“I don’t want to die. I don’t want to think of a world without me in it.”

“But that’s exactly what’s going to happen when you go into that chamber.”

Dorian sighs and shakes his head like I’m a dog that doesn’t know how to sit. “You’re the one who told me about the program. Suddenly you think it’s a bad idea?”

He’s got a point. I wanted—want—him to go away. To freeze his consciousness in place, to never invite me to yoga retreats again, or text me a passive aggressive article about the benefits of mindfulness, or invite himself over and ruin a game night by waxing poetic about the exploited workers who made the tiny plastic pieces. I don’t want to see his secondhand clothing that he wears to look intentionally poor or listen to him ask for a pour over, single-origin black coffee.

There’s just one problem. Without Dorian, who will annoy me? Who will liven things up? Without someone consistent to watch in fascination and complain about, what will I do with myself? Go to my same boring desk job, watch the same shows telling the same stories with different people, eat the same bowls of cereal?

I lean my head back against the side of the gondola and stare up at the balloon. It’s immense. I never thought I’d ride in a hot air balloon. I never thought I’d get to look down on the tiny rows of houses and matchbox cars, with the sky all around me and no windows impeding my view. All those people down there, doing the same things day in and day out, and here is this man trying to escape the monotony any way he can, even if it means pressing pause on the whole world while he waits for someone to unlock immortality.

“You could join me, you know,” he says, suddenly.

It almost makes sense. I’ve joined him on these excursions and had one of the most exciting weeks of my life. Why not turn it into eternity? I tilt my head down again and stare at Dorian. His expression is open, inviting. He is not joking. I shift uncomfortably on the bench. “I didn’t apply.”

I half-expect him to say that he applied on my behalf, or that he put me in the acknowledgments on his video and the team already extended an invitation to the videographer, to tell me to pack my bags and get my affairs in order as soon as we land, but he doesn’t. He says, “Oh, right,” and we sit in silence the rest of the ride.

On the day that he is scheduled to fly to California and enter the chamber, Dorian knocks on my door at five in the morning. I answer in my pajamas, with disheveled hair, glasses, and my nightguard still in my mouth. He wishes me a chipper good morning and barges into my house without waiting for an invitation. He’s empty handed. With a spring in his step, he passes through the living room and into the kitchen, where he sits at my table. “Coffee?” I ask, the question muffled by my nightguard and insufficient sleep.

“No, can’t have any food or drink before I go,” he answers.

“Makes sense,” I say with a lisp. “Hold on.” I go to the bathroom, take out the nightguard, rinse my mouth, and meet him in the kitchen, where he’s no longer sitting. He’s staring intently at a magnet on my refrigerator as if it holds the answer to the universe. “What are you doing here? Don’t you have to get going?”

He startles and steps away from the fridge. “Yeah. I just wanted to say goodbye.” He holds his arms open and I realize, a bit slowly, that he’s reaching for a hug. I shuffle towards him and let him fold me into his arms. It lasts only a moment, and then he lets me go, and says, “See you on the other side,” whatever that’s supposed to mean.

Later that day, I wander out into the backyard, wondering where I put my rake. The leaves are starting to fall, and I want to get ahead on the raking this year. I notice that the shed door is slightly ajar, which is odd, because I haven’t been in my shed recently. When I pull the door open and step inside, I’m met by a bicycle. There’s a note taped to the handlebars. I pluck it free and read:

I know it’s not the same as immortality, but here’s a little freedom to remember me by. Thought this was more your speed than a motorcycle. Take care, my friend. –Dorian

I fold the note and slip it into my pocket. Now I’ve got to take up cycling. Thanks a lot, Dorian.

Mark wanted me to name my kid after him if he didn’t make it, however, I told him that I didn’t think my future husband would appreciate me naming our baby, “Dumbass” very much. I was acting all tough, like the idea of a future without him didn’t bother me, but in all honesty, I’m relieved he’s here. I observe his vital signs for a while, which are displayed just under the nameplate and smile a little as I see good numbers and a steady rhythm on the monitor.

“Ms. Azul,” the lab tech says, startling me slightly.

I turn to face him, and stifle a laugh when I see his boyish face and bleach white coat covered in grease from the machine.

“Yes, sir?” I say.

“It’s time, Ms. Azul.” he says,

“So it is,” I reply as I pat Mark’s pod goodbye, I feel the cold of the metal against my palm and I shiver a little more. “Let’s get this show on the road, then. I’m bored of the cold.” I say.

“Yes, mam.” he says, leading me over to a small table covered in an assortment of various medical gadgets.

I’m then covered from head to toe in a series of electrode-sized stickers in order to transmit my temperature, vital signs and O2 levels to the outside world from my ice cube. Once he’s satisfied with the placement, the lab tech leads me back to my own pod and presses a hidden switch that causes the pod door to activate and lower open so that I can enter.

For a fleeting moment, I wonder what the tech’s name is. His badge is obscured by his crinkly white body suit, but I decline to ask him. I’ll never see him again anyway after this, so what’s the point of learning it? The next time I’m conscious, he’ll likely be dead anyway. I climb up the small set of stairs that have been built into the upper-inside portion of the chamber door, then use the frame of the pod itself to hoist myself inside.

The inside of the stasis pod is covered in various wires, but underneath the bundle is mostly smooth and metallic, save for the rivets lining the walls throughout. It is reminiscent of one of those old battleships I’d seen in a stack of feelies my ancestors had smuggled with them.

The ship we’re inside of now is seamless and elegant, but this thing is anything but. The bottom of the pod is strangely warm, which is a welcome change. I can’t tell what I’m standing in though.

The tech keeps blabbing at me about my heart rate, but I wish he’d just get lost so I can panic in peace like a normal person. My heart feels as if it’s about to rip itself out of my chest so that it can make its great escape from the confines of this depth-charge looking prison, so I breathe in deeply and exhale until I feel my heart rate finally begin to lessen.

“110…100…95…and 80! Alright, it seems like we’re back within your normal range. Are you feeling okay, Ms. Azul?” The tech asks. Unlike most medical technicians, his concern feels genuine.

“I’ll be doing much better when I’m a freezer pop, sir. Can we move this along?”

The tech adjusts his glasses and nods. “I, uh, of course.”

He produces a translucent blue tablet from underneath his arm and started flying through the various menus and sub menu as if he were playing some kind of video game.

“Okay, all systems fully operational and standing by. Just give me the word when your-”

“The word is given,” I say, cutting him off. I don’t want to give myself the chance to back out.

“As you wish, best of luck on your mission.” the tech says with a smile.

I nod curtly and attempt to smile back, but it feels foreign on my face.

The tech presses a button on his tablet and the hatch begins its slow descent, sealing me inside. Viscous teal water begins pouring in from hidden spouts around my ankles and I feel my breath catch in my throat. Even though I haven’t eaten in over a week, my stomach feels like it’s going to shit a brick.

More calming breaths and I’m able to zone out my discomfort and instead focus on the rising water/jelly. At least it’s warm. I look up and see the respirator being lowered down on a pneumatic arm for me to grab, I snatch it by the headband and quickly shove it onto my face and adjust the strap so I don’t drown.

The liquid is past my navel now and rising fast. Before I know it, it’s over my head and I am completely enveloped by the goo. For the briefest of moments, I feel a freezing cold run over me, then there is nothing but darkness.

Suddenly, I am engulfed by a strange red light as the goo water drains down around me.

Something must have gone terribly wrong for me to be unthawed this soon after the process. Did we hit a meteor? Was the hull integrity compromised? Were we attacked? I’m hesitant to remove my mask in case there’s an issue with life support systems. I look around for the tech, but he’s nowhere in sight. I hope he’s okay. My door activates, dropping with a dull thud onto the smooth white tiles below. I position myself on the top step and take in my surroundings.

Besides the red lighting and the lack of a tech, everything looks the virtually the same. I cautiously lift up my mask and take a breath. As I do, the red tint disappears, I guess it was just on the mask. Weird. Everything smells sterile, like hand sanitizer, but it’s otherwise kosher. I toss the mask down behind me, causing it to whip back into the pod, then cautiously start down the steps. I almost trip, but catch myself before I fall.

Why are my legs so damn wobblily?

“Woah, woah, woah. Easy, Tiger!” Shouts a deep, familiar voice.

Only one person ever called me tiger.

I see Mark running up to me where tech-guy had been and I’m confused, but happy nonetheless. Mark unfurls a warm looking blanket he had tucked under his arm and quickly wrapped me up like a burrito before pulling me close to him.

“It’s been too long, babe,” he says, and I can tell he means it.

“Not that the sentiment isn’t mutual, but you’ve only been on ice a month, Mark.” I say.

“You have no idea, do you?”

My eyebrows furrow as I step back from him.

“No idea about what?” I say.

Mark grins and passes me a beat-up old cardboard box. The crumpled top is coated in a thick layer of dust. As I wipe it away, I see handwriting on it, but it’s so faded it is legible. After a second, I’m able to make out my name. I toss the lid to the side and withdraw a vacuum bag containing my neatly pressed uniform. At least I didn’t have to worry about wrinkles. Thanks, tech guy.

“Tiger, we made it. We’re here.”

I free my uniform from the confines of the vacuum bag and quickly get dressed before what Mark says really registers with me. I guess popsicles don’t need to dream after all.

“We’re here?” I say, looking at his face for any sign that he was lying, but there are none.

I follow Mark out of the confines of the stasis chamber and we quickly move through another section of sealed doorways before making it to the back deck of the ship. There are a few other people I recognize chatting with one another at a table in the corner, but I can’t think about them right now, I have to know if this is for real.

I feel the color drain from my face as I gaze out of the viewport and see it. It’s Planet Earth. For the first time in my life, I’m looking at Earth with my own two eyes. The continents look different than they had in the photos from the database. They are smaller and less green, but this is our ancestral home, without a doubt. The bright blue color of the expansive ocean is even more vivid in person.

It is absolutely gorgeous.

“Holy shit, we’re here,” I say quietly, stepping closer to the viewport. “We’re…home.”

Like the liquid from the pod, I feel the weight of the doubts and worries I’d been harboring all this time fall away from me as I bask in the presence of this magnificent fucking orb.

Yes, the odds are certainly stacked against the successful re-colonization of the planet. Humanity fled from the repercussions of their disastrous tenure on Earth over a thousand years ago, and what they left behind will certainly be difficult to undo, even after all this time—but we are not those people. We are better, not just because we have to be, but because we need to be in order for us to rebuild a world worth living in.

We have absorbed the lessons learned from humankind’s abrupt expulsion from this wounded paradise, and now, at long last we have the chance to prove it.

Did the USA put men on the moon?

Five minutes of pure gold on X.

https://x.com/BGatesIsaPyscho/status/1860455500900356598

Shrimp-Stuffed Chimichangas

Ingredients

• 10 slices bacon
• 50 large Rocky Point shrimp
• 1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1 cup thick fresh salsa
• 2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cans green chile strips, diced
• 6 (12 inch) flour tortillas

Instructions

1. Fry bacon until crisp enough to chop. Remove bacon and retain about 2 tablespoons fat in pan.
2. Peel and de-vein shrimp, then chunk. Grill in pan for 1 minute.
3. Stir in cheese, salsa, tomatoes and chiles. Turn to blend, but not long or shrimp will become tough. Divide and pile on tortillas. Fold all sides over and fasten with wooden picks. Slide carefully into hot oil and brown lightly.
4. Drain on paper towels. (Or bake at 400 degrees F for 7 to 10 minutes.)

Donald Trump is not messing around.  After trying to play nice during his first administration, Trump is making it very clear that he fully intends to use the full power of the presidency to shape economic policy during his second administration.  In particular, Trump is planning to impose massive tariffs on other nations that attempt to stand in the way of the MAGA agenda.  Last week, Trump threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on all products coming into the United States from Mexico and Canada if those two countries do not work with him to secure our borders…

President-elect Donald Trump on Monday promised massive hikes in tariffs on goods coming from Mexico, Canada and China starting on the first day of his administration, a policy that could sharply increase costs for American businesses and consumers.

The move, Trump said, will be in retaliation for illegal immigration and “crime and drugs” coming across the border.

“On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. “This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!”

Needless to say, this really freaked out the leaders of Mexico and Canada.

After a call with Trump, the president of Mexico seemed optimistic that a trade war with the U.S. could be avoided, but Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau just returned home from a personal meeting with Trump empty-handed…

He has since held a call with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who said Thursday she is confident that a tariff war with the United States can be averted. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau returned home Saturday after meeting Trump, without assurances the president-elect will back away from threatened tariffs on Canada.

Most people do not realize this, but Canada is actually our number one trade partner.

If the Canadians get hit with 25 percent tariffs, it will crash the Canadian economy.

I just have to say something about Justin Trudeau.

He has been making incredibly bad decisions throughout his entire time in office, and he has really run Canada into the ground.

There are a lot of really bad leaders in the western world right now, but he may be the absolute worst.

After threatening Mexico and Canada, Trump decided to threaten the BRICS nations with 100 percent tariffs if they choose to move away from the U.S. dollar…

President-elect Donald Trump threatened the BRIC group of emerging-market nations on Saturday, warning that he would impose 100% tariffs if they make any moves to undermine the U.S. dollar.

Trump’s comment, made on his Truth Social platform, is in apparent response to efforts to challenge or replace the U.S. dollar as the primary global reserve currency.

The BRIC alliance, originally comprised of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, now includes five other countries: South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.

We have never seen an economic threat of this magnitude in modern history.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump explained why he has decided to make this move…

The idea that the BRICS Countries are trying to move away from the Dollar while we stand by and watch is OVER. We require a commitment from these Countries that they will neither create a new BRICS Currency, nor back any other Currency to replace the mighty U.S. Dollar or, they will face 100% Tariffs, and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful U.S. Economy. They can go find another “sucker!” There is no chance that the BRICS will replace the U.S. Dollar in International Trade, and any Country that tries should wave goodbye to America.

I was stunned when I first saw this.

It is quite a bold move, but will it work?

We shall see.

Without a doubt, Russia and China would both like to avoid more economic turmoil right now.

The Russian financial system is already deeply struggling as a result of a recent move by the Biden administration.  50 major Russian banks were recently hit with sanctions, and the ruble has been absolutely plummeting…

The ruble has come off its lows from earlier in the week after the central bank halted all foreign currency purchases for the remainder of the year, but it remains battered—and resources for preventing a further collapse are shrinking.

On Friday, the central bank set the official rate at about 108 to the U.S. dollar. While that’s improved from Wednesday’s rate of 114 on the spot market, that’s still means one ruble is worth less than a penny.

The ruble has tumbled 9% against the dollar since Nov. 21, when the U.S. sanctioned some 50 Russian banks, including Gazprombank, which has emerged as a top linchpin for Russia in currency markets. And for the year to date, the ruble has crashed about 20% against the greenback.

Meanwhile, China’s economy is in a state of disarray, and Chinese officials are extremely concerned about what will happen once Trump is inaugurated.

For decades, China has been one of our largest trading partners, and we are highly dependent on cheap Chinese goods at this point.

What would it do to the global economy if our trading relationship with China suddenly broke down?  As they prepare for a potential invasion of Taiwan, this is something that the Chinese have already been studying…

China has been supporting Russia’s economy since the start of the Ukraine war by buying its oil while supplying it with everything from microelectronics to washing machines.

Meanwhile, Beijing has been getting its own strategic benefit: a real-world case study in how to circumvent Western sanctions.

An interagency group, set up by China in the months following the full-scale invasion, has studied the impact of sanctions and produced reports regularly for the country’s leadership, according to people familiar with the matter. The goal is to draw lessons about how to mitigate them, particularly in case a conflict over Taiwan prompts the U.S. and its allies to impose similar penalties on China, the people said.

If the U.S. and China start slapping one another with tariffs and sanctions, the entire world will feel the pain.

I have a feeling that this story is not going to end well.

Unfortunately, Europe is also dealing with severe economic stress at the moment.  The German economy in particular is not doing well, and VW is poised to conduct mass layoffs for the first time ever…

Tens of thousands of Volkswagen workers will participate Monday in strikes at plants across Germany, labor union IG Metall said, marking the largest walkouts at the carmaker’s domestic operations since 2018.

The walkouts, which are planned to last several hours, follow weeks of collective bargaining negotiations during which VW refused to rule out mass layoffs and potential plant closures in its home market — drastic measures the company says are necessary to prop up its fortunes amid competition from China and weaker European demand.

The global economy is more interconnected than it has ever been before, and everywhere you look there are signs that global economic activity is slowing down.

2025 was already shaping up to be a really bad year, and now a worldwide economic war threatens to greatly accelerate our problems.

Here in the U.S., we desperately need the rest of the world to use our currency, because that allows us to enjoy a standard of living that is far higher than we actually deserve.

We also desperately need the rest of the world to loan us gigantic mountains of money, because otherwise we would not be able to pay our bills.

So it would be a tremendous mistake to think that we have all the leverage and that we don’t need the rest of the world.

Sadly, I think that very soon it will become abundantly clear just how dependent we really are on a global economic system that is rapidly starting to fail right in front of our eyes.

I’m 16 training to be a SEAL. I run XC, ruck, wrestle, swim, and weightlift. I’ve been training for a long time and have wanted this since I was 7. How can I better my chances for BUDS? Should I take a gap year at 18-19 to train before enlisting?

I washed out and rang the bell when I was in. Physically I was more than capable of doing the job. Mentally however…

They broke me.

It took a while for me to figure out what I did wrong in the years of training (similar to yours, except I ran cross country instead of rucking). At the time of my attempt at BUDS, I was a 5′11″ 195-pound (ish) specimen. But in all my physical preparation I failed to train myself mentally for how to handle “The Suck” that is BUDS. And because I never trained how to handle it, I never learned (at the time) how to embrace it.

You need to learn how to function with little sleep, little food, and while having someone nit-pick everything you do down to the gnat’s ass level of detail. And you need to do so while being pushed well past any physical training you’ve ever done.

Several years after my enlistment was up, I ran into one of my BUDS instructors. And during our conversation about “the good old days” I told him how I was one of his washouts. I told him about all the physical training I did and how badly if messed me up washing out. And he told me the one thing that will always stick with me.

“The physical shit is easy. I can train you to be physically tough. We were trained to break people. If you are physically handling the normal levels of abuse, we can add more. Eventually we hit that wall. Few people can push through that wall. Those that do, become SEALS. Those that can’t ring the bell.”

So, the best advice I can give as a washout, is to train yourself MENTALLY.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation | A Holiday Compilation

How To Get Solar Panels For FREE (Used But Functional, Zero Cost)

• October 27, 2018
• by Drake

That’s right, there is a way you can get solar panels for free! I know someone who did it and so can you. Here’s how it’s done…

Solar panels are used everywhere these days. They are often used by construction crews and traffic systems (signs, cameras & emergency signal lighting etc) and these are where we are going to focus because they quite often have contracts with the solar panel providers. Whenever a solar panel becomes cracked or damaged, they are replaced under contract, even when they are still serviceable.

The solar panel provider ends up with a whole load of damaged but working solar panels. They can’t sell them so they usually have to pay to have them disposed of. What you need to do is find the contact details for the solar panel providers and give them a call to see if they have any damaged but functioning solar panels you can take off their hands.

The person I know who did this got around $800 of working solar panels for free, just for a bit of detective work. He saw a solar panel on a road sign and noticed the sign had a sticker with a phone number on it to report a problem. He simply phoned the number and asked for the solar panel provider’s details and gave them a call. A few phone calls later and a trip to their facility and he had a load of free solar panels.

UPDATE: We have several solar farms locally, that generate and sell electricity as a business. I reached out to two of them. Both had old, in some cases slightly damaged solar panels, which still functioned. Both said I could have some of these panels for zero cost. In fact, one of the solar farms offered to deliver some for a small fee.

I enquired about the efficiency of these panels. It was explained that these old or slightly damaged panels were not as efficient as new solar panels (hence why they were replaced). With a solar farm, everything is about efficiency at generating electricity. They are a business. That said, for home use (and at zero cost) these panels have years of life left in them. Additionally, if you have space you can simply have more panels, to make up for any lower efficiency with these older solar panels. 

I guess you could also try researching and directly contacting solar panel manufacturers too. They must get loads of panels that are damaged or defective that still work but can’t be sold. Even solar panel stores must get loads of damaged but working solar panels returned, or have panels that get damaged in storage etc. No one wants to pay to have to dispose of damaged goods.  Take advantage of this and you could get free or heavily discounted stuff that works just fine.

Just a little thinking outside the box can save you a huge amount of money. Give it a try, all you have to waste is a little time and a phone call.

Is China providing any assistance to Iran in response to sanctions from the United States?

In the first place the US is a nation amongst nations. It is not a world body. Like United Nation. So the United States has no right to sanction Iran world wide. If it does it is illegal. US for that matter can say It sanction Iran from buying stuffs from the US! Or China has a right to say I don’t want to sell anything to you! That is its right! China if it helped Iran is not breaking any laws of the world. Get that through you thick skull in the first place.

Not that China does nor is China doing anything wrong if it does. I am stating a fact that most Caucasian white Anglos especially has confused after owning the world for 300 years. No just because you are white and you are racist don’t gives you guys special rights. If you guys presumed or prefer to behaves like dogs or slaves to the US or chose to be submissive or subservient to the US that is your problem and if you let’s say a dog nation like Australia or UK refuse to sell to Iran that is your right!

You have no right to expect others to do the same. They may have different views and opinions! And remember you slaughtered 4 million in Vietnam to push for freedom and another 2 million people in Iraq which you call Desert Freedom? Did you change your mind on freedom? Freedom for each country to decide for itself?

Or don’t tell me your version of freedom refers only your freedom do to anything to anybody anytime, anywhere! So. Mr. Questioner? Please explain why are you so obnoxious and disrespectful of other nations? Are you a white is right kind of racist?

Why did Apple CEO Tim Cook come to China three times in 2024?

The Chinese were PISSED OFF with Apple for the last 3 years

They were genuinely angry about Apples continuous talk of relocating to India and making IPhones in India

The Chinese are very nationalistic people and they decided to buy their own brands in a surge of anger against Apple

The Iphone 15 sales fell badly because the Chinese refused to buy a phone that they did not know was made in India or China

And total sales are falling even now on the whole even though Iphone 16 Pro is selling more models than ever (Until the Mate 70 hits China that is)

So Tim Cooks visits are purely Appeasement

To convince the Gen Z that Apple will never ever move out from China in a big way and to reduce the pent up hostility of the past 2–3 years that Apple has built up in China

---

The fact is Apple planned a major pivot to India but the whole plan got derailed due to inferior indian manufacturing plus the Ukraine war plus Global Slowdown plus the China opening up their lockdowns

So now Tim Cook is doing damage control

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared Martial Law without his own political party’s support. It is illegal and against constitutional law. Parliament met and voted against the martial law decree. What do you think went wrong?

Well, an infamous president that imposed martial law was assassinated by his own security tzar.

He has a name that is synonymous with Korea in my mind.

PARK CHUNG HEE.

Whatever happens next, YOON SUK YEOL will be a Korean pariah for a long time to come.

In short, he screwed up, and the opposition was preparing to impeach and remove him from power.

He responded by declaring a self coup, imposing martial law to block parliament and hijack the political process.

If the soldiers fire on the crowd, all bets are off.

If there is a standoff, it depends on what uncle Sam does.

If the army switches allegiance to parliament, it is game over for the president, but there is no guarantee peace will be automatically restored.

This will probably repeat in Europe as governments collapse like dominoes.

I don’t know what to make of it all yet.

Too much too fast.

The gods must be crazy.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (1961) (HD 1080)