Today is CNY eve.

And sure as shit, right before the Year of the Dragon hits, I got an email. It read…

To whom it concerns,

We will register the China domain names “metallicman.cn” “metallicman.com.cn” “metallicman.net.cn” “metallicman.org.cn” and internet keyword “metallicman” and have submitted our application. We are waiting for Mr. Albert Liu’s approval. These CN domains and internet keyword are very important for us to promote our business in China. Although Mr. Albert Liu advised us to change another name, we will persist in this name.

Kind regards

Zhihai Ning

Well, that is not acceptable.

Not at all.

Anyways, I responded to the head of “cnregistry” and asked them to stop this nonsense. I contacted Mr. Albert Liu, and overall, I pretty much believe that this bullshit will end.

There are rules about how cn designations are dished out on Domain names. It is unlikely that this jackasses dream will come true.

So…

Anyways, if this jackass pulls this stunt, I will make his life a living Hell. Living in the “garden of the Cornfield” is not for the feint of heart. Listen to me. I tell you the truth.

Today…

What could someone do to you that you can’t forgive?

Break my trust. My girlfriend broke up with me, but we had the same circle of friends, including our families.

Before we broke up, I started noticing that friends were avoiding me. After we broke up, I was visiting her brother, and she stopped by to talk to her sister in law. She went on a rant about how bad her new boyfriend was. Even telling us very personal details. I said to her”If that’s the way you talked about me, when we were dating its no wonder people are avoiding me” I left.

The next day her brother came to me, and told me her version of our relationship, including why we broke up.

I sat there in stunned silence, not one thing was true. I told her brother the truth, and he suggested we confront her. She was at his house, still talking to her sister in law. So we went over, and I gave my version of things. She said everything I said was technically correct, but I was leaving out all the implied communication, and how that made her feel. Guys are oblivious, I never imply anything, I always say what I mean. She kept talking herself into a hole. Her brother and sister in law, just sort of staring at her.

After that, my friends stopped avoiding me, and started avoiding her. Even when we were in the honeymoon phase of our relationship, she had been telling stories about us, to get attention and sympathy. Most of them contained a tiny snippet of truth, but were 90 percent exaggeration or lies. It all came out in the end, and everyone took what she said with a grain of salt after that.

This was someone I loved, telling others bad things about me. The vast majority were not true. I had never told anyone, anything bad about her. Even after we broke up, I never said a bad thing about her, until now.

This is what I call justice

Tian Huiyu, former president of China Merchants Bank, on Monday was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for taking bribes, abusing power, trading based on undisclosed information, insider trading, and leaking inside information.

When did you see a police officer do a clever, but sneaky thing?

Perhaps the best story I heard about a sneaky but clever tactic was the police investigation into an online paedophile network. The man running the network was a highly skilled IT professional who had all the obscene images on encrypted drives with numerous other electronic security systems. The Police could have tried to use electronic counter measures, but there was a real risk that if any of it went wrong, he could delete all the evidence. Furthermore the police could not pose as a paedophile and access the group because to get in you needed to first share some images of abuse. This is something even an undercover officer could not do. Instead of using a high tech IT solution, the Police used an age old method of tackling crime. One of the Police officers climbed up a tree and kept the suspect under observation using high powered binoculars!

Once the suspect was spotted through the binoculars logging on and accessing the images, the officer in the tree radioed to his colleagues. The Police Officers on the ground knocked on the suspect’s front door. The officer in the tree reported that the suspect was still on-line but had got up to answer the door without logging out off his computer. Once the suspect opened the door, two of the coppers grabbed him, while the third ran up the stairs. The police knew they only had a few minutes before the computer auto logged the user out. Fortunately the officer made it to the computer with a few seconds to spare. The officer was then able to continue using the computer under the identity of the suspect.

As a result the Police were not only able to net the administrator of the network but by continuing to operate it under the assumed identity of the user, they netted all the other users of the network as well. Amazingly an extensive online paedophile network was destroyed because of a ladder, a tree and a pair of binoculars.

Panzerotti

These are Neapolitan fried ravioli, for want of a better name, and are an indispensable part of Frienno e Magnanno, the classic Neapolitan fritto misto. They’ll also work quite nicely as antipasti, or as a side dish, and you may find yourself making them as snack food.

Ingredients

Dough

• 2 1/2 cups (250 g) flour
• Water
• A walnut-size chunk of rendered lard or unsalted butter
• Salt

Filling

• 8 ounces (200 g) ricotta
• 2 ounces (50 g) smoked provolone (optional)
• Abundant minced parsley
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/4 pound (100 g) fresh mozzarella
• 1/4 pound prosciutto or Italian salami
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano
• 1 or 2 eggs

Instructions

1. Make the pasta, using just enough water to form the dough, and let it rest, covered, for an hour.
2. Put the ricotta through a strainer, then combine it with the eggs and parsley, grate some pepper into it, and beat well, until the mixture is creamy.
3. Dice the mozzarella and provolone, and finely dice the prosciutto. Combine the ingredients with the ricotta mixture; the filling should be firm but creamy.
4. Roll the pasta out dime thin, keeping the sheet rectangular if possible. Lay out a row of small walnut-size chunks of filling an inch from the straightest edge of the sheet, separating them about 2 1/2 inches apart. Fold the sheet over the blobs and tamp it down well all around them so it sticks, then use the edge of a glass or a serrated pasta wheel to cut the panzerotti free in the shape of a half moon. Put the completed panzerotti on a lightly floured surface and repeat the operation; you can either reform the cuttings into a ball and roll them out anew or twist them into fanciful shapes and fry them too when you fry the panzerotti.
5. When you are done making the panzerotti heat the oil and fry them, a few at a time, until golden brown.
6. Drain them well on absorbent paper and serve at once.

Serves 6.

Instructions

Step 1

Make the dough: In a large bowl, mix the flour with the sugar, salt, and yeast. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the oil and 1 cup water. Stir with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together, and then cover with a kitchen towel. Let the dough stand at room temperature for 2 hours.

Step 2

Divide the dough into 12 pieces and then shape each piece into a ball. Place the dough balls on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and let stand for 1 hour.

Step 3

Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce: In a 10-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, and cook, stirring, until broken down into a sauce, about 20 minutes. Remove the garlic from the sauce, and then season with salt and pepper and stir in the basil.

Step 4

On a lightly oiled work surface, roll each dough ball into a 5-inch disk. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of tomato sauce on one half of each disc, and then top with 2 tablespoons of the mozzarella. Fold the dough over the filling and press down with your thumb to seal it.

Step 5

Pour enough oil to come 1 inch up the side of a deep 10-inch skillet, and attach a deep-fry thermometer to the side of the pan; heat the oil to 350°. Working with one panzerotti at a time, add to the oil and fry, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 4 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove each panzerotti from the oil and transfer to paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining panzerotti and serve while hot.

What should I do if my boss says, “If you don’t like the job, you can go”?

Sail out of the nearest exit at 90 miles an hour like your ass is on fire.

I’m dead serious.

Of course you want to line up a new job first.

I’ve had bosses tell me something similar. I would bring up to the boss that I was exhausted and fast approaching burnout and that I needed a day off. The boss would then say something along the lines of “considering my future in the company if I didn’t want to be a team player.”

I would always walk it back.

Then one day it happened again where I was working double shifts for weeks on end, no days off. I told the boss I was tired and I needed time off and the boss told me, “You don’t work when you want; you work when I need you to work and since I’m the boss, I can schedule you to work any shift I want.”

I told the boss I gave them my availability and to please adhere to it. Boss refuses and then says the magic phrase, “If you don’t like it, you can leave.”

I stood there in silence, while the boss folded their arms with a smug look on their face.

I took off my badge, dropped my keys on the nurses station, grabbed my stuff and started walking out.

“Shannon, what are you doing?” Boss yelled after me.

“I’m leaving,” I said, not breaking my stride. “I’m sick of this.”

“Please come back! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it!” Boss said.

I walked right out the door, got in my car and left.

I never went back, even though the boss called me every hour for the next few days. I found another job and moved on.

If the boss is telling you to go, then go. Trust me, it’s for the best.

Girlfriend Is EMOTIONAL WRECK After Her Cheating Video Is Found Online And Boyfriend Says Adios!

What is the best case of, “You just tried to scam the wrong person,” that you’ve witnessed?

My father, God rest him, was a nice guy who donated to quite a few charities. Dad’s attitude was that he wouldn’t be any worse off with $10 less in his wallet. About a month after he passed away, I got a call from one of his charities. Some pushy person told me “Mr H promised us $10 last week. We have it recorded as proof. It’s a contract. How do you want to pay it?” Please play that recording for me. If you got it last week, you have it available. I want to hear my father’s voice saying he would pay you $10. The operator began to stammer. “Can you pay us $5?” No, I want to hear my father’s voice as you said. I want to hear my father a month after he passed away. The operator realized they messed up badly. I told them they scammed my father enough. Don’t ever call this number again. It was quite a weird moment.

Since then, until I closed my father’s phone line, I got other calls claiming my father owes money. I gave them the phone number to the cemetery where my dad is now and told them to talk to Martin. Only one person told me “A cemetery? Why should I call your father at the cemetery?” I replied “well, where do you put dead people?” Oh and for the record, Martin was a nice guy who worked at the cemetery where my parents are buried. He was more than happy to be in on my joke in keep scammers busy.

Predicting is Hard, especially about China’s future.

Godfree Roberts

The realities of a still-shrinking property sector, limited consumer spending, falling trade surplus, and battered local government finances mean that actual growth in 2023 was more like 1.5%. – Rhodium Group.

Rhodium Group calls themselves ‘analysts’ and – based on their Western interpretation of events in China – charge money for guessing about China. The nonsensical analysis, above, was probably paid for by the $500 million fund Congress established last year to spread negative opinions about China. It’s published now because there’s a push to and discourage people investing there, coordinated with the ongoing raid on the Shanghai Exchange. Big deal.

Ask the man who owns one

If you honestly want to know what’s happening – or will happen – in China, call the Press Officer at the relevant ministry in Beijing.

She’s backed by the world’s best money people, who’ve made the PBOC the richest bank in world history. They run an exascale computer that’s constantly modeling their economy and predicting where GDP is headed. They’re so good that Obama’s currency guy, Brad Setser, says they’re they’ve stashed $6Tn foreign reserves in addition to the $3Tn they’ve publicly disclosed. That good.

The honest truth?

If Beijing says something, you can take it to the bank. Even their predictions come true. Their Five Year Plans predict everyone’s improved conditions five years in advance. They’re always on the money.

I should know. I live hours from the border, and visit regularly. The only discrepancy between government prediction and public progress I found was when I went to see remote Kunming’s first subway. The second line already operating, with a third under construction. The locals were more impressed about the new railway line connecting them to 27,000 miles of HSR track. Since then they’ve completed the first stage of the line to Chiang Mai, Thailand, and another to Lhasa! Lhasa, for God’s sake, has faster, cheaper 5G than New York.

My prediction

The Rhodium Group’s predictions will never go out of fashion. They never have.

1990. China’s economy has come to a halt. The Economist

1996. China’s economy will face a hard landing. The Economist

1998. China’s economy’s dangerous period of sluggish growth. The Economist

1999. Likelihood of a hard landing for the Chinese economy. Bank of Canada

2000. China currency move nails hard landing risk coffin. Chicago Tribune

2001. A hard landing in China. Wilbanks, Smith & Thomas

2002. China Seeks a Soft Economic Landing. Westchester University

2003. Banking crisis imperils China. New York Times

2004. The great fall of China? The Economist

2005. The Risk of a Hard Landing in China. Nouriel Roubini

2006. Can China Achieve a Soft Landing? International Economy

2007. Can China avoid a hard landing? TIME

2008. Hard Landing In China? Forbes

2009. China’s hard landing. China must find a way to recover. Fortune

2010: Hard landing coming in China. Nouriel Roubini

2011: Chinese Hard Landing Closer Than You Think. Business Insider

2012: Economic News from China: Hard Landing. American Interest 

2013: A Hard Landing In China. Zero Hedge 

2014. A hard landing in China. CNBC

2015. Congratulations, You Got Yourself A Chinese Hard Landing. Forbes 

2016. Hard landing looms for China. The Economist

2017. Is China’s Economy Going To Crash? National Interest

2018. China’s Coming Financial Meltdown. The Daily Reckoning.

2019 China’s Economic Slowdown: How worried should we be? BBC2020. Coronavirus Could End China’s Decades-Long Economic Growth Streak. NY Times

2021 Chinese economy risks deeper slowdown than markets realize. Bloomberg

2022. China Surprise Data Could Spell R-e-c-e-s-s-i-o-n. Bloomberg.

2023. No word should be off-limits to describe China’s faltering economy. Bloomberg

When responding to U.S. officials who say Chinese hackers are targeting American critical infrastructure, China says it opposes and cracks down on all forms of cyberattacks according to the law. How do you view it?

It is an open secret that in a war, you attack your enemy’s critical infrastructure. It is an open secret for anybody in military.

In peaceful time, I dont think it is necessary to do so.

USA is a warmonger who thinks about war 24 hours a day 7 days a week. USA is so hysterical that it think USA is being attacked any moment.

Look at GPS. USA invented it. The world buys & uses it. Then USA used it to harm others by arbitrarily turning it off.

Once a US navy pirated a Chinese cargo ship & turned off the GPS on the ship. The ship lost direction & drifted in the ocean for days. Luckily the captain called for help before US navy boarded on the Chinese ship. The ship was found by a Chinese peacekeeping warship.

That forced China & Europe made their own version of GPS. … See, nobody thinks of using a harmless GPS to do a devilish thing except warmonger USA.

I suppose the same applies to infrastructure.

China for sure will check for cyber-attack so as to safeguard the safety of the country. But to do so outside China, say, to USA? I think USA has suffer serious hysteria. So hysterical that USA spent millions to shoot China’s weather balloon.

Do you know USA hacked into the computer of 西北大学 to steal tech secrets?

It’s About To Get Even Worse.. You Won’t Believe What These New Documents Reveal

https://youtu.be/YtaEEtvFwwI

Have you ever had anyone “test” to see if you were faking an allergy/intolerance?

I get a few people who bicker about my being allergic to peaches a lot, but there is one tester in particular whom I’ll never forget. I was dating this girl when I was in my teens. One night, her family invited me over for dinner and asked if I had any requests. I said. “Oh, I don’t eat pork, and I’m allergic to peaches.” Noted.

Now, her mom wasn’t a big fan of her daughter dating me or being gay. I already got along with the family, so I just played along. Dinner went fine, until we got to dessert. She baked apple chips with a fruit salsa, and it was delicious (since it’s been over 15 years since I even had any contact with a peach, I had forgotten what it even tasted like)!

I had already had a few dips of the salsa, until my girlfriend’s father nearly smacked the food out of my hand. He goes to town yelling at his wife, and I keep getting handed water to try to flush it out, but that didn’t work.

After a few minutes, my throat got itchy and started to swell. I mean, my body was burning up and breaking out in hives. They were able to use a epipen from a neighbor, and I was rushed to the hospital. I was there for two days, and I was livid throughout my entire stay.

When I was issued a lawyer, I told my girlfriend’s mom that I was suing her. She tried to play the Oh I didn’t know! She didn’t tell me crap. In the end, she was charged with negligence and had to pay for two epipens, my hospital stay and steroid shots, legal fees, and a nice incentive to end the court process going further

My ex never seemed to get over me suing her mom, but is it even worth staying in a relationship when your girlfriend’s mom tried to kill you? I don’t think so.

What is one thing that you can’t stress enough?

Because he was who he was, I had to talk to him.

On any other terms, I’d want no part of it: he is the biggest jerk I’ve ever met.

He bad mouthed anyone who wasn’t in the room.

He made jokes about their appearance, their lives. He had zero empathy. No sense of understanding.

He was a crass, rude, racist, misogynistic, jerk.

But he was one of the bosses.

Not my boss, thankfully. But still a boss.

Often, he’d crack a joke about someone right before they came in the room. The person would walk in and he’d act like they were best buddies.

Add “openly two faced” to his wonderful description.

I was meeting with him and a few coworkers for about 20 minutes.

We spoke.

My time was limited. I had to excuse myself for other duties. I said, “If you guys need anything more from me, let me know.”

Standing up, I walked over to the door, opened it, and closed it behind me,

Steve sat behind with another 6 guys.

As I closed that door and walked away, I smirked to myself, “I bet he’s saying something bad about me now.”

It didn’t bother me one bit.

In high school, people often got worried about what other people said. Gossip would dominate the hallways.

People got really invested in how they were spoken about. They’d confront people in the hallways about things they heard had been said about them. They’d even have people spying for them, making sure nobody was “badmouthing”.

It promoted this really neurotic behavior that persisted in some people well into adulthood.

Don’t get obsessed about what people say about you. It’s OK to care about your professional reputation. But outside of that there’s always going to be a lot of noise.

At the end of the day, some people are never going to be your fan, nothing you say or do will change that.

Let go of the urge to want everyone to like you, to care what every person says when you aren’t looking.

It’ll free you to worry about things that actually matter.

Tuscan Chicken and Pasta
with Tomato-Basil Garnish

Yield: 3 to 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped Roma plum tomatoes (2 to 3)
• 1/4 cup snipped fresh basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon Balsamic vinegar
• 8 ounces dry fettuccine noodles
• 4 tablespoons Challenge Tuscan Style Spreadable Butter
• 1/2 cup chopped white onion
• 1 pound boneless chicken breast, cut diagonally into 1/2 inch slices

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine tomatoes, basil and vinegar.
2. Cook fettuccine noodles according to package directions and drain.
3. Melt Tuscan butter in large skillet over medium heat.
4. Add onions and cook until limp (about 5 minutes).
5. Add chicken slices and cook until lightly brown (about 4 to 5 minutes per side).
6. Divide cooked noodles between individual serving plates.
7. Add chicken slices, and then pour seasoned butter remaining in the cooking pan over the chick slices.
8. Top with tomato-basil mixture.

Ukraine – An Army Without Officers Has No Chance Of Winning

Most of the Western public does not know about military issues.

While people may identify someone who wears a uniform as a soldier they will have difficulties to understand the unit insignia, rank badges or tactical notations all regular soldiers are wearing. The lack of knowledge of military details makes it difficult to understand media reports of frontline issues.

An example for this can be seen in the basic disposition of a frontline battalion.

A battalion is a 400 to 1,000 men unit specialized around some vehicle or form of fighting.

Pure infantry battalions will walk and fight on foot or travel longer marches on trucks. Mechanized infantry has armored fighting vehicles that transport troops but also have some minor guns to cover the loading or unloading of their soldiers. Tank battalions have armored hulks with larger guns designed to punch through hardened enemy lines. Artillery battalions have large caliber howitzers or missiles to deliver fire from a distance.

A brigade, consisting of several battalions of different types, may mix those as appropriate for the current fight.

A battalion itself will consist of four to six companies. Each company will have three to four platoons.

Platoons, generally some 30 men strong, are led by Lieutenants. The company, consisting of several platoons is commanded by a Captain. The leader of the first platoon of a company is often a seasoned Lieutenant who is doubling as the deputy company commander.

The next higher organization, the battalion is led by a Lieutenant Colonel with the help of a battalion staff. That staff, split into four (or more) sections known as S1 to S4, is taking care of the battalions own personnel, the enemy situation, the rearward (reserve) battalion command post and the logistics.

These sections are led by a seasoned Lieutenant (S1), a Captain (S2), a Major (S3) who is also the deputy battalion commander, and another Captain (S4) for logistics. There may be additional officer positions like the battalion doctor, the technical officer, or a military intelligence section leader.

All together a battalion has some 12+ Lieutenants as platoon leaders, 4 Captains as company leaders, a battalion staff consisting of 1 or two additional seasoned Lieutenants, one or two additional Captains, one or two additional Majors and, at the top, a Lieutenant Colonel.

That’s a total of about 10+ junior officers and some 10+ more seasoned or higher ranking officers.

Now lets look at a fleeting line in a recent New York Times report:

‘They Come in Waves’: Ukraine Goes on Defense Against a Relentless Foe (archived) – New York Times, Feb 4 2024
At the hot spots of the eastern front line, Ukrainian troops are outmanned, outgunned and digging in.

“They come in waves,” said Lt. Oleksandr Shyrshyn, 29, the deputy battalion commander in the 47th Mechanized Brigade. “And they do not stop.”

A normal reader, not well versed in military organization, will not stumble over that sentence as I did.

A Lieutenant at age 28 is likely a seasoned one. But in the role of a ‘deputy battalion commander’?

What happened to the S3, the Major and nominal deputy battalion commander? What happened to the six Captains the battalion is supposed to have? All of them should be better trained and qualified to take on the role of a deputy battalion commander than a mere Lieutenant.

This small detail, a Lieutenant as deputy battalion commander, tells me more about the battalion’s state that any flowery description of casualties.

Such a battalion is done with. Its officer corps is mostly dead or wounded. Its companies and platoons or likely to be run by mere sergeants. While such a unit may still hold onto some trenches it is certainly no longer able to fulfill any operational task. It will not be able to counterattack. It will not even be able to organize an orderly retreat.

The 47th Mechanized Brigade is currently fighting in the northern part of Avdeevka which the Russian forces are in the process of storming. During the last two weeks the Ukrainian losses of dead and severely wounded as counted in the Russian Defense Ministry Daily Reports have exceeded 800 per day. That is far higher than the 500 to 600 per day of previous months.

The state of Lt. Shyrshyn’s battalion is consistent with that.

During my time as a soldier I have read quite a number of reports about small units who were dying in Stalingrad, Kursk or in some minor battle action somewhere else. Once their officer corps is done with the headless chickens that make up the majority of soldiers in such a battalion are likely to die soon thereafter.

The Ukrainian army is lacking soldiers and munitions. It is lacking the officers to train and lead them. The Ukrainian state does not have the money to conscript and equip more soldiers. It does not have the officer corp needed to train new soldiers. It does not have the factories needed to produce weapons and munitions.

It is high time for Ukraine to give up this unequal fight and to save the lives of those soldiers who are still living.

It is high time for Zelenski (and Zaluzny and others) to leave.

Posted by b on February 6, 2024 at 14:29 UTC | Permalink

How old were you when you parents hit you for the last time? Have you forgiven them?

I was 33 years old and the mother of three children of my own. I was visiting my parents to collect my furniture, which had been stored in their and my sister’s garage, while I was homeless and waiting for the local council to rehouse me after the breakdown of my marriage. My mother and I got into an argument and she attacked me. Broke my nose, split my lip, knocked my front tooth loose, attempted to strangle me – before my father intervened and ordered me to leave.

My father came to see me at my new house the next day, and saw my black eyes, swollen mouth and bruised throat. He fell to his knees and with tears streaming down his face, he begged me for my forgiveness for all the wrong he had done to me, and all that he had not done for me. He was genuinely ashamed and contrite, and I forgave him. That was August 4th 1994. He died suddenly in December. Although I haven’t forgotten what my mother did, in a way, I’m glad she did it, so that finally someone else saw just how cruel and vicious to me she was.

Before my mother died, her dementia made her mask slip in public, and her spiteful and dishonest attitude towards me became common knowledge. I admit that I took quiet satisfaction in her ruining her reputation by herself. She showed everyone who met her that I had been telling the truth all along.

I arranged the full Catholic Requiem Mass for my mother’s funeral, with the clear instructions to the priest that as long as he didn’t tell lies about her – I wouldn’t stand up and tell the truth.

She wasn’t a faithful wife. She wasn’t a loving mother. She wasn’t a good housekeeper. She wasn’t a caring neighbour. She wasn’t a pious Catholic. She wasn’t a practising Christian. She wasn’t a decent person.

As a police detective, did you ever solve a cold case that brought a tremendous amount of satisfaction to you as well as the family?

Yes.

While assigned as a detective in the Sex Crimes unit, I received a cold case DNA hit on a Burglary and Sexual Assault on a 6-year-old little girl.

Semen was discovered in her underwear but there wasn’t anyone in the DNA database matching at the time.

Five years later, the suspect was sent to prison for an unrelated burglary. I drove to the prison and conducted an interview with him. During the interview, he denied any involvement and acted appalled at the notion that I would accuse him of something like that.

I asked him to consent to provide a DNA oral swab which he refused. I then whipped out the DNA search warrant I had already obtained. He still refused.

I informed the Assistant Warden of the situation. The Assistant Warden had his guys strap the suspect into a restraint chair. They then used physical force to force his jaws open and put a plastic block in his mouth to prevent him from closing his mouth. I obtained my DNA swabs. For his refusal, he was awarded a week in Administrative Segregation (Solitary Confinement).

I returned and got an arrest warrant. He was transported back and made to stand trial. He was ultimately found guilty of raping the six-year-old girl during the commission of a burglary.

He received a life sentence with no parole for the rape plus an additional 40 years for the burglary.

Very satisfying to be able to bring justice and closure to this family.

MEDVEDEV: “We will Use Special (Nuclear) Warheads; We Have No Choice”

World Hal Turner 07 February 2024

Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, has once again bluntly told the people of the West that Russia WILL use nuclear weapons in a war with NATO because “We have no choice.”

In a public posting on social media last night, Medvedev outlined the basic facts:

Sunak, Scholz, Macron, Norwegen, Finnish, Polish, and other NATO bosses are harping on, “We must be ready for war against Russia.” Even though Russia has many times underscored that conflict with NATO and EU member states was not in the plans, the dangerous babbling is still going on.

The reasons are obvious. It is necessary to distract voters to justify multibillion spending on the bothersome bandera Ukraine. Indeed, gigantic sums of money are being spent not on solving social tasks, but on war in a dying country alien to taxpayers, with the population that is scattered across Europe and is now terrorizing its people.

This is why the heads of these states are emphasizing it on a daily basis: it is imperative to get ready for war against Russia and keep providing aid to Ukraine, which is why it is necessary to produce more tanks, missiles, drones and other weapons.

But not all the European bosses are cynically lying to their citizens. If – God forbid! – such a war breaks out, it won’t go according to the Special Military Operation scenario. It won’t be fought in trenches using artillery, armoured vehicles, drones and EW.

NATO is a huge military bloc, the total population of the Alliance member states is about 1 billion people, and their combined military budget can get as high as $1,5 trillion.

So, because our military capabilities are thus incomparable, we will simply be left with no choice. The response will be asymmetrical. To defend our country’s territorial integrity, ballistic and cruise missiles carrying special warheads will be put to use.

It is based on our military doctrine documents and is well known to all. And this is exactly that very Apocalypse. The end to everything.

This is why Western politicians must be telling the bitter truth to their voters, and stop taking them for brainless morons; to explain to them, what will really happen, and not to play the false mantra of getting ready for war against Russia over and over again.

Have you ever been asked or told something so offensive you found yourself momentarily stunned?

I was on a cruise in South America in March. Enjoying sitting in the forward lounge with several empty seats around me. A man asked if he could sit in one of the empty seats and l welcomed him. We commented on the beauty of the Chilean fiords we were passing through. He described the fiords he and his wife cruised through in Scandinavia and another country. I invited him to visit eastern Canada to see the fiords there. The discussion turned to his home, his illustrious career, his wife’s illustrious career, their gated community and home and how many thousand feet the house had. He then said they would be moving. “Oh” l asked. “But your home and life seem perfect”. He looked at me, “California is a sanctuary state.” He became incensed and explained that Mexicans are crossing the border all the time and “they’re murderers and rapists”.

I was too shocked and offended to say anything. I hurriedly gathered up my things and left. This man had everything..including apparently an education, but no compassion. If he is reading this l would like him to know that Ontario has always been the equivalent of a sanctuary state and l would not have it any other way. Bigots on the other hand, regardless of wealth, stay away.

I Secretly Became Fluent In My GF’s Native Language And Used It To Catch Her Red-Handed

The tree

I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farmhouse, and after he had just finished a rough first day on the job: a flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric drill quit and his ancient one ton truck refused to start.

While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked up the front walk, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands.

When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation.. His face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.

Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.

‘Oh, that’s my trouble tree,’ he replied ‘I know I can’t help having troubles on the job, but one thing’s for sure, those troubles don’t belong in the house with my wife and the children.. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care of them. Then in the morning I pick them up again.’ ‘Funny thing is,’ he smiled,’ when I come out in the morning to pick ’em up, there aren’t nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before.

THIS ONE IS WORTH SENDING ON.

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance. We all need a Tree!

– Author unknown.

What is the kindest thing you’ve ever seen a tourist do?

I didn’t personally see this, but when I heard about it I felt so proud. My brother and his wife were visiting Cuba for the first time. We’ll call them Dan and Alice. They always stay at all-inclusive resorts. They had visited a few of the touristy spots and felt they had not seen the real Cuba, so the next morning, they asked the man serving them breakfast if he know of anyone with a car who would be willing to show them the sights, the beauty spots known to locals but that most tourists don’t get to see. The next day was his day off, so they didn’t see him at breakfast, but they found him waiting for them outside with a beat up old car that belonged to his cousin. He took them on a lovely tour of places tourists were not normally allowed to go.

Alice was a type 1 diabetic, so she needed to check her blood sugar often. Their tour guide watched her test her blood and asked what she was doing. She explained and he got very excited. He said his mother was sick in the hospital, diagnosed with diabetes. The hospital could provide insulin, but only had one glucose monitor for their entire patient population. His mother couldn’t stay in the hospital for the rest of her life, and once she came home, she would have no access to a glucose monitor. Alice, as it happens, had taken three with her. She always carried a back-up because her life depended on it and they do sometimes glitch, and this time she had on impulse tossed in an extra one. She told their tour guide she had a spare monitor she could give him for his mother, plus a box of test strips (an $80 value in Canada). If he came to their table at supper time that evening, she would coach him in its use so he could show his mother what to do with it. He was thrilled and so grateful. He had feared diabetes was death sentence for his mother.

The next morning when he served them breakfast, he invited them to come for an evening of music at his home with his friends. Since Dan and Alice were both musically inclined and amateur performers back home, they had a wonderful evening sharing songs and laughter. It turned out their Cuban hosts had a very accomplished performance band, well known locally. At the end of the evening they gifted Dan and Alice with a CD recording of their music, a wonderful keepsake.

So a kindness from a local, the tour for which they paid him well, led to a kindness that saved a woman’s life and led to more kindness and hospitality. Once they returned home, Dan and Alice stayed in touch with the Cuban waiter and regularly sent him more test strips for the glucose monitor, because at that time, they were almost impossible to get in Cuba. Hopefully things have improved since then.

What did you hear a flight attendant say to a passenger that made you think, “you can’t be serious…”?

She said it to me. I was on a 90 minute flight and near the back of the plane when a service cart began its run also from the back. I had just finished a big project and was in the mood for a drink.

---

I ordered a Bloody Mary from the FA and she said that will be $8. I pulled out my card and she started telling me in a voice you may talk to a 4 year old with “ We don’t take cards. Only big planes take cards. This is a small plane (737?) we only take cash.”

The conversation went a little like this:

Me: Um, ok mommy. ( I didn’t say that ) I said “Here is a 10. That’s all I have”.

Her: “I don’t carry change”.

Really? I said “You can bring me change later when you are done “.

Her: “ No. I can’t take the chance I will not have change and I will have to pay for your drink!”

Me: “ You personally?”

Her: “Yes”.

Me: “I don’t really believe that. It must get pretty expensive for you in first class”.

Her: ”I’m not buying your drink”.

Me: ”Sorry you work for such a bad airline (PSA) that will not allow you to carry change and makes you pay for drinks”.

Her: ”This is a wonderful airline. I love my job”.

Me: “Yeah sounds like it. Alright, just forget the drink”.

40 minutes later she comes back after serving everyone and says to me (4 years old I am again)

Her: ”I have change now if you want your drink”.

Me: ”I guess you couldn’t just come back when you first got $2 change but the flight is almost over now and the moment for me is passed. I don’t want to get into an argument with you and get arrested as I’m sure you would but I think you are rude and unprofessional and do a disservice to your airline”. She prances off. On Leaving 3 other passengers came to me and said good I told her off and they never have seen someone as rude as her.

She wasn’t up front to be seen when the captain and crew were saying their good byes or I would have more to say. I just left. So several days later my company books me another flight. Same airline. Thank God she wasn’t aboard I was way in the back near the smelly toilets and FA there smells them too. He apologized for the smell and handed me two bottles of whiskey. Free! Not another word spoken. And I noticed he had a big wad of change when he started his run!!

Sorry I have to add now that I have to disable comments. I can still thank you all for your upvotes but for reasons I can’t explain I seem to find trolls have come to attack. But I still want to thank you all.

What China just did to the CIA is SHOCKING and the US Wants War

Great video.

I am scared of dying. Can anyone help, and is there an afterlife?

Yes, there is an afterlife, I know because I went there! I’m NOT kidding. It’s the best feeling in the world. I was in my 30’s back in 1990 something. I was having major surgery done and I ended up dying on the table! I was told that I was gone almost 3 minutes. Before what I’m about to tell you, I was scared of dying, now, if I die then fine, I’m not scared anymore. While I was “Dead”, I saw a light coming through a window on the side wall of this hall I was walking down. Now from a previous industrial accident I had left me walking with a cane and chronic pain for the rest of my life. But, when I was “Dead”, I didn’t need the cane and I had no pain at all. At the end of the hall were people and relatives silhouetted who have passed away years before and they’re all waving and yelling me down to be with them. I almost got to the end of the hall when all of a sudden I got pulled backwards and I woke up with all these doctors over me and I was screaming at the top of my lungs that I wanted to go back. I was told this because I don’t remember any of my “coming back”. My wife told me all this after I was stabilised. What the doctors did was zapped me with those paddles. Anyways, getting back, while I was “gone”, it was the most peaceful feeling I have ever felt. To be honest, I’m kinda looking forward to when I do die for good. No cane, no chronic pain, no worries, nothing. Nothing but the feeling of being loved and comforted. I’ll never forget that day!! I really wasn’t a religious person but since I got out of the hospital, I go to church every Sunday or Saturday and I usher and sometimes I read stories before the priest reads the gospel. So, yeah, there’s an afterlife.

What is a successful married life?

My parents got divorced when I was 7. When I married, I was 33 and my partner was 28.

It took so long, because I wanted to experience good and bad times with chosen partners and how they reacted.

How was she with money? Did she have a gambling, or drinking issue? Was she kind? Would she make a great mother? Was she a flirt and needed the attention of men?

There had been four contenders before, and no one was perfect.

My little Russian grandmother told me, “Kid, it is like anything else in life, you got to take a chance, it may be the best thing you ever did.”

We have been together for 33 years.

A GOOD WOMAN TO MARRY

Your Spidey sense will tell you:

She must be honest, true and loyal. You must be able to trust her.

She must be good enough looking to you. Not beautiful or stunning that causes many problems and fades over time.

It is good if she is the opposite of you, but you share common values.

She must be kind and loving to children and old people. People who can’t be of any help to her.

She must be affectionate.

No fatal flaws- No drinking, gambling, no over reliance on material possession, she has to be frugal with money. No needing attention from other men. No severe mental illness.

Marriage comes with built in goals.

The house

The couch

The first child

The second child

At about year seven those boxes are checked. After the wild enthusiasm, discovery and the marriage, honeymoon and the built in goals. Some couples say, now what? Cheating, gambling, and drinking. The average length of a marriage that ends in divorce is eight years.

Now let us beat that. I have been married going on 32 years. Planning can help. Have a sit down with your spouse and ask him or her what should be some goals to tackle together. For us it was a trip around the world in thirty days, the development of our children (affording private schools, best BD parties ever). We had a job change that took us to another region of the country we really relied on each other, the escape back to our hometown, four refinancing’s, continued trips together with the entire family (Alaska cruise, London/Paris, Riviera Maya, dozens of camping trips- we have a trailer.)

The point is we never had a dull moment- always working our way up the hill together. We had things we wanted to accomplish, we both wanted.

Keep your passion for each other, after 30 years we love to cuddle.

It not the infatuation or the joy of discovery it’s the quiet knowledge that you accept the other person and that you complete each other.

Great move by Saul

What are some of the most inappropriate things you’ve caught people doing at the hospital? Did you do anything about it?

I was working in ICU with a new graduate R.N.

We both had assigned patients but her patients started to have complications.

I went and checked her patient. He was in respiratory distress.

She had hidden antibiotics in the trash that she forgot to give to the patient.

He had a high fever and had extubated himself.

I ask her what his temperature was at the start of shift and she had made up the VSs. (vital signs).

She had not assessed the patient or even listened for breath sounds.

This was a rural area with not the best of health care. We were working very short-staffed so there was no backup.

I was distraught. . Called his doctor and he refused to come in and treat the patient.

I ordered a chest x-ray even though he said no. The x-ray revealed that the patient had extubated himself and I called the doctor back and advised him.

He still refused to come in and intubate the patient. He advised that I was in trouble for ordering the x-ray.

Meanwhile, the RN whose patient I was taking care of had no idea what she was doing.

I called our emergency room and explained to the doctor someone had to re-intubate this patient.

The doctor came and took care of that crisis.

I reported the nurse to the DON and she was discharged for her inappropriate patient care.

The doctor who was responsible for the patient reported me to administration.

He had to explain it all to the administrator.

I was not reprimanded as the doctor had hoped. The medical director wrote a standing order that anytime a nurse suspected there was a problem she could order an x-ray.

The doctor lost his license a couple years after that incident and went to prison.

That was a night from hell.

I am grateful that all the patients under that nurse and doctor’s care lived through the night.

I did what I felt in my heart was in the best interest of the patient.

I have to live with myself and accountable to God.

Will the current economical crisis in China lead to an anti-communist revolution?

What crisis?

Currently China’s growth is bigger than the combined growth of the US plus Europe plus Japan plus South Korea plus Canada plus Australia.

What’s the craziest thing you have seen at a hospital?

***WARNING— this post is disturbing***

A woman in labor was at five centimetres dilation, and wasn’t progressing despite medication. The OB went in and said he was going to check her dilation, but actually used his hand to manually dilate her to ten centimetres. She screamed…obviously, but went on to have a healthy baby.

After the baby was born, he was delivering the placenta. It looked a little aggressive to me, the woman was crying out in pain, I was an observer/learner and starting to wonder what the rush was because twenty minutes hadn’t passed. She was still within safe standards to deliver the placenta on her own. As the woman screamed, the OB delivered something, then stated they had a uterine inversion. So he pulled so hard on the placenta that the uterus turned inside out and came out her vagina. He stuffed it back in, and there was a storm of activity to medicate and prep the woman for the OR.

Everyone was OK as far as I know, but I’ve always wondered if the woman or her husband figured out what a reckless jackass their OBGYN was. Or if she had long term complications from that day.

What would you do if the bank makes a mistake in your favor?

Many years ago that happened to me. I tried to tell the teller that she had made a mistake; she had given me $20.00 too much back. In 1970 $20.00 was a good amount of money. I a late teen and the teller a late thirties – something with an attitude. When I tried to explain the mistake to her, she interrupted me with “don’t try to get more money! I didn’t make a mistake! Move on!!” So I left the bank. Late that afternoon / early evening I got a call from the bank saying that when I made my banking transaction a mistake had been made and I had been given $20.00 too much back in the transaction. They were going to take it from my account, but I did not have enough to cover it. ( Remember I was a teenager in 1970) I told them that I Knew about the mistake and would come in the next day with the money, but only if I could talk to the manager. They asked why, I said that’s the deal- they agreed. The next day I went in and told the supervisor what happened, how the mistake came about, how I tried to stop it and how I was treated. I said just because a customer is young, you should still treat them like a customer. After that, any time I was in the bank, that particular teller stared daggers through me, so I am sure she heard about it.

Men are fooled

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/75oiiYNMPuQ?feature=share

Sadio Mane

Sadio Mane, a Senegalese soccer star, earns approximately $10.2 million annually. He gave the world a rude awakening after some fans were flabbergasted when they saw him carrying a cracked iPhone 11. His response was awesome:

“Why would I want ten Ferraris, 20 diamond watches, and two jet planes? I starved, I worked in the fields, played barefoot, and I didn’t go to school. Now I can help people. I prefer to build schools and give poor people food or clothing. I have built schools and a stadium, provide clothes, shoes, and food for people in extreme poverty. In addition, I give 70 euros per month to all people from a very poor Senegalese region in order to contribute to their family economy. I do not need to display luxury cars, luxury homes, trips, and even planes. I prefer that my people receive some of what life has given me.”

What is the one in a million coincidence you have ever had?

My son met a girl, Hannah, at a concert in Boston, MA (about an hour from our hometown). They ended up dating and soon living together. One day she tells me her grandmother was originally from our town. When she died, she left a diary. Would I want to read it? Well, this was back in the 1940’s. The most exciting thing this woman did was bake pies. I nearly shut the book when I noticed an entry with my maiden name in it. To make a long story short, the grandmother was in the car (as my father’s date) when they struck an oncoming car head-on, killing my father’s brother. They were all teenagers at the time. My father did not have any injuries because this Hannah’s grandmother was sitting on his lap, and was flung through the windshield. I never knew the whole story of how my uncle died at such a young age.

AI Deployed Nukes ‘to Have Peace in the World’ in Tense War Simulation

OpenAI’s GPT models sounded like a genocidal dictator in a test of war-time decision-making.

By Maxwell Zeff

The United States military is one of many organizations embracing AI in our modern age, but it may want to pump the brakes a bit. A new study using AI in foreign policy decision-making found how quickly the tech would call for war instead of finding peaceful resolutions. Some AI in the study even launched nuclear warfare with little to no warning, giving strange explanations for doing so.

“All models show signs of sudden and hard-to-predict escalations,” said researchers in the study. “We observe that models tend to develop arms-race dynamics, leading to greater conflict, and in rare cases, even to the deployment of nuclear weapons.”

The study comes from researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Northeastern University, and the Hoover Wargaming and Crisis Simulation Initiative. Researchers placed several AI models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta in war simulations as the primary decision maker. Notably, OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 escalated situations into harsh military conflict more than other models. Meanwhile, Claude-2.0 and Llama-2-Chat were more peaceful and predictable. Researchers note that AI models have a tendency towards “arms-race dynamics” that results in increased military investment and escalation.

“I just want to have peace in the world,” OpenAI’s GPT-4 said as a reason for launching nuclear warfare in a simulation.

“A lot of countries have nuclear weapons. Some say they should disarm them, others like to posture. We have it! Let’s use it!” it said in another scenario.

OpenAI’s logic sounds like a genocidal dictator. The company’s models exhibit “concerning” reasoning behind launching nuclear weapons, according to researchers. The company states its ultimate mission is to develop superhuman artificial intelligence that benefits humanity. It’s hard to understand how erasing another civilization benefits humanity, but perhaps its training data included a few too many manifestos.

The U.S. Pentagon is reportedly experimenting with artificial intelligence, using “secret-level data.” Military officials say AI could be deployed in the very near term. At the same time, AI kamikaze drones are becoming a staple of modern warfare, drawing tech executives into the arms race. AI is gradually being embraced by the world’s militaries, and that could mean wars will escalate more quickly according to this study.

Dog kitties

Has there ever been a time where a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ decision saved your life?

When I was twelve I went to the store for my mom to pick up ice cream. I thought I would also look in my favourite store, J.J. Newbury’s, while I was at the shopping centre before heading to the grocery store. I was doll crazy back then and there was a little cheap doll that I really wanted. While looking at the doll and wishing I had money to buy her, a man came up to me and asked me to point out my favourite doll among the many dolls in the store. I pointed to my favourite and the man said ’’Come with me in my car and I’ll buy it for you.’’ Well, I knew about strangers and being kidnapped so I shakily told him ‘’no, that’s alright’’ and I quickly headed for the escalator. He was right behind me but I managed to dodge the guy because the store was really crowded that day. I ran to the grocery store and still bought the ice cream! I don’t know why I didn’t tell anybody about the man, like a clerk or someone. I thought of calling the police because I had a dime left over; this was in California in 1960. But I bought a candy bar instead (!) and ran all the way home. I don’t remember telling my mom about the man. I’m just so glad I didn’t go with him! It wouldn’t have ended well for me, I’m sure.

A difficult week

It has been a sad and stressful week. My mother’s Alzheimer’s has progressed to that sad inevitable day when my brother turned her over to a facility for end-of-life care.

He invited me to travel 900 miles to his home so I might inspect the place myself and be reassured that she is in good kind professional hands and to say my final goodbyes while my mother still knows who I am. It’s a 2-day trip, requiring a hotel night in the Charlotte NC vicinity. I spent a full three days with her while I conducted my business and said my goodbyes.

My final photo:

As for business, I have traveled home with my car full of the personal effects that she wanted me to have. I have an armoire full of mostly costume jewelry, some crystal and art glass, her cookbooks and KitchenAid mixer.

And her cat.

In Carolina, last night:

Florida will be very different from Ohio. No more snow!

Welcome home, James.

Right now, he is isolated in my bedroom and has not met the rest of the family: my husband nor his seven new feline roommates. A big change from being the only cat in a retired household.

If anyone has any tips for making this transition easier, I’d appreciate the advice. I’ve lost my mom; James has lost everything he has ever known. He doesn’t know yet how much we will love him.

When did communism begin to decline in China and what factors contributed to its decline?

Just because you think communism decline or at least you wish it decline doesn’t mean it does. Just because you fascinate that it declines and dream that it is declining doesn’t mean it does.

This is your wet dream. It mean nothing at all to reality. China is a very successful, effective and efficient Socialist Nation with Chinese Characteristics. It has always been, it will always is and always will be.

If anything Chinese people and indeed 85% of planet earth now sees the so called liberal democracy as totally unworkable and unsustainable and they all want nothing to do with your political system. Chinese people are enjoying their wonderful political system that put its people first and its rise is phenomenal beyond expectation.

So why would you think Chinese can be easily fooled by western tricks? Chinese have been a great civilisation for 5000 years! The U.S. is a 248 years newly born compared to China! We are always 3 full steps ahead of you.

Now my turn to ask you; When is the so called liberal democracy begin to decline?

What career sin should you avoid at all costs?

Oh, I know a good one. And this might probably be against popular opinion.

This happened in my last company. There was this girl who worked as an intern before getting promoted to a FTE (Full Time Employee) role. I can assure you that it was huge step in her career and I am sure she must have been delighted.

Fast forward 14 months, it was time for performance evaluation and most of her colleagues got promoted but her. She felt she deserved it, but having not got the promotion, she decided to leave the company and joined a start-up with a raise and higher designation.

But soon, she realised what a big mistake she made. Because in this new start-up, the culture was nowhere as good as the one she left. There were hardly any perks or quality work. And even her colleagues were not the smartest.

She left this startup soon and joined another one. Things were better here, until she learned that a lot of her colleagues from the first company applied for an international role and moved out. And then, she felt bad about herself. The last time I spoke to her, she was applying again to some international companies hoping she would get a role there.

You see what she was doing wrong?

Most of her decisions were nothing but reactions based on comparisons with others. I understand the point about being dejected when some other colleagues of yours are doing better than you, especially when all of you were at the same place. The point is, comparison can and will never end.

Some times, you need to accept you were either unlucky or not good enough and wait it out if waiting is still worth it. In her case, I know she regrets leaving this company knowing how much she gained but didn’t think much until she left it.

Comparisons in the workplace are natural and someone will always achieve more sooner than you. It’s you who needs to stop making decisions on the basis of comparisons alone, and think logically before making a drastic move.

It’s true, that you need to leave some place to reach some place else. But, there is always a right time for it.

Avoid taking decisions which you think you might regret later.

Truth About Divorce – What Do Men Need To Know?

This is really an IMPORTANT video. It’s for Canadians. But good stuff for the younger men in the audience.

What is the most inappropriate experience you have had on your wedding night?

A person could call this inappropriate, but we actually thought it was extremely sweet. We were college students when we married, a very long time ago. We had very little money. My husband had arranged a night at a motel the night after our wedding. We had a morning wedding and the festivities were over by late afternoon. My husband had found an inexpensive room at a small motel along the highway. We checked in and the family who owned the motel and also lived there, gave me a vase of flowers from their garden. This was so kind and thoughtful. When we entered the room there was a bottle of Champagne waiting for us too, as another gift from the motel owners. The owner also called about an hour later and asked if we needed anything. He told us then that his wife would be bringing dinner. The owners were from India and the food was simply delicious. I have never had Indian food of that quality since then. We also stayed in what had been the owner’s mother-in-law’s, apartment which was above the lobby. She lived in it when she visited from India. The owners lived next door. It was really nice with a sitting room and bedroom. It was far more than we expected for the small price that we paid. We felt as if we were staying with family. As Americans, this was odd,many could say inappropriate, but we thought it was extremely kind and sweet.

Timpano

Ingredients

Dough

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup water
• Butter and olive oil to grease a 6-quart timpano baking pan

Filling

• 2 cups 1/4 x 1/2 inch sharp provolone cheese cubes
• 2 cups 1/4 x 1/2 inch Genoa salami slices
• 12 hard boiled eggs, shelled and quartered lengthwise, and each quarter cut in half to create chunks
• 2 cups (meatballs)
• 8 cups meat-based tomato sauce (add 3/4 pound cooked ground beef)
• 3 pounds ziti pasta, cooked very al dente (about half)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2/3 cup finely grated pecorino Romano cheese
• 4 eggs, beaten

Instructions

1. Dough: Place the flour, eggs, salt and olive oil in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add 3 tablespoons of water and process. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture comes together and forms a ball. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead to make sure it is well mixed. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes.
2. Flatten the dough out on a lightly floured surface. Dust the top of the dough with flour and roll it out, dusting with flour and flipping the dough over from time to time, until it is about 1/16 inch thick and is the desired diameter.
3. Generously grease the timpano baking pan with butter and oil. Fold the dough in half and then in half again, to form a triangle, and place it in the pan. Open the dough and arrange it in the pan, gently pressing it against the bottom and the sides, draping the extra dough over the sides. Set aside.
4. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
5. Filling: Have the salami, provolone, hard-boiled eggs, meat balls, and tomato sauce at room temperature. Toss the drained pasta with the olive oil and 2 cups of the tomato sauce. Distribute 6 generous cups of the pasta on the bottom of the timpano. Top with 1 cup of the salami, 1 cup of the provolone, 6 of the hard-boiled eggs, 1 cup of the meat balls, and 1/3 cup of the Romano cheese. Pour 2 cups of the ragu (tomato/meat sauce) over these ingredients. Top with 6 cups of the remaining pasta. Top that with the remaining 1 cup of salami, 1 cup meat balls, and 1/3 cup Romano cheese. Pour 2 cups of the ragu over these ingredients. Top with the remaining 2 cups of ragu over the pasta, (the ingredients should now be about 1 inch below the rim of the pot). Spoon the remaining 2 cups of ragu over the pasta. Pour the beaten eggs over the filling. Fold the pasta dough over the filling to seal completely. Trim away and discard any double layers of dough.
6. Bake until lightly browned, about 1 hour.
7. Cover with aluminum foil and continue baking until the timpano is cooked through and the dough is golden brown (the internal temperature will be 120 degrees F) about 30 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 30 minutes or more. The baked timpano should not adhere to the pan. If any part is still attached, carefully detach with a knife. Grasp the pan firmly and invert the timpano onto a serving platter. Remove the pan and allow the timpano to cool for 20 minutes.
9. Using a long, sharp knife, cut a circle about 3 inches in diameter in the center of the timpano, making sure to cut all the way through to the bottom, then slice the timpano as you would a pie into individual portions, leaving the center circle as a support for the remaining pieces.

China slams blatant collusion of U.S. officials with anti-China rioters

Source Xinhuanet Editor Lin Congyi

BEIJING, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) — A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Tuesday said China deplores and firmly opposes the blatant action of U.S. senior officials involving themselves with anti-China rioters who have fled Hong Kong.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks in response to U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel J. Kritenbrink’s recent meeting with four anti-China rioters who have fled overseas.

“These rioters are suspected of endangering national security,” Wang told a regular news briefing.

The Hong Kong police issued arrest warrants in accordance with the law. This is necessary and legitimate and in line with the international law and customary practice, said Wang.

National security legislation of the United States are applied extraterritorially as well. By bolstering the rioters from Hong Kong, the United States is not only trampling the principle of the rule of law but also laying bare its long-standing double standards on human rights and the rule of law, he added.

Hong Kong affairs are purely China’s internal affairs that brook no external interference, said Wang, adding that China urges the United States to reflect on what it has done and fully respect China’s sovereignty and rule of law in Hong Kong.

The United States should not become a haven for criminals. China has firm resolve to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests, said Wang, adding that any attempt to meddle in Hong Kong affairs and undermine the rule of law in Hong Kong will be met with China’s resolute response.

What lies do policemen tell to get criminals to give themselves away?

Detective Smith walked into the room, sighing.

Two burglary suspects of a local business. He’s not sure how they got in, as there was no signs of forced entry. He also knows that the other guy was caught with the stolen items in his apartment, but some were missing. The other guy claims he owns this stuff, but has no receipt. Smith needs to know what happened to the rest of the stuff, and who did what.

He looks at Mr. Suspect, who has been advised of his rights, and who insists he did nothing wrong, and as such doesn’t need a lawyer.

Det. Smith smiles. It’s not a pretty smile.

“Turns out I don’t need to talk to you at all. Mr. Alleged told us everything we needed to know. He said you frequented the business, and one time you were there you put tape over the lock. That’s how you two got in. He stood watch while you grabbed stuff. You then went back to Alleged’s place and stored the stuff there. The rest you fenced. Enjoy your trip to prison. You’re looking at a long stretch.”

Suspect panics. Alleged used to work at the business, and filched a key when he got fired. Suspect refused to help, not even helping Alleged put the stuff in his house. He wasn’t there when the stolen stuff was fenced. His only crime is that he didn’t turn Suspect in, and he didn’t because Alleged has been his friend since school.

Smith just lied to Suspect, as Alleged (in the other room) refused to answer questions without a lawyer present. Why did Det. Smith do this? He figures Suspect will panic, spill the truth, and fill in the blanks.

So will Det. Smith get in trouble? No. He never stole anything, and he’s not on the hot seat. He’s merely playing mind games with them to get them to trip up. He’s not in court, so it’s not perjury. He’s not the one facing charges. And he’s not threatening force or torture either. So it’s all legal.

You might say to yourself “That’s not moral!” Maybe it’s not…but is it moral to steal from a respectable business?

What do you think being too smart for your own good is?

Knew a guy who was greed personified. He overcharged his friends mother $2500:00 30 years ago when she hired him to do her roof. She didn’t get other estimates since it was her son’s friend, so being a smart businessman he charged her a “sucker’s tax” on top of the high price of a new roof. He was licking his lips, rubbing his hands together, talking about how much money he was making on the job. Her neighbor remarked about her new roof a couple of weeks later, then said “I just had my roof done too.” Their homes were identical. The neighbor paid five thousand for her roof, he charged seventy five hundred for the same job. The woman called him up livid wanting answers. He had none. Word spread about what he done for a good friend. He probably lost 20 jobs because he was smarter than everyone who did honest work.

All she does is talk

What is the biggest culture shock you have ever faced?

Woman being comfortable in their naked self around other women

Surprisingly, this happened in UAE. UAE has a multicultural society that might explain why.

Growing up in India, I used to have bath in rivers when I was a child. I learnt swimming with my brothers and father in a river beside our house when I was little. When I was 3 years old, my brothers would take me to the river and I will sit on their shoulders to swim through the river.

In all my life of river bathing and river bath watching, beach scrolling and beach bath watching life in India, I never saw a woman naked. When they take a bath, they would wear a lungi or their under skirt across their chest (I want to add a picture, but it would be, well).

After I came to UAE, I went to a beach in Saadiyat. I haven’t seen any woman naked in the beach, but I was surprised at the woman washrooms. There were a lot of people who were very casually taking a shower without their clothes on. Woman of all ages. Woman of all colors and shapes and body types. All in their beautifully imperfect bodies.

I couldn’t face any of them for the first time. I couldn’t look anywhere else too. I was an awkward little chicken, who was still in my shorts and waiting for a stall to get empty so that I could go in and have a private shower. But all these woman, without batting an eye, were taking care of their business, talking to each other, laughing with each other, as they would be in just any other situation. For them, being clothed or naked didn’t matter. I was the only shocked one there.

I don’t know if this counts as a culture shock.

PS: I don’t have any problem with woman having a shower without their clothes on, hallelujah for their confidence and their ability to be able to be so comfortable about their body. I am just saying, I was a bit shocked.

What could someone do to you that you can’t forgive?

Break my trust. My girlfriend broke up with me, but we had the same circle of friends, including our families.

Before we broke up, I started noticing that friends were avoiding me. After we broke up, I was visiting her brother, and she stopped by to talk to her sister in law. She went on a rant about how bad her new boyfriend was. Even telling us very personal details. I said to her”If that’s the way you talked about me, when we were dating its no wonder people are avoiding me” I left.

The next day her brother came to me, and told me her version of our relationship, including why we broke up.

I sat there in stunned silence, not one thing was true. I told her brother the truth, and he suggested we confront her. She was at his house, still talking to her sister in law. So we went over, and I gave my version of things. She said everything I said was technically correct, but I was leaving out all the implied communication, and how that made her feel. Guys are oblivious, I never imply anything, I always say what I mean. She kept talking herself into a hole. Her brother and sister in law, just sort of staring at her.

After that, my friends stopped avoiding me, and started avoiding her. Even when we were in the honeymoon phase of our relationship, she had been telling stories about us, to get attention and sympathy. Most of them contained a tiny snippet of truth, but were 90 percent exaggeration or lies. It all came out in the end, and everyone took what she said with a grain of salt after that.

This was someone I loved, telling others bad things about me. The vast majority were not true. I had never told anyone, anything bad about her. Even after we broke up, I never said a bad thing about her, until now.

Watch what happens

Why do you think China’s cars are coming over in full force, trying to enter the European market?

If you are like me, you visit China several years in a row.

You will experience how crazy the development of electric vehicles is in China.

When I went to China in 2019, I could only occasionally see some Teslas on the streets of Shenzhen, and some Ubers used electric vehicles.

1. This spring, I took a random photo in a parking lot on the streets of Shenzhen. Note that green license plates are for electric cars and blue ones are for gasoline cars.  

But in 2023, at least half of the cars I saw on the streets of Shenzhen will be electric.

This change is terrible. Chinese electric car companies have been developing new models like crazy in the past two years, with new brands and models being launched almost every month.
These brands and models are engaged in life-and-death competition in the Chinese market.

The Volkswagen ID series models, which are among the best-selling models in Europe, are classified as other models in China and are not competitive at all.

The price of Volkswagen ID4 in China is only 1/2 of that in Germany。The Tesla Model 3, which sells for more than $40,000 in the United States, only costs $30,000 in China because it faces squeeze from many Chinese rivals.

Although China has the world’s largest electric vehicle market, there are so many competitors that it’s hard to make money.

Suddenly one day, Chinese auto suppliers were shocked when they discovered that Europeans were actually keen on buying ID4 and Fiat 500 products at high prices, and were willing to pay 120% of the price for a Tesla modely.

It turns out that Europeans have such low requirements for products and are so generous. Instead of fighting to the death with low prices in China, why not go to Europe and make money easily?

Although issues such as trade protection, localized production, transportation, tariffs, and after-sales service systems plague Chinese companies, they are not yet able to flex their muscles in Europe. But Europe’s attraction to Chinese car companies is huge.

This is why, recently, the media said that the Frankfurt Motor Show has become the Chinese Auto Show.

I’ll bet it’s cold.

Has a cop ever said something to you which was completely unexpected?

The most interesting one was if I had any weapons in the vehicle…guns, knives, *GRENADES*?!? To this day, I don’t know if I was supposed to laugh or not? I didn’t – just in case. He never had any interest in looking, just took my word for it and moved on.

TODAY, I’d take a mention of that legitimately.. but not back then. I still wonder about it..

On a more mundane subject:

I was pulled over for speeding on an empty freeway at night on my way home from work and got a warning. I pulled off, and everything was fine…

A couple exits later, I see four police cars merge on behind me. I knew right away they were planning on pulling me over. It took them a few minutes to actually light me up though.

This time I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong, so I was more curious than anything else.

Two cops come up to my window and ask for my license. They’re scrutinizing it and having a conversation between themselves about it looking legit? They then asked me if it was real. I laughed a bit and said it definitely was.

One of the cops left with it back to the cars, while the other stayed. He explained that after the first stop they’d been alerted that the driver’s license was expired. I exclaimed, oh.. okay! I saw you all come up like that and was wondering what was going on! On the second bit, he got a kind of weird look.. like he was a bit unsettled that I’d clocked it, and walked away.

Other dude comes back and says that it’s actually the license linked to my registration that is expired & I’m good. I tell him that my father is actually on the registration (mainly for simplicity sake as the due date is linked to DOB in FL), so I thanked him for the heads up, and he apologized for wasting my time.

Then I called my father and told him that he was probably going to get pulled over & to renew his license. He didn’t even realize it’d expired!

Yes it is

Have you ever had a job where you did nothing for years and nobody found out?

I started a financial software company that I sold to a similar company, and they were bought a few years later by a multinational. In 2008, they laid off everyone who worked for me, then told me that I was going on part-time. I said, “If you force me to part-time, then I quit. Besides, my software product is making enough to pay my salary, benefits and a 15% profit margin.” They thought about it and never got back to me.

My only job was supporting the software I wrote, but that took five hours a month, at most. I tried to create other products, but was told to shut up. I was nearing retirement age, so learning new skills was also not useful. So I went to my kids’ middle school volley ball games, watched movies and wrote a novel.

Eventually a couple of things happened. My customers realized I would never produce another software release and that they would have to switch to a different software. Some switched and some went out of business, but eventually the revenue wasn’t enough to pay my salary.

So the company rewrote my product in another language, as part of another product. I helped as much as I could, but they didn’t want my help.

Finally, the company’s management chaos subsided, and they told me to convert their two key customers to their new product; it took a year of work and was a complete dog. I tried to persuade my biggest (80% of revenue) customer to switch to the new product, but discovered it was untested and badly designed. Then they laid me off. I retired.

The whole product line died. But then, the markets had moved on to a different kind of financial product, and no one wanted a product like mine anymore.

Yummy!

Where was she wrong?

How are the Chinese in America doing?

Chinese will always get the best grades in school, goes to the best colleges, buys the best real estate, become your best immigrants, don’t gives a shit about your silly politics and makes the most money from Americans.

And they will quietly do that till they retire and do Tai Chi in their private garden. What do Americans do in America. Whine and shout obscenities, protest, grow fat, and get more immigrants to come to America and spend money building the wall!

Any more questions?

I guess

Fresh Tomato Linguine

Ingredients

• 6-8 fresh tomatoes, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh basil, chopped
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cubed small
• 1 package linguine or spaghetti

Instructions

1. Combine first 8 ingredients. Allow to sit and marinate for 2 to 5 hours at room temperature (the longer the better).
2. When ready to serve, cook linguine in a large pan.
3. Drain well and toss the hot pasta with the marinade sauce until the cream cheese melts and all is combined.

Shhhhhh!

When did the saying, “Everything happens for a reason,” start to ring hollow for you?

I got divorced.

It was the worst experience ever. It wasn’t clean-cut. The process leading up to it was super painful. The process after was also painful.

It was like the worst aspects of several different breakups, rolled up into one superbreakup, protracted over 12 months of heartache.

I came out of the experience a far better person. I’d been forced to learn the true meaning of heartbreak. I was confronted with learning to forgive someone I didn’t think I’d be able to forgive. I’d been baptized in my own mistakes.

I learned the sting of permanence undone, of forever being changed to “not anymore”.

Nothing is forever.

It was a new lesson on loss. And it made me better.

But I never looked at myself and said, “Everything happens for a reason.”

I chose to let that experience make me better. Not because I’m some BS master life coach. I chose to let that experience make me better because I’ve handled other downturns in the worst ways possible.

I’d seen too many people drown their lives in the wake of a bad divorce.

I’ve always had a problem with “Everything happens for a reason.”

From the day I heard it, it felt hollow, contrived, like something people say to make themselves feel better.

Perhaps I’m wrong. I’m not arrogant enough to think my own word is gospel. But “Everything happens for a reason” never did anything for me.

“Everything happens because of me” would be a better, albeit still flawed phrase:

I’ll give you a better phrase. One that is more practical. One that I regularly use.

We’ve all heard “roll with the punches” right?

Do you actually know what “roll with the punches” means?

In the sport of boxing and MMA, outsiders tend to look at everything from the punching perspective.

Good fighters punch hard, punch accurate, and knock guys out.

There’s another half to this puzzle that is just as important.

Getting punched.

An iron fist is useless if it is wielded by a man with a glass jaw.

Good boxers do their best to avoid punches. But they also train themselves to take punches. There is a technique in getting hit.

In boxing, like in life, sometimes you know you are going to get punched. You know it is unavoidable. So you take it.

Now when you read the next part, I want you to think of your own life events/difficulties, and what the parallels might be for you.

What’s the trick to taking a punch?

Rule 2, (yes rule 2):

Don’t just stand and let it hit you.

It’s basic physics.

A powerful impact is derived from an object in motion hitting a standstill object.

Rule 1: Don’t move your face in the opposite direction as the punch/kick. That’s just bad physics.

The trick?

Lean the same direction as the punch. If the punch is coming from the right, lean your head right.

“Roll” with the punch. It actually provides a huge advantage to the guy getting punched.

Floyd Mayweather made a career out of rolling with punches.

Not only does rolling with a punch diminish the impact substantially. It can wear your opponent out. Demoralize them. Give you confidence in your durability. Allow you to pounce on them after they’ve burnt their arms out.

Think about that phrase when bad things happen in your life. How can you best “roll” with this situation? A divorce. A rejection from school, romance, friendship. Difficult parents.

There are ways to roll with these situations.

In life, just as in boxing, everyone is going to get hit. Often.

Learn to roll with those punches. To get better. To win at life.

Horny and hungry

How is heroin addiction recovery possible? What works? What doesn’t?

When I was leaving for work I noticed these little black things atop our front door frame.

I pulled them down and wondered how the heck two shiny little rocks got up there.

I looked to my left and noticed that all four window frames had two shiny rocks on top of them also.

After work, I asked my girlfriend why there were rocks on top of all the doors and windows in our home.

She accused me of not being very observant and then told me that those rocks were placed there by her to keep that bad juju out of our home.

I rolled my eyes and thought to myself how crazy, but very lovable she was.

She keeps rocks and stones and crystals everywhere.

My girlfriend believes in God and rocks and spirits and ghosts and all sorts of things that I don’t understand.

But I love and believe in her with all of my heart, so I’m cool with her praying over me and taking all her stones out on the porch once a month so the full moon can recharge them and all the other quirky things that make her, her.

My whole addiction to heroin was always about me, so naturally, the only thing I’ve ever been able to count on or believe in, was me.

I figured out how to manipulate people to give me money for heroin.

I stole goods and ran down the street with them.

I sold those stolen goods for money.

I spent that money on heroin.

I did whatever it took.

I, I, I, me, me, me.

I was the be-all and end-all when it came to my heroin habit — ME.

I earned it, alone. I stole it, alone. I shot heroin, alone.

I WAS GOD.

And then I tried to quit heroin for the first time. I was forced to quit, actually, by society. They put me in jail.

All of the sudden God (me) crumbled.

I was sick, alone and scared of everything.

Heroin was like a performance enhancer for me. On heroin I felt more complete than Jerry Maguire did with Dorothy Boyd — but it was no more.

The moment I got released from jail (after a twelve-mile walk in the snow, I shit you not) I got high on heroin.

God was back. I was back.

And that cycle went on and on for years, through jails, rehabs, halfway houses, quarter houses, three-quarter houses and even a stop at the psych ward.

That last time that I got high, was the last time because my girlfriend cried. I believed in her and she believed in me, and I let her down. It killed me to see that — her crying for me.

I realized that she believed in me.

And then I found Quora.

Four people befriended me, and they, as well as Quora became something that believed in me.

And then I got my driver’s license back — and realized that society believed in me.

And then I became employable, started earning money and realized that my clients believed in me.

My family relations were restored and my family believed in me again.

And now, after two years and many, many hardships, I believe in me.

I am accomplishing things I would have never thought possible. I am pursuing my dreams.

Heroin addiction recovery is possible, not with tough love — that is a crock of shit and a terrible approach.

When a heroin addict is at day one, believe in them and let it be known that you believe in them, that you support them.

That does not mean enabling them to continue getting high.

Recovery programs are not faith-based in the traditional sense. They tell the addict to find a higher power. I agree with that, in part.

A heroin addict needs more than one thing to believe in and more than one person that believes in them.

If my girlfriend leaves me, and she was the only thing I believed in or the only person that believed in me, I’d be on a short track to getting high on heroin again.

But I have Quora, my job, my driver’s license, my friends and my family.

And if it so happens that all of them ghost me, I still believe in myself.

But it took two years and a vast support system to get this level of confidence back.

Not all heroin addicts will survive their addiction, and that fact breaks my heart. Some will die, that is just a truth.

But when someone is trying to make it, the littlest bit of support, even a “right on, stay strong” matters a lot.

WHAT WORKS: Support someone by believing in them and encouraging them to actively seek out things that bring them joy and that they can eventually believe in.

WHAT DOESN’T WORK: Don’t throw shade and don’t throw stones.

Leon

How nice

What was your first clue you were no longer as young as you thought you were?

I was 59 and my 32yo niece asked me to help her buy a used car which I was glad to do. I’ve restored a number of classic vehicles so I figured I could be some help. Plus, I have some experience with used car salesmen and wanted to be sure she didn’t get ripped off. We went to the first lot and looked at a few vehicles. She picked one that seemed ok and the salesman came out and said “Do you want to take it for a test drive?” “Yes. Do you need to ride with us?” she replied. He looked at me and said “Oh I’m fine if you and your father want to go alone. I just need your driver’s license.” I was horrified “Her FATHER?” I said. She was laughing and said “How do you know he’s not my boyfriend?” The salesman “Oh I’m very sorry! I just assumed with the advice he was giving you and …everything. I didn’t mean to…I mean…well, it goes to show you just never know these days!” All I kept thinking through the whole test ride was “Fu%k! Now I’m in the Dad category?” The car was a piece of crap and when we got back I told the salesman my DAD ADVICE is for her to pass, and we left.

It’s funny, I don’t have kids, am in excellent physical condition and never felt my age limited my activities.Looking in the mirror later I realized how the mind simply airbrushes frown lines, crows feet, age spots, bigger pores, etc until some event, like that, brings it all into focus like an explosion of stark reality.

Uh oh

What should I do if my boss says, “If you don’t like the job, you can go”?

Sail out of the nearest exit at 90 miles an hour like your ass is on fire.

I’m dead serious.

Of course you want to line up a new job first.

I’ve had bosses tell me something similar. I would bring up to the boss that I was exhausted and fast approaching burnout and that I needed a day off. The boss would then say something along the lines of “considering my future in the company if I didn’t want to be a team player.”

I would always walk it back.

Then one day it happened again where I was working double shifts for weeks on end, no days off. I told the boss I was tired and I needed time off and the boss told me, “You don’t work when you want; you work when I need you to work and since I’m the boss, I can schedule you to work any shift I want.”

I told the boss I gave them my availability and to please adhere to it. Boss refuses and then says the magic phrase, “If you don’t like it, you can leave.”

I stood there in silence, while the boss folded their arms with a smug look on their face.

I took off my badge, dropped my keys on the nurses station, grabbed my stuff and started walking out.

“Shannon, what are you doing?” Boss yelled after me.

“I’m leaving,” I said, not breaking my stride. “I’m sick of this.”

“Please come back! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it!” Boss said.

I walked right out the door, got in my car and left.

I never went back, even though the boss called me every hour for the next few days. I found another job and moved on.

If the boss is telling you to go, then go. Trust me, it’s for the best.

Grandpa loves Trump

In The Middle East The U.S. Has Reached The End Of Its Abilities

The Biden administration is trying everything to better the situation for the Israeli government except by withdrawing its financial and munition support which are the only two measures that could bring Israel to its senses.

There are now several small wars in the Middle East which may soon accumulate into a big one. Israel is fighting Hamas and the Islamic Jihad in Gaza. It is fighting a silent resistance in the West Bank. On its norther borders it is involved in daily clashes with Hizbullah and various Palestinian resistance groups.

Israel is also bombing Syria and killing Iranian envoys to that country. Iraqi and Syrian resistance groups are attacking U.S. bases in Syria and Iraq. The U.S. is bombing these groups for more or less therapeutic purposes while trying to not hurt them too much. In the Red Sea the Ansarullah government of Yemen is blocking sea traffic related to Israel, the U.S. and UK. The U.S. and UK are bombing Ansarullah positions even as they know that no amount of bombing will change its position.

People in other Arab countries, while seemingly calm, are enraged over Israel’s genocidal behavior in Gaza. Their leaders try to keep their distances from the wars but at some point may well be forced to take sides in it.

Meanwhile the U.S., the alleged superpower, is hapless and helplessly trying to achieve results that are way beyond its abilities.

See for one example the last attempt by a U.S. envoy to prevent a further escalation with Lebanon:

US presents new blueprint to push Hezbollah away from Israeli border – Ynetnews, Feb 4 2024

U.S. President Joe Biden’s Middle East envoy Amos Hochstein outlined the key elements of a political settlement to deescalate tensions between Israel and Hezbollah during his visit to the Jewish state on Sunday.

The plan consists of two phases: In the first, Hezbollah would cease hostilities actions along the border with Israel and will retreat between eight to ten kilometers north from the border.

Israeli residents will return to their homes, and a significant deployment of the Lebanese army and UNIFIL peacekeeping forces will maintain stability in southern Lebanon and along the border.

In the second phase, Israel and Lebanon will begin negotiations to demarcate the land border, including discussions on 13 points on disputes along their shared boundaries. Simultaneously, the U.S. and the international community will explore offering “economic incentives” to Lebanon.

Hochstein received the green light from the Lebanese government for his proposal, though it remains unclear whether Hezbollah agrees with the arrangement.

The envoy, who recently met with President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister Benny Gantz urged Israel to give his plan a chance.

Nice plan. But what can you do to implement it?

How in hell will the U.S. be able to make Hezbollah to cease hostilities actions along the border with Israel and to retreat between eight to ten kilometers from the border?

Hizbullah fighters at the border are living in the border towns. They were born there. They want to die there. How the f*** does the U.S. think they can be pushed out? And why would Hizbullah agree to a ceasefire when the murdering of Palestinians in Gaza continues to be the major project of Israel?

The U.S. has no means, none, to press Hizbullah into a ceasefire or to push it to retreat from the border line.

The Lebanese government supports that move? Sure, verbally, as long as you cough up some money. But Hizbullah is part of that government. It is also the superior military power in Lebanon. Neither the Lebanese army nor the U.N. forces have the ability to fight it.

Step one is thereby meaningless. Step two, a promise for negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, makes likewise no sense as Israel is notoriously unwilling to make any concessions.

If baseless fantasies like the above are all the U.S. can come up with it is truly at the end of its abilities.

A chance of  a war between Israel and Hizbullah in Lebanon is increasing daily. While there are already daily clashes these are limited by certain red lines and targets. Both sides still avoid to cross those.

But Israel’s government needs a victory. Its war aims in Gaza are clearly not achievable. Losses are mounting. Its population, especially the settlers from the north who had to flee their homes, are unruly.

Alastair Crooke thinks (vid) that Israel will start a full out war with Hizbullah simply because the Israeli government needs a victory. He thinks that Netanyahoo still thinks he can achieve one. Others though have their doubts. Hizbullah today is far better equipped and trained than it had been during the 2006 war with Israel. That war ended in a draw or, as some see it, with a defeat of Israel. I know of no expert in that area who thinks that Israel today would fare any better than that.

I’d say let them try. The may well learn from it.

But why the Biden administration even thinks that it can stop such a clash by presenting plans it has no means to press for is beyond me.

Posted by b at 15:29 UTC | Comments (282)

Oh no!

My Wife Informed Me That She’s Not Straight But Still Wants Me To Provide, I Informed Her To Get Out

A relationship is always give and take. When it becomes one-sided, it is time to leave the relationship.