through the window and was annoyed by the crying of my little sister who was just 6 months back then

Getting a bit more annoyed I decided to just roam here and there so asked my father to take me near the washroom of the train.

I went inside, used the toilet and came out…

My father saw me and started getting back to our seat but…. Till the time I asked my father to wait, someone just pulled their hand over my face.. I was just terrified! He was trying to kidnap me.. But but my father felt something unusual when he turned back and the waiter just ran away leaving me super frightened..

I was crying while whole journey and just was holding my father’s hand all the time..

Well, here i am safe and all well 😆

Just want to say that keep a bit special care of your little ones whenever you’re going outside..

What was the moment you cancelled the friendship with your best friend?

I was applying for a job, and a mutual friend set me up to talk to someone who worked there. Well we hit it off and became instant buddies.

I never really understood why she was so unpopular with the rest of the staff. Sure she was a “different” person, but I like different people.

Then the cracks appeared. It became obvious that there was some mental issues. She was extremely literal, for one. She would tell me something like she wasnt allowed to use the elevator-only her-but somehow the rest of us could-even though she was never told that. Or our boss asked us to sign out if we were leaving the building-only she took that to mean only she had to sign out for everything and I mean everything. She’d sign out if she went to look out the window. She’d sign out if she was using the copier-which was literally two feet away. And she was hostile and paranoid about everything. Someone would bring in donuts and she’d go off on a tirade about how she didnt eat donuts blah blah blah, just say no thank you. She’d just get angry over the most minor things, stomp around, slam doors, etc. Once she didnt speak to me for two weeks because she found out I was able to put a larger percentage of my paycheck into savings than she did. It was just exhausting to deal with her, never knowing what would set her off.

Then she started trying to steal my clients and take credit for my ideas. That was the last straw.

She could be a really supportive and funny person, so I stuck around a lot longer than I should have. But I realized she’d done this stuff to everyone, which is why most of the staff hated her.

Voyage to the bottom of the sea: Terror

What did someone do or say at the bank that made you say, “You gotta be kidding me!”?

In Australia, banks have “pop up security screens” that can be activated by the tellers in the event of a bank robbery. when they do, a big steel panel slams up (“pop up” is an understatement) out of the counter in about 1/10th of a second…

I was making a deposit in my bank one morning when BANG up went the screen…

It made a HUGE noise that scared the sh*t out of me. I am staring at a steel wall that has a sign that says “Do not attempt to communicate with Bank Staff – The Police have been called”…

Now I froze – because I was aware that there was only one other customer in the bank at the time and I knew that it wasn’t me that was robbing it.

I was now on the wrong side of the security screen with (probably) an armed robber…

I kept my hands still and looked very slowly to my left and saw a very similar gentleman that was frozen and pale faced too, and looking very slowly to his right – obviously thinking exactly the same thing that I was…

Then the Manager came bursting out a side door – very apologetic to us that the screen had been accidentally triggered…

Just then a Police Car arrived with two officers running in with guns drawn yelling “Everyone on the floor!”

The Manager was trying to explain herself but the Police just told her to shut up and lay still – they must have been initially convinced that they had successfully caught three armed robbers…

And all I wanted to do was deposit a $200 check…

Trade without USD. BRICS currency (backed by gold) coming soon

The REAL reason why Blinkin and Yellen are trying to meet with China. Big changes. It is going to disrupt the USD, so we will have a situation where the USD will function alongside each other.

Biden’s mega-mess up. Wholly shit!

Did you ever go to hospital in an emergency and were admitted immediately?

I was bitten by a snake once and it was only eight blocks to the Hospital. I was in bed and felt him bite my leg. I went to find something to put him in and when I looked down at my leg, I noticed it swelling. Looked at the snake and said “You’re poisonous aren’t you, ya little bastard.”

I stuck the snake in a jar, tied off my leg and proceeded to walk to the Hospital.

Once I got to the Hospital, I was getting the “OMG/WTF” staredown. I was apparently extremely pale looking.

I put the snake/jar on the counter and said “This guy bit me.”

The nurse came around with such speed, she must have found the closest of those rolling beds she could and yanked me onto it. I couldn’t have been waiting for more than 5 minutes before the Doctor came in with anti-venom.

I was laughing from the time I got stuck on the bed because I didn’t know what to say in that situation, it just all seemed so hilarious to me at the time.

I then got the “You idiot! Why did you walk here?” conversation. My initial response to the question was “Because I could?” ~ I was 16 at the time.

Grilled Meat Loaf Meal Packets

Dinner’s in an easy-to-assemble packet! Grill meat, potatoes and carrots for a satisfying meal.

Make these packets up to 24 hours in advance. Pop them on the grill when you are ready to eat.

Although these hearty packets can be a complete meal, a crisp mixed-greens salad would be a nice addition.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds lean (at least 80%) ground beef
• 1 (1 ounce) package onion recipe and dip soup mix (from 2-ounce box)
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup Progresso plain bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1 bag (1 pound 4 ounces) refrigerated new potato wedges*
• 3 cups ready-to-eat baby-cut carrots
• Fresh parsley, if desired

* Fresh new potatoes, cut into wedges, can be used instead of the refrigerated potatoes. Because the refrigerated potatoes are partially cooked, microwave the fresh ones for 4 to 6 minutes before adding them to the packets.

Instructions

1. Heat gas or charcoal grill. Cut 6 (18 x 10-inch) sheets of heavy-duty foil; spray with cooking spray.
2. In medium bowl, mix beef, dry soup mix, egg, milk and bread crumbs.
3. Shape into 6 loaves, 4 x 2 1/2 x 1 inch.
4. Place 1 loaf on each foil sheet; top each with about 1 tablespoon of the ketchup.
5. Place about 1/2 cup potatoes and 1/2 cup carrots around each loaf.
6. Bring up 2 sides of foil so edges meet. Seal edges, making tight 1/2-inch fold; fold again, allowing space for heat circulation and expansion. Fold other sides to seal.
7. Place packets on grill. Cover grill; cook over medium heat 25 to 30 minutes, rotating packets 1/2 turn after 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender and meat thermometer inserted in center of loaves reads 160 degrees F.
8. To serve, cut large X across top of each packet; carefully fold back foil to allow steam to escape. Garnish with parsley.

Yield: 6 servings

What happened to you as a child that feels like a punch to the gut every time you think about it?

When I was 4 years old, my dad married my stepmom, who already had 3 kids of her own.

One night, my dad woke up me and my sister and took us to the kitchen.

We could tell from his angry tone that something was wrong, and I wondered if I had done something to make him mad at me.

The kitchen was a mess, with open cabinets and things thrown around everywhere. On the table, there was a pile of bags of cookies, snack cakes, candy bars, and other treats.

My dad pointed to the table and said, “Go ahead! Eat whatever you want!

Eat all of it if you want to!”

My stepmom, stepbrother, and stepsisters were all in the kitchen, not saying anything.

My sister and I nervously walked up to the table, took something, and started eating our treats carefully.

The snack cake I was eating was a new one for me. I reached for another one and said, “These are really good, do you want one?” and offered it to one of my stepsisters.

My stepmom and step siblings looked scared, and my dad grabbed the cake from my hand and threw it back on the table.

“No! I said YOU eat it!” my dad yelled.

My older sister asked, “What’s going on?”

My stepmom shouted, “Just eat the damn cake!” and my dad gave my stepmom a look that made everyone else stay quiet until me and my sister finished our snack cakes.

My dad said, “Do you want another one?

Go ahead, eat everything on the whole table if you want to!”

Feeling really nervous with everyone watching us eat, my sister and I said we weren’t hungry and went back to bed.

…

We never talked about that night again.

It took me several years to understand what had happened.

My stepmom, whose kids were older than me and my sister, had been hiding the snacks and giving them to her kids after she sent us to bed, and my dad caught her.

After that night, there always seemed to be snacks in the house.

It made me realize that my stepmom cared very little about me and my sister, and favored her own kids more.

China Hits Back In CHIP WAR Restricts Chipmaking Metal Exports To Europe And The U.S

So the USA can ban this, and sanction that. It doesn’t matter.

China controls the MATERIALS that IC chips are made from. The massive ignorance of the USA is on full display as they shoot themselves in the feet once again.

https://youtu.be/54g2k6TBjgA

What is something someone who has never been poor wouldn’t understand?

My gardener, a poor elderly man who earns a daily wage as a gardener, had to buy a washing machine.

Being poor, he had to buy it on credit because he didn’t have $400 in cash.

The total cost of his purchase including various fees, charges and interest came to about $1300, for a $400 washing machine which would have cost me $300 if I’d bought the same machine online. (The amounts were actually in South African Rand, I’m just using a rough dollar estimate).

He came to show me the contract because he didn’t understand it.

When I saw what they were charging him, I was really upset on his behalf and posted a copy of the contract on social media.

I called out the retailer on their exploitative lending practices, which prey on the poor with outrageous lending fees and ripoff charges and costs to pad their profit.

The post went viral and the story was picked up by the newspapers.

The retailer threatened to sue me, so I posted that letter on social media as well to expose their threats and bullying.

My post got massive public support and in the end the retailer relented, took back the washing machine and refunded the man’s money.

The media loved the story.

There were scathing articles in several papers, I was asked to do radio interviews and I got requests from hundreds of other consumers who felt cheated by retailers, asking if I would take up their cause.

The story has a happy ending for my gardener.

A generous stranger who followed the story on social media offered to buy the man a brand new washing machine after the store collected the one he bought and refunded his money.

Using the money donated by the good samaritan, I managed to buy the same washing machine for my gardener for $300.

My gardener is a gentle old man. He was so happy and grateful about getting a free washing machine, he burst into tears.

Why am I telling this story?

Because I was shocked to find out that a poor person might have to pay $1300 for an appliance that would cost a rich person $300.

This is something few rich people understand, if they’ve never been poor and never had to buy on credit.

What happened at a Thanksgiving dinner that made you say, “You gotta be kidding me?”

The first Thanksgiving I brought my girlfriend, now wife, home to my family. Most of us were sitting in the living room when we hear a loud thud and ran into the kitchen and find my father is lying on the floor and my girlfriend pulling off his pants, while he yells take off my pants take off my pants!

He was taking the turkey out of the oven, and dropped it spilling the burning hot juices all over his pants. Since my girlfriend was the one in the kitchen with him the pants pulling fell to her!

What a great way to meet your future father-in-law! Fortunately no serious burns were sustained

What is the best revenge you ever had on your bully?

I grew up poor. I took my lunch to school because I didn’t have money for school lunches. When I made it to high school some of the older high school bullies found it “cool” to pop my school locker open and eat my lunch. This got to be all too regular. So … I baked a large batch of chocolate chip cookies with extra chocolate chips — and 2 boxes of Exlax. These were locked securely in my school locker so no-one would accidentally dose themself with an extreme dose of laxative.

Yes, the cookies disappeared. So did five people — for three days. I never lost a lunch again. Yes, this may have been a shitty thing to do, but it worked!

Does China want ULTIMATE power?

China recently passed the Foreign Relations Law, which lays out foreign policy with an aim to “multipolarity.” The West is freaking out about it saying that it is a power grab.

We have a guest to break down the anti-China rhetoric today.

Carl Zha is the host of the “Silk and Steel Podcast focusing on China, history, culture and politics. He explains how this is a reaction to Western sanctions and why the West is having a fit about it.

He talks about WHY the new Chinese Foreign Relations Law has been put in place this last month. It is super important.

My 20-year-old daughter wants to move in with us until she is finished with college. She says she will pay the bills but she is a grown adult. How do I tell her that adults leave the nest?

What the hell is wrong with you people?

She is only 20 and trying to attend college, which is so very expensive it’s sickening…once she completes college then I would give her a year to find a job, if she does not, then she need a job doing whatever.

Waitressing until she finds her job.

And start paying for rent or food and maintaining her own vehicle yes.

But at least help her out while she is going to school trying to better herself.

What are some examples of bad manners when dating someone new?

I have a story about dating someone new!

I went on this date because my friend introduced him to me. “He’s good looking, has a decent job and fun!” – He sounded like a great man, right?

The plan for the date was he would pick me up, then we would go for a breakfast then he would drop me off at work – it sounded like a great way to start a day, right?

It was a winter morning. He showed up. My friend was right. He’s gorgeous. His smile melt the cold away. He handed me a hot coffee, winked at me and said: “I was sneaky and asked [my friend’s name] about your favorite coffee to impress you. Here it is. I hope you’re impressed!”. I laughed and told him I was impressed. “This is going to be awesome!!” – I screamed in my head.

We arrived at the breakfast place, were walking in. It’s a bit early and there were a janitor sweeping outside the restaurant. To my surprise, he dropped his empty coffee cup. In front of the janitor. Not in the trash can, not in the dust pan that the janitor had right there. In front of the janitor’s broom. I asked him why did he do that? He said because the janitor was sweeping and he would sweep it up anyway.

I didn’t say anything. I saw the janitor’s eyes. I went and picked up the coffee cup and put it in the trash can. Then I got a *sudden* phone call and I needed to be in the office *immediately* so I had to take a cab.

We didn’t talk after that.

Was that “bad manner”? I don’t know. But I’m sure that the janitor’s eyes were sad.

While at an animal shelter, what did your pet do that caused you to adopt him or her?

My 6 year old son and I were looking to adopt a full grown cat as they are less likely to be adopted. I passed a grey and white female and she caught my eye. “No, that one isn’t friendly at all” said the shelter worker. I asked she be taken out of the cage so I could meet her. As soon as the cage was unlocked, she jumped into my arms and started nuzzling my face. “Well!” Said the surprised worker, “I guess she’s your cat!”

I took her home that day, she stood guard at the foot of my son’s bed every night and if a stranger came in his room while he was sleeping, she would growl at them until they left.

She lived to be a ripe old age and was the sweetest girl you ever met.

What did a family member do to you to never talk to them again?

My younger brother needed a place to stay for a bit while he got back on his feet.

I was single with 2 kids (14yr girl & 7yr boy) and worked graveyard shift so I let him sleep on my sofa.

One night about midnight my daughter calls me at work and very calmly said mom can you come home?

This was out of the norm for us.. she never called me.. if she needed me she’d text.

I worked so close to home..literally 5 min away..I’d usually go home during lunch.

I asked her if everything was OK and again she very calmly said yes just come now.

I asked her who was there and she didn’t reply so I started guessing.. is your uncle there.. she said yes..I said where.. she said right here!!.

I dropped my shit so fast I made it home in 2 min flat!!

I had a pocket knife in hand ready to kill him but the second I walked thru the door I dropped it and told him..if he didn’t get the hell out of my house on in 2 min I was gonna let the cops deal with him.

My sister tells me i didn’t kill him because I’m a mother before I’m a killer.

My daughter was brave enough to realize he was acting REALLY weird and she wasn’t afraid to call me.

She made me very proud.

Ex-CIA: White House PANICS Over Exposed Dark Secrets

Former CIA Ray McGovern shares with Stephen Gardner the dark agenda of the US involvement in Ukraine.

How they plan to hurt Russia while making billions of dollars for at-home donor corporations. Putin will be forced to move West if NATO continues to block Ukraine’s ability to seek peace with Russia.

Zelenskyy is blocking elections to remain in power. Obama and Victoria Nuland carry more responsibility for the state of Ukraine than the main stream media cares to admit.

Barrack Obama helped orchestrate the coup against Ukraine to install the US desired government.

What did a judge say during sentencing that made you say “You gotta be kidding me”?

I was representing an elderly woman charged with tax evasion. Many years before his death, her husband had opened a Swiss Bank account and funded it with an inheritance he received from an aunt who lived in Europe. He invested the money wisely and it grew into a large fortune.

After he died, the US government started its all out offense against Swiss banks that were holding accounts for US taxpayers who were avoiding US taxes. My client knew about the Swiss account but never took any substantial action with it.

When she came under investigation we spent around two years trying to convince the tax division of the Department of Justice not to indict her. They did indict her but allowed her to enter into a plea agreement that was very favorable.

The federal judge on the case at sentencing made it very clear to the government that they had overreached by charging her. He placed her on probation, remained silent for 15 seconds, then said he was terminating her probation and discharging her.

How did you see your child acting that made you say “something’s not right”? What happened?

My youngest son was a very cranky baby .

He cried a lot and the only thing that would calm him was when I held him close to my chest.

I told his pediatrician that something wasn’t right with him and he told me that I worry to much and that my son was perfectly healthy.

One day I had placed my son in his playpen on his belly so that he could grasp his soft toys.

I was standing behind him watching him and I noticed that when my six year old daughter was talking to him (she was kneeling beside his playpen) my son didn’t pay any attention to her when she talked to him.

I stood behind him and I yelled real loud and he never even flinched.

I got a pan and a large metal spoon and had my daughter bang on it a few times from where she was kneeling and still he never flinched or look her way.

I knew then that he was deaf.

I called his pediatrician and told him that my son is deaf and I wanted a referral for my son to see a ears, nose and throat doctor.

Again he told me that my son is perfectly fine. I fought with quite a few doctors before I found one that actually listened to me.

After arguing with different doctors for four years I finally got the referral that I needed to see a specialist. (back in the 80’s you needed a referral to see a specialist).

My son also constantly had a runny nose.

I was told he had allergies that caused that.

When I finally saw the specialist he told me that my son was deaf and that he felt my son needed surgery to put tubes in his ears.

Finally at the age of four, my son had the surgery.

The surgeon came out to talk to me after the surgery and told me that my son suffered with pain since he was born because he had extra skin covering his eardrums and because of his allergies his sinuses were impacted and the fluids built up in his ears and his ears were so infected he couldn’t believe that the doctors wouldn’t listen to me.

His surgery was successful and the surgeon removed the extra layer of skin and put tubes in his ears.

My son was finally free of pain and could hear.

I had to teach him everything that he didn’t learn in those four years.

I even recited nursery rhymes to him along with teaching him the alphabet and how to count, how to tell time.

I even had to tell him the names of things and people.

When he went to school I had them hold him back in first grade because he I felt that he needed that extra year of learning because he had a difficult time learning.

I’m glad I held him back because he then became an honor student through the rest of his school years.

The chip counterattack worked! The U.S. and the Netherlands compromised with China.

Excellent news.

If your son was getting beaten up on the school bus every day and the school did nothing about it, what would you do to solve this matter if you did not have transportation?

My daughter was in first grade in a Catholic school.

On Wednesday before Easter I picked her up from school and found her with small holes in both palms and a huge scratch down her side.

I took her straight to the pediatrician who cleaned her up and put her on antibiotics.

We asked her what happened and she said some older boys took her to the side of the building and played Crucifixion .

We asked where the teachers were and she said talking by the fence on the other side of the playground.

She said she told them what happened and they called her a tattle tale.

I called the school the next morning and said she wouldn’t be there until Monday.

I told them what happened and asked why the teachers weren’t supervising better as there were two out there.

Their answer was they can’t watch everyone at once and there are sticks on the ground.

I asked what punishment the kids would receive and they said none.

The kids were too young to remember yesterday .

I waited until Monday morning when I walked my child in to school carrying a Louisville slugger bat and told the principal that since it was okay to attack each other with sticks my kid would have a big one.

The school yard was cleaned up and teachers had to patrol the playground after that.

Baked Burrito Packets

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal, divided
• 1 (15 ounce) can low-fat turkey chili with beans
• 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 (10 ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray; sprinkle with 1/2 tablespoon cornmeal.
2. Mash chili until beans are almost smooth. Stir in cheese and cilantro.
3. Unroll and stretch crust into a 12-inch square. Cut into four 6-inch squares.
4. For each packet, place 1 square on baking sheet and spoon 1/4 chili mixture in center. Fold 2 corners together to form triangle. Press edges together with fork; poke holes in top (to let steam escape).
5. Sprinkle with remaining cornmeal.
6. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Yield: 4 servings

For spicier flavor, add 1 minced jalapeno pepper to chili mixture.

Nutrition information: Per serving: 309 cal., 18% from fat; 18 g protein; 6 g fat (2 g sat); 44 g carbo (4 g fiber); 1,037 mg sodium; 22 mg chol

Disclaimer: For health reasons, we do not encourage cooking in aluminum foil. We suggest either parchment baking paper or, if grilling, natural cedar wraps.

Alien Bases On The Moon | The Amazing True Story of Ingo Swann

Ingo Swann claimed to be a psychic who was employed by the CIA to remote-view the dark side of the moon. Specifically to look for an alien presence. It sounded like science fiction. But in 2006, when the CIA started releasing documents on the Stargate Project, Swann’s participation in the program was confirmed. When Swann was asked about the existence of extraterrestrials, he said not only were they already here, but they are building something on the far side of the moon. And, according to Swann, these aliens — aren’t friendly.

What is something someone who has never been poor wouldn’t understand?

Fifteen years ago, I was starting life over with my 3-year-old daughter after filing for divorce, quitting my sales job and listing my home for sale. As a previously gainfully-employed college graduate, I didn’t think it would be hard to find flexible employment. I hadn’t planned on the 2008 recession, however, so things didn’t exactly work out as expected.

We coasted on savings for about 6 months while I interviewed and sent out hundreds of resumes. After that money ran out, we were perpetually in danger of utilities being shut off. We lived on the cheapest possible food: eggs, tinned meat, cheap bread, and pasta. We didn’t have any of the usual amenities: no cable, no internet, no air conditioning, no garbage service and no telephone. My car was repossessed, but only after I let the insurance lapse. I was fortunate to own our small home outright (family asset).

What people don’t understand is that it’s extremely expensive to crawl out of the poorhouse, made even harder the poorer one grows.

A repossession meant I only qualified for high-interest loans. Lapsed insurance meant I had to pay extra to get it reinstated. Poor credit meant I had to pay over $150 a month for PLPD insurance. Utilities? Needed a down payment. Without internet, it was harder to look for a job. Although my daughter had health insurance through the state, I did not. I ignored all of my health issues, some of which were permanently aggravated by years of neglect.

Every day felt like drowning.

For my birthday I asked for, and received, toilet paper. That was the biggest surprise to me “How am I going to wipe my ass?” A question I never thought I’d ask had become our reality. (The answer: with washcloths.)

When I was poor, it was hard to feel good about myself. I couldn’t provide for my daughter and at the end of every day, after she was tucked in for the night, I let myself feel hopeless. And so lonely. I had no way to contact friends and, as a single mother, had very little time to socialize anyway. It felt like the world was against me, and that I would never, ever be anything different.

Yes, times were rough.

Eventually I got a temp job, making $300 a week, and finally got Internet. With that, I taught myself web design and ran a pretty popular site for a bit.

I regained confidence. I found a better job that turned into a successful career. We have things now. We have food, working utilities, a beautiful home, clothing for days, two insured vehicles, and a pantry full of toilet paper.

Today, I will never, ever allow someone to stand at the cash register in front of me, trying to decide between toilet paper or food. Take my $50, please, and feel just a bit like a human again.

Has someone told you something that still bothers you today?

In so many words, that our parents fought over who had to take me in their divorce.

My biological father passed away several months ago. I didn’t feel good about it but it did not hit me hard because he never was that involved with me, even as an elderly man he expressed little interest in my life, albeit he was friendly. He was a hippy with kids and growing up with him was very unorthodox. Think instead of going to Disneyland, instead we’d go door to door selling pamphlets about Marxism.

There was some conflict about the will, and not being in it, I wished to stay out of it. My sister ultimately became very hostile and aggressive in her demands that I not just get involved, but she wanted me to retain the lawyer and run point on what would be a lawsuit. I finally e-mailed her saying “I’m absolutely not going to do this.”

She called me and for some weird reason thought that she had a card to play that would goad me into getting involved: “When mom and dad were getting divorced, just so you know they fought over who got me and (other two siblings), but they fought over who had to take you, and that was their most bitter fight — in the end, a 3rd party ordered dad to take you.”

It made sense. My dad was not involved with me and my mom, who got the other three siblings, was simply gone from my life for a long time (eventually I did come to see her).

My parents had misdiagnosed me as being slightly retarded. What ended up happening was it was found that I had an IQ of 146 (when I was tested at age 8) and did not understand the point of the inane things people were saying to me like “ga ga goo goo hey there little champ”, I thought I was surrounded by morons. It wasn’t until teachers started actually engaging with me with something halfway interesting that it was spotted that I just didn’t like the world I was in. Then I got put in advanced classes and it was fine. I graduated at age 16 despite being lazy in school (lazy because I had parents who did not give a crap how I did, later on I realized how foolish I was for not caring for MYSELF enough to do well and from that point on, I succeeded in life).

It bothers me that my parents really just didn’t ever care that much about me. They were friendly. But looking back, I realize how focused they were on the other kids, and/or not really interested in me. I got straight A’s at age 10 due to deciding I wanted straight A’s. My dad was disinterested. It all makes sense now, in a dumb way.

With America going down the drain, should I move to Australia?

We moved here from California in 2009, and are so thankful that we did. We have a better quality of life living on one salary (husband stays at home, and we have a teen) than we did in Southern California. Instead of living in a 2 bedroom condo, we own a sprawling 3.5 acre property with 4 bedrooms in the heart of wine country and just 30 minutes from a capital city. The public school is fantastic, teaching the regular subjects but also art, music, drama, agriculture (wine making), and PE. Healthcare is much less of a hassle and you never need to worry about affording it.

The biggest challenge is dealing with negative perceptions of Americans, and the only way through this dilemma is by being the best person that you can be. You will be judged by everyone once you open your mouth, so be kind. Be generous, and be prepared to show the population that you would be a good neighbor and friend.

I Wasn’t Going to Upload This: SOME VERY BAD NEWS

It’s long past due to clean out the “brush” that has accumulated over the centuries. It’s a great talk.

No. He is not talking about trees and forest fires. He’s talking about everything. Trees, people, behaviors…

A lot of “dead wood” that needs to be burned off…

What are some examples of co-worker revenge or getting back at someone for something they did at work (not a boss)?

Decades ago I was working my first job out of high school, so young and inexperienced, and very naive. Some of my coworkers were about my age, and at least a couple were retirement age and widows. For the most part we all got along.

Our boss was the director of our department. The business we worked for had a contract that sent our boss (Mike) to another facility one day every 2 weeks, the same day of the week each time.

EVERY single day Mike was at the other facility one of the older ladies would punch out at the usual time and she would also punch out the other lady also. The ladies would work only one half day. They alternated who would take the half day. Of course, this was not announced or on the books. They got time off paid by doing this. It was illegal as it was stealing from the company. Also, the rest of us didn’t get extra pay but we did have to pick up the extra work that they were being paid to do. I quickly got fed up with this arrangement and took time to figure out how to handle it.

Everybody in the department except Mike knew exactly what was going on, yet nobody said anything. One day, the day after Mike worked at the other facility, I said to him that it would be better for the department and us coworkers if the department would tell the rest of us in advance that someone was going to be leaving early, “like yesterday”.

I knew Mike had no idea what was happening, but I played it like he did. I mean he would be derelict in his duties as manager if he didn’t know people were taking time off. At first he tried to say that nobody took the afternoon off yesterday. I named the person who did. I said “I’m sure you know that (and named the 2) alternate who has the afternoon off when he is gone.

Within 2 work days the two ladies confronted me. I forgot how they asked, but it was very specific. I had not told Mike whatever it was they suggested. I would not have lied. I certainly did not elaborate on what I did say. But after this the problem was solved and the ladies took vacation time if they were not in work.

What is the most unusual and incorrect reason you’ve had the police called on you?

A guy was giving the staff of a KFC a hard time and was very rude with a young, rather shy staff member. I intervened; he got very upset and quite agitated. He called me a swine and a Nazi. He was from Spain. I told him in no uncertain words that I was not berating him because he was from Spain, but because he behaved like an asshole. Out of the blue, he pulled some pepper spray and attacked me. Luckily I was able to dodge most of it — though not all. This will become important later. All this took mere seconds.

Bystanders and the poor staffer were not as lucky as I was. Just let that sink in: That guy used pepper spray and hit multiple bystanders, as well as half of the counter full of food. He called the police. They stormed in, berating me and were close to handcuffing me when the restaurant manager stepped in, told the police that I was just protecting his staff member and that he would gladly provide the police and DA with the video tapes. Furthermore, he insisted on IDing that Spanish guy because he had to close down the shop and would have losses (it was a Saturday evening, iirc). So we were both taken for questioning, me as a witness, which took roughly two hours — and a lot of waiting.I did not file a complaint, because I was pretty sure that guy was in deep shit anyway.

When finally free to go, I went back to the KFC to check on that poor girl. The manager told me that she was treated in a hospital, but already had called him and was feeling much better. Turned out I was right with my assumption that the Spanish guy was in deep shit. The restaurant belonged to a corporate franchisee and was about to sue him. And I finally, got a meal. And a coffee. When I tried to pay, that manager looked at me as if he wanted to kill me for a second, then winked.

Last thing I heard that the Spanish guy is charged with multiple cases of aggravated assault and this and that other stuff. Turned out pepper spray is illegal to use against humans in Germany and considered a “dangerous weapon” as defined by law. PLUS he is being sued by a rather large corporation for damages for two hours of a prime evening during prime time. AND the corporation will pay all legal fees for the poor girl as a joint plaintiff for damages and compensation.

What happened to you as a child that feels like a punch to the gut every time you think about it?

I was really eager for first grade. I heard you got a “big kid desk” instead of the cubbies we had in kindergarten. I got to see my new school on an orientation day. We were the first class to attend the newly built Plum Cove School in Gloucester, MA. A friend of the family, Don Monell, was the architect, and he himself told me how special he thought it was. I couldn’t wait!

The problem was that they didn’t hire new teachers. Most were the miserable old crones that typified the grade-school teachers of the 1960s and earlier. They came from whatever old school Plum Cove replaced.

I wound up getting Miss Stark as a teacher. To me she looked to be 100 years old. When I look back, I realize she was just riding out the last few years until retirement. Her teaching methods were literally old-school: humorless, draconian, based on threats of failure and direct punishment.

Miss Stark had two volumes of speech: a screech and a louder screech. She didn’t have an ounce of empathy and didn’t hesitate to send a kid to the Principal’s office (the worst fate in the world if you were a kid back then).

But I loved my “big kid desk!” I loved books, and the school library let us check out five at a time. We got to buy and bring in our own supplies; no more sharing crayons, pencils or rulers. My parents made sure I had everything on my school shopping list. Despite getting a miserable teacher, I did enjoy getting lost in stories and art projects.

One day Miss Stark yelled “desk inspection!” I was confused. Miss Stark actually got up from behind her desk (I didn’t know she could move; she barked her lessons slouched in her chair). She gradually moved from one desk to the next, making us step away from our desks as she peeked into each one.

She made it halfway through the room until she got to my desk, which was in the middle of the classroom. She stopped and asked two boys to come over. “Turn Melissa’s desk over!” She screeched. The boys looked confused. “Take it and dump it out right here on the floor!” They hesitated, but did what Miss Stark ordered.

I stood there in absolute shock and embarrassment. My things went everywhere all over the floor. The boys who dumped out my desk went to set it back upright; Miss Stark told them to leave it upturned; if I wanted my desk back I could turn it over myself.

I watched in horror as just about all the kids in the class descended on my things and started taking them. My crayons, some little toys I brought for recess. I had library books; two of the girls decided to score brownie points with Miss Stark by running up to her with them—“look! Melissa’s got overdue books!” “Look! She has a bunch of old papers!” Some began to taunt me. I was “messy Missy, the slob!” Miss Stark sat and grinned. She enjoyed the torment. She allowed the other kids to take my things: “if she cared about her things, she would have taken better care of them.”

Miss Stark had returned to her desk. She stopped “desk inspection” with me; apparently I was the target all along and her inspection was a ruse.

Miss Stark launched into a lesson while I desperately tried to get my scattered things in order. I went to turn my desk upright, but I wasn’t strong enough. One of the boys who dumped my desk did feel bad, so he jumped up to help me; Miss Stark ordered him to “stay in your seat! It’s lesson time! Leave Melissa alone, she has to fix what she’s done!”

I was missing what Miss Stark was teaching because my textbooks and pencils were everywhere. I continued to try to lift my desk. I was 6 years old and all I could manage was to flop it on it’s side. I finally sat in my chair and cried.

Miss Stark ignored me and continued with her lesson. At the end of the school day, I didn’t know what to do; my things were piled up and my desk upended. Finally, a custodian came in and put my desk upright. I could put my things back, finally, and ran to the bus.

That cruel humiliation has stayed with me my entire life. Of course my parents didn’t believe me when I tearfully told them what happened.

I hated school and teachers from that day forward. I also learned that your parents always sided with the teacher. If you got into trouble at school, you were also in trouble at home. School wasn’t the rosy world that was depicted on our “Janet and Mark” early reading textbooks.

Over 30 years later, I told this story to my then-husband. He nodded his head and said, “well, that’s how you get kids to learn. Embarrass them, and they shape up.” I couldn’t believe that the man I married would say something so utterly stupid, while having no sympathy for my plight. I did eventually divorce the moron; he turned out to be a lot like Miss Stark.

This happened to me when I was 14 or 15 years old.

I was very reserved person and at that point of time, I hardly interacted with the opposite gender.

A classmate of mine was dating a guy and then they broke up for reasons unknown. This guy started approaching me to help him with the relationship. I told him, “I don’t want to get into all this. My parents are very strict and if they get to know all this then I would be trouble”.

He vanished for about six months and I completely forgot about him. After 6 months, that idiot came to me and proposed to me, I just walked away without answering him. I thought, ignoring him is an answer in itself but then he started stalking at all places. He started coming near my house, tuitions and wherever I went. I was dead scared. not about that guy, but my father.

I continuously ignored him. After about 2 months, he walked behind me to the railway station. I was on my way back home, after meeting my friends. There was hardly anyone at the station. Then the train came. This idiot pulled my hand and said, “if we cannot live together then let’s die together”. Maybe, he wanted to jump in front of the train. A lady rescued me from him and he just ran off.

That was the most terrifying experience I ever had.

For initial couple of seconds, I feared death. But later, I started to think that if I die today with this idiot then people would think that we were in a relationship. My father would hate me for life.

What is the most unusual and incorrect reason you’ve had the police called on you?

my dad was a complete bastard. He was abusive, and although I repeatedly tried to work through it, and even go as far as go to counseling, he never felt in the wrong for beating me up (black eye, fractured both wrists, busted my lip, bruised my ear to name a few) and I wanted an apology. I was at his house speaking to him after my grandmother died, and he was pretty drunk at 10am. We got into an argument so I wanted to leave, but he grabbed my purse, not knowing I had a hide a key.

eventhough my purse had my wallet, phone, money, ID, keys to my apartment etc, I just wanted to get away from him.

I’m sitting at the light a few miles away from my dads house when I notice police running in between the cars in my rear view mirror. I’m looking at them thinking someone is in trouble. Imagine my surprise when the cop points the gun at my head and tells me to get out of the car. I’m confused, but I cooperate. I get out and then he tells me to get on the ground so he can cuff me. It’s like nasty dirty black road in a really busy intersection but I do it. When they get me to the side of the road, handcuffed and out of traffic, I tell them I am not a car thief, that it’s in fact my car. They get the registration and insurance out and also in my registration, I have an extra license. When they saw that, they were very apologetic and told me, that my father had called my car in as stolen by a girl that he thinks was armed, and the car belongs to his daughter, who was currently out of town.

now he didn’t know I had another ID, so he thought that I’d have no way to prove I am who I am, and I’d get arrested and my car would be impounded, and it would just show me who can make my life hell.

funny thing is, that’s illegal. It’s called “misuse of 911” and they’ll arrest you for it, so they let me go and went and arrested my father.

the craziest part of this whole thing, was my father called me to bail him out.

I did not.

Operation Highjump | Mission: Find and Destroy the Secret Nazi UFO Base In Antarctica

Operation Highjump commenced in August 1946. It was the largest, most heavily armed naval task force ever sent to Antarctica.

Leading the mission was Admiral Richard E Byrd, one of the most famous naval officers in history.

The official purpose for the expedition was scientific research and military training. But that was just a cover story.

Operation Highjump had other goals.

One was to extend American sovereignty over Antarctica. Something that was denied many times by the US government.

Another was to locate and destroy a secret Nazi base. AND, capture the nazi’s new secret weapon: the flying saucer.

UFOs were seen all over the area; suspected to be Nazi test flights. Admiral Byrd was sent to find out.

When he finally arrived to Antarctica, he found a lot more than that.

What’s the nicest thing you’ve done for a neighbor, or have they done for you?

Ten years ago, I lived in a block of flats comprised of a single room ground floor and my flat, first floor.

A female student rented the downstairs flat and although I was old enough to be her mother, we got on very well because she was polite, quiet and yet very funny and hard-working.

Her family was not well-off so she thought she owed it to her parents to work hard at university.

I occasionally invited her to share my meals and she was really thankful because she missed her parents.

One morning, she knocked on my door.

She was in a panic, crying her eyes out.

Her laptop had stopped working and she was meant to give an important presentation at the university that very morning.

Without it, she would fail her exam. I didn’t think long: although I needed my laptop for work, too, I lent it to her.

She passed and was able to go back home to her proud parents with a degree.

I really wouldn’t have let just anybody take my laptop. She was a special girl.