The United States is in absolute LATE STAGE collapse.

The society is destroyed, and there isn’t a middle class left. Businesses still operate and manage under the few pockets of commerce that still exist, however the labor force is unemployed, unskilled and have “checked out”. Nothing much remains outside of the enclaves.

The American “leadership” are fixated on war, and profits from that war. More war they demand, and now they want really BIG wars so that they can make really BIG profits.

They are absolute idiots.

China is aptly dancing around these Bozos, but how long can this charade keep up? No one knows, not indefinitely. There’s gonna have to be some bitch-slapping sooner or later. I’ll tell you what.

Enjoy these videos. Must watch all. As they describe the true measure of what we all can expect…

Allow me to say something crazy that you haven't heard elsewhere.

While Putin may have foolishly believed in Minsk 2, and now Russia is in a shooting war with a neighbor and kin that it cannot afford to lose (and as a nuclear armed nation, will not lose). Strategically, it will be weakened whatever the outcome.

On the other hand, America has committed an even more grievous mistake. 

It is the greatest blunder since the establishment of the empire. You can trust something like this will happen because the empire is now run by morons and imbeciles. America has made the Ukraine War an existential conflict for the empire. 

It has now committed the entire empire and all its vassals in a total war against Russia. There are no negotiations, no cease fire, no peace, only unconditional surrender (the chance of Russia surrendering is zero). 

The US could afford to lose to Vietnam and Afghanistan, but it cannot afford to lose this war to Russia. 

When that happens, guess what the vassals will do. This is the last war of the empire, folks. Meanwhile, China and BRICS+ will continue to attack the USD, with or without India (I'm guessing the BRICS currency will be a trade instrument like the SDU rather than a sovereign currency like the EURO, it will be designed to compete against the USD in trade, particularly among BRICS+ nations, no one will be forced to use it, but one can circumvent the USD ecosystem with it). Let's see how long the empire and its fake economy can hold out on this two-front war.

"You fool, you fell victim to one of the classic blunders. Never get involved in a land war in Asia (or with Russia)." -- Vizzini the Sicilian (Princess Bride)

-PM

American “democracy”

The thing you need to understand is that it’s not just how much influence a billionaire has. It’s also how trivial it is for them to exert it.

A billionaire can pay the equivalent of a nickel to a team of lobbyists that he never even needs to see or hear from, who will work relentlessly to accomplish that billionaires desires.

An average person needs not only to vote, but donate far greater sums across huge groups of people, they need to call legislators and go to protests and organizations.

1940s USA – Fascinating Street Scenes of Vintage America [Colorized]

This is totally cool!

Immerse yourself in the vibrant atmosphere of bustling cities and charming small towns that defined the American landscape during this transformative decade.

Witness the stylish attire, iconic automobiles, and timeless architecture that painted the backdrop for everyday life.

From the shimmering lights of New York City to the laid-back charm of small-town America, each image tells a story of a bygone era.

What is one thing that happened on the school bus that you’ll never forget?

When I was in grade 6, I was bullied everyday by this idiot at the back of the bus. I tried telling the bus driver, but he didn’t care. One day, I was wearing a sweater that my mom got me when she went to England for my grandmother’s funeral. The back of the bus idiot had a water pistol filled with grape juice and was spraying other kids, and of course he started spraying me. By this time I had had enough of this idiot and trying to ignore him everyday wasn’t working. I was mad he got grape juice on my new sweater, so I stood up, went to the back of the bus and told the idiot to stand up, he asked why he should and I told him I wasn’t going to beat the shit out of a guy who’s sitting down. Then I yelled at him to stand up, he went all quiet and wouldn’t look at me, so I told him if he ever bugged me again, I’d beat his ass, then I went and sat down again. I heard his friend ask him “who you going to pick on now?” and he replied “shut up”. The next day I got on the bus, this guy called me to the back of the bus as he saved a seat for me. I never did like that guy but we now had an understanding. The main thing I learned from that was to stand up for myself, a lesson I have carried with me to this day. Bullies really are cowards.

Young Gals Are In DISBELIEF As Men Are No Longer Attending Singles Events

We begin after a view of the past to notice TRENDS of what is going on in the present. These are AMERICAN trends. Nothing like this even remotely resembling this in China.

Korea del Norte shows middle finger to US on peace talks

Pyongyang has dismissed a US proposal for negotiations, saying the country’s nuclear program cannot be stopped.

North Korea has dismissed a US proposal for peace talks as a ploy, accusing Washington of provoking conflict in the region while holding out false hope that it can persuade Pyongyang to halt its nuclear weapons program by temporarily easing sanctions or suspending military exercises.

Kim Yo-jong, North Korea’s foreign policy chief and sister of leader Kim Jong-un, said on Monday that the best way to ensure peace and stability on the Korean peninsula is for Pyongyang to amply display its military might, “rather than solving the problem with the gangster-like Americans in a friendly manner.” She called Washington’s latest offer of peace negotiations a “trick” to buy time.

Kim made her comments one day after US President Joe Biden’s national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, told reporters that Washington was willing to negotiate with North Korea “without preconditions” concerning its nuclear weapons program. He said the Biden administration is closely monitoring the threats posed by North Korea’s missile launches and is concerned that Pyongyang will conduct its seventh nuclear warhead test.

Similarly, Kim said the US and its allies could easily renege on diplomatic concessions. “It is as easy as pie for the US political circles to exclude the DPRK from the list of ‘sponsors of terrorism’ today but re-list it tomorrow.” She claimed that tensions in the region have escalated on Biden’s watch to the point that “the possibility of an actual armed conflict and even the outbreak of a nuclear war is debated.”

Why do you think Iran wants to go the same way? Its insurance for them. Once 20–25 countries have these nukes, it would be a multipolar world all by itself.

Well done NOKO!

$32.1 Billion Chinese Chip Order Canceled, China Installs First Domestic Lithography Machine!

Amid U.S. chip limitation rules, the Chinese chip sector is undergoing a dramatic shift. China has responded by moving decisively in the direction of reaching self-sufficiency. China is giving local chip production top priority with the lofty goal of achieving a 70% self-sufficiency rate in chips. The increased research and development efforts Shanghai Microelectronics has made in the area of lithography machines are a noteworthy development in this endeavor. Chinese businesses have successfully accepted the first lithography machine made locally, which is a significant achievement and an indication of this growth.

Roasted Asparagus with Feta

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds medium asparagus, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)

Instructions

1. Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
2. Toss asparagus with oil, salt, and pepper in a large shallow baking pan and arrange in 1 layer.
3. Roast, shaking pan once about halfway through roasting, until asparagus is just tender when pierced with a fork, 8 to 14 minutes total.
4. Serve asparagus sprinkled with cheese.

RICHARD WOLFF ON CHINA, BRICS, AND THE DECLINE OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE

Economist Richard Wolff joins the program to discuss his latest work analyzing the rise of China, BRICS, and how an emerging new world economy is putting an end to the delusions of the US empire.

Switzerland will classify information about the collapse of Credit Suisse

(EurAsia Daily, July 17, 2023 — in Russian)

Swiss parliamentary commission will classify the results of its investigation into the collapse of Credit Suisse for 50 years, Reuters reports, citing commission documents. Typically, such documents are out of the public domain in Switzerland for 30 years.

“After the completion of the investigation, the files should be transferred to the Federal Archives and should be subject to an extended period of protection of 50 years,” the parliamentary commission decided.

The president of the Swiss Society for History, Sacha Zala, expressed concern to the head of the commission, Isabelle Chassot, about the decision to classify documents for such a long period.

“If researchers want to scientifically investigate the 2023 banking crisis, access to the CS files will be invaluable,” Zala said.

The parliamentary committee, on the contrary, believes that the disclosure of data is detrimental to the credibility of the commission and may have “negative consequences for the financial center of Switzerland.”

Credit Suisse, Switzerland’s second largest bank, found itself in a difficult position after the collapse of U.S.’s Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and Silvergate Capital. Shares of Credit Suisse on the Swiss Stock Exchange (SIX) on March 15 reached a historical low. Price collapsed by 30.8% to 1.55 Swiss francs, which was the biggest drop in one day. At the close on March 15, the fall was 24.2%, to 1.7 Swiss francs.

In addition to the situation with U.S. banks, the decline in price was affected by the refusal of the largest shareholder of Credit Suisse, Saudi National Bank, to buy more of the bank’s shares. They said they would not buy more shares so as not to violate regulatory requirements.

After that, Credit Suisse turned to the Swiss National Bank (SNB) and the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) for support, the Financial Times reported, citing sources. As a result, the Swiss National Bank approved the plan to rescue Credit Suisse: the country’s second bank was to be absorbed by the UBS group. The merger of the two largest and oldest Swiss banks took place on March 19. The transaction took place on the terms of 0.76 Swiss francs per CS share, that is, the total amount was 3 billion francs ($3.24 billion).

In the spirit of true openness and transparency, Switzerland, a mature democracy, classifies information about what happened to its second largest bank for 50 years. Totally unlike those closed opaque authoritarian countries of China and Russia!

Posted by: S | Jul 17 2023 20:14 utc | 20

Back to the Future Mall (Puente Hills) is completely dead no business

Today I went to the Puente Hills mall in the city of commerce. The mall is best known for the 1984 movie back to the future. They filmed right in the parking lot of Coors. I had to match up pictures from the movie back to the future afterwords I walked into the mall and I was completely shocked. The inside is totally dead. Barely any people only a few shops are open. It’s really sad to see that. What once was an awesome mall is now almost like a graveyard.

Have you ever purchased a used car and found something interesting the previous owner forgot to remove?

When travelling around New Zealand a few years back I purchased an old BMW 325i coupe as it was cheaper than a rental for the 6 months i was there for. It was a South African built car that had been brought over when the owners emigrated to NZ.

Anyway. I was driving in the South Island when a car driven by German tourists slid across the road and hit me head on causing a major accident, the airbags went off and I was knocked unconscious.

When I awoke I was being treated in the car and the police were asking me where had the gold kruggerands come from?

I was baffled and then I saw that they were everywhere and the police were picking them up from the floor of the car, on the seats and outside.

What had happened was there was a large stash of the coins hidden in the car when it went to New Zealand as it was illegal to take out so much currency when you left South Africa and they had been behind the dash board for some 8 years.

The police were unable to find the original owners of the car when it was imported as they had moved to Australia so after 3 months I was deemed to be the rightful owner as they were found in the car i owned.

It was a tax free windfall that netted me just over $250,000 NZD which I used to buy a beach house in New Zealand in sunny Northland where I still live to this day.

China Public Toilet vs India Public Toilet – This is truly shocking…

Can China develop its own chip industry?

China already has.

There are a lot more machines than lithography in a fab. You also need ion implanters, ovens, cleaning machines (don’t discount this. Cleaning is needed after every step. And it uses ultra pure water which is difficult to do. The water must be 99.9999% pure H2O.), epitaxy machines, photo resist at the nm level that you want to create circuits at, metrology (measurement and testing. How do you know your chips works?), packaging (we don’t use chips by themselves. They have to be put into a package and connected to external pins.), etc.

And China has everything down to 3nm except for lithography machines. Photo resist is at 7nm, it will hit 5nm next year, maybe 3nm. Lithography machine is still at 48nm. And will go into mass production soon. 28nm machine will be done by next year and will be tested either next year or the year later.

EUV machines require 3 core technologies. One is the light source. China has a couple that works. They need to do reliability and then shrink the package down as much as possible.

The second one is the stage. This is the thing that carries the wafer and moves it into place for the lithography to happen. It has to be precise at the nm that you want to make.

Third is the lens and coatings to ensure proper light transmission and reflection. The light must be directional and collimated to a high degree. If any of the light is traveling not in a straight line, then your image on the photoresist will be smeared. China also has done this.

The only thing left is to put it all together and then do testing. This will take 3–5 years. Then test in a production facility, which will take another 6 months to year. Then they will adjust the design, finalize the design, and go into production. So anywhere between 4–7 years.

But China is the only nation that has the entire industrial chain for producing micro chips. No other nation has this. If they want to build a fab, it requires technology from a bunch of countries.

Graham Hancock on What Could Be HIDDEN In Antarctica

New member of the family

Not MM. -MM

I finally got around to adopt another cat. My home is set up for 2 cats. I have two of everything, two food bowls, two litter boxes, two cat perches by the window, etc., etc. Looking at two of everything and yet only one cat just makes me feel miserable.

So I went to the local shelter and adopted a new cat.

Introducing the new cat.

Her name was Cinnabun at the shelter, but I hadn’t thought of a name yet. I figure since Newt never really warmed up to his name, and with Jonesy’s death, I want to do away with “Alien” themed names. Maybe I’ll go with food-themed names, like Bean Bun, or Dumpling, or Putting, or Boba.

Cinnabun was a 4-month-old rescue (hence the docked ear). She was playful and very curious. Love to explore and purrs like a diesel engine.

Newt is doing OK so far. I think he’s more confused than hostile. He hissed at the new girl a few times and mostly just watched her from his high perch (places the new cat isn’t able to go). I haven’t observed any other aggressive behavior from Newt other than the occasional hissing. I hope they become good friends, the way Jonesy and Newt never were.

I feel a lot better now I have a new kitten to keep me busy. She is a handful, always climbing around and sneaking into places.

I hope Cinnabun, Newt, and I have many happy years to come.

Poverty in America is by design

Poverty in America is intentional.

Centipede, Spider And Other Creepy Animal-Inspired Handbags Created By A Japanese Artist

How does a giant centipede sound to you? Or a giant spider? Or maybe a football-sized flea? Would you wear one of these creepy-crawlies as an accessory? Well, if your phobias hadn’t kicked in yet, we’ve got something interesting for you. Japanese artist Amanojaku to Hesomagari creates eerily lifelike handbags and accessories inspired by all sorts of insects and animals that not only look cool but are also a great way to give your friends a nice scare.

More: Amanojaku to Hesomagari, Twitter h/t: demilked, boredpanda

This is a nice speech.

Very interesting. Whether you like him or not. Very interesting content.

https://youtu.be/bEDDG-FuEn4

“I would just like to share what I witnessed yesterday morning at Bagels N’ Buns.

Not MM. -MM

I was waiting at the counter for an order and a homeless man asked one of the employees to please fill his half gallon, plastic milk carton with water. The worker said “what are you going to use it for?”

Now I’m jumping the gun in my head, thinking he was going to say that if he wanted it for drinking he has to buy a bottle blah blah blah…

The man said “to drink”, the employee told him to “please go over to the cooler and get whatever size water he’d like.”

He then filled up the milk carton as requested. The man thanked the employee for the water but said he was really hungry and could use a meal.

The worker Benny said “no problem! What would you like?”

The man gave him his order and he got to it with a smile on his face.

I then went over to the register to ask Kathie (who is AMAZING) if I could give her money for him, to use a credit for a few meals.

She replied “Janessa, that is so kind, but we feed him whenever he is hungry. He always has a meal here, when he needs.”

They’ve been doing it for years!!!

Another reason for me to love them over there. I was really moved by the whole situation.

I felt the need to share this because when businesses give from the heart, when they are hurting the most, they deserve a shout out BIG love shout to Mike, Katie, and the whole crew at Bagels n Buns.”

Russian Airstrike Annihilates Ukraine’s Drone Control Centre, Starlink Station In Kherson

Not reported elsewhere. But I have been wondering when Russia would get around to this…

Ukraine’s UAV control centre and a Starlink communication station have been destroyed in a fresh Russian airstrike.

The Starlink Centre was located on the right bank of the Dnieper River in the Kherson Region.

Russia also claimed to have destroyed 25 Ukrainian soldiers in an SU-35 airstrike on the command post of the 222nd separate battalion of the Ukrainian armed forces. Watch this video to know all the latest from Russia-Ukraine war.

Russian S-550 That Can Hunt ICBMs Spooks Putin’s Enemies; Air Defence System Can Cripple Even U.S.

Russia is developing its most advanced air defence system, the S-550. The formidable weapon system is able to eliminate intercontinental ballistic missiles at a longer range as well as satellites. According to TASS, the S-550 could be commissioned as early as 2025.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoygu cited the statement of President Vladimir Putin about the necessity to “deliver the air defence systems S-550 to the Russian troops”. It implies that Russia has successfully developed an undeniably unknown weapon and is about to deploy it.

This announcement took the public by surprise, yet the military circles have not unveiled any details about this new machinery nor have they agreed on giving any relevant commentaries. Also goes by the name 55R6M “Triumfator-M”, S550 is a Russian surface-to-air missile/anti-ballistic missile system created to replace the A-135 missile system presently in service, and to also provide support for the S-400.

The S-500 was developed by the Almaz-Antey Air Defence Concern. According to the Pravda report, due to its characteristics, S-550 is unrivalled by any other similar system in the world, being the top of its classes of space-defence weapons. Still citing the same report, it is known that the weapon shares similarity with the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system in that it will be synthesized into a single network of assets of defence in aerospace.

INTERVIEW: The President’s brain is scrambled

Would you rather live in the state of Ohio or China?

I feel called out.

Jonathan Carlson’s answer to Would you rather live in the state of Ohio or China? is great, but in his own admission he’s from Minnesota.

I’m actually from Ohio, the good old Buckeye state with all those (American) Indian

[1] burial mounds, covered bridges, and the most natively born US presidents (*shifty eyes at Virginia*). We’ve got Dayton and the beginnings of flight, Neil Armstrong, canals and railroads, and a lot of hogs.

[2] Also Lake Erie.

Ohio is, at best, quaint. It’s as “middle” as it gets for America (*shifty eyes at KC, MO*) and incredibly American in the most understated, fact-of-the-matter way. Ohio doesn’t seek respect nor deserve it, and it is the butt monkey of the US as a result. It isn’t even unknown enough to fade into the background like those more gracious and wild plains states — being the proverbial fat kid on the playground, it is just impossible to miss, even though everyone wants to miss it.

Everyone knows the joke; round on the outside, high in the middle. Or for the younger folk, it means “hello” in Japanese (*shifty eyes at the Japanese*). Yes, we make fun of ourselves too — haha, welcome to Ohayocon , the local anime convention.

Shockingly high amount of decently sized cities, at least for American standards.

You also will not care for most of them and that’s okay. The state always surprises people with how many electoral votes it gets. And while it’s not iconic with its niceness like the rest of the Midwest (and especially those southern Canadi- I mean, Minnesotans), we still embrace that niceness like we belong. Even if the rest of the Midwest keeps giving us the side eye when roll call happens.

I just described the Ohio of 20 years ago.

Ohio today is so much more desperate than back then. To put it simply, Ohio is what America abandoned — railroad, industrialized, cooperative USA brimming with heavy industry and evenly distributed urban centers.

It is a free state that doesn’t act like one anymore. It is a place of extreme brain drain, where the Ohioans who could amount to something have long moved away. Those who remain pick up the dregs and make do with one of the rustiest parts of the rust belt.

Ohio is a place of the past.

If you have plenty of wealth and want a nice, quiet place to just exist in, then Ohio is your game. If, however, you are young, not rich, ambitious, or otherwise eager to meet interesting people, Ohio is a death sentence.

China is basically the exact opposite.

It’s a dynamic, roiling mass of chaos that will leave you in the dust if you don’t keep up. Everything there is couched in hurry up and wait, yet things happen super fast far too often so there’s no way to really relax. Ambitious people are everywhere important and will screw the honest, gullible ones, but even the country as a whole seems to be changing that. You can’t say anything you want on the internet, but shooting the shit and talking politics with a beer on the street is incredibly easy and liberating.

China is abandoning the countryside while also featuring the lives of rural folk 24/7 on state television. It has a lot of really patriotic young people who do not see eye to eye with the older folk who tend to think that everything the US does is great and everything the Chinese government does is foul and misguided. Again, the exact opposite of Ohio — the kids are all disillusioned, while the older folk cling to former glory (at least they also think the Chinese government is foul and misguided!).

There is no honest way to get an image of China.

The whole place is so big and diverse, each place proves your ignorance, as if you’ve never been around. Ohio can do that too, but it won’t shove your ignorance in your face. The place is more content to be ignored. Such is the curse of suburbia — every corner looks the exact same.

China is too unpredictable. Ohio is too predictable. There’s no clear answer.

If I had to give a preference, probably China. I’m an introvert, and there is something truly magical about being able to disappear into a dense city behind anonymity and just be alone among a sea of people. Also I enjoy walking, and there are plenty of places in China that meet the 15 or even 10 minute walkable city standard.

Ohio? You better have a car. There’s not even a subway system in the entire state, and only a couple places have light rail.

What could have been…

[3]

Also, good luck finding a high paying job in Ohio… oh, I suppose that’s why my family moved out.

Footnotes

[1]Miami people – Wikipedia

[2]Big Pig Gig – Wikipedia

[3]Cincinnati Subway – Wikipedia

Putin’s expected visit to China shows growing mutual trust: experts

By Fan Anqi Published: Jul 13, 2023 08:51 PM

Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday on the sidelines of the ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia. The two sides agreed to maintain high-level exchanges and enhance cooperation amid a turbulent world.

The meeting came amid reports of reported visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to China within this year, which experts said shows a growing mutual trust despite Western attempts to sow discord between the two sides, and that the trip is expected to yield more results in multilateral and bilateral pragmatic cooperation.

One day before their meeting, the Kremlin confirmed on Wednesday that a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to China was on the agenda, and the Kremlin noted that now was a good time to maintain high dynamics in the development of relations between Russia and China.

In the face of profound changes unseen in a century, China and Russia firmly support each other in safeguarding legitimate interests, adhere to the path of harmonious coexistence, cooperation and win-win development, and jointly promote world multi-polarization and democratization of international relations, Wang noted, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Wang called on the two sides to follow the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, maintain high-level exchanges, strengthen strategic communication and coordination, demonstrate the responsibility of major countries, defend their respective national interests and national dignity, and maintain international fairness and justice.

Russia and China have maintained high-level exchanges, and the successful meeting between the two heads of state this year has injected strong impetus into bilateral relations, said Lavrov. He noted that the Russian side is willing to work with the Chinese side to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, further strengthen strategic coordination, and deepen cooperation in various fields.

Russia is also willing to promote the process of multipolarization in the world, oppose all powers and hegemonies, and jointly support the centrality of ASEAN, Lavrov said.

The exact date of Putin’s trip will be announced when it is finalized, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told a news briefing, according to Reuters on Wednesday.

Former Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov said on Tuesday that the Chinese side was getting ready for a visit by the Russian president in October in order to participate in the Third Belt and Road Forum.

Currently, both China and Russia are facing a complex international environment against the backdrop of a deteriorating security situation, with tensions growing in both the Eurasian and Asia-Pacific regions and posing serious challenges for both countries, Yang Jin, an associate research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Economically, there is also an urgent need for China and Russia to cooperate when the world economy has become more volatile and fragile in the post-pandemic era, Yang noted.

Yang stressed that the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era is an established, long-term relationship that will not be affected by issues of the day, and it is not engaged in any political or military alliances or confrontations against third parties.

“After the Ukraine crisis, the US-led West has been trying to morally coerce China into pressurizing Russia. However, this coercion has failed. This reflects the advancement in the level of mutual trust between the two sides,” Li Yongquan, director of Eurasian Social Development Research at the Development Research Center of the State Council, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Peskov said that during Putin’s expected trip to China, the two presidents will focus on bilateral trade and economic cooperation and on global issues.

“Based on the similarity in Moscow and Beijing’s vision of the essence of international relations… we have very, very good prospects for further discussions and, most importantly, for constructive interaction,” Peskov noted.

In addition to reaching new consensus within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, there may also be new cooperative projects signed, including the development of the Far East as proposed by Russian experts, as well as cooperation in previously challenging areas such as transportation and agriculture in Siberia, which had faced various obstacles in the past but now the obstacles are now largely removed, Yang noted.

Li explained that the similarity in the two countries’ perspectives on international issues lies in their common belief in a multipolar world and opposition to hegemony, and rejection of the use of sanctions in handling international relations.

He noted that the two sides’ stance in respecting the UN Charter and international law as the basic norms of international relations has received support from the majority of countries around the world.

The Ukraine issue will likely be on the agenda for Putin’s expected visit, experts said, and China will continue to make efforts to promote peace and dialogue because, given the current situation, it will be difficult to resolve these issues if China’s proposal for a peaceful solution is not followed.

This is James Harrison.

When he was 18, he learned that his blood contained an antibody that could treat a rare blood disease in infants. He donated blood every week for the next 60 years.

By the time he was done, he’d saved more than 2.4 million lives.

THOUSANDS Of Foreign Soldiers FLEE UKRAINE

A must watch video.

https://youtu.be/fgLqq8piDJw

What is the strangest thing that ever happened to you?

Oh this is an easy one…

Before I divorced my husband, but while we were still living in California, I used to adore going to thrift shops. One day, while visiting a shop in Venice beach, I saw, in the “odds and ends” bowl, a very peculiar earring. It was a sort of ‘seashell’ design, hand made, with a pendant black pearl dangling from it. From the shape of the shell, it would only go “frontways” on the left ear. It was obviously a shop project, but was *so* unusual, I decided I had to have it! I could always take it apart and use the pearl for something… so I bought it for maybe $0.25. That was in 1979.

The earring went into my “scraps” box. Years passed. I divorced, found my new love, we moved to Hollywood, then in 1988, to Albuquerque. One day, while walking to the book store I saw a sign “GARAGE SALE!” … well… I love garage sales, so I went to the house and looked around.

The lady had a big wooden bowl set out with beads, rings, bits and bobs… and as I sorted through the jumble I saw… a very peculiar earring… with a stylized “seashell” and a dangling black pearl! And it was hand made and fit the right ear! I immediately showed it to the lady “I have an earring at home… that looks exactly LIKE this!”

The lady looked perplexed “Well, dear… I don’t think so… my boyfriend made those for me in Shop… and I lost one of them many years ago.”

I froze. “Where?”

She smiled “Oh a long way from here… it was in California… I’ve forgotten the place… a beach… named like a place in Italy.”

“Venice Beach?” I said, feeling a bit dizzy.

She nodded eagerly. “Wait here!” I said, somewhat illogically… after all it WAS her home… and when I came back with the matching earring, they were a PERFECT match!

I offered to give my earring back to her so she would have the completed pair again, but she refused “I never liked him very much. You keep them, Dear.”

So I still have them, a handmade pair, separated by hundreds of miles and nine years, and reunited completely by chance.

Cream Cheese-Chive Sauce

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese, cubed
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Instructions

1. Combine cheese and milk in saucepan; stir over low heat until smooth.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients.
3. Serve over hot cooked potatoes, green beans, broccoli or asparagus.

As a car mechanic, what is the craziest discovery you have found on an automobile?

Years ago I used to work for BMW as a mechanic. Eventually I ended up working on a Z4 Roadster and found a curious hollow tube running alongside the engine and securing to the firewall with a grommet.

Inspecting the tube, it appeared to be a factory installed device, but had no conceivable mechanical purpose, which I could find. What made it even more curious is that none of the other shop mechanics knew what this was either.

I finally asked one of the older mechanics, who had worked with BMW for some time and he correctly pointed out that the purpose of the hollow tube was to collect and resonate some of the engine sound back through the firewall so the driver could hear and feel the engine. It’s hard to believe, but it was true. An engineered piece to literally increase the engine noise inside the cabin…

How can America stay an economic superpower and a military superpower in the 2040s-2100s?

It cannot.

This is not simply political hyperbole. It is the simple truth.

There is no evidence that the United States is a functioning nation-state in any way aside from a media that says so. The society has completely collapsed. The industrial manufacturing base, aside from a handful of industries, is gone. The cities are pictures of boarded up businesses, poverty, homelessness, and rat infested squalor.

What remains of the Untied States is evident in the many many overseas military bases, and the grandiose political class that films itself in front of green screens, reading scripted lines, and promotional staged events lauding the fictions of “democracy” and “freedom”.

In a world where (formerly) impoverished Laos, and Indonesia have High Speed Trains and free 5G wifi access; where (third world nations such as) Zambia, Nigeria, and Bangladesh have new hospitals, and affordable medical care, and where immediate bank transactions are conducted electronically…

…there is no actual evidence that the United States can ever achieve what these poorer nations currently possess.

To think that “somehow” the United States can regain what it has long since squandered is an exercise in futility. The United States has been looted and now it is an empty vessel; a land of the impoverished. Where feral dog-like packs of “things” (transgen, fluid-gen, and non-binary) prey on what remains of American society.

It is open knowledge that the rest of the world is running away from the USD as fast as it can. And no wonder. There no longer is any gold left in the treasury. As Ron Paul discovered in hearing with the Federal Reserve, there is no longer ANY gold held in reserve.

The United States is dead; and there is no inheritance left for its children.

They will move forward into the 22nd century impoverished; a “has been” nation, one that showed so much promise, but one that was doomed to die. Killed by its very notion; the belief that everyone is equal on paper, but unequal in governance.

“A Short Text on Keanu Reeves’ Life

Keanu was born in Lebanon. His parents split when he was three and he grew up with three different stepfathers.

As a kid he

was diagnosed with dyslexia and dreamed of becoming a hockey player. He played goalie for a junior league team in Canada but quit after breaking his leg to focus on acting.

He lost his best friend, River Phoenix, in 1993 due to an overdose.

He got married in 1998, experienced a miscarriage with his daughter in 1999, and ultimately lost his wife as well due to a car accident in 2001.

In 2002, Keanu put the Matrix sequels on hold to care for his sick sister. He sold his house to move nearer to his sister, while also helping by cooking meals, cleaning her house, and preparing medication. He also donated 70% of the money he made from The Matrix to leukemia research.

In 2006, when he was filming the movie “The Lake House,” he overheard the conversation of two costume assistants, one crying as he would lose his house if he did not pay $20,000 – on the same day, Keanu deposited the necessary amount in his bank account.

In 2010, on his birthday, Keanu walked into a bakery & bought a brioche with a single candle, ate it in front of the bakery, and offered coffee to people who stopped to talk to him.⁣⁣

To this day, Keanu is often seen wandering around New York City, riding the subway, and interacting with people.

A certified legend.”

By ordering the deployment of 3,000 reservists to Europe, Joe Biden is preparing to fight Russian forces on the ground in Ukreen.

Biden has lost his way,” Kennedy tweeted, arguing that the president should focus on America’s domestic problems instead of trying to achieve “global military dominance.”

“I want people to understand what this troop mobilization is about. It’s about preparing for a ground war with Russia,” he said.

The idea of defeating Moscow in its conflict with Kiev is a “futile geopolitical fantasy” of the Biden administration, the Democratic presidential candidate added.

Thousands of Ukreenions have already lost their lives because “America’s foreign policy establishment manipulated their country into war… Now, rather than acknowledge failure, Biden admin prepares to sacrifice American lives too,” Kennedy said.

Biden signed an executive order mobilizing 3,000 members of the US military’s Selected Reserve to boost the ranks of Operation Atlantic Resolve, which Washington launched in Europe in 2014 after Crimea rejoined Russia following the Western-backed coup in Kiev.

The leading Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump, also had some harsh words to say about Biden’s decision to send more American troops to Europe. The “reckless escalation in Ukreen” pursued by the White House is “straining the US military to the point of disaster,” he said.

“Joe Biden can’t even walk up the steps of Air Force One without tripping. The last thing this incompetent administration should be doing is pushing us further toward World War III.”

Trump reiterated his earlier claim that if he becomes president again, he would end the conflict in Ukreen in 24 hours. “Not one American mother or father wants to send their child to die in Eastern Europe. We must have peace.”

What is something you learned very late in life, but wish you knew much earlier?

I was a very good student in school. I was the house prefect, class monitor, vocabulary champion, General knowledge quiz champion, basically an overachiever. I put a lit of pressure on myself to maintain my academic rank and put lot of hard work in extra curricular activities.

I finished college, got a job but this overachiever in me wasn’t satisfied. I used to put extra hardwork in everything that I did. My job was very stressful. I would live and breathe work. I would stay late everyday to work.

As a result I started getting headaches on a regular basis. I developed backache at a very early stage (29). But old habits don’t change easily. I continued my workaholic ways.

I wanted to be the best at everything I did. The headaches continued and with time became nastier. I got a heamoragic stroke when I only 31 which paralyzed my right hand side. My speech was gone and I could barely walk. I couldn’t use my right hand.

Though I have recovered 95% but it took me 2 years. I can’t see myself in a stressful environment now.

Its like nature put a stop to my busy life. Now I have all the time in the world to sit and think, play games. I have started my own business. There is work but I do it at my own convenience. I take breaks and rest.

I wish someone would have told me that the unhealthy competition and rat race that we learn from an early age be it in school or at home is not good. It can seriously harm your physical and mental health.

Take care of yourself. Health is the biggest asset we have. We should take care of it.

What was the kindest thing someone did for you when you were young?

I was 17 and just out of highschool, having been kicked out of home at 16 and moved to a new town to be closer to my girlfriend. I thought I’d planned everything out - rent, gas money, etc. but learned that my new job paid only twice a month and withheld the first week.

That meant I had very little money and had to make groceries last 3 weeks. Not knowing how to cook, I bought rice and tomato paste, thinking I could make something palatable.

My new job was at a hospital laundry. I had to gather dirty laundry from all the floors in the hospital and bring them to the laundry. I was the only white guy.
The man who ran the machines must’ve noticed that I never ate lunch.

On the third day, he complained that his wife had packed one sandwich too many and asked if I would eat it so he wouldn’t have to throw it away.

Well, I must’ve wolfed it down pretty fast, because the following days she packed 2 sandwiches ‘too many’!

I was a stupid teenager and just felt lucky for his wife’s “mistakes”. 

I wish I could tell him today, how much those sandwiches meant to me.

The California PURGE has begun.

Yuppur…

Ah, like this…

What is the reason that people say that China has a weak military? Is this claim true or false?

It is normal to malign an enemy before you attack it.

Presently, the NED has funded (along with the NSA funding) a hate-China narrative designed to galvanize the American people, and the rest of the world against China.

This narrative has multiple components. However, for reasons of brevity, we will concentrate in one specific narrative; “China has a weak, inexperienced military” narrative.

Of course, it is wrong, erroneous and deceptive. It is generated to convince soldiers, and the population to go to war, and NOT to expect consequences.

• China has the oldest military in the world. Over 6000 years worth. The Chinese were conducting long organized campaigns with thousands of soldiers at a time when the Europeans were still living in caves and discovering fire.
• China has the oldest Navy in the world. The first formal Chinese Navy was laid down around 1160. And was fighting huge naval engagements that involved hundreds of ships and thousands of men long before the British Navy in 1546 under Henry VIII was even a dream.
• China is a military nation of warriors. Just because China prefers peace, does not mean that they are afraid of war. The first recorded military campaigns in China can be traced back to the Xia Dynasty (c. 2100–1600 BCE), which was followed by the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BCE) and the Zhou Dynasty (1046–256 BCE). Some of the most significant military campaigns in Chinese history include the wars of the Qin Dynasty (221–206 BCE), which united China under a single emperor, the campaigns of the Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), which expanded China’s territory and influence, and the conquests of the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE), which established a powerful empire that controlled much of Asia.
• Everyone in China is given military training. But the active duty forces are volunteers. One of the great joys that I have is watching my little girl line up in her camouflage fatigues and calling off roll call. Inside of China, it is the law that military training starts in first grade, and continues in every single year of school.

• China has an enormous military. Unlike the United States which is spread out everywhere, and filled with a large proportion devoted to logistical concerns, China has a massive CONCENTRATED military. And it is larger that what the United States IS ABLE TO FIELD in battle.
• China’s military is not only state-of-the-art but ABOVE peer to the USA. China has stealth bombers, fighters, drones, and submarines. It possesses weapons such as hyper-velocity delivery systems, search-and-destroy flying hand grenades, invisibility attire, platoon-level rail-guns, and suicide robot dogs. And that is just some of the impressive technology that is fielded by China.
• China’s military is merit driven. In fact, the entire Chinese society is merit-driven. On the battlefield this makes all the difference between victory and defeat and life and death.

So the reason why “people” say that China is weak is due to complete ignorance. They are simply regurgitating NSA / NED talking points and believing them.

Overall, I advise people never to step into a boxing ring with someone who you know nothing about and with whom you never sparred with. You can get clobbered. Sure as shit.

This is why you do not want to be involved in a war with China…

Police officers, have you ever had to arrest someone off duty?

Yes. My (ex) wife took the kids to the store to get groceries. On the way a drunk driver hit them. They were lucky to be alive.

She called me because it was only 2 miles from the house and the guy was trying to leave (his car was disabled).

I drove over there and immediately arrested him. We lived in The country of a farming rural area. State officers arrived not long after.

Most of the time I would just call incidents in and be a good witness if I didn’t need to intervene. I have called in crimes in progress and then just got into a position to watch safely. Like the time I saw a naked young Hispanic male doing karate moves on the side of the road in the middle of the day.

I parked down the street and called the local agency. I described what I was seeing including that he was a young Hispanic male adult.

When I was asked what he looked like I couldn’t resist. I said, “like a naked guy doing karate, it’ll be hard to miss him.”

The dispatcher laughed and said, “you’re a cop aren’t you?”

What is the best moment you witnessed in which somebody proved they weren’t “all talk”?

I  watched a 90 lb female put a 235 lb guy in the hospital. This was a  fight between 2 neighbors in my neighborhood. This guy harassed her for  weeks then for some reason he decided to walk up to her front porch and  knock on her door. I was sitting on my front porch when it happened. I  was thinking this is not going to be good, and had my cell phone within  reach.
 
She  open her door and in a clear loud voice, she requested he get off her  property. He said, what are you going to do about it. She said, I’ll  call the police. He laughed at her and reached for the screen door.  Before I could move she kicked him in the head twice, swept his legs out  from under him, and he was down and bleeding.
 
I  started to call the police, but again before I could dial the number a  patrol car pulled up and the officer put the guy in handcuffs. I just  sat there, drank my coffee and waited for him to come over and ask what I  saw. I told him and signed the bottom of the form.
 
As  he walked away he said you know the woman? I replied yes, she’s a  former Marine. He chuckled and said. I guess the guy didn’t know that,  and I laughed.

As a cashier, what is the boldest thing you ever said to a customer knowing that you might get fired afterwards?

I was ringing up a lady’s stuff. Belt was to my left. I was going pretty quickly.

Lady behind her: thats MY stuff

The other lady apologized but i told her the things behindher werent her responsibility. She leaves. I tell the next lady to just use a red divider next time.

Lady: WHAT… 3 FEET OF SPACE ISNT ENOUGH SPACE FOR YOU TO KNOW THE ORDER ENDED?!

Grrrrr not today. Id already had people pushing all my buttons for hours. That was it

Me: I DONT KNOW WHAT SCHOOL YOU WENT TO, BUT THIS (holds hands about 4 inches apart) IS NOT “3 FEET”! THATS WHY WE HAVE DIVIDERS! HER STUFF, YOUR STUFF. HOW DO I KNOW? ITS DI-VI-DED! NOW I KNOW 3 SYLLABLES MIGHT ME KIND OF DIFFICULT FOR YOU…

I sat there absolutely berating the woman the entire time i was ringing her up. As she was walking away after i had finished, im still on fucking FIRE. HEY! IM NOT DONE WITH YOU YET! and i audibly growl as i turn to the next person in line.

Next person, terrified: I used a divider

2nd person: i used a divider

3rd person: i used two!

It was really hard not to laugh right then, as furious as i was. No idea how a manager or supervisor didnt hear me putting this woman in her place.

well LOLOLOLOLOLOL I can’t believe it took over a week for a single “Karen” to find this post and tell me that she would’ve gotten me fired. I am glad the rest of you had a good laugh.

What did someone say/do that made you close down your account and go to another bank?

My mother died. The administrator of her estate began closing down her various accounts and sending checks to all her kids. My first check was $31,000. I took it to my bank (Bank of the West) where I had been banking for about 25 years, expecting them to tell me it would take a week to clear. Instead they told me that they couldn’t accept it. Then they said they could accept it tentatively and that I couldn’t have the money for 30–60 days and there would be a $40 charge to process it. I went down the street to Chase, opened a new account and they accepted the check and it cleared in 6 days.

When I went back to BoW to close my account the manager said “I’m sorry you feel that way” and I replied “I’m sorry you made me feel that way”.

What is your most memorable cultural shock?

Originally Answered: What is your most memorable cultural shock ?

I went to Paris for my honeymoon with my ex.

It was a long flight from NYC, neither of us had been to Europe before. We were excited and didn’t really know what to expect.

Getting off the plane in France, I’ll never forget the first thought as I saw crowds of Europeans: “Wow – everyone is really skinny here!”

Seriously I couldn’t believe it.

I love my country, but we can be some tubby-tub-tubs at times 🙂

Best speech by a Presidential Candidate ever

Now that Pakistan has finally accepted IMF loan and obtained almost $100billion dollars from other countries, is Pakistan considered a rich and developed country again?

$ 100 Billion?

Are you sure

I read it as $ 6.8 Billion — $ 3 Billion from IMF , $ 2 Billion from the Saudi Royal Bank , $ 1 Billion from the Emirati Central Bank and $ 800 Million from Oman

$ 7 Billion is 11–12 months of Imports and that would make Pakistan quite comfortable again

Pakistan claimed a loss of PKR 6 Trillion due to floods and earthquake ($ 30 Billion)

However the real figure is closer to PKR 500 Billion ($ 2.5 Billion)

So Pakistan has been given QUITE A BIT MORE

---

$ 100 Billion is almost 6 years of Imports

Unless Oil was discovered in Pakistan

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Anyway Pakistan is rescued for now

They will get $ 333 Million a month from IMF for 9 months

They have got $ 3.8 Billion from Saudi and UAE and Oman

They now have Russian Oil and pay for it in Yuan. In the last 2 months, they only spent 26% of their last USD reserves & 74% of their Yuan reserves

Two CPEC Projects declared a 15% profit for the first time and AFTER PAYING INTEREST TO CHINA

Bad news for Imran Khan

My guess is the West were so worried about Imrans return and a complete cut off with the US and the West that they decided to give the loans and agree to Status Quo with China and Russia

However there is another reason

The US are VERY ANGRY with India and Mr Modi because he didn’t bite on a single temptation offered by the US

They thought he would be firmly in the US Camp and sign orders for those Hornets (F18) and Predators and turn down those Migs

Instead Modiji (Deeply appreciative of him) maintained his advise from Jaishankar and rightly signed with a more reliable partner France

He also agreed to continue the contracts for those Migs

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The IMF bailout was proforma signed a few days before Modi’s visit

My guess is if Modi had done what US wanted, the IMF would have walked back and said SORRY PAKISTAN. WE NEED ANOTHER YEAR

However strategically MBS and UAE walked in with their $ 3.8 Billion Loan (Around 6 months imports , 9 months with the Yuan) and IMF had no choice. Either say yes or risk complete alienation with Pakistan

Plus Modi didn’t bite

The IMF signed the final bailout agreement barely 24 hours after Modi’s visit ended (23/6/23)

WHERE HAVE ALL THE CARPENTERS GONE?

The growing trade labor shortage is a crises that has not quite struck home yet…but it’s about to. This short video from The Honest Carpenter discusses how the generational decrease in trade participation is hitting the entire construction industry. But it’s affecting some trades more than others…

Must watch.

(Why The Trade Labor Shortage Is Only Beginning…)

For what it’s worth, I think that the trade labor shortage is a reflection of a true paradigm shift.

A hundred years ago, nearly every job in the world was primarily physical.

For that reason, physical labor was considered cheap, because everyone engaged in it to some degree.

You had your choice of workers to pick from.

Now, so many of our jobs are intellectual in nature.

There are so many places to go and work that aren’t really physical at all.

When these jobs were fewer, and fewer people were qualified to do them, they were considered high-value.

But as they have multiplied, their relative value has decreased overall (except for certain positions).

But at the same time, people have maintained their view that trade labor is not very valuable.

And yet, they completely neglect the fact that FAR FEWER people are doing it now, and it is in EXTREMELY high demand.

In a way, I think that blue collar jobs will slowly become sort of the next steady white collar jobs, as the general population is forced to adjust, slowly over decades, its understanding of the value of these jobs.

When you can’t find a carpenter anywhere, a good, independent carpenter will suddenly seem very high value.

And I believe that this should be reflected in their pay.

Mike Rowe explains why more workers are ‘quietly quitting’

Yes. This is a trend int he United States. Why work when the lazy makes more than you? Paid to do nothing.

What makes your husband a good husband?

I met him when he was 39 and I 33. He had never been married and I had been. I had three children ages 7 to 12. I thought “he won’t commit” but I was still intrigued. A year later, we were living together. Five more and we were engaged. He had all the assets and I had all the liabilities when we met, but he never held it against me. He was supportive and took to the kids like they were his own. He took my son to little league and my daughter to ballet. He ferried kids around including their friends and made dinner for all of us when I had to work late. Whenever they got in trouble, he kept his cool. We survived and thrived.

Now, whenever an opportunity arises, I tell him he has already given me the most wonderful present a woman could want. A great husband, and the best father my children ever knew. Their natural father was a deadbeat dad who moved away and didn’t support them either financially or emotionally. My husband is the man they think of as their father. They are all in their late 40s and early 50s and they let him know how much he means to them. If they need help fixing something, he will go and help even though it means travel and inconvenience. They call him as often as me.

He has told me many times, he would do it all over again. That’s nearly 40 years of a commitment to me and my three children. Not only is he a good husband, he is a good father and a phenomenal human being. I am the luckiest woman in the world.

China Bans Exports Of Word’s Thinnest Hand Torn Steel To U.S And Europe!

https://youtu.be/95y5Wa7laFo

What’s the best lesson you’ve learned from someone in dealing with tough situations?

I was a financial analyst at a large construction company and sat in on production meetings to track progress on high rises and analyze risk.

I could fill a book with the stories of what happened at this company. Large-scale construction isn’t for the faint of heart. So many things can go wrong and you can get fired on the turn of a dime. The pressure of deadlines and tight budgets has the toughest guys sweating.

We were in a routine group meeting. There were six of us in the room discussing a construction project we were working on. We gathered around the table to review the details of the project.

Suddenly, the manager, Steve, gets a call. He holds his hand up to pause us and says, “Hang on, it’s the customer.”

Steve puts the phone to his ear and right away, you hear right through his cell phone, “IT’S F%#KING EMBARRASSMENT. NONE OF THE GOD DAMN REFRIGERATORS WORK. NONE OF YOUR TEAM KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE DOING.”

We could hear it clear as day, going through Steve’s skull and into the conference room.

Everyone froze and looked at each other.

Steve stands up and slides out of the room as the customer continues yelling through the phone.

For 2 minutes, we can hear the customer yelling as Steve paces up and down the hallway.

About 5 minutes later, Steve steps back into the room and sits down in his chair. The room is silent.

Then, one of our more sarcastic engineers says to Steve,

“So Steve — was he mad?”

It got a few chuckles out of the guys. Steve looked up, smiled, and said, “No. Not mad at all.”

Sometimes — doing the opposite of what seems logical in a dire moment can be the exact thing you need.

A friend of mine is a military trauma surgeon who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He saw the absolute worst things come through his operating room doorway each day. He spent years putting mangled people back together and saving lives. Consequently, it was the ultimate trauma surgeon training ground (if you end up needing urgent surgery, these veterans are the ones you want).

I asked him, “How did you deal with the horror show that kept replaying each day?”

He said he and the other doctors had several mechanisms, but they always maintained their sense of humor with each other. Specifically, they had a gallows humor. They stared directly into the abyss and it became an odd sense of relief.

For the record, these jokes were between each other — not to patients, but this was my favorite he told me:

A patient wakes up from surgery and the doctor tells me, “I have good news and bad news, which would you like first?”

The patient pauses for a moment, then, looks up at the doctor and says, “How about you give me the bad news first, and then the good news so it brings me back up.”

The doctor says, “Well, the bad news is, I had to amputate both of your legs.

The patient sighs in dissapointment. Shrugs and says, “And the good news?”

“The guy down the hall wants to buy your shoes.”

If it doesn’t hurt anyone, find humor when you can. Be tactful. Don’t make a joke after someone just found out their mother died.

Can you believe this is China? Inside my new apartment Part 2

Yup! This is what it is like.

What was the best revenge you’ve ever gotten?

The best revenge I ever heard of was not mine, but a friend of my father’s. There was a bar owner in Astoria who received an enormous rent increase after the landlord noticed how profitable his bar was. The landlord was certain that he would not want to move such an established and profitable business and start over again in a new location.

After giving him the bad news, the landlord demanded to know again and again whether he would renew the lease. The bar owner kept mum. On the very last day of the lease, with a bar full of patrons, the bartender announced to all that he had rented the spot across the street from his old place and offered everyone free drinks on the house in exchange for helping him move.

They all grabbed tables and chairs and equipment and moved it across the street, piece by piece. Before the day was out, he was moved and without losing a single customer. The landlord got an empty space and the loss of a few month’s rent.

Most MASSIVE military bill EVER just announced by U.S. Congress

The House of Representatives passed a new defense budget for 2024 that comes in at $886 billion.

Even though this is a military bill, it has some hidden social policies included such as limiting abortion access for service members and a ban on transgender procedures such as cross-sex hormones and surgeries on military health plans.

The bill also includes a 5.2% raise for troops as well as a new branch of the military called the Space National Guard. The Senate is working on its own version of this bill before some version of it goes to President Biden to sign.

Uh. Oh.

Do you think Americans will be attacked in China because lots of Chinese people are angered by America’s controversial actions?

Attacked? Yes, you will be attacked if you plan to parade like this in Asia

Some Asians do not take lightly to such actions, just like Jews not taking people parading Hitler Germany in their face. These some Asians aren’t weakling if they work with their hands everyday. They are simple and honest people who aren’t afraid to show you their fists. Doesn’t matter if you are Mike Tyson, 200 men come at you, you will be Mike Mincemeat.

This is probably the only time a foreigner will face violence in Asia (outside of random crime spree). But hey, I heard China is incredibly safe. Even women aren’t afraid to walk alone at night. So you will be ok.

---

About American controversy…

Are Chinese always right? Not really. China has 1.4 billion people. Who knows what everyone thinks? Chinese has a fair share of lunatics, conspiracy theorists, Falun Gong cultists, scam artists, murderers, rapists, drug dealers, kidnappers…

I will not jump to a Chinese person’s defense without first finding out what’s going on. I can tell you that much.

However…

If you truly live in the West, especially America, you would be used to the frenzy political atmosphere of America. Pro-gun, anti-gun, pro-life, pro-choice, pro Trump, anti-Trump, Go Brandon, Black Lives Matter, All Lives Matter, etc…. You know not to discuss politics with coworkers and strangers, especially not antagonizing them.

I always say “let’s leave politics for the politicians” when someone tries to get political. Not because I am not passionate about politics, but because these debates in real life will often get out of hands. No benefit, all risks.

Why is it any difference in China? Don’t go arguing with local Chinese, whether you think you are right or not. If you trust them, you can let them in for a friendly and respectful discussion. Otherwise, do not instigate politics discussion anywhere you go, with taxi drivers, shopkeepers, people you met on the trains, security guards at the mall. Keep your fancy politics to yourself!

This advice is good for everywhere you go in the world!

If you are a CIA agent who wants to instigate troubles, then do the opposite of what I said.

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Will Chinese attack me?

Just for being an American? Highly unlikely. Chinese aren’t violent in nature. And Chinese cares about face a lot. Chinese people do not want foreigners to think they are rude, violent, and unreasonable. Most Chinese anyway.

If one Chinese angrily charges at you, you yell out “Don’t be unreasonable. What did I ever do to you?”

He will stop and think twice about his reckless action. At least he will shout out his reasons for wanting to attack you. You will get a chance to reason with him. You can go “I am not American government. I cannot control what they do. But they also do not control what I do and think”.

Pause 3 seconds and say: “I am in China because l like China enough to be here. Don’t you see?”

This will perplex most brutes. Then he will feel embarrassed. He will offer to treat you for a meal and some beer. And there you go, you will have turned an ass whooping incident into a friend making opportunity. Who knows, you two will be good friends.

Most brutes are honest and straight forward people. They mean what they say. They are very dependable friends. Far better than those friends of yours who only show up when they want something from you.

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Chinese has an idiom: 不打不相识

(Bù dǎ bù xiāngshí)

Meaning: [sometimes] we make friends through initial conflict. Because of a misunderstanding, we get into a fight with them. Through conflict resolution, we get to know them and become good friends.

Hahah, I think I got carried away writing stories. But seriously, most Chinese are law-bidding citizens who find no benefit in senseless violence. They will lecture or curse the hell out of you though.

So be a smart person and avoid politics. You will get along with Chinese just fine. If you ever hear someone say “go back to America, you are not welcome here”, let me know. Because this is a one in a million story. Time to buy lottery.