My staff is getting ready for the holiday, and after a big end of the year dinner, and handing out bonuses, I’m about ready to check out as well. I will start my new campaign in February, and I am thinking about listening to recordings of my affirmations and then repeating them out loud… as opposed to reading from a spreadsheet.
Oh, I’ll keep you all advised.
Let’s go through some easy stuff today…
What’s It Like To Live In A Commune?
Is this a cult?
No. Not a cult because with a cult people would try to keep people here forever and try to get everyone to think the same. People leave whenever they want, sometimes we’re sad because they are our friends, but we want people to do what they want.
We share everything, but there is a wide number of opinions, which can often make decision making difficult, but it is valuable to have so many different outlooks.
I’d say we share a lot of the same values as in egalitarianism, feminism, non-violence. We are just looking to be the example of what we would like to see in the world. We are very focused on face to face communication and conflict resolution. We also have no leaders and we emphasize personal responsibility.
There’s no leaders?
There are full members (people who’ve been members a year +), provisional members (under a year)associate members(intern more than once) interns (2-6 month stayers) and visitors (3 week visits applying for membership). Full members often have the most power.
The best is that no one is my boss and no one tells me what to do or benefits more than I do from our income.
How many people live in the commune?
30
Do the people you live with share anything in common besides farming? Are many of them related, were you all friends before forming a commune?
The commune we live on has existed for about 20 years. Most of us have some alternative political views. Many people here would identify as anarchists. I probably would, but I do not like labels. A lot of people are also interested in growing most of our own food and participating in capitalism as little as possible. We have no bosses. We use consensus to make decisions, meaning no proposals get passed unless everyone consents to them.
There is a bigger commune in the area that is our sister commune. Some members from there decided to start the one I live on, they were not related but many of them had known each other for a while.
Right now there is a woman who has lived here for a couple of years and her daughter in her late 20’s just moved here this year. There are a lot of couples, I don’t know if you would consider that related. There was a couple of children here, but their families moved to different communes in the area.
Are there rules to your anarchist commune?
Anarchism to me means lacking oppression and no hierarchy. Not necessarily “no rules” thats silly little anarchist teenagers.
There are policies which are kind of like rules, but these are subject to change depending on where the community is at the time.
There are norms, which are more like common sense things.. like don’t put knives or pointy things in the bucket we put all the other silverware in the dish room. You know so no one cuts themselves.
There are actually rules I guess, our values are egalitarianism, feminism and non-violence. Meaning you can’t be physically violent with someone, if someone did this who had been living here long term this would mean a BUNCH of long meanings.
Also non-consensual touching is a big no no also.
How did you decide to join? What attracted you to this one?
I met a guy who eventually moved to the larger commune and he asked me to come visit. I was rejected from membership in short because I am obnoxious and promiscuous. Then the guy I was dating from the larger commune asked me to come visit again, just as his guest, but I thought visiting the smaller commune nearby might be more interesting. I didn’t plan to stay, but after a week I liked acorn more than my relationship and i stayed as an intern for months before becoming a member.
The freedom here attracted me and the lack of structure. Working whenever you want. The clearness process is awesome to me, people don’t communicate enough in the outside world.
What is the clearness process?
A clearness is when someone has a conversation with every member of the community about what its been like to live with them this can range from a simple “I like you you’re great, how’ve you been doing these days?” to long conversations processing personal issues. Then the group gets together for a meeting and talks about their clearnesses and if any conflicts were unable to be resolved in personal clearnesses we talk about it as a group. If people get violent sometimes we’ll give them another chance if they’ve been here a while with no incident, but generally we have a no tolerance policy and that person will be asked to leave pretty quickly.
How do you guys make money?
We live on a farm and run an income sharing heirloom seeds business.
In terms of your seed business and shared income concept, is the income shared as in split equally and each individual receives a portion or shared in the sense of a large pot used to benefit the group.
Large pot to be benefited from the group.
Do you get an allowance or how does perosnal money work?
We each get a smallish stipend a month and some people save up to buy personal computers and such.
Much of our business is run through the internet so we have to have computers. We share a number of desktop computers and laptops.
If someone wants to buy something that is kind of expensive to be shared by the community we bring it to one of our meetings. We make decisions using consensus.
How do you decide what to purchase? What if someone else in the community doesn’t agree with a purchase?
We make all of our decisions by consensus. For major expenses or unusual one-time expenses, you bring a proposal to the group.
Examples: – Requesting $500 and use of the neglected hay wagon to build a chicken coop. – Requesting $500 for transportation, class fees, and books for a natural building course, along with 300 hours of community time to spend on natural building. – Requesting that the community buy and pay for a cell phone for a member who travels for the community on a regular basis.
Full members, people who have lived here for more than a year, can spend up to $50 at their discretion.
Some costs are normalized to the point that they don’t need to be ran by the group. If the chickens run out of feed, someone takes the cargo van to the local organic feed producer and buys some more without bothering to run it by the group at large. The person in charge of the bulk food order will order food every week. When we run out of shipping envelopes in the office, someone will order them.
If you have a problem with things that people buy with community money, you talk to them. Sometimes we have meetings to affirm community norms about purchases, like “no buying factory-farmed meat with our collective money.”
When the collective makes a decision you don’t agree with does that piss you off as much as when a boss makes one?
No because if I really didn’t want something to happen it wouldn’t. I could block or try and change it until I thought it worked. Thats how consensus works.
What does the community do if someone isn’t working hard enough?
If someone isn’t working hard enough it’ll probably be brought up in a clearness and maybe asked to keep labor sheets.. sheets where they record their labor for the whole community to see.
How do you deal with internal issues like fights, breakups etc?
I’ve had a breakup here, we’re still friends. Usually people are pretty good at keeping conflicts between them and working it out calmly, but sometimes if it gets really bad it comes to a meeting and people have to go through a clearness process.
Whats your day to day life like?
I usually wake up whenever I want unless I have signed up to cook lunch which is served at noo or if I sign up to do a phone shift that starts at 9 am. People generally work whenever they want, but there are certain jobs people sign up for at our sunday meeting. That includes cooking shifts and customer service phone shifts for our business. A lot of things count as work gardening, cleaning, work for the business.
So here is a typical day as in my day yesterday: I woke up, helped my partner build a new computer for the office, he is teaching me about the parts of a computer, I’m kind of interested in programming, so this is helpful. Then I cooked dinner. I made Lasagna, three different kids due to the diets of people I live with. I made one with local ground beef, one vegetarian one with just cheese, and one vegan one with crumbled tofu instead of cheese. Then I smoked cigarettes in our only smoking allowed area with some people visiting from a friend community in another state. We talked for a bit, had some laughs, I shipped out some packs of seeds in my room while listening to music for a few hours. Then I wrote a little bit, I like to write fictional stories and plays, then I went to sleep.
If members wish to have children (something rather expensive to be shared by the community), is this subject to a vote?
At the larger community people are asked to ask the community to approve a pregnancy. At the community I live in we prefer for people to ask, but people rarely say no. It is easier to have a child in community than it is to move to community with kids.
How do you raise children? Do they go to school? Would living in a way so at odds with the outside world create problems for them when they grow up?
There are children that live in the larger community nearby.
A lot of them are home schooled and there is a daycare program for the younger kids. I am actually going to play theatre games with the kids there one day soon.
Some of them go to the public school in the area and some of them go to private schools that the community pays for.
Most of the kids I know are more mature and more capable of communicating with adults than most others kids I’ve met . They are very bright and I can actually have real conversations with them.
Do you share lovers?
Some people engage in polyamoury. I do not. I am in a monogamous relationship. This is up to the individuals.
To what extent do you see this lifestyle as feasible? Do you plan to live in this type of structure until your end comes around? Do many people leave once they have lived with the group for some time?
There are people of many ages here. Most are in there 20s to early 30s, but there are people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. I’d say most people who live here have lived here about 6 months- 3 years. There are a few people here who have been here for about 8 years.
I see myself being here for the next couple of years. I may go try and be an actress, but I would still maintain a status of “friend of the community” and I would probably come back at some point.
There is quite a bit of turn over. The people here are often the types who are not worried about money and trust they can figure out how to survive. A lot of people also go off to do more WOOF type deals.
WOOF?
Working on organic farm. Its a work trade thing.
Is there anything you miss about life prior to the commune?
I am originally from Brooklyn and I often miss walking the streets of New York and all the opportunities to meet strangers. I miss some of my old friends and I miss all the theatrical opportunities NY had. I was studying to be a musical theatre actress before I came here.
I do often get to meet strangers here though, a lot of guests and people interested in community come through. Its a bit like non-nomadic traveling. There are community theaters nearby and sometimes we have music performances at parties and events and stuff.
What does your family and friends think about your decision to be a part of this.
My parents are thrilled. I used to be a wild hitchhiking traveling kid and they never knew where the fuck I was.
Now all they have to do is call the community and someone’ll be they “yea… I saw her earlier, eating cereal.. ”
My friends are pretty groovy, some of them have come to visit it me and one did stay for a few solid months and actually got accepted as member, but went on to do other things. Another friend is coming for a month or two in the summer.
I’d say friends and family are mostly happy that I found a lifestyle that works for me.
China obtains new super I-Mode on ‘artificial sun’ Tokamak EAST
Chicago Style Italian Beef Sandwiches
Italian beef is wildly popular throughout the Chicago area, and most folks satisfy their craving at their favorite takeout joint. This recipe was created in the Tribune test kitchen. For paper-thin slices, place the meat in your freezer until almost solid before slicing.
Italian beef sandwiches
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes
Makes: 8 servings
- 1 teaspoon each: crushed red pepper, garlic powder, dried basil, dried oregano, freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 small sirloin tip roast, about 2 1/2 pounds
- 1 cup cold water
- 8 soft or hard Italian rolls, warmed
- Pickled hot sport peppers or sliced sweet peppers, as desired
1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine seasonings in a small bowl; rub half of the mixture over all surfaces of meat, working some of it under the fat layer. Put the meat in a shallow pan just large enough to hold it; roast 15 minutes. Reduce heatto 350 degrees; roast 20 minutes longer.
2. Remove pan from oven; pour cold water into bottom of pan. Let stand several minutes until fat has solidified. Remove fat; discard. Add remaining seasoning mixture to pan juices. Return to oven; roast until instant-read thermometer reads 130 degrees for rare, about 20 minutes, or cook as desired. Remove meat from roasting pan; cool 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, degrease pan juices. Transfer juice to a saucepan; cook over medium heat until heated through, about 3 minutes. Slice meat into paper-thin slices, using a meat slicer or electric knife, if available. Dip several slices briefly into hot juice. Layer meat and juices into split rolls. Add peppers as desired.
Alternative…
Ingredients
- 1 (4 pound) chuck roast
- 3 cups water
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 2 beef bouillon cubes
- 3 pepperoncini peppers, seeded and sliced
- 2 teaspoons fennel seed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 sliced and seeded green bell peppers
- 1/4 cup pepperoncini juice
- 1 to 2 cans good beef broth (if needed)
- Hot crusty Italian beef buns or hard rolls
Instructions
- Put chuck roast and water in slow cooker.
- Cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours, until meat is tender.
- Pick through meat and remove all fat. Shred meat.
- In a large pan add meat, broth from slow cooker, oregano, sesame seeds, beef bouillon cubes, pepperoncini, fennel seed (do not omit this), salt and pepper, green peppers and pepperoncini juice from peppers. If you don’t have enough broth from the slow cooker, add 1 to 2 cans of good beef broth to the meat.
- Heat for about 30 minutes.
- Serve on hot crusty Italian beef buns or hard rolls.
More aggressive adventurism, restored McCarthyism alarming as GOP-led House approves setting new committee targeting China
Happy Cats, Coffee Shops And Carefree Times In TAO’s Cheerful, Detailed And Nostalgic Illustrations
As she explains on her Tumblr profile, Sapporo-based illustrator TAO is particularly fond of cats, Showa Era things, and sneakers. With their cheerful tone and kawaii characters enjoying relaxing moments, coffee mug in hand, her artwork will surely put a smile on your face or dispel any clouds hanging over your head.
Her most recent illustration perfectly encapsulates the feel-good, relaxing mood and Showa Era nostalgia that characterizes much of her work.
The happy, relaxed mood and the cute cats are an obvious plus, but the nostalgia factor can largely be attributed to the cocktail table mahjong video game. Previously a fixture in most Japanese coffee shops, they’re all but extinct.
12 Ex-Cons Reveal The Most Terrifying Thing They Saw Inside Prison
1. I saw someone take a hotpot fill it up with baby oil add a pound of sugar, add some magic shave, bring it to a boil then splash it in a person’s face…… It literally melted the guys face off. This happened around 1999 and I still have the occasional nightmare about it
2. Dude in the cell next to mine tried to kill himself with a sharpened pencil. He just kept stabbing himself in the chest but couldn’t get deep enough. He was hauled off by COs kicking and screaming, begging for death. He was going to be deported.
3. A white kid get absolutely destroyed for accidentally sitting on the front bench of the TV area on his 2nd day. They waited for Rec, then started walking with him, every lap they made more guys would tag along. Then once in the blind spot they jumped him. 6-7 guys beating a 120lbs skinny little white kid. They were climbing up the fence and jumping down on his head. He was out within the first few seconds, but they kept on beating him until the COs gassed everyone. They snapped his lower back and he is now in a wheelchair. All for not knowing any better. The worst thing I’ve ever “heard” was a grown man being raped one night. He refused to pay a “protection” fee and 3 dudes raped him. They stabbed him in the ass with a tooth brush shank. I’ve seen some crazy shit but theirs were the most memorable. Sometimes I have nightmares about the rape. I’ve never heard anything like that ever since.
4. I spent 6 years in prison. One month in I watched a Crip on Crip gang stabbing. They stabbed the guy 60+ times while he was curled up in a ball screaming “HELP!” but nobody could because you’d be a target next. He somehow survived but I couldn’t tell you how. I think about it every day.
5. A guy got stomped to death my first day in. The 2 guys fighting were rival gang members.
The were in different cells and always talking shit to each other. When we had rec time they both ran at each other. They were both pretty big. One picked up the other and slammed him on the concrete and proceeded to kick him in the stomach and face until he was un conscious. Then started stomping on his face. The guards didnt do anything until the guy getting stomped stopped breathing. Then they came in and took them both away. One in a bag and one in cuffs.
6. Ok so unfortunately, my bunk was close to the corner where everybody came to fight or whatever. So this one guy claimed that he was a gang member but it was discovered that he was a false-flagger. So, the gang members put him in the corner and took turns beating and raping him. He was in the infirmary for bout a week. When he came back, the gang got him all over again. He was transferred after that. I promise there aren’t many things more terrifying than hearing a grown man scream while he’s being raped.
7. Saw a dude get his head caved in, in his cell. A new inmate had come in and refused to show his papers.
Another inmate came and said he was in court with him and he was a pedophile. Later that day, the “keys” (an inmate leader in each unit), told him he needed to roll his shit up, basically ask for protective custody. He refused. Later that night after we were all in our cells, his celly took a pencil and stabbed him in the eye. Then pulled him off his bunk and smashed his head against the wall till there was nothing left. Once he was done, he called the CO over the intercom and let them handle everything. I could see this through our window as they were in the cell across from us.
Papers, or PSI, pre-sentence investigation. These were provided prior to your sentencing, kind of like a discovery. It showed all prior crimes, pleas, deals, and snitching. The inmates used to receive these but when the department of prisons learned what was happening, they quit giving them out. You could request them from the department of parole and probation, but they don’t even do that now. You were supposed to show these papers to your keys to prove you weren’t a snitch, child molester (chomo), rapist, etc.
8. I spent 8 years in prison, in the state of Georgia. There was a guy who made a hustle of holding a hiding illegal cell phones for the Mexican gangs. When a shakedown/search occurred, this man was responsible for the loss of many of those cell phones. He was confronted on the yard, and tried to escape by climbing the fence. He got stuck in the razor wire, shredding his forearms, while 7 or 8 Mexican gang members were stabbing him all in the back of his legs and his ass.
9. It’s not the craziest thing I saw but it’s a social norm in prison that goes on daily ..I’ll never forget how socially acceptable “jackers” were….
Like somebody would be wearing a coat or hoody etc and stare at a female C.O. And jack off. Sometimes sitting on a bench , sometime the tv room , and nobody bats an eye.
One time a dude was like “ hey man can you move a row over , she know I’m watching” and didn’t skip a beat cranking off to an ugly 60something yr old woman. It’s fucked up but after a while you just accept that some people went nuts in there.
10. My husband was in prison as a young adult. He said that they had a way of “checking your ego” in the spot he was at. The toughest guys would come up to you on your first day and ask how many push ups you could do. If you were smart you would just sorta blow it off or laugh it off and move on. If you were a stupid show off or had something to prove you would claim a large number or talk your self up. If you did that then they would be all friendly and be like “oh? let’s see it!” So the poor guy would do as many push ups as they could. The tough guys would gas the new guy up, acting friendly, pushing him to do more. They acted impressed and joked around. Then as soon as the new guy had done as many push ups as possible they would jump him and beat him up. He would be helpless to resist because he had maxed himself out on push ups. Afterwards any guy with an ego was normally really quiet for the remainder of their stay.
11. I worked at a Juvenile Detention Facility in New Mexico. The absolute scariest thing I ever saw was a young boy, 9 years old, booked in for murdering both of his parents. There was nothing there. I fail to call this thing even human. I looked into this child’s eyes and felt more fear than I ever have to this day. This was no child, it was a monster. Pure evil, condensed and given human form.
And to clarify: I have booked and looked after murder suspects before, it was nothing new. But this kid was different. Very different. He never broke any rules and always followed commands but never, ever spoke unless directly asked something. And then it was curt, short. Just to answer a question. He never cried, either. Which is highly unusual for a 9 year old kid in jail. He was eventually tried and transferred to mental facility. But I’ll never forget the kid’s eyes. It haunts me to this day.
12. A child being brought in to see his father. Horrible? Yes! The father had molested the child. The mother when we denied the visit wanted to leave the child in the car and visit by herself. This was also denied. The Duty Officer said he was going to contact CPS.
Confessions of a Man Who Won a $325 Million Powerball Jackpot
How did you first react?
I found out at 3 in the morning. I was putting away some laundry and tidying my room before crashing. The ticket was on my dresser so I gave it a quick check assuming it would be a bust so I could throw it in the waste paper basket.
When the numbers matched I sort of swooned and got dizzy. I kept double checking and stayed up to go to the lottery office when it opened. Some of the longest hours of my life. I was very red and warm, I kept fanning myself for a few days.
What was the process like when going to the lotto office and claiming your ticket?
It was kind of weird and not what I expected it to be. The staff at my lottery office weren’t really all that impressed. They said congratulations a few times but it was kind of hollow. It was a lot of paper work in a back office/conference room. It was kind of the same feeling you’d get from going to a bank to set up a checking account, but like, with a lot more paperwork.
The lottery office was in a strip mall in a decent part of town. I went in when it opened and I did feel slightly concerned for my safety but the place opened up at 8am before any of the other shops did so the parking lot was practically deserted. They don’t keep any cash on the premises and most prizes people were claiming we done through like a bank teller window. I guess I was taken into a back office because it was a larger prize with much more forms to fill out.
What was the first thing you bought?
The first thing I bought was a new car. Mine was 20 years old, made terrible noises and was in general a death trap.
Do people close to you know about it? If so, how did they react and did anyones opinion of you seem to change?
I’m not close with my family but I did tell a few select friends that I’ve known for quite some time. Their general reaction was that I’m a nice person that went through some tough times so they’re glad I finally caught a break.
Have people come out of the woodwork asking for a handout?
No one really came out of the woodwork. My state allowed me to claim my prize anonymously and the few friends I’ve told do well for themselves.
Whats your day to day life like now that you’re set financially?
I’m a night person. So I wake up whenever my body is ready to…usually noon. I live on the beach now so I walk about 5 miles to the lighthouse and back, and then do some school work(I went back to college online because I never finished my degree and always felt badly about it. Usually I relax in front of the TV after I’m done with that, get a work out in, take an hour long shower and then crash.
Originally I’d planned to travel quite a bit but covid put a stop to that. But my brain is wired a little differently so I think sticking to a routine and having a purpose(school and staying in shape) helps a great deal.
What are you studying?
I just finished my English degree last spring. I just started a sociology degree and have another two years to finish that.
How did your lifestyle change?
Well prior I worked 2 jobs and lived with 3 annoying roommates and drove a 20 year old car that was on it’s last legs, I was only just getting by. I felt trapped.
Now I can just do whatever I want within reason. Biggest change has been just putting whatever I want in my shopping cart without having to think about it. It took some getting used to because I’d been living on poverty wages for so long.
I still look at the prices but now it’s more out of curiousity rather than the imperative that I not spend too much and to my budget.
How did it feel when you quit your jobs? Also, how did it feel when you moved out of your roommates place?
Quitting my call center job was a relief because I didn’t like getting yelled at by customers for stuff that wasn’t my fault. I was only there for the health insurance.
I miss my 2nd part time job though sometimes. I worked 20 hours a week at Starbucks and my coworkers were fun. I just told everyone I was moving out of state to go back to college which wasn’t untrue. Well wishes and hugs goodbye and all that. It was a relief that I was able to quarantine when the pandemic hit.
Moving out of my place with the roommates: that was awesome. They were slobs so I don’t miss that at all. It was kinda fun driving 800 miles with everything I owned in the back of a new car and starting a new life.
What’s your Holy Grail? Like what thing have you bought you never imagined you could ever own.
Well just about everything I have I probably would have never owned giving how little I earned before.
Favorite thing: the cars(I like classic cars) 64 Corvette Stingray, 68 Mustang fastback, and a 63 Lincoln Continental. Toying with the idea of an early 60s Jaguar but the garage is getting kinda crowded.
Best thing you’ve done with the money?
Best thing: bought a house at the beach so I could fall asleep to the sound of waves crashing.
Was it amazing buying your own home? Did you walk in, close the door and happy scream?
It kind of was amazing but I felt the need to act like it was no big deal. Since I was buying at the beach I was required to show some documentation that I was a qualified buyer at first… Apparently a lot of tourists will dress fancy and put on airs to get the opportunity to tour around all the properties with no real intention of buying. Usually between 10-25% of the homes are on the market so I had a lot to choose from(people buy these homes and don’t realize how expensive and time consuming all the upkeep is and decide to sell after a couple of years). I had a hard time expressing what it was I wanted besides very general terms. I think my agent was beginning to be a little frustrated with me. But when I found the right one I just turned matter-of-factly and said, “how much again? Ok, write a full ask offer 10 day close no contingencies”
For the first two weeks or so I’d walk in and drop my bags and just say “home” quietly to myself. It really didn’t feel like my space till I’d lived in it for some months.
I had been struggling to save up a modest down payment for a 2 bedroom condo prior to my life changing so I get how lucky I am.
Worst thing you’ve done with the money?
Bought an expensive watch (Patek Philippe Nautilus)
I also have one of those glass front floor to ceiling wine/cellar fridge things in my kitchen. I went to a fancy wine store and bought some expensive wines and a case of champagne to fill it.
I don’t drink and neither does my significant other, nor do I entertain. So it was kinda frivolous, but it looks nice.
Whats the most extravagant thing you’ve considered/are considering buying? Like a superyacht, private island, mansion, etc.
To be honest none of the examples you gave really appeal to me. I’m not very materialistic. I had planned to travel quite extensively and had considered booking a private jet for some of the trips I’d had in mind, but to be honest it just seemed like a waste of money when first class is just as nice and a 1/4 of the price.
Do you have people working for you, like servants/drivers/cleaners?
Nah. The pandemic happened relatively soon after so the idea of having someone coming into my space and possibly bringing the virus with them was not something I want to deal with.
I do have a landscaper and a pool guy and someone that comes every so often to detail my cars, and maintenance people that occasionally come to fix things, but other than that I do my own chores and take care of myself. It’s wonderfully grounding to scrub your own toilet bowl.
How much is still left?
I took the annuity. I’ve received about 16 million in annuity payments so far. I’ve spent 3.5 so far, and I have 27 years of annuity payments left. So quite a bit.
How does the annuity work?
Large lottery prizes are generally expressed in the value of a 30 year annuity, a yearly payment. If you take the lump sum its generally much less than the full jack pot. And you have to pay all the taxes all at once.
They laid out both options for me when I went to claim my prize, I took the annuity because I was still relatively young and it was more money in the long run and I didn’t trust myself to have all that money all at once.
How much have you paid to the IRS?
More than I care to think about. It’s a hard check to write every year. But I am glad to see all the direct assistance that went to people in the pandemic and that some new infrastructure investment is gonna happen…so that kinda takes the sting out somewhat.
Did you do a Quick Pick or did you pick your numbers?
Both: Quick pick for the 5 numbers. My lucky number for the powerball.
Do you plan to ever have a ‘job’ again or are you happy to travel and relax?
I dunno. I haven’t really thought about it. I do miss the social aspect of having a job sometimes; joking around with coworkers and stuff like that. I don’t miss the stress off working for a living. If I did feel like my life was lacking purpose or I felt bored I might work part time just to feel like I was contributing to society in some way.
Have you sat down and wondered what you want to do for the rest of your life?
Yeah. I do think about the bigger picture sometimes. I’m really a coffee enthusiast…i used to work at Starbucks and I drink about 4 cups a day(down from 6 or 7 when I was working 2 jobs and had 14 hour days and needed that much caffeine to function). I’ve thought about moving to the Big Island of Hawaii and starting a coffee plantation. Of all the varieties I like Kona the best(the volcanic soil just does something to make it taste amazing).
Also I like jazz clubs. I’ve thought about starting one since they can be hard to find unless you’re in a major city.
The pandemic has put a hold on a lot of things that I’d otherwise be inclined to do, but in a way it’s good because it’s sort of throttled back a lot of those dream plans to let me consider all the pros and cons. And so far, taking the time to work on myself, has been enough.
You havent ruined your life yet right? There are so many stories of people winning the lottery and fucking up their lives.
Nope. I’m happy most of the time, and when I’m not I’m at least content. I’m not very materialistic past a certain point. I still buy my clothes from discount stores like Target, Marshall’s. I get yearly annuity payments and I’ve yet to spend more than 1/4 of one so far. I don’t foresee myself going bankrupt.
I also keep a very low profile. I don’t tell anyone about it. I have a very good security alarm/cameras with monitoring and I live around the block from the local police station. So far I’ve felt safe.
Is it true, more money more problems?
I wouldn’t say more money more problems. It’s more like more money different problems.
The Superb Comics About Silly Things And Weird Situations By Will Santino
Will Santino is a cartoonist and illustrator who is famous for his interesting one-panel comics. His short comics are usually black-and-white with some occasional splash of colors. He uses very few words, sometimes he even conveys his ideas without a single word. The artist’s drawing style is minimalistic and he uses silly humor and absurd situations to illustrate his comics.
In a recent interview with Bored Panda, the artist revealed, “I started drawing cartoons during a difficult time in my life, while I was processing grief after a loss. I am inspired by nature, stories, mythology, animals, and books. I like to add more silliness, wonder, whimsy, and absurdity into the world.” Scroll below to read some interesting cartoons by Will Santino.
Soledar Conquered (Liberated) by Russian Army – Ukrainian Troops Horror Stories
The Russian Army has liberated Soledar from Ukrainian NAZIS after weeks of ferocious battles. Complicating the situation were miles of underground salt mines through which Ukraine could send reinforcements and ammunition. As Ukrainian troops surrendered, the horror stories began to emerge.
As seen in the photo above, surrendering Ukrainian troops are all wearing . . . summer uniforms. In the dead of winter!
Many of the men are suffering severe frostbite and are likely to lose fingers, toes, even whole limbs from the frostbite.
The men report they had little to no food or water, but were refused when they asked command for permission to surrender.
Confessions of a Woman Who Suffers From Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality)
When did you first learn or suspect that you had DID?
The first signs that something was wrong were that she was losing track of big chunks of time, people were telling her that she had said or done things that she couldn’t remember doing, people she didn’t know were acting like they knew her, and she was finding journals, poetry, and art that she didn’t recognize.
What causes someone to have DID?
DID is a trauma-based disorder.
The most popular explanation for the etiology of DID is that when a child experiences truly horrific trauma, they invent other identities to cope with that trauma. The child essentially says to themselves, “That didn’t happen to me. That happened to another little girl. It wasn’t me.”
Dissociation during traumatic events is fairly common. You’ll hear survivors of car crashes say that it all felt surreal, like it was in slow motion, like they remember it as if they were detached from their body or viewing it from a detached perspective. Now imagine being in a car crash over and over, every single day. If you enter that detached state over and over again at a young age when your sense of self and your concept of identity is being formed, you develop a fragmented sense of self. Being a child, you give names to those fragments. Over time, the fragments develop their own sense of self.
Have you been diagnosed by a professional? What was that process like?
I feel really fortunate that the diagnosis process for us was shorter than most. DID is a very stigmatized disorder so it can be a slow process for most people.
At 14 we were referred to therapy because of problems at school. Our initial diagnosis was PTSD, but our therapist quickly began to suspect a dissociative disorder. Because of our young age, she chose to formally diagnose us with Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified rather than DID. She wanted to take a “wait and see” approach to diagnosis. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to continue therapy with her for long because we lost our insurance.
In college we were formally diagnosed, but by that point it was not a surprise at all. By then, we were very aware of each other and had been working on improving our communication and working together.
How do you feel about the fact that you have DID?
I guess acceptance is the best way to describe it. I don’t know anything else, so this is normal for me.
How many alters do you have? Are you comfortable describing them or any of their traits? How are they different from you?
I’ll start with myself. My name is Quin. I am not the original identity, but I think I have been around the longest. I currently do most of the fronting. I keep everyone organized and try to keep this system running smoothly.
Morgan is our original identity. Until we moved away from our family of origin, she was the one fronting most of the time. Ever since we moved away, she stopped fronting. Right now we don’t know if that’s a temporary thing or if it’s permanent, but it seems like the best decision for everyone.
Emma is a childlike alter who will tell you that she is four years old. She likes to play with toys and play Facebook games like Candy Crush.
Hailey is our other childlike alter. We think that she is emotionally about eight. She likes to watch Disney movies, but also likes to watch upsetting TV shows that are way too mature for her.
Storm has the emotional maturity of a teenager. I have previously joked about her being a little edgelord with a name to match, but that’s a bit mean. I honestly don’t know what she’s into at the moment.
Caden is a little ball of sunshine, according to one of our friends. I don’t actually know how old Caden is? He gets along with everyone. He’s silly and friendly and impossible to dislike, even when he’s being a bit of a jerk. I think he does it so that he can get away with doing whatever he wants to do.
Zoe is creative and smart. I’ve previously said she wasn’t very friendly, but that’s not very accurate. She’s not very friendly to me and she’s not very trusting, but she’s actually very social and more interested in socializing than I am. Zoe is very emotional and a little hot-headed.
Hannah is one of the most mature alters in our group. For a long time I couldn’t get a read on her and I didn’t know what was going on with her. She kept herself closed off from me for some reason, but I’ve gotten to know her more recently. She holds a lot of our memories and seems to be trying to figure out what to do with them. When she fronts, she takes care of lots of self-care type tasks and household things. She seems kind of like the mom of the group.
Carrie is an alter that I know exists, but I haven’t interacted with in a long time. I don’t really know much about her.
Arlo is one of our newest alters. They still haven’t told us if they are are a boy or a girl, but maybe they aren’t either? Arlo fronts when we are overwhelmed. They like to play video games. Arlo is extremely stubborn.
We also have an unnamed alter who exists mainly to harass and persecute us, but since they don’t front, I won’t go into detail about them.
Describe your relationship with your alters.
Our relationships with each other vary quite a bit, but I think we are a lot like a family. There’s some occasional friction and tension, but everyone has the same goal. We’re all just trying to survive.
What does it feel like to switch to another alter?
I absolutely hate answering this question every time it’s asked, so I’m going to skip it.
Do you always change clothes/hair/makeup/hats when you switch?
No, that’s really more of a media thing. I think it’s done in film and tv so that the audience can tell which alter is present. In reality, it would be exhausting to run to our closet for a wardrobe change every time there was a switch.
That said, we do have some different clothing preferences. If Zoe is planning on being in control all day long, she might dress more feminine than I would normally dress. If Arlo is fronting, they are almost always wearing their favorite hoodie. But it’s not like wearing that hoodie is a for sure indication that Arlo is currently fronting.
Do you have any abilities or skills that your alters don’t, or vice versa?
Only myself and a few others are able to do our work tasks. Hannah is a better cook than most. Only Hailey knows how to play the flute. Zoe is a creative writer.
Do different alters have different physical conditions or traits (for example, different eyesight, allergies or hand preference)?
No, and others may disagree with me on this but I personally believe that this is (for the most part) a media myth. The physical body is the physical body. The only physical differences that you can have between alters are the ones that can be impacted by emotional/psychological state, like placebo and conversion disorders. It’s not like the movie Split where one alter can be diabetic when the others aren’t. However, if the body has diabetes then different alters could have different blood sugar levels because your stress levels can cause your blood sugar to go up and down.
How frequently do you experience gaps in your memory? What is that like? How do you cope with it on a daily basis?
This really depends on how well we are coping with our current life stress. When we’re doing well, memories are shared and co-consciousness is common. When the stress level rises and we’re struggling to cope, amnesia and memory gaps become more common.
Amnesia can be really frightening, especially “waking up” some place you don’t expect to be. It’s not so bad if I’m just at home and I’ve lost a few hours, but if I’m suddenly at the grocery store and the last thing I remember is being at home in bed, it’s pretty alarming.
I cope with it by trying to stick to a schedule, journaling, using notes and calendars to keep track of everything. I try to stay really organized to compensate for everything.
How do you communicate with your alters?
This sounds ridiculous, but internal communication is as simple as “thinking at” the other alters. When internal communication breaks down, we use journals and things like Google Keep to talk to each other.
Do your alters have different relationships, i.e. friendships or romantic partners? If you’re married or in a relationship, how do your alters feel about your SO?
We basically have the same friends, but we have different relationships with those friends.
All of us have a good relationship with our SO.
Are you co-conscious with any/all of your alters? What does co-consciousness feel like?
Most of us are able to experience co-consciousness with each other. Not all of us are “drift compatible” with each other, to borrow a term from Pacific Rim.
Are you aware of an internal world or inside space?
No, we have never experienced an internal world.
Have you told friends/family about your diagnosis? Why or why not?
When we were in our early 20s we were more open about our diagnosis, but we experienced some real negative consequences because of that. People tend to see us only as our diagnosis. It’s very difficult for people to understand. It’s hard to live a normal life when people know. We much prefer that people don’t know.
What do you wish everyone without DID knew or understood better about you?
It’s nothing like (most of) the media depictions. When it’s what you’ve lived with your whole life, it just feels normal.
What is the worst or most embarrassing thing to ever happen to you as the result of an alter’s actions?
I won’t embarrass myself by going into details, but it can be hard having childlike alters. It was a bigger problem when we were younger, and things are much better controlled now, but there were some embarrassing moments.
Describe a time when one of your alters saved your ass.
I don’t give her enough credit, so I’ll use this opportunity to talk about Storm. We’ve been joking lately about how Storm is a “fire alarm” that goes off when something isn’t right, but she’s kind of a shitty fire alarm because if you don’t pay attention to her fast enough she’ll just spray gasoline in the whole building and burn the whole place down (metaphorically, of course) to make sure you are really aware of the fire.
But the truth is, Storm probably has saved my ass dozens of times and she would have saved my ass dozens more if I had just listened to her more. She’s really good at knowing when situations are unsafe and knowing when something is wrong. She’s one of the few of us who is brave enough to use her voice and really scream and stand up for herself. I’m sure that at least a few of the times she’s screamed “Get the fuck away from me!” could have turned out really badly if she hadn’t.
Has an alter ever done something illegal or immoral?
Illegal? No. Immoral? Depending on your standards of morality, absolutely. We have disagreements about moral behavior all the time. Zoe constantly does things that I find unacceptable.
Have you experienced bullying, discrimination or stigma because of your DID?
When we were open about it, yes. That’s why we have chosen not to tell most people.
Does DID interfere with your ability to have a family, a career, or to achieve the kind of life you want?
This isn’t the feel good answer people probably want, but yes.
We are childfree mostly because of DID. There are alters in our system who wanted children very badly, but we felt that having children was the wrong choice for us because of our condition.
DID also interfered with our education throughout high school and college. We were able to finish our undergraduate degree, but ultimately it did stop us from completing our masters program and working in the field that we intended to work in.
At our current level of functioning, I don’t think we could hold down a traditional 9 to 5 job. We currently work from home and are really happy with our career, but we are lucky that this is an option for us.
I don’t know if this is the case for everyone else with DID, but we choose not to drive because of the severity of our dissociation. The risk of dissociating while driving is just too much for us, so we are reliant on other people for transportation.
What are your biggest challenges living with DID?
Honestly, it’s not the DID itself, it’s working through the underlying issues that caused the DID. Unpacking all of that trauma can be exhausting and disruptive. Just when you think you’ve found homeostasis with your system, someone finds a bunch of new baggage to unpack.
What are some of the positives that have come out of having DID?
We survived.
Canada Suffers Similar NOTAM Outage in its Aircraft System as USA Did – but the two “Not Related”
Canada’s air traffic system suffered a similar outage to the one that occurred in the US for a brief period on Wednesday.
US air travel was badly disrupted by the failure of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Notice to Air Missions system (NOTAM) overnight on Tuesday, forcing a full ground stop of domestic aviation on Wednesday morning.
Nav Canada, the Canadian national air navigation service provider, released a statement just after 12.30pm as US airlines struggled to resume normal service.
“Nav Canada’s Canadian NOTAM entry system is currently experiencing an outage affecting newly issued NOTAMs, and we are working to restore function.”
“We are not currently experiencing any delays related to this outage. We are assessing impacts to our operations and will provide updates as soon as they are available.”
At approximately 2.30pm Nav Canada released a further statement saying that the NOTAM system has been restored.
A tweet posted by the agency stated: “Nav Canada continues to investigate the cause of the outage; at this time, we do not believe it to be related to the FAA outage experienced earlier today.”
Nav Canada spokesperson Vanessa Adams said: “Nav Canada’s Canadian NOTAM entry system experienced an outage affecting newly issued NOTAMs at approximately 10.20am ET and was restored approximately at 1.15pm.”
She added: “Mitigations were in place to support continued operations. We are still investigating the root cause of the failure. At this time, we do not believe the cause is related to the FAA outage experienced earlier today.”
Flights from Canada were partially impacted by the US outage, which lasted until approximately 9am when operations were allowed to resume.
Many incoming flights were asked to hold at their departure airports to help ease pressure at US destinations and this likely impacted a number of flights from Canada.
At 2.30pm Toronto Pearson Airport recorded 22 per cent of its flights delayed, with similar disruption reported at Montreal.
More than a quarter of Air Canada’s flights were listed as delayed (118 individual flights) and two percent had been cancelled, according to data from FlightAware.
Air Canada warned passengers of possible disruption earlier in the day, telling people to check their status of flights following the FAA outage in the US.
Other Canadian airlines including WestJet and Porter had more modest delays of 16 per cent and seven per cent respectively, but have fewer routes into the US.
Gooey Chicken Burritos
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 1 (12 ounce) jar salsa (heat desired)
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 can mild diced green chiles
- 1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar and jack blend cheese
- 1 small onion
- Handful stuffed Spanish olives, sliced
- 2 tablespoons tapioca
- Flour tortillas
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients, except tortillas, in slow cooker.
- Cook on LOW for 8 hours.
- Spoon onto warmed tortillas and roll burrito-style.
What’s It Like To Be From An Extremely Wealthy Family
How much is your family worth?
Around $500 million
Where does the family money come from?
My father made all of the money. It was more of a right place at the right time kind of situation. He joined a small firm 24 years ago and it has since grown to an international scale (management consulting).
He is an incredibly gritty guy and quickly became an expert in his field (retail). growing up he was rarely around the house, traveling at least four days a week and working far into the night every day. The churn rate at a firm like his is insane and shows his work ethic.
On top of this he has had many large investments return sizable growth over the years. Several of his friends from undergrad and business school started their own companies and have become very successful after my father invested.
He was not poor growing up but was lower middle class and so was my mom. The scale of our wealth as of recently has come from him sitting on the boards of many large and successful companies. He plans to retire soon but will work on the boards of these companies until he dies. He loves what he does and is an absolute family man.
Lastly and most importantly, we only spend money on the things we need, minus our fairly sizable house. Our style of living has not changed since I was a kid, always living comfortably but never flaunting wealth.
Our nicest car is an acura tlx and we never buy expensive clothes or anything. This unchanged lifestyle is the reason for this rapid accumulation of wealth. My dad always says, “you never know anyones financial situation. They might drive expensive cars, have a jet and a few beach houses and be deep in debt.” On the flip side we only own 3 sub-$50k cars and one home.
Have your parents ever claimed to be “middle class” or have you ever thought yourself that you “weren’t rich”?
Yes! My parents would always say we were upper middle class, and would downplay our wealth constantly. I think they did it to keep us humble and to not draw too much attention.
Did you attend private schools when you were younger?
I attended private school K through 12 and also think that it was one of the most valuable experiences I have ever been afforded. The resource gap between public and private is much larger than you would think
Do you have a job, and if so, do you have to have one, or if you wanted to just relax and enjoy life would your parents financially support you?
I have started 3 small companies all in the hardware tech scene. I was always told from childhood that regardless of what I wanted to do I would be supported. That meant I could be an artist, a teacher or any other lower paying profession without fear of financial stability. I appreciated it but it made me feel like a freeloader if I didn’t do something BIG.
They certainly would not support me if I was not actively working, in school, or doing something “productive” for society.
Did your family give you the initial money to start the companies?
My first company, yes. I needed $1,300 to make an LLC, set up my site, get equipment, and talk to lawyers. After that the business ran itself for 7 years and was a source of constant passive income.
About 11k later I invested back into myself and bought a 3d printer, new computer, and software licenses to start selling custom 3D printed airsoft parts, fidget spinners, and other novelty items locally and online.
After that I reinvested again and started selling custom bike parts. Lastly I raised 60k (from friends and family) to start a C corp developing high performance electric motorcycles. We had 11 employees, took on more investors and then pumped the brakes. Now I’m looking to sell it to a larger company and begin work as an automotive/hardware focused product developer.
What is the most unexpected thing that was normal for you, but highly unusual to most people?
Vacations. My family traveled a ton when I was a kid and I just assumed that everyone else did too. Every spring break, winter break, and summer we had elaborate trips planned (spain, galapagos, dominican republic, etc.) and I just assumed everyone else did too. Even more recently I was trying to plan a trip to go skiing and I didn’t realize how much the passes could cost. Or the gear. Or the hotels. Or flights…
What’s the most “expensive” piece of clothing you purchased, which made you go “this is expensive!”
I think my most expensive item of clothing is a $300 Lululemon rain jacket. To date it is the most money I have ever spent on an article of clothing and I do regret it. I have better $60 jackets that I feel less showy wearing around.
What’s your expensive hobbies?
PC building, robotics, wakeboarding and lacrosse. Besides that I also work on cars and bikes.
How is lacrosse expensive?
Pads, travel, tournament entry, club team dues, etc. It is one of the most expensive field sports out there
What work do you do on cars and bikes? Like upgrading them or what?
I build high powered electric motorcycles primarily. I’ve been working on it for over four years and it out performs anything on the street. I’ve also been developing other prototype motorcycles that use knowledge applied from school in robotics.
Do you ever come across people of similar wealth to you and they act like every bad stereotype of “the wealthy”? If so, how does that affect you or make you feel?
The short answer, YES. There are so many assholes out there that flaunt their wealth and have a total superiority complex. These people are actually pretty common. I’ve lived in Washington DC and California, and in both places you run into these people all the time. It honestly makes me feel a lot better about myself because I know I’m not nearly at their level of narcissism and vanity.
Do you have a lot of girls trying to hook up with you just because you come from money?
I never tell them I have money and they have no reason to suspect it, so it hasn’t been a problem. The only problem was in high school when they would see my house and realize something was up. My house is the only “showy” thing my family owns.
I’m not saying that my house gives away the scale of our wealth, but it definitely says that we’re “wealthy” to some degree. And personally it says it too much for me. Its only a 7 mill house but I still hate it.
That being said, I did date someone long-term who learned about our financial situation (she came from a very poor family) and it did negatively impact our relationship.
How so?
She was on a scholarship to her school and it got revoked during covid due to “changing budgets.” We supported her but later realized that she had lost her scholarship because of grades. This put strain on the relationship among other things like her weed consumption, therapy costs, and rent.
Do rich people really “know a guy” for everything?
Rich people DO know a guy for everything. This is not an understatement. My father had a brain tumor that otherwise would have cost us likely millions of dollars to deal with. It ended up being a $5 co-pay. My sister‘s horse suffered a tendon injury that otherwise would have definitely required it to be put down, but my family paid for it to receive stem cell injections. Any injury, any hurdle, any problem you face is almost always solvable through money.
What’s your opinion on inheritance? How high do you think it should be taxed?
I believe it should totally be taxed, but the reality is that the rich will always figure out ways around this, either through yearly “gifting” or through different types of insurance policies.
There are SO MANY LOOPHOLES. I know next to nothing about these, but I still feel like I know 1000 times more than the average person. I’d say about three or four times a year I sign some legal documents that I barely understand that my parents present as a way to transfer money to me to save money on taxes. It’s always completely legal and I trust that they’re doing it for the right reasons, but it definitely bypasses a lot of the taxes that a “normal” person would fall victim to.
What do you think has been the biggest obstacle in connecting with poorer people?
The biggest obstacle has always been my social anxiety paired with a lack of understanding. I have infinite compassion towards those that are less fortunate financially than myself, but however much I would like to, I will never understand their struggles.
Do you ever donate to charities like Red Cross etc?
My family actively donates millions every year to various causes (mainly cancer research and the bone marrow registry through gift of life). They also support my school for basic needs, clubs, and other organizations that we believe can use the funds for good.
I worked for the red cross through high school doing fundraising campaigns and attempting to modernize their fleet of emergency response vehicles.
Have you ever just randomly gave a stranger a large sum of money. Or like a large unexpected tip?
I have given and continue to give extremely large tips everywhere I go. This is something I’ve talked with my family about at length and we are all in agreement that if we can make a hardworking individual in the service industry’s day (or even week) we certainly will.
I routinely tip around 100% if not much more. The faces that they make and impact that it has is obviously worth every penny. When I pay for things in my daily life with my own personal money that I earned by working, I’m very conscious of price and am actively frugal with my money, but I make a point to carry around enough cash that came from my family (not me) to tip at these extreme levels for almost every expense.
That being said, we do not just give people money. This is one of the reasons that we still have a ton of money. If someone is in desperate need and we can make a difference we will, but we never just give large lump sums of money to people for no reason.
If you woke up tomorrow and it was all gone, what would scare you the most?
Medical expenses. I have narcolepsy and am prescribed modafinil for it. It is a controlled substance that is also commonly abused as a silicon valley smart drug for nerds on coding benders. I currently just have a $5 co-pay but would otherwise literally be paying about $600 a month minimum. On top of that I play sports and have physical therapy for my knee. I don’t even know how much it would cost to continue so I would have to quit sports. My mental health would be in the sh*tter as well because my therapist would cost thousands.
What is your relationship quality with your parents and family?
I am super blessed to have great parents who are very levelheaded and love me very much. Though my father was out of town for five days a week throughout my entire childhood, I am extremely close with him. They are my biggest role models and I tell them everything. When I say everything, I mean everything. From when I lost my virginity to the fact that I took shrooms in the desert with friends a few weeks ago. My relationship with them is extremely healthy and I couldn’t be more grateful.
Speaking on the behalf of many of my wealthy friends, most families are not like this. Most either get divorced or have unhealthy family dynamics that create a cycle of dysfunction in their children. I am so incredibly grateful this was not the case for me or my sister growing up.
It seems like you are really well grounded, do you ever think about saying fuck it and living a lavish lifestyle?
I know it sounds fucked up, but I simply don’t want to. I’m so much happier living the way I’ve been living and that might not be understandable from your perspective it’s clear as day for me.
Africa
Yesterday on the week in review thread I noted the Chinese FM’s visit to Africa.
Today, we have an excellent overview by Ekaterina Blinova about happenings there, “From Unipolar World to Multipolarity: Why US Attempts to Intimidate Africa Won’t Work,” that I highly suggest be read.
Here are several outtakes:
"China continues to be the leading source of FDIs in Africa and has a pipeline of projects, particularly in infrastructure," Kubayi told Sputnik. "Africa's relations with China continue to deepen. This relationship can yield great benefits to both parties in joint research and development, manufacturing in Africa, and an African market that is expected to reach 2.5 billion in population by 2050. African wealth in minerals such as rare earths and others are all thoroughly purposefully explored for practical action and development." "The recent G20 summit reiterated the importance of multilateralism and the United Nations in its declaration," Mikatekiso Kubayi underscored. "BRICS – which China and Russia are members of – emphasized the need to deepen and improve the practical experience of multilateralism with the United Nations at its center. The changing geopolitical landscape is changing precisely because of the realization that it does not benefit the majority of the world." "You have emerging multilateral platforms like BRICS, for instance, that have so much momentum, and seem to be more open to emerging powers, more focused on issues that are really important to the majority of the world," Ovigwe stressed. "One of the trends we might see going forward is countries tilting more towards these new and emerging multilateral platforms because they want it to be accessible to them. G7 is not going to be expanded – it has already contracted from G8 to G7."
The Colonial Age of Plunder is ending but the Outlaw US Empire persists in trying to keep it alive as it knows of no other method.
The result is obvious to foresee–the Empire will isolate itself and cease to be the sort of Empire it is today, which is great for RoW.
Posted by: karlof1 | Jan 12 2023 17:58 utc | 15
A good rant from Ritter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsWQYBIoSWU
China builds world’s first autonomous seaborne drone-carrier
hina on Thursday delivered the world’s first seaborne drone carrier, the Zhu Hai Yun, capable of operating on its own. The unmanned carrier can be controlled remotely and navigate autonomously in open water. It will undertake marine scientific research and other observations.
The Zhu Hai Yun entered its home port of Zhuhai Gaolan port in South China’s Guangdong Province on Thursday morning and was officially put into use after a year and a half of construction.
Built under the auspices of the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), the Zhu Hai Yun is the world’s first unmanned system scientific research ship with autonomous navigation and remote-control functions, and has been awarded the first intelligent ship certificate by the China Classification Society (CCS).
The design and construction of the Zhu Hai Yun have followed the principles of green intelligence, scientific support for unmanned systems and “sense of the future.” Meanwhile, its power systems, propulsion systems, intelligent systems, power positioning systems and investigation support systems have been independently developed by Chinese research teams.
“This is the first professional sea trial of the Zhu Hai Yun, which aims to test its autonomous navigation performance and the launching of the unmanned craft,” said Chen Dake, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory.
For the first time, the carrier navigated autonomously for 12 consecutive hours, and realized obstacle avoidance and path planning. It achieved the desired effect and validated the design, Chen added.
The 88.5-meter-long intelligent unmanned carrier is one of the landmark achievements of the Southern Marine Laboratory, with a designed displacement of about 2,100 tons and a top speed of 18 knots.
The ship has a spacious rear deck, which can carry a variety of unmanned air, sea and submarine observation instruments. It can carry out comprehensive marine survey tasks such as ocean surveying and mapping, ocean observation, sea patrol and partial survey and sampling.
Confessions of a Music-Tour Bus Driver
Have you ever had to stop and do a “I’m gonna turn this car around” moment with unruly passengers?
I haven’t done that with customers, but I once had the permission from my Boss to do so if I can’t stand the customers any longer. It was a really awful tour and the people were very disrespectful. I still finished it though
What/are the accommodations on the bus?
It’s basically like a hotel room I got bunk beds and 1 big room with a double bed (named starroom), toilet and shower, small kitchen with the basics, multiple TVs and consoles, dining area and couches, WiFi and a hard drive with 2TB of movies.
Who decides who gets what bunk?
Sometimes tour management declares the bunks. Sometimes its first come first serve. Most of the times the people travel together so much that everyone has their distinctive place in the bus.
How many drivers are there?
There are 2 types of drivers. Main-drivers as me carry one customer during their whole tour. I have my own Bus who I always drive and I have my regular customers who drive always with me when on tour. And double-drivers fly from tour to tour and live out the bag and always there when a main-driver needs help with his distances.
How did you get that job?
Long story short. Connections.
I knew my company for years cause I lived in a flat with the younger brother of my boss. Didn’t like my old job anymore and made the driving license. Started at my company and worked my ass off.
The normal way in the business is driving public or tourist bus for years. Get good connections and recommendations and work very hard and concentrated in the first year. When you survive the first year you are mostly safe.
Do the musicians sleep while you drive, party, just chill, or a mix?
They mostly sleep. When I start driving some are still awake an chill but go to bed soon as well. After 4,5 hours when I have my first short brake everyone is in bed. Party mostly only when the next day is an off day with no show to play.
How do you manage your sleep schedule on longer drives? Do you have a buddy to switch with or the whole bus stops for you to rest?
Sometimes when the drive is more than 800km the night I get a buddy. But otherwise I do everything alone. I sleep like a nightshift worker. My worktime is mainly from midnight till 09:00 am with a little extras to do during the day (cleaning etc) But my driving times are strictly regulated the same as truck drivers driving times.
What genre of music has the messiest musicians?
Overall I would say Hip-Hop. A lot of Rap Artists don’t care too much about the Bus and that I have to clean it. But it gets better when they get older. Young people who just started their career are way more messy then old veterans.
Assuming you’re getting some sort of briefing before a job starts, are there any requests in a brief that’s a red flag for you? Like you know that means trouble?
When they ask for hotel pickups and drops during the day. I have sharp resting times and I am not an Uber who can get you around town.
When I see there isn’t much plan. That happens only on small tours.
When the tour manager doesn’t know how many people will come with us.
When you got friends or family of the artists on the bus. When people don’t have something to do on tour and are just here for holidays and party it’s always crap.
Which dept do you prefer to drive and which do you try to avoid? Band, Lampies, Backline, Sound, Production, Carpenters, Caterers?
Band is alright. Sometimes the hotel pickups mess up my driving and sleeping schedule tho.
Production is often very strict but that’s ok. Just not so much fun to drive.
From the other crew guys it doesn’t makes that much difference for me what department they are in
Caterers are everyone’s favorite.
What’s the weirdest habit any of your clients has exhibited? Or the single weirdest thing they did?
I had parents who shower with their adult children. Old dudes who try to hook up with teens. Got offered the weirdest drugs while I was actively driving. Famous musicians who sit next to me while driving and talk with me about their depression.
Are groupies still a thing?
Mostly no. Some small bands Still tolerate it, but big tours are way to professional to allow that. Especially in the Bus where a view people live together on tight space it got very seldom.
Has any fan ever try to sneak onto the bus?
I had that a few times yes, but the doors only open with a code or are locked all the time so getting on the bus is pretty hard.
If you drove any musicians you admired, did you fangirl all over or is that unprofessional?
I drove with multiple musicians who I admired all my life. I am still not a fan of anyone. This word is very badly associated in the Industry and also I can’t do my work properly when I have those feelings about a customer.
And I never do any Photograph or autograph stuff with any artist I meet even if I don’t have them in my bus. For me that’s very unprofessional and doesn’t fit in that job.
What was the nicest thing a customer did for you?
I once watched the show of a band I was with from the side of the stage and in between 2 songs the singer said:“ we might not play the best but at least we have the best nightliner driver.“ and then they forced me on stage. 5000 people in front of me applauding was a amazing experience. I will never forget that moment cause normally I never ever stand on a stage.
Do the musicians/their company usually tip you at the end of their tour?
Tips are sadly not very common. I get a lot of compliments about my work but still the people don’t tip me. Main reason for that is that the people I drive don’t pay me. Some Tour management company pays my company and those people never join the people in the bus. So they don’t care about my work as they stay in their Office.
When I get a tip it’s mostly private money from the crew and I appreciate that a lot.
Which country has the best or worst drivers?
French in the big cities just don’t care. English people drive mostly slow and always in the middle lane. Germans want to race everything and Romanians are always stressed. No county is perfect.
What’s the worst stretch of road that you’ve experienced?
Quality wise Bulgaria and Serbia is bad. Size-wise, the road up to Vals in Switzerland mountains is crazy. Especially with a double-decker.
Have you ever been involved in any type of accident while on tour?
Luckily I haven’t been involved in an accident. Also when your responsible for an big accident no one will trust you anymore and you have to leave the job. Drivers tend to become truck drivers in the live music industry if that happens.
I had multiple breakdowns tho but that happens when you drive so big distances.
Would you recommend this kind of job to people?
I would recommend it tho everyone who brings the following things.
Likes to drive, especially at night, especially long distances with big buses.
Has a deep sleep.
Can handle stressful situations in traffic and is not aggressive.
Can handle being away from home the major part of the year especially during summer season.
Can handle bossy, egocentric often drunk or drugged people calmly while always being completely sober.
The hardest part personally is being away in my relationship while loving to do this job
Korean Madness
Yet, the moron leadership followed the moron Biden policy of humiliating their money GOD: the world most powerful money spending tourists. Now that china countered such discriminatory Korean policy with a ban to all Koreans entry to China, the coming 2023 Korean trade deficits will further worsen because, Koreans visit to China are mainly businesses seeking profit opportunities in China. Why western democracy keep producing extremists and morons to the position of power? Korea’s Trade Deficit Reaches New High of US$47.2bn in 2022 - Businesskorea HERE