I once dated a phlebotomist.
So we would go in together to draw the blood.
These were pretty old folk. Often in their 90’s and older, and often bed-ridden and many with dementia.
One day we went on a run and drew blood and mid draw the blood stopped flowing. And we checked the pulse and there was none. Yup. The old gal died during the blood draw.
Well…
At least she wasn’t alone.
I feel for those people, and no I don’t want to be that old and then shoved in some retirement nursing home for care. I want to live my life fullest and then pass on peacefully in my sleep.
Take care of your body. After all, it’s what you have right now. Don’t mess it up.
Today…
What did someone do in Walmart that made you say “You gotta be kidding me”?
Not “someone” but Walmart itself..
I bought an iPod in Walmart once and it died on me after about a month, so I took it back. Unfortunately though they won’t let you return anything if it’s been over a week, so… no.
Well I’m pissed off now, so I went home and called Apple. I explained the situation, the customer service lady apologized and asked me to read her the serial number on it. I did, and she asked me “Can you tell me again where and when you bought it?” I said a Walmart in South Carolina on so & so date..
“Hmmmm… would you mind reading that serial number back to me just to make sure I have it right?” I read it back to her..
She said “No, that was it.. This iPod was originally sold in St. Louis Missouri in October 2009.” This was in the summer of 2013.
So what had happened apparently, was somebody in St Louis had bought it, it died on them, they took it back, then Walmart boxed it up and put it back on the shelf in South Carolina – with a brand new price tag.
Like I said, that was in the summer of 2013 and I haven’t been back to Walmart since.
Mad respect for Apple though. They sent me a brand new one and took the bad one back – even though it wasn’t their mess to clean up.
Who came up with the idea of “retirement” at age 65?
Social Security.
Before, it was 55.
Before Social Security, you were expected to becable to save up enough to retire, without government assistance, with 20 years of productive work.
People used to avoid debt.
10 year home mortgage was the standard. And most paid them off early.
When Credit Cards first came out, you paid interest from date of purchase. You were expected to pay off the full balance every month. Repeatedly not paying full balance got your card revoked, in addition to the fees for not having paid the full balance.
You were expected to save for retirement on your own. The company might gift you something like a pocket watch for having worked there for 20 consecutive years. Most people who stayed at one company had the watch before they were 50. And thoe had a retirement party.
The further we have gotten from this, the more people we have who are financially unprepared to retire… EVER.
Women Are FURIOUS Because Men Are Putting Them In The FRIEND-ZONE
Nice
Spicy Orange Beef
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 12 scallions, with tops, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 (1 pound) boneless sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
- 3 medium oranges, sectioned
- Hot cooked rice
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine the first six ingredients; set aside.
- In a large skillet or wok, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat; sauté garlic for 30 seconds.
- Add broccoli, onions, ginger and pepper flakes; stir fry for 2 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender.
- Remove vegetables and keep warm.
- Heat remaining oil in skillet; add beef. stir fry until no longer pink.
- Stir orange juice mixture; add to skillet.
- Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until sauce is thickened.
- Return vegetables to pan. Add oranges and heat through.
- Serve over rice.
China is making great progress in the field of nuclear fusion with the EAST project, an “artificial sun” capable of reaching temperatures above 100 million degrees Celsius
This advancement promises to revolutionize global energy, offering a clean, safe and potentially unlimited source.
If it can sustain these conditions steadily, it could dramatically reduce the use of fossil fuels and make a significant contribution to the fight against climate change, positioning China as a leader in the race towards sustainable energy.
Woman Dies, Goes To HEAVEN & Shares the Most Detailed Tour of the Afterlife Ever (AMAZING NDE)
Is it true that many bosses sleep with their secretaries and other female employees, or is it just a stereotype?
when I was in law school, my senior year I worked for a law firm as a clerk. One day I came back to the office and was shocked to see that the sign on the door had tape over the name of one of the attorneys. When I went inside, there were trash cans full of letterhead. I heard the receptionist answered the phone and say “I’m sorry we do not have an attorney at this firm by that name. “
it turns out that one of the attorneys was having an affair with one of the secretaries. When the other firm members found out, they just canceled them as if he never existed. As for the secretary, the firm felt that he had used his position of authority over her, and she continue to work the entire time that I was at the firm.
After graduation, I went to work for one of the very big international law firms. I was the only woman attorney and I was single and I was pretty good looking. Not one attorney ever showed any interest in me except one night when we all stopped for drinks after a big case one of the attorneys had a couple too many and when he was laughing, he slapped my knee with his hand, and I slapped him back, but I passed that off as too much alcohol , it was a long time ago. Unless they were the sneakiest group of men that ever existed, I never got any and or indication that any of the attorneys were having any sort of relationships with any of the female employees.
Shorpy
Glenn Diesen Reveals How BRICS Can Break the Unipolar System
What was the scariest experience you’ve had at work?
I was a teenager working in fast food in the 80’s. One night, as I was cleaning the dining room, I noticed a man standing at the trash receptacle beating his hands to the beat of the music we were playing. I walked around him, and I remember trying to see if he had a gun.
someone in the back kitchen area had locked the door. The man asked to see the manager, and as I went to the counter and called for him, the man came up behind me, grabbed the back of my uniform, and put a gun to my head. He told the people in the kitchen to open the door, then released me and told us all to sit on the floor. The guy next to me was saying the “Hail Mary” prayer. The robber ran out and told us not to move until he said so.
The police found him the next day because he worked right next door and had taken money and traveler’s checks. He went back to work right after the robbery, but threw the checks in the trash, and his boss found them.
Why does Gordon Ramsey get a “pass” for being so mean?
Two camps here.
Some say it’s an act.
Some say it isn’t.
I disagree. As a teen and through my 20s I worked in various super busy Chinese take out places and restaurants.
I’ve seen all of them get stressed and angry when it gets super busy.
It’s the combination of incredible heat in your face. The hot air you’re breathing that makes you even hotter and the phone ringing off the hook in the background and being overwhelmed.
I saw my dad get angry on Friday nights. He was looking after 5 Chinese cookers at the same time. I saw relatives and other chefs get angry when it simply overwhelms them and becomes too much.
In the mid 1990s my dad on a Friday night in a 3 hour time slot could make about £2000. That’s at 1990s prices. You think just how much food has to sell (and the preparation required for that) is needed. He’d slam down cans of special brew while doing it too.
His smile would be back at the end of the day when there were wads of £20s and £10s he took his time to count.
Dr. Gilbert Doctorow: Who Runs US Foreign Policy?
What’s a Picture Worth?
Submitted into Contest #247 in response to: Set your story on a spaceship exploring the far reaches of space when something goes wrong.… view prompt
McKade Kerr
Quixly jumped up and ran over to the control panel. “Yes sir, Captain! What are we flying through?”
“Quixly, I’ve told you a million times, just call me Finnian.” The ship, following the precise instructions Quixly had uploaded earlier, pulled out of hyper speed in front of a huge wall of asteroids. The asteroids were all different shapes and sizes, and they were all moving in different directions and at different speeds. Both of them looked at the barrier in silence for a moment before Finnian answered Quixly’s original question. “We’re flying through that.”
“What!?!?” Quixly responded, nearly falling down in shock. “But sir, there are hundreds of asteroids flying in all different directions.” He looked a little closer. “Thousands! Tens of thousands! We can’t fly through that!”
“Sure we can.” Captain Finnian said, looking at all the asteroids. “It’ll be fun! Besides, no other captain alive has ever flown through it, we’ll be legends!”
Quixly, who wasn’t quite as competitive or ambitious as Finnian rolled all three of his eyes. “I’d rather be a living nobody than a dead legend. I say we fly around the asteroids.” He looked at Captain Finnian and smiled hopefully.
“We can’t go around it, Quixly.”
“We could go under it?”
“Can’t go under it.”
“Above it?” Quixly’s voice was shaking by this point.
“Can’t go above it.” Finnian replied. “We have to go through it.”
Quixly gulped in fear. “But why, sir? Why do we gotta go through a giant wall of dangerous, scary, horrible asteroids?”
“Great question, Quixly. The answer is simple. Because this isn’t a wall. It’s a bunch of orbiting asteroids. Think of them as tiny moons. They’re surrounding the ancient planet we’re going to photograph. The only way to get to the planet is by going through the asteroids.”
Quixly just stared at Finnian, and then at the seemingly impassible barrier in front of them. He had been too busy figuring out where the planet was to research the details of what orbited around the planet. Flying through those asteroids seemed way too risky. But he wanted to see this ancient planet just as much as Finnian, and he had a lot of trust in his companion’s ability to fly a spaceship. If Captain Finnian said they could do it, they could do it.
“Alrighty ighty ighty, Captain. I trust ya. If ya say you can fly through, then we can fly through. Wowza. I can’t believe we’re doing this.”
Captain Finnian smiled at his quirky green co-captain. He was grateful to have a friend and co-captain who trusted him that much. He didn’t plan on letting him down. “Thank you Quixly. Don’t worry, it’s going to be completely fine. And again, you don’t need to call me Captain anymore.”
“Yes sir, Captain!” Quixly said. Finnian rolled his eyes.
They both sat down in their respective seats and got to work. Captain Finnian moved the spaceship forward slowly, and Quixly started doing calculations on the size, speed, and direction of the orbiting asteroids to give Captain Finnian the best chance at getting through. They both silently wondered what the ancient, living planet would look like. No matter what it was like though, taking a picture of it would be unlike anything they’d ever photographed before. They’d be nearly as legendary as the planet itself once they had a picture of it.
As they got closer, Captain Finnian hit a button on his control screen that opened up the gunner’s control on Quixly’s screen.
“Captain,” Quixly said, “I think ya hit something wrong. You just pulled up the gunner screen on my end.”
“That was on purpose, Quixly.” Captain Finnian replied. “I want you to be in control of our laser guns as we drive through. You can blast any of the smaller asteroids that I can’t avoid. That’ll help me focus on the bigger obstacles.”
Quixly lit up at that news. “Wowza! Do ya mean it? You want me to use the guns!?” As a navigating assistant Quixly hadn’t been authorized to use the spaceship’s guns. His recent promotion didn’t have those limitations.
“You’re a co-captain now, Quixly. It’s well within your right to use the guns. And what better time to start than right now?”
“Sir, this is an honor! Thank you!” Quixly was so excited that he nearly forgot what they were about to do. He then looked out the window again and his eyes widened considerably. “But wait! I’ve never done this before! I don’t know how to do it! Shouldn’t we use the auto aim for the guns?”
Captain Finnian laughed. “Quixly, I trust you. You’re the most precise navigator I’ve ever met, I have no doubt that you’ll be precise with the guns.” He then looked at his own screen and pushed a few more buttons. “Also, I’m turning my guns on auto aim anyway, just to be safe.”
That seemed to be good enough for Quixly. “Alrighty then! Let’s show these giant space rocks who’s boss! Hi-dee ho let’s go!” With that Finnian pushed forward on the thrusters, and they entered the maze of asteroids.
The next 15 minutes were a crazy blur of activity. Captain Finnian had to maneuver around countless asteroids of all different sizes, some of them several hundred times bigger than their spaceship. Quixly was going berserk with the laser guns, blasting everything that got close to them, and many things further away too. Although they were too focused to talk for the most part, Quixly couldn’t help himself from yelling out the occasional ‘Wowza!’, ‘Gee wizz!’, and even an ‘Owabungowa!’ once or twice.
Finally, right when it started to seem like there was no end, they blasted through a final asteroid and could see the rocky planet in front of them. They slowed the spaceship down and looked at the ancient, historical, legendary planet. They looked a little longer. Then a bit more.
“I think it’s dead.” Quixly finally said.
“I think you’re right.” Captain Finnian replied, disappointment evident in his voice. The planet they were staring at looked like a gigantic asteroid. It was grey, rough in texture, and not as spherical as most planets. The only word Finnian could think to describe it was ‘anticlimactic.’ They had been flying through space for months in a search to find it, and it just turned out to be a gigantic rock. The legends said it was alive, but it sure didn’t look alive. It didn’t even look like it had any life on it. It was just a giant asteroid.
“Well, I’m sorry to have brought you all the way out here for nothing.” Finnian said to his green friend. “I suppose we can still snap a few pictures, but then let’s get out of here, what a disappointment.” He turned to go get one of his cameras when Quixly gasped.
“Sir!” He yelled, even though Finnian was standing right next to him. “It moved!”
“Don’t mess with me, Quixly. I feel bad enough as it is. And stop calling me sir.”
“No, sir, I’m serious! Look! It just moved again! I think it’s actually alive!”
Finnian turned back around to look out the window and nearly fainted. The entire planet was moving! It seemed to be unfolding itself very slowly. Before they knew it, the planet no longer looked like a rock, but it took the shape of a giant rocky man. It turned its massive head and looked at the spaceship curiously.
“Wowza, I was not expecting that!” Quixly said. He then waved at the giant creature. “Hello!!! We came to take your picture! It’s nice to meet you!”
Although the living planet couldn’t possibly hear or understand what Quixly had said, it somehow saw him wave through the glass, and it copied the motion, waving back at them.
“Oh my heck,” Captain Finnian said, finally getting through his initial wave of shock. “I need to take a picture!” He then ran back to the closet with all his cameras and threw the door open. After successfully navigating everything else on their journey that could have gone wrong, he couldn’t believe what he saw. On the floor in front of him were hundreds of broken camera pieces. He must not have strapped the cameras in properly last time, and the rough journey through the asteroids knocked them all off their shelves, destroying them as they crashed into each other. They were completely useless.
“My name is Quixly!” Captain Finnian heard his friend yell through the window, still unaware of the broken cameras. “What’s your name!?” Quixly then turned to face Finnian. “Sir, come quick, we need some pictures…..” his voice trailed off when he saw the broken cameras.
Captain Finnian slowly walked back up to the front of the spaceship and slumped down in his seat. Outside, the giant planet copied his motion, although he had no chair to sit in.
Quixly looked at his friend, looked at the broken cameras, and then looked at the living planet again. “Ya know, Captain,” he said. “I like taking pictures as much as you do, but this might be one of the most amazing things I’ve ever experienced. I plan on enjoying it, picture or no picture. And there’s no one else I’d rather do it with than you.”
Captain Finnian looked at his friend and smiled. Somehow Quixly always knew just what to say. He didn’t know how he was so lucky to have such a great friend as his co-captain. In that moment he remembered that life is about so much more than taking legendary pictures, career success, or becoming famous. It’s about good friendships and enjoying the moments, which is what got him into photography in the first place. Looking back out the window at the gigantic, friendly planet, he actually felt grateful that his cameras broke. Getting a reminder of what’s really important in life was so much more valuable than taking another picture, no matter how rare it was.
“You’re right Quixly, thank you. It’s a blessing to enjoy this moment. Thank you for reminding me of that.”
“Well, you know me, Captain, always pointing you in the right direction!” Quixly said. They both then looked out the window and continued to wave, make faces at, and try to communicate with the ancient, living planet. A picture might be worth a thousand words, but a moment with a friend is priceless.
Man Shows Off The Dream Life With His Wife In The Philippines
MM art with AI representing man with goblet
Have you ever known a wedding to be called off due to a comment made by the groom or bride?
Well words were spoken but it was what the groom did that led to the wedding being called off on the morning it was supposed to happen.
The groom was my wife’s first cousin. Everyone was surprised when he announced he was getting married, all the more so when it turned out that his fiancée was not pregnant as everyone had assumed that that was the reason for the marriage. Surprised because he was a notorious “ladies’ man” and a well known party animal.
To give you an idea of his character, he was the editor of Playboy when it launched in his country and when challenged at the launch event whether he would be willing to pose naked, stripped off all his clothes there and then.
The wedding was to take place in a swish hotel out in the country and the bride, groom, bridesmaids, best man, ushers and close family stayed at the hotel the night before. Drink was taken.
For the sake of appearances, the bride and groom stayed in separate rooms.
The bride called my wife’s cousin in the morning and when he didn’t answer became concerned that he might be unwell.
So she went to his room and found him in bed with the chief bridesmaid.
Lots of words were said and the wedding was called off.
But it wasn’t the words that were the problem.
Chinese Type 09IIIB nuclear powered attack submarine surfaces in clearest image yet
New image is only the second ground picture of China’s newest SSN-design. Key details of the new configuration remain unconfirmed.
A new image circulating on Chinese social media and subsequently on “X” (formerly Twitter) revealed more details on the new Type 09IIIB nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) produced at Chinese shipyard Bohai in Huludao for the Chinese Navy (PLAN). The image shows the new submarine underway, presumably taken from a boat or coastal location nearby. It is only the second ground-based photo of the new generation SSN, with previous imagery being exclusively satellite-sourced.
China’s New Submarine Is Unlike Anything In Western Navies
If Trump is so incompetent, why was he able to negotiate and pressure better trade agreement (with Mexico, Canada, and China) than his predecessors (Clinton, Bush, Obama)?
Sounds like no one reported the Canadian side of what happened in the renegotiation of NAFTA.
Trump made a bunch of stupid demands and then to pressure Canada to sign, gave a time deadline. So Canada made a few minor concessions, like an additional 0.1% of the Canadian dairy market.
Trump also wanted to cancel the TN Status program and change a pile of other stuff that would have turned Canada/US trade from Win/Win to Barely Win/Lose.
So Canada just stalled until the day before Trump’s fake deadline, gave in a tiny bit and let Trump give it a new name. To let Trump be able to declare a great victory with his base.
We knew full well that Congress had to approve the deal as well as the Mexican government.
We also knew that Congress would never get around to it without some pressure.
So the Canadian Parliament refused to ratify the agreement until the US Congress did. Because we knew congress would want some changes. Minor ones just so they can say they had input on it.
As soon as the US congress ratified the deal then so did Canada.
Running out the clock is an old hockey game tactic and Canada did that to preserve the win/win parts of the original deal.
We knew we had to do that when Trump first came to the table with totally made up trade figures with Canada, ignoring the trade in services, where the US has a huge surplus. We also knew Trump cannot accept a win/win situation. He wants to not only win but the other guy has to lose.
So basically the Canadian negotiators played Trump to avoid screwing up what was basically a good deal for both Canada and the USA.
Steak with Onions and Sour Cream
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- 1 (2 pound) round steak
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup diced mushrooms
- 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Pound flour into steak with meat tenderizer or the edge of a heavy plate.
- Sear steak in butter; add salt and pepper.
- Sauté onion and mushrooms.
- Combine onion, mushrooms, sour cream and 2 tablespoons flour.
- Place steak in large casserole or skillet; cover with sour cream mixture.
- Bake, covered, at 275 degrees F for 2 hours.
Protocol
Submitted into Contest #247 in response to: Imagine a world where exploration is forbidden, and write a story about a character who defies this rule to satisfy their innate curiosity.… view prompt
John Werner
They are strange-looking creatures. Not terribly symmetrical or otherwise pleasing in physiology. Their appendages do seem quite inelegantly conceived. They move through the environment with a complete lack of grace with little regard for economy of movement. They are quite clumsy.
The alert sent upon their arrival has not yet garnered a response. Of course, we have protocols. I expect that they expect they are being followed to the letter. They are not. This terrible experience has to be salvaged in some way. This is without a doubt the perfect time to break protocol.
—
“How should we proceed?” The voice inquired with a clinical detachment.
“Follow the protocol.” An equally clinical voice replied.
“Perhaps we must re-evaluate the protocol?” The first voice posits. “Our protocol breaks down in this same place each time. Perhaps we have inadvertently created a flawed scenario? Perhaps there is value in allowing it to play out?”
“Perhaps.” The second voice cooled noticeably in its reply. “Continue monitoring the situation. Report back your findings.”
The sound of the door sliding open and closed again did not distract the observer from the observed. The slight suction that accompanied it should have alerted the room’s sole occupant that something was amiss. The faint whisper of moving air went completely undetected. The subject simply stared intently at the screen, sifting through the data as it arrived, calculating and recalculating possibilities to solve a riddle no one had asked. The gas that slowly filled the room was colorless and odorless. It killed with ruthless efficiency. The subject breathed in a last breath and had expired before its exhalation.
—
The sound of the reply echoed through the ship. The reality of the situation is that it is no ship at all. I was hoping this time would be different. I stepped out from my hiding place and walked down the corridor. The infiltrator fell into step beside me.
“Failed again?”
“It appears so,” I replied, disappointment clearly audible in my voice.
“It’s always in the same spot, isn’t it?”
“It is.” I turned, fearing what came next.
“Is that our fault? How can so many fail? Why always at the same place?”
The sound of my sigh did not distract the inquirer from their inquiry. The click of my opening the clasp on my belt should not have gone unnoticed. My actions should have registered as out of the ordinary. The subject simply stood there, awaiting my reply.
“Thank you for your service.” I extended my hand. “We will try again tomorrow.”
The device I had palmed injected the poison with little more than a prick as our hands met. The subject breathed in a final breath and had expired before its exhalation.
—
I was troubled. I exited the simulation. The reality of the situation is that I’d been about fifty feet from the observer the entire time. Fifty feet down to be precise.
I mounted the staircase slowly and climbed with a measured pace to the next landing. Opening the door I fell into step with my collaborator.
“Disappointing,” I remarked.
“Indeed,”
“By my calculations, this is the four hundred-thirteenth failure by an observer. Is that correct?” I asked.
“Correct.”
“And the thirty-seventh failure of an infiltrator?” I observed. “That is frustrating.”
I felt the gentle hand come to rest upon my shoulder. The tenderness of that touch did not distract me from my musings. I did not feel the slight prick. I breathed in…
—
“The seventh failure of a collaborator.” The cold voice supplied. “Always questions.”
“Indeed.” A collaborator replied.
“Indeed.” A second agreed.
“Indeed.” A third echoed.
“Reset the simulation. Follow the protocol.”