When I was a young boy… perhaps four or five years old, there was a fire in the complex where we lived. We lived in a complex of homes, perhaps row homes in groups of four multi-dwellings.
And one of them was on fire. We, my friends and I, watched the firemen come and put the fire out, and there we surreptitiously entered through the basement into the smouldering wet burnt ruin until chased off.
As We left the scene, the owner of the house arrive. She was carrying a bag of groceries, and I will never forget the expression on her face. Surprise, shock and then realization that it was HER house that was burnt to nothing.
That expression… well, it remains to me this day. I will never forget it. For her entire life is now different. And her life is right now, upside-down.
Poor lady.
…
That happens. That realization. That knowing that a “light switch” has flipped, and what you once had is now GONE.
Smart people make precautions to prevent that switch from flipping. From personal safety; to relationships, to governments. We do what we need to do.
But still…
Today…
What was a loophole that you found and exploited the hell out of?
When I was in high school I had a part time job in a local chain supermarket store. Did the usual, stocking shelves, helping in the butcher shop, cleaning floors, and bag boy. The store began running a promotional, for every $100 in receipts you could get a free dish in a set of “fine” china. Kind of silly really, the reality was that most people were never going to accumulate enough receipts for a place setting, let alone an entire set. But in my tenure as bag boy I noticed several things, 1. People often just put the receipt in the trash can on the way out. 2. They often told the cashier they did not want the receipt, and she put it in the trash can under the register 3. If I was helping people, especially the older ladies, take the groceries to their car and asked them for their receipts, explaining I was trying to get me ma a set of dishes, they willingly gave them to me. So I became the most willing volunteer to bag groceries, the most diligent emptier of trash cans, and the most solicitous helper to people who needed assistance getting groceries to their car. A week before the promotion ended I presented thousands of dollars in receipts to me ma and explained what she had to do, omitting to the store, of course, that she had any relatives employed there. That is how we got the “fine”china still used by me ma to this day. Complete with soup tureen and gravy boat. And the highly sought after “Giant Serving Platter”.
Ukraine Drones?
Nope. American controlled drones in Ukraine. And then pay attention to who is working them.
Real? Fake? But, certainly plausible.
Slovakia Prime Minister . . .”Lie Doomed on our Balcony . . . waiting for World Apocalypse”
"All We Can Do is Lie Doomed On The Balcony With A Cognac And A Cigar, Waiting For The World Apocalypse”
Slovak Prime Minister Fico: “The West sees that, despite significant assistance, despite anti-Russian sanctions, Ukraine is simply not capable of winning. And if we send military personnel from the EU and NATO to Ukraine, all we can do is lie doomed on the balcony with cognac and a cigar, waiting for the world apocalypse.”
Hal Turner Analysis
The fact that the Prime Minister of Slovakia said these words Sunday evening is proof that the “idea” of French President Macron, for NATO member countries to send their troops into Ukraine under “Bi-lateral Security Agreements” was far more than just bluster or posturing. Clearly, the suggestion of the French President is under active consideration.
Were it anything else, there would be no reason for the Prime Minister to make such a statement.
The world is moving faster and faster toward an actual nuclear conflict with Russia.
The general public in Europe and the United States remain blissfully unaware because the mass media has utterly failed in its job to report the serious and world-changing events developing in Ukraine.
I have done, and continue to do, my best, to keep you informed of the important developments overseas.
These comments by the Prime Minister of Slovakia cannot be taken lightly – at all.
The USA is sinking gravely
Could I possibly start working at the prison where my boyfriend will be staying?
This is a profoundly bad idea.
Let’s say that your little plan works just about as well as you could hope for. You become a guard, and you’re assigned to your boyfriend’s unit…
Have you noticed how dirty the floor is in the CO’s break room? Maybe you should get your boyfriend to mop it. You better supervise him to make sure he does a good job…
Ah… alone at last. Finally, after all this time you can have some hurried sex. Sounds pretty fun right?
It better be, because in most places a guard having sex with an inmate is considered rape (you would be raping him). You can argue until you’re nine shades of blue that it was consensual, but during your training program you signed a document stating that you understood that sex with inmates was rape.
Maybe you think nobody will notice?
Your fellow lives in a big room with at least a hundred other men who have NOTHING to do. Nothing. They WILL notice. I was once told how many minutes I’d just spent in the bathroom…
Did I mention these guys have nothing to do?
Maybe you think they won’t care?
Come on now… you know how most guys are when it comes to sex. Do you really think they’ll just give your boyfriend appreciative nods and attaboys?
Yeah. No. They’ll want the same treatment, or maybe they’ll just want you to smuggle in some pot—“just a little.” If you refuse, they’ll have enough documentation to bring a storm your way.
Maybe you think that smuggling a handful of marijuana to needy inmates is no big deal? OK… now you’re up to two felonies already, and you’ve got to keep the pot coming…
“Know what would really be fly? If we had some heroin up in dis bitch.”
This is a hole that digs itself. All you need to do is get a job in that prison, and you’re never going to get out without becoming an inmate yourself.
A miracle
What did your teacher say to you during a meeting that resulted in you immediately dropping the class?
Evening college class, met 2X a week. 1st class- homework- find a magazine article about a govt. action, write one page about it. Did not have any magazine subscriptions, so stopped by library, found story about Sen. McCarthy. Next night, teacher chewed me out for picking that article. What could I POSSIBLY know about Sen. McCarthy? I was too young. And kept on for 5 minutes in a vicious tone.
Stood up, said “Know what? You’re right. I am young- may not know a lot- but I know something you don’t.” “Really? What’s THAT?”
“First, I don’t need this class this semester. Second- you are adjunct (part time) faculty. For your class to continue, you need 10 students enrolled. I count 9 others here. I’m dropping your class. The other students will be assigned to other teachers. You are a jerk- and you are also unemployed. Have a good day.”
Walked out, stopped at office, dropped class. Took it next semester- different teacher.
Russia Destroyed US Army Officers Along With HIMARS MLRS In NIKANOROVKA
Has China increased the defense budget hugely?
Absolutely
Chinas Defence Budget stands at 1.68 Trillion RMB for the year 2024
That’s $ 234 Billion
However you need to understand that $ 234 Billion in China is different from $ 234 Billion in USA
In the US , the average mark up from production to final sale to the Army or Pentagon is between 113% to 355%
That means a missile that costs $ 100,000 to produce sells for $ 213,000 to the Pentagon
In China, the average mark up from production to final sale to the PLA is a mere 26% -37% as everything is State Owned or a Joint Venture with State Ownership of around 35% – 45%
This means a missile that costs $ 100,000 to produce is sold for $ 126,000 to the PLA
Except that it costs $ 40,000 to produce a missile in China and so $ 50,400 to sell a single Missile to the PLA
So you can have FOUR MISSILES with the same range and the same launch capacity delivered to the PLA for ONE MISSILE delivered to the Pentagon
This means the $ 234 Billion in China has a far higher buying power of equipment in China than $ 234 Billion has for the Pentagon
So effectively Chinas Defence Budget is equivalent to at least 2.5 times and probably 3.5 times the Pentagon budget to procure it’s equipment
The PLA has estimated 492 Billion RMB for Weapons Procurement for 2024
That’s $ 70 Billion
However that’s the equivalent of $ 175 Billion to $ 245 Billion of the Pentagon
The Pentagon has estimated $ 290 Billion for weapon procurement in 2024
So you can see that China with its main scope being the South China Sea, Sea of Japan and Himalayas and Indian Ocean spends almost 84% of what US with its main scope being all over the world spends
So initially you see $ 70 Billion and $ 290 Billion and say “Oh. China is only spending a fourth of what US is spending”
Yet a closer look suggests China is spending almost $ 175–245 Billion versus $ 290 Billion that the US is spending
Dividing evenly between the battle zones – China has four – South China Sea, Himalayas, Indian Ocean and Sea of Japan
US has nine – Pacific, Middle East, South China Sea, Sea of Japan, Atlantic, Europe, South America, Horn of Africa and Oceania
So China spends $ 175–245 Billion for 4 Battle Zones while US spends $ 290 Billion for 9 Battle Zones (290/9 = $ 32 Billion each)
You do the math
It means China likely could outspend US 5:1 in the South China Sea
Same for Russia
Everyone looked at $ 81 Billion at laughed
Yet that $ 81 Billion includes $ 50.7 Billion of Equipment and Weapons Procurement which is the equivalent of $ 90 Billion for the Pentagon
Assuming only three Battle Zones – Europe, Black Sea and Arctic – that’s $ 30 Billion per Battle Zone which is very close to the $ 32 Billion that US spends on weapons and equipment for each zone
So US and Russia are actually neck to neck in defence expenditure on Weapons and Equipment as far as Europe is concerned
So Chinas budget of $ 234 Billion is closer to $ 650 Billion in Pentagon terms
That’s enormous
Tips for parents
What is the weirdest question asked during a job interview?
This occurred years ago and I will never forget it. It was at a time period, when located in the Silicon Valley in California, you would have to be interviewed by 423 employees to discern if you qualified for a job. What was more comical is you would be interviewed by people that in NO way were connected with the department you were attempting to gain employment in. Imagine you are interviewing for a computer game company as an artist and you are interviewed by the warehouse shipping lead? No logic whatsoever.
I was attempting to get a job as a network administrator for a very large and well-known entity. I had passed four interviews and was lucky enough to move on to the next.
My next interviewer happens to be a woman that I am informed works as an admin and I have no idea why she is interviewing me.
She sits down and introduces herself and appears pleasant. The first question she asks is “If the #2 pencil is the most popular, why’s it still #2?”. I am taken aback. I reply “Because a number one pencil writes darker than a number two?” She just looks at me.
She asks, “Why does it REALLY hurt to hit your funny bone?” I answered, “Because there is no bone covering or protecting the nerves at that location, so you are really making direct contact with nerves.” I am thinking, what is this?
She then asks, “Why is the third hand on the watch called the second hand?”. I answered, “The hands could have been named anything they wanted.” I said, “If the third hand measures seconds, why can it not be the third on the watch if it was designed to do so?”
At this point I had had enough. I asked her what is with all the ridiculous questions that have absolutely nothing to do with what I am interviewing for?
The door opens at that moment and another woman comes in and asks the person interviewing me to leave. The person who had been asking me questions says to the other, “I like him, he is pretty sharp!” and she leaves the room.
I am now informed by the person who is sitting down that she is the interviewer I was supposed to have been speaking to. I asked whom the person was who was just asking me a series of strange questions. She said, “That was my secretary, Betty. I told her to come in here and see if you needed anything such as water since I was going to be a few minutes late.”
Why bother?
Will raising tariffs on Chinese goods result in higher prices for US-made products imported into China due to potential retaliation from China?
Well, what China wants to buy from the US is banned from export to China, such as chips and chipmaking equipment, on grounds of national security.
What China wants to sell to the US such as EVs and Huawei equipment is either banned or impeded by the Feds, on grounds of national security.
Chinese companies that make money stateside such as Tiktok, Shein and Temu are being targeted for outright bans or increasingly unfavorable legislation and requirements.
Put the enemy hat on China and the rulebook gets thrown out the window—the end justifies the means.
China will raise the tariff wall on American goods if the US does likewise, but the scope won’t be pushed to the extreme. China will simply develop options and stop buying American. For example, there is enough soybean around these days to skip American soy completely. In a few more years, it will be the same story for wheat, corn and other grains, and Chinese demand for American farm produce can experience a step change.
If there is no trust, there can be no longterm business relationship.
Smothered Cheesy Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 or 5 boneless pork chops
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place pork chops in a baking pan. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Sprinkle the onion on top of the pork. Spread mayonnaise on each pork chop. Top with shredded cheese.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned. Baking time may be longer, depending upon thickness of pork chops.
Is FM Wang Yi wasting his breath?
The US can’t hear reason. They are afflicted by an old problem: arrogance. No arrogant person was ever humbled except by humiliation.
China is moving ahead as planned… at full throttle!
COMBATE |🇵🇷 (@upholdreality) on X China FM Wang Yi: "The US has been devising various tactics to suppress China and kept lengthening its unilateral sanctions list, reaching bewildering levels of unfathomable absurdity. If the US says one thing and does another, where is its credibility as a major country? If…
China FM Wang Yi: “The US has been devising various tactics to suppress China and kept lengthening its unilateral sanctions list, reaching bewildering levels of unfathomable absurdity.
If the US says one thing and does another, where is its credibility as a major country?
If it gets jittery whenever it hears the word China, where is its confidence as a major country?
If it only wants itself to prosper but denies other countries legitimate development, where is international fairness?
If it persistently monopolizes the high end of the value chain and keeps China at the low end, where is fairness in competition?
The challenge for the US comes from itself, not from China. If the US is obsessed with suppressing China, it will eventually harm itself.
We urge the US to be clear eyed about the trend of the times…”
Like a Hollywood Nightmare
How do lifers cope with the fact that they will never be outside the prison walls ever again?
As a Prison Medic I had quite a bit of contact with the older Inmates, many doing “Life Without”….
Most of them had cut most ties with “The World” and had developed a life inside the wire, some of them, remarkably productive.
Three of these men come to mind….
One was a leatherworker, who made and repaired saddles for the mounted patrols, taught “horse tack” and leatherwork classes to the other inmates and had an “outreach” program building adaptive saddles and tack for Equestrian Therapy programs around the state at no cost.
Another had been a lawyer on the outside and spent much time with with the other inmates advising them on their legal matters of Family law, property law, tax law…outside their “Cases”… and did it for free… he had his own funds for “Commissary”
And finally there was one of our Orderlies for the Medical Department. He acted as a formal Mentor to new inmates as they adjusted to prison life and was frequently asked to mediate disputes between inmates…
All of those men were killers…. none of those men were ever supposed to take a breath of “Free” air again, and all of them had made a life on the inside…
Unknown force killed these men
What’s the most outdated software you still run on a regular basis, and why is that?
I use it every day.
Why? It’s a fast loading program, that’s easy to use. It reliably strips all formatting from a block of text. I don’t have to tell it each time that I want it to ignore hyperlinks, or HTML tags, and just treat them like the raw ASCII they truly are.
Readme.txt files are still found here and there. Notepad is the perfect program to view them.
When we purchased massive demographic data files from various vendors, they always came to us in some text format, CSV, pipe or tab delimited, fixed width… to write the scripts to import these encyclopedias, I would first need to inspect the header files with a program that wouldn’t alter or format the data in any way. Thank you Notepad.
Notepad is an electronic hand axe. It will continue to be useful for a very long time. There are more powerful text editors, some with very handy features for programmers, but Notepad is always there, on every machine, waiting for an opportunity to show how useful it can be.
Life in the USA today
Do you agree with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) report that says “The US maintains official ties with Beijing, and recognises it as the only Chinese government under its “One China policy.”?
Does nobody remember this? It was a film series Police Academy in the 80s and into the 1990s… I think.
Anybody who watched it should recognise this theme.
Anyway Debbie Callahan is very upfront.
She literally says TALK IS CHEAP.
And has been since the beginning of time.
Actions have always spoken louder than words:
So currently the USA is:
- Peddling bullshit propaganda about Xinjiang against us.
- Targeting ethnic (even US born Chinese) scientists and university graduates.
- Targeting Chinese companies because they can’t compete.
- Actively encouraging hate and racism against Chinese people.
- Accusing us of everything under the sun even if it’s got nothing to do with us.
- Imposing sanctions on us and our people.
- Currently engaging in a massive military build up nearby (Phllipines.Japan)
- Funds terrorism in my home (2019 riots)
- Funds TW separatism.
- Arms terrorist groups (CIA tibetan program)
- Has parked two SSBN nuclear missile submarines in Korea 900km from our capital
400km if you consider Tianjin 500km if you consider Dailan.
All of those things are actions of a hostile state and most of them are acts of war.
What have we done to you? Ah yes we exist and for many westerners that’s just unacceptable.
Your son is a genius
What would you do if your bank accidentally paid $20,000 into your bank account? Would you tell them or spend it?
Originally Answered: What would you do if your bank accidently paid $20,000 into your bank account? Would you tell them or spend it?
This happened to me.
About 28 years ago I went to deposit my paycheck. It was about $500. I had $80 or so in the bank, I was sure, but just to validate, I asked for an account balance.
The teller smiled at me. “Sure,” she said. “After the wire transfer you received yesterday, and your deposit today, your balance is now $1,100,584.”
“Ummmm, what did you say?” The teller repeated the amount.
“Yesterday you received a wire transfer for $1.1 million dollars. Lucky you.” She smiled again.
I took a deep breath. “Look,” I said, “That can’t be my money. Can you please double check?” She nodded and walked over to the branch manager’s office. She returned about ten minutes later.
“Oh there was no error. The amount was wired from X bank to your account, and all the info is correct on the transfer form.”
“So let me ask you something. If I asked you to withdraw $500,000 in cash right now, you would actually give it to me?”
“Well no…” I nodded, knowing that something wasn’t kosher. “…it would take about 3 hours. We don’t keep that much cash on hand. What denominations would you like?”
I stood there like an idiot. “I would like to take out $100 please.”
I went home slightly dazed. The next morning, after a night spent wondering what I would do with the money, I received a call from the bank. It was the branch manager.
“Yes, Mr. Kaufmann, sorry to bother you. I need to inform you that there was an error in a bank wire transfer to your account. You had 1.1 million dollars deposited into your account. I hope you don’t mind, but we will return the funds to the sending bank.”
“No problem,” I said, “I knew it was a mistake.”
The money was removed that day.
That evening, I could not help but ask myself what if I had said, “no.”
Probably exactly the same thing. But it’s fun to think about.
The USA is in full collapse
What was the most bone-chilling sentence a loved one ever said to you?
“It won’t be.”
Such simple words, but they broke my heart. I am tearing up right now as I see them 5 years later.
My youngest son Colin has always been the most happy go lucky person I know. Nothing seems to get him down. He has always been small for his age and yet, he is beyond bullies. A quick little story about that, one of many.
When Colin was about 6 years old we went to the park. There was a bigger kid, probably 8 or 9, standing by the jungle gym. I watched Colin head towards the gym and the bigger kid stepped in his way. Every other kid on the playground had already been redirected and were playing elsewhere. Colin stood and looked up at the boy and I saw the boy pointing for him to go somewhere else. Colin just stood there and stared. The boy turned moved back towards the gym a bit and Colin started moving towards the gym. The bully again stood in his way. This went on for 5 minutes before I see the boy give Colin a ‘guard duty’ job at the base of the gym.
When Colin was born he had a heart murmur, which cleared up.
When Colin was 3 his tonsils were swollen so large his throat was reduced to the size of a quarter. He had a tonsillectomy.
When Colin was 7 he developed Type 1 Diabetes. He never cried. We cried, privately. His doctors kept telling him it was ok to cry and he never saw the need. When his cousin asked him if he liked insulin shots because he never complained about them he said, very matter of factly, “no, I have to live.” And so began the quarterly trips to the endocrinologist.
When Colin was 8 he had a seizure. We wound up taking him for EEGs and found out he has a form of Epilepsy. He didn’t cry, but he looked perturbed. He started on medication and it was effective. He was told he could outgrow it when he hit puberty. Every 6 months we went to the neurologist and had another EEG, he only had one other seizure and that was my fault because I forgot his medication. So his lack of seizures was giving the doctors hope that he was outgrowing it, but every time we went it was the same news: still abnormal.
A few years pass and we have been to so many doctors for so many things. There is a scheduled EEG on this day and we are about to head out the door. My wife and I are excited to go because he hasn’t had a seizure in 2 years and he is starting puberty so maybe this will be the EEG that shows he has outgrown the Epilepsy.
My wife smiles at him and says to this child, who has never once in his life been to a doctor and gotten positive news, who has never once cried or been remotely negative about it all, she says to him excitedly, “The doctor says if this EEG is better you can get off the meds,” and Colin quietly replies, “It won’t be.”
I had to hide my face.
To this day, that is the only negative comment he has ever uttered about his health problems. And it kills me today just to think about it.
Just to note, that EEG was not normal, but 2 years later he was removed from meds despite abnormal EEGs. He has not had a seizure in 5 years now and at almost 15 he has probably outgrown it. He is still small (But growing) for his age as a freshman in High School, and by no means a macho guy. In fact, he believes he is gay and that was no surprise to me, but he is the strongest person I have ever known, and my personal hero, because for all the petty nonsense I get upset about on a regular basis nothing compares to what he has been through, and yet all he does is smile and move on. We could all learn a little something from people like him.
Be the Rufus
Have you ever saw a police officer/deputy outright lie?
June of 2014 I was pulled over for having a headlight out. That much is true.
I left that early morning from the State Highway Patrol station with a ticket for DUI. I was sober. The officer initially told me he thought I crossed the yellow line when he was following me. I did do that, as I was mistaken about the location of the driveway I was trying to get into. So, okay. Then he told me I smelled of alcohol. No, I didn’t. I had had two beers that calendar day, and the last was over 4 hours prior to this. Since then I had been sitting around a campfire. I reeked of smoke. Wood smoke. When I passed the breath test, I was told that they expected that, what with me smelling of weed. No. No I didn’t. But that’s going to be impossible to prove in a courtroom in a few months, right?
The police report they typed up mentioned that I had confessed in the back of the car to being on numerous illicit substances. That. Never. Happened. And I was NOT on any illicit substances.
Fortunately, the prosecutor tossed the whole case when there was no evidence of anything on my tox screen, no evidence of anything in my breath test, hair, urine, blood. NOTHING. Turns out these two assholes had been sending up some dubious cases for a while, but this one was the most egregious.
Ohio Patrol Troopers Northup and Norris, where ever you are, I hope you get a flat tire, your wife cheats on you with your partner, your dog dies, and you develop unfixable halitosis. You are the worst kind of human. You lied, repeatedly, and for what?
Because…
Is there a lot of racism in prisons?
Racism is the very thing prisons are built out of. It’s the bricks, pipes, and bars of prison. Racism will surround and envelop you at all times while you are behind bars.
That said, you’re not supposed to acknowledge it. You had better not make any comments that are openly racist unless you’re ready to fight. So, while racism is the very air you breathe, you’d better not gulp it in and speak with it.
Inmates divide themselves up along racial lines. This really shouldn’t come as a surprise — we divide ourselves up by race everywhere in society. In prison it’s just more… rigid.
The most obvious example will be the chow hall. Where I spent most of my time, there was a white side, and a black side. The white side had six or seven tables set aside for Hispanics and “other.” The black side had only two tables that had been claimed by social misfits that nobody wanted to have at their table.
If a white guy sat in the black area heads would turn. The same was true for the reverse situation. If anything, the blacks seemed more disapproving of a black guy sitting with the whites. The general assumption was that if someone was sitting outside of their race then there was a (sexual) relationship. The person out of “place” was someone’s “bitch.”
The units were also divided by race. We had several TV rooms. One was for whites (read “rednecks”). One was for blacks and one was for anyone who spoke Spanish. A final room was supposed to be for sports, but wound up being a second room for the blacks.
Even the cells were arranged by race. The cells furthest from the doors were all occupied by black guys. This was their choice — being largest in number, they got to choose. The advantage of being farthest from the door is that you have the most warning before the guards get to you.
Is there racism in prison? I doubt this is even a serious question. Prison *is* racism.
Pre-Historic Mega Structure Discovered In New Zealand: Kaimanawa Wall
What do you do when a neighbor’s kid is destroying your property?
Back in the mid to late 90s I lived in a quite, older neighborhood in Euless Texas. I have a green thumb and made my yard one of the nicest ones on the street. There were some rambunctious boys that lived a few houses down. They started riding their bikes in my yard tearing things up. Next thing I know their friends are doing it too. I knew their parents and knew they were decent people. One day I came around the corner and the oldest son, about 14 or so and their ringleader, was right there in my driveway. I could tell he was about to head into my yard. I called out to him in a friendly tone “Hey! You wanna earn some extra cash?”
That got his attention. He said “Sure” as he got off his bike to speak with me. I told him I was having to work extra hours at work (true) and needed help keeping my yard up. I told him if her would mow the front yard weekly, spread fertilizer and pull any weeds he sees I’d give him 40 bucks every week. He was excited and agreed. Shortly my yard was back to being one of the nicest ones on the street. He was now in charge and took great pride in his work and the yard. He would fuss at his friends and brothers and run them off if they came around with their bikes. He also took great care of my lawn mower and any other tools he used and put them back in my shed when finished. I hated to see him go off to college a few years later!
“As the famous Turkish proverb says, when a clown goes to live in a palace, he does not become a king. But the palace becomes a circus.
One could, of course, perceive everything that is happening in Ukraine as a circus if the consequences were not so tragic and catastrophic for this state.
But circus acts are still very popular there.
We all know about air sirens sounding in Kyiv and other cities during visits of high-ranking foreign delegations in the absence of any shelling.
This has already become a kind of part of the circus program for the stay of foreign leaders in Ukraine.
What is noteworthy is that in Odessa, whose military facilities were actually attacked during the visit of a high-ranking Greek delegation to this city, the siren did not sound: such an act was not included in the circus program.
I would like to urge all those who have been whipping up passions today and will continue to whip up passions because of this episode to ask themselves a simple question.
Do you really think that if we really wanted to hit Zelensky’s motorcade, we wouldn’t be able to do it?
And try to answer it, just honestly.
Especially considering the fact that you know very well that this strike destroyed a workshop for the production of naval drones, or rather, their assembly from components supplied by the UK.
For us, this goal is much more important than Zelensky rushing around the frontline zone, taking selfies in cities before they are liberated by the Russian army.
And if any of you in your soul hopes to get rid of the leader of the Kyiv regime in this way, then I can disappoint you: this is not part of our plans.
The reincarnation of Mr. Goloborodko from the series ‘Servant of the People’ was elected to the presidency by Ukrainians, believing his election promises to establish peace in Donbass and protect the Russian language and Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine.
He deceived his voters, so now let the Ukrainians and his Western puppet masters deal with him. We have more important tasks – fulfilling the goals of our special military operation.
And since you don’t want to talk about how to implement them through peaceful means, we are forced to use military means for this.
With all the ensuing consequences for Ukraine and the Western sponsors of the Kyiv regime, which have already begun to emerge very clearly.”
Excerpt from the speech by Dmitry Polyanskiy, First Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine, New York City, March 8, 2024.
Father’s revenge
Why didn’t China acquire the MiG-29 and MIG-31 from Russia in 1990?
Why didn’t China acquire the Mig29 and Mig31? Because China wanted the Su-27.
And we got it. China realised that the heavy fighter design had far more potential than the much smaller 29.
Su 27 and Mig29 in between. The size difference is huge.
Russia in dire financial straits in the 1990s reluctantly agreed to sell them to us.
There’s a far more entertaining story which nobody knows is true or not.
Russian negotiators landed in Beijing to negotiate sale of Mig29s to China and said nyet Over and over again when Chinese asked for the SU27. Chinese negotiators pressed and pressed Russians over and over again but kept getting told no and hit an impasse. Until it was settled by a night on the town over booze.
Allegedly Chinese negotiators out drunk the Russians and got them to agree to our demands.
Those northern Chinese, they can REALLY drink. I mean REALLY drink. I nearly died when I dated a girl from Northern China, to her it was like water…Chinese Baiju starts at 56% Russian Samogan starts at 40%.
WOKE is completely insane
What do homeless people do during the day? Do they get bored?
Me, 50 years a hobo. Everybody is different here’s what I did. 4 am. wake up. Damn birds noisy at hell at that hour. Break camp. “Camo” the big stuff, little stuff in my small day pack. Have enough change for the first bus into town. 5:30 am in line at the temp work joint. Hope I get a days work today else it’s pick up cans. 6:30 am lucked out and got a clean up job. 7:30 am at the construction clean up site. Give the boss my work ticket, 3 of us working. Spend the day cleaning up so various tradesman are not tripping over one another’s trash. Noon. Lunch break. Had a $2 draw and bought a sandwich from the catering truck. Boss finds one temp guy sleeping behind the huge dumpster. Signs him off with 5 hours and gives him bus change and the boot. 4 pm. Quit time for us temps. Boss gives us 10 hours sign off because we had to pick up the slack for “Sleepy”. Marks never to send Sleepy back there again.and marks he wants us two back tomorrow. Wait for the work van to pick us up. I am glad I got a second day’s work cause I hadn’t worked for a week. 6 pm back at temp office. Got a check for $32 ( this was a while back ) minus the $2 draw. $30 bucks. Go two blocks down the street to a bar and grill all the temps go to. Get a burger and soda and they cash my check. Got to buy or won’t cash the check. Some guys drink all their pay up there everyday. I ain’t a drinking man. Got $25 and bus fair now. Head to the bus stop down a ways. 8 pm getting near dark arrive at last bus stop on that route. Near a gas station. Grab a soda. Walk about a mile ? to a large stand of trees. My camping site. Set up camp and fall out. I’m tired for sure. Figure to work as much as possible for a month so I have a “road stake”.Figure to go to Southern California for the winter. A few good “working” towns along my planed route.
What is the most satisfying way you saw a smirk get wiped off someone’s face?
In college, I was invited to a private concert being filmed in a TV studio in Chicago. My good friend was the executive assistant to the president of the station so I had met the president several times before and he told me to bring a few friends along for this event and to find him when we got there.
The evening of the concert, there was a huge line of people waiting to get into the studio. These were folks not previously invited but vying for a few remaining spots to fill empty seats.
Having been invited personally by the studio president, we walked around the crowd and into the building to find him. Near the front of the line, we saw a guy dressed in studio gear, all black, headphones, clipboard, the whole deal holding back the crowd. I waved and explained “hello I’m Chet and was told to find John McDonald (not his real name) to be part of tonight’s concert event. I was nothing but polite and courteous.
This guy’s response? “I’m sorry…do you think you are special or something? See all these people? They waited in line and you can too. Go back to the end and wait just like everyone else.”
I was floored as was my roommate and our dates looked dumbfounded. I sort of chuckled but figured ok, something must have gotten lost in translation.
Not two seconds later, the studio prez John McDonald comes around the corner, sees us all there and exclaims “Chet! You made it!” and we all start shaking hands and making introductions to the ladies we brought along.
He then turned to the studio guy and said “take these four into the show and put them in the front row.”
As we followed the rude dude into the studio, I couldn’t resist saying “I guess we ARE special!”
Smirk obliterated.
You won’t believe this…
What are the consequences of being too good at your job? Can you get fired for it?
My son went on line to see if he could get hired for a programming job somewhere. He had no real experience working for anyone else in programming. He had worked for a small town IT guy, and did a lot of coding for an online game he played. His first job offer was as a contractor for a 6 month gig at a company in Sacramento, CA. He loaded up his car, abandoned his apartment in Springfield IL, and headed out.
When he went to work the first day, they showed him around a bit, then gave him his first assignment. He worked hard on it for the first two days, and handed in the finished project on the third day. The boss looked at him in an odd manner. He had someone run the program to make sure it actually did what it was supposed to do. He came back and told Jason that it was a job well done. Jason asked for his next assignment. The boss, a bit bemused, said, well, I’ll see if I can find something for you, but that assignment was your 6 month gig. They did keep him on for the 6 months, and he did several other projects for them. He didn’t get fired, but the other programmers weren’t at all happy with him, so he left at the end of the contract.
He has had several coding jobs since, and moved up into management, but finally decided that he really liked coding better than he liked managing coders, so his current job is back to coding, but at a pretty high level, with commensurate pay.
Tucker Carlson 3/9/24 | Breaking News March 9, 2024
https://youtu.be/8heGAYH21M4
China to give chipmakers $27 billion to counter U.S. sanctions — Big Fund III will have further funding rounds
By Anton Shilov
published about 24 hours ago
China is assembling the third phase of its Big Fund
to invest in crucial semiconductor projects across the country, a move that aims to accelerate the development of advanced technologies, make China self-reliant in the microelectronics industry, and counteract the United States’ efforts to limit China’s technological advancement.
The third phase of the National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, or the Big Fund, will pursue the same goal as the first two phases: make China self-sufficient in the semiconductor sector. According to a Bloomberg report, the Big Fund’s third-phase vehicle will primarily draw its capital from local governments, state-owned enterprises, and their investment branches, with the central government contributing a smaller portion. This strategy aligns with President Xi Jinping’s vision of pooling resources nationwide for significant projects, emphasizing self-reliance in the semiconductor sector.
The first round of Big Fund III funding is designed to raise $27 billion, a relatively modest sum by the Chinese standards for its semiconductor industry. Cities like Shanghai and entities like the China Chengtong Holdings Group and the State Development and Investment Corp. are expected to invest billions of yuan each in the third-phase fund. Meanwhile, the report says the fund will directly support local companies and finance three to four sub-funds to diversify deal sourcing and investment strategies.
The fund’s expansion comes as the United States urges its allies to tighten restrictions on China’s access to tools required to make chips on advanced product nodes, part of an ongoing chip war for control of the semiconductor manufacturing industry. Back in September, Big Fund II initiated a round to raise $41 billion to support domestic makers of wafer fab equipment. However, for Big Fund III, $27 billion will be spent on essential projects across China.
Since its inception in 2014, the Big Fund (2014 – 2018, ~$100B) and the Big Fund II (2019 – 2023 , ~$41B) have raised hundreds of billions of dollars and acquired stakes in dozens of microelectronics companies. Meanwhile, Bloomberg claims that Big Fund’s assets under management are currently valued at around $45 billion, which could be a direct result of the U.S. sanctions against China’s semiconductor sector, which significantly hit companies like SMIC (China’s foundry champion) and Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. (YMTC , China’s top 3D NAND maker).
Despite its successes, the Big Fund has faced criticism for its lack of transparency and accountability, operating primarily behind the scenes. Nonetheless, it is indisputable that the hundreds of billions of dollars poured into China’s semiconductor industry made the country one of the most prominent players in this field.
The United States today
What are the biggest facepalm moments you have ever experienced?
About 15 years ago, I was working as a server at a restaurant, and as head server/trainer and an expeditor, I knew the menu inside and out, including pretty much all the ingredients.
We took allergies VERY seriously at our restaurant, and so when a guest asked,”Is there dairy in the crab cake? Because I’m allergic to dairy,” I was REQUIRED to ask the chef, verbatim, even though I KNEW the answer was no, because the chef is the highest authority on the food. So I go back to the kitchen, and I ask the chef, “Is there dairy in the crab cake? I have a guest who is allergic.”
He responds, “Yeah, there’s dairy in the crab cake.”
And I respond, “Uh, you’re wrong–I’ve prepped crab cakes myself. There’s no dairy in the crab cakes.”
Him: “Prove it.”
I go to the prep kitchen and pull the master recipe book from the shelf, bring it back to him, and read off the list of ingredients. “There’s no dairy on this list.”
Him: “There’s mayonnaise in the crab cake.”
Me: “That’s not dairy. Mayonnaise is eggs and oil, and a stabilizing agent.”
Him: “And where do you find eggs in the grocery store?”
Me: “In the dairy section.”
Him: “So eggs are dairy.”
Me: “No, they’re not. Eggs come from chickens. Dairy products are milk products, which have to come from a cow, or from the udder of another mammal. Chicken are birds, not mammals. Birds don’t have udders.”
Him: “Eggs come from the dairy section. They are therefore dairy.”
Me: *Facepalm* “Fine. I will tell the customer that the crab cakes have mayonnaise.”
(Back at the table.)
Me: “Ma’am, the chef told me to tell you that the crab cakes have mayonnaise.”
Guest: “But mayonnaise isn’t dairy, it’s made from eggs.”
Me: “Yes, ma’am, you’re quite right, but the chef and I had a philosophical disagreement on that point, and he insists mayonnaise is dairy. So you may want to stay away from the crab cakes, considering the chef doesn’t actually know what’s in them.”
When plastic surgery goes wrong
Browned Butter Spaghetti with Mizithra
I used to love to go to the Spaghetti Factory for this. It’s so delicious! Mizithra is a great Greek cheese.
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- Cooked spaghetti, drained
- 1 cup Mizithra cheese, grated
- Parsley, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Cut butter into tablespoon size pieces and place in a 2 quart sauce pan. Place the pan of butter on a burner on medium heat. Bring butter to a slow boil (about 5 minutes).
- When the butter begins to boil, stir constantly to prevent residue from sticking to the bottom of the pan. As the butter cooks, it will start to foam and rise. Continue stirring, otherwise the butter foam could overflow (about 5 minutes) and catch fire.
- When the butter stops foaming and rising, cook until amber in color (about 1 to 2 minutes). It will have a pleasant caramel aroma.
- Turn off the heat and remove pan from burner. Let the sediment settle to the bottom of the pan for a few minutes.
- Pour the brown butter through a strainer into a small bowl. Do not disturb the residue at the bottom of the pan.
- The brown butter can be stored in the refrigerator and reheated in a microwave as needed.
- Boil the pasta of choice until al dente.
- Drain pasta and divide into four servings.
- Sprinkle 1/4 cup Mizithra cheese over each pasta serving.
- Top with 1/4 cup hot brown butter.
The reason why
Musical Chairs for Banks; The Music STOPS tomorrow
Monday, March 11, 2024, Banks may get a deadly dose of reality; the Federal Reserve will cease the Bank Term Funding Program (BTFP) which will stop making new loans.
During a period of stress last spring, the Bank Term Funding Program helped assure the stability of the banking system and provide support for the economy. After March 11, banks and other depository institutions will continue to have ready access to the discount window to meet liquidity needs.
As the program ends, the interest rate applicable to new BTFP loans has been adjusted such that the rate on new loans extended from now through program expiration will be no lower than the interest rate on reserve balances in effect on the day the loan is made. This rate adjustment ensures that the BTFP continues to support the goals of the program in the current interest rate environment. This change is effective immediately. All other terms of the program are unchanged.
The BTFP was established under Section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act, with approval of the Treasury Secretary.
When the BTFP stops, banks will not longer be able to borrow from the Fed based upon value-at-maturity of US Treasuries and other assets they hold. So if the banks cannot borrow from the fed to meet their cash needs, how will they get the cash?
Put simply, the game of musical chairs for banks will see the music stop tomorrow. Which Bank(s) will find themselves without a chair, and thus lose?
What does a man and a woman want
What is the most disturbing thing your ex did after you broke up with them?
Actually she divorced me after being together 20 years. She did the normal dirty tricks…wiping out the bank account before I was served papers…leaving me flat broke. I have a medicine I cant live without. She had me removed from her health insurance as soon as divorce papers were served, and I had no health insurance of my own. The medicine is prohibitively expensive without insurance and I scrambled to straighten things out before I missed enough doses to sicken and die. I later found out she started paying premiums on a $100,000 life insurance policy that I thought had lapsed a year earlier when I lost my job and couldn’t pay the bill. She had brow-beaten me to get the insurance at the start of our marriage. I realized she had set me up to die and intended to collect my life insurance payout while playing the grieving ex. Unfortunately for her, I had filled out a change of address to a p.o. box and since the statement came under my name, it diverted to my box along with the rest of my mail. I was able to have the password changed and blocked her from the account as I cashed in the policy for 26k. That money saved my life, I bought a motorhome to live in until I could save up a down payment for a house and purchased my meds until my new life insurance took effect. The policy she demanded I enroll in so she might profit from my untimely death, ended up costing her money while saving me from certain death.
What were the last words you heard someone say before they died?
My mother married my stepfather when I was a teenager. We had a somewhat difficult relationship although it was readily apparent that he adored my mother and treated her very well. I tried to get along with him as best I could because I knew that I would eventually be moving out and my mother would need a partner. After a decade or so into their marriage his health declined. He had developed leukemia-induced anemia that was complicated by Crohn’s disease. After several years of painful existence and numerous hospital stays and blood transfusions he found himself in the ICU. His red blood cell count was critically low and he needed another transfusion or he would die within a few days. He decided he had had enough. He refused treatment so that he could pass away and be relieved of his pain. He went in and out of consciousness over those last two days. A priest had come to read him his last rites. His oxygen mask was at full capacity.
At one point I stood alone beside his bed and he mustered up enough strength to speak. He told me “take care of your body and read a lot of books on different subjects”. I acknowledged him. He added, “and take care of your mother”. He then slipped back into unconsciousness and the nurse asked that I leave the room and give him a break. I never heard him speak again. Those last words only reaffirmed to me what a great husband my mother had found, for in his last moments he was still concerned about her welfare.
That night my mother and I were in the waiting room at two in the morning when the nurse came to tell us that it was his time. We went into his ICU room, stood by his bedside, and watched on the monitor as his heart rate steadily dropped off to zero and his chest eased down to a stop. My mother looked down at him and said “what an amazing man, thank you for 17 wonderful years of marriage”. RIP Stan
She cannot handle reality
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/43vF4ZQFwZA?feature=share
I went to a restaurant of a nationality different from mine. After I sat down, the manager said “sorry, but we do not wish to serve you in our restaurant”. What should I do?
This actually happened to me. I’m an American who went to school for bit at Richmond College in England. At one point, several classmates and I went on an educational trip to Paris with chaperones and teachers. (Most of us were in our junior year of high school, and still technically children.) We spoke very little French, yet for the most part we found the people in Paris to be charming, and very kind to us. Most people, but not all.
One day, a friend and I were walking back to the dorms we were staying in. We were without a chaperone. We were hungry, so we stopped in a very small cafe in what seemed to be a quiet and lovely neighborhood. It was obvious when we first walked in that everyone seemed to know everyone, and they did not know us. There were no other places to eat anywhere near our location, and we were starving, so we decided to stay.
We were refused a table. When we brought out our money so that they would understand that we were serious customers, the owner reluctantly let us sit at the counter, but not at a table. She also refused to show us a menu, and simply brought us soup with very unusual animal parts in it. These were body parts that I had no idea a person could actually consume, and most of the parts appeared to be raw. We silently looked at each other confused. The owner of the cafe, and every customer, glared at us.
Finally, and shockingly, my friend started eating the broth. I tried and tried to remain pleasant and polite so that I would not be another bad example of an American tourist, yet finally I could no longer handle the situation. I burst out with laughter. Soon we were both laughing hysterically. We were then yelled at, and thrown out after paying a huge price for whatever that was we were served.
Sadly, my brave friend who ate the broth had to miss two days of sightseeing and school due to an unfortunate case of gastroenteritis.
So, to answer your question directly, if you are not wanted in a restaurant, run!
Has a cop ever said something to you which was completely unexpected?
Twenty years ago I moved across the country. When I got to my new state, I dragged my heels at getting new license plates. I am embarrassed to say how far I exceeded the grace period. A cop I worked with at school reminded me gently that our particular state had pretty stiff penalties for expired tags and I should take care of it before I got pulled over. I wish I had heeded her warning.
I never got a notice in the mail, but sure enough, I did get pulled over. The cop was polite and told me why I had been stopped, then returned to his squad car to run my info.
He came back. “Are you aware you license has been suspended?
“WHAT??!!” I was not.
He was puzzled. “Do you owe child support or something?”
“No.” I was upset at this point, not with him but the situation. I have never been in trouble with the law.
He was obviously perplexed. “They don’t normally suspend a license for expired tags. Huh.” He wrote out a warning.
When it was time to leave, I said “Sir…with an expired license, how will I get home?”
He shrugged. “If I drive off first, how will I know if you’re driving?”
He was very kind. However, the legal system was not. I had to jump through a lot of expensive hoops to get things cleared up. All of it could have easily been avoided. Renew your tags, everyone.
What are the biggest facepalm moments you have ever experienced?
A pizza delivery driver in his mid 20s (me….20 years ago) knocks on the door of an apartment, a few minutes go by and the door opens. As it swings open a cloud of VERY aromatic smoke rolls out and the man of the house says in a Bob Bitchin’ (PhD, MA, BA and a BMF besides) voice,
“Yeah, what is it?”
“I have your pizzas.”
“How much are they?”
“$20.87”
He hands me $30 asks for a $5 back, takes his change, and shuts the door. Nonplussed, I knock again. A couple of minutes goes by and the same man answered the door.
“Yeah, what is it?”
“I still have your pizzas.”
“How much are they?”
Now here I paused, and considered, until finally…
“$20.87”
He reaches in his pocket, gets his wallet out, looks inside and says,
“Give me a minute.”
Another 5 or 6 minutes go by and I see him talking with the 4 other people sitting around the TV. A collection occurs. He finally returns to the door and hands me $20.87 in the form of a single $5, eight $1 s, and the other $7.87 in mixed change. He then apologizes saying,
“Sorry about all the change, and no tip, I swear I had $30 around here but I can’t find it.”
To this day, I cannot help but smack my forehead when I think about it.
Edit- Thanks to all. I hope it gave you a bit of joy.
